A challenger appeared! After the player won, they immediately and relaunched it.
The unlock order is semi-fixed. Below is the sequence of the first 10 challengers you will face via Vs. Matches: super smash bros ultimate how to unlock all characters
When Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018, it delivered on a promise that had seemed impossible: a crossover fighting game featuring every single character in the franchise’s history. However, while the tagline "Everyone is Here!" promised a massive roster, players were initially greeted with a much smaller starting lineup. With only eight characters available at the start—Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu—players were tasked with unlocking the remaining sixty-six combatants. This design choice was not merely a gating mechanism; it was an invitation to explore the game’s depth. To efficiently and thoroughly complete the roster, one must understand the three primary avenues of acquisition: the structured challenge of World of Light, the procedural rewards of Versus Mode, and the precision of the Classic Mode circuit. A challenger appeared