Jin Kazama
Chance:
3%
Coming from a famous and highly popular series of fighting video games, Jin Kazama is one of the forerunners for a Tekken rep in Smash Bros. Jin is a recognizable character for being the main protagonist of the Tekken series ever since his debut in Tekken 3 (though in Tekken 6, he becomes an anti-hero; you could, however, argue that he is one of the main protagonists when you consider that his actions were integral to the game's plot, but that's up to your interpretation). Jin has even appeared in a crossover game already through Project X Zone, and he's even confirmed to re-appear in the game's upcoming sequel.
He may be less iconic than his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, but compared to the other Tekken characters that have been rated, I think he has the best chance out of all of them. Unlike Yoshimitsu, he's a character that can be seen as the face of his series. Unlike Heihachi, he hasn't been reduced to a Mii costume. Yes, you can argue that suggest Mii costumes don't necessarily de-confirm characters, but I'm one of those people that think Mii costumes significantly decrease a character's chances of being included into the roster for the reasons that side of the issue provides.
Unfortunately for Jin, he has some major problems that significantly lower his chances for a Smash Bros inclusion at the moment. The first two problems that come to mind is that he is third-party and lacks ballot support. Additionally, Sakurai was originally considering to add Heihachi over Jin as well. This means he believed Heihachi was more important to the Tekken series than Jin, and that's understandable since Heihachi has been around since the first Tekken game, along with the fact Heihachi even appeared in Playstation All-Stars while Jin didn't get this kind of spotlight. In addition, Sakurai ended up dismissing Heihachi as a playable fighter, which can mean that all chances of a Tekken character are significantly low now (though there is a
very small possibility that Sakurai could revisit the Tekken series and consider adding an actual fighter, with Jin being the most likely candidate for reasons previously provided).
What really hurts Jin chance's the most is Ryu's inclusion. Ryu already fills the niche of the fighting game rep in Smash Bros, so the chances of another fighting game rep aren't too likely at this point, especially when it comes to martial artists like Jin. It's reached the point that a Mii Costume based off of Jin is a far more likely possibility at the moment.
Want:
95%
Back in the good ol' days before Smash Bros 4 was released, Jin Kazama was my most wanted character for the Namco rep on the roster. Him and Lars Alexanderson are my two favorite characters from the Tekken series. I already knew Lars's chances weren't looking that good compared to Jin since Jin was around longer and is generally seen as the series' main protagonist, so I ended up advocating for Jin at the time. Yes, this was during the time when we all believed there would be no characters from other fighting games on the roster, but I had my fingers crossed that maybe there was a small chance Sakurai could be trolling just to deceive us later on.
And funny how we ended up getting a character from a fighting game several months after Smash 4's release.
Sadly came the day Pac-Man was revealed to join the roster as the Namco rep. I was a bit saddened the day Pac-Man was revealed since it basically meant that Jin's chances were practically thrown out of the water at the time. I ended up giving up on Jin and simply diverted my attention to my other most wanted characters.
However, thanks to the Smash Ballot's existence, other fighting games being represented in Smash thanks to Ryu and Mii costumes through DLC, and this very post I am currently writing, I am fondly reminded of the times I wanted to see Jin in Smash Bros. In fact, my wishes for Jin Kazama in Smash Bros have returned to me.
I know Heihachi can be seen as the more likely Tekken rep, but truth be told, I have
never been a fan of Heihachi. Jin, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I've been a fan of Jin ever since I first saw him. I just love his calm and serious demeanor combined with all of his awesome costumes he wears. In fact, he would definitely have some great alternate costume potential in this game. You could have his default costume that the above picture shows, his hoodie from Tekken 4, his suit from Tekken 6, his semi-formal attire from Tekken Blood Vengeance, and his casual clothing from Tekken 7 (my personal favorite of the bunch).
He could have a karate-style moveset just like he uses in the Tekken games, and maybe he could also have a rage mechanic similar to Lucario. His Final Smash would undoubtedly be his Devil Jin Transformation. It would be pretty epic to watch him fly around the stage while delivering far stronger karate attacks and even firing very powerful lasers through certain button presses.
At this point, I really want to see Jin Kazama to join Smash Bros as the second Namco rep (if if ends up happening). It's too bad his chances aren't looking good right now, though I wouldn't mind seeing him get the Mii Costume treatment.
Lyn
Chance and Want:
^I might have already provided background on who this character is, but in case there are those that are seeing this for the first time, I'll explain it again. The character in the middle is named Zero. He's the main villain of the 11th Pokemon movie, the one that starred Giratina and Shaymin. The holographic woman that appears on both of his sides is named Infi. She is the computer program that operates his ship. Her appearing twice in this picture signifies "double", while Zero himself signifies "zero". I'm sharing this information since this will likely become a regular pic when I rate double zeroes.
Regarding Chance:
With Roy's return to Smash Bros, it's become much less likely for another Fire Emblem character to be included, especially with many smashers being particularly annoyed by the fact Fire Emblem has 5 reps on the roster. Moreover, she already appears as an Assist Trophy. She's even maintained that status for two games in a row, which means Sakurai doesn't see any potential of her being an actual fighter. Furthermore, if we were to get another Fire Emblem rep, it would most likely come from a newer Fire Emblem title for relevancy reasons.
Regarding Want:
I've never been a fan of Lyn's design, and when it comes to katana-users, I would much rather see Takamaru instead. In addition, I would much prefer seeing Azura as the next female Fire Emblem rep since she would be a far more unique fighter in every possible aspect compared to Lyn.
Predictions:
Classic designs for Battlefield and Final Destination:
1.69%
Zael Mii Costume:
6.12%
Nominations:
(Concept)
BlazBlue representation:
x5