Celebrating 25 years since its debut, the Nintendo crossover fighting game, Super Smash Bros., finally has an official explanation for its name, courtesy of creator Masahiro Sakurai.
Sakurai Unveils the "Smash Bros." Story
Super Smash Bros. features a diverse cast of characters from Nintendo's vast game library. However, the name's "brothers" component is somewhat misleading, as few characters are actually brothers, and many aren't even male. So, why "Super Smash Bros."? Sakurai recently revealed the answer in his YouTube series.
Sakurai explains the name stems from the game's core concept: "friends settling minor disputes." Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata played a crucial role in solidifying the title.
Sakurai recounts, "Mr. Iwata contributed significantly to the name Super Smash Bros. We brainstormed numerous options," including a meeting with Shigesato Itoi (creator of Mother/Earthbound) to finalize the title. Sakurai continues, "Mr. Iwata selected 'brothers,' reasoning that while the characters weren't literally brothers, the term conveyed a sense of friendly rivalry—a playful disagreement rather than outright combat."
Beyond the naming, Sakurai also shared anecdotes about his relationship with Iwata, including Iwata's direct involvement in programming the Super Smash Bros. prototype, originally titled "Dragon King: The Fighting Game," for the Nintendo 64.
