The purpose of this essay is to give the future Dixie Kong fanbase, those that will be supporting Dixie Kong beyond Ultimate, a strong written case about why Dixie Kong is a very special character and considered to be a “Nintendo All-Star”, as well as advice in general going forward.
My hope is that this essay will not just articulate to Dixie Kong fans about why she is considered a legendary heroine, but also to help convince those whom are outside her fanbase that she is worth supporting and deserves to be a newcomer for the next Smash title.
I really want this work to be something that is utilized by the Dixie Kong fanbase whenever the next Smash title is announced considering I do not plan to be involved in the Smash speculation and character support community after Ultimate concludes.
On What Kind Of Fighter Dixie Kong Should Be Moveset Wise
I will not make much mention of moveset arguments for Dixie Kong, but I think there are plenty of others that can make the argument, and I feel after Piranha Plant, that "moveset potential" is a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" style argument. There is a great amount diversity in regards to the ways to which Dixie Kong can be approached as a fighte: from a fully unique one to a semi-clone or even an echo fighter (though I think Ken-style is the only one that really fits). I feel for Dixie Kong that passion and belief about what type of fighter she should be is proportional to just how much passion and interest there is in her. If she was on par with the likes of Waluigi and Geno for requests among the Smash fanbase, she would be universally deemed to be only fitting to be a fully unique fighter.
However, with her fanbase and requests in the straits that they are in, she mostly is settled for as an echo fighter addition or semi-clone outside of her most passionate supporters. I do have confidence in Sakurai and his team to faithfully implement Dixie and her appeal regardless of what type of fightet they ultimately do choose for her (assuming she ever does happen as a fighter). Some of my favorite characters in the Smash Bros. series are semi-clones (like Roy), and I think Dark Samus was captured very well as to who she is despite nearly all of her differences being animation based, and I feel that much of her “personality” and appeal was captured well through them. However, this piece is not to argue about what kind of fighter Dixie should or will be, but rather what her merits are, and what she means to Smash Bros., Nintendo, and gaming as a whole.
Why Dixie Kong Is A Gaming All-Star:
With all that being said, let me explain just why Dixie Kong is not just Nintendo All-Star, but a gaming all-star as a whole.
Dixie Kong is truly something special. She did not ultimately make Ultimate's roster, but she is still one of Nintendo's best and most iconic heroines. Dixie Kong, is not just one of Nintendo's most iconic and legendary heroines, but among gaming as a whole. She became popular and well known even before Lara Croft and Jill Valentine, and moreover she was popular among boys for reasons beyond sex appeal ("WHOA SHE CAN FLY! LOOK AT HOW SHE CAN SHRED ON HER GUITAR!").
Dixie Kong was groundbreaking. As another Dixie fan noted, Samus might have been Nintendo's first prominent heroine, but Dixie was the first major one to wear her femininity on her sleeve. Back in the 90's, you could definitely be in the dark about what Samus's gender was, Dixie however, was definitely a girl, and a girly girl one at that. She liked the color pink, had long flowing hair, long eyelashes, colored toenails, and cried when she got hit. Everything about this character would make you think that she would not go over well with demographics outside of little girls. However, Dixie Kong was a rare breed of a character. She is among the few that has "Mario appeal". She is a character that manages to be popular and appealing across demographics despite her unorthodox design due to just how fun she is to play as and the charm of her character. Look at Mario, whose design is of a portly middle aged mustachioed man in overalls with a high-pitched voice, but is among the most loved and iconic character in all of gaming. Dixie Kong is Mario’s female equivalent.
Dixie is a character that embraces her femininity without having to rely on sex appeal or "waifuism", and for that she is not only just one of the best heroines in gaming but also among the most interesting. While she may cry when she got hit, or do a female tween-like pout about being thrown in a crib with Kiddy (DKC3's game over screen), she at the same time subverted tropes by managing to be one of the few Kongs (especially playable Kongs) that never got kidnapped by K. Rool, and moreover, she canonically insulted/sassed him to his face. She is not a support character like most other major prominent female Nintendo characters, but a co-protagonists in two of the Top 10 best selling SNES titles (DKC2 and DKC3). As another Dixie fan put it, she is "cute, cool, bad***".
