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[BluePikmin11]

@ Pacack
People assume Takamaru is a sword-wielder because they haven't actually played the game, just looked at the art at first impression.

 

[Pacack]

@ Pacack
People assume Takamaru is a sword-wielder because they haven't actually played the game, just looked at the art at first impression.

Well, he is technically a sword weilder in that he wields a sword, but the assumption that he primarily attacks with his sword is just plain wrong.

 

[ChazzzyF]

Ok, how the hell did I miss this of all posts? As someone who's familiar with his game of origin, alloow me to cover all bases that are wrong with this post.

Firstly, the character himself never canonically used shirukens despite what Nintendo Land say. It was the ninjas themselves that used them while he had kunai (throwing knives) at his disposal. If that's not enough for you to consider that unique, there are a set of shogi pieces (Rook, Biship, and King) that would allow him to throw such weapons in various directions like three-way with arcs, all four directions at once, or three straight forward. That last part sounds like something that not a single character had introduced yet.

Secondly, the Fireballs themselves would work like Mario's or Robin's either way. It could potentially work like traditional will-o-wisps that could be four fireballs spinning around each other as a large tricky projectile that could even put the plumber's fireballs to shame. Like old Pokemon, it could also have a burning effect to it's victims where it could be temporary.

Thirdly, the cloak itself should function like it did in the original game it would be nothing like Dimensional Cape or Shadow Sneak. He could turn invisible for a good 5 seconds (with his body blurry a la Melee's Cloaking Device and have a darker shadow visible) and he's near invisible to the point of being unscathed by anyone's attacks. Also, he gets a slight buff in his attacks and his sword should be the only thing visible whenever he attacks with it (just like in the original game).

At times like this is why I'm glad that I'm even replaying the already anal ****** game and making a brand new Takamaru moveset that should prove all of his detractors wrong about him not having "muh uniqueness". -_-

You make some good arguments. I'm not very familiar with Takamaru's game, and just went on the small bits of info I could find online, but hearing these things from a person who is actually familiar with the game, I retract that section of my argument. I'm going to keep my scores the same, mainly to make it easier for the moderators, but also because I still believe that we're not going to see another retro character, but it'd be fun to be wrong based on your descriptions of what he could do.

 

[Pacack]

You make some good arguments. I'm not very familiar with Takamaru's game, and just went on the small bits of info I could find online, but hearing these things from a person who is actually familiar with the game, I retract that section of my argument. I'm going to keep my scores the same, mainly to make it easier for the moderators, but also because I still believe that we're not going to see another retro character, but it'd be fun to be wrong based on your descriptions of what he could do.

See, this is a really nice thing to see. It's not often someone admits when they're wrong about a character. I salute you, sir!

 

[Sobreviviente]

Takamaru is a standard swordsman in samurai warriors 3.
Even if is not the best way to represent his origins is still a valid conception.

Every character can be "unique" if you dig enough on their games except chrom
Is all about wish for the best and give them a chance, really :B

 

[ThatShadowLink]

My scores for Takamaru are going to be the same as they were last time, for the same reasons, so:

Takamaru:
70% Chance
100% Want

I like to stay optimistic.

As for Black Shadow:
20% Chance: Originally I had thought this to not be possible at all, due to F-Zero's waning popularity, and that his only chance would be as a clone character. However, due to Lucina, the prospect of having new clones is possible. It would be a perfect fit for him to take Ganondorf's old moveset, and would give the perfect opportunity to make Ganondorf actually have moves based on the Zelda games. which is something that a lot of Zelda and Smash fans have been begging for, and Sakurai has said that he doesn't want to cut any old movesets.

100% Want: I've been quite big on Black Shadow since the early days of speculation, and I still am. I hope that he gets in, but honestly, I don't think he will.

Predictions:
Ridley: 50%
Chibi-Robo: 10%

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Takamaru
60% Chance
100% Want

Black Shadow
85% Chance
100% Want

Now I feel I should explain these scores.
For Takamaru, I have an irking feeling we already got our main retro rep, and its Mac baby. However, if it is not Mac, then we get this guy. I do think he would be a very fitting newcomer, and he would fill out the NES quartet.
Black Shadow has two massive aids to him this time: the high odds of Ganondorf getting a revamp, and the addition of clones. With clones one more in the running, and the high odds of Ganondorf getting a new moveset, it would be convenient to give Black Shadow his old moveset. Not to mention, Black Shadow is reasonably popular in Japan, which helps his cause

Ridley 60.11%
Chibi Robo 14.24%

 

[Kenith]

Takamaru:

Chance: 65%. I have a gut feeling that the retro character we got was Little Mac; after all, during Melee's development, Sakurai did say that if Takamaru got a new game, he would add him to Smash. Little Mac was pretty much in that exact same situation after Brawl, so he could still be considered retro. However, I think there's still plenty of appeal in adding Takamaru to the roster. He's still strictly a retro character, and we've never had a shuriken-tossing samurai before.

Want: 70%. I prefer Mach Rider as the retro, but if I had to choose, I would choose Takamaru as I think he would have the most potential to add something new to the game.
Black Shadow:

Chance: 10%. If I thought Ganondorf was going to get a massive overhaul, I would give him a higher chnace. But I don't. I think Ganondorf's going to be decloned and that's it. No overhaul. Black Shadow can't be an easy clone of Brawl Ganondorf. And without that, he hasn't got much of a chance. He is, overall, a very unknown villain from a long dormant franchise.

Want: 55%. He's cool and all, but I don't see much potential in him if he's not included to take Ganondorf's old moveset.
--- Predictions:

Ridley: 60.5%.
Chibi-Robo: 4.5%.

EDIT: the Mysterious Murasame Castle is coming to the States! Changing Takamaru's rating to 70%.

 

[Erimir]

Takamaru

I don't have the firm conviction of others that Sakurai will inevitably include some NES era retro. Nor do I think that because Little Mac uses his updated design that he doesn't have retro appeal. Pit didn't use the old Melee trophy design - that didn't make him not retro. They would've updated Little Mac's design anyway. But the Wireframe Mac and pink sweatsuit seem like pretty strong nods to the old NES and arcade games. But we also have Mega Man drawing almost exclusively on the NES games (only his Final Smash and the Mega Upper don't) and Pac-Man heavily referencing arcade games including pixel sprites as part of his move set.

We definitely have retro in this game. What we don't have a Nintendo-owned retro that has literally had no new games released in 15+ years. And there is pretty good reason to think that will be included, but I just don't see that as a 70%+ proposition.

Takamaru is another swordsman+ (uses a sword and other weapons and types of attack), and at this point we now have Link and Robin who fit in that mold, and there are potentially also Isaac and Shulk who also are swordsmen+. And there's the outside chance Ganondorf could be remolded into that (I think Ganondorf is likely to get a revamped move set, but changing to a very sword-based move set seems unlikely to me).

I suppose he could use iaido and only use his katana for smash attacks, but that is relying on Sakurai going with a specific interpretation of the character. He could very easily just give him lots of katana attacks to fill out his move set. He's not likely to use projectiles for his aerials and tilts for example, and he does not really do hand-to-hand combat in his game, so Sakurai needs make something up for those, and I think he's more likely to use the sword for that. One option would be sheathed attacks I suppose, but that would still keep him within the sword-fighter archetype as far as the range and shape of hitboxes, etc.

At any rate, Takamaru can definitely be unique, but he's less unique than he might have been otherwise and regardless of the differences between them, I just can't see Sakurai adding Mii Swordfighter, Robin, Shulk, Isaac and Takamaru, and definitely not if Ganondorf acquires a sword (for non-taunting uses). They could all be distinct, of course, but at some point the sword saturation gets to be too much.

Takamaru chances: 25%
I think there's a good chance he could be in the game. But note he didn't even get a trophy in Melee or Brawl. We have plenty of retro flavor in our newcomers, Takamaru isn't necessary for that. The reason to include him is if Sakurai fetishizes reviving old (Nintendo-owned) series the way some people think he does.
Takamaru want: 50%
Don't care much either way.

When The Mysterious Murasame Castle comes out on 3DS, I think that will be a critical time. If it passes with no Smash news, I'll be skeptical of his chances.

Black Shadow
I think being a clone is pretty much his only hope. Ganondorf gets a near total overhaul, and Black Shadow is a Melee-style CF clone. Not exactly like Melee Ganondorf, but pretty similar.

Black Shadow chances: 4%
Black Shadow want: 40%
I don't care much about Black Shadow per se, but I do like the Melee Ganondorf. More importantly, if he got in as a CF clone, it would imply the decloning of Ganondorf which I do want.

Predictions:
Ridley - 60%
Chibi-Robo - 14%

 

[BluePikmin11]

Nazo no Muramase Jou is coming out in the U.S., might wanna consider changing those ratings a bit.

 

[Starbound]

Gonna give both of them the same scores.

2% Chance / 30% Want
All of the Nintendo newcomers are from Wii and 3DS titles. Until this trend is broken, I doubt we'll see any newcomers from older games.

Specifically for Takamaru, Sakurai has said that adding Japanese exclusive characters is tougher than adding global characters.

 

[TitanTeaTime]

Gonna give both of them the same scores.

2% Chance / 30% Want
All of the Nintendo newcomers are from Wii and 3DS titles. Until this trend is broken, I doubt we'll see any newcomers from older games.

Specifically for Takamaru, Sakurai has said that adding Japanese exclusive characters is tougher than adding global characters.

Well, his game just got announced to be released on the 3DS eshop in the US later this year...

 

[mini paincakes]

Takamaru

A nintendo rep is playing murasame castle on the live stream right now. Takamaru has been making random appearances in various nintendo titles for the past few years. His game is finally coming out in the US and was recently released in Europe. Takamaru looks pretty sick and would make a pretty badass retro newcomer. He's just begging for a Kid Icarus style reboot.

Basically if takamaru is ever going to join the smash brothers roster, now is the time to do it. I'll give him a 80% chance score. I've had faith in him for a long time, but the US release and livestream got me thinking he's pretty likely.

Want- 95% I've never played his game, but he just seems so cool. Easily my most wanted behind Shulk, Ridley and K. Rool.

Black Shadow

Chance: 10%- I don't see it happening since there hasn't been an F-Zero game in a while and we only got Falcon revealed recently. He could take ganondorf's old move set, but I don't even find that likely at this point.

Want: 55%- I wont complain about getting more characters, even if they are semi-clones, but I'm not going to cry if he doesn't make it in either.

 

[Pacack]

Changed my chance score for Takamaru from 60% to 70% in light of recent events.

 

[BluePikmin11]

I'll be changing from 65% to 75% too.

 

[PlTe]

Black Shadow:
Chance : 10%, don't think he's that relevant
Want : 10%, not too familiar with F-Zero, maybe someone else from the series but not him

Takamaru:
Chance: 65%, his game coming to Virtual Console + love from Nintendo
Want: 50%, wouldn't be sad without him.

 

[cephalopod17]

Black Shadow

Chance: 15%
F-Zero has not seen a new installment since the Gamecube. He's the only viable F-Zero newcomer, but that's not saying much.

Want: 75%
Seems pretty cool.

Takamaru

Chance: 60%
Still the most likely retro rep and with his game getting more attention and re releases he seems pretty likely.

Want: 92%
Most wanted retro newcomer.

 

[andimidna]

Wasn't his game already just re-released on the e-shop?

Or was that just in Europe?

Edit: Huh. This is a weird situation. Some rates had different info than others because they were at different times. What to do, Groose?

 

[Marakatu]

We are rating Takamaru on the same day Mysterious Murasame Castle in announced for North America. @ Groose , I think you know something.

Takamaru
Chances: 80%
Sakurai says he loves to bring old Nintendo characters to the spotlights. With the attention Takamaru has been getting, he's the most probable candidate.
Want: 100%
Well, I do want him.

Black Shadow
Chances: 5%
Goroh would be the most probable F-Zero character, and he's an assist trophy.
Want: 20%
Another campy character would be fun, but I'd rather have Goroh anyway.

 

[Pacack]

Wasn't his game already just re-released on the e-shop?

Or was that just in Europe?

Edit: Huh. This is a weird situation. Some rates had different info than others because they were at different times. What to do, Groose?

We finally had an overseas release and it came exclusively to Europe at first. Some of us actually thought they might've been pushing back the NA version for a Smash reveal...and we probably have a direct in August, which is when the game's getting here. That's why we're getting so excited over this.

And I'm curious about what we're going to do as well...we're not going to get an accurate result of what the majority thinks now since new information has surfaced...

 

[a smart guy]

I'm really worried this is going to turn out like Sceptile...

Takamaru:
Chance: 40% That's the highest rating I give to characters (except for Gematsu). He is the poster child for a retro rep.
Want: 50% At the same time, I'm mostly indifferent to his inclusion. Oh well.

Black Shadow: (They can be other colors?)
Chance: 5% I doubt they'll rework Ganondorf. No character has had that crazy of a change.
Want: Abstain

Predictions:
Chibi-Robo: 18.3%
Ridley: 23.1%

Also, we should probably take Chibi-Robo rerate off the nominations chart.

 

[Pacack]

Black Shadow: (They can be other colors?)

Yes, actually.

 

[colder_than_ice]

Takamaru
Chance: 36%
Want: 68%

Black Shadow
Chance: 8%
Want: 59%

 

[Groose]

See, this is a really nice thing to see. It's not often someone admits when they're wrong about a character. I salute you, sir!

I agree. @ ChazzzyF , you may be a newer poster on this thread, but I already like your attitude.

I'm a bit late on this one after having spent the day mourning BitF at the lake.

I'll really, really miss that comic.

Edit: Huh. This is a weird situation. Some rates had different info than others because they were at different times. What to do, Groose?

I had done some prep work around 3:00 today and logged in all of the scores until that point. I went to a friend's house for a bit, and the first thing I saw when I came home was the news that the game was being localized. I could have gone though with an update three hours ago, but I waited a bit to see who would update their scores.

I can't wait forever, though. There will inevitably be people who simply don't come back to change their scores, so there's no point in waiting until tomorrow or something like that. I'm updating the game now, and I guess we could have Takamaru again in a week or two if people feel that it's necessary.

Black Shadow: 10% chance and 25% want
It's simple, really. I see a 5% chance that he was included as a full newcomer due to his strong Japanese popularity and role in the anime. I see a 5% chance that he was added later on as a clone in order to pad the roster and perhaps take the reigns from Ganondorf, a character that could have received an overhaul.

My want scores are also easily explained. I'm not a huge fan of Black Shadow in particular (I much prefer Goroh's style), but I still would want him at about 50% if he's unique because he's villainous and would help bring some light back to one of my favorite franchises. If he's a clone, though, I don't want him at all. That evens out to 25% when I factor in how likely I think each scenario is.

Takamaru: 30% chance and 60% want
Unpopular opinion time! I feel like we probably have the closest we will get to a Retro character at this point in time. By that I mean that I think Little Mac, Pac-Man, and Mega Man are a trifecta that pretty much is supposed to fill the role of classic character additions. There's still a solid chance that we'll get a "True Retro," though, and Takamaru is by far the most likely especially with the recent rereleases to his games. I used to think that it was more of an open book in terms of Retros that could make it in, but the stars are aligning in Takamaru's favor more than ever while the others are fading/

In terms of want? I'd slightly prefer to have him in the game than not. Link is one of my favorite Smash characters, and I often find myself marveling at just how much of his series he brings to the table and how it's all supposed to come together. I sort of see like Takamaru playing as a stylized counterpart to Link, and I think a match between Link, Marth, and Takamaru would be pretty epic.

DAY OVER
GROOSE IS LOOSE​

 

[Starbound]

Well, his game just got announced to be released on the 3DS eshop in the US later this year...

So.....

Basically once the planning stages finished, he finally decided to show up?

The roster was likely finalized in 2013 so it's far too late for it to matter.

 

[Burigu]

This announcement got us in a really funny position, we were rating Takamaru the same day a localization is announced, if we have got the rate and the localization on different days, the best to do would have been rerating Takamaru somedays latter as a "cool down" but with this scores changed in hype because of it.

I saw the game getting localized but I don't like to jump on conclusions too fast, I prefer to change or keep my score in a future rerate when the hype is normalized and other posible factors are taking into account.

However I find hard to believe they had plans to localize the game back when Sakurai decided the roster, or is the game being localized because of Smash? Mmmm

 

[False Sense]

So.....

Basically once the planning stages finished, he finally decided to show up?

The roster was likely finalized in 2013 so it's far too late for it to matter.

There is a possibility that it's getting a US release because of Takamaru's planned inclusion in Smash. It would help spread awareness of who he is prior to his reveal if that is the case.

 

[Strider_Bond00J]

Well... this is unexpected... Does this mean Takamaru is being hinted at?

 

[Marakatu]

However I find hard to believe they had plans to localize the game back when Sakurai decided the roster

Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Sakurai decided to include Takamaru long ago, and now the game will get an eShop release so people can be familiar with Takamaru.

 

[Pacack]

So.....

Basically once the planning stages finished, he finally decided to show up?

The roster was likely finalized in 2013 so it's far too late for it to matter.

We've actually known it was coming for some time now, meaning it's been planned for awhile now. It just took forever for it to actually get here. Which is one of the things that made us suspicious in the first place.

 

[Burigu]

Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Sakurai decided to include Takamaru long ago, and now the game will get an eShop release so people can be familiar with Takamaru.

Read again I thought of the same afterwards, bad news people read faster than I can re-edit my post

 

[Leafeon523]

Can u please Add 10% to my takamaru scores? Sorry I'm asking so late...

 

[Strider_Bond00J]

Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Sakurai decided to include Takamaru long ago, and now the game will get an eShop release so people can be familiar with Takamaru.

Interesting... So is it like a reverse of Roy; they'll release Takamaru's game first as if they're demonstrating what he can do in Smash Bros? (Forgive me if I got the intended meaning of this post wrong, Marakatu, and I see what you did with your username; an anagram of 'Takamaru'.)

 

[Groose]

Black Shadow
11.89% chance
41.70% want
I had borrowed a gif expressly for this post, but it turns out that F-Zero's villainous pilot held his own against my expectations. He can't be called popular or likely, but he's certainly not unpopular nor out of the picture.

...forget it. I'm posting that gif anyway.

Takamaru
35.28% chance
51.70% want
With news of his game getting localized to America just coming out, I'm sure that a rerate will be in order shortly, and that his score will only grow from here. I'm just dying to try out his game for the first time; I'm glad that if he does get in, I'll be able to see where exactly he came from with my own eyes.

Well, that concludes our post-Robin review schedule. That means we'll be getting on with our normally scheduled programming. Why not start things out in a BIG way? That's right, everyone's favorite big guy, King K. Rool Ridley is returning here for what may very well be the last time. In addition, he's bringing his little friend along; Chibi Robo is much smaller than Ridley, but does he have chances as large as the dragon? Please rate Ridley and Chibi Robo in chance and want. Oh, and that means we'll have stuff from the top of the nominations list for tomorrow. Please predict how Purchasable DLC Newcomers, Crash Bandicoot, and Tropical Freeze Representation will do.


YOU CAN NOMINATE AGAIN!
However, this is coming with a bit of a warning. Smash 3DS launches on September 13, and once it arrives, Rate Their Chances is essentially over. However, we're not going to be rating characters all the way until the last day; things will be leaking out and that would be an absolute mess. In addition, it'd be nice to have a pre-launch week or so to end the game off on a high note. What I'm trying to say here is that the nominations system will only be in place until the last day of August, which is when the core of our game shuts down.

You have just about a month to push whatever you want to the top of the nominations list, or you'll never get the chance!

If you want to see a certain character take one final bow, I'd suggest you jump on it. If you have a stage you want to see us talk about, I suggest you jump on it. If you have a joke concept that you think would be fun to rate, I suggest you jump on it. I'd like to start off this last month of nominating by creating a new concept based off of recent events...

PHOENIX WRIGHT TROPHY X5​

The roster was likely finalized in 2013 so it's far too late for it to matter.

There is a possibility that it's getting a US release because of Takamaru's planned inclusion in Smash. It would help spread awareness of who he is prior to his reveal if that is the case.

I dislike continuing this here because Ridley is now the focus of this thread (sorry, Chibi Robo), but I do feel that it is necessary to point out that localizing Takamaru's game wouldn't take nearly as much work as creating an entirely new game; it's possible that they're now localizing the game to coincide with his long-planned inclusion in Smash. The "recent" point, as often as I do use it, can't truly be applied in this case; the localization COULD be relevant.

 

[Oracle_Summon]

Ridley

Chance: 60%

Ridley's chances are better than others, considering Sakurai trolled his being a Stage Boss in the April 8th Direct. We have gotten no further information on Pyrosphere since then which seems very fishy.

Want: 90%

Being able to play as a ruthless Space Pterodactyl? Sign Me Up! I love tearing my opponents apart with devastating moves and Ridley will add to the roster of characters that I use in that regard.

Chibi Robo

Chance: 70%

I would say that Chibi Robo's chances have drastically increased since he got a game released for the 3DS not too long ago.

Want: 50%

I don't hate him and would not mind him being in Super Smash Brothers 4.

 

[UnicornDemon]

Ridley - 10%,
Ridley? Playable? (Laughs) I think that would probably be impossible. (Laughs) I suppose if the team had put their best efforts into it, they may have been able to do it. But he might have been a little slow. Would that be all right? (Laughs)
Want - 100%

Chibi-Robo - 5%
Want - 30%

Purchasable DLC Newcomers - 52%
Crash Bandicoot - 0.05%
Tropical Freeze - 55%

x5 Stage Music Not Limited By Franchise

 

[False Sense]

Ah, finally we get to Ridley. This ought to be interesting. So, why not start off with a bit of controversy?

Ridley Chance: 80%

I'm sure that must seem remarkably high, but I do have my reasons which I have conveniently just finished putting together into a large analysis, for those of you who are interested.

Spoiler

Ridley. It's possible that this has been the single most controversial character topic in Smash history. For all the support he receives, there's also a huge number of people who believe that a playable Ridley is simply impossible at this point. Now, I'd like to tackle this topic myself, and perhaps give people a better idea of just what Ridley's chances are at this point. So, to start things off, let's take a look at Ridley's credentials.

Why should Ridley be in Smash?
For the very few of you who don't already know, Ridley is the main antagonist of the Metroid series, one of Nintendo's most successful series, and is the most recurring character in the series besides Samus herself. Within the context of the games, Ridley is the one responsible for murdering Samus' parents when she was a child, unknowingly creating his arch-nemesis in the process. In that sense, Ridley is the one who started the plot of the entire Metroid series. In almost every Metroid game, Samus has to constantly confront Ridley is some form or another, and somehow he is always able to come back and fight another day. Frankly, Ridley is a pretty important Metroid character, and by extension, is an important Nintendo character. As a result, he would be an excellent choice for Smash.

Now of course, there is a huge amount of controversy about why Ridley shouldn't be in Smash, which usually has to do with him being "too big." However, I do not intend to dwell on that topic, so here's my brief response to that issue: size does not matter in Smash, characters are resized all the time, and there is no reason that Ridley has to be an exception to this rule. Now, with that out of the way, I'd like to talk about about something else: the Ridley we've seen in Smash. Ridley is rather unique among potential Smash characters in that we have already seen him in the game. Or rather, we've seen his shadow, which was shown during a segment of a Smash Direct that talked about the appearance of other boss characters. Considering how Ridley seemed to be teased as a boss character, and considering how he was already a boss in Brawl, it would seem that the logical conclusion would be that Ridley is simply a boss hazard on the Pyrosphere stage, and therefore is de-confirmed. However, I believe that there is more to this than meets the eye.

So, let's take a look at a few points that show why this "de-confirmation" may not actually de-confirm Ridley, and that maybe, just maybe, this could actually help Ridley's chances.

1.) How Sakurai usually de-confirms characters
As unpredictable as Sakurai is, he does have a few patterns that he follows in how he handles some of his reveals. One of these is how he typically de-confirms characters. When he reveals that a character isn't playable, he is quick and to the point about it. He doesn't tease the character beforehand or allow for much opportunity for people to think the character in question may be playable, he just outright de-confirms them. Here are just a few examples of how Sakurai has previously treated non-playable characters.

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAABnUYnZZEvggg
https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAAYUKlLqsgn_Q
https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAADMUKluq9DPhw

As you can see, Sakurai is usually quite clear when he de-confirms characters, and it would seem that he likes to avoid creating unnecessary confusion or false hope amongst fans. This tendency of his was made even more apparent after the recent reveal of Robin and Lucina, when Nintendo made an official statement that Chrom would not be playable after he appeared at the end of Robin's trailer. So what about Ridley? It seems quite clear that Sakurai was teasing Ridley as a boss in that Direct. If that really is all Ridley is, why did Sakurai not clarify what he was? Even if he didn't want to actually show Ridley just yet, it would have been easy and beneficial if he just stated outright that Ridley would not be playable to avoid giving fans false hope. In fact, despite Ridley being heavily teased as a boss, we have yet to see any more of Ridley since the Direct. Despite being teased for almost a whole year now, ever since the reveal of the Pyrosphere, we have been given very little information regarding just what Ridley's role in the game is. If Ridley truly is a boss, there is very little reason for them not to show him at this point, and the way Sakurai has been treating Ridley does not match up at all with how he's previously de-confirmed characters.

2.) How Sakurai has teased newcomers

Just like how Sakurai has a certain method in which he de-confirms characters, he also has a certain method he uses to tease some of the newcomers we've seen so far. The best example of this is Palutena. Prior to her reveal, a new Kid Icarus stage was revealed that featured a Palutena statue. Along with the update came a comment that referred to the statue as a statue of "the Goddess of Light," which also mentioned how she was watching over the battlefield. This is rather interesting because Sakurai was clearly referring to Palutena, yet did not mention her by name, and the way he worded the comment almost made it sound like Palutena would just be a statue in the game. Later on in the Smash Direct, one of the Trophy Quizzes showed off a trophy of Pseudo Palutena, although at first it was shown from an angle that made the trophy look like the real Palutena. This gave a number of Palutena supporters a brief scare. At this point, it was clear that Sakurai was teasing Palutena in some way, and many believed that it was leading to an official confirmation. As it turned out, Palutena was indeed confirmed to be playable at E3.

Looking back, how did Sakurai tease Palutena? He hinted at her presence in the game (though never directly referred to her), and presented the situation in such a way that it appeared to some that she was not going to be playable, ultimately leading to her official reveal. This actually matches up quite well with how Ridley has been teased for so long; his presence in the game has been hinted at, though he has yet to be addressed by name, and he's been presented in such a way that it appears that he won't be playable. When you think about it, it makes sense for Sakurai to make it seem like characters people really want in the game are not playable, only to reveal them as playable later on. After all, it's much more exciting when a character you thought was unlikely gets in than when a character you thought was a guarantee is revealed. So perhaps Sakurai is doing what he did with Palutena to Ridley, in order to maximize hype when he's finally revealed.

3.) Ridley's size

Well, I did say I wasn't going to dwell on the topic of Ridley's size, but this is a somewhat different issue. As we all know, Ridley is a rather large creature, usually about twice Samus' height or more. Also, bosses in Smash are typically large, so that it's harder to dodge their attacks and easier for you to hit them. So, logically, if Ridley is a boss on the Pyrosphere stage, he would be large, and likely significantly bigger than a playable character. However, it appears that the Ridley we saw in the Direct may not be all that large. Basically, shadows on the Pyrosphere appear to be mostly static in size. Because of this, it is possible to get a rough idea of how big Ridley is compared to other characters. Here's an example of such a comparison (keep in mind that these are not 100% accurate).

Spoiler

Looking at this, it would seem that Ridley is relatively close to the size of Bowser. If that's the case, then that means that Ridley has been resized. Why would they shrink Ridley down just to make him a boss? Wouldn't that be counter-productive to making an effective boss? Speaking of effective bosses, that brings me to my next point.

4.) The Ridley we saw does not act like a typical Smash boss

In previous Smash games, bosses have typically followed a fairly basic attack pattern: stand still on part of the stage (usually the left or right ends), followed by either an attack or the boss moving to the other side of the stage while attacking (all this is usually done quickly). This is the basic pattern most bosses in Brawl followed (most notably, Ridley followed this pattern when he was a boss), and judging by how the Yellow Devil functions, it appears that pattern has carried over to this installment of Smash as well. So how does the Ridley we saw in the Direct act, and how does that compare to previous Smash bosses?

Well, Ridley starts out by flying in (slowly) from the right end of the stage, stops in the middle, does nothing for a few seconds, then (slowly) flies over to the left of the stage, and then immediately turns around and starts flying (slowly) towards the right. It's movements are also somewhat jerky and not very fluid.

First of all, that behavior does not match up at all with how Smash bosses typically function. What's most notable about how this Ridley acts is that, within the entire span of time he's on screen, there is no indication that he ever made an attack. Even his basic movements across the stage seem too slow to actually cause damage. That's a good ten seconds or so without a single aggressive move. That not only fails to match how bosses usually function, but frankly, that's just a bad boss design. This "boss" Ridley is essentially a mobile piñata. Not to mention the fact that this would be a very poor representation of Ridley, considering that he's usually a very fast and aggressive opponent in the Metroid games. If this is really a boss Ridley we're seeing, then it's a very poorly designed boss in practically every aspect.

