Erase Data, previously known asBackup Clear inSuper Smash Bros., is an option in the first three installments of theSuper Smash Bros. series. It allows the player to erase any specific data in the game, such as high scores,trophies,unlockable characters, andunlockable stages. In all three appearances, the option to erase singular categories of data is available, alongside an "Erase All" ("ALL Data Clear" inSmash 64) option.

If the player chooses to erase all data, there is no way to recover it when erased. As such,Super Smash Bros. Melee advises players to create a copy of the data onto a separatememory card. However, this is only possible inMelee alongside the Virtual Console version ofSmash 64 (which can have data copied to an SD card instead). The game data inSmash 64 saves automatically to theNintendo 64 cartridge while the game data inBrawl cannot be copied from oneWii to anSD Card without modding, though a non-modded Wii does allow aBrawl save already on an SD card to be copied to the system memory.

NeitherSuper Smash Bros. 4 norSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate have an "Erase Data" option, making it impossible to selectively erase any specific data. In both versions ofSmash 4, players can erase all data by holding,,, and (though in theWii U version, it only works with theWii U GamePad) on the startup and selecting "Yes" three times when prompted (just like inBrawl for "Erase All"). InUltimate, the player can manually erase all data under the "Manage Save Data/Screenshots and Videos" option of the Data Management section in theNintendo Switch's System Settings; due to this, a built-in application is not included.

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

• Brawl is the first installment in the series which does not have the "Erase Hidden Characters" and "Erase Hidden Stages" options.
  • This is due to a special stipulation. Due to the wayunlockable characters appear inThe Subspace Emissary, it is not possible to restart theunlockable characters andunlockable stages.
• When deleting all save data inSmash 64 andMelee, the player is asked twice to confirm that they wish to lose that data; inMelee, a siren plays on the first prompt, and an alarm on the second prompt. InBrawl, the player is asked three times to confirm. The first prompt plays a siren, the second one plays a sped-up version of the siren, and the third and final plays an alarm similar to Melee's "challenger approaching" theme.Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U similarly present three prompts, but only have the siren and sped-up siren on the second and third prompts. WhileUltimate doesn't contain the in-game option, a similar set of three prompts are present when deletingAdventure Mode: World of Light's save files.
  • This is based on the three warning messages shown when deleting a save file inKirby games starting fromKirby Super Star, likely due to both games being directed byMasahiro Sakurai. Both cases use similar phrasing, in particular with the final warning which, in Japanese, reads「こうかいしませんね？」("You're sure you won't regret this?", "No regrets?", "Are you sure?", etc.) TheKirby series continues to use the three-warnings format in titles not directed by Masahiro Sakurai, such asKirby's Return to Dream Land.Meteos andKid Icarus Uprising, two other games directed by Masahiro Sakurai, also use the three-warnings format.
• InSmash 64, the sound effect that plays when erasing data is the same asNess'sPSI Magnet.

• Data
• Options