Dixie is a character that goes beyond "girl Diddy". She has a lot of charm and personality. From sipping a drink in the middle of a journey, to lapping up honey while storming a Zinger stronghold, to taking DK's Switch for herself. Dixie is a character that knows how to smell the roses and enjoy the moment, which is why she does not hesitate to enjoy some honey in an environment full of giant bees, hijack DK's Switch from him, or mock K. Rool to his face. Dixie likes having fun just as much as we have fun playing as her. That is part of her endearment. In many ways, she might possibly be the pinnacle of the characters Rare created (and that truly says something), and it is a shame she basically went on a nearly 20 year stretch without any sort of prominent role.
Dixie Kong is not just a character that stands out among heroines, but all heroes. She is a character that managed to simultaneously embrace and subvert tropes, and somehow manage to become one of the most endearing characters within not just her franchise, but gaming as a whole.
While most of the Smash Bros. fambase continues to basically ignore her, they may simply not know the breadth to which Dixie Kong was a trailblazer and the subtle charm to her character. Dixie in many ways is the female Mario. Unlike most heroines, most of her appeal is not due to sex appeal/"waifu factor", but rather because of her gameplay mechanics and personality, much like Mario is not someone you would initially think of as cool or endearing without having a hands on experience with the character.
Dixie Kong is a character that is exemplary of the term Nintendo All-Star in many ways. She is a showcase for the Nintendo brand as a whole. A character, that like Nintendo, has their net cast wide across demographics despite what the industry conventions are to what "appealing" is.
Dixie Kong Is Far From “Inevitable”
I re-iterate that Ultimate's roster is absolutely fantastic, and I am extremely grateful to Sakurai and his team for everything that they did for Ultimate from finally adding Ridley to the roster (a childhood dream of mine that went on for nearly 20 years), to bringing back every single veteran (another dream I thought was unlikely to ever happen), to bringing in Castlevania (one of my favorite non-Nintendo franchises, and most speculators thought unlikely to happen), and recently bringing in Banjo-Kazooie (a character that is outright owned by a console competitor to Nintendo). Sakurai and his team have increasingly brok through each "impossible" bar, and left us in awe of just what we can expect or what we see as "plausible".
Dixie Kong as a character in many ways is someone who seems "on paper" to be the most obvious character that could be added to Smash Bros. She is a popular Nintendo character that is prominent within her franchise of origin. Of such a basal quality, Dixie has this one in spades. However, after over 20 years of history to the franchise, Dixie is still conspicuously absent from the roster. Moreover, as time goes on. her prospects of ever being added keep becoming lower and lower, especially as she makes more infrequent new game appearances. Smash now has gone on to become something than just about Nintendo characters. With Smash 4 and especially Ultimate, it is about celebrating gaming as a whole.
There are multiple points to which it appeared “likely” that Dixie Kong was going to make the roster to that particular title. For Brawl, Dixie Kong was at one point planned to be a part of the roster (as part of a tag team with Diddy Kong), and could have been re-tooled for a late development semi-clone (like Toon Link and Wolf were). For Smash 4 era speculation, Dixie Kong returning to prominence in Tropical Freeze made her seem likely especially given that her major role was unveiled at the same time as Smash 4 was. For Ultimate, when long time requests such as Ridley and K. Rool were added in, to many it seemed like Dixie Kong was an obvious addition for the base game.
Simply put, never believe the conventional opinion that Dixie Kong is “likely”. As a speculator for over 20 years, there have been many, many instances that I have seen where characters that appeared to be likely were not added in. Do not fall into the trap of believing that your character of choice is likely. Dixie Kong, like other Rare created characters Diddy Kong, K. Rool, and Banjo & Kazooie, will most likely need a big fan push is she is to ever make it onto a future Smash title’s roster, and the false sense of security through believing she is “inevitable” makes much of her fans not as passionate towards support for her as they would be otherwise.
