Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[SMAASH! Puppy]

what gimmick fighting style we dont have in smash yet?

Grappler

That's not really true. Nobody has a Screw Pile Driver equivalent (except for Kazuya technically), but there are characters that rely on grabs:

• Donkey Kong's Cargo Throw has always been an important part of his game plan.
• They're not standard grapplers, but throw infinites and 0-deaths are usually the Ice Climbers's win condition.
• Incineroar was designed as a grappler as well, with strong throws and Alolan Whip, which can be a good K.O. move.

Also, most heavy characters have strong command grabs. They don't all K.O., but they often do something differently good if they don't, like how Flame Choke forces a tech chase.

 

[Perkilator]

Woe be us.

It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee

Seriously, how have we gone 20 years without an original fighter? pic.twitter.com/BcoVqFoSzj

— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) August 1, 2021

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[ArkSPiTFirE]

Woe be us.

It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee

Seriously, how have we gone 20 years without an original fighter? pic.twitter.com/BcoVqFoSzj

— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) August 1, 2021

Probably an unpopular opinion, but Champion Link is the new Zelda rep. They just replaced the Adult Link slot as always. Of course I'm aware the tweet is talking about the lack of other characters that aren't the triforce users and I'm totally onboard with that (gimme Skull Kid). It's a shame that Zelda gets this treatment but franchises like Fire Emblem insist on new characters each time.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but Champion Link is the new Zelda rep. They just replaced the Adult Link slot as always.

Nah. They treat him as the same character as the previous Link (he's fighter #3, and would be way higher if he was meant to be a new character), and his moveset still has a similar concept (the slower, more powerful Link as opposed to the smaller, faster Links); He's not new, just redesigned.

 

[Evil Trapezium]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[ahemtoday]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Please don't dedicate the resources of three entire characters to three characters that all only appeared in one specific game in the Zelda series.

 

[FreeFox]

Considering how big its impact on the switch has been, I am surprised that LoZ has gotten nothing new in the character department.

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

I would be fine with it. Obviously Fierce Deity has to be the fina smash.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Please don't dedicate the resources of three entire characters to three characters that all only appeared in one specific game in the Zelda series.

Yeah if MM Link ever becomes a thing I'd rather have the forms show up for 1-3 moves at best, not have complete movesets.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

I have a few issues with this: The way Young Link already plays is great. You say Masked Link, so maybe you're talking about them being a separate character than Young Link? Even then, when people said they wanted more The Legend of Zelda Characters, I don't think three more Links is what they had in mind.

At this point, I think the best possible way to add the mask Links is as a part of an EX system where instead of actually using the EX system, Young Link puts on one of the masks to transform into Goron, Deku, or Zora Link, who have powerful moves, but limited use cases to compensate. This way they don't fundamentally change the way Young Link plays, but are also present while also not requiring the work of a character slot. Alternatively, this could just be a Down Special, though Young Link would lose his bombs.

 

[ArkSPiTFirE]

Nah. They treat him as the same character as the previous Link (he's fighter #3, and would be way higher if he was meant to be a new character), and his moveset still has a similar concept (the slower, more powerful Link as opposed to the smaller, faster Links); He's not new, just redesigned.

Yeah I know it's technically the same one but with a redesign, but I think he's clearly intended to be the BotW rep and got some tweaks with that in mind. Unlike Mario who is kind of a mix of the same Mario but across different titles.

I can understand why they did it for Ultimate, gotta cut time somehow, but I would've enjoyed seeing a Link with more shiekah slate powers. I kinda hope after Ultimate some of the originals get bigger reworks to support their newer titles.

 

[PeridotGX]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

So... a fourth Link who only represents one game and requires the work of three newcomers?

No.

 

[Evil Trapezium]

I have a few issues with this: The way Young Link already plays is great. You say Masked Link, so maybe you're talking about them being a separate character than Young Link? Even then, when people said they wanted more The Legend of Zelda Characters, I don't think three more Links is what they had in mind.

