Echo Fighter Chamber: Metal, Dark, QTπ

Thanks to Wolfman Jew for help with edits.

As any Smash fan could tell you, Echo Fighters were one of the most anticipated parts of Ultimate’s buildup. By directly telling his audience the logic and appeal behind clone characters, series creator Masahiro Sakurai ended a decade-long controversy and got most of us on board with these cost-effective bonuses. There’s a chance the latest entry’s group of five only made the cut due to its shallow pool of base-game newcomers, but the impact they had on the crossover’s crowd-pleaser reputation is clear. And although it’s too bad we never got some new ones via DLC, that just fueled fans’ hopes to see more in the future. 

In “Echo Fighter Chamber,” I’ll be tackling this topic by pitching three characters I think would make for phenomenal clones. Generally, they’ll have plenty of differences from their source characters, but not enough to leave them unrecognizable. After all, this mix of novelty and familiarity is an important part of their charm! Our trio of hopefuls come from all sorts of eras and consoles, based on new and old fighters alike. Regardless, they’re all relevant and bring plenty to the table, so let’s start with a remix of the fighter that started Smash itself and see where this takes us!

Metal Mario

(Courtesy of @EchoSaefir)

Super Mario 64 introduced a lot of power-ups and foes to the Nintendo mascot’s world, but arguably the most iconic of them all pulls double duty. Metal Mario debuted in the N64 launch title as an awesome new form for the plumber to assume in levels like Hazy Maze Cave, and he quickly got an encore in the original Smash as a memorable mini-boss. Why he’s suddenly his own being is a mystery, but these were more than enough to leave his mark on the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Since then, the power-up’s become a Smash mainstay, and the doppelgänger’s remained relevant via Mario Kart and other spin-offs. Now, adding him to a roster that’s had access to the Metal Box item for so long might get complicated, but I think he’d offer a compelling vibe and niche that are worth the headache.

First off, I’d differentiate the steely Echo from his Metal Box-affected inspiration by leaning into his polygonal look from the N64. Mario Odyssey gives us precedent for this, and it’d make him an eye-catching retro rep. That being said, he’d also have his “bizarro Mario” personality from Mario Kart, rather than the soulless feel Smash usually goes with. This gives us more room for fun taunts and animations, so it’s for the best. But admittedly, there aren’t many choices for palette swaps, so we’ll be going with as many metallic repaints as we can find. After his silvery default, we’ve got gold (doubling as a reference to another power-up), then bronze, then cobalt, then brass, then copper (think Hazy Maze Cave’s green), then titanium, then pink-gold (alluding to Peach’s clone of the same color).

How Would He Play?

Metal Mario’s stats and properties:

• Weight: ∼ Yoshi (104)
• Height: ∼ Mario
• Overall Speed: ∼ Toon Link
  • Walk Speed: 1.288
  • Initial Dash: 1.914
  • Run Speed: 1.906
  • Air Speed: 1.208
  • Fall Speed: 1.95
• Jump Height: ∼ Mario (36.33)
• Multi-jumping? No
• Crawling? No
• Wall jumping? Yes
  • Wall clinging? No

(A closer look at the stats)

If Mario is the Ryu of Smash (in terms of being the roster’s baseline), Luigi is the Ken, and Dr. Mario is the accidental Dan, then I’m envisioning Metal as the Akuma. That translates to strength, speed, and frailty, which might sound out of place, but bear with me. On paper, our subject weighs more than Mario (but not as much as you’d think), runs and falls faster, and even lifts a few moves from Doc and Mii Brawler. This high-octane playstyle, on top of being a likely crowd pleaser, alludes to the clone’s Mario Kart stats. However, being a heavy fast-faller means he’s worse at recovering and escaping combos than his rival, so he’s all-around easier to kill. Basically, think an aggressive Mario who’s all about zone breaking and rushing foes down, but can’t survive that many bad interactions. Oh, and for the sake of consistency, let’s make it so that the Metal Box and rarer gold buff indeed affect him, but give him a distinct texture.