Never Believe “Leaks”
One of the biggest pratfalls for many character fanbases is the tendency to believe a “leak” if their character of choice is a part of it. As we getting further and further into the future, very believable fake leaks will be more and more common.
A notorious example of this was the “Grinch leak” where a banner was made of a whole bunch of characters that was both highly desired by the Smash Bubble as well as seen as likely in general. To many people, it seemed very likely to be “real” due to the quality of it and amount of effort necessary to fake it.
There have also been instances where people have had credible information in the past but later started making up fake information in order to increase support of their character of choice (a particular example of this was with loz getting multiple details over Ultimate’s unveil correct, but then making up a bunch of fake information in order for Skull Kid to have a massive increase in support).
Overall, a very important piece of advice for the Dixie Kong fanbase going forward is to naturally be very skeptical of any “leaks”, especially if they happen to mention Dixie Kong as being a part of the roster. I have seen fake “leaks” increasingly become more and more elaborate, and I expect that trend to continue for the next Smash title.
Please be extremely skeptical and do not give any of your mental or emotional energy towards trying to validate these “leaks”.
Dixie Kong May Not Be The Next Donkey Kong Character Added To The Roster
There is a belief common to not just the Dixie Kong fanbase, but speculators as a whole that Dixie Kong is most likely going to be the fourth Donkey Kong character that will be added to Smash Bros.’s roster. I feel that this very much a very outdated belief that ignored the credentials and strides other DK characters have made since the 1990’s, more specifically that of Cranky Kong and Funky Kong.
Both Funky and Cranky have had requests for them increase quite a bit over the past few years, and I expect that trend to accelerate over the course of this decade.
Cranky Kong has many things going in his favor. He was a major supporting character in every game to the DKC trilogy and DK64. He was also the only Kong aside from DK and Diddy to return for Donkey Kong Country Returns. He was also one of four playable characters in Tropical Freeze, having as much importance in that title as Dixie Kong did. He is also a favorite of Miyamoto, and perhaps has the notability to being probably the original DK from the arcade titles. Cranky Kong will (or seems to be) also be the only other Kong aside from Donkey Kong himself to have a role in the upcoming Super Mario movie.
Funky Kong has similar impressive credentials now. Like Cranky, he had a major supporting role in every game to the DKC trilogy and DK64. He was also a shopkeeper in both Tropical Freeze and Ultimate’s Adventure Mode, World of Light. In the Switch port for Tropical Freeze, the most significant new content for it was a dedicated “Funky Mode” to which allowed you to play as Funky Kong, and would essentially make the game a lot easier due to all the abilities he had.
Funky Kong has also been playable in multiple Mario spinoff titles, most notably Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour. In Mario Kart Wii in particular, he has the notability of being the only other DK character in it as from DK and Diddy, as well as being one of the most popular characters for that title (likely due to being largely considered one of the best characters in that game).
Funky Kong also has the benefit of being a very easily implemented echo fighter. He has the same body shape as DK (a quality that helped him be added for the roster for Mario Kart Wii). Between an echo status for either Funky Kong or Dixie Kong, Funky Kong would most likely be the one chosen because unlike Dixie Kong, no new moves or abilities would be needed to be added in for him, Funky could quite feasibly be a Richter or Daisy style echo, to which the only differences are taunts, victory animations, and possibly idle/running animations.
Going forward, it appears that Cranky Kong has prominence and Funky Kong has ease of development. Dixie Kong’s primary advantage is her legacy, but as seen with Toad, that is simply not enough. Dixie Kong is going to have to return to the prominence she had with the DKC trilogy if she is going to make it in before Cranky and Funky.
