Super Smash Bros Ultimate is out now, and if you own a Nintendo Switch and you’re not playing it, you’re missing out on one of the best and biggest fighting games ever made. Part of the fun comes from the gigantic roster, although it can be tough unlocking all the characters, especially if there’s one particular character you want to play as. One of the trickiest to unlock is Smash Ultimate Greninja.
Unlike previous games in the Smash Bros series, where new fighters could only be unlocked through specific actions, in Super Smash Bros Ultimate there are several ways to unlock new characters. So what ways can you unlock Greninja in the game? How is it done in the World of Light campaign? And just who is this Greninja person anyway?
Who is Greninja?
Greninja is a Water/Dark-type ninja Pokemon introduced in Generation 6, otherwise known as Pokemon X and Y in 2013 for Nintendo 3DS. He’s the final evolved form of Froakie. He’s appeared in a few Pokemon games since then, and a group of Greninjas made a notable appearance in the Detective Pikachu movie trailer as some type of antagonists. In the Smash Bros series he first appeared in the previous game in the series, Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS.
8bitdo Wireless Adapter | Use a PS4 controller with your Switch for $20.99
In Smash Bros Ultimate he’s a B-Tier character, which is pretty good but not best of the best, mostly due to his lighter build. In the right hands, however, he’s a formidable opponent with some useful unique moves. He uses Water Shurikens as a ranged attack, which can be charged for extra damage. He can cling to walls, which can take opponents by surprise. For his Final Smash, he transforms into Ash-Greninja and grabs opponents in front of him for a devastating multi-attack which cannot be dodged.
How to Unlock Smash Ultimate Greninja
As you might expect, Greninja isn’t one of the eight original Smash Bros characters, as Pikachu was the only Pokemon on the Nintendo 64 original. Therefore, you’ll need to unlock him, despite the fact that he was on the starting roster in Smash Bros for Wii U, his first Smash Bros appearance. Fortunately, unlike previous games there are multiple ways to unlock new fighters such as Greninja. Here’s how you can do it. Of course, also bear in mind that once you’ve followed the guidelines we’ve laid out, as usual you’ll also need to beat Greninja in a fight.
The first and most obvious way to unlock Greninja is in the Classic Mode. To do this, you simply need to play and complete Classic Mode with a specific character, on any difficulty. Unfortunately, that character is Rosalina, so she’ll need to be unlocked first, and the characters who can unlock Rosalina are locked too! May be quite a journey if you’re specifically after Greninja, which is part of the reason why he’s a little trickier than most.
It’s a similar case with unlocking him in regular battles. You will unlock new characters as you play normal Smash Bros Ultimate VS battles. It will count your levels of input, and track how many buttons you pressed in a match. Nevertheless, the unlock order is the same, although the game will happily miss out characters you’ve already earned through Classic Mode or World of Light.
Greninja is actually one of the last characters to be unlocked through VS matches, so you may want to try one of the other methods first. He’s unlocked after getting Dark Pit, and then playing as him in a match. Don’t worry, it can be against easy AI opponents rather than against human opponents.
How to Unlock Smash Ultimate Greninja in World of Light
You can also unlock any character in the game by making your way through the World of Light single-player campaign. Much like Donkey Kong’s nemesis King K. Rool, Greninja is unlocked towards the end of World of Light. You’ll need to reach the World of Dark part of the campaign before you can find Greninja. Once you’ve got to the World of Dark, Greninja will be waiting for your challenge in the Mysterious Dimension. Take him on, and you’ll be able to unlock him for play in the main game of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
