Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Director Reveals All the Work That Went Into Adding Sora from Kingdom Hearts

Masahiro Sakurai offers a close look at the work that went into the character.

By Marc Deschamps

For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighter's Pass, Nintendo ended things on a high note with the addition of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. The final DLC fighter came as a gigantic shock to many people, given the licensing deals that would have to be in place with both Square Enix and Disney. Nintendo managed to make it happen, but then it came time to actually bring Sora to life in the game. In a newly released video, Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai offered a deep dive into Sora's development, including many of the changes he personally requested from his team. 

In previous videos on the "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games" channel, we've gotten a glimpse into Sakurai's perfectionism. The director puts a lot of thought into every single aspect of the game, and that was very much the case for Sora, as well. In Sakurai's latest video, he talks about everything from the clapping animation on the loss screen, to the designs of Sora's eyes for the Timeless River alternate costume. For fans of both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Kingdom Hearts, the video shows how much care goes into the game's fighters, and all the little nuances that might go unnoticed. While some of these elements might seem minor, they quickly add up! Readers can find the video below. 

At this time, we don't know how many videos are left in the Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games channel. It was announced back in June that Sakurai had filmed the final video, but not when it will actually air. No one really knows why Sakurai is bringing things to an end, but there has been speculation that the director has started work on a new Smash Bros. game for Nintendo's next console. Speculation suggests that the so-called "Nintendo Switch 2" will be unveiled sometime in the very near future, with a launch in 2025. 

Related:

Super Smash Bros. games have become a staple of Nintendo consoles over the last 25 years, and it's likely we can expect a new entry in the series within the next few years. For the time being, fans will have to continue to enjoy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and all the effort that Sakurai and his team put into the game! 

Do you like seeing Sakurai's development videos? When do you think we'll see a new Smash Bros. game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

Trending Now: