Morbi
Scavenger
Ridley's Chance: 95%
Ridley's Want: 25%
It might seem counter-intuitive to rate Ridley's chances higher than I originally anticipated after the Direct alluded to Ridley in a boss character context; however, there is a method to the madness. Ridley has become one of the most obvious candidates for Smash 4. The character is well established on Smashboards, everyone can comprehend why he is one of the more obvious potential inclusions (his staggering Smash prevalence, his prominence to a notable series, his overt fan demand). The Direct was what made me realize that he is one of the most likely characters, I might even insinuate that he has a better chance than Palutena. When announcing boss characters, Ridley would have been THE MOST IDEAL example. One might illuminate the notion that Yellow Devil was the definitive example; Ridley has been many things during Smash, a stage-hazard is not one of those roles. If Ridley was a boss, why wouldn't Sakurai actually showcase a picture of him? We merely got a silhouette, if he wanted to hint at Ridley in a stage-hazard context, we didn't need to see his shadow. There have been many pictures of Pyrosphere, none of them indicated Ridley was present. We would have learned of his role as a stage-hazard/boss if he was a stage-hazard/boss. There is no reason to quite literally show his shadow whilst stating, "there are many other boss characters!" It is one of many attempts at hyping up the character for a bigger reveal; in a Direct full of surprises such as the Palutena trophy quiz or the Zero-Suit Samus de-confirmation, a purposeful miscommunication in regards to Ridley is hardly unfathomable.
I can't necessarily explain my perspective, I am tired. The shadow is the key, he would have shown a screen-shot of Ridley if he was a boss character, or if he wasn't playable but he didn't want us to think that he was a stage-hazard, he would NOT have said anything in regards to more boss characters (or he would not have very specifically panned into THE stage that has been subject to debate since the beginning).
Pyrosphere is Ridley's home-stage (from Other M). So it would be odd without him, everyone mitigates this by asserting that he is a stage-hazard; however, if you believe Palutena is in the game based on her home-stage, it is fallacious to not afford that same respect to Ridley. It is the same situation in my opinion.
Hopefully that was concise enough, I realize that nothing I state is objective, but that is the reason why I believe Ridley to be one of the few DEFINITE inclusions. The other being Mewtwo.
Ridley's Want: 25%
It might seem counter-intuitive to rate Ridley's chances higher than I originally anticipated after the Direct alluded to Ridley in a boss character context; however, there is a method to the madness. Ridley has become one of the most obvious candidates for Smash 4. The character is well established on Smashboards, everyone can comprehend why he is one of the more obvious potential inclusions (his staggering Smash prevalence, his prominence to a notable series, his overt fan demand). The Direct was what made me realize that he is one of the most likely characters, I might even insinuate that he has a better chance than Palutena. When announcing boss characters, Ridley would have been THE MOST IDEAL example. One might illuminate the notion that Yellow Devil was the definitive example; Ridley has been many things during Smash, a stage-hazard is not one of those roles. If Ridley was a boss, why wouldn't Sakurai actually showcase a picture of him? We merely got a silhouette, if he wanted to hint at Ridley in a stage-hazard context, we didn't need to see his shadow. There have been many pictures of Pyrosphere, none of them indicated Ridley was present. We would have learned of his role as a stage-hazard/boss if he was a stage-hazard/boss. There is no reason to quite literally show his shadow whilst stating, "there are many other boss characters!" It is one of many attempts at hyping up the character for a bigger reveal; in a Direct full of surprises such as the Palutena trophy quiz or the Zero-Suit Samus de-confirmation, a purposeful miscommunication in regards to Ridley is hardly unfathomable.
I can't necessarily explain my perspective, I am tired. The shadow is the key, he would have shown a screen-shot of Ridley if he was a boss character, or if he wasn't playable but he didn't want us to think that he was a stage-hazard, he would NOT have said anything in regards to more boss characters (or he would not have very specifically panned into THE stage that has been subject to debate since the beginning).
Pyrosphere is Ridley's home-stage (from Other M). So it would be odd without him, everyone mitigates this by asserting that he is a stage-hazard; however, if you believe Palutena is in the game based on her home-stage, it is fallacious to not afford that same respect to Ridley. It is the same situation in my opinion.
Hopefully that was concise enough, I realize that nothing I state is objective, but that is the reason why I believe Ridley to be one of the few DEFINITE inclusions. The other being Mewtwo.