The developers initially considered replacing the character Ness with Lucas (the protagonist of the still in-development EarthBound 64, and later the Japan-only GBA title Mother 3), and planned on making Marth and Roy Japanese-exclusive fighters. However, Ness remained as the only fighter for the EarthBound series due to delays surrounding EarthBound 64's original Nintendo 64 release (and that game's eventual cancellation), and Marth and Roy were made available worldwide due to fans' desires to play as the Fire Emblem duo. Both Ness and Lucas would go on to be playable in this game's sequel Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though Lucas' appearance would be based on Mother 3's eventual GBA release.