From my perspective as a longtime Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player in 2026, the permanent arrival of Warframe’s Lotus and Cuphead’s brotherly duo feels like a small but satisfying victory for crossover preservation. When these Spirits first appeared, they were tied to limited-time events, and like many players I felt that familiar pressure to log in before the window closed. Now Lotus, Cuphead, and Mugman are permanent fixtures on the Spirit Board and in the shops, which means newer players can still collect them without relying on nostalgia, luck, or a frantic weekend grind. That permanence matters to me because it turns a fleeting promotion into a lasting piece of Smash Ultimate history.

Why permanent Spirits feel better

I have always enjoyed the collectible side of Smash Ultimate, but limited-time Spirits can make the game feel like a checklist of missed opportunities. The Lotus was originally offered during the Spirits in Black event at the end of February, and she was an especially appealing get for Warframe fans. She is often called Space Mom by the community, and having her hover over my roster in Smash is exactly the kind of strange crossover charm that makes the game memorable. There is also a nice layer of progression: Lotus evolves into Natah once she reaches level 99, which is a meaningful detail for Warframe players but also a mild spoiler for anyone who has not touched the source game. I like that kind of hidden depth, even if it makes me smile at how casually Smash can drop lore from another universe.

Cuphead and Mugman arrived earlier in February through the Ready? Wallop! event, and their presence feels equally natural. Cuphead is technically from a shooter, so his Mii Gunner costume makes perfect sense to me. I also appreciate the playful inconsistency in his coloration: his gloves and boots cycle between white, yellow, and brown depending on whether he appears as a Spirit, in-game, or in the menu. That detail is the sort of tiny oddity that Cuphead fans notice immediately, and it gives the crossover a handmade, affectionate quality rather than a purely corporate one.

A tournament with a nostalgic theme

Around the same period, Nintendo also announced the Born in 200X online tournament, which focused on video game characters born in the 2000s. I find that theme wonderfully specific. It brought together fighters such as Toon Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Lucas, Olimar, and Lucario, all characters associated with an era when Nintendo was riding high on Wii and DS sales. From my 2026 viewpoint, that tournament feels like a time capsule. It captures a moment when Nintendo dominated both handheld and home console markets with separate devices, long before the hybrid approach became the company’s defining hardware idea.

What I enjoy most about these additions is how they extend the life of Smash Ultimate beyond its headline fights. Spirit events are not always the loudest part of the game, but they create a living archive of gaming culture. Warframe and Cuphead are very different experiences, yet both fit comfortably inside Smash’s enormous celebration of video game history. Making their Spirits permanent is a quiet acknowledgment that players do not want to lose access to content simply because they arrived late. In 2026, when so many games rely on rotating events and temporary rewards, that decision still feels player-friendly.

For me, the best takeaway is simple: I can return to Smash Ultimate, browse the Spirit Board, and still find Lotus, Cuphead, and Mugman waiting. I do not need to remember the exact dates of old events or worry that a crossover disappeared forever. That permanence makes the game feel warmer, more welcoming, and more complete. It also reminds me why I keep coming back to Smash: the roster is huge, the music is legendary, and even the smallest collectible can carry a story from another game into my own little fighting-game museum.