Whenever it comes to a new Super Smash Bros. game, the first thing that comes to mind is the characters. It’s usually the easiest and most entertaining part to talk about on the long road to release.

However, for Director and Designer Masahiro Sakurai, it’s one of the more challenging aspects of the development process.

"The amount of stress I feel, it's almost to the brink of death. Because it's not just a matter of me personally thinking this character or that character is going to be in the game; it's that we also have the game balance, animation, graphics and sound to think about in order to make that character fully fleshed out in that universe. I have to think about all of that when I go through this decision-making process."

It doesn’t matter who this character is. Be it the oh-so-boring Jigglypuff or the fantastically amazing Snake, Sakurai takes every single factor into consideration before coming to any kind of decision.

"Whether it's a minor character or a character that is one of the most highly skilled and most played, if that character is removed from the game, the people who live for that character in Smash Bros. are going to have their feelings hurt."

"I think we have to really consider that, so I take a very serious, hard look at that and have empathy for the players who look for these type of characters when we're making these decisions.”

Just because a lot of fans want a certain character in the game doesn’t mean that Sakurai will add them. Before even considering a new inclusion, that character must satisfy a wealth of conditions.

"What is the uniqueness of this character? What does this character bring into the Smash Bros. universe? What do they have that other characters don't? How do they complement or contrast other characters?"

To see a developer working so hard on a series we love so much like Smash Bros. is amazing to see, but we also want Masahiro Sakurai in a good bill of health.