At this point, I think the best possible way to add the mask Links is as a part of an EX system where instead of actually using the EX system, Young Link puts on one of the masks to transform into Goron, Deku, or Zora Link, who have powerful moves, but limited use cases to compensate. This way they don't fundamentally change the way Young Link plays, but are also present while also not requiring the work of a character slot. Alternatively, this could just be a Down Special, though Young Link would lose his bombs.

Yeah Masked Link would be a separate character from Young Link. I mean sure you're getting three more Links but they'd play like completely different characters and represent the different species you'd find in the Zelda games and since Link is an important character who can change his form on a dime with the masks, I feel it'd be the best way to represent them.

As for the EX moves, I mean sure that could work but that'd really depend on where Nintendo takes Smash Bros next because if Nintendo's next console isn't graphically intensive enough, they're going to have a tough time implementing different models into things like 8 player smash if that comes back.

 

[ARandomZoomer]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but yes I'd like to see this in smash. Easily one of the most distinct takes on Link.

 

[Jerry98]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Not a bad concept, but another Link...
Gimme Skull Kid instead!

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Yeah Masked Link would be a separate character from Young Link. I mean sure you're getting three more Links but they'd play like completely different characters and represent the different species you'd find in the Zelda games and since Link is an important character who can change his form on a dime with the masks, I feel it'd be the best way to represent them.

Yeah they are three different species, but they are still all Link. If you really wanted to go down this route, three of the Champions would be a better play.

 

[Schnee117]

Masked Link is still ultimately another Link and people have been vocal about wanting a Zelda character that isn't another version of an already existing one. And none of the moveset ideas sound great. You either make three new movesets for Zora, Deku and Goron Link or you take the Byleth route with specific directions being for the specific species which is either a ton of workload or an extremely unsatisfying moveset which still requires separate models be made anyway.

Just add a Zora

Just add a Goron

There aren't really any Deku Scrub characters so add a Korok like Hestu and his Golden Turds lol

 

[Mushroomguy12]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

In a vacuum as a purely fan concept this would be a cool idea. But in a world where characters take a lot of resources to develop even one, having to develop the work of three newcomers for just another Link variant would pretty much make it so that the odds of getting a Zelda newcomer that would actually be a new character extremely low for a very long time.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I know I’ve done this game before but I made a thread for it now:

WoL - If the DLC were on the WoL maps, where should they be?

Pretty self explanatory title, this is a “what if” type thing like if the DLC characters were actually unlocked the hard way in the WoL mode by actually fighting them in awakening battles (you could still use them freely after purchase in all modes minus WoL). I think it’ll break immersion a lot...

smashboards.com

Say, I think I have templates of the Light/Dark WoL awakening battles, anyone willing to make mock-ups for the ones I specify?

 

[Evil Trapezium]

Yeah they are three different species, but they are still all Link. If you really wanted to go down this route, three of the Champions would be a better play.

Well technically he has the spirits of Mikau, Darmani and the butler's son inside the masks so they'd be kind of different characters.

In a vacuum as a purely fan concept this would be a cool idea. But in a world where characters take a lot of resources to develop even one, having to develop the work of three newcomers for just another Link variant would pretty much make it so that the odds of getting a Zelda newcomer that would actually be a new character extremely low for a very long time.

To be fair, the chances of getting a Zelda newcomer already that aren't part of the triforce trio are already so down rock bottom that it probably wouldn't feel any different.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Ah crap, the WoL awakening battle template tweet I had saved is either deleted or the person who tweeted it privated

any other way to get the template, like just the background (denoting either Galeem or Dharkon in control), text, stage, battle type (red, blue, green, purple) and you just edit in the character’s name?

 

[Perkilator]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

I'd rather they just be Young Link's new specials (with Fierce Deity being the Final Smash that should've been there for Ultimate in the first place).

 

[DarthEnderX]

Woe be us.

It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee

Seriously, how have we gone 20 years without an original fighter? pic.twitter.com/BcoVqFoSzj

— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) August 1, 2021

"It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee"

Since Brawl. Toon Link is from Brawl.

Yeah Masked Link would be a separate character from Young Link.

Not if they were like "We're updating Young Link's moveset with a bunch of MM stuff."