I see Dixie, Cranky, and Funky all on an equal playing field if there was a hypothetical consideration given by Sakurai to make a Donkey Kong newcomer in the future. All three of these characters are equally prominent for the DK brand these days. Who the fourth Donkey Kong slot in Smash will be is very much an uncertainty unfortunately (or at least right now, those circumstances could easily change depending on what roles those characters have in the rumored new Donkey Kong title, assuming they appear at all).
What Dixie Kong Means To Me Personally
Dixie is a character in many ways that completes the circle. When I first learned of Smash Bros., I was very (pleasantly) surprised Samus was part of the roster when every other character on the roster had an upcoming game for the Nintendo 64 at the time except her. Samus beat and exceeded the odds of what most would have put on a roster of 12 Nintendo characters back in 1999. However, regardless of the Metroid series having gone into hiatus during those past five years, there was no denying it, Samus and Metroid were still a major part of Nintendo and their brand. Samus and Dixie Kong were both among my favorite gaming heroes during my childhood (and still are). It was Samus's unexpected presence on the Smash Bros. roster that I even got as overwhelmingly hyped for Smash Bros. even months before the game's international release.
Dixie Kong is a character that I believe in my heart does not just fit the descriptor of Nintendo All-Star, but also Gaming All-Star. She might not have launched a franchise, but she is a character that in many way encapsulates just what charm there is to a character in the medium of gaming. She is a character that manages to have a foot both in her criteria to fit what it took to enter Smash Bros. at the beginning of the series (importance to a Nintendo franchise) and what it means now (importance to gaming as a whole).
However, just like Samus before her, conventionally she does not seem likely at all. Dixie is not a character even Nintendo fans are clamoring for (or rather the Smash fanbase). Dixie might very well never be added to any Smash Bros. title’s roster.
However, even though she was never added to Ultimate’s roster, she is still an incredible heroine, and Ultimate's roster is still incredible.
I do not know what Sakurai and his team's interpretation of Dixie Kong as a fighter will be (assuming if it ever does happen), but regardless, I have hope that Sakurai will implement her in a way that captures just what is so endearing and charming about Dixie Kong.
Dixie paradoxically is a character that makes the most sense on paper as a Smash Bros. addition, yet is also unlikely to be added in the future even among actual Nintendo characters. It is poetic this unconventional circumstances matches her unconventional appeal.
Dixie Kong is a character that epitomizes what Smash Bros. is, then and now. She is important to both Nintendo and gaming.
Dixie is a character that I have been very fond of going back over 25 years ago. My Dixie Kong figurine was one of my favorite toys from my childhood and was consistently near my bedside as I went to sleep every night. Having a physical object to enjoy and play with was something that I wish had extended to Samus, my other favorite gaming hero from childhood. However, I was happy to have just Dixie Kong (and Yoshi) to play with and enjoy, Now 20 years later, I am grateful that Sakurai and his team have added in not just nearly all of my favorite Nintendo characters but also my favorite gaming characters in general. Dixie this time though is the one not part of the “toy box”.
For many of Dixie's fans and supporters, the love and support for her runs deep. BirthNote, had been courteous enough to chronicle many of these stories into the opening post of the Dixie support thread she had during Ultimate. Much like Roy (another character I deeply wanted to see, although to return), much of his appeal was not easily apparent to those who did not experience him, but rather from those who played with him hands-on and thus got appreciate his personality charm and gameplay flair. Dixie is much in the same way, to many people who never or barely played DKC2, DKC3, and Tropical Freeze, Dixie is just "girl Diddy" just like Roy was "fire Marth". However, I think the comparisons are even more unfair because Dixie's differences from Diddy are much readily apparent than Roy and Marth's were.
