If I'm not mistaken, isn't Belly Armor extrapolating from the fact that you could only hit K. Rool on his head and not on his body in the original DKC? It's been a long time since I played, but I think even his trailer referenced that in one scene, with everyone jumping on his crownless head.
Might actually be that, although I don't consider that to be an extrapolation since Krownerang* has its own kind of armor (12 %, damage taken during it does not harm Belly Armor) and Belly Armor breaks if used too much. Thankfully it's better now than at release when Belly Armor could be one-shot by certain Smash attacks.
*(Its actual name is
Crownerang, but the localizers missed an amazing opportunity to use 90s slang. It's something that the DKC series is no stranger to.)
For example:
Daisy: Could summon a Bumper Ball (knocking back opponents when it raises from the ground) and roll around walking on it (akin to Wario's bike), and can jump off of it. If that were to happen, then I'd prefer that Peach NOT have that move too (and instead have a different Shield Special), since it could potentially make Daisy's playstyle outline different from Peach's.
I don't mind that idea: Daisy could certainly benefit from being de-cloned. But it being her shield special considering her current kit... not much of a fan of that. Casually it might not be too much of an issue, but adept Peach / Daisy players can already make their opponents sweat off of one interaction. Of course, not everyone has Samsora's absurd corner pressure ability, but the Ball would give Daisy a bit more vertical reach presumably.
If anything, I'd almost recommend either making it her side special or drastically reducing her Float's range if we're keeping it her Shield Special. It's not a bad idea at all, I just think the context needs to be considered.
So for the sake of fun, let’s say that it’s announced that there’ll be an Echo Fighter Pass after FP2 comes to a close with four characters. Who would you want to see? My choices would be:
- Funky Kong - faster and more mobile than DK with less power. His up special takes him higher and has an animation of him spinning around on his surfboard with a water effect. His final smash is a re-skin of Pit’s or the Dragoon’s where he gets into his plane and then rams into the players
- Jeanne - basically the same as Bayonetta with Madame Styx instead of Madame Butterfly and Moth Within instead of Bat Within however her dodges are a lot more precise to land like in the game. Maybe change her final smash to a torture move as well.
- Zack Fair - basically just a re-skin of Cloud like how Daisy was with Peach.
- Liquid - my favorite idea for an Echo Fighter! He sacrifices Snake’s mobility and stealth for brute strength, so for instance he can’t hold the grenade but it does more damage, he can’t aim the rocket but it does more damage, he can’t detonate the mine but it does more damage, etc. His final smash is the same but has him get into REX. A lot of his animations would probably be changed as well. And for all of the echo fighters, they would have new voice lines, taunts, victory animations and classic modes.
Okay, so:
1. Protoman for
. In essence, the Pichu to Megaman's Pikachu where Protoman deals more damage consistently but takes a lot more too. Would have a shorter Up B but somewhat better air speed and acceleration to compensate. Several attacks would behave differently, like Leaf Shield being replaced by the Skull Barrier.
2. Birdo for
. Would have a different B and Grab. Might not have the Double Jump Armor, but instead might be given an Up B with better horizontal momentum.
3. Violet for
. Since she'd have a different Persona, her "Arsene" (Cendrillon) would have a different effect - such as changing launch trajectories or increasing knockback growth on the normals instead of acting as a second hit. Also, the rapier she uses would be a good opportunity to adjust the frame data around a bit, perhaps to compensate for the implied range increase.
4. Metal Sonic for
. Has a different Up B, and has a bit more weight to compensate for the loss of a far reaching Up B. The Spin Dash could be replaced by... whatever diamond-shaped move Metal Sonic does in Adventure (2). Might not have Spin Dash's start up invincibility, but could have some armor to compensate for both the absence of start up invincibility and the higher-standing pose.