Boxing Ring Title: “Polygonal Pugilist”

Series Icon	Stock Icon	Kirby Hat

Move Type	Description
On-Screen Appearance	Metal Mario mimics the plumbers by emerging from a pipe, but in the same stiff way Mario did in the original Smash, then says, “Let’s-a-win!”
Forward Smash: Steel Fist	Although Metal keeps Mario’s Fireball neutral special, he replaces the forward smash’s fiery palm thrust with Mii Brawler’s dramatic punch. It’s as strong and angleable as ever, but without the disjoint that comes with the flame, whiffing this move leaves Metal more vulnerable.
Side Special: Metal Tornado	Since Metal’s take on the Mario Tornado is a side special, it travels farther and lacks the other versions’ verticality. It still needs to be mashed to go its full distance, but that’s good for giving players more control. One other thing this special has going for it is its super armor, letting Metal power through weaker hits and reach his foes.
Up Special: Iron Jump Punch	Unfortunately for Metal, we’re giving him Doc’s take on the Jump Punch. This means recovery is a weakness of his, but the launch power behind this dragon punch leans into his playstyle. That, and the new side special also helps with returning to the stage.
Down Special: Head-On Assault	Borrowed from Mii Brawler and referencing his Melee entrance, Metal leaps upward and forward via a backflip kick (if he was grounded beforehand), aims his head downward, then rapidly corkscrews in that direction. The move’s good at breaking shields, two-framing enemies, and mixing up your landings, but its high end lag makes it situational.
Final Smash: Metal Finale	Further tying Metal to Mario and Doc is his own version of Mario Finale. This one looks more like the latter’s, but with a pair of giant crystals that call back to the first Smash’s Meta Crystal stage. Aside from that, they’re just as good at pushing victims into the blast zone as always.
Up Taunt	(Source) Metal hops skyward, then gives the screen a peace sign upon landing, just like Mario does when he grabs a Power Star in Mario 64 (which happens to match fellow Echo Daisy’s side taunt, actually).
Side Taunt	Metal spins in place, then takes his hat off to reveal his so-called hair underneath, clearly mirroring Mario’s old side taunt.
Down Taunt	After a crystal emerges behind Metal, he leans on it and puts one hand on his cap, resembling his smoother design’s signature pose.
Victory Pose #1	Metal readies his fist, then slams it into the ground, causing three crystals to emerge to his back. Afterwards, he shows his cocky side by laughing and resting his hands on his hips.
Victory Pose #2	(Source) Metal gives stiff salutes to his left and right, then repeats the motion over and over again, all the while exclaiming, “Metal Mario, the best!”
Victory Pose #3	Metal lays on the ground and sleeps as the camera approaches him, muttering, “Tortellini…” as it does so.
Victory Fanfare	Although I wouldn’t call Metal a bad guy, since he’s known for being a mini-boss in Smash, the Super Mario villains’ fanfare suits him best.

Dark Link

(Courtesy of @EchoSaefir)

From one retro replica to another, Dark Link enjoys an even richer history than Metal. Getting his start all the way back in Zelda II on the NES, then really making a name for himself as the Water Temple’s mini-boss in Ocarina of Time, this shadowy double’s remained a constant throughout the series. Twilight Princess, A Link Between Worlds, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and more feature or allude to this clone of Link’s, cementing him as one of the most iconic enemies the hero’s crossed swords with. Granted, you could argue the similarly prominent Shadow Link is his own thing, but I’d much rather put these doppelgängers under the same umbrella (including the ones in Age of Calamity and Echoes of Wisdom). Smash’s three Links respect this résumé with edgy recolors of their own, but with how much the “adult” Link has changed over the years, I think there’s room for the lookalike to get a promotion.

Although Dark Link becoming a fighter would probably mean losing the actual Links’ black colors, I’d still distinguish him with his own model. And since the form he takes upon aping the Hero of Time is his most famous (even inspiring his armor set in the Switch games), it’s the obvious choice for Smash. As for his taunts and other animations, he’s the reason I made Metal more emotive, since there’s only room for one soulless copy in this article. In short, he’d remain silent and sinister at all times, with his few instances of showing off being uncanny mirrors of stuff Link does. But things get complicated when turning to his palette swaps, as there’s only so much we can do with someone whose whole deal is darkness. Regardless, after his default, we have green (Kokiri Tunic), blue (Zora Tunic), red (Goron Tunic), purple (Shadow Link), all-black (his classic look), white (a simple inversion), and—if it’s not too much of a stretch—a full-on model swap featuring AoC’s Hollow Link.

How Would He Play?

