If you haven’t seen last week’s Nintendo Direct dedicated solely to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you’ll want to take look at some juicy bits of information here. Over one-hundred stages will be featured in the next entry of the Super Smash Bros. franchise, characters from series such as Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Monster Hunter will make their respective appearance, and so much more. Nintendo is prepping this to be the “ultimate” crossover of franchises, but one soul was lost in the midst of all the news. Luigi.

Our poor Luigi was an unfortunate casualty to the Reaper’s scythe as Nintendo introduced a cast of Castlevania characters to join the roster.  However, one fan theory gaining traction believes that trailer won’t be the last we’ll see of the green-clad brother. Since the Nintendo Direct went live, Nintendo confirmed that Luigi is in fact alive and “okay,” but were the theatrics just for show? We think not. In fact, one fan theorizes that a secret story mode option will feature a chance to save Luigi or something of that sort.

frame by frame, the pixelated green thing in #SmashBrosDirect says “Spirits”. @GameXplain pic.twitter.com/fZKN0nYmIC

— l’attardé (@noctulescent) August 8, 2018

in the japanese trailer, it’s also visible, and it says スピリッツ which is the english word “spirits” in katakana ; not the word for spirit in japanese. pic.twitter.com/qatIqGLkde

— l’attardé (@noctulescent) August 8, 2018

This theory didn’t appear out of thin air. Toward the end of the previously mentioned Nintendo Direct, the narrator teases a “mysterious mode” still awaiting reveal. A rectangular green shape covered with a pixelated blur hides an exciting secret in store for fans. According to Twitter user “l’attardé,” the obscure image reads “spirits.” They explain their methods of induction:

because i’ve been asked how i did it and how to replicate. you go to the smash direct at 23:58 and use , and . to go frame by frame, you’ll see the top of the word and the bottom of the word on 2 frames as the menu snaps back into place. screenshot, do the photo editing, voilà! pic.twitter.com/uR0cx1qMki

— l’attardé (@noctulescent) August 8, 2018

Sadly, Waluigi is still missing. How will Nintendo do him justice? Better yet, will they? Let us know what you think in the comments section below or start a conversation on DFTG Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming news as it happens, follow us on Twitter! Here’s some of our latest:

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives December 7nd, 2018 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.