A new challenger approachesSuper Smash Bros. MeleeGUIDES

Super Smash Bros. Melee Wiki & Guide

MeleeMario’s character-select portraitFox’s character-select portraitPikachu’s character-select portrait

Nintendo’s all-stars meet on the GameCube. This wiki covers all 25 fighters with every costume, the 29 stages and how to unlock them, the items and the 11 secret challengers, illustrated with pictures taken straight from the game: the character-select portraits, stock icons, stage-select pictures, series emblems and the clear pictures stored on the disc.

Released
2001
System
GameCube
Developer
HAL Laboratory
Fighters
25 + Sheik
Stages
29

Choose your fighter → · Unlock everything →

Explore the wiki

Choose your fighter

The 25 fighters in the order the character-select screen shows them, with their portraits and stock icons from the game. Select a fighter for their costumes and how to unlock them.

All fighters and costumes · Character directory

Series emblems

Each fighter stands in front of their series’ emblem on the character-select screen. Battlefield and Final Destination belong to Smash itself.

F-Zero series emblemF-ZeroCaptain Falcon
Donkey Kong series emblemDonkey KongDonkey Kong
Star Fox series emblemStar FoxFoxFalco
Game & Watch series emblemGame & WatchMr. Game & Watch
Kirby series emblemKirbyKirby
Super Mario series emblemSuper MarioMarioLuigiPeachBowserDr. Mario
Fire Emblem series emblemFire EmblemMarthRoy
Pokémon series emblemPokémonPikachuJigglypuffMewtwoPichu
EarthBound series emblemEarthBoundNess
Ice Climber series emblemIce ClimberIce Climbers
Metroid series emblemMetroidSamus
Yoshi series emblemYoshiYoshi
The Legend of Zelda series emblemThe Legend of ZeldaLinkZeldaGanondorfYoung Link

Stages

The stage-select pictures of all 29 stages. Eleven have to be unlocked.

All stages and unlock conditions

A new challenger approaches

How to unlock all 11 · Unlock route

Items

Mr. SaturnBob-ombHome-Run BatFire FlowerFlipperFoodFreezieGreen ShellHammerFanHeart ContainerSuper MushroomParty BallSuper ScopeLip’s StickPoké BallMetal BoxCloaking DeviceMaxim TomatoMotion-Sensor BombParasolRed ShellBunny HoodStar RodScrew AttackRay GunSuper StarBeam SwordBarrel CannonEggWarp StarPoison Mushroom

Every item and what it does

From the opening movie

Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 6 seconds in
6 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 11 seconds in
11 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 21 seconds in
21 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 31 seconds in
31 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 41 seconds in
41 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 46 seconds in
46 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 51 seconds in
51 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 71 seconds in
71 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 76 seconds in
76 s
Frame from the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, 86 seconds in
86 s

Quick tips

  • Zelda and Sheik share one character slot: down + B switches between them in a match, and holding A as the match loads starts it as Sheik.
  • Every secret fighter can also be unlocked just by playing VS matches: from 50 matches for Jigglypuff up to 1,000 for Mr. Game & Watch.
  • A challenger fight is a one-stock battle with the fighter you just played. Lose it and you need to meet the condition again.
  • Battlefield opens after any All-Star Mode clear, and Final Destination after Event 51.
  • Turn items off or down under VS Mode’s Item Switch when you want to practise a fighter without interruptions.

Controls and getting started · Modes

Did you know?

  • The character-select screen holds 118 portraits: one for every costume of the 25 fighters. Sheik has none of her own; she shares Zelda’s slot.
  • The stock-icon table also has icons for Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Giga Bowser and Sandbag, while the Fighting Wire Frames use the Smash emblem.
  • The results screen names two fighters in short: Captain Falcon’s name plate reads “C.FALCON” and Donkey Kong’s “D K”.
  • Every fighter has three clear pictures on the disc, one each for Classic, Adventure and All-Star Mode.
  • The disc banner shown on the GameCube’s memory card screen describes the game as: “Nintendo's all-stars are ready to do battle! Let the melee begin!”
  • The flames behind the title logo are an animation of 29 small textures.

FAQ

When did Super Smash Bros. Melee come out?

On 21 November 2001 in Japan, 3 December 2001 in North America, 24 May 2002 in Europe and 31 May 2002 in Australia, for the Nintendo GameCube.

How many characters are in Melee?

25 character slots: 14 available from the start and 11 secret fighters. Zelda can turn into Sheik, so there are 26 fighters in all. All fighters and costumes.

How many stages are there?

29: 18 from the start and 11 to unlock, including three Past Stages from the first Super Smash Bros. All stages.

How do I unlock every character?

Each secret fighter has a challenge (for example clearing Classic Mode with certain fighters) and a number of VS matches that also works. All unlock conditions.

How well did Melee sell?

More than seven million copies by 2008, which makes it the best-selling GameCube game.

Sources & picture credits

Pictures taken from the Super Smash Bros. Melee (USA, revision 2) disc: textures decoded from the game’s own archives (character-select portraits, stock icons, stage-select pictures, emblems and menu art), the clear pictures stored on the disc, and frames from the opening movie. The box art was already on this wiki. Game content © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory.