Rock Lee

Rock Lee is a character from the manga and anime series , created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was going to appear in Super Smash Flash 2 as a playable character, but he appears, instead, as a background character on the stage Hidden Leaf Village.

Character description
Rock Lee is a ninja from Konohagakure part of Team Guy, a four-man cell of ninja led by Might Guy. Inspired by Lee's determination to become stronger despite his inability to perform basic ninja techniques, Guy takes a personal interest in him, deciding to help him achieve his dream of becoming a powerful ninja by using only taijutsu that is primary hand-to-hand combat. This relationship with Guy causes Lee to acquire many of Guy's traits. Lee believes he can surpass the natural talents of others through hard work and passion; throughout the series, he attempts to surpass Neji Hyuga, who is labeled a "genius". Lee first appears in the series as a participant in the Chunin Exams, twice a year exams for ninja who wish to increase their rank. During the Chunin Exams, Lee battles Gaara, a ninja from the village of Sunagakure. In the fight, Lee uses the eight chakra gates, limits on the body's ability to use chakra, increasing his natural abilities at the cost of his health. Despite his effort, Gaara cripples Lee by crushing his left arm and leg, injuring Lee to the point that he must abandon being a ninja.

When Tsunade, a Konohagakure medical ninja, returns to lead the village as the Fifth Hokage, she offers to operate on him. Despite the procedure's fifty percent chance of failure, Guy encourages Lee to have the operation. Ultimately, Lee undergoes the surgery, which succeeds in healing his arm and leg. Immediately after the operation, Lee follows a team of ninja led by Shikamaru Nara who attempt to stop Sasuke Uchiha from defecting from Konohagakure to the village of Otogakure. Lee battles the Otogakure ninja Kimimaro through using the Potion Punch fighting style in which he becomes inebriated with unpredictable attacks. When Kimimaro is on the verge of defeating Lee, Gaara intervenes, continuing the battle.

In Part II, Lee obtains the rank of Chunin, and is dispatched with his team to help save Gaara following his abduction by the criminal organization Akatsuki. During the events of the Fourth Shinobi War Lee is assigned to the Third Division, Lee helps in fighting the Kabuto Yakushi's reanimated army and later aids Naruto in the fight against Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha. Years after the war, Lee marries an unknown woman and has a son named Metal Lee. In the epilogue, Lee is last seen many years later, training with his son. In Boruto: Naruto the Movie, Lee hosts the third stage of the Chunin Exam.

As a background character
In Super Smash Flash 2, Rock Lee appears as one of the numerous background characters on Hidden Leaf Village, alongside Gaara, Ino Yamanaka, Chōji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyūga, and Itachi Uchiha. He appears in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, in the right side of the stage, doing push-ups.

As a playable character
Alongside Sasuke, Rock Lee was originally planned to be a playable character in Super Smash Flash 2 as part of the initial roster for the game. However, he was cut very early into development due to fans' complaints. Because of this, none of his planned attacks, special moves or Final Smash were ever publicly known.

Assist Trophy rumor
On September 25, 2010, SSF2 developer Ramsey Dr. Geno Kaid leaked a screenshot featuring Rock Lee appearing in Hidden Leaf Village (called Konoha Village at the time), leading non-devs to believe that Lee would appear as an Assist Trophy. The following month, this rumor was proven false in the stage's update on the third Smash Flash DOJO!!!, where Lee is shown as a background character.

Trivia

 * Lee's sprites as a planned playable character were taken from Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 for Nintendo DS.
 * Naruto's third costume in SSF2 is directly based on Lee's appearance.