 

[MarioRaccoon]

Its true that The Legend of Zelda series only has as fighters from triforce trio (Link, Zelda and Ganandorf) with variants (Young and Toon Link, Sheik) but every 3D mainline game has a stage (OoT, MM, WW, TP, SS and BOTW). In addition, there is a boss, specific WoL area, 4 ATs from popular one-game characters, 8 items, 4 mii costumes, 8 new remixes (+ 37 from previous games) and +90 spirits.

 

[RoboFist]

I asked the question on twitter and people seem to agree with me that a Pokemon Trainer esque styled Masked Link would be a great way to represent Zelda. What do you all think? This doesn't have to be in the Fighters Pass and can be an addition for a later Smash Bros game if it helps you to visualise them better.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

See, I think this is what a majority of us were hoping (maybe even assuming) Young Link was going to be this time around. Especially since both Sheik and Ganondorf seemingly covered the Ocarina of Time base. Maybe it would've been too much giving him three unique transformations on top of, y'know, being Young Link, but not giving him Fierce Deity as his Final Smash is one of the most baffling decisions in a game filled with baffling decisions.

I honestly would've settled for giving him the Mirror Shield and Razor Sword like most of the Majora's Mask promo art. Hell, even just giving him a purple alt to reference the game's color scheme! Something! It's crazy the amount of potential lost when bringing him back...

And while I would also much prefer Skull Kid, I think making a mask-focused Young Link would better fit for an overall Zelda rep. Zoras, Gorons, and Deku Scrubs are three of the most iconic species in the entire Zelda canon and this would be a great way to integrate all three of them. It wouldn't just be a one-off character from a single game, since Nintendo apparently wants to avoid those in Smash when it comes to Zelda specifically...I guess?

Question guys, imagine for just a second that we will get 2 third party characters from the same company in FP2. So, that means that CP11 is either a Microsoft, Square-Enix or Bandai-Namco rep, who do you want???

Microsoft - Master Chief, Joanna Dark, Marcus Phoenix, Battletoads, etc
Square-Enix - 2B, Geno, Chrono, Sora, etc
Bandai-Namco - Agumon, Chosen Undead, KOS-MOS, The Prince, etc.

Microsoft - Eh, I don't love the idea of Microsoft getting three reps in Smash, even if both B&K and Steve are only "Microsoft" reps by technicality (B&K are outliers since they were Nintendo characters first and a majority of their fans still know them best from their N64 glory days; Steve/Minecraft were representative of the indie scene and household names long before Microsoft bought them). I guess if I had to pick, I'd continue with that mindset and pick Doomguy as our Bethesda rep.

Square-Enix - A big part of me wants to pick Geno just to make Ultimate feel complete. Another part of me wants to pick Crono so we could get some of that gorgeous Chrono Trigger music in the game. But I'm going to be selfish and say Neku because, dammit Sephiroth, if you weren't one of the most iconic villains in video game history, Neku was totally primed and ready to take your spot!

Bandai-Namco - I'm not a Digimon fan, per se, but I think that the "digital pet" genre is so important to Bandai and it's weird that it hasn't gotten any representation in Ultimate. Agumon would fit right in. But I'd also love to see what Sakurai does with a Katamari Damacy moveset...Ah, who am I kidding, I didn't even get a Soul Calibur Mii Swordfighter costume, so I'd use these hypothetical god powers to force Nightmare in, complete with an Ostrheinsburg Chapel stage and finally give "Under the Star of Destiny" the respect it's always deserved.

I think what Theguy123 is trying to say is that it would be like saying duck hunt is good FPS representation. It might fall within the genre but its totally not the best example to represent the genre as a whole.

I take great umbrage with this bold-faced lie. Exhibit A:

Just my two cents, I think both Arle and Chell would be phenomenal puzzle reps. Arle would be a perfect choice for the more old-school arcade style of puzzles, while Chell would be great for the more physics-based, 3D puzzles. I think both of their designs are cool and they'd both bring choice music, so either would be fun ways to end the pass for me.

A part of me still wants to end of Ayumi Tachibana, for some reason. I can't get the image out of my head of a younger Sakurai mapping out Melee and wanting to put a high school detective girl on the roster. I know her games didn't make the splash Nintendo was hoping for, but she'd be such a bizarre and heartwarming full-circle-esque choice to me.

