"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's" Masahiro Sakurai shared with the public how he got the once-in-a-lifetime collaboration of bringing Sora into the game.
Sakurai finally tells how he persuaded Disney to include "Kingdom Hearts'" Sora as the game's final character in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate."
'Kingdom Hearts'' Sora in 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'
Sora always seemed like a long-shot as "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's" final DLC character because of Disney licensing, but series creator Masahiro Sakurai has now opened up about how he was able to convince the company to lend him the "Kingdom Hearts" protagonist.
However, Sora was revealed for "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" as the last character to come to Nintendo's massive crossover fighting game during a special live stream event hosted by Sakurai earlier in October, and he officially joined the game to complete the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 after the 13.0.0 update went live on October 18, according to Screen Rant.
Long before Sora was confirmed for "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," the happy-go-lucky Keyblade-swinger and champion of the light were one of the series' most hoped-for guest characters, even winning a poll for most requested DLC fighter in 2020.
Nintendo reportedly attempted to secure the rights from Disney to include Sora in "Smash Bros. Ultimate" around that time, but Disney's Japanese branch turned the offer down.
After that information surfaced, many were understandably shocked when Sora has been added as the final fighter after all. Because Disney is notoriously stringent about how its image and IPs are used, a popular topic of discussion since the reveal has been how Nintendo and Sakurai ultimately convinced the entertainment giant to allow Sora into the famous game title.
Copyright and License
In a lengthy debate on Twitter, KodyNOKOLO and PushDustin described how Sakurai was able to gain the rights to utilize Sora's likeness in the Nintendo game.
Sakurai claims to have encountered an anonymous Disney representative at a "particular award location" in his latest and final Famitsu column.
This representative informed Sakurai that they were interested in Sora being a playable "Smash Bros." character, which prompted Disney, Nintendo, and "Kingdom Hearts" publisher Square Enix to hold a formal meeting.
After that discussion, Sora was added to "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's" Fighters Pass Vol. 2, and from five intended characters, it became six after the deal was struck.
Sora's Return to 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'
Before Sora's reveal, most fans had given up hope that the "Kingdom Hearts" hero would appear in the Nintendo Switch game, making Sakurai's ability to bring Nintendo, Square Enix, and Disney together to bring the hero to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters all the more impressive.
Surprisingly, this once-impossible event occurred as a result of a chance meeting at an industry gathering, transforming what appeared to be a pipe dream crossover into a reality.
"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" Sora presentation included a comprehensive description of Sora's techniques in the series' tradition. Director Masahiro showed the new character's move sets on the entire "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" roster of 85 other fighters as a tribute to the game's enormous roster.
