So what, they're never going to show the ballot winner? So what was the point of the ballot then? Cloud obviously wasn't the winner so they'll either say "this was the ballot winner", or we'll just know if it's Shovel Knight or something. There is no reason for them to hide who the winner was.
I don't think anyone's expecting three or five characters from the ballot. Obviously we're getting the winner, and if Sakurai is feeling generous, we will probably get the second place as well. Someone said this December update will be the last one. I think we'll get two more characters other than Cloud and that will be it.
The purpose of the Smash Ballot, like with all previous Smash polls, is for Masahiro Sakurai and his developement team to get a good idea of which characters people would be happiest to see. The results are then used to help choose which characters to consider, and if they have the crudentials of being either iconic or original, they are likely to appear as fighters. The reason why they wouldn't reveal who got the most votes is because it doesn't matter. As aforementioned, the character with the most votes doesn't automatically get in. Ridley is an excellent example, as he has always ranked pretty highly in unofficial Smash polls. If he was to get an overwhelming amount of votes, he still would not be included because Sakurai cannot accurately concieve of how he would function as a fighter. Ridley's size, wingspan, and reliance on aerial mobility is what's keeping him from being playable, no matter how many "votes" he gets.
In knowing this, the Ballot results - say, which ten characters got the most votes - are only of value to Sakuri. They are meaningless to the fans and simply divide the fan base further with ridicule over certain highly requested characters. The results are merely a reference, not the determining factor. Having the Ballot results and realizing the #1 most highly requested character did not get in, but the 7th did doesn't help anyone. In fact, it further acts against the chosen DLC fighter because people are likely to say, "this is bull sh*t! He / she didn't get the most votes! They don't deserve it!"
Also, you should know that we are absolutely getting a miminum of three more DLC fighters, including Cloud Strife. Datamining the recently updated Smash 3DS' interface finds three unused character slots added to the game. Before the update, there were only two unused slots. The last time there were unused character slots updated into the game's interface, there were four. These slots ended up being designated for Mewtwo, Lucas, Roy, and Ryu. This clarifies that the unused slots of the game are intentionally placed there and are not the remnants of potentially cut characters.
Just because he is the most popular final fantasy character doesn't mean he is always the best choice when it comes to Nintendo all star games I can easily compare how many games have Black Mage appeared in Nintendo console and how many Cloud did appear Nintendo console and you will see a huge difference even in terms of their Nintendo history also Black Mage has existed 10 years before Cloud does and that's mean Black Mage was a kind of character that classic Nintendo/square fans have grew up with in the old generation, a character from the first final fantasy game would have the best choice because this where the final fantasy franchise has begin and was the reasons why ff7 exist, we shouldn't go with the middle age of final fantasy game character before we start with beginning, having Cloud instead of Black Mage feels for me like having Zero instead of Megaman in my opinion.
As I said before, Cloud was probably square choice and not Nintendo choice.
It's important to know that Masahiro Sakurai has complete control over the characters included in Super Smash Bros. and is not limited by the other companies involved. For example, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS & Wii U were developed by Bandai Namco and their mascot Pac-Man is in the game. However, Pac-Man's inclusion wasn't a result of Namco's involvement. Sakurai wanted to include Pac-Man from the start. In fact, Sakurai stated that if Namco required him to use the modern, white-eyed design, Pac-Man would've been cut. That's it. He's that artisan.
In addition to that, when the YouTuber Jwittz asked Nintendo representatives how / why Cloud was included in Smash, they simply said "Sakurai magic". While it was a lighthearted comment, there's probably some truth in that. If there were additional collaborations with Square Enix and Nintendo, don't you think they would specify at least a little?
The reason why Cloud Strife was included over any other character is because he is an icon of the video game industry, like all the other third-party characters included in the game. In 2010, The Guinness Book of World Records ranked Cloud as the FIFTH most popular video game character of all time. Having an iconic status is important for at least two reasons. 1.) this is DLC. You want this paid content to appeal to as many people as possible. As an icon, Cloud has immediate appeal to many people. Gamers who have never played a Final Fantasy game know who Cloud Strife is. Black Mage is more centralized towards fans of the older Final Fantasy games, which is less broad of an audience. 2.) there is more appeal in including Cloud Strife as a fighter because he has personality and depth. This is something both Chocobo and Black Mage lack.
If Cloud is in Smash Bros., it is because Sakurai sought out Square Enix for permission to use him, rather than Square dictating that he must be in the game.