9/2/2018 Update: Twitter user Leaker boy has come forward claiming to be the creator of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate renders previously reported showing off the full renders he created plus a bit of his process about creating the fake posts. You can see what he initially announced below.

Earlier: A handful of characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may have been leaked last night. Supposed renders showing characters such as Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country's Dixie Kong, Isaac from Golden Sun, and more have surfaced online.

Over on 4chan, one user shared an image showing what appears to be seven Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character renders. Featured here we see the Glee Club Chorus Kids from Rhythm Heaven, Isaac from Golden Sun, Street Fighter's Ken, Isabelle from Animal Crossing, Shadow the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda's Skull Kid, and a mysterious female character that fans aren't quite able to pinpoint exactly.

Several hours after the initial renders image was posted, another was shared on 4chan showing Banjo and Kazooie, as well as Dixie Kong. It is unclear whether or not the two images were created / shared by the same person.

From everything we've seen so far, it doesn't look like anyone has definitively been able to match any of the renders up with existing artwork or assets. There have been comparisons to other characters and potential disconfirmations, but nothing seems 100% just yet.

Before we get into the details of why these could be or couldn't be legitimate, let's talk about the mystery female character in the first image. The current guesses seem to be Agnés Oblige from Bravely Default, Yuri Kozukata (or another female character) from Fatal Frame, and Ayumi Tachibana from Famicom Detective Club.



Click images for larger versions



Click images for larger versions

It was recently claimed by frequent leaker Vergeben that another Square Enix representative would be playable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Agnés would fit that bill as Nintendo published Bravely Default outside of Japan. Though, it is hard to see Nintendo adding a character from that game over Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG, or even Chrono Trigger, but certainly not impossible.

With Nintendo also publishing the last few Fatal Frame titles and co-owning the franchise, a representative from this series could also potentially be on the table. The characters in Fatal Frame tend to get re-designs fairly often, so the render not looking exactly like Yuri still allows for a Fatal Frame character in Smash Ultimate.

As for Ayumi Tachibana, Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai actually considered adding her to Super Smash Bros. Melee at one point, but ultimately decided against it due to lack of relevance outside of Japan. Still, this character from Famicom Detective Club (a visual novel on the NES) would be an out of left field retro character choice — which Sakurai is known for doing — much like Duck Hunt or Pit from Kid Icarus.

Ken and Isabelle have also been mentioned by Vergeben, noting that both might be in the game as Echo Fighters for Ryu and Villager, respectively. Characters like Isaac, the Chorus Kids, Banjo Kazooie, and Shadow have either been rumored to be in for some time now or very highly requested, and in further defense of the Chorus Kids we know that Super Smash Bros. 4 had content from Rhythm Heaven in it and an icon for the series that went unused.

So are these character renders the real deal? It's hard to say.

On the one hand, it would be fairly difficult to fake these images — especially that many of them. On the other hand, it's entirely possible to do it.

Back in February 2015 a supposed leak surfaced showing a very convincing image of Rayman in Super Smash Bros. 4. It turned out to be fake, with creator Artsy Omni releasing a video showing how it was made the following day.

These character render images are reminding fans of the famous ESRB Super Smash Bros. 4 leaks that surfaced a few weeks before the game's release in Japan. A screenshot appeared on 4chan that showed new icons for unconfirmed veteran characters pasted over an original image that someone had shared asking 4chan users which characters they thought would be cut.

Jigglypuff, Ness, Dr. Mario, Mr. Game & Watch, Wario, and R.O.B. all had never-before-seen icons, and icons for newcomers Bowser Jr., Duck Hunt, Dark Pit, and Shulk were also added to the image. Additionally, characters like Snake, Ice Climbers, Pichu, and more were crossed out to show they wouldn't be making the roster.

Later, two more images surfaced showing full renders for Duck Hunt and Ness, which were then followed by five more images where Shulk's render, Dr. Mario's render, the stage select screen, the Customs menu, and another screenshot of the roster that revealed Bowser Jr.'s render and his Junior Clown Car were all seen. Within these images the name "ESRB0083" was shown for Player 1, effectively unveiling that the leaker had a tie to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

At that time, many fans were skeptical about the legitimacy of the aforementioned screenshots, attempting to debunk the character renders by comparing them to others. Despite this, the leaks turned out to be true.

This could be a similar situation, but with all of that having been said it is worth pointing out that these new renders for Smash Ultimate vary in quality and seemingly style for some.

At the end of the day, take these with a grain of salt — like you would with anything that hasn't been officially confirmed.

Do you think these potential Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leaks are legitimate? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Leaker boy Sent in by SmokeRulz