Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Gengar84]

Ganondorf and Kerrigan I would classify as human or somewhat cause that's what they started as than later got their new forms, but they still have their old forms. Like Ganondorf, despite becoming Ganon, still has his human/Gerudo form to transform into and aside from a couple like Link to the Past, the human form he changes to is the one he's most familiar with, which is the form in which he was born as.
Kerrigan, despite becoming a Zerg, is still mostly a corrupted Terran and as shown by Starcraft 2, when she gets purified, she is no different from what she was before getting corrupted.
I'm quite positive Magus is human and not non-human.

Yeah, all three could be considered human but look different enough from normal humans that I’d still accept them. Despite being human, Magus visually resembles a vampire more than a normal person. Kerrigan has the crazy hair and blades that sets her apart from other humans and Ganondorf has the green skin and exaggerated facial features so he looks different enough as well.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Excuse me but the what now

The talk that's been going around is that various retailers have new SKU's/Switch hardware that is set to be launched around midnight tonight; that essentially Nintendo will announce some kind of Switch Pro within the next 12 hours.

Given that this is the same item that's been speculated to come out for over two years now, its best to take any kind of leak/claim about such hardware with a grain of salt, even with the momentum it has now.

 

[Megadoomer]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

 

[Paraster]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

I'd be most interested in Bandana Waddle Dee (I like Kirby, and BD himself is cool and cute) or Porky (more EarthBound is nice, his mech could be really interesting, and I still think it's stupid that his only representation in Ultimate is a joke about the Safe Capsule when we have like five different Mario spirits). Octoling is a runner-up (could work as an Echo or an original fighter, I like Splatoon).

Edit: Isaac would also be neat (earth powers would be unique for Smash, and Golden Sun seems deserving of attention even if I've played very little of it).

 

[Noipoi]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

Waluigi, Dixie, or Octolings.

I wouldn’t be hyped for a Pokémon, but I do think it’s be hilarious. So I’d be down with that too.

 

[Louie G.]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

There are plenty of first parties that I would be psyched for. My most wanted character is a first party - Chorus Kids. You could substitute in anyone from Rhythm Heaven, I just want this series to get the love it deserves in Smash more than pretty much anything else.

In fact there are plenty of unrepresented Nintendo IPs I'd love to see join the roster - like Advance Wars and weird ones like Pushmo - on top of supporting characters from some of my favorite series like Kirby (Marx in particular, but I'd be happy with like... literally anyone) and MOTHER (Porky is the correct choice but again, pretty much anyone). A handful of cool retro picks too, like Mach Rider and Lip.

The unfortunate reality is just that none of these characters have much reason to be prioritized as DLC right now. So my expectations are quite low for new first party characters, which is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to blow me away with a totally unexpected really really awesome first party pick. C'mon Nintendo, let me have it! ...Please?

 

[BlondeLombax]

The talk that's been going around is that various retailers have new SKU's/Switch hardware that is set to be launched around midnight tonight; that essentially Nintendo will announce some kind of Switch Pro within the next 12 hours.

Given that this is the same item that's been speculated to come out for over two years now, its best to take any kind of leak/claim about such hardware with a grain of salt, even with the momentum it has now.

Ah. Honestly at this point, I’ll believe it when I see it. Two years’ worth of false rumors backed by reputable sources has completely shut down my belief in it at this point.

 

[Guynamednelson]

which is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to blow me away with a totally unexpected really really awesome first party pick. C'mon Nintendo, let me have it! ...Please?

Well, we should be expecting the unexpected with this DLC anyway. I'm not saying you should think they're locks, but I do think you're being a little too pessimistic about anything you'd really like getting in.

Also for Megadoomer 's question, Isaac.

 

[Technomage]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

The 1st-party I'd like the most is Krystal, but that ain't gonna happen this game.

On the other hand, I would be interested in Porky Minch or a BotW2 rep (like Wild Zelda or Mummy Ganon).

 

[Louie G.]

Well, we should be expecting the unexpected with this DLC anyway. I'm not saying you should think they're locks, but I do think you're being a little too pessimistic about anything you'd really like getting in.

Honestly it's much better to that than to baselessly convince myself that Rhythm Heaven is happening with no game on the horizon and no signs of interest from Nintendo (see: no game on the horizon) or Sakurai (ditched RH in Smash 4 and proceeded to do nothing with it in Ultimate base game). I'm already in too deep with my other MW character, so I'll remain pessimistic about first parties.

"Expect the unexpected" sure, but that isn't means to say I should expect something or find it particularly likely because it's unexpected. Every character is still grounded in some pretty clear reason for being chosen. If Nintendo announces a new RH at E3, by some miracle, then maybe we'd be onto something there... but even then, the timing would probably be off. Blind faith is fine but it really can only go so far.

As for the other characters I want, I dunno. Most of them fall similarly short aside from maybe a Kirby character.
I'd love to be wrong but for now I'll follow the precedent.

 

[Perkilator]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

Bandana Dee, purely to hit that same target Ridley did back in 2018.

 

[Ivander]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

My "No chance" picks are the Ray series from Custom Robo and Dark Matter. So incredibly excited if either happens. Elma would also be very exciting.

My "More Likely" picks that I would be excited for would be Dixie Kong, Medusa and Isaac.

 

[Guynamednelson]

I should expect something or find it particularly likely because it's unexpected

I'm not saying that exactly, I just know that Nintendo/Sakurai clearly aren't just interested in the biggest unrepresented third parties and super, super, super, newer-than-ARMS-and-XC2-were-when-they-got-their-reps first parties. Every DLC character indeed has a clear reason for being chosen, and those reasons aren't just "this is the main protagonist of an absolutely unrepresented franchise in Smash that has at least 10 million fans and got a game last week". That's why you need to have just a little more faith than "they cannot, cannot, CANNOT get in, Master Chief MUST screw my favorites over!"

 

[Dixie Kong]

Dixie Kong and Rayman are my top two. Sadly, Bomberman, Waluigi, Knuckles, and Shadow are all assists.

 

[Shroob]

I'm not saying that exactly, I just know that Nintendo/Sakurai clearly aren't just interested in the biggest unrepresented third parties and super, super, super, newer-than-ARMS-and-XC2-were-when-they-got-their-reps first parties. Every DLC character indeed has a clear reason for being chosen, and those reasons aren't just "this is the main protagonist of an absolutely unrepresented franchise in Smash that has at least 10 million fans". That's why you need to have just a little more faith than "they cannot, cannot, CANNOT get in, Master Chief MUST screw my favorites over!"

Hits differently for first parties though.


Sure, we can get something like Rhythm Heaven

But so far, 3/3 of our first party DLC characters have all been from games that are on the Switch, so to me at least, it doesn't give me the greatest boost of confidence that Nintendo is looking past Switch-era stuff.

 

[Louie G.]

That's why you need to have just a little more faith than "they cannot, cannot, CANNOT get in, Master Chief MUST screw my favorites over!"

I mean, I like Master Chief too lmao. Halo getting in over Rhythm Heaven wouldn't be screwing RH over directly either, they have nothing to do with one another and I'm not petty like that.

My expectations for DLC in general are not pessimistic. I don't think we're getting another first party, but I do think we're likely to get two pretty cool third parties. Every first party being Switch era does not exactly cast the best light on the chances of a series that hasn't got a new game since 3DS and doesn't look to be getting another one anytime soon.

Not saying you can't believe that for yourself but accepting that some characters I want likely aren't going to happen doesn't mean I'm just expecting the worst. There are characters I want who I do believe can happen. They're just third parties instead.

 

[PK Duststorm]

Hits differently for first parties though.


Sure, we can get something like Rhythm Heaven

But so far, 3/3 of our first party DLC characters have all been from games that are on the Switch, so to me at least, it doesn't give me the greatest boost of confidence that Nintendo is looking past Switch-era stuff.

Piranha plant tho

Counter point to myself, New Super mario Bros u deluxe tho...

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

Impa(Oracle of games) would be really sweet. Ganon, Bandanna Waddle Dee, Tingle, Krystal, and Toad are another set of cool characters I'd like to see.

 

[Shroob]

Piranha plant tho

Counter point to myself, New Super mario Bros u deluxe tho...

Piranha Plant is in an odd spot.


It's a DLC character
It's not a Fighter's Pass character
But it's still paired up when Discussing the DLC in total, because it's a DLC

And like you said, it's a Mario character. Mario is an evergreen series, and isn't lacking Switch titles.

 

[rychu_supadude]

Considering how fast the toys to life fad was dying out by the time the last Skylanders game released (I'm pretty sure it was Imaginators, correct me if I'm wrong) they probably didn't wanna deal with that sinking ship. Which is kind of a shame since while I wasn't a fan of the series it was really cool seeing characters like Spyro, Crash, Dr. Neo Cortex, Bowser, and Donkey Kong get in. Who knows how many more guest characters we would have gotten had the series not discontinued.

That's looking at the timeline completely back to front - Nintendo passed on the offer to make the FIRST Skylanders a Wii exclusive and officially partner with Activision. Toys To Life wasn't a dying fad or sinking ship at that point because the fad hadn't been born yet! I doubt they have many regrets, though.

The Skylanders mobile game is still being actively updated, for whatever that's worth.

 

[PK Duststorm]

Piranha Plant is in an odd spot.


It's a DLC character
It's not a Fighter's Pass character
But it's still paired up when Discussing the DLC in total, because it's a DLC

And like you said, it's a Mario character. Mario is an evergreen series, and isn't lacking Switch titles.

Ever heard of anyone retroactively call smash 4 dlc Fighter's Pass Zero?

 

[Schnee117]

Imagine fearmongering a character to someone who's on record as saying they want that character.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Sure, we can get something like Rhythm Heaven

But so far, 3/3 of our first party DLC characters have all been from games that are on the Switch, so to me at least, it doesn't give me the greatest boost of confidence that Nintendo is looking past Switch-era stuff.

I mean, I like Master Chief too lmao. Halo getting in over Rhythm Heaven wouldn't be screwing RH over directly either, they have nothing to do with one another I'm not petty like that.

My expectations for DLC in general are not pessimistic. I don't think we're getting another first party, but I do think we're likely to get two pretty cool third parties. Every first party being Switch era does not exactly cast the best light on the chances of a series that hasn't got a new game since 3DS and doesn't look to be getting one anytime soon.

Not saying you can't believe that for yourself but accepting that some characters I want likely aren't going to happen doesn't mean I'm just expecting the worst. There are characters I want who I do believe can happen. They're just third parties instead.

The thing that gives me confidence is how fan assumptions have had to constantly change on which first-parties are viable.

First, it was "if 4/5 of the pass is third-party, the last one should be too, maybe after this you'll get a 3H rep or Gen 8 Pokemon".

Then Byleth came and the assumption was now "okay, they didn't need to finish the pass with a third-party, but first parties have to have come out less than a year ago"

Then we had the ARMS announcement and the assumption had to turn into "Okay, they have to be Switch-era picks, how recent they are doesn't really matter beyond that".

Then we had Pyra and Mythra, who didn't change the supposed rules on how old first-parties can be, but did prove that Min Min was not a special exception to "Spirits deconfirm".

 

[Shroob]

The thing that gives me confidence is how fan assumptions have had to constantly change on which first-parties are viable.

First, it was "if 4/5 of the pass is third-party, the last one should be too, maybe after this you'll get a 3H rep or Gen 8 Pokemon".

Then Byleth came and the assumption was now "okay, they didn't need to finish the pass with a third-party, but first parties have to have come out less than a year ago"

Then we had the ARMS announcement and the assumption had to turn into "Okay, they have to be Switch-era picks, how recent they are doesn't really matter beyond that".

Then we had Pyra and Mythra, who didn't change the supposed rules on how old first-parties can be, but did prove that Min Min was not a special exception to "Spirits deconfirm".

I legit don't remember that Byleth one, at all. And so far, the one you listed for ARMs hasn't been debunked as of yet. All our first party characters have been Switch-Era picks.

 

[Guynamednelson]

I legit don't remember that Byleth one, at all. And so far, the one you listed for ARMs hasn't been debunked as of yet. All our first party characters have been Switch-Era picks.

Yes, it hasn't been debunked, but neither has "one third-party can't have multiple reps in the same pass" and "later reveals don't appeal to the same crowd as earlier ones" yet people still expect MC.

 

[LunarisDreams]

We all know Big Smoke is the next character and there’s nothing you lot can do, except embrace it, accept it, and honor it.

 

[Brother AJ]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

Dixie Kong is the first one that comes to mind. Just because she's so iconic and charming. Then Skull Kid and Bandanna Dee. I also think an Astral Chain character could be really cool, and they're first party now!

 

[MooMew64]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

Waluigi and Octolings are the big ones for me.

Also, unironically want Ayumi Tachibana.

 

[Louie G.]

Yes, it hasn't been debunked, but neither has "one third-party can't have multiple reps in the same pass" and "later reveals don't appeal to the same crowd as earlier ones" yet people still expect MC.

This kind of casts some hypocrisy on the point you're trying to make here anyway because you've shown plenty of times that you think people are being ridiculous for suggesting this can happen. And why do you keep bringing up Master Chief?

Nobody is saying it's impossible for that trend to be broken mind you, it just doesn't seem likely at the moment. But again, and I can't stress this enough, I would love to be wrong more than anything. If you want to believe it then go nuts and if you're right then I'll be glad to say you told me so.

 

[Shroob]

Yes, it hasn't been debunked, but neither has "one third-party can't have multiple reps in the same pass" and "later reveals don't appeal to the same crowd as earlier ones" yet people still expect MC.

That last one is entirely a subjective take.


I'm just not convinced at all we're getting a more fan-favorite Nintendo character if we're taking DLC into account. Hell, let's look at all the first party DLC this series has had to offer:

: Series veteran
: Series veteran
: Series veteran
: Had a brand new game on the 3DS
: The one oddball pick, but was also chosen to be the "What?" pick.
: Had a brand new game on the Switch
: Had a game on the Switch
: Had a game on the Switch


So of all this, 3 of our 1st party DLC characters were veterans to the series, 4 of them were as of then current system characters, and 1 was Plant.


I'm not saying it's impossible, but from an outsider looking in, it seems like Nintendo heavily favors recency(And marketing) when choosing their own characters.

 

[DanganZilla5]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

In this scenario I feel like the big three are Dixie Kong, Bandana Dee, and Waluigi. All three are pretty big in the Nintendo space and are highly requested. Personally speaking I would be cool with Dee and Waluigi. I'm not a fan of Dixie Kong but I can understand why she would be a big deal. I would love for it to be Isaac but I'm sure if he would be shown off at E3.

Speaking of which, I have been thinking about my top 5 E3 predictions and while I was going to share them closer to the event, I decided heck with it.

1. Crash - The clear choice for the next western rep. Nintendo has been advertising him a lot and his revival has occurred over the course of two years which leaves plenty of room for Nintendo to notice his success, plus all the new games are on the Switch.

2. Dragonborn - Skyrim was one of the first games shown off for the Switch and Bethesda has been very supportive of the system. Skyrim is one of the biggest games of the last decade. It did quite well in Japan and was the first western game to get a perfect score in Famitsu. Heck it even was an inspiration for Zelda BOTW. To this day it is still a popular game and the Elder Scrolls in general is a notable series.

3. Eggman - I'm fairly confident in Sega getting a character and while I'm placing my bets on Arle overall, Eggman makes more sense for E3. He is the last villain that would round out the villain cast well and Sonic has been overdue for a second character.

4. Capcom character - I'm leaning towards Dante or Phoenix. My logic is that they moved the Capcom character to E3 which explains why a Capcom character didn't show up with the Mii costumes. For Capcom themselves they have such a giant library of characters to choose from that I have a hard time imagining that they didn't go with a rep from them. Phoenix Wright has Nintendo seniority and has had consistent releases and strong demand while Dante has recently made a strong comeback. There is also Chun-Li who is a solid choice for the next Capcom character as she always appears with Ryu in crossover games and is downright an iconic character in her own right.

5. Master Chief - If you had told me a couple months ago that I would be putting him here, I would have given you a weird look. So what changed? Well all the rumors with Nintendo and Microsoft collaborating on something new, despite Microsoft previously saying that they weren't going to port anymore games to the Switch, raises an eyebrow. And with Microsoft being the first western company to get not just one, but two characters is noteworthy. Master Chief would be the perfect choice for E3 and he even made it to the front cover of Famitsu. I'm not exactly betting on this happening, but I could see Nintendo going the extra mile for Master Chief since, well he is the god dam Master Chief and it would have people talking.

And for a special mention, League of Legends. If we want to discuss left field choices for E3, this game does make some sense. There is a League of Legends spinoff coming to the Switch and if Nintendo wanted to cater to different audiences like the one in China, this would do it and in general League of Legends is an iconic game that is significant to its genre. Now who would be the rep? Heck if I know.

 

[Guynamednelson]

That last one is entirely a subjective take.

Well as I've mentioned plenty of times it's extremely difficult to describe how different later reveals tend to be from earlier ones. Even Bayonetta, Ms. "Ha! See! Final characters don't have to be lame!" still shares a trait with "lame" finales like Byleth by being cheaper thanks to being a smaller IP that needs Nintendo's money to continue getting games.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

What's also worth noting is that the newer first characters (in addition to promoting recent games) are also arguably relatively safe picks in terms of the market. There from titles that Switch owners (especially younger fans) have often see on store shelves/promoted by Nintendo PR and there's potential association from buyers just getting into Nintendo or getting back into it after a long absence.

More obscure first party selections feel like greater possibilities in the base game where there's not as much direct risk with their inclusion. Realistically that's where I expect to see even the likes of Dixie or Bandana Dee show up; a position where less promoted figures aren't expected to carry a DLC/Fighter's Pass price.

 

[Idon]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

One day...

Spoiler

Spoiler: The Entire Moveset: Warning, gifs,

Spoiler: Miscellaneous Features

Introduction: Exit Gate
A portal from the astral plain opens up and the sword legion flies in from it. It then yanks the astral chain, pulling out Ofc. Howard, who readies to fight while putting away the sword legion.

Stance: Police Training
Does his default battle stance from the game.

Down Taunt: Legionis
Calls Legion and spirals the chain around himself in a stylish pose yelling "LEGION!"

Up Taunt: Respect
Salutes the enemy yelling before resuming battle stance.

16 Taunt 3
holds his Legatus up to his face, activating it briefly and making his eyes and hair go blue, exclaiming "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST"

1st Victory: Awakening
Leaps into frame with the Sword Legion and slashes downward in an X shape

2nd Victory: Legion Capture
Sends out Legion who who is flung around in a circle by their astral chain before settling behind Officer Howard.

3rd Victory: Case Accepted
Turns around and walks to the camera swiping by a "CASE ACCEPTED" hologram.

Victory Fanfare: Savior
Plays the first few notes of "Savior"

Spoiler: Defensive Moves

Shield: Axe Defense
Holds their legatus up.
N/A
With Legion active, the Sword Legion crosses its arms as the shield becomes a permanent full shield similar to Yoshi's egg and can only be broken and not shield poked.

Parry: Interception
Does a stylish pose that shows off the legatus

Sleeping: Vacation Day
Sits on the floor leaning on his knee while mumbling "5 more minutes..." During this time, a hologram will pop up saying that someone is calling them. If they manage to wake up in time, they'll act shocked, deny the call, and resume fighting.

Backroll: Backflip
Does a backflip backwards

Forward Roll: Cartwheel
Does a side roll forwards

Spot Dodge: Lean back
Does a little lean back

08 Dodge Air: Air Spin
Twists his body to dodge out of the way of attacks:

Get-up attack: AED defibrillator
Unleashes a shockwave from the AED, shocking Ofc. Howard back to life and pushing away any enemy close.

Tech: Legion Assist
Unique to Ofc. Howard, when they have their legion out, they are not only capable of teching in back, forward, and neutral, they can also tech upwards by launching themselves off their Sword legion

Spoiler: Specials

Neutral Special: Call Legion
Ofc. Howard holds up his Legatus and calls the Legion forth, modifying his entire moveset temporarily. It'll only last ~10 seconds before disippating and having to recharge for another 30 seconds. However, it can be turned on and off at will with almost zero lag. However, any turn off will burn the entire gauge and always force a recharge. A new spin on the "power boost" modes of Cloud and Joker. Moments of power must be chosen carefully and deliberately instead of just being hit and given the power.

While in this form, tendrils of blue will streak across Ofc. Howard's face, their eyes will glow blue, and so does their hair. On top of that, their X-baton gains a blocky digital appearance. He'll have blue light trails instead of white ones and any hit with the baton will have an "electric" effect which is purely superflous. Using the Raven costumes will instead make the effects red colored.

Also it has a single frame of invulnerability, which when activated, calls the legion out to immediately counter

Side Special: Send Legion
A multi-part special move that begins with Ofc. Howard sending out their legion a set distance along the same vein of Luma. However, instead of mimicking attacks, it will simply do a followup attack depending on which input is done next, similar to Marth's Dancing Blade.

Side Special; Up followup: Upperslash
Pressing Up and B will make the sword legion do an uppercut with his 2 blade arms, launching the enemy into the air.

Side Special; forward followup: Chain Jump
Pressing forward will have the sword legion yank the chain, pulling Howard forward while he does a flying knee. This also serves well as a recovery option and strikes anyone between the legion and Howard.

Side Special; backward followup: Triple Sword
Pressing back has the legion summon 3 swords that travel the length of the chain

Side Special; downward followup: Round Swords
Pressing down will summon a set of flying blades that hover around the legion which then dissipate when the legion does a spinning attack launching enemies up and away.

Regardless of the action, the Legion then returns to Howard.

Down Special: Slash Stance
A risky maneuver that instantly uses all of the legion gauge. Using it enters into a special stance wherein an additional attack button will make a vertical slice downwards. It doesn't do much damage or knockback, however if the opponent is doing any kind of attack while getting hit, they will automatically get shield broken. This attack is canceleable with shield, but it takes a while to deactivate, making it a risky all-or-nothing attack either way. pressing left or right will do a little repositional hop, but it has no invincibility, making it purely for spacing.

Up Special: Chain Recover
Throws legion into the air who flies up and then yanks Ofc. Howard towards themselves. As this move is vital in general smash gameplay, it is usable without any legion meter, however doing so, will cause 15% damage, punishing desperate recoveries and said feature is also accurate to the games.

Spoiler: Normals

Jab Combo: Baton Rush
Does a 4 hit combo consisting of a left jab, an inwards baton swing, an outwards baton swing, and then a stab upwards.

With Legion active, an additional jab finisher is added wherein the legion does an uppercut slash that launches the opponent upwards.

Forward Tilt: Assault Attack
Launches themselves in a flying kick at the enemy.

With Legion active, it will do a kick side by side with Ofc. Howard.
N/A

Down Tilt: Disarming Sweep
Does a low sweep which sets the enemy up for a combo.
With legion active, a second input throws out the legion who spins across the floor in the z-axis, elongating the range of the sweep.

Up Tilt: Evasive Anti-air Combination
Does a high kick while balancing themselves with their hand before following up with an aerial dropkick. A bit of a difficult angle, but does a ton of damage and knockback.

With Legion active, the sword legion does a drop kick back-to-back with Ofc. Howard increasing its power.
N/A
Dash Attack: Sliding Rush
Football slides into the enemy, going so fast as to create sparks across the ground.

With Legion active, the legion flies above and flies forward along spinning with its blades outstretched, increasing the vertical hitbox of the move as to not just hit the feet.

Spoiler: Smashes

Forward Smash: Charge Attack
Throws the X-baton up and catches it backhanded before rushing forward and doing a horizontal slash forwards.
Howard rushes towards the opponent at lightning speed so while the startup is high, the range and speed of the attack is unparalleled.
Due to how fast he rushes forward, he is completely invulnerable mid-slash and has little endlag after so punishes must be made before he catches the X-baton.

With legion active, the first part of the attack only stuns, while a new second part has been to the smash which involves him holding the baton normally and stabbing forward with Legion stabbing simultaneously. This version is much more powerful, combos from the first part, and launches at a lower angle making recoveries hard and kills early.

Down Smash: Gladiator Kick
Does a spinning axe kick that causes a shock wave on the ground, spiking opponenets hanging on ledge.
N/A
With Legion, the legion stabs the ground, causing an explosion and giving the move some AOE damage and hitting behind

Up Smash: Shine Kick
Does a flip kick. If hit with the front side of the attack, it will launch the opponent straight up. If hit at the apex, it will instead launch the enemy behind.

With legion active, the legion does a flip kick along with Ofc. Howard increasing the power of the attack.
N/A

Spoiler: Aerials

Neutral Aerial: Circular Kick
Does a spinning horizontal kick that hits front and then backwards. Slower than the average nair, but more powerful for it.

With Legion active, the legion stands upside down back to back with Ofc. Howard, completing the circle and making the attack hit both sides at once, twice.
N/A

Forward Aerial: Baton Barrage
Three part forward air which starts with a diagonal right to left down swing, diagonal left to right down swing, finished with a horizontal right to left swing, knocking opponents away.

With Legion active, he fills in the gaps between the attacks with his own attacks, making it truly a 6 hit aerial attack

Back Aerial: Hammer Kick
Ofc. Howard raises his foot over his head in a circular manner and slams his heel over the enemy, spiking them. It's quite a slow move, but that's where the legion comes in

With legion active, the legion does a vertical spin hitting the opponent twice locking them into position for the kick.

Down Aerial: Skull Smasher
Ofc. Howard raises the baton up and then rushes to the ground slamming it to the floor.
N/A
With Legion, the legion mirrors the action increasing its damage.

Up Aerial: Baton uppercut
Ofc. Howard backhands the X-Baton and does a short range upper slash with decent killing power.
N/A
With legion active, he repeats the action from the opposite direction increasing the power even further.

Spoiler: Throws

Grab: Judge
Reaches out with his off-baton hand.
N/A
With Legion active, the grab is enhanced into a tether where the Sword Legion rushes out and grabs the enemy, pulling them in, and binding them to the floor with the astral chains.

Pummel: Jury
Hits the opponent with the back of the baton like Link and the Master Sword
N/A
With Legion active, they are full baton swings mixed with the legion doing swings as well.

Up Throw: Executioner
Howard does a diagonal flip kick, knocking the opponent into the air.

With Legion active, the kick launches a set distance into the Legion who then does a bicycle kick, launching the opponent at an aggressive angle downwards horizontally, making it extremely difficult for most characters to recover, while also killing earlier if facing the right direction.

Forward Throw: Convict
Howard slashes away while jumping back.

With legion active, he will followup by throwing the legion forward via the chain which stabs the target.

Back Throw: Pardon
Leaps past and does a circular horizontal kick to the back of the enemy's head.

With legion active, the legion ducks under the kick and does a horizontal slash in the opposite direction.

Down Throw: Retrial
Ofc. Howard slams the opponent with the X-baton downwards, bouncing them up.

If Legion is active, the legion leaps over and slams the opponent again, bouncing them a second time.

Spoiler: Final Smash; WARNING SPOILERS

When Close: Prime Execution
The Sword Legion lets out a loud roar shockwave. Anyone hit is transported to the Astral Plain wherein Ofc. Howard does a complex combination attack featuring all the Legions that were not included. First Howard rides on the Beast Legion, impaling them on the Gladius X-Baton. Then he flips them up and calls forth the ARMS Legion which juggles the opponent in a flurry of punches. Afterwards, while the opponent is still in the air, Howard summons the Arrow Legion wherein they simultaneously shoot a light arrow at them. Then, the Axe Legion is summoned who slams the opponent back on the floor. Finally, he summons the original Sword legion who wraps the opponent up in the astral chain, finishing with a simultaneous stab, which inexplicably causes a giant explosion knocking them away

When Far: Legionic Fusion
If no one is near, Ofc. Howard instead rips out the legion core of the legatus and slams it into his chest, the core dissolving into his heart. This activates his fusion with the legion and transforms him into a giant beast that rushes forward in a flash of light slamming the first person or people with an uppercut claw slash that knocks them to the center of the stage wherein they are assaulted by a barrage of claw slashes, kicks, and energy blasts. When finished, the fusion claws them downwards, bouncing them off the floor of the stage, and into the sky above.

Bonus Content:

Spoiler: Music Tracks (No Links)

01 Savior
02 Emergency
03 Awakening
04 Central City (Combat Phase)
05 Invaders from Another World
06 Astral Plane (Combat Phase)
07 Maison Forest (Combat Phase)
08 Ark Mall (Combat Phase)
09 Homonculus A
10 Harmony Square Station (Combat Phase)
11 Legion Assault
12 Zone 09 Daytime (Combat Phase)
13 Suspense
14 Holy Order of the Digital Hermit
15 Hermit training
16 Chimera Takedown
17 Homonculus B
18 Homonculus Y
19 Jena Anderson
20 Jena (Rebellion and Salvation)
21 Jena (Catastrophe)
22 Grand Avenue (Combat Phase)
23 Rush!!
24 Zone 09 Night (Combat Phase)
25 Ark Sewer Mangement (Combat Phase)
26 Madness
27 Sector V Night (Combat Phase)
28 Case Trial
29 Dark Hero (Male)
30 Dark Hero (Female)
31 Aegis Research Institute (Combat Phase)
32 The Only One
33 Yoseph Calvert
34 Noah Core
35 Noah Prime
36 The Answer

Spoiler: Alternate Costumes:

Spoiler: Stage

The Ark and Astral Plane
A shifting stage that starts on the neon blue city rooftops of the Ark which then transitions to the somber red tones of the Astral Plane:

 

[Schnee117]

I legit don't remember that Byleth one, at all. And so far, the one you listed for ARMs hasn't been debunked as of yet. All our first party characters have been Switch-Era picks.

It just makes sense really, they've been promoting the games the fighters come from, even Banjo-Kazooie with "Buy an Xbox" because they want people to play these games too, Smash has been (and is) a gateway to new franchises for so many people. Every character is "promotional" in this regard.

With first parties it just makes sense that you go for characters that star in games on your current system. You can actually point people to games that are currently available on the current system. It's a lot harder to do that for even the 3ds and they're not exactly gonna endorse emulation (and not everyone wants to do that or can wrap their heads around it).

But maybe we'll see with what E3 has in store. Maybe the Switch expands it's classic offerings so people can actually check out GBA games and play stuff like Golden Sun or Advance Wars or even the original Gen 3 games, that'd be a good, if minor, shot in the arm for Isaac and Andy because they could now say "Go check out their game on the NSO GBA service." But that's a pretty big maybe.

 

[Pillow]

If we got a first party character announced for Smash at E3 (it seems safe to say that we're going to get some kind of a Smash announcement in this Direct), who would you want to/be excited to see?

I feel like I tend to gravitate towards supporting third party characters (though there are some exceptions - Dixie Kong, Elma, Bandanna Dee, Impa, Porky, or (if we get an echo fighter pass) Octolings; I tend to support a lot of characters), and when it comes to DLC, I tend to worry that first party picks for DLC tend to be used to promote or raise interest in certain games. I want to get an idea of what's popular, and I figure it could help to broaden my horizons and maybe look into some first party games or series that I might have missed.

The only real first party I’d be interested in would be Tingle/Skull Kid or possibly some sort of unexpected pokemon pick. I’m mostly ambivalent towards Waluigi, Dee and Dixie who are the most popular remaining choices.

 

[Gengar84]

Well as I've mentioned plenty of times it's extremely difficult to describe how different later reveals tend to be from earlier ones. Even Bayonetta, Ms. "Ha! See! Final characters don't have to be lame!" still shares a trait with "lame" finales like Byleth by being cheaper thanks to being a smaller IP that needs Nintendo's money to continue getting games.

So what you’re telling me is that the Battletoads are totally happening?

 

[Shroob]

It just makes sense really, they've been promoting the games the fighters come from, even Banjo-Kazooie with "Buy an Xbox" because they want people to play these games too, Smash has been (and is) a gateway to new franchises for so many people. Every character is "promotional" in this regard.

With first parties it just makes sense that you go for characters that star in games on your current system. You can actually point people to games that are currently available on the current system. It's a lot harder to do that for even the 3ds and they're not exactly gonna endorse emulation (and not everyone wants to do that or can wrap their heads around it).

But maybe we'll see with what E3 has in store. Maybe the Switch expands it's classic offerings so people can actually check out GBA games and play stuff like Golden Sun or Advance Wars or even the original Gen 3 games, that'd be a good, if minor, shot in the arm for Isaac and Andy because they could now say "Go check out their game on the NSO GBA service." But that's a pretty big maybe.

Sakurai, "It's been a long time since Golden Sun's had a new entry... My suggestion is to download Visualbo---"

Stream cuts, Sakurai is reported missing the following day

 

[Louie G.]

But maybe we'll see with what E3 has in store. Maybe the Switch expands it's classic offerings so people can actually check out GBA games and play stuff like Golden Sun or Advance Wars or even the original Gen 3 games, that'd be a good, if minor, shot in the arm for Isaac and Andy because they could now say "Go check out their game on the NSO GBA service." But that's a pretty big maybe.

If I'm lucky they'll port over and finally localize Rhythm Tengoku like they did Panel de Pon... then maybe we've got something cooking.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Sakurai, "It's been a long time since Golden Sun's had a new entry... My suggestion is to download Visualbo---"

Stream cuts, Sakurai is reported missing the following day

View attachment 317737

Yeah, he committed the crime of not suggesting mGBA instead.