The newest 'Smash Bros. Ultimate' character is a stylish guest star from a PlayStation game. Here's what you need to know about Joker.

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The newest 'Smash Bros. Ultimate' character is a stylish guest star from a PlayStation game. Here's what you need to know about Joker.

Smash Bros Ultimate Joker

Nintendo

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  • Joker, the silent protagonist of "Persona 5," is the newest playable character in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate."
  • Joker fights with a knife and pistol, and can summon his persona Arsene to boost his attacks and turn the tide of battle.
  • Like past guest characters, Joker arrives with his own stage, a wide selection of music from "Persona," and unique mechanics that reflect his original series.
  • Joker can be purchased individually or with the "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" Fighters Pass.
  • Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

"Super Smash. Bros. Ultimate" welcomed Joker from "Persona 5" as its second downloadable character in the huge Ver. 3.0 update released on April 17th. Joker was first revealed at The Game Awards in December 2018 and joins the roster of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" despite never being in a game released on a Nintendo console.

Joker's addition speaks to the booming popularity of the "Persona" franchise, which has primarily been exclusive to the PlayStation. He arrives in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" with a new stage, Mementos, taken from "Persona 5," and about 10 songs taken from "Persona 3," "Persona 4" and "Persona 5."

Read more: 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' is getting a massive update on Wednesday - here's everything that's new

Like past guest characters like Cloud from "Final Fantasy 7" and Ryu from "Street Fighter," Joker introduces some brand new mechanics based on "Persona." Most importantly, he can summon his persona Arsene to enhance his attacks and give him new moves during the match.

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Both Joker and his stage are paid downloadable content. Players can unlock both Joker and his stage as paid downloadable content. The Joker DLC costs $6 on its own but players can also purchase the $25 Fighters Pass to unlock Joker and four more incoming fighters. The pass represents $5 in savings, since all five characters would come to $30 individually.

Here's everything you need to know about Joker, the newest downloadable character in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate"

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To unlock Joker, you'll need to buy him from the Nintendo eShop for $6, or buy the "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" Fighters Pass for $25.

To unlock Joker, you'll need to buy him from the Nintendo eShop for $6, or buy the "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" Fighters Pass for $25.

So exactly who is Joker?

So exactly who is Joker?

Joker is the code name of the "Persona 5" protagonist. Because "Persona 5" players can name the character whatever they like, the Joker code name became an easy way for fans to reference him.

He begins "Persona 5" as a transfer student at Shujin Academy, but eventually becomes the leader of a group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. "Persona 5" takes players through the daily adventures of Phantom Thieves; the group combats injustice by changing the hearts of evil adults.

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Joker can also choose to fight in his Shujin Academy uniform, if you prefer to smash with style.

Joker can also choose to fight in his Shujin Academy uniform, if you prefer to smash with style.

Joker can summon his Persona, Arsene, to boost his attacks.

Joker can summon his Persona, Arsene, to boost his attacks.

Joker and the other Phantom Thieves can summon Personas, physical manifestations of their inner personality. In "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" Joker summons Arsene, his primary partner in "Persona 5."

Arsene can be summoned when Joker's Rebellion Gauge, the meter above his health percentage, reaches max capacity. Once summoned, Arsene enhances Joker's attacks and gives him a few new moves for about 30 seconds. Since he's a spiritual being, Arsene is invulnerable to attacks.

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Joker's stage, Mementos, will change color depending on what song is playing.

Joker's stage, Mementos, will change color depending on what song is playing.

Joker's final smash, All-Out Attack, will summon the other Phantom Thieves from "Persona 5" to help him out.

Joker's final smash, All-Out Attack, will summon the other Phantom Thieves from "Persona 5" to help him out.
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When he wins a match, Joker has his own special results screen styled after "Persona 5."

When he wins a match, Joker has his own special results screen styled after "Persona 5."

Joker's choice of weapons and unique Persona mechanic give him an unusual play-style.

Joker's choice of weapons and unique Persona mechanic give him an unusual play-style.
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Like Bayonetta, Joker's primary special move is his gun.

Like Bayonetta, Joker's primary special move is his gun.

Joker can repeatedly fire his gun on the ground or in the air by tapping or holding the special attack button. You can also dodge while using the Gun, and drift left or right when firing in the air.

Joker's grappling hook is his primary recovery move.

Joker's grappling hook is his primary recovery move.

Joker's Up+Special move launches a grappling hook that helps him get back to the stage. Like other tether abilities, the grappling hook lets Joker hang below the stage, and it can also be used to pull enemies closer.

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Eiha is a dark magic spell that does damage over time.

Eiha is a dark magic spell that does damage over time.

Joker's side special is Eiha, a dark magic spell that damages enemies over a few seconds. Eiha will linger on the ground if it doesn't hit an enemy, creating a trap. A direct hit with Eiha does about 13% damage, while the trap version does closer to 20%.

Take damage using Rebel's Guard to rapidly increase the Rebellion Gauge and summon your Persona faster.

Take damage using Rebel's Guard to rapidly increase the Rebellion Gauge and summon your Persona faster.

When using his Down+Special, Rebel's Guard, Joker reduces all incoming damage by half and greatly increases the recharge rate of the Rebellion Gauge. Once the Rebellion Gauge is full Joker can summon Arsene, so wise use of Rebel's Guard will be key to unlocking Joker's strengths.

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Once your Persona is summoned, Joker's special attacks will be further enhanced, and he'll do more damage overall.

Once your Persona is summoned, Joker's special attacks will be further enhanced, and he'll do more damage overall.

With Joker's persona summoned you'll notice some changes to his special moves:
-The Gun will fire three bullets with each press of the button.
-Grappling hook is replaced with a move called Wings of Rebellion.
-Eiha becomes Eigaon, a similar spell that causes an explosion on impact.
-Rebel's Guard becomes a dual counter, Tetrakarn/Makarakarn.

Normal attacks will also do slightly more damage and some have special properties when Arsene is active. For example, Down+Attack in the air can spike opponents downward when Joker's persona is summoned.

Joker gets a high-flying recovery move called Wings of Rebellion with his Persona activated.

Joker gets a high-flying recovery move called Wings of Rebellion with his Persona activated.

Wings of Rebellion replaces Joker's grappling hook once Arsene is summoned. The move is one of the highest flying recovery specials in the game, but you can't hit enemies with it. Luckily, Joker is invincible for a short time when using Wings of Rebellion.

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When Arsene is active, Rebel's Guard will become a dual counter move that defends against both physical attacks and projectiles. It still loses to throws though, so it's not invincible.

When Arsene is active, Rebel's Guard will become a dual counter move that defends against both physical attacks and projectiles. It still loses to throws though, so it's not invincible.

Joker is out now and stealing victories in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." Grab the DLC to try him out today!

Joker is out now and stealing victories in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." Grab the DLC to try him out today!
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