Allow me to tell you the story of my journey with Wolf O' Donnell in Smash Bros.
Its 2007. The Brawl hype is soaring. I regularly visit Smashboards and read the forums, although I'm not a member. I read, analyze and speculate potential newcomers like everyone else. Among those I support are the usual, like Ridley and Paper Mario. I also find myself supporting Krystal. She makes sense to me, everyone else's support seems to rub off on me, and I like the notion of a staff-wielding female Starfox rep. I don't even consider Wolf. I barely remember he exists, blinded by my Krystal support. The way I see it, any other Starfox rep will just be another Falco situation. I mained Falco in Melee, and was so caught up in Krystal and the notion that all clones would be cut, that I counted him out as well. I was convinced, 100%, that we'd see Fox and Krystal only.
Come 2008. Brawl is unleashed in Japan, and, to my dismay, I see that first, iconic final image of the finished roster. On that page lies Falco, and underneath him, a box labeled "new" (as the player had likely just acquired him, seen the "you have every fighter!" message, and immediately taken a screenshot for the internet) over top of Wolf. I observe the Dojo, and am naive when I read Falco and Wolf's pages and discover that they are clones of Fox again. "So much wasted potential" I thought. Instead of a new, original fighter, we get TWO additional Fox's. Great. I'm disappointed a bit, needless to say. R.O.B. only amplified that.
I purchase the game, and unlock all characters. To my surprise, I take a liking to R.O.B. and come to accept him as a deserving star of the cast. The final unlock, as usual, is Wolf. I am indifferent. After getting him though, I take him for a spin just to try him out.
I'm blown away. Not only was he far more distinct than I expected, but he has some of the best looking attacks I'd ever seen. That Up Smash. That Side Smash. That Dair Meteor! WOLF FLASH APEX! I was a believer. In time, I fell in love with the character. His voice acting, his taunt (now my signature), his aggressive, feral stance, and the way he combo'ed. The way his moves felt, how satisfying they were to use. He was perfect.
Ever since, Wolf is my smash bros. mainstay. He has the fighting style I'd always wanted in Smash, and is the one I'll always use, provided he's not taken away. From complete neglect and indifference to complete dedication. That is my Wolf story. May Krystal R.I.P.