I am barely active here anymore, but I wanted to come back to comment on this. In the past I said Dixie Kong is more popular on certain sites than other's (Dixie Kong is definitely among the Top 10 here on SmashBoards), but this poll shows Dixie Kong might truly be in some dire straits.
As others have pointed out, even if you select for just Nintendo characters, Dixie Kong barely makes it into the Top 10 (literally at number 10). You want to also know to what extent the results are very bad? When Decidueye (whom most of his popularity stemmed from being the character of choice to represent Sun/Moon among the "Smash Bubble") and Toad (who has competition on the poll from Paper Mario and Geno, as well as multiple notable roles in Ultimate) both did better than Dixie Kong.
In general, among younger Nintendo fans, I wonder how many of them realize that Dixie Kong is more than just some ensemble character to DK (her appearances throughout the 2000's was as being part of an ensemble cast).
In Tropical Freeze, unless you play multiplayer mode or unlock hard mode, the other Kongs aside from DK are treated like power ups of sorts. I personally think Dixie Kong is portrayed well in that title from what I have seen, but from people that did not grow up with the DKC trilogy and not familiar with those titles, it is possible she is not distinguished more than Diddy and Cranky (even though she seems to be the most popular support Kong in that title).
Excuses like "Banjo-Kazooie is splitting the DK fanbase)" or "first party characters did not do as well in this poll" are poor damage control for the extent to just how poorly Dixie Kong did in this poll. There are no valid excuses. Dixie Kong might very well be a character people under 25 simply do not know or care about (or at the very least the Smash bubble does not care about).
The sentiment that "Dixie Kong is inevitable guys" is how you get results like this poll.
This kind of stuff is demoralizing. Honestly, if that poll is in any way accurate to how the "Smash bubble" feels about Dixie Kong, then she is in an even worse shape than Roy was (Roy's problem was a bunch of detractors parroting false information against him and him having a quiet, passive fanbase even though he had many supporters).
The sentiment that "oh, Banjo supporters will just flock over to Dixie Kong once he is confirmed" are basically individuals counting their chickens before they hatch. How many of those Banjo fans are bandwagoners (thus would not care for Dixie)? How many have barely any strong experiences with the original SNES DKC trilogy? How many are simply going to leave Smash speculation entirely after Banjo's confirmation (many of them are 25+)?
Dixie Kong was a truly trailblazing character (probably the first truly noticeably female hero in a megahit game), and among the strongest standouts for the DKC trilogy in general. It is a shame that much of the modern Nintendo fanbase does not feel the same (or at least those on social media and reddit).
If Banjo-Kazooie is confirmed four weeks from now, we might find out just how much of the DK/Rare fanbase went over to Banjo and whether they flock over to Dixie Kong next with Banjo finally confirmed. However, if Steve is confirmed instead of Banjo, Dixie Kong might very well be in Banjo's shadow for the next character speculation and support cycle as she was under K. Rool's during pre-Smash 4 and pre-Ultimate.
In general, the results to this poll should be a wake up call to Dixie Kong fans who plan to fight for her inclusion during the next speculation period.
I already explained my thoughts on "echo DLC" scenario a few months back. but I have a few additional tidbits to add. If an "echo pass" were to happen, it probably has to be announced next month (because I expect it to only have three echoes). Secondly, of those three echoes, as I explained in that scenario, Dixie Kong would essentially have to compete with most of the roster (and the best echo candidates in general), whereas the other two echo slots would go to the top character row (which would pretty much be a toss up between Funky Kong, Ninten, Mach Rider, or possibly an unorthodox Bandana Dee) and the bottom character row (which has most of Ultimate's non-echo newcomers).
However, if Dixie Kong were to somehow be selected for "an echo pass" she would be the one to sell it as a whole, and I think she would thus get Ken-like attention and differences.
As I said before, I think if DLC echoes are to happen it would be something to announce in the next DLC wave. However, it is still possible they get announced later, but the prospects of such simply get lower.
However, to go back to what I originally said, even if echo DLC were to happen Dixie Kong would essentially be competing with the best echo candidates for a single slot since one slot likely would go to the top character row and one to the bottom character row (I outlined the reasons for why in my echo DLC focused post a few months ago).
Here is a link to the prior post I made if you want to know more of my thoughts on how echo DLC (a scenario with only three echoes as DLC) would probably go down:
https://smashboards.com/threads/the...t-buddies-here-in-spirit.446464/post-23109753
As I said before, Dixie Kong faces incredible competition and her getting in as DLC would take an enormous amount of stars to align (perhaps more than what it took to get Dark Samus in).
I have said multiple times that DKC3 at the very least is better than DKC1 in terms of gameplay and level design. In general, it does have some of the best level design of the entire trilogy, and the control is the best. Although Kiddy had a pretty unappealing design, I do like how the abilities of him and Dixie complemented and differed from one another clearly (whereas in DKC2 it was a lot more subtle). DKC3 in general though is among the best platformers for the SNES, and that is very strong praise considering how many masterpiece platformers were made for that console.
You are really gifted and it is phenomenal to have you as part of the Dixie Kong fanbase.
