On a similar note to my last post, I feel the way Smash fans discuss stages should be the same way they discuss characters. People can admit stages have too many gimmicks, were absurd choices, are good overall but bogged down by a major hazard, or don't make enough needed changes from the source material, I don't understand why you don't tend to hear the same sort of discussion about fighters. Pretty much the only critcisms I see of moveset design from non-competitive players is "where ganon volley" "where wario shoulder why wario fart" and "why sonic two spin dashes", everything else is chalked down to either a skill issue or inherently good on virtue of being something from the origin game - even though I can tell you for a fact poor moveset design effects casual items-on play just as much as it does competitive play (and if it didn't that'd just further justify designing movesets with comp. play in mind first and foremost)
In all seriousness, though, I do see where you're coming from. Characters have become so associated with virtues and ideas of what Smash should be (Crash representing the West, Jonesy being a rep for modern titles, etc.) that any discussion of one will inevitably have one or more of these big names brought up.