Smash Bros has always had its favorite competitive picks, but these are the Top 3 banned Smash characters that smashed the tournaments!
What makes these the top 3 banned Smash characters?
Throughout the history of Smash Bros Competitive, there have been clear favorites per release that dominated the Title they were released in.
In Melee’s past, you already see a Fox or Marth main make it to the final playoffs, no matter what.
But these three stand out in their own way due to the fact that tournament organizers outright banned them from being picked!
Although certain matchups were unfair or slanted one way, bans within the Smash Pro Circuit are almost unheard of.
These characters have recently dominated the game, so many organizers have barred players from even choosing them in order to make the game more balanced
Top 3 banned Smash characters controversy
Although many players agree on these characters are a nuisance to fight, the community is still debating the practicality of banning them.
Many tournament organisers have commented that by banning these characters they have gained more watchers overall.
Without banning certain characters, tournaments tend to find their roster dominated by one or two characters. This makes it a bit stale to watch for some viewers as they see the constant picks show up and play one another again and again, making it boring.
Despite arguments from many players, banning certain characters not only reduces the variety of games and makes them less enjoyable to watch but also disregards the countless hours that professional players have invested in mastering these characters, rendering their efforts futile.
The King of the Iron Fist Tournament
Punching his way onto the scene in 2021 Smash Bros Ultimate, Kazuya has been electrifying to both play and watch.
He is a well-received character from both fans and non-fans alike due to his amazing soundtrack filled with some of Tekken’s finest, along with his hard-hitting and unique playstyle that fitted Smash like a glove, similar to Ryu and Terry.
But players immediately noticed how strong the king of the iron fist was as fighting his max-level CPU became a popular trend online as many were unable to beat him.
His moveset had special inputs like Ryu and Ken that did slightly more damage and different status effects.
However, Kazuya had a drastically bigger moveset akin to his Tekken counterpart giving him loads of potential for mixups, unlike any other character.
The sheer damage potential is devilish when given to the right player. If players can pull off his frame-perfect uppercuts, then he has the potential to 0-60 percent anyone given the right circumstance.
His ban is still controversial in some circles as many believe that given Kazuya requires high execution to pull off his moveset, it is unfair to ban him. While some locals were quick to ban Kazuya not all have decided to get rid of him.
No matter the bracket or hill, Kazuya players will find a way to climb back up!
- For a guide on how to play Kazuya, check out our article on Best Tekken 7 Characters for beginners!
The Regional Creeper: Steve
Described by professionals such as Hungrybox as a ‘nuisance character’, Steve has been a controversial pick forever.
Ever since his release in October 2020, Steve has been dominating both local and regional majors alike.
Although he was well received at first, being a welcomed surprise to all fans, Steve is notorious in the competitive scene of Smash Ultimate due to his one-of-a-kind playstyle.
Like his Minecraft counterpart, Steve can place blocks on the stage wherever he chooses, this gives him crazy control over the ledge and air game as he can create his setups anywhere.
He already has one of the best combos and punishes potential in the game, but after years of practice, professional players have discovered tech moves that allow Steve to cancel players’ combos and survive certain death scenarios no one else can.
Recent NA tournaments have opted to outright ban Steve outright and cross the globe others are following suit. This is due to most professional players being fed up with seeing too many Steves take up the roster at tournaments and dominating the top spots.
God Tier Broken Meta
Even considering Ice Climber’s infinite grab, Meta Knight still takes the crown as most broken character in Brawl.
After the first two regionals for Smash Bros Brawl (Wobo & Genesis), players were immediately discussing banning the character after Meta Knight featured over 10 times in both tournaments!
This was due to Meta Knight having not only some of the best combos and tilt moves in the game but specifically due to his ability to fly across the screen.
The Logitech G502 X line features a new way to game with its innovative hybrid switches for speed, precision, and lightweight.
His glide ability, paired with his up tilt, gave him the ability to control his glide in almost any direction he wanted, giving skilled players that knew how to use him the ability to practically fly around the map!
Adding to his insane glide was also his general movement speed, which was faster than anyone else in the game!
His mobility was akin to a melee character making players feel like they were playing a turbo mode character when compared to Brawl’s slower-paced characters.
Metaknight quickly became The Meta for professional players, and after dominating the top brackets most Brawl tournaments banned him and only him.
His notoriety and amazing gameplay potential gives him the top spot for the best-banned character.
Soon after his ban, players had so much fun playing as just him that many places began to run Metaknight-only matches. Skilled players were able to show off the versatility and execution Metaknight could provide players, which many enjoyed watching.
Check out the most broken Characters in Smash Bros here on Youtube!
