Super Smash Bros. Melee is a beloved game by many and countless hours have been poured into this game. The roster stretches across many Nintendo titles, and players have a large selection of characters to choose from. However, even more characters are hidden and need to be unlocked and defeated in order to be used in combat. In this article, we’re going to go through the list of unlockable characters, and we’ll learn how to add all the characters to your roster!

Note: Characters are listed in order of how many VS matches it takes to play to unlock them, from lowest to highest.

Jigglypuff

Oh, Jigglypuff. Back in the day, I used to scoff at Jigglypuff. I figured that the character was useless, in the same realm that Kirby currently occupies. I thought, this character offers nothing of value, why would anyone pick Jigglypuff. That was before I was one hit KO’d into oblivion. Again… and again… and again. Ah yes, the Rest ability. This ability can be easily comboed into and can KO at as low as 25%, which is absolutely ridiculous. Rest sees Jigglypuff fall asleep for about 3 seconds, but before Jigglypuff falls asleep, any opponent in contact with Rest is instantly hit, and flown across the stage, usually resulting in a KO. The ability to one-shot in Melee is unheard of aside from this character, giving Jigglypuff one of the strongest abilities in the entire game. Despite being light, making it easier for Jigglypuff to be KO’d, and its slow walking speed, these negatives pale in comparison to the ability of Rest. Because of Rest, Jigglypuff usually rests comfortably in the A tier of characters and is a very viable choice for competitive play. So, if you’re looking for a character that will make your opponents want to throw their controller across the room, let’s learn how to unlock Jigglypuff!

Jigglypuff is probably the easiest character in the game to unlock. All you have to do is complete adventure mode on any difficulty with any character. Adventure mode is the alternative single-player mode to classic, and offers characters an exploration through various Nintendo titles through various quests and challenges the player must fulfill and complete. After beating adventure mode, the player will have a chance to battle Jigglypuff. Alternatively, you can play 50 VS matches instead. Once this character is unlocked, have fun one-shotting people. It may take some time to master the ability but, once you’ve learned it, Rest certainly packs a punch!

Dr. Mario

Not to be confused with the main man himself, this guy comes equipped with a M.D. at his side. Although similar to both Mario and Luigi, Dr. Mario does have some differences that sets him apart from both of those characters. Dr. Mario has some slower attacks and a worse recovery than Mario, but most of Dr. Mario’s attacks actually do more damage compared to Mario. Additionally, many of Dr. Mario’s moves have greater knockback, meaning it is easier to KO an opponent as Dr. Mario compared to Mario. Because of this, Dr. Mario is usually considered to be a better Mario in competitive and is generally placed higher on tier lists. So, let’s learn how to unlock this important character so you can drop Mario from your lineup and add the doctor to it.

To unlock Dr. Mario, you’re going to need to complete classic mode as the character Mario and you cannot lose a life. This means that death isn’t an option, and you must complete it in one go. Because of this, consider placing it on an easier difficulty so that dying is less likely to occur. Alternatively, you can also play 100 matches in VS mode, the main multiplayer mode in the game. Whichever way you choose, you must then defeat Dr. Mario in combat to add him to your arsenal. Dr. Mario is one of the easier characters in the game to unlock and will certainly be a beneficial addition to your roster.

Pichu

Ok, let’s take a minute and admire little Pichu. This is one of the cutest little characters I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Pichu is probably the best character in the entire game. Pichu is incredibly fast and has powerful air attacks that will demolish you with precision and force that you’ve never seen. Pichu does have a few weaknesses, such as having horrific range, being an easy character to KO due to being so light and having the hindrance of taking recoil damage from its own attacks. Also, Pichu has the most unfavorable matchups of any character and is the lowest ranked unlockable character in the game. Wait… ok, maybe Pichu is awful. Maybe Pichu is one of the worst characters in Melee. However, have you seen that adorable face? Exactly, so let me explain how to add the best character in Melee to your roster.

To unlock this Pikachu clone, you’re going to need to finish event match #37. This event is called Legendary Pokemon. You must defeat 4 Wire Frames and a Jigglypuff that all have 2 lives. Fortunately, you have Pokeballs on your side, that will hold powerful legendary pokemon! Or a Wobbuffet, but let’s hope you don’t get that… Anyway, finish this event successfully and you’ll be able to fight Pichu and add them to your roster. However, before you can get to event #37, you need to first unlock Jigglypuff, Luigi, Young Link, and Falco, and clear at least 27 of the first 30 events. Pichu will certainly not be your first character unlock, which is an absolute shame. Alternatively to this task, you can also play 200 VS matches. Either way, have fun with your new character Pichu, by far the cutest character in the game!

