I won't take Captain over regular Toad. It's not the same at all. They're different characters with entirely different abilities.
I'm not the biggest fan of Captain Toad either, mind you, but him getting in is completely different from Toad getting in.
I'm a massive Toad fan. As in, the actual Toad. Captain Toad is his own thing not just officially, but the only thing they have in common is the species and somewhat the personality(though to be fair, a lot of different Toads can be somewhat cowardly. It's a common trait for the race). I like how Captain Toad is different too, because he has his own unique gameplay variation. He's about puzzles first and foremost. Toad himself is a cowardly and lovable hero with a unique jumping capability and is there to be Mario's helper, constantly giving power-ups or even outright fighting enemies at the same time.
Speaking of, I feel power-ups is actually pretty notable to the race, even if it's not really that specific to the main Toad. Like in Super Mario Bros. 3. While the power-ups aren't particularly specific to any Mario character, this would fit Toad well if you also consider things his race constantly is known for. It's at least a decent defining ability that helps make a moveset. Captain Toad needs little help as he already has very good movesets that capitalize on his abilities well too.
Huh, then I notice it's not the Toad topic. To further note. Bandanna Waddle Dee is not just another Waddle Dee. He's a very particular character. And for that matter, is not the Waddle Dee race. Though he makes sense to borrow various enemy abilities, just like how the main Toad could borrow snippets or references to other Toad variations. Even costumes. Like the adventurer stuff from Paper Mario is very different from Captain Toad(who also could have the adventurer outfit, too). Maybe a better way to put it is these are all different characters;
- Waddle Dee
- Bandanna Waddle Dee
- Toad Species
- (Main) Toad
- Captain Toad
You can certainly borrow references to other individuals. That makes sense. But they're still different characters to begin with. Having a Waddle Dee in Smash is equivalent to having the Toad Species in Smash. Bandanna Waddle Dee is equivalent to (Main) Toad or Captain Toad. Specific members of the species. Maybe that explains what I mean a little better.
For the record, I think Toad and Captain Toad should have different threads too, since they're actually different characters, but eh. Not like somebody else made a thread proper to split it off.