It was announced through the Super Smash Bros. Twitter account that starting January 22, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be hosting a tournament consisting of the 16 fastest characters in the game. The tournament will last three days, presumably through January 25. The Tweet says (from Google Translate):
“Catch up and catch up! Fastest fighter deciding match” will be held for 3 days from 1/22 (Friday)! This is a tournament in which only the top 16 fighters with the highest running speed can participate. Run around the spacious stage and win the fastest”
【トーナメントイベント】
1/22(金)から3日間、「追いつけ追いこせ！ 最速ファイター決定戦」を開催！ 走行速度が上位16位までのファイターのみが参加できるトーナメントです。広々としたステージを走り回り、最速で勝利をつかめ！#スマブラSP pic.twitter.com/YqfffnIgl7— 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ【スマブラ公式】 (@SmashBrosJP) January 20, 2021
Thanks to Tez/@EDFtaz, we have some idea of who will be included in the tournament based on character run speed.
It’s a somewhat limited selection, but it should make the battles rather interesting. How the tournament will be set up, I have no idea, but it’s miraculous (almost) that Smash, after being released for several years now, still has this kind of support. Nintendo is excellent about continuing to support their first-party games and the Switch version of Super Smash Bros. is the best yet, even surpassing Melee for the Nintendo GameCube. With such an array of characters to choose from, with the DLC taking it over the top, there’s no reason for Nintendo not to continue to support the greatest fighting game and fighting franchise of all-time. Super Smash Bros. hosting a tournament with the fastest characters is a very unique idea and should present numerous challenges and opportunities for fun, which is what Nintendo is all about.
This tournament is bound to be a blast, so if you get the chance, participate! You may just surprise yourself.