 

[Gengar84]

"It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee"

Since Brawl. Toon Link is from Brawl.

Not if they were like "We're updating Young Link's moveset with a bunch of MM stuff."

I don’t know if I really consider Toon Link a completely new character to be fair. He was basically just a replacement for Young Link as another lightweight Link clone.

 

[spicynun]

Question guys, imagine for just a second that we will get 2 third party characters from the same company in FP2. So, that means that CP11 is either a Microsoft, Square-Enix or Bandai-Namco rep, who do you want???

Microsoft - Master Chief, Joanna Dark, Marcus Phoenix, Battletoads, etc
Square-Enix - 2B, Geno, Chrono, Sora, etc
Bandai-Namco - Agumon, Chosen Undead, KOS-MOS, The Prince, etc.

Microsoft - Master Chief
Square-Enix - 2B, Sora, Geno, Vivi, Neku, Crono, Rindo
Bandai-Namco - Chosen Undead, KOS-MOS, The Prince, Klonoa, Mr. Driller, Nightmare, Yuri, Kite

 

[MasterCheef]

"It’s still baffling that Zelda, one of Nintendo’s biggest series hasn’t had a newcomer in Smash since Melee"

Since Brawl. Toon Link is from Brawl.

Paya / Impa from Legend of Zelda; BOTW sequel = Bonus DLC Rep of Fighters Pass 2​

1 It is exceedingly suspicious we have not gotten a new ( Age of Calamity ) Amiibo for Impa

2 As for Impa already having a spirit; we have already seen 3 Nintendo reps get upgraded to playable fighters

3 in the Mario Rapper leak; A bonus character from Zelda will release alongside or shortly after the Capcom character

3.1 https://screenrant.com/smash-bros-ultimate-extra-dlc-fighter-website-leak/

4 Shigeru Miyamoto; Maker of LoZ series most likely influenced Shuntaro Furukawa to include Paya / Impa

 

[Gengar84]

Paya / Impa from Legend of Zelda; BOTW sequel = Bonus DLC Rep of Fighters Pass 2​

1 It is exceedingly suspicious we have not gotten a new ( Age of Calamity ) Amiibo for Impa

2 As for Impa already having a spirit; we have already seen 3 Nintendo reps get upgraded to playable fighters

3 in the Mario Rapper leak; A bonus character from Zelda will release alongside or shortly after the Capcom character

3.1 https://screenrant.com/smash-bros-ultimate-extra-dlc-fighter-website-leak/

4 Shigeru Miyamoto; Maker of LoZ series most likely influenced Shuntaro Furukawa to include Paya / Impa

I think it’s way too late at this point but I’m still hoping for OG Hyrule Warriors Impa. I loved her design in that game and she had two amazing move sets. She would make for a really cool weapon changing stance character using her great sword and naginata.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

As far as adding characters from existing series goes (either in this game or the next), here are who I think would be good picks:

