Steve, Sonic and Snake lead the latest competitive ranking of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters. This list follows UltRank’s fourth community tier list, published May 6, 2026, for game version 13.0.4. It ranks competitive potential—not which fighter is most fun, easiest to learn or strongest for every player.
The 15 best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters
The placements below reproduce UltRank’s May 2026 ordering and scores. They are 15 ranking positions, not 15 individual character models: Pyra/Mythra and Peach/Daisy each appear as a combined entry. The list places fighters within tiers as well as grouping them into tiers; small score differences should not be read as proof that one character is definitively better. See the tier-list reference and its account of the ranking.
![Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61bkI3XqQ7L._SL160_.jpg)
| Rank | Character | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve | 10.426 |
| 2 | Sonic | 10.105 |
| 3 | Snake | 9.956 |
| 4 | Mr. Game & Watch | 9.883 |
| 5 | R.O.B. | 9.809 |
| 6 | Min Min | 9.677 |
| 7 | Kazuya | 9.451 |
| 8 | Diddy Kong | 8.997 |
| 9 | Pyra/Mythra | 8.899 |
| 10 | Luigi | 8.786 |
| 11 | Peach/Daisy | 8.415 |
| 12 | Yoshi | 8.390 |
| 13 | Fox | 8.317 |
| 14 | Joker | 8.299 |
| 15 | Samus | 8.094 |
What this ranking measures
UltRank’s list is a community assessment of competitive character strength for Ultimate version 13.0.4, reflecting the metagame through 2025 and early 2026. It is not an official Nintendo ranking. The reference describes a panel of 72 globally ranked players, with a small contribution from six patrons; one ballot was later discarded. Panelists rated fighters from 1 to 10 and submitted an ordered top five. The top-five votes were normalized and received bonus scores, while extreme responses were removed or capped. The tier framework runs from A to E, without explicit definitions for each tier. SmashWiki explains how tier lists work and what they can—and cannot—show.
The ordering is useful as a snapshot of informed competitive opinion, not as a prediction of any individual match. It does not measure each player’s chance of winning, learning difficulty, casual enjoyment or a character’s outcome in a single matchup. Tournament rules and competitive assumptions also differ from other ways people play. Treat especially close placements as judgments, not precise measurements.
#1 Best Overall
- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. Game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
- Face off in 2-4 player battles, or play against the computer
Roster context: paired entries and DLC
Pyra/Mythra and Peach/Daisy each occupy one position in the ranking. Nintendo’s support information says new fighters can be purchased as DLC, and some packs include a stage and music. Fighters Pass Vol. 2 covers Challenger Packs 6 through 11; each pack includes one fighter, one stage and music. Piranha Plant is sold as a standalone fighter. Nintendo Support lists the fighter DLC structure.
Nintendo described Sora as the final DLC fighter in its October 2021 announcement, which reported 86 total fighters at that time. That is a dated count, not a new current roster total. Read Nintendo’s Sora announcement. Nintendo of America also reported, as of that announcement, more than 2.2 billion hours played, 11.7 billion offline matches and 7.8 billion online multiplayer battles; these are historical totals, not current figures. The announcement includes Nintendo’s dated play totals.
Quick Recap
Best Value
![Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Fighters Pass Vol. 2 - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513xrBEbo0L._SL160_.jpg)
- Challenger Pack 6 includes Min Min as a playable fighter, their stage, and a selection of music
- Challenger Pack 7 includes Steve & Alex as a playable fighter, their stage, and a selection of music
- Challenger Pack 8 includes Sephiroth as a playable fighter, their stage, and a selection of music
- Challenger Pack 9 includes Pyra/Mythra as a playable fighter, their stage, and a selection of music
- Challenger Pack 10 includes Kazuya Mishimia as a playable fighter, their stage and a selection of music
Rank #4
![Nintendo Super Smash Bros. Ultimate + Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter Pass Bundle - [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516jRPfTrLL._SL160_.jpg)
- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. game
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
Rank #2
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