This Kong's Got Style: What Dixie Can Bring to the Table
So, let's address the obvious issue that Dixie faces: "She'd just be a clone of Diddy!" With Lucina and Dark Pit proving that Sakurai does still add clones in new installments, plus the new and sexy term "Echo Fighters", it may be possible that Dixie becomes one too. After all, Richter, Chrom and Dark Samus's announcements showed us that Echo Fighters won't be scarce, they can come from a series that just got a Unique Fighter, and they don't have to be a 1:1 match with attacks but different animations. With all this lined up, it's possible that Dixie shows up like Dark Samus and Chrom, now that K. Rool's leaped into the arena. However, I use "possible" as the key word here. Dixie can be her own fighter conceptually and in terms of moveset and playstyle with all the options at her disposal, as she has 17 games (including ports/remakes) of material to get a feel for her character and abilities. While Diddy is wild, playful, amusingly silly, and always ready to fight, Dixie has a fun, bubbly and adventurous demeanor, but is easy to anger and violent just like the other Kongs. This can be easily showcased through animations, but to get the best impression of Dixie we'd need her to be versatile in her element: the air, which Diddy can't compare in.
We don't know how the roster will turn out, but there's some parallels between Dixie's speculation lifespan and a fighter who debuted in SSB4: Bowser Junior. Before he was confirmed, there were plenty of options for Mario newcomers, but the best expectation that most had for him was a semi clone that incorporated Squirtle's moves in areas where Bowser's wouldn't make sense, and when Rosalina got in before him, the fandoms believed he'd be sitting SSB4 out. Any of this sound familiar to Dixie's situation? Based on his looks and closeness to Bowser, it was believed he could only perform weaker versions of his dad's moves, but look at him now. We got not only a moveset that few saw coming, but a clever way to include him, his (currently not) siblings AND have him play absolutely nothing like his dad. Junior was the most obvious clone candidate, being in 1st place in the "LOL, Only as a Clone" category while Dixie was 2nd. If Sakurai and the Smash team could throw a curveball with Junior, why not Dixie as well? The trophy descriptions put strong emphasis on her hair, and we'd like a moveset that does the same.
Now, what this entire passage is telegraphing is that many fans recognize the potential for Dixie to be a clo--an Echo Fighter. In fact, now that the term has been coined, many have voiced their support for the idea, as Sakurai and his team have made the once reviled thought appealing or at least simply acceptable. This isn't a bad thing per se; it's become so widely acceptable, that many see this as Dixie's all-but-confirmed fate, as if that's her only shot of breaking out of her barrel. What some users--and this entire OP as well--are saying is that yes, we recognize the potential for Dixie to be an Echo of Diddy or a hybrid of DK and Diddy. We also recognize the possibility for Dixie to step in as a fighter who doesn't play like her boyfriend and utilizes her hair in the arena as extensively as she does in the platformers. We have our preferences and our ideal scenario while others may not share the same thoughts, but that's fine. We are willing to discuss the possibilities and get some healthy conversations going even if our thoughts conflict.
At first glance, Dixie doesn't
look like she can do much in the world of Smash that her boyfriend Diddy Kong can't, but she does have a few abilities that could set her apart. Her main attribute, her prehensile blonde ponytail, could potentially have many uses. Dixie could use it as a whip, swing it to smack her opponents around, use it as a tether grab, and most important of all, spin it around like a propeller to recover and give her superb mobility in the air. It basically functions like an extra limb, and a 3-armed chimp can spawn a lot of attack options in a fighting game. In addition to her her ponytail, Dixie has her Bubblegum Popgun from Tropical Freeze, her guitar, and she could possibly use other abilities from the Donkey Kong series, such as barrels, the rocket bongos from Barrel Blast, or animal buddies like Squawks, even something from Diddy Kong Racing or the Mario sports games she appeared in. Some have also suggested that she could use wads of bubblegum as a sticky trap or even team up with her cousin Kiddy Kong to perform all sorts of team attacks. In terms of playstyle, Dixie could be a trickster with disjointed hitboxes, multiple jumps, and aerial mobility like Jigglypuff, R.O.B., or Pit/Dark Pit. She would have a similar body shape to Diddy, but could be slightly slower and more floaty to further differentiate herself from her boyfriend.
