Do you want/expect one-shot Zelda characters? (Midna, Ghirahim, Champions, etc.)

[YoshiandToad]

To be honest, I prefer the reoccurring side cast more; Impa, Vaati, Tingle, Tetra, etc but I think one shot Zeldas definitely have a place in Smash as playables whilst most the Fire Emblem cast and potentially Geno are allowed to get in with a single appearance under their belt.

Midna and Skull Kid are definitely worthy additions that have been passed over who have had long lasting popularity and made a genuine impact within the Nintendo community. Certainly more than a good chunk of some of our playable Smash gang.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Midna would’ve been great honestly. She was just skipped over due to Brawl having sufficient Zelda characters at that time. Still, would’ve swapped Sheik for either Skull Kid in Melee, or Midna in Brawl. I wanted Midna over Sheik back in the pre Brawl days either cause I felt she didn’t deserve to be in. Till this day, having Zelda and Sheik with Transform in Brawl with a TP design makes no sense at all. It’s one of the weirder things in Smash.

Anyhow, still convinced Impa is the best choice. In terms of other newcomers, Skull Kid seems most feasible. I would pick Ganon over him, but that won’t do anymore.

Not expecting a Champion anymore however. If newcomers where done Smash 4 style, a Champion would be all but confirmed right now. Crazy how things go.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Barring Champions, as they weren't around at the time Ultimate's roster was completed, Midna seemed to have the most going for her in terms of one-shots. Her character was popular enough to get an Amiibo atop Wolf Link, she came from (up until recently) Zelda's best selling game since OoT, she was one of the original playable characters in Hyrule Warriors, and she even got a spot on Super Mario Maker as a playable character. It seems pretty unfortunate that she got assist trophy status, but I'm glad she's at least represented.

I figure the next Zelda representative has a good chance of being indicated by a mix of good marks through polls, promotional/pop culture representation, amiibo representation, recurring appearances, playable representations, and ease-of-development.



Impa has excellent chances, being an original playable cast member of Hyrule Warriors, having a favored cult status going back at least as far as SSB4 (when the unfortunately fake leak about her came out), enjoyed considerable success in Reddit's SSB4 DLC polls, and has had 8 whopping canonical appearances throughout Zelda's history - which is, aside from one other character, probably more than anyone else yet to be represented in Smash. Unfortunately, she's yet to earn her own Amiibo. She's had 2 playable appearances so far, both from Hyrule Warriors. Can be a unique character, or an easy Sheik-echo.

Beast Ganon is a weird one. He's the series' original villain - probably the only character her with more seniority than Impa - although he's already somewhat represented by Ganondorf's Final Smash. Not quite the same, but similar enough to raise eyebrows. I'm unable to find much polling request for him, and he doesn't seem to be all too well represented on promotional websites like Play Nintendo or TV advertisements. Furthermore, he lacks amiibo representations, and as far as I can tell, any playable appearances. Would most likely need to be a unique fighter, as no Zelda representative appears to qualify as a good template for him. While everything seems to be going against him, he's arguably the most iconic Zelda character of anyone listed here, which is worth something.

Skull Kid is in a similarly weird place. He's had fame arguably at least as far back as Brawl, considering Sakurai clarified his non-playable status when his assist trophy was revealed, and the VGTribune victory. He has also consistently polled better than just about every other contending Zelda newcomer, and enjoys such coveted cult status as to be made the subject of various indie movies and licensed musical remixes. Unfortunately, he lacks Amiibo representation for now, and will likely have to be a unique fighter, considering he has no obvious Zelda counterpart to be made an echo of. Has had 2 playable appearances so far (both from Hyrule Warriors), and has appeared in 3 canonical games. Given his cult history with Smash, and the number of what are arguably teases from Sakurai about his inclusion, his chances seem strong.

Hilda's best chances are probably as an echo for Zelda or as an alternate costume - Koopa Kid or Alph style - all things considering. While a one-off, she enjoys considerable recognition right now, riding Link Between World's relatively recent fame. While she was unfortunately not playable in Hyrule Warriors (or anything else), she did gain the distinction of a unique alternate costume for Zelda. She's appeared in one game so far, and unfortunately never received an amiibo. I am unable to find mainstream pop references to her through online promotional material (apart from that advertising her game), or tv adverts, and I can find no substantial polling reference for her. Fortunately, she would be a very simple echo for Zelda, requiring minimal effort to complete. Who would have expected Dark Pit last game?

Tetra (or Toon Zelda) is a dark horse among the contenders. Sakurai initially tried to create Toon Zelda for Smash Bros. (and possibly Tetra), but was cut for unknown reasons. Since then, the two characters have enjoyed lasting recognition. Tetra and Toon Zelda both have consistently shown up in polls ever since Brawl days (Tetra moreso for America/EU, Toon Zelda moreso for Japan). Both of them have enjoyed wide representation outside of their own games, Toon Zelda appearing in Nintendo adverts in Japan, Tetra enjoying wide promotional popularity across media, even currently being featured on Play Nintendo's "Friends" section, which introduces the series to new gamers. Toon Zelda received an Amiibo, while Tetra has none yet. Both Tetra and Toon Zelda have had 3 playable appearances, each in both iterations of Hyrule Warriors, while TZ was playable in Spirit Tracks, and Tetra in Super Mario Maker. Tetra has had 3-4 canonical appearances (if you count Spirit Tracks), while Toon Zelda has had 5. Toon Zelda would make a relatively easy echo to Zelda, whereas Tetra could be a relatively easy Toon Link echo, or unique character. Given her mainstream appeal, her chances seem surprisingly good.

There are a few others, such as Twili Midna, and Tingle. Given the assist trophy thing with Midna, and the active role Tingle plays on Great Bay stage, I tend to doubt them, but there's always the possibility.

It's nice to see such a strong crop of contenders this year for Zelda representation! May the odds be ever in your favor, fanbases! Let us hope for many open slots!

 

[TheCJBrine]

Skull Kid isn't exactly a one-shot character; I mean, it's heavily implied that the one in MM is the same one you play Saria's Song to in OoT, and then the one in TP knows Saria's Song, and teleports around / disappears while having what seems to be a Poe lantern, so he could be the same one's spirit (or, if not, at least the same one's descendant; but can Skull Kids have descendants?). But, yes, it's not confirmed.

Then, if we take spinoffs into account, he's in Hyrule Warriors and Link's Crossbow Training (which has the TP design so still considering the TP theories aren't confirmed even though they seem implied).

Tingle and Impa would be cool too, but Skull Kid's my favorite character in Zelda, and not just because of MM (to sum it up: his personality, design, him being a childish trickster that's associated with a mysterious forest)

 

[thirsty-pocket]

I feel like Zelda characters that have been in more than one game should get top priority, but I still support the better one-shot characters. Actually I didnt support one shot characters at all until they revealed that the Zelda characters in ultimate would use designs from all across the series. It made it feel a lot more natural that any Zelda character could show up if Link, Ganondorf, and Zelda, weren't all stporting their Twilight Princess designs.

Unfortunately, my most wanted one-off, Midna is de-confirmed. I do think her twili form is a possibility as a Zelda echo, but if I can be brutally honest, I hate her twili-form and it wouldn't really make me happy if that was playable instead of the imp. The only other one off I feel like I'd support is Yuga, or maybe Linebeck.

I guess you could say Skull kid is a one-off, but technically Skull kid was in other games... he just didn't have the mask. So I don't count him as a one-off.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Midna's always seemed like a great choice, but unfortunately Zelda's the only franchise that gets hit with a "no one-offs!" rule. She was relevant during Brawl days, and then even manages to make an assist years later for For. I did think she had a chance of a promotion, but she's already an assist.

Would totally be okay with Twili as a Zelda echo though. Hilda seems very flavor-of-the-month since this Zelda uses the LBW/LttP as a design base and only for that reason. It is weird that Zelda didn't get a Hilda pallette (especially since her default and pink ones looks so similar), but I don't think that a minor tertiary antagonist should get in as an echo over other more popular characters just because they go to the same dressmaker. Impa is seeming like the best echo idea if the Zelda franchise were to only get one, but I really have to say - if there was one franchise that doesn't need more clones, it's Zelda (Okay, fine Fire Emblem. Maybe two series that don't need more clones)

The champions would all be great, but one over any of the other three would feel wrong (of course, I'd be totally fine with Urbosa winning - it'd still feel wrong, but I'd like it). They're most likely assist material if anything - which is why I'm still holding out hope that they want to do one more Hyrule Warriors DLC bundle. It'd be glorious for all four to be playable even if they ended up as frankenclones of other characters, but I can already hear the "OMG TOO MANY ZELDAS REEEEEE" screaming.

Speaking of assists, though...Zelda's always had a lot of them comparatively, and most are these popular-but-only-in-one-game characters. We've already got three confirmed (Midna, Ghirahim, and the Moon), with two ambiguous who may or may not return (Skull Kid [playable?] and Tingle [disconfirmed due to Great Bay? Could still be assist?]). As I said, the Champs would make a great assist if they're not playable as well. That's certainly a lot of Zelda assists...

And on the topic of Zelda characters - we've got 6. Sure, seems like a lot, until you realize that three of those six are the same character and basically clones of each other. Of the remaining three, one is a controversial clone of an unrelated character, and two are also the same character in two outfits, one of which uses a completely original moveset. It's easy to make the argument that the Zelda franchise - one of Nintendo's big console sellers - is represented by three unique movesets, one of which has almost nothing to do with the source, and three clones of varying degree of character likeness. Plus a horde of great potential stuck as assists.

This is part of the interesting bit about speculation around Zelda. People (who don't know the series) love to claim "we got the triforce trio, so it's good" without looking at the potential any other characters have. However, unlike most other franchises, Zelda doesn't really have a standard behind which to rally, so many characters probably got many votes. There is the potential of Sakurai pulling a Cloud and choosing one character "since there were a lot of requests for a Zelda character," but that remains to be seen. There's also that not every character has a universal fanbase as well.

Normally I'm not disappointed about assists vs. regular characters, but some of the Zelda crew (Midna especially) should have made that jump. Let's see if at least Skull Kid will.

 

[Porygon2]

Barring Champions, as they weren't around at the time Ultimate's roster was completed, Midna seemed to have the most going for her in terms of one-shots. Her character was popular enough to get an Amiibo atop Wolf Link, she came from (up until recently) Zelda's best selling game since OoT, she was one of the original playable characters in Hyrule Warriors, and she even got a spot on Super Mario Maker as a playable character. It seems pretty unfortunate that she got assist trophy status, but I'm glad she's at least represented.

I figure the next Zelda representative has a good chance of being indicated by a mix of good marks through polls, promotional/pop culture representation, amiibo representation, recurring appearances, playable representations, and ease-of-development.



Impa has excellent chances, being an original playable cast member of Hyrule Warriors, having a favored cult status going back at least as far as SSB4 (when the unfortunately fake leak about her came out), enjoyed considerable success in Reddit's SSB4 DLC polls, and has had 8 whopping canonical appearances throughout Zelda's history - which is, aside from one other character, probably more than anyone else yet to be represented in Smash. Unfortunately, she's yet to earn her own Amiibo. She's had 2 playable appearances so far, both from Hyrule Warriors. Can be a unique character, or an easy Sheik-echo.

Beast Ganon is a weird one. He's the series' original villain - probably the only character her with more seniority than Impa - although he's already somewhat represented by Ganondorf's Final Smash. Not quite the same, but similar enough to raise eyebrows. I'm unable to find much polling request for him, and he doesn't seem to be all too well represented on promotional websites like Play Nintendo or TV advertisements. Furthermore, he lacks amiibo representations, and as far as I can tell, any playable appearances. Would most likely need to be a unique fighter, as no Zelda representative appears to qualify as a good template for him. While everything seems to be going against him, he's arguably the most iconic Zelda character of anyone listed here, which is worth something.

Skull Kid is in a similarly weird place. He's had fame arguably at least as far back as Brawl, considering Sakurai clarified his non-playable status when his assist trophy was revealed, and the VGTribune victory. He has also consistently polled better than just about every other contending Zelda newcomer, and enjoys such coveted cult status as to be made the subject of various indie movies and licensed musical remixes. Unfortunately, he lacks Amiibo representation for now, and will likely have to be a unique fighter, considering he has no obvious Zelda counterpart to be made an echo of. Has had 2 playable appearances so far (both from Hyrule Warriors), and has appeared in 3 canonical games. Given his cult history with Smash, and the number of what are arguably teases from Sakurai about his inclusion, his chances seem strong.

Hilda's best chances are probably as an echo for Zelda or as an alternate costume - Koopa Kid or Alph style - all things considering. While a one-off, she enjoys considerable recognition right now, riding Link Between World's relatively recent fame. While she was unfortunately not playable in Hyrule Warriors (or anything else), she did gain the distinction of a unique alternate costume for Zelda. She's appeared in one game so far, and unfortunately never received an amiibo. I am unable to find mainstream pop references to her through online promotional material (apart from that advertising her game), or tv adverts, and I can find no substantial polling reference for her. Fortunately, she would be a very simple echo for Zelda, requiring minimal effort to complete. Who would have expected Dark Pit last game?

Tetra (or Toon Zelda) is a dark horse among the contenders. Sakurai initially tried to create Toon Zelda for Smash Bros. (and possibly Tetra), but was cut for unknown reasons. Since then, the two characters have enjoyed lasting recognition. Tetra and Toon Zelda both have consistently shown up in polls ever since Brawl days (Tetra moreso for America/EU, Toon Zelda moreso for Japan). Both of them have enjoyed wide representation outside of their own games, Toon Zelda appearing in Nintendo adverts in Japan, Tetra enjoying wide promotional popularity across media, even currently being featured on Play Nintendo's "Friends" section, which introduces the series to new gamers. Toon Zelda received an Amiibo, while Tetra has none yet. Both Tetra and Toon Zelda have had 3 playable appearances, each in both iterations of Hyrule Warriors, while TZ was playable in Spirit Tracks, and Tetra in Super Mario Maker. Tetra has had 3-4 canonical appearances (if you count Spirit Tracks), while Toon Zelda has had 4. Toon Zelda would make a relatively easy echo to Zelda, whereas Tetra could be a relatively easy Toon Link echo, or unique character. Given her mainstream appeal, her chances seem surprisingly good.

There are a few others, such as Twili Midna, and Tingle. Given the assist trophy thing with Midna, and the active role Tingle plays on Great Bay stage, I tend to doubt them, but there's always the possibility.

It's nice to see such a strong crop of contenders this year for Zelda representation! May the odds be ever in your favor, fanbases! Let us hope for many open slots!

Great post. Nice to have all that concise info in one place — but man, looking at it just makes me further realize how much more Beast Ganon and Skull Kid scream out as creative characters over the others listed. Toon Zelda just feels like an uninspired "obligatory" choice in the face of Toon Link, and I feel that Impa and Hilda would be served perfectly fine with an Alph-esque skin over Sheik and Zelda (I feel this way about quite a few echo choices, and support more skins generally).

If the latter two had to be in, I'd hope for Sheik to be revamped with some of the harp moves from HW, and for Impa to just receive Sheik's old moveset and attributes to please the Sheik players. Hilda could perhaps use the painting mechanic from LBW, in the same way Ness/Lucas use things from their games that they didn't in their canonical appearances.

Twili Midna as a Zelda echo is a much more creative choice — exactly what I'd hope an echo to be. I see potential differences between the two at least as dramatic as those of Samus/Dark Samus, and the Twili magic particle effects are just so pretty to look at. Not sure what the Down-B would be, though.

It'd be glorious for all four to be playable even if they ended up as frankenclones of other characters, but I can already hear the "OMG TOO MANY ZELDAS REEEEEE" screaming..

What about the champions as a hybrid Ice Climbers/Pokemon Trainer concept? A defensive brawler Daruk and Urbosa, who can swap out for a floatier Mipha and Revali. This is the perhaps the biggest Smash pipe dream I've ever thought up. Just imagine how much dev time and balancing it would require.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Great post. Nice to have all that concise info in one place — but man, looking at it just makes me further realize how much more Beast Ganon and Skull Kid scream out as creative characters over the others listed. Toon Zelda just feels like an uninspired "obligatory" choice in the face of Toon Link, and I feel that Impa and Hilda would be served perfectly fine with an Alph-esque skin over Sheik and Zelda (I feel this way about quite a few echo choices, and support more skins generally).

If the latter two had to be in, I'd hope for Sheik to be revamped with some of the harp moves from HW, and for Impa to just receive Sheik's old moveset and attributes to please the Sheik players. Hilda could perhaps use the painting mechanic from LBW, in the same way Ness/Lucas use things from their games that they didn't in their canonical appearances.

Twili Midna as a Zelda echo is a much more creative choice — exactly what I'd hope an echo to be. I see potential differences between the two at least as dramatic as those of Samus/Dark Samus, and the Twili magic particle effects are just so pretty to look at. Not sure what the Down-B would be, though.



What about the champions as a hybrid Ice Climbers/Pokemon Trainer concept? A defensive brawler Daruk and Urbosa, who can swap out for a floatier Mipha and Revali. This is the perhaps the biggest Smash pipe dream I've ever thought up. Just imagine how much dev time and balancing it would require.

Thanks! And yeah, Skull and Ganon would be boss. I also tend to agree about Toon Zelda. Tetra on the other hand would be another matter; being a pirate, she brings all sorts of novel options to the table, from cannons to cutlasses to her trusty flintlock. As representation from Wind Waker, she also brings a lot of cool tricks yet to be explored from that series, such as Deku Leaf, Skull Hammer, explosive powder kegs, Grappling Hook - heck, maybe even a bombchu or two. She's got lots of fresh potential, a completely unique look, and oodles of personality to her unlike anyone else the game. And for all practical purposes, she's treated as a separate character from Zelda practically wherever she goes, much moreso than Sheik.

Similar deal with Impa. Although she'd most likely play similarly to Sheik, being a ninja, she's got a few moveset options of her own, and Skyward Sword iteration looks distinct enough to be a different character in her own corner. She's personally not my first choice or my second (safe third), but it'd still make my day to see her get in, and she's definitely earned a spot on the roster.

Hilda's popularity surprised me at first, actually, although I think I get where it's coming from. She was a cool character in Link Between Worlds. I do hope she gets in as Zelda's Alph. Given her fan popularity and game's success, she probably deserves at least that. Twili Midna as Zelda clone sounds awesome - hope it does happen - and I'd totally vote for that Champion idea for DLC.

Good ideas, all around!

 

[QrowinSP]

Interesting idea: If you have Toon Zelda in her phantom armor (some say this makes little sense considering Zelda's Down B, but I just see this as Sakurai not wanting to change the down B too much), then she'd make an excellent ganondorf Echo. Honestly, ganondorf's moveset fits toon zelda more than it fits him.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Interesting idea: If you have Toon Zelda in her phantom armor (some say this makes little sense considering Zelda's Down B, but I just see this as Sakurai not wanting to change the down B too much), then she'd make an excellent ganondorf Echo. Honestly, ganondorf's moveset fits toon zelda more than it fits him.

