Piranha Plant Is In Smash Bros. Ultimate As A Free DLC Character (For Some)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features a whopping 74 playable characters in the base game, with a handful of others coming down the line as DLC. However, players who pre-order or purchase the title soon after launch will be treated to one additional character for free, and it's a very unexpected one: Piranha Plant.

The potted Mario enemy will be added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a full playable character. It is able spit poison, fire a spiked ball at opponents, and even extend its neck (stem?) to perform a long-range attack. For its Final Smash, Piranha Plant summons Petey Piranha onto the battlefield to attack other players.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai says that Piranha Plant isn't yet finished, but it will be available around February 2019. In order to receive it for free, you'll need to register Super Smash Bros. Ultimate via your My Nintendo account by January 31, 2019. This will be done automatically if you purchase the game digitally from either the Switch Eshop or Nintendo's website. If you opt for a physical copy, you'll need to press the plus button while on the game's icon in the Switch menu and select the My Nintendo Rewards option.

If you register your copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate before the cutoff date, you'll receive a download code for the character via email. You'll need to redeem this code by 11:59 PM PT on June 30, 2019. Piranha Plant will also be offered as a paid DLC character separate from those included in the Fighters Pass.

The aforementioned Fighters Pass can be purchased for $25 USD and gives players five DLC fighters, as well as their corresponding stages and music tracks. Nintendo hasn't revealed who these characters will be; Sakurai says development on them hasn't yet begun and that it may take a year for them to all arrive. Each character/stage/music set will also be offered up individually for $6.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Nintendo Switch on December 7. In addition to Piranha Plant, Nintendo revealed two other new characters for the game during its latest Direct presentation: Ken from Street Fighter and Incineroar from Pokemon. The company also shared more details on the mysterious Spirits mode. You can read about all the announcements and watch the Direct's highlights in our news round-up.