On a sidenote, I recently finally collected all the spirits and everything else in Ultimate today. Overall, this was the most pleasant title to collect everything for. There was not anything frustrating (see Diskun trophy in Melee, a bunch of stuff in Brawl) or grindy (getting all the stickers in Brawl, getting all the Mii hats in Smash 4 3DS) in Ultimate. I really like the spirits as it gives a little bit of focus to nearly every notable Nintendo title out there. The only conspicuous absence being the StarTropics games (hopefully, an update adds a few spirits from those titles). Ultimate not only celebrates the Smash Bros. series history as a whole, but Nintendo (and gaming as well). The spirit system helps to give a little spotlight to almost every Nintendo character and game out there. The only thing missing is perhaps a little text blurb about each spirit, but I can understand why it was not done (there are over 1,300 of them).
In four weeks, the dreams of many could very well be realized. I think there is a good chance that Banjo-Kazooie will be confirmed at E3. If that is the case, it will be interesting to see what that will mean for Dixie Kong going forward. In the past, I predicted Dixie Kong would get a boost of popularity and attention after K. Rool's confirmation, but unfortunately I ended up being wrong to the extent (she certainly did get a boost, but not to the extent that K. Rool did after Diddy's confirmation or Banjo after K. Rool). I am hoping that many Nintendo and Smash Bros. fans will finally give Dixie Kong the attention she deserves if Banjo-Kazooie is confirmed.
If in the event that Steve is confirmed instead, Dixie Kong might again be in the shadows in terms of character support for the next speculation and support cycle. However, regardless of what happens, keep up the support. Dixie Kong might not be getting the level of support she deserves, but objectively among Nintendo characters she is in a class that very few other characters not already on Ultimate's roster are a part of.
This post may have overall been dour, but I think for many Dixie fans they need to realize that Dixie Kong is going to need just as much a push as K. Rool did. She is a character with history, importance to her franchise, and multiple ways she can be implemented as a fighter in Smash Bros.
The expectation that things will eventually "work out" for Dixie Kong needs to come to an end. I am not sure how many other Dixie Kong fans are feeling that they want to stick around for the next speculation cycle and do character support for the next several years. Many of us skew older (25+) than many other character fanbases, and as such we simply are losing interest in this sort of thing. As Fatmanonice (someone who is now in their 30's) put it (paraphrasing), "its like doing taxes at this point". For Ultimate, it realized nearly every dream I had for Smash Bros. From Ridley finally being added in, Castlevania finally being added in, every single veteran returning, even small touches like Pico having a role beyond a trophy/sticker and Leif (Fire Emblem) making an appearance. Ultimate was a bunch of miracles plain and simple.
Still, I am greedily am hoping for Dixie Kong even though I got far, far more than what I was expecting out of the Switch installment to Smash Bros. a year ago. I know what the Fighter Pass is very likely going to solely consist of (third-parties) yet there is a small part of me holding out for one more miracle.
However, although Dixie Kong will probably not be DLC, I still want to leave something for the Dixie Kong fans who will stay around for the next speculation and character support cycle in the 2020's to use as a template or explain just what Dixie Kong's appeal and worth is. However, even if my words fail to ignite much in the way of support in the future, I think at the very least that enjoying Dixie Kong's source material can do immense worth for her. DKC2, DKC3, and Tropical Freeze are among the pinnacle of the sidescrolling platformer genre, and Dixie Kong was a major focus in all three of them (even in Tropical Freeze, many speak of just how much of a help Dixie Kong is).
For Ridley and Roy in the past, things got really bleak. Ridley was flat out shot down by Sakurai as being "too big", and Roy looked like he might never come back in the face of four Fire Emblem characters (one of them being a Marth clone) and so many popular Brawl veterans also being cut. With Dixie Kong, it looks like she might very well be in the same boat as Toad to which in spite of her impressive resume and legacy, that the "Smash bubble" simply does not care about her or does not have much passion for her. Other hurtful possibilities also loom like Tropical Freeze being the sole DK title for the Switch and/or Banjo-Kazooie not being DLC in Ultimate (of which would make it so that she is again in the shadow of another Rare/DK character).
However, as with Ridley and Roy fans, Dixie Kong fans will have to press on. I do not have the heart or passion to do character support in the 2020's. I can only offer a few kind words and some clarity, nothing more, and I plan to leave entirely after DLC wraps up. Unfortunately, I have not made much progress on my Dixie Kong essay, so it probably will not be posted for a while.
Be prepared for a long fight Dixie Kong fans. While it is possible we might be blessed with one more miracle, however, be prepared for a long fight. This is a character that will need effort and passion just as K. Rool saw and Banjo-Kazooie are seeing.
Even if Banjo-Kazooie is confirmed at E3 2019, still be prepared to fight and support vigorous during the 2020's. The history among Dixie Kong fans has been a belief of "inevitability" which lead to passivity. "Inevitable" that she would find herself on the roster and that the "Smash bubble" would flock to her. While I think Dixie Kong will get a boost in support were Banjo to be confirmed, I do not think it will be as big as many of us will be hoping. Dixie Kong has much available to her make her a popular character. DKC2 and DKC3 are masterpieces (especially try to convince people on the latter, as many people are under the opinion it is "worse" than DKC1), and Tropical Freeze offers a modern context for what she offers.
Time will tell what ultimately happens.
Dixie Kong for Smash