that people really are so dependent on tier lists and make their decision based on what other people tell them...really is such a shame tbh
just play who you like or you like the fighting style of, and if you wanna be good with that character just practice and git gud, simple as that, i am not even a pro competitive player and even i know it works like that.
I agree with picking who you like and play well with. If you hate the character, then it'll be a toll on your mind later which can effect you during matches or when you're trying to improve. If you can't get with the gameplay, they just might never be the character for you. So if you're someone that can find a character you like and has a good gameplay style that sticks with you, then everything is perfect. For other people who are trying to be the best they can be and are unable to do this or are just having troubles deciding between characters, there is tier lists.
For example: I go with character loyalty for my mains,
Meta Knight and
Lucario are the way to go for me.... Unforunately they had a huge learning cliff to get used to, and I still have so much more to learn and it gets tiring. Especially when I can get better results more frequently with characters I never train with like
R.O.B. or
Wolf. Everyone else in the roster I pretty much only just like, so I have to go off of gameplay, but there's barely anyone I couldn't see myself playing since I'm okay with every type of gameplay. So if I were to go to tournaments I might pick a tier list to help give me a rough idea of where the meta is at so I can narrow down who I might pick. Luckily I don't care for tournaments or winning so I'm just going to keep bashing my head against the wall with Meta Knight and Lucario until I move like the pros do.
I feel like tier lists are kind of a waste of time. Most of the time they become very opinionated and aren't based on actual facts, like what moves that damage to most or what moves are the fastest. Most of them come down to what characters the tier list maker is best at.
I mean it's easy for anyone to make a tier list but not every tier list is worth looking at. Good ones will take into consideration a character's meta game, their matchup spread, their tournament results, and look at the meta game in general. No matter what happens, tier lists will never be 100% correct. They are basically just an estimation of the current meta. Always better to look at specific stuff, but sometimes when you're talking about the meta in general it's nice to have a tier list for a general idea.
.... With that said, good luck finding good tier lists. Also Ultimate is much more balanced compared to previous games so it doesn't matter nearly as much since pretty much every character has a chance.... Not sure a bout Little Mac though, but at least he can truly be an underdog.