Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has proven to be the ultimate in fan service for gamers. While early entries in the franchise exclusively pit Nintendo characters against one another, more recent games have included third party characters, as well. The game's Fighter's Pass DLC has included four such characters thus far, one of which is Hero, from Square Enix's Dragon Quest franchise. Given the popularity of the series in Japan, many gamers were not surprised to see Hero's inclusion in Ultimate, but according to the latest issue of Nintendo Dream (translated by Gamepur), Dragon Quest XI producer Hokuto Okamoto was, in fact, taken aback by the news.

“I was quite surprised when I first heard about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s nearly impossible for Dragon Quest characters to appear in other companies’ games,” said Okamoto.

Hero is the second representative from Square Enix to appear in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, after Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife. While Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai and Square Enix have not publicly discussed the deal to bring in Cloud, some fans found elements of his inclusion a bit perplexing, including the fact that the character only has two distinct looks (compared to eight for every other playable fighter) and the fact that he was accompanied by only two music tracks from the Final Fantasy franchise. Given this, the fact that Hero was difficult to make happen should come as little surprise.

“Mr. Sakurai accepted both Nintendo’s direction as well as Square Enix branding, and then got on board. It was a very exciting experience.”

Despite those difficulties, the end result was a much more robust inclusion for Hero as opposed to Cloud. The character was given eight distinct looks based on different entries in the Dragon Quest series, and Square Enix provided a plethora of music tracks, as well. Dragon Quest XI director Takeshi Uchikawa certainly seemed pleased with the end result.

“It’s spectacular what Mr. Sakurai can find to include,” said Uchikawa.

With a company as notoriously tight-lipped as Nintendo, it's rare to get glimpses behind-the-scenes when it comes to the deals made to bring third party characters into Smash Bros. Ultimate. With so many publishers to keep happy, it can't be easy making sure everything works the way that it should. It's a true testament to Sakurai's abilities as a developer and passion for the industry as a whole that the game has balanced so many characters so well.

Are you a fan of Hero in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? What playable character do you want to see arrive next in the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!