Thus, even if I were to craft the best prose ever written on the merits of Dixie Kong's value and worth to be a part of a future Smash title’s roster, it never ever would be enough to grow her fanbase and the passion for her possible inclusion. Words may touch, but actions MOVE. The best way to truly appreciate Dixie is to enjoy her source material. She is one of the two protagonists for both DKC2 and DKC3, with the former regarded as one of the best 2D platformers of all time (and the latter a very underrated game, and I personally believe to be among the best platformers for the SNES even if it is not quite as good as DKC2). In Tropical Freeze, she is arguably the most helpful of all the support Kongs and the game itself is argued to be the pinnacle of 2D platformers as well.
I said back in December 2019, that Dixie Kong was a treasure to the future. She is one of the last long running Nintendo character left that is both a main character to their franchise (as in actual main protagonist level) that is still not part of the roster to the Smash Bros. series. Going forward Dixie is a throwback to the possible newcomer pools that Smash Bros. fans who anticipated Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4 had access to. The likes of Wario, Diddy Kong, Ridley, King Dedede, Olimar, Little Mac, Meta Knight, K. Rool, Ganondorf, Zelda, Bowser, Peach, and Bowser Jr. have all been added in now. Dixie Kong (and arguably the Toads and Bandana Waddle Dee) are all that is left from the ages of where characters had to fit "the old criteria" (namely being an integral character to a major Nintendo franchise). In an era where the most wanted characters are side Nintendo characters and third-parties, Dixie Kong is a throwback to the very beginning of this legendary game franchise for character requests. She is a character that Smash fans back in 2001 would agree deserves to be in Smash Bros., which is something that I think few other characters left at this point could say (again, aside from Toad), and would be surprised to find out, 20 years later, still did not make it in yet.
Dixie might not have much internet "cool kids" saying she is a great possible addition, or a massive online fanbase, but she is an absolutely legendary character, and I think even if I might not follow a future installment that does end up adding her in down the road, I think that it is something that Nintendo and Smash Bros. fans who were not around for Melee, Brawl, or Smash 4 newcomer support periods should have, an unequivocal Nintendo All-Star to support and champion. Sometimes the shiniest jewel goes unnoticed.
I have very limited free time, and I think at this point in time, it is a poor usage of my time to write up grandiose and passionate posts about a character whom I can do basically nothing in terms of moving the needle towards their possible inclusion. I have been a fan of Smash Bros. for over 20 years, a member of the online Smash Bros. community for 20 years, and part of SmashBoards for 15 years. I have gotten nearly everything I ever could have wanted or hoped for in relation to Smash Bros. Ridley being a part of the Smash roster was a childhood dream of mine that I thought was likely never going to be realized after Sakurai's own statements on him back in November 2014. Not just Ridley, but so many other things with Ultimate. I have won the lottery multiple times with this title, and yet I still am asking for more. As I said before, I have been spoiled rotten, and I think the best way I can show gratitude moving forward is through moving on.
The Dixie fanbase has a lot of fans with diverse talents. From SeashoreWar's talented artwork, to BirthNote's caretaking of the support topic (I am not sure if these two will be around for future Dixie Kong support though). While many do appreciate my character support prose and introspective and detailed analyses, I cannot keep doing this forever, nor do I want to. While Dixie Kong being in Smash Bros. is something reminiscent of the dreams I had throughout my childhood and young adulthood (Ridley in Smash Bros., and Roy's return in Smash), it is something I have to relinquish to the rest of you. I feel Ultimate is as beautiful a sendoff for a longtime fan of Smash Bros. such as myself could hope for, and gradually over the course of the DLC speculation period I found myself posting less and less with each subsequent year it went on. I feel with this essay, I can finally pass the baton to the next generation.
My Thanks To The Dixie Kong Fanbase On SmashBoards
Aside from being older and having less free time as well as Ultimate fulfilling most of my personal hopes with the series, another factor for my depreciated involvement with the Smash community is that almost all online spaces for discussion in general are very unpleasant in one way or form.
That is one of the reasons why I cherised the Dixie Kong Ultimate support thread so much. It actually seemed like a sort of oasis in the midst of an infinite desert.
