We haven’t forgotten about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; we’ve just been too busy with a ton of games these past few months. So it’s serendipitous to see a major new update for the Nintendo Switch fighter during one of our very few lull periods of the year.

Persona 5’s Joker, or Segata Sanshiro in my playthrough, will be a playable character in SSBU in the latest version 3.0 update. Let’s break it down:

• He’s part of the Challenger Pack 1, and he’s billed as a fast knives-wielding and agile fighter. He’s light and susceptible to hard hits, but he has great mobility.

• He has a grappling hook for manoeuvring, some ranged gun attacks that he can dodge cancel out of, and can use Eiha (via Arsene) for multi-hitting power specials.

• He can gather power by guarding attacks using his Rebel’s Guard down special input. His Rebellion gauge builds up and he takes less damage than usual using this move. Releasing the down special input (if you hold it) will push nearby opponent’s back.

• If his Rebellion gauge is full, Joker will unmask himself and summon Arsene. This form gives Joker a lot more moves and adds more damage & counters to his attacks.
• He also gets Wings of Rebellion, a very awesome getaway and flying tool that renders Joker invincible during the flight.

• His Final Smash is All-Out Attack. It’s fast, it can hit a second time if you tilt your d-pad again, and it evokes the same All-Out Attack from the Persona 5 RPG if it confirms, right down to the final pose. It can hit multiple opponents too!

• He also brings along the Memento Stage, a new playable arena for the game. The stage changes between Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 aesthetics and music as the fight rages on. It’s pretty cool if you’re fans of the new-age Persona games.

• The “Behind The Mask” remix for SSBU is just too cool for school.

Check out the latest Nintendo video portraying the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Joker and the 3.0 update will be out 17 April US time (later at GMT+8).