Spoiler

• Super Mario: Waluigi would probably be the best to go with due to the outcry for him. Beyond that, it really doesn't matter. Just wait a game to add another regular enemy like the Goomba and you'll be fine.
• Donkey Kong: Dixie Kong (or Dixie Kong & Kiddy Kong if you wanted to revisit the duo/character swap idea) is pretty much the only good option left. There are still a few memey options that could be well received like Lanky or Kranky Kong, but the character pool is otherwise unexciting for now.
• The Legend of Zelda: Pretty much any character with a major role that isn't Link, Zelda, or Ganondorf. Impa, Girahim, The Skull Kid...even Ganon is acceptable, though maybe not the best case scenario. I'd personally add two characters if one of them is Ganon.
• Metroid: At the moment, the best candidate is the Metroids themselves, but depending on how other characters make a name for themselves in the coming games, that could easily change.
• Yoshi: It literally doesn't matter. Poochy, Kamek, both, none, take your pick.
• Pokémon: Nothing I say here matters because we all know the next character will be a Generation 9, 10, or perhaps even 11 starter. There are a ton of good and better candidates, but they're not getting in anytime soon unless they become like Mewtwo or something to "warrant" going back for them.
• Earthbound: Porky. It's just Porky. Not a necessity, just a fun idea.
  • Later on down the line, pretty much any of the party members from Earthbound and Mother 3 could add a bit more variety to the cast, but they aren't entirely necessary either.
• F-Zero: Black Shadow and Samurai Goroh are pretty much the only two characters people are interested in at present.
  • Blood Falcon would make a neat alternate costume if you made the final tweaks necessary. I suppose that would probably involve giving him blood effects instead of fire though huh...I would personally try and see what I could get away with, but it would be fine if we had to settle for just red flames as opposed to Captain Falcon's orange ones.
• Other: N/A
• Fire Emblem: There are a lot of options, but it would probably be best to just chill with characters from this series for now, then reel everyone back in with someone cool.
• Kid Icarus: Hades, Medusa, and Viridi would be pretty interesting. Varying levels of unnecessary, but interesting nonetheless.
• WarioWare: Ashley of course.
  • Maybe one day Wario Land can get some recognition as well...
• Metal Gear: Raiden aaaaand...I honestly don't know.
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Dr. Eggman...Take your pick.
• Pikmin: The current character kind of covers the entire series's gameplay, but Alph could add some things as an Echo Fighter or clone character. You could also add a Bulborb or the Plasm Wraith or something but like...why?
• Animal Crossing: Tom Nook and K.K. Slider are good choices. The animal villagers could work as an Echo Fighter of Villager (call 'em Resident). There are probably a few other choices, but I would stick with Tom Nook in terms of the next full character.
• Mega Man: Depends. If you want an Echo Fighter, than Proto Man, and probably Bass would work just fine. Dr. Wily is a decent choice for a classic eddition, but I think the better way to go would be to add Mega Man X or Zero to cover more of the series.
• Wii Fit: Don't.
• PUNCH-OUT!!: OK, setting aside worries on how they'd be designed, PUNCH-OUT!! does have its fair share of standout characters.
  • Glass Joe would probably have to be a joke character in order to be faithful to him, but it could be kind of funny if he was used to poke fun at Little Mac's previous design if you fixed it, and gave Glass Joe all the same problems and none of the strengths. I personally don't like making characters intentionally weak though.
  • King Hippo might be fun, though they'd probably have to pull out all the stops to make him functional.
  • Soda Popinski could be decently interesting with some sort of powerup mechanic involving his "soda".
  • And of course, they could always add definitely not Mike Tyson Mr. Sandman.
• Super Smash Bros. (Mii): For a Super Smash Bros. original character, Master Hand would probably be the least divisive choice. For the Miis, add a Mii Caster for the magical flavour.
• PAC-Man: Ms. PAC-Man in any way, shape or form would be nice.
• Xenoblade Chronicles: I can tell this is going to end up being a "new protagonists only" series like Pokémon and Fire Emblem before it, but if they do miraculously add a character that isn't that, Elma, and any non-spoilery playable character from the first game are all good choices.
• Street Fighter: Chun-Li. There are a few other reasonable options like Akuma or Zangief, but I think Chun-Li would be the best option due to her popularity and differences from Ryu and Ken. Street Fighter is more than just shotos after all.
• Final Fantasy VII: None. Just expand the series beyond a single timeline already. There's more to Final Fantasy than Final Fantasy VII as great as it is.
• Bayonetta: I dunno.
• Splatoon: The Octolings would probably be the best option. There are some potentially fun other options like D.J. Octavio, but I'd go with the Octolings first.
• Castlevania: Alucard.
• Persona: I'd go with Yu, but the series works like Fire Emblem and Xenoblade Chronicles so it's likely that we'll never see a Persona character from anything pre Persona 5.
• Dragon Quest: Slime.
• Banjo-Kazooie: Gruntilda could be fun I guess.
• Fatal Fury: I don't really know who's specifically from Fatal Fury other than Terry. His series's scope goes way beyond Fatal Fury though, so looking at all of SNK, I'd probably add Kyo next.
• ARMS: Spring Man and Ribbon Girl.
• Minecraft: I think Minecraft characters other than Steve go into unnecessary territory, but if you did add something it probably wouldn't matter what.
• Tekken: Heihachi and Jin.