Wow, I honestly have never considered that idea before, but it sounds hilarious enough that I love it! Toon Zelda a Ganondorf clone. I laughing myself to tears right now. XD

Honestly, I had kind of assumed, if she was going to be a Zelda clone, she would simply inhabit the rushing Phantom Warrior rather than stand off to the side when summoning it. But I don't know what to think of this new idea, other than "amazing."

 

[QrowinSP]

Wow, I honestly have never considered that idea before, but it sounds hilarious enough that I love it! Toon Zelda a Ganondorf clone. I laughing myself to tears right now. XD

Honestly, I had kind of assumed, if she was going to be a Zelda clone, she would simply inhabit the rushing Phantom Warrior rather than stand off to the side when summoning it. But I don't know what to think of this new idea, other than "amazing."

I honestly think it's got some chance. Not only is it an easier echo to make than a zelda echo due to proportions, it feels very.... Sakurai, I dunno. The kind of thing not many people think of but ends up making sense in retrospect. I think it's the second most likely zelda echo other than impa.

 

[Kevandre]

I'm down with this, especially now that the Zelda characters aren't all repping the same game. I don't see why not tbh.

 

[Luigifan18]

My single most-wanted newcomer (aside from the deconfirmed Bomberman and Krystal) is Vaati. Vaati is technically a three-shot character... at least he has more appearances than the majority of Zelda characters. On the flip side, a lot of characters who appear in more Zelda games than Vaati (such as Malon) have never been more than minor NPCs; Vaati has been the main villain in two of his appearances (Four Swords and The Minish Cap) and a major antagonist in the third (Four Swords Adventures, where he is Hijacked By Ganon). Vaati's number of appearances is tied with Skull Kid, and of the three games Skull Kid has been in (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess), he was only a major character in one (Majora's Mask). In OoT, Skull Kid was just an out-of-the-way sidequest NPC; he fared better in Twilight Princess, where encountering him was mandatory, but he still only showed up twice in that game (as a miniboss/guide character in the Lost Woods), unlike Ocarina of Time, where you could visit and interact with Skull Kid as often as you wanted. I'm still not optimistic about Vaati's chances compared to Skull Kid, considering Skull Kid's big game got a remake in the last 5 years (unlike Vaati, who hasn't been seen at all outside of direct ports and tiny cameos since the GBA/GCN era) and he had a hint dropped in the last Nintendo Direct (the colors of the chairs and couch behind Sakurai), but the only important Zelda characters besides Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf/Ganon who've made more appearances than Vaati or Skull Kid are Impa (whose level of importance varies wildly, to put it lightly) and, well, Tingle. And we all know how non-Japanese audiences would respond to Tingle being playable in Smash... (Technically, there's also Beedle, but he's usually just a shopkeeper.)

Where was I going with this... oh, yeah. None of the Zelda characters I can think of who I want in (Vaati) or see as having a realistic chance of being playable characters in Smash Ultimate (Skull Kid, Impa, maybe Tingle) could be considered one-shot characters in the series. Except maybe Hilda, if she ends up being an Echo of Zelda.

 

[Quillion]

My single most-wanted newcomer (aside from the deconfirmed Bomberman and Krystal) is Vaati. Vaati is technically a three-shot character... at least he has more appearances than the majority of Zelda characters. On the flip side, a lot of characters who appear in more Zelda games than Vaati (such as Malon) have never been more than minor NPCs; Vaati has been the main villain in two of his appearances (Four Swords and The Minish Cap) and a major antagonist in the third (Four Swords Adventures, where he is Hijacked By Ganon). Vaati's number of appearances is tied with Skull Kid, and of the three games Skull Kid has been in (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess), he was only a major character in one (Majora's Mask). In OoT, Skull Kid was just an out-of-the-way sidequest NPC; he fared better in Twilight Princess, where encountering him was mandatory, but he still only showed up twice in that game (as a miniboss/guide character in the Lost Woods), unlike Ocarina of Time, where you could visit and interact with Skull Kid as often as you wanted. I'm still not optimistic about Vaati's chances compared to Skull Kid, considering Skull Kid's big game got a remake in the last 5 years (unlike Vaati, who hasn't been seen at all outside of direct ports and tiny cameos since the GBA/GCN era) and he had a hint dropped in the last Nintendo Direct (the colors of the chairs and couch behind Sakurai), but the only important Zelda characters besides Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf/Ganon who've made more appearances than Vaati or Skull Kid are Impa (whose level of importance varies wildly, to put it lightly) and, well, Tingle. And we all know how non-Japanese audiences would respond to Tingle being playable in Smash... (Technically, there's also Beedle, but he's usually just a shopkeeper.)

Where was I going with this... oh, yeah. None of the Zelda characters I can think of who I want in (Vaati) or see as having a realistic chance of being playable characters in Smash Ultimate (Skull Kid, Impa, maybe Tingle) could be considered one-shot characters in the series. Except maybe Hilda, if she ends up being an Echo of Zelda.

Vaati has a shot on not being a one-shot alone. But I can see an obstacle with his humanoid form being a one-shot. Heck, Vaati's most recurrent appearance is the bat-winged eyeball, not as a sorcerer; that sorcerer has never appeared again.

 

[Blackwolf666]

As far as one-shot characters go... I'd actually enjoy a bit of Majora's mask representation in the form of Majora's mask itself AKA Majora.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

My single most-wanted newcomer (aside from the deconfirmed Bomberman and Krystal) is Vaati. Vaati is technically a three-shot character... at least he has more appearances than the majority of Zelda characters. On the flip side, a lot of characters who appear in more Zelda games than Vaati (such as Malon) have never been more than minor NPCs; Vaati has been the main villain in two of his appearances (Four Swords and The Minish Cap) and a major antagonist in the third (Four Swords Adventures, where he is Hijacked By Ganon). Vaati's number of appearances is tied with Skull Kid, and of the three games Skull Kid has been in (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess), he was only a major character in one (Majora's Mask). In OoT, Skull Kid was just an out-of-the-way sidequest NPC; he fared better in Twilight Princess, where encountering him was mandatory, but he still only showed up twice in that game (as a miniboss/guide character in the Lost Woods), unlike Ocarina of Time, where you could visit and interact with Skull Kid as often as you wanted. I'm still not optimistic about Vaati's chances compared to Skull Kid, considering Skull Kid's big game got a remake in the last 5 years (unlike Vaati, who hasn't been seen at all outside of direct ports and tiny cameos since the GBA/GCN era) and he had a hint dropped in the last Nintendo Direct (the colors of the chairs and couch behind Sakurai), but the only important Zelda characters besides Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf/Ganon who've made more appearances than Vaati or Skull Kid are Impa (whose level of importance varies wildly, to put it lightly) and, well, Tingle. And we all know how non-Japanese audiences would respond to Tingle being playable in Smash... (Technically, there's also Beedle, but he's usually just a shopkeeper.)

Where was I going with this... oh, yeah. None of the Zelda characters I can think of who I want in (Vaati) or see as having a realistic chance of being playable characters in Smash Ultimate (Skull Kid, Impa, maybe Tingle) could be considered one-shot characters in the series. Except maybe Hilda, if she ends up being an Echo of Zelda.

Would love for Vaati to come back as well - that little Minish turned godlike demon monster doesn't get enough love. I guess we'll have to enjoy awesome fan art while we dream of his dark resurrection! Who knows? With Sakurai focusing on villains, maybe he'll stand a chance. If not as a unique, maybe as an echo for Skull Kid?

I figure Vaati's chances of coming back are pretty decent as long as Nintendo keeps making Toon games. He's a villain entirely unique to that series, and one of its big draws. While we're on the subject, I'd love to see the Four Sword make an item appearance, making a doppleganger you mirror your attacks in front of you.

I think Tetra also stands a really good chance. Apart from Beast Ganon, she's had more confirmed appearances as an individual character than anyone else on the list, as well as more playable appearances than anyone else, and is even known to cross over into other characters' games, like Super Mario Maker. Nintendo features her widely in advertisements outside of her own games, and she's usually front page spotlight wherever she appears in Zelda-themed media content, fitting on both Hyrule Warriors' game covers and on the website's front page next to Link, Ganondorf, Sheik, and Midna (even beating out Skull Kid, Impa, and even Princess Zelda for that spot), is one of the few select characters chosen to represent Zelda to new gamers on Nintendo's official Play Nintendo website, and had a whole lot of attention leading up '15 ballot, even so far as being the main character for the advertising campaign leading up to Hyrule Warriors Legends’ launch. It also helps she comes from director Aonuma's favorite Zelda game, Phantom Hourglass, which, next to Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks, were the best selling, post-Oot games up until Breath of the Wild in Japan. She's also shown consistent strength in polls relative to other Zelda contenders, was mentioned by Sakurai by name as early as Brawl's days (where she may have been considered for a fighter, if datamined evidence is any indication (which is admittedly a can of worms). She's got an audience larger than people expect, enjoys wide recognition and acclaim (especially in Japan), and as a pirate, has a lot to offer as a unique newcomer and echo both. I wouldn't turn a blind eye to her chances.

 

[Luigifan18]

Would love for Vaati to come back as well - that little Minish turned godlike demon monster doesn't get enough love. I guess we'll have to enjoy awesome fan art while we dream of his dark resurrection! Who knows? With Sakurai focusing on villains, maybe he'll stand a chance. If not as a unique, maybe as an echo for Skull Kid?

I figure Vaati's chances of coming back are pretty decent as long as Nintendo keeps making Toon games. He's a villain entirely unique to that series, and one of its big draws. While we're on the subject, I'd love to see the Four Sword make an item appearance, making a doppleganger you mirror your attacks in front of you.

I think Tetra should also stands a really good chance. Apart from Beast Ganon, she's had more confirmed appearances as an individual character than anyone else on the list, as well as more playable appearances than anyone else, and is even known to cross over into other characters' games, like Super Mario Maker. Nintendo features her widely in advertisements outside of her own games, and she's usually front page spotlight wherever she appears in Zelda-themed media content, fitting on both Hyrule Warriors' game covers and on the website's front page next to Link, Ganondorf, Sheik, and Midna (beating out Skull Kid, Impa, and even Princess Zelda), one of the few select characters chosen to represent Zelda to new gamers on Nintendo's official Play Nintendo website, and had a whole lot of attention leading up '15 ballot, even so far as being the main character for an advertising campaign for Hyrule Warriors Legends. It also helps she comes from director Aonuma's favorite Zelda game, Phantom Hourglass, which, next to Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks, were the best selling, post-Oot games up until Breath of the Wild in Japan. She's also shown consistent strength in polls relative to other Zelda contenders, was mentioned by Sakurai by name as early as Brawl's days (where she may have been considered for a fighter, if datamined evidence is any indication (which is admittedly a can of worms). She's got an audience larger than people expect, enjoys wide recognition and acclaim (especially in Japan), and has a lot to offer as a unique newcomer and echo both. I wouldn't turn a blind eye to her chances.

Oh, shoot, I forgot about Tetra. She's not a one-shot, either; she's had two major appearances (Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass) and featured prominently in the backstory, though lacking any in-person appearances, in a third game (Spirit Tracks) if you count her as her own character rather than a specific incarnation of Zelda.

Truth be told, what I really want Vaati for is his moveset potential. Given that he's a wind mage, he could be a specialist in windboxes, with windboxes that are incredibly strong and large — large enough to hit across the screen, and strong enough to KO by themselves. Back in the SSB4 speculation era, I actually came up with a moveset for Vaati detailing what he could be capable of. The thread was closed a few years ago, so I can't actually get at the code of my post, but if I can figure out a way to copy-paste the whole thing, formatting and all, I may make an edited version of it for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Oh, shoot, I forgot about Tetra. She's not a one-shot, either; she's had two major appearances (Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass) and featured prominently in the backstory, though lacking any in-person appearances, in a third game (Spirit Tracks) if you count her as her own character rather than a specific incarnation of Zelda.

Truth be told, what I really want Vaati for is his moveset potential. Given that he's a wind mage, he could be a specialist in windboxes, with windboxes that are incredibly strong and large — large enough to hit across the screen, and strong enough to KO by themselves. Back in the SSB4 speculation era, I actually came up with a moveset for Vaati detailing what he could be capable of. The thread was closed a few years ago, so I can't actually get at the code of my post, but if I can figure out a way to copy-paste the whole thing, formatting and all, I may make an edited version of it for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Also Tetra's Trackers from Four Swords Adventures!

Wow, that is an incredibly detailed moveset! Color me impressed. I really like these ideas: a character whose fighting style is focused more on physically moving opponents around the stage rather than straight up racking up damage on them. A lot of really innovative special moves as well: I particularly liked Wind Blast, Petrify, and Wind Walk. Some of the special moves seem a bit OP, but considering they are being balanced against much weaker ordinary attacks, and most of them have a substantial charge time required, that might balance out. It's interesting the special moves are also a foil to Vaati's regular moves in another fashion, him being a speedy, fight-by-attrition fighter who harasses foes with minimal damage - and then his special moves have particularly slow build-up, but are pretty powerful sounding. Like dual fighting styles that can interchange depending on the situation, making Vaati extremely versatile (which I think the best specials movesets do). Me like.

All in all, very good form. I'm hoping more and more Vaati finds a way to make it in this thing, whether by base or DLC. Kudos, Luigifan!

 

[Quillion]

Oh, shoot, I forgot about Tetra. She's not a one-shot, either; she's had two major appearances (Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass) and featured prominently in the backstory, though lacking any in-person appearances, in a third game (Spirit Tracks) if you count her as her own character rather than a specific incarnation of Zelda.

Truth be told, what I really want Vaati for is his moveset potential. Given that he's a wind mage, he could be a specialist in windboxes, with windboxes that are incredibly strong and large — large enough to hit across the screen, and strong enough to KO by themselves. Back in the SSB4 speculation era, I actually came up with a moveset for Vaati detailing what he could be capable of. The thread was closed a few years ago, so I can't actually get at the code of my post, but if I can figure out a way to copy-paste the whole thing, formatting and all, I may make an edited version of it for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

You should be able to copy-paste it into the regular post editor. It will accept everything from this forum as far as I'm aware.

 

[Luigifan18]

You should be able to copy-paste it into the regular post editor. It will accept everything from this forum as far as I'm aware.

I tried doing that with my Bomberman moveset once FuzzyPickles took an interest in it. The formatting didn't stick for some reason.

 

[Luigifan18]

Also Tetra's Trackers from Four Swords Adventures!

Wow, that is an incredibly detailed moveset! Color me impressed. I really like these ideas: a character whose fighting style is focused more on physically moving opponents around the stage rather than straight up racking up damage on them. A lot of really innovative special moves as well: I particularly liked Wind Blast, Petrify, and Wind Walk. Some of the special moves seem a bit OP, but considering they are being balanced against much weaker ordinary attacks, and most of them have a substantial charge time required, that might balance out. It's interesting the special moves are also a foil to Vaati's regular moves in another fashion, him being a speedy, fight-by-attrition fighter who harasses foes with minimal damage - and then his special moves have particularly slow build-up, but are pretty powerful sounding. Like dual fighting styles that can interchange depending on the situation, making Vaati extremely versatile (which I think the best specials movesets do). Me like.

All in all, very good form. I'm hoping more and more Vaati finds a way to make it in this thing, whether by base or DLC. Kudos, Luigifan!

I'm glad you like it. As I mentioned, considering that Vaati's magical specialty is wind, I figured that he's the perfect character for such a moveset.

 

[Quillion]

Come to think of it, having an actual airbender on the Smash roster would be pretty awesome. We had a rather crude airbender with a custom-enabled DK in Smash 4, but Vaati could work with that idea even further.

That said, wasn't Vaati re-characterized to be a dark sorcerer rather than a "wind mage" in Minish Cap?

 

[QrowinSP]

I think Sakurai has a lot of reasons to be hesitant about building a character around windboxes.

 

[Quillion]

I think Sakurai has a lot of reasons to be hesitant about building a character around windboxes.

I think that a windbox-based character would need to have fairly weak kill power (~Sheik level), and the edgeguard-oriented moves need to be charge moves. Otherwise, they could have a good keep-away game as long as the keep-away moves have little edgeguard potential.

 

[Luigifan18]

I think that a windbox-based character would need to have fairly weak kill power (~Sheik level), and the edgeguard-oriented moves need to be charge moves. Otherwise, they could have a good keep-away game as long as the keep-away moves have little edgeguard potential.

My Vaati idea does have ridiculously low damage output, which would be... troublesome against Master Hand. However, it is intentionally built to be fantastic at gimps and edgeguards.

 

[Quillion]

I just realized that I said something earlier in this thread:

Yeah, but the characters that aren't already fighter-ready in their home series are limited to main characters of their respective series.

Now that we have Isabelle, I'm retracting this statement.

 

[Luigifan18]

You should be able to copy-paste it into the regular post editor. It will accept everything from this forum as far as I'm aware.

I've started updating the Vaati moveset... the italics and hyperlinks carried over, but all of the other formatting will have to be redone from scratch. What a pain.

 

[Quillion]

You know, I'm actually kinda (pleasantly) surprised that all the attention has shifted away from Midna and Ghirahim and more towards Skull Kid, a character from Zelda's golden age.

Given that Zelda's confirmed representation already takes no designs from the TP-SS era, it seems that even Sakurai views that period as the weakest of the franchise.

 

[PrincessToadstool]

I'm all for Skull Kid since he seems to be the likely Zelda newcomer. I love him and plus more Zelda newcomers is welcome!!!

For one-shot characters, my top pick would be Agitha because she's my second favorite Zelda character after Ganondorf, and Hyrule Warriors made me wish she was in Smash LOL. But on a more realistic side of things, my other top picks are Mipha and Urbosa, so I hope to see them in some way in the game whether it's base game or DLC.

 

[Deleted member]

I would be stoked to see a Zelda newcomer. I would like to see either Skull Kid, Giraham, or Impa. I had ideas for an Impa moveset that involves her using a Serpentine Spear as a weapon and Shekian Runes for Specials. It’s somewhat based off of Breath of The Wild.
EDIT: Added a moveset I made for Impa!

Spoiler: Impa's Moveset

Impa: Impa utilizes a Serpentine Spear in combat, as well as a Sheikan Slate with the Runes and a couple of weapons from Breath of The Wild.

Design: I'd imagine Impa's design would be a fusion of her Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword design, with a Breath of The Wild atheistic to it.

Attacks:
3-hit jab: Impa stabs the opponent two times like Link does when equipped with a Lance in BOTW, and finishes by swinging her lance horizontally.
Dash Attack: Impa charges forward at the opponent Serpentine Spear first.

Tilt Attacks:
Forward Tilt: Impa kicks her opponent.
Up Tilt: Impa stabs her Serpentine Spear upwards at aerial foes.
Down Tilt: Impa stabs her Serpentine Spear at the ground in a quick motion.

Aerial Attacks:
Neutral Aerial: Impa spins around with her Spear, similar to how Link does in his Up B.
Forward Aerial: A forward aerial kick by Impa.
Back Aerial: Impa stabs her Spear backwards at any opponents behind her.
Up Aerial: Eightfold Blade. Impa slashed skywards with the Eightfold Blade weapon found in BOTW.
Down Aerial: Slashing Drop. Impa charges downwards with her Spear pointed directly at her opponents below. This move is very fast, and should be used wisely.

Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash: Edge of Duality. Impa attacks her foes with the Edge of Duality weapon from BOTW. Very effective Smash attack.
Up Smash: Impa rapidly spins her Spear in a helicopter motion above her, copping near by foes to pieces.
Down Smash: Impa's down Smash is similar to Sheik's, but instead of kicking, she helicopter kicks with the Spear.

Specials:
Standard B: Sheik's Melee Chain. A Smash Bros classic, Impa uses Sheik's old Chain special from Melee.
Side B: Stasis Rune. Impa uses the Stasis Rune controlled by a moving area of sparking electricity that the player can move back and forward, and once used, will temporarily stun the opponent, leaving the vulnerable for attacks.
Up B: Ice Rune. Impa summons an Ice Platform below her, which propels her upwards. In the air, the Ice Pillar will go into free-fall, making it a useful tool for off-stage kills.
Down B: Sneakstrike. Impa disappears in a cloud of smoke, breifly turning invisibale save for a shadow on the ground whose movement is controlled by the player. Once upon an unsuspecting opponent, tap B for a powerful sneak attack. Similar to Greninja's down B.

Final Smash: Sage's Power. In a homage to Ocarina of Time, Impa traps the opponent in the Shadow Sage symbol, which then teleports the opponent to the Sage's Domain, where all six sages unleash their power for a devastating attack.

Grabs:
Pummel: Impa knees her opponent.
Forward Throw: Impa hoists herself on herself on her Spear, and then dropkicks the opponent forward.
Back Throw: Impa does an overhead kick off of the opponents head, which sends them flying backwards.
Up Throw: Impa throw her opponent upwards.
Down Throw: Impa throws her opponent to the ground, and then stabs the opponent with her Spear.

Idle Animation: Impa's idle animation will be her twirling her spear.
Taunt #1: Impa forms the Shadow Sage symbol from Ocarina of Time in her hands.
Taunt #2: Impa beckons the opponent forward.
Taunt #3: Impa stabs her Spear in the ground, and crosses her arms.

 

[Quillion]

I would be stoked to see a Zelda newcomer. I would like to see either Skull Kid, Giraham, or Impa. I had ideas for an Impa moveset that involves her using a Serpentine Spear as a weapon and Shekian Runes for Specials. It’s somewhat based off of Breath of The Wild.
EDIT: Added a moveset I made for Impa!

Spoiler: Impa's Moveset

Impa: Impa utilizes a Serpentine Spear in combat, as well as a Sheikan Slate with the Runes and a couple of weapons from Breath of The Wild.

Design: I'd imagine Impa's design would be a fusion of her Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword design, with a Breath of The Wild atheistic to it.

Attacks:
3-hit jab: Impa stabs the opponent two times like Link does when equipped with a Lance in BOTW, and finishes by swinging her lance horizontally.
Dash Attack: Impa charges forward at the opponent Serpentine Spear first.

Tilt Attacks:
Forward Tilt: Impa kicks her opponent.
Up Tilt: Impa stabs her Serpentine Spear upwards at aerial foes.
Down Tilt: Impa stabs her Serpentine Spear at the ground in a quick motion.

Aerial Attacks:
Neutral Aerial: Impa spins around with her Spear, similar to how Link does in his Up B.
Forward Aerial: A forward aerial kick by Impa.
Back Aerial: Impa stabs her Spear backwards at any opponents behind her.
Up Aerial: Eightfold Blade. Impa slashed skywards with the Eightfold Blade weapon found in BOTW.
Down Aerial: Slashing Drop. Impa charges downwards with her Spear pointed directly at her opponents below. This move is very fast, and should be used wisely.

Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash: Edge of Duality. Impa attacks her foes with the Edge of Duality weapon from BOTW. Very effective Smash attack.
Up Smash: Impa rapidly spins her Spear in a helicopter motion above her, copping near by foes to pieces.
Down Smash: Impa's down Smash is similar to Sheik's, but instead of kicking, she helicopter kicks with the Spear.

Specials:
Standard B: Sheik's Melee Chain. A Smash Bros classic, Impa uses Sheik's old Chain special from Melee.
Side B: Stasis Rune. Impa uses the Stasis Rune controlled by a moving area of sparking electricity that the player can move back and forward, and once used, will temporarily stun the opponent, leaving the vulnerable for attacks.
Up B: Ice Rune. Impa summons an Ice Platform below her, which propels her upwards. In the air, the Ice Pillar will go into free-fall, making it a useful tool for off-stage kills.
Down B: Sneakstrike. Impa disappears in a cloud of smoke, breifly turning invisibale save for a shadow on the ground whose movement is controlled by the player. Once upon an unsuspecting opponent, tap B for a powerful sneak attack. Similar to Greninja's down B.

Final Smash: Sage's Power. In a homage to Ocarina of Time, Impa traps the opponent in the Shadow Sage symbol, which then teleports the opponent to the Sage's Domain, where all six sages unleash their power for a devastating attack.

Grabs:
Pummel: Impa knees her opponent.
Forward Throw: Impa hoists herself on herself on her Spear, and then dropkicks the opponent forward.
Back Throw: Impa does an overhead kick off of the opponents head, which sends them flying backwards.
Up Throw: Impa throw her opponent upwards.
Down Throw: Impa throws her opponent to the ground, and then stabs the opponent with her Spear.

Idle Animation: Impa's idle animation will be her twirling her spear.
Taunt #1: Impa forms the Shadow Sage symbol from Ocarina of Time in her hands.
Taunt #2: Impa beckons the opponent forward.
Taunt #3: Impa stabs her Spear in the ground, and crosses her arms.

Just asking: how would you respond to all the criticisms of the non-Triforce holder characters being one-shots? That's the main obstacle that characters other than Link, Zelda, and Ganon face.

 

[Deleted member]

Just asking: how would you respond to all the criticisms of the non-Triforce holder characters being one-shots? That's the main obstacle that characters other than Link, Zelda, and Ganon face.

You want my honest answer? I'd call BS on it. They may be one-shot characters, but they're some of the most popular faces in the Zelda series. Besides, being a one-shot character in the main Mario games didn't stop Rosilina and Luma from getting in, so why should stop any other Zelda character?

 

[Quillion]

You want my honest answer? I'd call BS on it. They may be one-shot characters, but they're some of the most popular faces in the Zelda series. Besides, being a one-shot character in the main Mario games didn't stop Rosilina and Luma from getting in, so why should stop any other Zelda character?

Rosalina was in Galaxy, Galaxy 2, and 3D World, though. And that's not counting her myriad spinoff appearances.

I want one-shots too, but I have to acknowledge this obstacle, and you're kinda wrong at that.

 

[Deleted member]

Rosalina was in Galaxy, Galaxy 2, and 3D World, though. And that's not counting her myriad spinoff appearances.

I want one-shots too, but I have to acknowledge this obstacle, and you're kinda wrong at that.

...Oh.

Well still, Zelda needs a newcomer dammit. They haven't had one in nearly two decades. It's long overdue.

 

[cybersai]

At this point it'll either be Skull Kid or no one

 

[GoodGrief741]

Rosalina was in Galaxy, Galaxy 2, and 3D World, though. And that's not counting her myriad spinoff appearances.

I want one-shots too, but I have to acknowledge this obstacle, and you're kinda wrong at that.

Rosalina still doesn’t feel like a mainstay of the franchise, and if spin-off appearances count, Waluigi and Daisy should have gotten in before her (not to mention Toad).

Rosalina to me is more comparable to Vaati or Tetra. Not really a one-off, but definitely not a staple.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Just asking: how would you respond to all the criticisms of the non-Triforce holder characters being one-shots? That's the main obstacle that characters other than Link, Zelda, and Ganon face.

Well, Hyrule Warriors is a thing, if you're going to use the "Rosalina was in all of the spin-offs" example.

Also Fire Emblem is a thing - only Marth, Ike, and Anna are really recurring in main series, but that doesn't stop each one-off from having a decent sized fanbase.

"But Cap, Fire Emblem is all about new casts! Zelda has three recurring characters only!"
Why is this such a hang-up for people? Zelda is a way bigger franchise than Fire Emblem, so why are its super popular one-offs (including several who are the title characters while Zelda is actually the minor character) exceptions? It seems like moving goalposts here. We shouldn't have to caveat popularity with "well, they're from series XYZ, so their fans don't really count."

I'd also offer that more people would recognize things like Majora's Mask or the Fused Shadow as "Something from that one Zelda game with the moon or with the little imp thing" than would be able to look at a character like Chrom and say "He's from the one Fire Emblem game with the fake girl Marth"

 

[FalconFire93]

Ghirahim and Skull Kid would be my main picks.

 

[LaughingLefou]

Meanwhile, I'm one of a handful of dinguses that just wants Ravio playable in any form.

 

[Quillion]

Rosalina still doesn’t feel like a mainstay of the franchise, and if spin-off appearances count, Waluigi and Daisy should have gotten in before her (not to mention Toad).

Rosalina to me is more comparable to Vaati or Tetra. Not really a one-off, but definitely not a staple.

Well, Hyrule Warriors is a thing, if you're going to use the "Rosalina was in all of the spin-offs" example.

CaptainAmerica and GoodGrief741 : I'm not saying spinoff appearances count by themselves (which is why I said "not counting spinoff appearances"). But I think that combined with Rosalina's frequent main series appearances (more frequent than, say, Daisy), Nintendo seems to consider her a part of Mario's core history at this point. And this isn't even counting Smash.

Yes, there's Hyrule Warriors, but most of the most popular Zelda characters having one main series appearance and one spinoff appearance doesn't really say much.

Granted, this is why I support Vaati and Tetra. Both of them are the most recurring characters and have tangible legacies after their major appearances, similar to, as GoodGrief741 said, Rosalina.

That said, I mostly support Vaati and Tetra because I find them to have the most realistic chance of being recognized by Sakurai. Impa is too inconsistent to have a universally representative iteration of her. Tingle and Beedle aren't fighters. The Skull Kid that used Majora's Mask technically first appeared in Ocarina of Time, but he's effectively a one-shot because he was completely unimportant in that game.

Also Fire Emblem is a thing - only Marth, Ike, and Anna are really recurring in main series, but that doesn't stop each one-off from having a decent sized fanbase.

"But Cap, Fire Emblem is all about new casts! Zelda has three recurring characters only!"
Why is this such a hang-up for people? Zelda is a way bigger franchise than Fire Emblem, so why are its super popular one-offs (including several who are the title characters while Zelda is actually the minor character) exceptions? It seems like moving goalposts here. We shouldn't have to caveat popularity with "well, they're from series XYZ, so their fans don't really count."

It's a difficult question to answer; it's not as clear cut as some people think it is. You can't really respect the entire legacies of series like Pokémon and Fire Emblem by having Pikachu and Marth and leaving it at that. Both of those series introduce metric tons of characters every generation that are nearly if not equally as important as they are. So this is why both series have to accumulate new characters for their sides in the roster.

On the other hand, you can respect the legacies of series like Mario by leaving it at Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. And even without taking Smash into account, Nintendo clearly considers Rosalina a core part of Mario history on her mix of main and spinoff appearances. They can safely ignore characters like Toadsworth, Toadette, Birdo, and the Broodals because they're nowhere near the level of the main characters in terms of importance. And while Daisy seems like an outlier, it's just Sakurai promoting what was once just an alternate palette.

Zelda is in this weird middle ground where there are BOTH main characters that recur throughout the series (Link, Zelda, Ganon) AND main characters that show up just to never be important ever again (Majora/Majora's Skull Kid, Oracle Din, Oracle Nayru, Zant, Midna, Ghirahim, Demise, Groose, the Champions, etc.). The question becomes, "which philosophy do you follow?" If you follow the Pokémon/Fire Emblem philosophy, the Zelda roster becomes diluted with characters that aren't important anymore. If you follow the Mario philosophy, the Zelda roster disrespects its legacy of main characters. I can't really say that there's a right way of doing this, even if I want them to follow the Pokémon/Fire Emblem philosophy.