Falco

Falco Lombardi is a character from the Star Fox series who has seen incredible success in Melee. The immense speed possessed by this character allows for some ridiculous combos, and a well-controlled Falco is one of the scariest characters in the game. Despite having a bad recovery and his light weight making him have high falling speed, these flaws are not enough to harm Falco’s positives. His speed, as well as his ability to extend and maintain combos, makes him one of the most punishing characters in the game, and a mistake against Falco can often cost you a stock if you’re not careful. Falco is by far the best unlockable character and is often placed at second on tier lists, only behind his close friend Fox. Why wouldn’t you want to have this character?

To unlock Falco, you need to complete the 100 man melee. This is a multi-man fighting mode that can be found in single player. All you need to do is defeat 100 Fighting Wire Frames, and then Falco will give you a chance to challenge him. 100 man melee isn’t overly difficult, as long as you play carefully and avoid making careless mistakes. Items are enabled, so watch out for things like Bombs that could unexpectedly pop up and ruin your run. Fast characters such as Fox and Sheik make this mode fairly easy as they can usually outmatch the Wire Frames. You can also choose to play 300 VS mode games, which will also give you a chance to fight Falco. Either way, Falco is an extremely strong character, and I recommend adding him to your roster as quickly as you can!

Marth

This swordsman is from the Fire Emblem series and he does not mess around in Melee. He is one of the strongest characters in the game, usually placing third in the tier list behind only the Star Fox duo of Fox and Falco. He has incredibly strong combos and can edgeguard very easily. His ability to KO is another reason why Marth is rated so highly by many people. Marth is a fairly difficult character to play because missing an ability is very costly and can be punished quite easily. Being so high on the tier list, Marth should be a character every Melee character strives to unlock.

To unlock Marth, you’re going to need to play Classic or Adventure mode with all 14 original characters or use all of them in VS mode. The 14 original characters are the characters that are available from the very beginning, such as Mario and Donkey Kong. Alternatively, you can play 400 VS matches. Although a fairly difficult character to play, Marth is still a swordsman who packs a powerful punch when he connects and looks awesome while doing it!

Young Link

Young Link is interesting, to say the least. You have Link in the game, so how can he and his younger self be in the same game? Investigating the paradox seems like a lot of work, so let’s just assume everything is normal! Young Link is very similar to Link, but the two do have some differences in their kits and playstyles. Young Link is a little faster than Link, but not by much, making him pretty slow. His biggest problem is the fact he doesn’t have many strong finishers that can quickly KO an opponent, meaning that you’re probably going to need to do more damage to characters to be able to finish them as Young Link. Because of this, Young Link is usually placed low on the tier lists, but he still looks pretty adorable, so you absolutely need to have this guy available to play.

To unlock Young Link, all you have to do is clear Classic or Adventure mode with 10 different characters. Fairly straightforward to accomplish, and after defeating Young Link, he’ll be an available character. Alternatively, play 500 VS matches. Don’t let his weak status fool you, he’s still really fun to play. He’s not the fastest, but he’s certainly not slow. Most of his moves feel really fluid and good to use, and he has a bow and arrow. Name a lame character that has a bow and arrow… Actually, don’t answer that… Let’s just move on…

Ganondorf

Ganondorf, the main antagonist in The Legend of Zelda titles and the sworn enemy of Link himself. In Melee, Ganondorf does not mess around and he packs quite a punch. He is one of the strongest characters in the game, and his damage across the board is insane. However, Ganondorf is ridiculously slow and is punished heavily by fast characters such as Fox and Sheik. Additionally, he is easily comboed into oblivion because of his large character size. Because of this, Ganondorf usually rates quite low on tier lists. With all of that said, getting a massive attack on a highly damaged character and watching them fly off of the map is one of the satisfying things in the game, so you’re going to want this guy in your roster.

To unlock Ganondorf in Melee, you need to successfully complete event mode #29. Event mode is found in single player and is filled with scenarios for the player to complete. To even get to event #29, the player needs to win 22 different events from the first 25 events to unlock events 26-29. In event #29, the scenario sees Link and Zelda team up to fight Ganondorf. The player plays as Link who must work with an AI controlled Zelda to defeat Ganon. If you’re able to defeat Ganondorf without either you or Zelda being eliminated, you will have the chance to fight Ganondorf. Win and he will be added to your roster. Alternatively, you can also play 600 VS matches. However you go about obtaining this character, good luck defeating this bad bully.