 

[RoboFist]

Paya / Impa from Legend of Zelda; BOTW sequel = Bonus DLC Rep of Fighters Pass 2​

1 It is exceedingly suspicious we have not gotten a new ( Age of Calamity ) Amiibo for Impa

2 As for Impa already having a spirit; we have already seen 3 Nintendo reps get upgraded to playable fighters

3 in the Mario Rapper leak; A bonus character from Zelda will release alongside or shortly after the Capcom character

3.1 https://screenrant.com/smash-bros-ultimate-extra-dlc-fighter-website-leak/

4 Shigeru Miyamoto; Maker of LoZ series most likely influenced Shuntaro Furukawa to include Paya / Impa

Honestly, I'd be down for Impa, especially since she now has not one but two absolutely killer new Smash-ready designs. I can completely appreciate how she's more reoccurring and important as opposed to other characters I wanted in, like Midna/Wolf Link, Tetra, Skull Kid, etc.

But only if she has a pale-green-skinned alt referencing when she got possessed by Veran in Oracle of Ages. Because I want Nintendo to acknowledge the Oracle games again...for once...

 

[Rie Sonomura]

As far as adding characters from existing series goes (either in this game or the next), here are who I think would be good picks:

Spoiler

• Super Mario: Waluigi would probably be the best to go with due to the outcry for him. Beyond that, it really doesn't matter. Just wait a game to add another regular enemy like the Goomba and you'll be fine.
• Donkey Kong: Dixie Kong (or Dixie Kong & Kiddy Kong if you wanted to revisit the duo/character swap idea) is pretty much the only good option left. There are still a few memey options that could be well received like Lanky or Kranky Kong, but the character pool is otherwise unexciting for now.
• The Legend of Zelda: Pretty much any character with a major role that isn't Link, Zelda, or Ganondorf. Impa, Girahim, The Skull Kid...even Ganon is acceptable, though maybe not the best case scenario. I'd personally add two characters if one of them is Ganon.
• Metroid: At the moment, the best candidate is the Metroids themselves, but depending on how other characters make a name for themselves in the coming games, that could easily change.
• Yoshi: It literally doesn't matter. Poochy, Kamek, both, none, take your pick.
• Pokémon: Nothing I say here matters because we all know the next character will be a Generation 9, 10, or perhaps even 11 starter. There are a ton of good and better candidates, but they're not getting in anytime soon unless they become like Mewtwo or something to "warrant" going back for them.
• Earthbound: Porky. It's just Porky. Not a necessity, just a fun idea.
  • Later on down the line, pretty much any of the party members from Earthbound and Mother 3 could add a bit more variety to the cast, but they aren't entirely necessary either.
• F-Zero: Black Shadow and Samurai Goroh are pretty much the only two characters people are interested in at present.
  • Blood Falcon would make a neat alternate costume if you made the final tweaks necessary. I suppose that would probably involve giving him blood effects instead of fire though huh...I would personally try and see what I could get away with, but it would be fine if we had to settle for just red flames as opposed to Captain Falcon's orange ones.
• Other: N/A
• Fire Emblem: There are a lot of options, but it would probably be best to just chill with characters from this series for now, then reel everyone back in with someone cool.
• Kid Icarus: Hades, Medusa, and Viridi would be pretty interesting. Varying levels of unnecessary, but interesting nonetheless.
• WarioWare: Ashley of course.
  • Maybe one day Wario Land can get some recognition as well...
• Metal Gear: Raiden aaaaand...I honestly don't know.
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Dr. Eggman...Take your pick.
• Pikmin: The current character kind of covers the entire series's gameplay, but Alph could add some things as an Echo Fighter or clone character. You could also add a Bulborb or the Plasm Wraith or something but like...why?
• Animal Crossing: Tom Nook and K.K. Slider are good choices. The animal villagers could work as an Echo Fighter of Villager (call 'em Resident). There are probably a few other choices, but I would stick with Tom Nook in terms of the next full character.
• Mega Man: Depends. If you want an Echo Fighter, than Proto Man, and probably Bass would work just fine. Dr. Wily is a decent choice for a classic eddition, but I think the better way to go would be to add Mega Man X or Zero to cover more of the series.
• Wii Fit: Don't.
• PUNCH-OUT!!: OK, setting aside worries on how they'd be designed, PUNCH-OUT!! does have its fair share of standout characters.
  • Glass Joe would probably have to be a joke character in order to be faithful to him, but it could be kind of funny if he was used to poke fun at Little Mac's previous design if you fixed it, and gave Glass Joe all the same problems and none of the strengths. I personally don't like making characters intentionally weak though.
  • King Hippo might be fun, though they'd probably have to pull out all the stops to make him functional.
  • Soda Popinski could be decently interesting with some sort of powerup mechanic involving his "soda".
  • And of course, they could always add definitely not Mike Tyson Mr. Sandman.
• Super Smash Bros. (Mii): For a Super Smash Bros. original character, Master Hand would probably be the least divisive choice. For the Miis, add a Mii Caster for the magical flavour.
• PAC-Man: Ms. PAC-Man in any way, shape or form would be nice.
• Xenoblade Chronicles: I can tell this is going to end up being a "new protagonists only" series like Pokémon and Fire Emblem before it, but if they do miraculously add a character that isn't that, Elma, and any non-spoilery playable character from the first game are all good choices.
• Street Fighter: Chun-Li. There are a few other reasonable options like Akuma or Zangief, but I think Chun-Li would be the best option due to her popularity and differences from Ryu and Ken. Street Fighter is more than just shotos after all.
• Final Fantasy VII: None. Just expand the series beyond a single timeline already. There's more to Final Fantasy than Final Fantasy VII as great as it is.
• Bayonetta: I dunno.
• Splatoon: The Octolings would probably be the best option. There are some potentially fun other options like D.J. Octavio, but I'd go with the Octolings first.
• Castlevania: Alucard.
• Persona: I'd go with Yu, but the series works like Fire Emblem and Xenoblade Chronicles so it's likely that we'll never see a Persona character from anything pre Persona 5.
• Dragon Quest: Slime.
• Banjo-Kazooie: Gruntilda could be fun I guess.
• Fatal Fury: I don't really know who's specifically from Fatal Fury other than Terry. His series's scope goes way beyond Fatal Fury though, so looking at all of SNK, I'd probably add Kyo next.
• ARMS: Spring Man and Ribbon Girl.
• Minecraft: I think Minecraft characters other than Steve go into unnecessary territory, but if you did add something it probably wouldn't matter what.
• Tekken: Heihachi and Jin.

