#ThankYouSakurai for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate trends third worldwide, and Sakurai responds

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-10-06 01:03 (JST)
Translated by. Matthew Parker

Nintendo aired “The Final Mr. Sakurai Presents For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on October 5 where it was revealed that Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series would be the final fighter to join the battle. Before, during and well after this broadcast, the message “ThankYouSakurai” continued to resound across Twitter as a sign of gratitude.

“ThankYouSakurai” is a self-explanatory message to give thanks to Mr. Masahiro Sakurai; the director of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Starting with the original game, he has continued to be directly involved with the Smash Bros. series for an extremely long time.

While shouldering the expectations from both the fans and Nintendo, he has been tasked with making all-star games on a scale like no other. While Mr. Sakurai frequently shows his sense of fulfillment as the creator, he often touches upon the extreme pressures as well as letting us in on the hardships and pain endured while developing these games.

The creator and face of Smash Bros. is currently finding himself being sent kind messages from all over the world.

What set this all-in motion was an address made by “Zelda Universe,” which is a fan-site for The Legend of Zelda series. Before the final fighter was announced, they tweeted that “Regardless of who gets announced as the final Smash Bros. DLC fighter, we only have one thing to say… #ThankYouSakurai.” As expectations surrounding the final fighter were understandably mounting, it was important to stress that no matter the outcome, our gratitude towards Mr. Sakurai will never change.

This tweet took off and the hashtag “#ThankYouSakurai” began being used worldwide. While it had been trending in the English-speaking world before the broadcast had begun, by the time it ended, it had reached the third most trending topic worldwide after “Sora” and “Smash Bros.,” surpassing even the number of tweets about “Kingdom Hearts” (trends24). From words of support for Mr. Sakurai, playfully teasing him and those expressing their gratitude to him, the world is currently bursting at the seams with “ThankYouSakurai” messages.

This show of support is proof of the love and trust from fans around the world, built upon the reputation of Smash Bros.’s appeal as an endlessly fun game, and Mr. Sakurai’s honest personality which is on full-display during these broadcasts.

Of course, it wasn’t just Mr. Sakurai who made and delivered non-stop content for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so the praise also goes out to the entire development team who continued to make the dreams of the fans come true. As a thanks to all the staff involved, the “ThankYouSakurai” messages are probably being directed at Mr. Sakurai because he represents the staff as a whole.

Sora, the final fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be released on October 18. Until the release date and even beyond then, the voices of those thanking Mr. Sakurai and the development team will likely continue to reverberate across the world.