Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[super88cloud]

Man, I really don't know where to post in this site. All the other popular character threads seem kinda ... not my taste, to put it lightly. After Sephiroth and the geno deconfirm, I really don't care as much for characters.

 

[BlondeLombax]

Man, I really don't know where to post in this site. All the other popular character threads seem kinda ... not my taste, to put it lightly. After Sephiroth and the geno deconfirm, I really don't care as much for characters.

I'm the same way in regards to that sort of apathy, and I see that as a good thing. Don't care for anybody, and you'll be more likely to be excited for them than disappointed. I was that way for... well, everybody added from WiiU/3DS to Ultimate.

 

[Dalek_Kolt]

Man, I really don't know where to post in this site. All the other popular character threads seem kinda ... not my taste, to put it lightly. After Sephiroth and the geno deconfirm, I really don't care as much for characters.

At this point speculation's sorta entering its twilight since so many have been costume'd or spirit'd, so the incentive to get involved in the hype cycle is pretty low imo.
I usually spend my time on lesser character threads that have no chance of making it in, but still have fun talking about potential movesets or making fanart/fan models. on the off chance it picks up traction, I can sometimes steer it in such a way to attract my brand of weirdos that think Pig Ganon or Gilgamesh for Smash is a legitimately good idea.

 

[Cosmic77]

Sometimes it's fun just talking with users who would also love to see a character you like get in Smash, even if said character is unlikely.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I can sometimes steer it in such a way to attract my brand of weirdos that think Pig Ganon or Gilgamesh for Smash is a legitimately good idea.

Bruh Gilgamesh will always be a legitimately good idea solely because of Battle on the Big Bridge

 

[Ornl]

Several wishes can evolve according to the appearance of newcomers.
Here is a recent very small top seen from Gamefaqs*:

• Rex 18,
• Amaterasu 15,
• Chosen Undead 13, - Reimu Hakurei 13,
• Phoenix Wright 12,
• Agumon 11, - Nightmare 11,
• Dante 10, - Sol Badguy10,
• Bandana Dee 9,
• Captain Syrup 7, - Morrigan 7,
• Demi-Fiend 6,
• Bill Rizer & Lance Bean 5, - Professor Layton 5, - Pyramid Head 5, - Ragna the Bloodedge 5, - Space Invaders 5,
• Ryu Hayabusa 4, - Sonic rep 4 - Wonder-Red 4

No Crash, Doomguy, Rayman, Shantae, The Knight, Waluigi... this time.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Several wishes can evolve according to the appearance of newcomers.
Here is a recent very small top seen from Gamefaqs*:

• Rex 18,
• Amaterasu 15,
• Chosen Undead 13, - Reimu Hakurei 13,
• Phoenix Wright 12,
• Agumon 11, - Nightmare 11,
• Dante 10, - Sol Badguy10,
• Bandana Dee 9,
• Captain Syrup 7, - Morrigan 7,
• Demi-Fiend 6,
• Bill Rizer & Lance Bean 5, - Professor Layton 5, - Pyramid Head 5, - Ragna the Bloodedge 5, - Space Invaders 5,
• Ryu Hayabusa 4, - Sonic rep 4 - Wonder-Red 4

No Crash, Doomguy, Rayman, Shantae, The Knight, Waluigi... this time.

Is it really surprising that those 6 weren't voted on when the poll itself isn't a write-in but rather gives you the choices you're allowed to vote for?

 

[Lionfranky]

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft.
• Credible leaker, King Zell hinted Halo content on Switch not only once, but twice later. Other leaker like Sabi also backed him.
• Despite what the internet describes, Halo 5 was still success on par with previous entry. It's still juggernaut, especially in US. Putting Chief in Smash will boost Smash's popularity even further. Characters with much worse situation got in. With Halo Infinite coming next year, it would be good marketing for that game.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS. So, it definitely deserves place in Smasg.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, I believe in Sakurai's ability to make him fun.
• Xbox France account posted tweet, saying that Master Chief is waitiny invitation. It can be seen as soft deconfirmation, but the guy would most likely be out of loop. Because the deal would've been made among higher up, not some random guy running official twitter account.

Con

• Steve's inclusion makes him less likely as there hasn't been a case of 3rd party company double dipping in the same pass.
• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merch made Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite.

 

[drag0nscythe]

Several wishes can evolve according to the appearance of newcomers.
Here is a recent very small top seen from Gamefaqs*:

• Rex 18,
• Amaterasu 15,
• Chosen Undead 13, - Reimu Hakurei 13,
• Phoenix Wright 12,
• Agumon 11, - Nightmare 11,
• Dante 10, - Sol Badguy10,
• Bandana Dee 9,
• Captain Syrup 7, - Morrigan 7,
• Demi-Fiend 6,
• Bill Rizer & Lance Bean 5, - Professor Layton 5, - Pyramid Head 5, - Ragna the Bloodedge 5, - Space Invaders 5,
• Ryu Hayabusa 4, - Sonic rep 4 - Wonder-Red 4

No Crash, Doomguy, Rayman, Shantae, The Knight, Waluigi... this time.

Rex would be a pass for me. I just dont find him interesting. Buy Amy and Phoenix would be nice.

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

Here's mine for Dante

Pro

• Nintendo and Capcom are on very good terms with Mega Man, Ryu and Ken being in Smash.
• Monster Hunter Mii Costumes are still coming, and it seems all Smash 4 Mii Costumes are coming back.
• Heavily requested character being 5th on the Source Gaming poll. Also won a poll when Kamiya asked his Twitter followers which one of his characters should be in Smash.
• Hideaki Itsuno said that Devil May Cry games would need to be on the Switch first, with DMC 1, 2 and 3 all getting on the Switch afterwards.
• Devil May Cry has had an outburst in popularity recently, as DMC 5 was incredibly popular among fans, gaining commercial and critical success.
• Devil May Cry 3's anniversary is in February for Japanese audiences, March for US and European audiences. This lines round when the new amiibos will be releasing.

Iffy

• His moveset could be a bit complex to make, though Sakurai has shown love to making complex movesets such as with Pokemon Trainer, Hero and Steve.
• Firearms could be an issue, though after Joker's realistic guns iI doubt it'd cause any problems.
• Little Nintendo connection outside of ports, where as most Capcom reps have strong Nintendo connections. Monster Hunter and Phoenix Wright have 20 years of being on Nintendo consoles/handhelds. That said, Nintendo went with Cloud as their Final Fantasy rep and went with a Persona character over someone from Shin Megami Tensei.

Cons

• Too much competition with other Capcom characters. Nintendo or Capcom could prefer Chun-Li, Monster Hunter or Phoenix Wright over him.
• Street Fighter 2's anniversary is also in March, potentially pointing to Chun-Li.

 

[Ornl]

Is it really surprising that those 6 weren't voted on when the poll itself isn't a write-in but rather gives you the choices you're allowed to vote for?

Of course, that's what allows other characters to emerge, even if that's not fair because of the other top wishes that are present and the limits of the list. It really should have included Chun-Li, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Tales to get a better look about Capcom and Bamco :/

It would be fun to have more comprehensive polls saved on this thread. Before Terry, I made a very small one from comments under a French Youtube video. It was by looking at the top 1 again that I found this poll as fun.

Spoiler: Large graphic

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

Serebii Update: Today is the special livestream from the International Space Station featuring Pokémon, among others. Pokémon will be sharing a live AR showcase from the station. It starts in less than 1 hour at 14:45 UTC.

You can watch @ https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/bi5hc2jiQw

— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) December 31, 2020

Happening in less than 40 minutes.

 

[PSIGuy]

Woah, the new Unchi Kong video just dropped! UNCHI KONG RETURNS: UNTIMATE!

ウ　ン　チ　ー　コ　ン　グ　リ　タ　ー　ン　ズ　 Untimate 2021 https://t.co/IAPrJyt0F5 pic.twitter.com/WhLyFbB7SR

— ばとじっぷ (@BATO_Zip) December 30, 2020

You know, Unchi Kong. Japan's favorite series of Smash meme videos! With so many levels of audio editing (and I'm assuming each one is a meme on it's own) that you'll feel like you have 7 tabs open all playing separate videos!

...the Japanese Smash meme scene is ****ing nuts.

 

[Commander_Alph]

...the Japanese Smash meme scene is ****ing nuts.

Always has been..

 

[3BitSaurus]

Woah, the new Unchi Kong video just dropped! UNCHI KONG RETURNS: UNTIMATE!

ウ　ン　チ　ー　コ　ン　グ　リ　タ　ー　ン　ズ　 Untimate 2021 https://t.co/IAPrJyt0F5 pic.twitter.com/WhLyFbB7SR

— ばとじっぷ (@BATO_Zip) December 30, 2020

You know, Unchi Kong. Japan's favorite series of Smash meme videos! With so many levels of audio editing (and I'm assuming each one is a meme on it's own) that you'll feel like you have 7 tabs open all playing separate videos!

...the Japanese Smash meme scene is ****ing nuts.

...You know how people joke about the sheer visual insanity that japanese magazine covers can display?

This feels like the audio version of that.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

New year, new look eh? I like it. Now I get to see Olimar yanking on a red Pikmin and a blue Pikmin standing behind him, placing a hand on Richter's boot, looking mortified. Also, Incineroar, Duck Hunt, and Shulk in one border collage? All of my yes.

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

This seems more like an evidence for/against list, but eh.

Amaterasu:
For:

• Um...Capcom's apparantly doing something with the IP this year.

Against:

• While the series is a cult classic, it was also a commercial failure, so there's not much incentive to add her.
• There are so many series that are competing with the series.
  • Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, Phoenix Wright, Darkstalkers, Ghosts n' Goblins, and more are all gunning for the next few Capcom slots, and most of them are objectively a no-contest when comparing them to Ōkami in my eyes.
  • I would not be surprised if we got a second or third character from a bunch of Capcom's franchises before Amaterasu gets added.

 

[Evil Trapezium]

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft.
• Credible leaker, King Zell hinted Halo content on Switch not only once, but twice later. Other leaker like Sabi also backed him.
• Despite what the internet describes, Halo 5 was still success on par with previous entry. It's still juggernaut, especially in US. Putting Chief in Smash will boost Smash's popularity even further. Characters with much worse situation got in. With Halo Infinite coming next year, it would be good marketing for that game.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS. So, it
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, I believe in Sakurai's ability to make him fun.

Con

• Steve's inclusion makes him less likely as there hasn't been a case of 3rd party company double dipping in the same pass.
• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merch made Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite.

Fantastic. Time to write up about Sgt. Cortez!

Sgt. Cortez

Pros

• The TimeSplitters series is a spiritual successor to one of the most influential video games of all time, Goldeneye. James Bond has placed 6th in the "If there was a Smash 2 poll" held by Sakurai before the development of Melee. While it's pretty much a coincidence, it's sort of peculiar that the Fighters Pass does take characters from the Smash 2 Poll such as Banjo & Kazooie and another Fire Emblem character (Byleth). However James Bond cannot join because he is a non-video game character. Cortez on the other hand is a video game character so he is viable to join.
• While the series is dormant right now, There are plans for the series to make a comeback recently. Coincidentally, the news of this happening lines up with the Smash Bros Fighters Pass quite nicely. Furthermore the way that the second article words "Help plot the return of the franchise" doesn't necessarily lead it to being a game in the series for it to be a return.
• THQ Nordic is a moderately successful company that is big enough to be noticed and small enough to be cheaper for Nintendo if they are planning to cut costs nearer the end of the pass.
• The series has also made it's way over in Japan with TimeSplitters 2 so the series is covered worldwide.

Cons

• Virtually unknown to the majority of the public and is also not requested by the Hardcore Smash fanbase.
• While the second game in the series has been released in Japan, you will not find a single sales figure for the game. It most likely didn't do very well.
• There is also the language barrier for Sakurai and his team to deal with.
• While Cortez doesn't have to tangle with anyone from his own company, there are many more popular First Person Shooter reps that Nintendo could go for such as Master Chief, Doom Guy and Gordon Freeman. Cortez has to hope that Nintendo notices him and finds value in a dormant series, It's not impossible considering Banjo & Kazooie and Terry but quite an unlikely scenario.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Woah, the new Unchi Kong video just dropped! UNCHI KONG RETURNS: UNTIMATE!

