Knocking opponents off the stage is close enough to lowering their HP to 0.
Being slower than everyone else is the opposite of being faster than everyone else. It does seem like it’s cheesing the system that’s supposed to balance things out.
Even items in Smash Bros has a skill component in getting to the item first. And “rubber band” mechanics like bonus final smashes (and items in general) can be turned off.
Yeah, the uh, “trans characters” almost definitely would’ve been cut or modified.
You’d offend people who think that stuff shouldn’t be in video games, and you’d also offend people who think they’re poor “representation”.
Even Fassad could be a little questionable from a cultural-sensitivity perspective.
Not saying I think these should be cut, but that was likely Nintendo’s justification. Combined with the fact that the GBA was on its way out even when the Japanese version was released.
I have a sliver of hope for a release on the NSO expansion bundle, though.