Thing is, Sakurai seemingly only considered Awakening characters. If he wanted someone more unique than Dixie (who I very much doubt would be subject to the same fate as Chrom - especially since her main gimmick - her hair, isn't shared by Diddy) based on precedent... he'd probably go with Cranky. I know that's quite the claim to make, but Sakurai looked first and foremost at Awakening. He chose Rosalina, the underdog over several characters more popular, just as feasible, but less impacting in the recent years. He allocated a spot for an X/Y Pokemon before he considered Mewtwo. It looks like we might not even get a true retro character. He's very clearly chosen which era he's picking his characters from, and it's not one that includes K. Rool in any prominent role. I agree he could be unique, and I agree that he's important within the series. I even think he'd be a better addition than Dixie, but I don't think any of those things are what Sakurai is focusing on this time. I think it's pretty obvious he's looking at what's happened since Brawl, and if there's already a character who had a fairly good record in an underrepresented series and now has made a return in a prevalent, important, and popular game, I think that's going to give them the edge over a character who hasn't made any large impacts... for a long time now. Also, Sakurai tried and failed with Chrom. If we wanted to go the Chrom route for explaining why Dixie wouldn't make it, he would try first with Dixie, and do you really think he'd not be able to come up with a moveset for her? The guy already had a vision of how she'd play last time, and I can't imagine it would've been a direct copy of Diddy even if it was to be a semi-cloned moveset.
Fire Emblem is a series with a very fluid cast. In a series that changes characters with each game, it makes sense to pick from the newest game. Same with Pokemon, though I don't think we should dismiss Mewtwo quite so soon. With Rosalina, she's (pardon the pun) a rising star in the Mario series, and offered, like Robin, something that her "competition" could not. Sakurai could have very easily thought of Toad as nothing but moveset fodder and Bowser Jr. as a smaller Bowser clone, whereas he could give Rosalina a puppeteer moveset.
Donkey Kong Country has kept the same sort of cast since its inception, generally. K. Rool has a big part in most of them, barring the two most recent. And even then, it's not like Dixie's a "rising star," as she basically is the same as when she was playable before, unlike Rosalina's ever-expanding appearances. And Cranky's already disconfirmed.
Hence, despite being in one more (possibly too recent) recent game than K. Rool has, I think K. Rool has an edge over Dixie.
People are underselling Dixie's potential for uniqueness just because they want K. Rool to be the one included, and I don't really blame them, but we can't discard Sakurai's penchant for being able to create movesets we'd never suspect and finding originality even if he can't for every character. People were expecting Rosalina would only ever amount to a semi-clone, and look how that ended up. Dixie does have clear potential, both as an original character and a clone, which is not a point against her.
I fully acknowledge that Dixie can be made unique in a sort of Millia-type style, for example, but I just feel that, like with Robin, K. Rool would just "jump out" at Sakurai faster for being
more unique. The option for semi-clone K. Rool doesn't really even exist. The closest people can make is arguably Dedede, but even that's a large stretch.
The difference between Dixie and Roy is that Dixie has continued to make high-profile appearances, she's not in the same position she was during Brawl where the last time she really mattered was like... with DKC3. To me it seems like Roy wasn't even considered this time because Sakurai was just focusing on Awakening.
She's really only made one high profile appearance since Brawl, and considering a "Tropical Freeze" character wasn't listed on the Sal Leak despite "X and Y" being on there may mean that it
did come too late to matter. Maybe. Fair point with Roy though.
Also, Gangplank Galleon would me as much a giveaway for K. Rool as Pyrosphere was for Ridley. For all we know that would mean K. Rool could be a stage boss hazard thing, not a character. But looking at the selection of stages so far, I can't imagine we won't be getting a DK one not based on either DKCR or TF. Every single Nintendo series so far has had a stage based off a post-Brawl title, except SF for obvious reasons.
The thing here is timing. Pyrosphere was announced really early on, but there still isn't a DK stage, barring Jungle Japes. And even then, I'd say it'd point more to K. Rool, as it shows that Sakurai is aware of him still. I can't see Dixie playable with a K. Rool stage boss. And in regards to the other thing, I view it more as each new character getting a home stage, as opposed to just using new game stages. Arena Ferox is where Lucina is first fought, with Robin there too. Greninja has Lumiose City (where the Professor who gives it to you lives) and the Kalos League (essentially the last hoo-rah to use Greninja in). Most notably, Rosalina has a Galaxy stage,
and not a 3D World stage. Hence, I think if K. Rool were playable, they'd use the Galleon due to it being his home stage.
I also don't understand why DK is being lumped with Diddy and Dixie in this three Kongs business, it's not like he plays similarly.
Visually, they're all brown-furred primates, like how Marth, Ike and Chrom were blue-haired swordsmen. Like Ike, DK may be more visually large, but the similarity is still there when a more distinct alternative (K. Rool/Robin) can be made.
Like I said, I wouldn't be pushing for recency if that didn't seem to be the clear way the tide is turning. Believe me. The focus on post-Brawl doesn't exactly help the characters I want to see either, but I'm not going to chalk up every Nintendo character being post-Brawl important as a coincidence.
Some of them didn't exist until then. Namely, these are Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina, Greninja, Robin, and Lucina (Chorus Kids and Shulk too, if you consider the leak). Pac-Man and Mega Man don't take from their recent appearances and are third party. Miis and Villager were considered, but Sakurai went back and added them this time. Really, the only newcomers that got more important post-Brawl were Little Mac and Palutena, and they had tons of fan popularity anyway.
Really the only thing that does bode well for K. Rool are the Kremlings, but that could still mean a number of things tbh.
But hey, we agree on this at least.
N3ON
, I wouldn't call it a stretch to say that K. Rool is in the realm of possibility. He's a villain in a significant series that hasn't been given a role in Smash Bros. at all, and I'd go as far as to say that he's actually been missing in Smash Bros.
'd.