ウ　ン　チ　ー　コ　ン　グ　リ　タ　ー　ン　ズ　 Untimate 2021 https://t.co/IAPrJyt0F5 pic.twitter.com/WhLyFbB7SR

— ばとじっぷ (@BATO_Zip) December 30, 2020

You know, Unchi Kong. Japan's favorite series of Smash meme videos! With so many levels of audio editing (and I'm assuming each one is a meme on it's own) that you'll feel like you have 7 tabs open all playing separate videos!

...the Japanese Smash meme scene is ****ing nuts.

Yoo, this give the same feeling of the smash meme compilation videos you see on YT now

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft.
• Credible leaker, King Zell hinted Halo content on Switch not only once, but twice later. Other leaker like Sabi also backed him.
• Despite what the internet describes, Halo 5 was still success on par with previous entry. It's still juggernaut, especially in US. Putting Chief in Smash will boost Smash's popularity even further. Characters with much worse situation got in. With Halo Infinite coming next year, it would be good marketing for that game.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS. So, it definitely deserves place in Smasg.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, I believe in Sakurai's ability to make him fun.
• Xbox France account posted tweet, saying that Master Chief is waitiny invitation. It can be seen as soft deconfirmation, but the guy would most likely be out of loop. Because the deal would've been made among higher up, not some random guy running official twitter account.

Con

• Steve's inclusion makes him less likely as there hasn't been a case of 3rd party company double dipping in the same pass.
• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merch made Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite.

Rubs hands together you know I gotta do this

that’s right baby:

Elma

Pro:

• Min Min proved that Spirits (at least base game ones) do not deconfirm.
• content wise, DLC always comes with new music if it wasn’t introduced in base Ultimate (FFVII is an exception as pre-Sephiroth, the two tracks we had were brought over from 4). ARMS had no music in base before Min Min despite the Spring Man AT, costumes and spirits. Xenoblade 2 had music added in the base Ultimate, along with the Nia costume in base, Rex costume with pass 1, and spirits. All X has is spirits atm though - no costumes or music.
• X is certainly a “new world” within the Xenoblade universe as 3H is to FE. If you wanna diversify the worlds represented, especially a more sci-fi side to Xenoblade, this is it
• Another female character - and also, she’s technically the protagonist of X, not Cross. After all she appeared as a guest Blade in Xenoblade 2’s expansion pass and not Cross
• We still dunno about Hiroyuki Sawano’s secret project or Caitlin Glass’s NDA
• Moveset potential
• And just come on. Hiroyuki Sawano’s music in Smash would be incredibly badass

Iffy

• Many would argue the fact that Rex just barely missed the timing would open the doors for a XC2 rep. Doesn’t even HAVE to be Rex; it could be like Zeke or Lora from Torna
• Making a move set that switches between twin swords and twin guns can be tricky but I think Sakurai can pull it off
• X didn’t sell too well, primarily cause the Wii U didn’t sell too well. The game itself, however, was critically acclaimed

Con

• In 2018, Monolith Soft said porting X would be difficult - to be more precise, insanely expensive. However since XCDE smashed sales expectations, that may be possible now.
• As the previous point implied, X is confined to the Wii U... for now.
• X isn’t as popular as 2 or DE atm
• If her and KOS-MOS are mutually exclusive, Sakurai might choose KOS-MOS over her as both a Namco and Monolith rep. Not that I’m opposed to that, I’m not opposed in the slightest but still

 

[Perkilator]

Sometimes it's fun just talking with users who would also love to see a character you like get in Smash, even if said character is unlikely.

Hence why I never shut up about Sora, Crash, Sakura, Chosen Undead, or any other characters on my radar

Also, I just noticed the header changing when I woke up this morning. Well, I guess a new year might as well require something of that like.

 

[SNEKeater]

Bruh Gilgamesh will always be a legitimately good idea solely because of Battle on the Big Bridge

They really comitted the biggest crime when they didn't include it in Sephiroth's music selection.