Dark Link’s stats and properties:

• Weight: ∼ Link (104)
• Height: ∼ Link
• Overall Speed: ∼ Corrin
  • Walk Speed: 1.344
  • Initial Dash: 1.892
  • Run Speed: 1.672
  • Air Speed: 0.924
  • Fall Speed: 1.6
• Jump Height: ∼ Link (27.8)
• Multi-jumping? No
• Crawling? No
• Wall jumping? No

(A closer look at the stats)

Despite being Smash’s original swordsman, Link doesn’t fight like one. His incredible projectiles and laggy blade swings mean he’s more about trapping than footsies, but that’s where Dark Link comes in. In his most iconic fights, he tests players’ swordplay and sticks to that weapon, so his moveset relies on it more than his heroic inspiration does. He moves faster on the ground and generally sports better frame data, but makes do with worse projectiles that call back to those used by Smash 4’s Link. Aside from the classic weapons and altered stats, Dark Link is a fairly straightforward Echo. After all, it’s not his style to weigh himself down with weirder moves or gimmicks. Hopefully, this makes for an interesting spin on Link’s kit that fits right in with his fellow swordies.

Boxing Ring Title: “Hyrule’s Lurking Shadow”

Series Icon	Stock Icon	Kirby Hat

Move Type	Description
On-Screen Appearance	A shadow resembling Link’s is seen on the ground, which reveals himself to be Dark Link by rising and drawing his all-black Master Sword and Hylian Shield.
Stance	Dark Link stands with his sword in his left hand and his shield in his right. Uniquely, he doesn’t cast a shadow, but as expected, the shield faces ahead to block incoming projectiles.
Grab: Clawshot	Dark Link’s grab is one of several returns to form, featuring the Clawshot as a classic tether. With it, his grappling differs from Link’s in that it reaches farther, but is much easier to punish. Moreover, it can be used for Z-airs and grabbing the ledge. With the—spoiler alert—Remote Bomb missing, this extra recovery tool is a blessing.
Neutral Special: Gloom Bow	Dark Link draws a sinister bow and preps an arrow, then fires it with the input’s release. What distinguishes this projectile from Link’s is its poor knockback and longer charge time, as well as the Eiha-like effect it applies. Like with Joker’s side special, foes struck by the arrows start taking gradual damage for a brief period, pressuring them to approach Dark Link and play his preferred game.
Side Special: Fell Gale Boomerang	Dark Link brandishes his rival’s retired Gale Boomerang (with a darker color scheme), then tosses it forward. As usual, the weapon’s distance and angle can be influenced by the player’s input, but upon its return trip, its hitbox is replaced with a non-damaging windbox that pushes enemies toward its source. Overall, it’s infamously weaker and more situational than the other Links’ boomerangs, but that’s par for the course with this moveset, and there’s at least room for interesting plays.
Down Special: Bombs of Might	Dark Link pulls out a cyan bomb (inspired by the ones in EoW), then holds on to it until either the player lobs it or the thing detonates on its own. Unique look aside, it works just like Young and Toon Link’s explosives, blowing up after hitting something or enough time has passed. Obviously, Link’s Remote Bomb stays on top, but this classic item still pulls its weight.
Final Smash: Blood Moon Slash	We’ve got ourselves another Triforce Slash, but with fancier effects than ever. As foes in front of Dark Link are enveloped by a black Triforce, the screen reddens and a Blood Moon appears (where a full moon does during Greninja’s finisher). If his trap hits its mark, the Echo lunges ahead and relentlessly slashes at his prisoners with his sword. Finally, he shatters the Triforce with a final swing, launching victims toward the blast zone.
Up Taunt	Resembling taunts performed by a few heroic swordsmen, Dark Link raises his blade as it gives off a purple gleam. However, he remains expectedly stiff and lifeless during the motion.
Side Taunt	Dark Link relaxes his stance as a Keese (based on its BotW design) appears, encircles him, then disappears. It follows the same path fairies do in other Links’ side taunts, serving as an obvious parallel.
Down Taunt	Dark Link beckons his opponent by widening his stance and pointing his sword forward, like when Twilight Princess’s Link trains with the Hero’s Shade. Maybe he learned it from the latter during their Water Temple fight?
Victory Pose #1	Resembling EoW’s first Link encounter, Dark Link turns to face the camera, then leaps toward it with a jumping slash. Having apparently missed, he keeps his blade at the ready.
Victory Pose #2	After dramatically sheathing his sword, Dark Link dissolves into a shadow and creeps out of sight.
Victory Pose #3	A trio of Dark Links stand side by side (with all three sporting the player’s chosen costume), then ominously lift their hands toward the camera. Of course, this references the weirdest cutscene in Zelda history.