any non-spoilery playable character from the first game

Guess Mecha-Fiora is doomed huh

but yeah, if there’s no new XC game between now and the next smash, or they do another ballot, Elma’s got a really good shot

especially since X ends on a literal cliffhanger so it’s likely to have a direct sequel with Elma returning

 

[DarthEnderX]

I don’t know if I really consider Toon Link a completely new character to be fair. He was basically just a replacement for Young Link as another lightweight Link clone.

I mean, clearly Sakurai does, since they're both in Ultimate and they have separate numbers. But I agree with you.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Guess Mecha-Fiora is doomed huh

I wouldn't hate it if we did get her, but I would be very disappointed at them becoming the "Sheik is Zelda" of Xenoblade Chronicles. This is not a spoiler that should be so well known.

Also the only reason why I didn't say any Xenoblade Chronicles 2 character is because Rex & Pyra/Mythra needs to be first but I'm probably the only one who would actually want that at this point, so we're stuck with just Pyra/Mythra, which is just a shame.

but yeah, if there’s no new XC game between now and the next smash, or they do another ballot, Elma’s got a really good shot

especially since X ends on a literal cliffhanger so it’s likely to have a direct sequel with Elma returning

Yeah, if the hypothetical Xenoblade Chronicles X2 lines up with the next game then we'll be seeing Elma in Super Smash Bros.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Honestly, I'd be down for Impa, especially since she now has not one but two absolutely killer new Smash-ready designs. I can completely appreciate how she's more reoccurring and important as opposed to other characters I wanted in, like Midna/Wolf Link, Tetra, Skull Kid, etc.