One of the best tracks in the series.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

As time goes by am I the only one feeling Crash is becoming less likely over time?

I would go on to say I would expect some like Ryu Hayabusa being more likely our E3 2021 reveal.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

They really comitted the biggest crime when they didn't include it in Sephiroth's music selection.

One of the best tracks in the series.

Clearly the answer is for the last 3 newcomers to be from FF. Cecil, Bartz/Gilgamesh and Terra

 

[Rie Sonomura]

They really comitted the biggest crime when they didn't include it in Sephiroth's music selection.

One of the best tracks in the series.

On the one hand I kinda wanted Sephiroth to come with other S-E music including other FFs and even other S-E franchises like NieR

on the other hand...

no TWEWY content yet, Neku wasn’t mii’d

this is how Neku can still win

 

[Lyncario]

Alright, pros, cons, and iffy for Reimu

Pros:
Touhou is very popular in Asia
Nintendo was at Reitaisai selling remixes in 2016
ZUN said that he's ok with Reimu in Smash
Accoding to one of ZUN's friend who helps him with legal stuff, Nintendo would "support Touhou in various way if the games, such as EoSD, were ported to the Switch", and this was said days before it was anounced that AoCF would eventualy get ported to the Switch
The copyright would be extremly easy to get for Sakurai/Nintendo

???:
Nintendo owns 15% of DeNa, a company who has been one of the sponsors for Touhou since 2018 iirc

Iffy:
One of the composers for Ultimate also does Touhou remixes
Touhou fangames are doing prety good on the japanese switch e-shop, but since those are fangames it's iffy
With Reimu being a shrine maiden and all, the religious stuff may go against her even if it pretty much did nothing to stop the Belmonts of Joker from getting in

Cons:
While Touhou is very popular in the east, it's not extremly popular outside of Asia (even if I personaly believe that we already got the 2 big hitters of the pass with Steve and Sephiroth)
Mainline Touhou has never been on Nintendo consoles, only AoCF got a port aounced, and said port hasn't hapened yet
The Touhou fangams on Switch don't get advertised by Nintendo, not even in indie worlds

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

If her and KOS-MOS are mutually exclusive, Sakurai might choose KOS-MOS over her as both a Namco and Monolith rep.

Since Elma and KOS-MOS aren't from the same series or company I don't think they're competing.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Since Elma and KOS-MOS aren't from the same series or company I don't think they're competing.

KOS-MOS did guest appear in 2 though, which makes many think KOS-MOS could (somehow) be counted as a Xenoblade rep

I still very much want both characters if possible

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

It looks like King K. Rool is going cross-eyed staring at the tip of Sephiroth's blade. lol

KOS-MOS did guest appear in 2 though, which makes many think KOS-MOS could (somehow) be counted as a Xenoblade rep

I still very much want both characters if possible

It's like saying Link is from SoulCaliber though. It's a guest appearance, not an entry in their series. Perhaps it will be one day (sounds like something MonolithSoft would be interested in), but for now it isn't.

That being said, I don't expect both to happen, but that's mostly because I don't expect either to happen in any capacity.

 

[SNEKeater]

Clearly the answer is for the last 3 newcomers to be from FF. Cecil, Bartz/Gilgamesh and Terra

Choosing Terra as our FFVII rep?? This is Umaro erasure and I won't stand for that

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Choosing Terra as our FFVII rep?? This is Umaro erasure and I won't stand for that

I know autocombos are common in fighting games but a character who plays the game for you is rigoddamndiculous

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

That new look for Smashboards is pretty great, but GOD it actually makes the Project M theme ugly.

What a way for this site to end this ****pile of a year; by ruining the best theme.

As time goes by am I the only one feeling Crash is becoming less likely over time?

I would go on to say I would expect some like Ryu Hayabusa being more likely our E3 2021 reveal.

