Where's @
Jigglystep
when we need him? Since it would interesting to hear some words from him on the subject.
You called?
Chorus Kids
Chance: 80%
I'm going to present this with all bias aside. I truly do think the Chorus Kids have a very solid chance of making it in as DLC. Why? There's a lot more to this whole subject than meets the eye. Please take time to read through what I have to say before ruling off the character.
The Gematsu Leak
First of all, let me address the elephant in the room and touch on the Gematsu leak. I often see people use the controversial legitimacy of the leak as an argument against the Kids. This is simply a fallacious argument. The facts on the table are that the leaker's source had already acquired accurate information on several (and some rather unexpected) characters, you can't argue with that much.
As for his two oddity predictions, Chrom and the Chorus Kids, I believe a perfectly plausible explanation is that he may have acquired an extremely early concept of the roster, especially considering how soon his information was presented to us. Chrom was
confirmed by Sakurai to be put into consideration early on in development, but what was the deal with the Chorus Kids? Well, as you may have heard from a
recent data mining of the game, there was data for a Rhythm Heaven character emblem found, which essentially confirms that one was put into consideration at one point.. and who else but the very Rhythm Heaven character that was predicted a year prior? Outdated information appears to be very likely given all these facts.
Also, I thought I'd point out this lesser known tidbit from the plethora of information the leak has given us:
There has been internal debate about keeping Lucas versus Ness, apparently Lucas is likely to get the cut - Nintendo is planning post-launch character DLC, source doesn't like this as he thinks it's greedy"
Take that as you will, now that we know that DLC is a thing and Lucas was cut.
Now, why do I think the Chorus Kids have an extremely valid chance to make it in despite being seemingly cut? They have quite a few things going for them, actually.
Technical Limitations?
To get it out of the way, technical limitations are definitely not a factor against their conclusion. Instead of being a triple Ice Climber like most people jump to presume, I picture them operating in a similar fashion to the other "group" characters in Smash 4, such as Duck Hunt, Olimar, and Rosalina, in that they wouldn't have actual separate AI, but rather give off the illusion of multiple characters working together. Rhythm Heaven is all about keeping the beat and synchronicity in rhythm, and having the Chorus Kids' moveset portray this theme with that illusion would be much more true to the games than a blatant Ice Climber concept ripoff. This would avoid the hardware limitation of the 3DS.
Popularity
Another topic I see brought up is their popularity, or perhaps their lack thereof. Smash isn't entirely about popularity, as Sakurai has made clear in interviews regarding his philosophy on newcomer selection. Heck, we are introduced to oddball characters and franchises all the time. The Fire Emblem fanbase was miniscule prior to Marth being featured in Melee, and look at the franchise now. The series has evolved and is practically an ever expanding staple to Smash. Fire Emblem, Earthbound, Starfox, Xenoblade.. I could go on. I could definitely see Sakurai's reasoning behind putting the spotlight on another highly underrated franchise, not to mention that with Rhythm Heaven 3DS coming out this summer, the timing for promoting the series would be excellent.
Uniqueness / Moveset Potential
Speaking of Sakurai's philosophy on character selection, another large factor for him on deciding on a character is uniqueness; what the character can bring to the table in contrast to the other fighters. He has certainly emphasized this is Smash 4 with how many absolutely crazy characters with unique mechanics have been implemented. Contrary to what a lot of people are quick to assume, the Chorus Kids would be nothing short of unique. Perhaps it takes somewhat of a Rhythm Heaven fan to realize, but the Chorus Kids have endless potential as a rhythm based character archetype. The three singers could utilize various wacky objects from the many Rhythm Heaven minigames in a similar fashion to Mr. Game and Watch's moveset to portray the rhythm mechanic. Just give this remix of every minigame in Rhythm Heaven Fever a watch to get an idea of how much Sakurai could pull from:
Also, check out the
Chorus Kids thread for further elaboration on their moveset potential if you're still unconvinced.
Conclusion
So, with all of this in mind I believe that Sakurai would consider the Chorus Kids an excellent addition to the roster, as we can conclude that he has already acknowledged them as a potential addition, or even began to work on them, at one point. The reasoning behind them being cut is still yet to be clarified, but now without time constraints I honestly would not be surprised if Sakurai returned to the project, especially considering how open he has been to about wanting to implement as much content as possible. It's a very realistic possibility given everything I've explained.
Just keep an eye out once the release of Rhythm Heaven 3DS rolls around.
Want: 100%
I'd be content with any Rhythm Heaven representative, but these adorable bow-tie wearing singers strike me as the perfect character to convey the series. Aside from my love of the franchise, the concept of a rhythm based fighter sounds insanely creative and fun to play as! It's very disappointing that more people aren't aware of what the Chorus Kids would bring to the table.
