Animal Crossing’s Isabelle in the spotlight for being “heavier than Sora” and “teaming up with Doomguy” in Smash Bros.

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-10-06 12:28 (JST)
Translated by. Aki Oshima

The final “Mr. Sakurai Presents” presentation for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on October 5 has sent tongues wagging after it was announced that the game’s last DLC fighter will be Sora from Kingdom Hearts, as well as the revelation that Doom Slayer from the DOOM series will be added in its Round 11 DLC pack as a Mii costume for purchase. On the heels of the announcements, Isabelle drew a lot of attention both in Japan and abroad, though in very different capacities.

Fans outside of Japan are ecstatic that Isabelle is finally appearing alongside Doom Slayer (also affectionately known as ‘Doomguy’). It has been a long time coming: these two characters share a deep history, one that first bloomed when their respective games, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and DOOM Eternal, were scheduled to release on the same day on March 20, 2020.

An adorable, wholesome game slated for release alongside a frantic, gory FPS by sheer coincidence—fans from both communities found the combination hilarious, leading to an explosion of memes of Isabelle and Doomguy and making the unlikely duo a fan art trend online. Even the official DOOM Twitter joined in on the fun, interacting with fanworks and bantering with Nintendo of America’s Twitter account. They went so far as to celebrate the 2021 New Year by tweeting a photo of Isabelle and Doomguy figurines hand-in-hand. (related article, in Japanese)

Now, with Doomguy’s Mii costume coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he will exist in the same universe as Isabelle. Until now, images of the pair have only been fan art, but it will at last become a reality onscreen. Fans are excited to see the return of the memes and, naturally, the official DOOM Twitter has responded to the enthusiasm by retweeting their New Year’s tweet, captioning it with one single word: ‘finally’.

On the flip side, Isabelle is embroiled in a different kind of kerfuffle within Japan. When Kingdom Hearts’ Sora was introduced as the final DLC fighter during the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation, Isabelle’s weight was used as a comparison to how light Sora is.

The point was to illustrate Sora’s basic abilities as an aerial fighter: his light weight means he has a distinct buoyancy that marks his unique moveset. He can jump almost weightlessly through the air and boasts a quick rebound with his float gravity. Though, by the same token, Sora is also easily blown away by enemy attacks.

While showcasing Sora’s moves, the commentary on his weight attracted a lot of attention. To demonstrate his lightness, Isabelle’s weight was measured against Sora’s. The presentation used see-sawing platforms from the “Ancient Kingdom” stage in the game as an example. It showed Sora lighter than Isabelle, with her scaffold sinking down, being the heavier of the two.

Perhaps the intention was to impress upon the audience that Sora was even lighter than a small-built character like Isabelle. But it came as a shock to viewers that Isabelle had her weight used as a prop in the demonstration. It seemed to Japanese fans, the main takeaway was that Isabelle is heavier than Sora, rather than the lightness of Sora itself.

According to fan research, Isabelle’s weight ranks 66th among all 88 fighters (Super Smash Bros. Wiki). She is heavier than Zelda and Zerosuit Samus, but lighter than Peach and Lucina. Whether Isabelle’s weight is in its appropriate place on the ranking is obviously up to individual interpretation, but she is on the lighter end of the scale. Though, it is noteworthy that Rosetta, billed as a heavyweight in Mario Kart Wii, is lighter than Isabelle.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Sora and Round 11 DLC pack Mii costumes will be available for purchase on October 18. Let the party begin with this final wrap-up of additional content with Isabelle.