However, despite myself being a constant conduit for pessimism, this thread still valued my thoughts, analyses, and insight. It has been my online home for speculation and discussion especially since Ultimate’s release. I am truly thankful for this appreciation.
I do cherish the time I have spent posting and speculating in this thread. I know its kind of a cliche, but even though we did not win in the end, the real victory was us having such a good time along the way. I really enjoyed my time sharing my thoughts and ideas with the people in this thread. Supporting this legendary heroine among you was a real privilege, and the community and atmosphere you cultivated was the primary reason I even continued posting after Ultimate's release.
Seeing so many old faces, and gaining an appreciation for a bunch of new ones, this thread was really something special. The journey came to an end, and it is a bit sad to part ways.
Like Sakurai has said, everything must come to an end at some point. This has been an incredible journey. Thank you to all of you for being a part of this. The Dixie Kong Support thread would not have been the same without any of you.
Even if Dixie Kong failed to ultimately make Ultimate’s roster, all of you should still remember the good all of you did here. You were fantastic supporters, and while Dixie Kong could maybe use a bigger fanbase, she certainly could not ask for a better one.
You did well and did all that you could.
Thank you again for all of your contributions that you have made over the past three years, and I am appreciative of those that do enjoy taking the time of reading my works.
It was your fantastic contributions to this thread and community as well as my little bit of hope for Dixie (and Ultimate being as amazing it turned out to be) as to why I ended up staying throughout this cycle (albeit with a much depreciated output compared to prior Smash speculation periods). You are a great community.
The passion and support in spite of Dixie's dismal prospects was what made me check on the Dixie’s Ultimate support thread every day, and give me a place where I felt I could share my ideas and analyses. Thank you to everyone that was a part of that thread.
Even if Dixie Kong is never a playable character in the Smash series, she is still one of Nintendo's most legendary heroines. She just happened to constantly get a bad roll of the dice (both within her own series, and within timing and particular circumstances for Smash Bros.). As BirthNote said, Dixie Kong is a great character with or without Smash Bros.
I am truly glad I got to experience this thread even if things did not end in the way we wanted. Sometimes the journey is just as a satisfying experience as the destination. While the destination was not where we wanted to end up, I can say we certainly had a great journey together.
You guys made my last few years in the Smash community pleasant and enjoyable. Thank you.
My hope to those that continue to support Dixie Kong in the future is continue to have the same positive and welcoming attitude that you had throughout the Ultimate epoch.
Have Humility
Dixie Kong is a historic and legendary Nintendo character. Few other characters not yet part of Smash’s roster have had multiple starring roles in their series. Dixie Kong is especially notable for her legacy going back over 25 years.
The moniker for Dixie Kong’s support thread for most of the Ultimate DLC speculation period was “The Last Nintendo All-Star”. It was alright given the context that most other Nintendo characters had been given notable consolation prizes (Assist Trophy and/or full Mii costume), with the possible exception of Bandanna Waddle Dee (who has nothing more than an Ace-class spirit and an online icon).
However, going forward I would advise for Dixie Kong fans not to refer to her as the “last Nintendo All-Star” or “last deserving Nintendo character”, as that would serve to make it seem like Dixie Kong fans are snobs and make others outside her fanbase less inclined to explore the character further and hopefully in time support her inclusion. A little humility goes a long way.
Be Prepared For An Undesirable Outcome
Dixie Kong has failed to make it in as a playable character yet in Smash Bros. despite at one point there probably have been actual work put into her for animating her as a fighter (back during Brawl’s development when the tag team idea was the original idea for Diddy Kong).
Until circumstances drastically change for her (such as Donkey Kong becoming a prominent franchise again AND Dixie Kong being a major character in the new titles that revitalized the DK brand), it is for the best to go in with the expectation that she will most likely not make the roster again. For many characters, their prospects are contingent on external circumstances (or massive fan support) and as of late 2021, her prospects are not looking good.
You should still try to support her with all your heart, but still keep in mind what her prospects will likely be, especially if Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart Tour are her most contemporary game appearances by the time the next Smash title is announced.
