Keyblade wielder Sora has found his way to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and will now face some of the most iconic names in gaming, including Banjo-Kazooie and Mario. His addition will close out Fighter Pass Vol. 2, marking the end of new charaters joining the fight. However, while this is Kingdom Hearts' first and only Smash representative, Sora will see some familiar faces on the battlefield.
Both Cloud and Sephiroth have appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series, as friend and foe respectively. In these games, the two wear unique outfits not seen anywhere else -- something fans would have been overjoyed to see as options in Smash Ultimate. Players could have relived the action of Kingdom Hearts as Cloud and Sora fought against Sephiroth in these costumes, something that would have been the perfect addition to an already great DLC pack.
In the original Kingdom Hearts, Cloud Strife has a very striking look as he enters the Coliseum in an attempt to assassinate Hercules. He agrees to this on behalf of Hades, who has promised to help him locate Sephiroth in return. Luckily, it doesn't come to this, as Cloud locates Sephiroth after he narrowly loses a fight against Sora and his friends. The Final Fantasy VII stars also appear in Kingdom Hearts II, where they play much larger roles.
In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud dons a red scarf that he uses to hide his face and identity, as well as a version of the Buster Sword that has white wraps around the blade. Kingdom Hearts II changes his look by removing his scarf and giving him a fully black outfit. Sephiroth sports his infamous black wing, along with a long black coat with red accents. Of course, he too brings his absurdly large, trademark sword.
While Smash has not previously added or changed character outfits port-launch, updating previously-released characters based on new DLC is not unheard of. Nintendo changed Cloud's Final Smash to be Omnislash Ver. 5 when he lands it on Sephiroth, which is a fun touch and a nice call back to their eternal rivalry. Super Ultimate would have been the perfect place to reintroduce these costumes, as they have not appeared outside of the Kingdom Hearts games.
Still, Cloud and Sephiroth already have alternate colors and outfits in the game, so it's likely some would have had to be removed to make room. Additionally, giving these two new costumes (even if it meant sacrificing existing ones) would likely open the floodgates for more fan requests. At the end of the day, Sora is, on his own, a great addition to the roster, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has more than earned a break, so maybe it's for the best that these costumes remain exclusive to Kingdom Hearts.