Masahiro Sakurai Shares the Story Behind the Name of Super Smash Bros.

Masahiro Sakurai, the highly regarded director of the Super Smash Bros. franchise, recently revealed how the legendary Satoru Iwata played a pivotal role in naming the beloved series. With a rich history in the gaming industry, Sakurai has significantly contributed to various Nintendo titles, including Super Smash Bros. and Kirby.

Since completing his work on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sakurai has shifted his focus to his YouTube channel, "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games," where he delves into a variety of topics from his extensive career in game development.

His videos showcase his principles regarding the industry and share intriguing stories from the development of numerous games. Among these anecdotes are behind-the-scenes insights into the Fighter Reveal trailers for Super Smash Bros. and previously unseen footage from Dragon King: The Fighting Game, an early prototype of the original Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64.

As his YouTube series approaches its conclusion, one of the final videos in the "Grab Bag" category features Sakurai reflecting on his professional journey and his collaboration with the late Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata.

In the video titled "Mr. Iwata," Sakurai reminisces about their first meeting during his job interview at Hal Laboratory, along with fond memories of Iwata’s involvement in various production teams and programming tasks.

Sakurai notes that the only occasion when Iwata personally wrote code for a project was during the development of the Nintendo 64 prototype for Dragon King, which eventually evolved into the Super Smash Bros. we know today. He also reveals that Iwata was instrumental in selecting the series title, opting for "Super Smash Bros." himself.

Satoru Iwata’s Thoughtful Choice Behind "Super Smash Bros."

Sakurai recounts how team members proposed numerous name ideas for the game during a pivotal meeting with Iwata and Shigesato Itoi, the creator of the Earthbound/Mother series. Iwata championed the "brothers" theme, explaining that, although the characters weren't literal siblings, the term suggested a friendly competition rather than mindless fighting, as they were friends resolving minor disagreements.

Reflecting on Iwata's involvement in the original game’s development, Sakurai shares how much Iwata enjoyed programming the title. He also contributed to the development of Super Smash Bros. Melee, addressing the frequent crashes and bugs that plagued the game.

"Mr. Iwata" marks the conclusion of Sakurai’s "Grab Bag" series, with the final episode set to air on October 15. A special finale will follow, wrapping up this engaging journey through Sakurai's insights and experiences.