Friends "Smash" Beef, Inspiring Smash Bros Name

After 25 years since the release of the iconic Nintendo crossover fighting game, we now have the official lore behind the name "Super Smash Bros.," thanks to its creator, Masahiro Sakurai.

Masahiro Sakurai Explains Why It's Called Smash Bros

Former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Had a Hand in Forming Smash Bros

Super Smash Bros. is a beloved crossover fighting game from Nintendo, featuring a diverse roster of characters from the company's iconic franchises. Despite the name suggesting a familial connection, only a few characters are actual brothers, and some aren't even male. So, why is it called "Super Smash Bros."? Recently, Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the series, shed light on this in his YouTube video series.

Sakurai revealed that the name "Smash Bros" stems from the concept of the game being about "friends who were settling little disagreements." The late Satoru Iwata, former president of Nintendo, played a significant role in naming the series. Sakurai explained, "Mr. Iwata also had a part in coming up with the name Super Smash Bros. We had team members suggest a bunch of possible names and words we might use." They then consulted with Shigesato Itoi, the creator of the Mother/Earthbound series, to finalize the title. Sakurai further elaborated, "Mr. Iwata is the one who picked out the 'brothers' part. His reasoning was that, even though the characters weren't brothers at all, using the word added the nuance that they weren't simply fighting—they were friends who were settling a little disagreement!"

In addition to sharing the lore behind the name, Sakurai reminisced about his first meeting with Iwata and other cherished memories. He noted that Iwata personally contributed to programming the code for the Super Smash Bros. prototype, initially titled "Dragon King: The Fighting Game" for the Nintendo 64.