Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Oracle Link]

Hey guys, just want to ask you all about your opinion on this: I’m planning to make a smash animation video and it’s about that last challenger. How likely do you guys think the reveal will come with the September direct next month? Do you think they’ll instead do a final smash direct like they did with smash 4 sometime in November or December?

The leak could be fake tho!
But i guess:

Spoiler: Nintendo direct? Maybe?

A kumazaki Airide would be cool!

 

[ArkSPiTFirE]

I'm guessing final direct in October/November. Sakurai said it would take a while, so I don't know why people assumed 3 months is enough when that seems like a normal amount of time. Min Min was 5 months.

 

[Perkilator]

I'm guessing final direct in October/November. Sakurai said it would take a while, so I don't know why people assumed 3 months is enough when that seems like a normal amount of time. Min Min was 5 months.

"A while" is more of a subjective term. IIRC, the team is working on multiple characters at once, so I think a good chunk of prgress can be made in 2-3 months.

 

[Inferno7]

The biggest curse of Smash Bros is that you can never play a video game ever again without thinking:

“Damn, I kinda want this character in Smash now.” atleast once in your life.

— Dee-Pad (@Destructo_Dan) August 3, 2021

Tis a curse that plagues us all.

Nah not really, simply playing a game is not enough for me to wish for a character inclusion in Smash, I'm not that gullible. There are several factors for me to wish for an inclusion in Smash that go beyond "I like this game ergo I have a new MW".

I mostly care about the characters on an individual basis, I'd rather it be a good inclusion instead of a literal who from a game I've played just for the sake of representing it.

Generally speaking, it goes like this:
-Is this character's design good?
-Do I like him and his games?
-Is he a badass?
-Would he actually fit my playstyle and have cool/flashy moves?
Last part is specially concerning since I've seen many people wishing for a character in Smash, then not even bother with playing them at all after the fact (for instance, Ridley, K. Rool and Banjo don't seem to have many dedicated players aside from wi-fi warriors).

 

[DarthEnderX]

Not going to lie, that photo is me when explaining to the people who call Knuckles' Chaotix a spin-off that said game is part of the main canon because the Japanese manual said it takes place several months after Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Uh, a game can be a spinoff game and still take place in the mainline continuity.

Spinoff also refers to side series with divergent gameplay. Not just alternate continuities.

 

[ArkSPiTFirE]

"A while" is more of a subjective term. IIRC, the team is working on multiple characters at once, so I think a good chunk of prgress can be made in 2-3 months.

I know it's vague, but if a while meant the same duration as the times when it wasn't mentioned, then it's totally redundant to mention it. So I think when Sakurai means "while" he simply means, "longer than usual". I think it's only worth mentioning if it's a significant while longer.

Sure I'll hope to hear about something in September but I won't be holding my breath.

 

[Theguy123]

What’s some bold predictions you’ve got but have never really stated them. I’ve got a bold prediction that I’ve been thinking about for a while now

bold prediction - we’re gonna get a smash direct for the last character where we’ll see whoever they are, take down dharkon. A bit into the presentation sakurai will mention that character bringing down dharkon and will vaguely question what does that mean.

At the end sakurai will say that he’s had a blast working on smash ultimate and will give thanks to the fans for its support and then will reveal an expansion pass for world of light which will be a smallish decent carry on of WOL taking place after the 2 villains are taken down by the 2 dlc characters

this will be the bonus content that was found on website. Very bold prediction isn’t it. Ones gotta dream.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Maybe the delay is due to the final presentation going all out? Like not so much the character

I’m calling that it will include the bonus content on the site which is three brand new stages with music, and a few other misc features like 2P WoL

and an epic emotional retrospective

 

[3BitSaurus]

Tis a curse that plagues us all.

Nah not really, simply playing a game is not enough for me to wish for a character inclusion in Smash, I'm not that gullible. There are several factors for me to wish for an inclusion in Smash that go beyond "I like this game ergo I have a new MW".

I mostly care about the characters on an individual basis, I'd rather it be a good inclusion instead of a literal who from a game I've played just for the sake of representing it.

To be fair, I can see merit in both statements. I only started supporting 2B and a LoL character years after I played their games, but on the other hand I started wanting Sora and right after playing their games for the first time. The opposite is valid too - Undertale is a big favorite of mine, but I don't want Frisk or Sans as playable.