Conclusion
So, what does this all mean? Well, we know that Sakurai usually goes out of his way to clarify when a character is or isn't playable, so it's odd that he has yet to officially de-confirm Ridley. We know that he can ambiguously refer to newcomers prior to their reveals and can tease them in such a way that makes it seem as if they may not be playable, which he has done for both Palutena and Ridley (though whether or not he's playable has yet to be seen). We know that the Ridley we saw in the Direct is not that large, meaning that he could possibly be at a playable size. And we know that the Ridley we saw acts very uncharacteristically for a Smash boss, or just well designed bosses in general. If Ridley really is a boss on the Pyrosphere, then that means that Sakurai, for almost an entire year now, has been teasing and hyping up a relatively small, slow, and fairly harmless boss version of a highly requested and controversial character. While that is a definite possibility, it seems somewhat unlikely. What is perhaps more likely is that Sakurai has been teasing a playable Ridley all this time, lowering our hopes in an elaborate attempt to maximize hype when Ridley finally makes his Smash debut.

So, with all that in mind...

Ridley Want: 95%
I do believe Ridley is one of the most deserving characters to be in Smash at this point. And frankly, I'd really like to see those detractors finally shut up about Ridley.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

Takamaru

Chance: 75%

I'm pretty optimistic thanks to the specific name drop + elaborate explanation of the game's origin + the streamed gameplay + the idea that it was playable at Comic Con. That's a lot of footage to give something that is just a ROM dump in the end. At the same time, I'm not going to jump all the way into the deep end since this is Nintendo we're dealing with and it could all legitimately be a coincidence.

Want: 100%

Done this before but the Sparknotes version is:

- Samurais/katanas are H. Y. P. E. HYPE. Also new swordsmanship style in iaido/battoujutsu that would HEAVILY contrast all the fencers and knight/sword and shield types in the game.
- Famicom Four reunion sounds awesome
- Currently my most wanted newcomer that has any sort of shot at this point

Black Shadow

Chance: 30%

Enough to say "anything's possible" and cover for Sakuraisms™. Haven't really heard much about this though.

Want: 45%

I'm not really attached to any characters from F-Zero, but a new villain would be fun. It'd also be worth it just for all of the Omega Falcon Punch reenactments that would come from it.

Edit: Oh geez, I'm sorry this post came so late, my PC had a heart attack and by the time I hit submit post, you all were on to the next duo. I'll try and make up for it by grading the new duo

Ridley

Chance: 80%

With how immensely popular the character is and how loud his fanbase is, I'd imagine that Sakurai is well informed on how well his inclusion would be received. All the same, the Pyrosphere tease is already a huge coin toss in either direction and I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a boss character or playable.

Want: 50%

At one point I felt like he should totally be in since Metroid is a prominent Nintendo series that would like more than Samus variants to represent itself. Nowadays though, I realize that my Ridley support is more so support for the fans who really want him playable than an actual desire of mine to see him in a Smash roster.

Chibi Robo

Chance - 5%

While a very charming and fun game series, I doubt Sakurai has it in him to pull this guy out of the hat of "WTF" inclusions, especially after going deep for both Wii Fit Trainer and the rumored Chorus Kids/Marshall.

Want - 50%

He'd definitely make for a very unique and charming character going based off his design and what little I know of the Chibi Robo franchise, but unfamiliarity with the franchise keeps me from feeling any more strongly towards his inclusion one way or another.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Ridley Chance: 35% I'm slowly starting think that he might not be able to make it as playable, Sakurai will most likely keep him secret as a boss appearance until later around post-release. I mo longer think it's trolling anymore, it's just Sakurai clarifying about "other boss appearances."

Chibi Robo Chance: 10% Still a low score due him being a minor franchise now being ported to only an eShop exclusive series, I think this really slices the knife Chibi Robo, no matter how unique he could be. At least we have him as playable in SSF2.

Nominations:
x5 Playable Bosses

 

[Deleted member]

Ridley and Chibi-Robo have been added to the Directory.
If you have rated these two, check to see what you've said on their days!

I'll rate tomorrow.

It's sad that we're nearing the end of this game... I can't believe it either.
I'm still thinking about who or what I'm going to nominate. I'm just glad that I got to rate Dark Lord Owain before the game ended.
I'll leave you all with this (it's not the whole main theme, but it's sufficient for now):