The only way someone would see an icon that reached the level of bigness that Crash did as someone who's "becoming less likely over time" is if that someone solely looks at third-parties as "shilling material for upcoming games"

Crash has never been more likely than he is today, imo. The fact that all the rights are finally under one name which makes negotiations for him no longer a nightmare anymore (likely the reason why he was impossible in Brawl), Activision actually being interested in the IP (likely why he was impossible in Smash 4), the franchise revival doing decently well, the fact that he's still a massive 90s icon and forever will be a 90s icon because that's how time works...

Crash has a LOT going for him, The only thing he doesn't have is a game coming out for 2021, and that's not a reason to shut down a character's chances.

 

[SKX31]

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft.
• Credible leaker, King Zell hinted Halo content on Switch not only once, but twice later. Other leaker like Sabi also backed him.
• Despite what the internet describes, Halo 5 was still success on par with previous entry. It's still juggernaut, especially in US. Putting Chief in Smash will boost Smash's popularity even further. Characters with much worse situation got in. With Halo Infinite coming next year, it would be good marketing for that game.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS. So, it definitely deserves place in Smasg.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, I believe in Sakurai's ability to make him fun.
• Xbox France account posted tweet, saying that Master Chief is waitiny invitation. It can be seen as soft deconfirmation, but the guy would most likely be out of loop. Because the deal would've been made among higher up, not some random guy running official twitter account.

Con

• Steve's inclusion makes him less likely as there hasn't been a case of 3rd party company double dipping in the same pass.
• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merch made Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite.

Dota 2 representative then:

Pros:

• A ton of moveset potential despite each hero generally having four spells / abilities. It's partly because the spells / abilities can have some hidden utility and that the abilities can have a lot of surprising versatility to them.

• While I'm not sure if Sakurai's played the game at all (chances are he hasn't), IceFrog - Dota's main developer since 2005 - is a potential kindred spirit as he's also a massive workhorse and shares a background in SNES up to PS2 games. IceFrog proved his inner Nintendo fanboy by inserting items such as "Aghanim's Sceptre" and "Linken's Sphere" into Dota when it still was a WC3 map / mod. Also Aghanim's Sceptre could enhance the moveset potential further since the sceptre boosts a spell / ability.

• Possibly insane potential for a stage, although I have to wonder how one implements a stage boss whose first drop (before the stage boss respawns) is an item that reincarnates the player for free. Said stage boss - Roshan, the direct inspiration for LoL's Baron Nashor to say the least - is a very important part of Dota's identity. Maybe a souped-up version of the Fairy Bottle, activated whenever one gets what's normally a killing blow?

Iffy:

• Dota 2's strongholds are - outside of China - Russia, South-East Asia (especially the Phillipines) and Latin America (especially Peru). I'm not sure if Nintendo are interested in those areas enough to justify a representative catering to those. While LoL - and its mobile cousin Honor of Kings - is king in China, Dota 2 has a very strong position there. As for EU / NA: Dota has a stronger presence in Eastern Europe. While Western EU and NA have decently strong Dota 2 playerbases too, they are not as prevalent as in the East - especially Russia. There Dota 2's is one of the most popular computer games period alongside CS GO. Japan is listed under cons for a reason.

• Loads of competition in house. Half-Life's a game Sakurai has praised, so he might look at Gordon Freeman instead. TF2 is something that the hardcore Smash fanbase favors in general. And Portal's no slouch either. While Left 4 Dead doesn't look likely, there's that too. LoL does not have this issue.

Cons:

• Like most Valve properties, no Nintendo presence at all. It's especially an issue for Dota 2 since it's a time-consuming game and thus less cross-pollination with Nintendo compared to say TF2, and while it's a courtesy from Sakurai's PoV, the courtesy would no doubt help.

• Nigh-on obscure in Japan. If there's a major roadblock for Nintendo when it comes to DLC or third parties, then this is it. LoL at least has a notable presence in the country, and it's partly due to Riot making a more concerted marketing effort. Valve lets Steam do the marketing generally, which isn't neccessarily a winner in a country where Steam's not had a strong foothold to begin with IIRC. Half-Life does not either have this problem to such an extent, which might relegate Dota 2 to NPC status... and a lot of Dota 2 fans would be fine with that (incl. me), since expectations for Smash are very low to begin with.