Poppi QTπ

(Courtesy of @EchoSaefir)

There are some fighters whose builds and abilities are so unique that you just can’t envision them getting Echoes. I mean, what sort of clones could weirdos like Duck Hunt or Wii Fit Trainer possibly get? At a glance, Pyra and Mythra’s swapping gimmick seems to put them in the same boat, but Xenoblade 2 was ready for this exact problem. Although Tora and artificial Blade Poppi join Rex’s party with no relation to the Aegis duo, a late-game side quest sees the Nopon designing an ultimate form for his partner. This “Quantum Technochampion π” mode is strong, customizable, and clearly inspired by Pyra and Mythra. It might be optional, but it’s satisfying seeing Poppi—one of the game’s most memorable characters—reach her full potential. With her ability to swap elements and Variable Saber in tow, she could do a fantastic job mimicking her fellow Blades in the crossover. And thanks to her brief cameo in Xenoblade 3, she’s even got more relevance than most.

When adapting Poppi to Smash, there are less hoops to jump through than with Metal Mario and Dark Link. Her existing QTπ design would do just fine, though she might need to cover up a bit. Definitely not to the extent Mythra did, who got a wholly new design, so maybe closer to Pyra’s subtler touch-ups? There’s also the question of whether Smash should refer to her as “Poppi” or “Poppi QTπ.” Most of the time, she’d go by the former, but we could include the “QTπ” in secondary stuff like her Spirit. Oh, and it’s worth noting that the artificial Blade would be able to swap between Pyra- and Mythra-inspired stances during fights, which’d be distinguished by the glow her sword emits: red in Pyra’s “Fire” mode and gold in Mythra’s “Light” mode. Like with the Aegis, you could choose which of these you start the match with on the character select screen. That brings us to Poppi’s recolors, which mostly reference other Blades. After her default, there’s orange and green (based on her Nano Orange costume), bronze and white (based on Dromarch), blue and purple (based on Brighid), purple and green (based on Pandoria), violet and black (based on Malos), silver and blonde (based on Poppibuster), and red and mint (based on Ino).

How Would She Play?

Poppi’s stats and properties:

• Weight: ∼ Pit (96) / ∼ Inkling (94)
• Height: ∼ Pyra & Mythra
• Overall Speed: ∼ Ike / ∼ Bayonetta
  • Walk Speed: 0.977 / 1.302
  • Initial Dash: 1.815 / 2.288
  • Run Speed: 1.507 / 2.2
  • Air Speed: 1.134 / 1.208
  • Fall Speed: 1.7 / 1.78
• Jump Height: ∼ Ike (29.9) / ∼ Pikachu (35.5)
• Multi-jumping? No
• Crawling? No
• Wall jumping? No

(A closer look at the stats)

Sometimes, Echoes set themselves apart by deemphasizing what made their source characters unique. Marth’s tippers and Pit’s arrows are the standout examples, so I’ll be applying that idea to Poppi’s moveset. But you’re not an Aegis clone if you’re not swapping elements with your down special, so while the robot still does that, her two stances aren’t as extreme as Pyra and Mythra are. Basically, Fire Poppi remains the slow and heavy one, but less so than Pyra. Meanwhile, Light Poppi is fast and combo-centric, but without Mythra’s peaks and valleys. And to bring the forms even closer together, we’re replacing Pyra’s Smash Flare and Mythra’s Foresight with a better recovery, altogether making Poppi more about fundamentals and footsies. Although this probably spells a weaker fighter than the Ultimate-dominating Aegis, in terms of providing a Xenoblade rep that’s easier to come to grips with, Poppi adds up to a valuable Echo.