Ultimately, I guess it really depends on the whole. But it definitely starts with liking the character and game, I suppose.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

The Whole “A while Longer” statement is really off putting. Since its a subjective term, it can be reasonably assumed that 3 Months is considered A While Longer. However, this is the first time Sakurai has made that statement, meaning this could in theory also mean we’ll have to wait longer, maybe till October or up to December.

I’d assume a delay like that would be because something special is planned, but its hard to say for sure. At least with Min Min taking so long it seems to be because of Covid and the team transitioning from Pass 1 to Pass 2.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Really tho

I would like more music introduced in ways that aren’t challenger packs or indie miis

my three bonus stages idea is perfect

like who cares if I don’t get Elma anymore. A Sylvalum stage with bangers from X is JUST as good.

 

[MasterCheef]

Nah not really, simply playing a game is not enough for me to wish for a character inclusion in Smash, I'm not that gullible. There are several factors for me to wish for an inclusion in Smash that go beyond "I like this game ergo I have a new MW".

I mostly care about the characters on an individual basis, I'd rather it be a good inclusion instead of a literal who from a game I've played just for the sake of representing it.

Generally speaking, it goes like this:
-Is this character's design good?
-Do I like him / her and his /her games?
-Is he a badass?
-Would he actually fit my playstyle and have cool/flashy moves?
Last part is specially concerning since I've seen many people wishing for a character in Smash, then not even bother with playing them at all after the fact (for instance, Ridley, K. Rool and Banjo don't seem to have many dedicated players aside from wi-fi warriors).

-Would he actually fit my playstyle and have cool/flashy moves? most important to me.
so happy other individuals think like me

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

The Whole “A while Longer” statement is really off putting. Since its a subjective term, it can be reasonably assumed that 3 Months is considered A While Longer. However, this is the first time Sakurai has made that statement, meaning this could in theory also mean we’ll have to wait longer, maybe till October or up to December.

I’d assume a delay like that would be because something special is planned, but its hard to say for sure. At least with Min Min taking so long it seems to be because of Covid and the team transitioning from Pass 1 to Pass 2.

Could be that the next fighter is also rather complex, like Steve.

 

[Dukefire]

With August and the season of Summer about to end soon, so does the DLC of Smash Ultimate when fall rolls over. Since it has been two months after Kazuya's reveal, no doubt that all of us are getting nervous on who is going to be the last one.

Honestly, since this will be the last presentation as proven that Sakurai is wanting to end DLC, a three month info drop may or may not be happening. Though, the Nintendo Direct is soon to appear somewhere on either September or October.

To make the obvious question, WHO will be the last challenger and which characters will unfortunately get the Mii Costume?

 

[Megadoomer]

The Whole “A while Longer” statement is really off putting. Since its a subjective term, it can be reasonably assumed that 3 Months is considered A While Longer. However, this is the first time Sakurai has made that statement, meaning this could in theory also mean we’ll have to wait longer, maybe till October or up to December.

I’d assume a delay like that would be because something special is planned, but its hard to say for sure. At least with Min Min taking so long it seems to be because of Covid and the team transitioning from Pass 1 to Pass 2.

I wouldn't read too much into it. Back in Brawl, a single post about Lucas (saying that Ness has been Smash "up until now") made people think that Ness was getting cut from the game. Statements don't always translate perfectly or aren't always accurate when taken literally.

 

[Perkilator]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

 

[GilTheGreat19]

To be honest, I can't 100% see the full reveal in the September direct. It could happen, for sure.

I think a hint, followed by a standalone direct a bit later, like later in September or early October would be kinda neat.

 

[Dukefire]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

Not too deep into Gundam models, but that model looks boss on the equipment and armor.
I bet they might use the Gundam bit as "Is this for Smash Bros?" as a gag.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

With August and the season of Summer about to end soon, so does the DLC of Smash Ultimate when fall rolls over. Since it has been two months after Kazuya's reveal, no doubt that all of us are getting nervous on who is going to be the last one.

Honestly, since this will be the last presentation as proven that Sakurai is wanting to end DLC, a three month info drop may or may not be happening. Though, the Nintendo Direct is soon to appear somewhere on either September or October.

To make the obvious question, WHO will be the last challenger and which characters will unfortunately get the Mii Costume?

The last challenger could be almost anyone, barring characters shot down in interviews. I’m still the most confident in Octoling or Off the Hook, weirdly enough. I COULD see Phoenix Wright, Neku Sakuraba if Square double dipped, or a League of Legends champion seeing as how Tencent and Nintendo have been cooperating as of late. MAYBE Apex Legends if it’s timing was before FP2 was finalized but I kinda doubt that.

as for miis, I just want to see an indie Swordfighter with a song. We got two indie gunners with songs and one indie brawler with a song. Oh yeah, and I’m also super confident in a Monokuma (Danganronpa) Mii

 

[Theguy123]

To be honest, I can't 100% see the full reveal in the September direct. It could happen, for sure.

I think a hint, followed by a standalone direct a bit later, like later in September or early October would be kinda neat.

If it happens in October then I look forward to the 24/7 “last character is king boo” 4chan posts and everyone bringing him up.

Sarcasm for anyone who can’t tell.

 

[XorahnGaia]

The thing about the "a while before the announcement" comment from Sakurai is that if you really wanna take it as "don't expect the last fighter to come out before October" then you have to either come off from the assumption that we won't get a September General Direct (which is unlikely considering that it's the most consistent time slot for getting directs) or that for some reason they won't mention Smash in said Direct (which even more unlikely considering that Nintendo knows very well that Smash gets more eyeballs than usual to watch their presentations).

Idk, I think people are overthinking that line a bit too much

 

[Rie Sonomura]

ok but imagine the chaos if we get one last guessing game

the pass started with one

so it’s only fair it ends with one.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Maybe the delay is due to the final presentation going all out? Like not so much the character

I’m calling that it will include the bonus content on the site which is three brand new stages with music, and a few other misc features like 2P WoL

and an epic emotional retrospective

Echoes! Echoes! Echoes!

To make the obvious question, WHO will be the last challenger and which characters will unfortunately get the Mii Costume?

Ryu Hayabusa.

Bill Rizer/Lance Bean Mii Gunners
Crono Mii Swordsman
Billy Lee/Jimmy Lee Mii Brawlers

 

[Theguy123]

ok but imagine the chaos if we get one last guessing game

the pass started with one

so it’s only fair it ends with one.

who’d fit this. I’m not that huge into games these days so the only category I could see this being for would be assist, apex legends as it’s been talked about in this thread over the last few days and that’s about it so I’m genuinely curious to know who this could fit for

 

[GilTheGreat19]

I also am curious about if PracticalBrush12 is gonna drop the name the hour before lol

 

[FreeFox]

Strangely enough, the last character isnt what I am most interested of finding out. I want to know the most if the empty space of the second pass means something and what exactly it is if it ends up being something.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I also am curious about if PracticalBrush12 is gonna drop the name the hour before lol

Seeing as how literally NOBODY got Kazuya, I doubt it

 

[Phoenixio]

I know it's vague, but if a while meant the same duration as the times when it wasn't mentioned, then it's totally redundant to mention it. So I think when Sakurai means "while" he simply means, "longer than usual". I think it's only worth mentioning if it's a significant while longer.

To all of you arguing about what "a while" means, you're all forgetting the context: he said that during a presentation that aired for E3., where multiple reveals have happened. It's clear to me that the expression was just there to say that the next character wasn't coming out right away and we'd have to wait still. Also remember that he speaks Japanese and never actually said "a while". Translators chose that expression. So no panic is needed, and if it truly is the last character, then all their efforts are on that and we can probably expect the same release period as usual.

 

[Dinoman96]

The thing about the "a while before the announcement" comment from Sakurai is that if you really wanna take it as "don't expect the last fighter to come out before October" then you have to either come off from the assumption that we won't get a September General Direct (which is unlikely considering that it's the most consistent time slot for getting directs) or that for some reason they won't mention Smash in said Direct (which even more unlikely considering that Nintendo knows very well that Smash gets more eyeballs than usual to watch their presentations).

Idk, I think people are overthinking that line a bit too much

Exactly.

With the very lone exception of February 2019 (Joker was revealed prematurely at TGA 2018), there's been at least one Smash reveal at every General Direct since the game's announcement back in March 2018. And with Nintendo doing a proper Q1 and E3 Direct this year, there's surely to be a usual September Direct as well.

That being said, I do think there's a small possiblity that instead of a reveal, we could get get a teaser for a special standalone Smash broadcast with the last reveal like a week or two later, if they really want to make this a bigger deal.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

Oh my god that looks so cool

 

[The Rhythm Theif]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

And it is a thing of beauty.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

Could be that the next fighter is also rather complex, like Steve.

I don’t think so, Steve still released in time with the others so complexity seems to be something the team can handle with their current pace.

 

[Theguy123]

Could be that the next fighter is also rather complex, like Steve.

if they do have a really complex move set then I’m curious to know what type of characters could require being pushed back ages. I don’t know many characters but I can think of a few but I’d be being biased.

 

[chocolatejr9]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

I mean, we know Japan wants Gundam in Smash...

 

[pupNapoleon]

So yesterday I decided to finally do something I've been trying to for a few months now: I turned on my Wii again and replayed all of SSE for the first time in over 10 years.

I wanted to do it just because I started having doubts about whether or not I was being blinded by nostalgia goggles. Now I can safely say that it's not the case. As far as I'm concerned, The Subspace Emissary is the best single player experience to ever grace Smash.

Firstly, it's far shorter than I remembered - to the point where I think a seasoned payer can clear it all in one sitting. Secondly, I felt that the "beat'em'up-esque" sections were never boring and the ambushes rarely overstayed their welcome. Though I do have a problem with some moving sections. But overall, walking through levels was a very fun experience. There's a bunch of interesting mechanics and puzzles too, which I feel bring some variety to the table.

I can see why it ate so much dev time - and because of that, I kinda wished Sakurai and the team had reused more stuff from the existing stages and more enemies from existing series rather than try to make so much from scratch. Would have given the world more personality too - very few areas seem actually inspired by Nintendo worlds, like Skyworld and the Ice Climbers area.

As for the setpieces and the story, it's amazing how they managed to create some interesting moments out of a crossover story where pretty much no one talks. Plenty of great moments, like Lucas' mini character arc, Meta Knight and Marth fighting back to back, Captain Falcon accidentally killing like a dozen Pikmin while landing from a midair Falcon Punch... there are some things that go unexplained unless you read Sakurai's blog posts, but otherwise it's very solid.

I really wish the Smash team didn't focus so much on people uploading cutscenes from the internet and tried to give a similar experience in 4 and Ultimate. Smash Run is close, but it's not a substitute, and WoL seemed more and more flawed with every run I made. I wish they saw that watching the SSE cutscenes is not a substitute for the mode. It's some of the best times I've had with a single player mode in Smash, and I'm sad to see this great concept or a mode go like that.

I'm curious...probably aside, what if Sakurai were leaving this Smash Bros, to go on to assist in a Smash Bros movie?

 

[SKX31]

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

The mental image of him putting it together is pretty damn wholesome - and it's nice to see that he has enough spare time to do that.

I don’t think so, Steve still released in time with the others so complexity seems to be something the team can handle with their current pace.

It's also worth noting that Kazuya did release on the kinda-sorta standard 3 month(-ish) "time table" (for lack of a better term) despite Sakurai not having the Presents ready by the time Kazuya was revealed. And I'm presuming that the main reason why the Presents was not ready was the moveset - lest we forget:

• 8 tilts + including the 10 hit as one of two jab strings.
• 4 attacks done while crouched (incl. one that's done while uncrouching).
• 3 attacks done out of a Crouch Dash - of which WGF has the EWGF variant. All three are command inputs.
• A special command input throw.
• Making Rage Art useable with grab, Down B and the WGF motion out of Crouch Dash respectively.
• All the above + more standard attacks like Smash Attacks and B moves.

Sure, that's not "reworking every stage so a character works properly" but it's still a major task.

 

[pupNapoleon]

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 much rather just get separate charactes. If they wanted to redesign this character for the base game- sure. But by now? No more links. The masks aren't relevant anymore. Just create three separate characters to add to the game, from Hyrule. Or hell, add four and make it each of the Champions.

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.

I could agree with you if they... really changed anything. But they didn't do much at all. Maybe in their minds that is just the best that they could do- and I do wonder if they would have bothered to do more if they had more time (given the stage, it's hard to say. They chose a stage that... theoretically shows the view and awe of BotW, but is ultimately, completely insignificant as far as giving us a stage that feels like BotW, down to the stage mechanic of the structure breakdown being completely made up).
I've said it before- but I'd have been content if Link had a few more changes. His up special could have functioned identically to his current, but still been Revali's gale. His shield could be Daruk's. His side smash attack could be a field of electricity for Urbosa's fury. He could have all of these characters visually appeal for the moves- and Mipha for respawn. It wouldn't have had to change his gameplay at all.
If they wanted to change his gameplay- I'd have added another rune or two.

 

[RoboFist]

The biggest curse of Smash Bros is that you can never play a video game ever again without thinking:

“Damn, I kinda want this character in Smash now.” atleast once in your life.

— Dee-Pad (@Destructo_Dan) August 3, 2021

Tis a curse that plagues us all.

No joke.

A while ago, a group of people on here made a small but impassioned argument in favor of getting a Fighter to represent the Style Savvy franchise. It was so damn compelling that I not only 100% bought into it, but I also ended up purchasing some of the games for myself (as someone who finds "sim-style" games hopelessly boring, even I have to admit that Style Savvy is weirdly addicting...).

It doesn't help that Masahiro Sakurai is such a deranged genius that he really could make any character work in Smash. This is the guy who looked at the personal trainer from a seemingly-generic fitness game, the unplayable dog from a duck hunting simulator, and the nondescript stick men from a series of LCD games and said "Yeah, I can give them all special moves and tilts."

It's why I'm always championing characters like the Prince from Katamari Damacy, Chell from Portal, or an actual Tetromino. Because even if we would be at a loss as to how they could play, Sakurai is like Batman: Give him enough prep time and he could make anything work.

To me, that's half the fun.

So yeah, you better believe that one of the biggest motivators that got me through Ring Fit Adventure was "I need to unlock the rest of her costumes so I can know what her possible alts would be."

作った。
ピンセットが無いから、デカールはまた今度貼る… pic.twitter.com/LNsZjMsjGq

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 3, 2021

Sakurai put his Gundam together.

And so another domino falls, leading us ever closer to our inevitable mech Fighter...

 

[Oracle Link]

I wonder why goku

gets so much hate if these things exist:

(and yeah i tried getting a bad minions pic didnt take long!)

 

[pupNapoleon]

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.

My turn!

Spoiler

1. Mario: I'd go with Captain Toad, with Toadette alts. We would be getting two more characters, but with one moveset, and most importantly- new movesets, characters from the newest Mario spinoff (it's a lot of fun and a unique idea, try it!), and the most missing Mario characters. I'd put Paper Mario second- though I think it should count as a separate series. I'd also be happy with Koopa Troopa or King Boo. Am I missing someone?
2. Wario: Waluigi. He hasn't debuted...yet... but I think that is also a mistake. Perhaps he is being saved to be revealed for this new Warioware game, which focuses on two player action? I think that is the best case scenario for all.
3. Yoshi: Kamek. If we get another, Kamek. But another option would be Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. I think they could work as an Ice Climbers echo, or just be a solo character with alts.
4. Donkey Kong: Dixie Kong. There's no other answer. There's no tag team. It's just, straight forward, Dixie Kong.
5. Kirby: For the children- Bandana Dee. He is prominent enough now, and more than recognizable enough. His spear mechanics actually do offer greatly unique gameplay.
6. Metroid: I don't actually think we need anyone. If EMMI turns out to be a bit hit...maybe. I don't think we need #5.
7. Zelda: The hardest one of all. Personally, I think the only way to do it right is to add all four Champions as separate characters. Even then, maybe even add Impa as an echo.
8. Pokemon: Meowth/Team Rocket was a hugely missed opportunity. Cheat-esque mechanics could be easy- trapping characters in Pokeballs, pummeling the field with different Pokemon flash animations (yes- of course a Wobbuffett counter). After this, next is Eevee. Add in all evolutions and a unique mechanic. This changes visuals and one stat (movement speed, attack speed, specials strength, smash strenght, specials defense, smash defense, jump...). This may be the top choice. Afterwards- Rillaboom. Greninja, Incineroar, Rillaboom, in succession.
9. Animal Crossing: Tom Nook. He is next. That's all.
10. Splatoon: Octoling. Variant no more than Isabelle is from Villager (meaning, very aesthetically similar, and an echo works fine).

These are the only first party games currently in, which need a character, in my eyes. Zero, Eggman, Tails...also yes.