Please Consider If Investing Your Free Time In Character Support Is Actually Worth Your Time And Please Do Not Become Overly Invested In It
Even though Dixie Kong is a character that means a lot to me and probably the character I have put the third most effort towards supporting throughout my 20 years of involvement online with the Smash community (the only two I have put more support towards being Ridley and Roy), I do not feel like continuing such efforts going forward.
I have less and less free time than I did when I was younger, as well as the fact that my interest for roster speculation and character support has gradually declined as well to the point where I have little interest going forward. Ultimate gave me 95% of what I had been hoping for pertaining to Smash Bros. as a series.
The primary reason I wrote this essay was to give something for Dixie Kong fans in the future to utilize without myself being involved in the character support community. It is basically a gift to the future Dixie Kong support base. I am not sure whether this work will continue to be read years from now, but it is my hope that it is.
This all being said, please take my advice and do not overly invest your free time into character support. It is not a substitute for friends, it is not a substitute for a hobby. For those who are young, you are only young once. These are the best learning years of your life, and your time that you spend during your youth years has many implications as to what road you will be walking down as you get older.
I joined the speculation and character support community back in 2001 in order to help support Ridley get in Smash Bros., and one of the reasons I was intensely active after Brawl's release, was to help support Roy's return for Smash 4. I do not think my efforts did much for either of those characters honestly, and I think quite a bit of the time being used for character support and speculation could have been better spent elsewhere regardless of the fact that the outcome eventually became favorable.
Dixie Kong supporters should discern for themselves whether campaigning for Dixie going forward is something they want to do with their time. Do you really want to spend your free time for a venture that might ultimately be all for naught? Do you think the elation you might get from Dixie's confirmation (assuming it does happen in the next installment), will be worth whatever time and effort you put into supporting her? Would you still be excited for Dixie if came as part of a roster that removed quite a few characters you personally care about (assuming the next title has cuts)? These are questions for supporters of all characters should be asking themselves, not just Dixie Kong fans.
Overall, I am thankful for my time spent with the Smash roster speculation and character support communities. I was extremely blessed to meet some wonderful people that I plan to still talk to even after I exit Smash speculation and character support. I would say meeting these people, not my dream Smash title coming into reality, was the true destination and reward for this 20 year journey.
I hope other Dixie Kong fans meet hopefully lifelong friends while they support Dixie Kong in the years to come.
It is likely going to be a long and arduous journey Dixie fans. How long that journey ultimately is, or whether it even leads to the destination you are all hoping for (Dixie being a part of a future Smash roster), only time will tell. I wish you all the best regardless of whether you decide to support Dixie in the years ahead, or even if you decide to give up on character support and speculation entirely.
I hope some day if Dixie Kong ever is added to Smash Bros. (and if SmashBoards is still around), that I will be able to congratulate the Dixie Kong fans on her finally making it in and their efforts in supporting her.
Conclusion:
To sum it all up, Dixie Kong is a legendary heroine. She is a character that is only under Samus as far as Nintendo heroines go in terms of legacy and prominence to their own franchise and Nintendo as a whole. She is an exemplary heroine for gaming a whole, a rare heroine whom most of their appeal and charm goes beyond sex appeal or the "waifu factor", and one that also embraces and utilizes her femininity to further enhance her character appeal and endearment. She is a character that has "Mario appeal", able to be appreciated by a diverse array of demographics despite her unconventional design through her personality charm and the fun of her gameplay abilities. This particular resume arguably sets her in a league of her own not just as far as Nintendo characters go, but gaming ones as a whole as well.
Whether Dixie is ever eventually added to a future Smash title’s roster or not, Dixie Kong is a Nintendo All-Star. She may be underappreciated, and many not actually know or understand just why she is such an endearing character and worthy addition, but in our hearts she is both a truly special character and the ultimate heroine, regardless of her not making the roster for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate/Special.