Bayonetta might be too strong to live forever as a Super Smash Bros. character, but she’s been a fantastic addition to the cast for at least one reason: players have a ton of fun with her, sometimes even at their own expense.
At last weekend’s Glitch 4 tournament, notable Bayonetta players Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth and Tamim “Mistake” Omary were matched up in the losers semifinals. This crucial bout would decide who moved onto losers finals and who would end their tournament run in fourth place. So, naturally, it was the perfect moment to pose a bit for the thousands watching live and online.
Just like she does in her own games, Bayonetta has some incredible moves in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the flashiest of which are performed by simply taunting or balancing on the edge of the stage. When it came time for CaptainZack and Mistake to face off, both players took some time to demonstrate these animations by going to opposite ends of the stage and showing off her dance moves at the start of the match.
Unfortunately for Mistake, posing is a personal powerup for CaptainZack, who quickly stole a stock from Mistake with a lengthy combo as soon as the match began in earnest, flashing a wry smile and posing himself afterwards. He eventually won in a close 3-2 set, sending Mistake home before reaching the finals.
This is nothing new for Bayonetta players. At Super Smash Con last year, Mistake took part in a dance-off with Evo 2017 champion Saleem Akiel “Salem” Young. They even managed to throw in a few attacks to up the stakes, to the great delight of the commentators and the viewers in the stream chat.
Bayonetta’s extreme power makes her presence in Super Smash Bros. controversial, but she’s stylized the game’s competition in a unique way. It’s possible some of the advantage Bayonetta players have comes from how fun she is to play.
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Ian Walker loves fighting games and writing about them. You can find him on Twitter at @iantothemax.