Boxing Ring Title: “The Artificial Blade”

Series Icon	Stock Icon	Kirby Hat

Move Type	Description
On-Screen Appearance	Tora appears in the background and holds the Variable Saber, then tosses it to Poppi as she warps in.
Stance	Since Poppi’s stance doesn’t differ between Fire and Light mode, she needs one that’s distinct from Pyra’s and Mythra’s. To that end, she stands with a confident smirk and her sword in both hands.
Dash & Run	Poppi’s dash follows her inspirations’ lead by floating along the ground, but does so via her jet boosters.
Neutral Special (Fire): Speedy Sword	Although Poppi keeps Flame Nova’s hitboxes and animation, she sacrifices power for speed. Thus, her neutral special works much better as a Spin Attack-esque out-of-shield option.
Side Special (Fire): Spinning Cutter	Poppi throws the Variable Saber a ways forward, which briefly does a vertical spin at its full distance, then speeds back to its wielder. Overall, it’s a quicker and more reliable projectile than Blazing End, but lacks its multi hits.
Up Special (Fire): Swooshing Slash	Poppi leaps skyward with a swing of her weapon, then plummets back downward and plunges it into the ground. She misses out on the flame pillar Prominence Revolt spawns, but enjoys better horizontal movement at the attack’s apex.
Neutral Special (Light): Poppi Unlimited	Poppi raises her sword and, after the input’s release, slashes to her front a few times. Like with Mythra’s Lightning Buster, a longer charge nets more swings, but they all trade the Aegis’s speed for power. Altogether, it feels a bit like Mii Swordfighter’s Blurring Blade.
Side Special (Light): Poppi Ignition	Poppi charges forward with blinding speed, slicing through anyone in the way as her thrusters move her a short distance ahead. But unlike Photon Edge, this move follows a Fox Illusion-like path and only has one hitbox, making it simpler and less volatile.
Up Special (Light): Noponic Axion	Poppi leaps with the same slash as Ray of Punishment’s, then fires a diagonal beam downward. Both parts of this attack are as fast and strong as Mythra’s, but the robot loses Chroma Dust access in exchange for rising higher.
Down Special: Poppiswap	Poppi lifts her sword as the light coursing through it changes from red to gold (or vice versa). Naturally, this is how she chooses between the Pyra-esque Fire mode (which, as the name implies, sports fiery effects that detonate explosives) and Mythra-esque Light mode. But funnily enough, since she’s merely swapping stances and not identities, Poppiswap comes out faster than Blade Switch and feels more like Monado Arts.
Final Smash: Quantum Judgement	(Source) Like with the Aegis, Poppi uses her Stage IV Blade Special for her Final Smash. It begins with Tora appearing in front of his partner and proclaiming, “Poppi, time for secret protocol!” With that, he grabs the Variable Saber and charges forward via a spinning slash, immobilizing anyone in his way. If he caught someone, he tosses the sword back to Poppi and cheers as she attacks with a barrage of sword swings. Finally, she lets loose a blast of ether that sends foes flying, prompting Tora to wave and warp out of sight.
Up Taunt	Tora appears in the background, flaps his wings, and encourages his Blade by saying, “Good luck!” Of course, this parallels the way Rex cameos in his Blades’ up taunts.
Side Taunt	Poppi ignites her thrusters, spins her weapon in place, then states, “Escape impossible!”
Down Taunt	Poppi performs an abridged version of her signature dance (after briefly despawning her sword), complete with pirouette and finger pointed to the sky.
Victory Pose #1	(Source) Poppi fires a few shots from her sword, then turns to face Tora as he hops in place and says, “Good work, Poppi!”
Victory Pose #2	Poppi tosses and catches Tora a few times, rattling the Nopon and making him scream, “Meh meh meh!”
Victory Pose #3	Poppi’s α form (whose model could be lifted from the Alrest stage) stands with her arms crossed, transforms as her cape surrounds her, then does a mock slash with the Variable Saber in her QTπ form.

Closing Thoughts

More than usual, this was a hard article to put together. It’s not easy pitching an Echo that’s both faithful to its source character and interesting enough to deserve a concept. In this case, I started with much lamer ideas and realized I needed to either try another draft or give up on the whole thing. Metal Mario was originally just a heavy Mario, Dark Link was just Smash 4’s Link, and Poppi…wasn’t even here, with the third slot instead going to Shadow Mario. Moreover, the whole tone was a lot more cynical, criticizing Ultimate and its “glorified skins,” only to then pitch glorified skins of my own. I think it’s all way better in its current state, but I still don’t plan on tackling more Echoes any time soon. Honestly, it took adding a Xenoblade rep for me to even find the motivation to finish this in the first place. But it was novel enough, and if that new Nintendo system ushers in its own Smash and some fresh clone candidates, we’ll see about turning this into a series…

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Hamada

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