But only if she has a pale-green-skinned alt referencing when she got possessed by Veran in Oracle of Ages. Because I want Nintendo to acknowledge the Oracle games again...for once...

View attachment 325084

Nope, not happening, instead we get that version of Impa as a fighter

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Nope, not happening, instead we get that version of Impa as a fighter

This took my brain a moment to read properly, but it was worth it.

 

[Gengar84]

I wouldn't hate it if we did get her, but I would be very disappointed at them becoming the "Sheik is Zelda" of Xenoblade Chronicles. This is not a spoiler that should be so well known.

Also the only reason why I didn't say any Xenoblade Chronicles 2 character is because Rex & Pyra/Mythra needs to be first but I'm probably the only one who would actually want that at this point, so we're stuck with just Pyra/Mythra, which is just a shame.


Yeah, if the hypothetical Xenoblade Chronicles X2 lines up with the next game then we'll be seeing Elma in Super Smash Bros.

I would be so disappointed if we somehow ended up with Cross/Rook instead of Elma. I could totally see Sakurai doing something like that too with how many avatar characters are already in Smash.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I would be so disappointed if we somehow ended up with Cross/Rook instead of Elma. I could totally see Sakurai doing something like that too with how many avatar characters are already in Smash.

I think Cross makes sense now, but it's hard to say if they would later on down the line. Unless they continue save files like in Mass Effect, I don't see how they could keep Cross within the continuity, and I have a feeling that they'd either ignore, explain away, or kill them offscreen between games. Elma's probably the better choice in the long run. Also she's far and away more popular it seems.

 

[The Rhythm Theif]

See, I think this is what a majority of us were hoping (maybe even assuming) Young Link was going to be this time around. Especially since both Sheik and Ganondorf seemingly covered the Ocarina of Time base. Maybe it would've been too much giving him three unique transformations on top of, y'know, being Young Link, but not giving him Fierce Deity as his Final Smash is one of the most baffling decisions in a game filled with baffling decisions.

I honestly would've settled for giving him the Mirror Shield and Razor Sword like most of the Majora's Mask promo art. Hell, even just giving him a purple alt to reference the game's color scheme! Something! It's crazy the amount of potential lost when bringing him back...

And while I would also much prefer Skull Kid, I think making a mask-focused Young Link would better fit for an overall Zelda rep. Zoras, Gorons, and Deku Scrubs are three of the most iconic species in the entire Zelda canon and this would be a great way to integrate all three of them. It wouldn't just be a one-off character from a single game, since Nintendo apparently wants to avoid those in Smash when it comes to Zelda specifically...I guess?

You do not know how much I agree with you. Also, missed opportunity to say "Majora-ty".


That pun sounded much better in my head, I apologize.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I think Cross makes sense now, but it's hard to say if they would later on down the line. Unless they continue save files like in Mass Effect, I don't see how they could keep Cross within the continuity, and I have a feeling that they'd either ignore, explain away, or kill them offscreen between games. Elma's probably the better choice in the long run. Also she's far and away more popular it seems.

If X gets ported, Cross could survive with the continue save file trick, but they’ve still got too many weapons (and it doesn’t behave like Inkling/Octoling, weapons are tied to skill sets in X) and are too much of a blank slate personality wise. Even Corrin and Byleth have personalities

the narrative focuses most on Elma anyway seeing as how she’s mandatory in literally every story mission, Cross is little more than a player self insert

 

[Cosmic77]

Honestly, Zelda should've gotten the Pokémon/FE treatment in the sense of Sakurai adding the latest characters like Wolf Link and Midna, Girahim, and a BotW Champion. I know timing wouldn't have worked out for a lot of these characters regardless, but man, it stinks knowing the latest Zelda game repped on the roster is Wind Waker, which is quickly approaching its 20th anniversary. BotW is temporary, and sooner or later this Link will be swapped out with a Link from a newer game.

Who knows. Maybe one day we'll see Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and/or Breath of the Wild get a true character on the roster.