The latest update patch for the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. contains more than just a bunch of essential balance changes to the game’s fighters (including a much-needed downgrade for Diddy Kong). A few hidden, encrypted files included with the update also hint at the possibility that street fighter series regular Ryu could appear in the game in the future.
The files, labeled “snd_bgm_SF01_SF2_Ryu_3DS” and “snd_bgm_Z81_F_Ryu_3DS”, were first discovered by a Reddit user active in the Nintendo hacking community (who sheepishly admitted he didn’t even know who Ryu was) and were later confirmed by the editors of The Cutting Room Floor Wiki, an indispensable resource for hidden and deleted bits from classic games. Those files contain perfect reproductions of Ryu’s stage background music and winning quote music from Street Fighter II. Other unused sound files in the “bgm” folder of the code refer to new characters like Earthbound‘s Lucas, who was previously confirmed as a future piece of DLC, and Roy van de Fire emblem series, which has not appeared in the Super Smash Bros. since Melee.
Since the beginning of the month, Nintendo has been actively seeking fan suggestions for new fighters to add Smash Bros.already extensive selection. Ryu would be right at home in it Smash Bros., which has evolved over the years from a showcase for Nintendo characters to a showcase for all manner of Japanese gaming mascots, from Sega’s Sonic and Konami’s Solid Snake to Namco/Bandai’s Pac-Man and fellow Capcom creation Mega Man. Of course, if Capcom gets a second fighter in the series, those other companies can expect to increase their character count as well. Maybe our dream of fighting Simon Belmont, Tails and Heihachi isn’t as doomed as we thought.
Last December, Capcom confirmed that Street Fighter V will be exclusive to PlayStation 4 and PC later this year.