Rihanna performed at the Super Bowl 2023 Halftime show last night (February 12) but several fans compared the stage design to a Super Smash Bros. level.
Kicking off her first live performance in over five years, Rihanna began the gig on a square platform that hovered above the main red stage below. On platforms on either side of her and down below, she was joined by dancers dressed all in white.
Later in the set, the same platform rose into the air while Rihanna performed ‘Umbrella’, with fans comparing it to various levels found in the Super Smash Bros. games, which often see platforms and parts of the environment move about the screen while players try to best characters from across Nintendo’s different franchises.
It wasn’t long before memes started appearing on social media – check out a selection below:
New Super Smash Bros stage just dropped #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/6OtFmCIq2C
— Stein (@steinekin) February 13, 2023
#RIHANNA IN SMASH BROS ULTIMATE??? #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/eXxqTSPB82
— JEDDO – MAB Apologist (@Jeddaur) February 13, 2023
Rihanna in Smash Bros !? #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/ScfymMWuuK
— Monasterollo (@Monasterollo) February 13, 2023
The Rihanna x Super Smash Bros DLC goes hard
#SuperBowlLVII #HalftimeShow pic.twitter.com/9FXcc4mcWd
— SLUURP (@sluurptv) February 13, 2023
Respect to Rhianna for performing in a Super Smash Bros stage pic.twitter.com/oXrHsFue0t
— Rob Sheridan (@rob_sheridan) February 13, 2023
Who else had Smash Bros PTSD watching Rihanna on them platforms?? pic.twitter.com/xwP7gOQPk4
— DiscipleDashni (@DiscipleDashni) February 13, 2023
The Super Smash Bros set was the MVP of the performance.
But she was great, too.
— JayViper (@JayViperTV) February 13, 2023
riri deserves her own character in smash bros after this https://t.co/pJWjXlQnKD
— teaghan
(@teaghaneag) February 13, 2023
Rhianna’s halftime performance stage: pic.twitter.com/ZUUwqaEaaI
— The GRiZ Father (@MikeBrolumbus13) February 13, 2023
Rihanna has never spoken publicly about being a gamer, though she did tweet “Super Mario baby” back in 2014, which is the same year Super Smash Bros. was released for Wii and Nintendo 3DS.
Super mario baby
— Rihanna (@rihanna) July 13, 2014
Speaking at an Apple Music press conference in the days before the big event, Rihanna said: “The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that. But it’s nerve-racking. You want to get it right. You know, everybody’s watching. And they’re rooting for you. And I want to get it right.”
She also revealed that she had changed the setlist for the show 39 times. “Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that’s going to be OK,” she explained. “We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down. There’s probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We’re on our 39th. Every little change counts.”
Following the performance, representatives for Rihanna confirmed that she is pregnant again while former president Donald Trump ranted about her performance and Metallica joked about not being invited to be Rihanna’s backing singers after posting a clip of themselves singing ‘Diamonds’ on Carpool Karaoke.
As for Smash Bros., the most recent game was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which was released in 2018. In 2021, series director Masahiro Sakurai said that Nintendo currently had no plans for a sequel.
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