Death seems to loom large amid the launch of the fifth instalment in Nintendo’s increasingly wide-reaching - and increasingly bizarre crossover fighting game series, “Super Smash Bros.”. Yet the cause of this increased emphasis on mortality has been rather mysterious, even as the slaying of Nintendo mainstays has escalated to epic proportions. This begs the question: why is the Big N so set on wiping out its menagerie and what does it have to do with “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”? Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’ll be diving into the reasoning behind Nintendo killing all its characters.

The Smash Ultimate's 'World of Light' trailer killed off a lot of our beloved characters, with only Kirby left to save the day. What is happening in the Smash Ultimate trailer?

Mario has always had a really interesting relationship with death. It has been a constant threat since his first appearance in Donkey Kong, and while it is always depicted as funny and cartoonish, it actually gets pretty dark. Check out our discussion on how Mario games and Nintendo overall deal with mortality.