• Might be a bit difficult to get a consensus pick than LoL. There are several very popular characters that could work really well - but some of the most popular characters, like the Skill Shot Abomination called Pudge and the main "I Wanna be irritating to my opponents and carry the game" character Sniper (voiced by TF2's Heavy / Demoman, not TF2 Sniper: "HO HO HA HA" is burned into many Dota players' minds) are more suited for AT status honestly. That said, Dota 2 has some amazing AT potential too if that ever happens because Dota 2's stuns and other abilities are generally bonkers.

I know autocombos are common in fighting games but a character who plays the game for you is rigoddamndiculous

. PK Fire. Need I say more?

(Edited)

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I think speculation for Crash does feel like its lost some momentum if only because there's likely some who think that such a significant character feels like one that would have gotten in after two years of DLC. Rationally there's no reason he can't be any of the fighters releasing in 2021 but instinctually there probably is a sense that he feels less likely now than he did a year ago, especially when a Sephiroth gets the big Game Awards reveal instead of him.

 

[Ayumi Tachibana]

I already can see people jumping on for Arcueid and Shiki in Smash from now on.

 

[cothero]

Here is game idea I came up with.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft.
• Credible leaker, King Zell hinted Halo content on Switch not only once, but twice later. Other leaker like Sabi also backed him.
• Despite what the internet describes, Halo 5 was still success on par with previous entry. It's still juggernaut, especially in US. Putting Chief in Smash will boost Smash's popularity even further. Characters with much worse situation got in. With Halo Infinite coming next year, it would be good marketing for that game.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS. So, it definitely deserves place in Smasg.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, I believe in Sakurai's ability to make him fun.
• Xbox France account posted tweet, saying that Master Chief is waitiny invitation. It can be seen as soft deconfirmation, but the guy would most likely be out of loop. Because the deal would've been made among higher up, not some random guy running official twitter account.

Con

• Steve's inclusion makes him less likely as there hasn't been a case of 3rd party company double dipping in the same pass.
• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merch made Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite.

Unless Sakurai breaks his own rule about not putting characters from franchices that have never been in a Nintendo platform, i could see this happening.
And yes, i'm going to repeat mysef before someone points to Joker addition: Persona games have been in Nintendo consoles before Joker got in smash.

 

[RileyXY1]

Unless Sakurai breaks his own rule about not putting characters from franchices that have never been in a Nintendo platform, i could see this happening.
And yes, i'm going to repeat mysef before someone points to Joker addition: Persona games have been in Nintendo consoles before Joker got in smash.

I don't think such a rule exists, as Sakurai sees a Nintendo console appearance as a courtesy, not a requirement.

 

[Guynamednelson]

a country where Steam's not had a strong foothold to begin with IIRC.

Left 4 Dead wouldn't have gotten a Japanese arcade game if it didn't have a decently-sized Japanese fandom, although Japan is still a nation where PC gaming is niche.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Unless Sakurai breaks his own rule about not putting characters from franchices that have never been in a Nintendo platform, i could see this happening.
And yes, i'm going to repeat mysef before someone points to Joker addition: Persona games have been in Nintendo consoles before Joker got in smash.

I believe he later clarified that it was more of a courtesy than a rule; He doesn't want to add characters that Nintendo fans are unaware of, but it's not really that strict.

Also I believe he said characters specifically, not series. Nobody has broken this "rule" either way, but some of them (like Cloud and Joker) really push it.

EDIT: Household names like Master Chief probably bypass the idea altogether since there's not really any chance that any given person hasn't at least seen him.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Of course, that's what allows other characters to emerge, even if that's not fair because of the other top wishes that are present and the limits of the list. It really should have included Chun-Li, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Tales to get a better look about Capcom and Bamco :/

It would be fun to have more comprehensive polls saved on this thread. Before Terry, I made a very small one from comments under a French Youtube video. It was by looking at the top 1 again that I found this poll as fun.

Spoiler: Large graphic

View attachment 297829

When Porky of all characters is the only first party on the list......

Man am I glad Min Min killed the Spirits rule.

 

[Faso115]

Hey Banjo fans lost hope and then he happened.

So the trick is to lose expectations and then Crash will happen