Mewtwo

Pokemon #150 entered into Melee and swiftly left without returning to Brawl, which saw an absolute outrage. To say the least, this character is beloved by many Smash fans. Unfortunately, Mewtwo is pretty awful. He is both a large target and a lightweight character, meaning that he can be easily grabbed and attacked while dying fairly easily as well. That is not a very good combination, but he is still beloved by many. Let’s figure out how you can add Mewtwo to your lineup.

To unlock Mewtwo, you need to play VS mode for 20 hours. Or, you can play 700 VS matches. Whatever you choose to go for, Mewtwo obviously takes some time to unlock. 20 hours is nothing to scoff at and, if you’re looking to unlock this character quickly, you can simply get into a timed match and set the time to 1 minute, or get into a lives match and set the life count to 1 and run off the edge. Kind of cheating but there are no rules against it, so have at it!

Luigi

The best sidekick to ever exist, Luigi also happens to be an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Luigi is a pretty interesting character, but an effective one if you’re able to abuse his positives. He has the longest wavedash in the entire game and is also known for having very strong aerials that are both fast and powerful. However, his negatives are quite noticeable, which makes him a fairly polarizing character. He is usually ranked in the dead middle of competitive tier lists, with pretty even matchups across the board. If nothing else, he is definitely one of the funniest characters with a quirky personality and his persona should make any player want him on their roster straight away!

To unlock Luigi, you must complete the first stage of adventure mode with the time ending in a 2 in the seconds' slot, such as 3:02:56. Then, you must defeat Luigi and Peach in the ensuing fight in less than a minute. After all of this is accomplished, Luigi will be available to fight. If this sounds too hard, just play 800 VS mode matches. Hint, 800 VS mode matches will take you way longer to complete than trying to get a 2 in the seconds' slot! Beat him and you’ve got him. Most people just wait at the finish line of Stage 1 until a 2 is placed in the seconds' slot. Not an overly difficult character to unlock, but a difficult unlock to find in the first place.

Roy

Roy, also from the Fire Emblem series, is a character very similar to Marth. He is a swordsman who can pack quite a punch and looks cool while doing it. Surprisingly, however, Roy is ranked extremely low on competitive tier lists, despite Marth being ranked as high as second on some. This is because he has few moves that are able to KO somebody and being a light character means he is also fairly easy to KO himself. When you, as a character, cannot kill people easily while people can kill you easily, it’s not hard to realize why you might not be such a good character. But, instead of focusing on his negatives, let’s focus on his positives! I mean, have you seen that hair? His hair is definitely S tier in Melee, so this is easily a character you’re going to want to get ASAP.

To unlock Roy, all you have to do is finish Classic or Adventure mode as Marth. Pretty simple after unlocking Marth. Alternatively, you could play 900 VS matches. Even unlocking Roy places him in the shadow of Marth, where he will probably always be in Melee. Quite a tragic tale for Roy, but not all characters can be top of the food chain. Which leads us to the last unlockable character…

Mr. Game and Watch

Who? Looks like he is a character from his own series, called Game & Watch, which was created in 1980. Mr. Game and Watch is interesting, to say the least, which should make you want this guy on your team instantly. Unfortunately, you’re not going to want him for your competitive lineup. Mr. Game and Watch is rated very low on the tier list because of his predictability and his horrible shield that doesn’t even cover his whole body! Mr. Game and Watch is entirely black and has no distinctive features. Quite a hard character to provide commentary on, so let’s just move on to how to unlock him.

To unlock Mr. Game and Watch, all you have to do is beat Classic mode, Adventure mode, or Target Test with every single other character. Or, you can play 1000 VS matches. Ok, so maybe he’s not that easy to unlock. In fact, he is definitely the most difficult character to unlock and will be the last character you unlock in SSBM. It’s going to take some work, but once you have completed your roster by unlocking Mr. Game and Watch, it’s going to feel so good!

Conclusion

That’s it, that is how you unlock all 11 unlockable characters in Super Smash Bros Melee. Some of them are truly worth unlocking and will be an excellent addition to your competitive lineups, such as Falco and Marth. Others are just too adorable to not unlock, like Pichu and Jigglypuff. Unlocking all of the characters can be quite a pain and it does take quite a bit of time if you’re just starting out. Hopefully, this guide will help you unlock all the characters, and good luck doing so!

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop