Elma for Smash Ultimate: Strength comes from experience. That’s true on any planet.

[Rie Sonomura]

I've had a thought earlier...

You know how Takahashi said that they would need plenty of money for an X port? Well, if it's anything like 3D World DX and Pikmin 3 DX, a port would have to come with some new content, like...a new campaign! Not to mention that this is a game that took so much care and effort to make that Nintendo told Monolith Soft to take their time with it when the latter planned to release it earlier.

In light of all that, it would make sense why an X port would come later rather than sooner.

Don’t give me hope...

I NEEEEEEED IIIIIIT!!!

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

At any rate, if we hear of Ninty's next first-party release for this year, it would have to be sometime around March before the fiscal year starts on April.

After Mario 3D World: Kaiju Edition comes out first, of course. Mario 35th will be starting to wind down by that point.

 

[Megadoomer]

This video does a good job with singing the praises of Xenoblade Chronicles X and showing what makes it different from the other Xenoblade Chronicles games. (also, it treats XCX as the most obvious pick for a Wii U game to be ported to the Switch)

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Also, what if, not just XCDE, but also Pikmin 3 Deluxe and ... pretty much every other deluxe port’s performance would make Nintendo and/or Monolith say “yep it’s X time”

...that include you too, TMS Encore

 

[Ridley64]

Any ideas to how Pokemoun could consistantly have a National Dex?

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Any ideas to how Pokemoun could consistantly have a National Dex?

... wrong topic?

 

[Ridley64]

... wrong topic?

Whoops. Sorry.

 

[Starlight Liger]

Also, what if, not just XCDE, but also Pikmin 3 Deluxe and ... pretty much every other deluxe port’s performance would make Nintendo and/or Monolith say “yep it’s X time”

...that include you too, TMS Encore

What if Nintendo is saving this game as the very last Wii U remaster/port? It's a painful thought but it makes a lot of sense. As they say, you save the best for last.

Any ideas to how Pokemoun could consistantly have a National Dex?

Any ideas how to get Monolith Soft involved with the Pokemon franchise?

 

[Rie Sonomura]

What if Nintendo is saving this game as the very last Wii U remaster/port? It's a painful thought but it makes a lot of sense. As they say, you save the best for last.



Any ideas how to get Monolith Soft involved with the Pokemon franchise?

Fatal Frame though... that was digital only outside of Japan though and that directly used the gamepad more than other games so they may put it in a collection

 

[Calamitas]

I've had a thought earlier...

You know how Takahashi said that they would need plenty of money for an X port? Well, if it's anything like 3D World DX and Pikmin 3 DX, a port would have to come with some new content, like...a new campaign! Not to mention that this is a game that took so much care and effort to make that Nintendo told Monolith Soft to take their time with it when the latter planned to release it earlier.

In light of all that, it would make sense why an X port would come later rather than sooner.

I personally would hope that any new content for an X port is not a new side mode like with DE or 3D World. With how open the game is - not just in terms of its world but also with how you can just keep playing even after the main story ends - it'd feel really jarring if they couldn't put any new stuff into the main game, and instead made it a whole new side mode.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Ay hold up I had an idea

what if the reason Elma took so long was the stage itself? Like... randomly cycling through weather types as time passes? Basically Gaur Plain but with 1000% more weather effects

Sylvalum would be PERFECT for this

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Coffee Mugs

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Coffee Mugs

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Those mugs look so cool especially the Elma one. I wonder where you can buy these.

 

[Calamitas]

Found a neat cover that I wanted to share here:

 

[Rie Sonomura]

WHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I just surveyed 100% of Oblivia!

1 continent down, 4 continents and 6 areas of NLA to go!!!

 

[Rie Sonomura]

A thought that may just be rambling in the long run but

you know how Min Min’s Spirit was featured in the Mask-themed event AFTER SHE WAS MADE PLAYABLE ONLY, AND AT NO TIME WAS HER SPIRIT IN AN EVENT PRIOR TO THAT?

you notice there’s been no red-themed event yet?

what if they’re saving it to include Elma’s Spirit with it... AFTER ELMA BECOMES PLAYABLE?

...eh, probably means nothing in the long run, but still interesting to think about.

 

[Jocario Zero]

A thought that may just be rambling in the long run but

you know how Min Min’s Spirit was featured in the Mask-themed event AFTER SHE WAS MADE PLAYABLE ONLY, AND AT NO TIME WAS HER SPIRIT IN AN EVENT PRIOR TO THAT?

you notice there’s been no red-themed event yet?

what if they’re saving it to include Elma’s Spirit with it... AFTER ELMA BECOMES PLAYABLE?

...eh, probably means nothing in the long run, but still interesting to think about.

God, i wish...

 

[Calamitas]

Oh, by the way. This is slightly off-topic, but probably the best place ot ask about on here. I still have some vague plans to one day do a more long-form (video?) essay on (among other things) X, and as a part of that, I thought of a take about that I wanted to see what other people think.
So, you know how for the longest time, people generally considered Cross/the avatar to be the protagonist of X? And how both the general perception and Monolith Soft's stance on the matter has since shifted to Elma? Well, what I've started to feel is like it's probably really moreso Lin who's the main protagonist of the main story missions, at least in the sense that she undergoes the most development there. She narrates the opening (which Shulk and Rex did in their respective games) as well as the ending, we're introduced to her own personal goal - developing the flight module - at the same time as we're introduced to her, and her own growth as a character is repeatedly drawn into focus during cutscenes. Heck, the scene where she leaps in to prevent Elma from shooting Lao I think pretty neatly mirrors the scene in 1 where Shulk stops Dunban from killing Mumkhar, even if the results of that differ.
This of course isn't to say that Elma isn't a protagonist, and that we should shift our support over to Lin. It's just that looking back on Elma's writing over the course of the game, she comes across as moreso a catalyst to other character's development, rather than someone who needs to undergo a major growth on their own. You know, like Goku.
So, is that at least a semi-convincing take, or am I just being this "I've connected the dots" - "You haven't connected ****" - "I have connected the dots!" meme right now?

WHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I just surveyed 100% of Oblivia!

1 continent down, 4 continents and 6 areas of NLA to go!!!

Oh, by the way. You do know that you can still upload screenshots from your Wii U, even without Miiverse? The procedure is a bit convoluted, but it's possible. You just need to open a website that can upload images with the Wii U's web browser while pausing the game, and it should work just fine. Though some websites are a bit wonky with that.
And good luck with Noctilum! You're gonna need it for the segment that requires you to beat Telethia, the Endbringer.

A thought that may just be rambling in the long run but

you know how Min Min’s Spirit was featured in the Mask-themed event AFTER SHE WAS MADE PLAYABLE ONLY, AND AT NO TIME WAS HER SPIRIT IN AN EVENT PRIOR TO THAT?

you notice there’s been no red-themed event yet?

what if they’re saving it to include Elma’s Spirit with it... AFTER ELMA BECOMES PLAYABLE?

...eh, probably means nothing in the long run, but still interesting to think about.

Ehh, about that.

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

Cruisin' for a Bruisin' was a Spirit Board event focused on spirits that specialize in hand-to-hand combat. It ran from 6 a.m. on April 5, 2019 to 6 a.m. on April 8, 2019. During the event, defeating spirits on the Spirit Board which were part of...

www.ssbwiki.com

That spirit event had Min Min on it, and it came out less than half a year after Ultimate.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Oh, by the way. This is slightly off-topic, but probably the best place ot ask about on here. I still have some vague plans to one day do a more long-form (video?) essay on (among other things) X, and as a part of that, I thought of a take about that I wanted to see what other people think.
So, you know how for the longest time, people generally considered Cross/the avatar to be the protagonist of X? And how both the general perception and Monolith Soft's stance on the matter has since shifted to Elma? Well, what I've started to feel is like it's probably really moreso Lin who's the main protagonist of the main story missions, at least in the sense that she undergoes the most development there. She narrates the opening (which Shulk and Rex did in their respective games) as well as the ending, we're introduced to her own personal goal - developing the flight module - at the same time as we're introduced to her, and her own growth as a character is repeatedly drawn into focus during cutscenes. Heck, the scene where she leaps in to prevent Elma from shooting Lao I think pretty neatly mirrors the scene in 1 where Shulk stops Dunban from killing Mumkhar, even if the results of that differ.
This of course isn't to say that Elma isn't a protagonist, and that we should shift our support over to Lin. It's just that looking back on Elma's writing over the course of the game, she comes across as moreso a catalyst to other character's development, rather than someone who needs to undergo a major growth on their own. You know, like Goku.
So, is that at least a semi-convincing take, or am I just being this "I've connected the dots" - "You haven't connected ****" - "I have connected the dots!" meme right now?



Oh, by the way. You do know that you can still upload screenshots from your Wii U, even without Miiverse? The procedure is a bit convoluted, but it's possible. You just need to open a website that can upload images with the Wii U's web browser while pausing the game, and it should work just fine. Though some websites are a bit wonky with that.
And good luck with Noctilum! You're gonna need it for the segment that requires you to beat Telethia, the Endbringer.



Ehh, about that.

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

Cruisin' for a Bruisin' was a Spirit Board event focused on spirits that specialize in hand-to-hand combat. It ran from 6 a.m. on April 5, 2019 to 6 a.m. on April 8, 2019. During the event, defeating spirits on the Spirit Board which were part of...

www.ssbwiki.com

That spirit event had Min Min on it, and it came out less than half a year after Ultimate.

I stand corrected

even so - Elma’s spirit is a no brainer for Red. Kinda sus they’re holding it off that long

also forget Noctilum - I’m dreading 100%-ing Cauldros

**** Cauldros all my homies hate Cauldros

 

[Calamitas]

I stand corrected

even so - Elma’s spirit is a no brainer for Red. Kinda sus they’re holding it off that long

also forget Noctilum - I’m dreading 100%-ing Cauldros

**** Cauldros all my homies hate Cauldros

Yeah, I just checked all the Spirit Board Events. Elma didn't show up in a single one of them, not even in the one for long-haired characters, the one for heroines of their respective games, or the one for sword-wielding characters (which amusingly didn't have Rex, either, but Pyra and Mythra. Rex was in the one for blue characters, though). Tatsu was in the first one, the one for characters wearing glasses though, and Lin was in the events for characters wearing shorts, and the one for characters without sleeves, though. Either way, I doubt that that in particular means anything.

And, eh. It has been about two and a half years since I did 100% complete the game, but I don't recall Cauldros being particularly tough. You don't even need to beat that region's strongest boss for 100% completion. But around 60% completion is necessary for getting Mia.

 

[Abade]

A thought that may just be rambling in the long run but

you know how Min Min’s Spirit was featured in the Mask-themed event AFTER SHE WAS MADE PLAYABLE ONLY, AND AT NO TIME WAS HER SPIRIT IN AN EVENT PRIOR TO THAT?

you notice there’s been no red-themed event yet?

what if they’re saving it to include Elma’s Spirit with it... AFTER ELMA BECOMES PLAYABLE?

...eh, probably means nothing in the long run, but still interesting to think about.

Min Min's Spirit was featured at an event, Cruisin' for a Bruisin' which took place at April 5, 2019.

List of Spirit Board events

Occasionally, special events involving spirits fitting a specific theme will occur. When this happens, certain spirits who fit the theme will spawn with the word "Event" displaying on their cards and defeating these spirits will grant bonus rewards...

www.ssbwiki.com

Elma's spirit can not be battled on the Spirit Board until it is unlocked by "•Complete Challenge (Adventure): Awaken 50 fighters. "

I don't know if the method to Challenge Spirits being obtained from completing the challenges so they can appear on the Spirit Board has changed in any way.

 

[PSIGuy]

Oh, by the way. This is slightly off-topic, but probably the best place ot ask about on here. I still have some vague plans to one day do a more long-form (video?) essay on (among other things) X, and as a part of that, I thought of a take about that I wanted to see what other people think.
So, you know how for the longest time, people generally considered Cross/the avatar to be the protagonist of X? And how both the general perception and Monolith Soft's stance on the matter has since shifted to Elma? Well, what I've started to feel is like it's probably really moreso Lin who's the main protagonist of the main story missions, at least in the sense that she undergoes the most development there. She narrates the opening (which Shulk and Rex did in their respective games) as well as the ending, we're introduced to her own personal goal - developing the flight module - at the same time as we're introduced to her, and her own growth as a character is repeatedly drawn into focus during cutscenes. Heck, the scene where she leaps in to prevent Elma from shooting Lao I think pretty neatly mirrors the scene in 1 where Shulk stops Dunban from killing Mumkhar, even if the results of that differ.
This of course isn't to say that Elma isn't a protagonist, and that we should shift our support over to Lin. It's just that looking back on Elma's writing over the course of the game, she comes across as moreso a catalyst to other character's development, rather than someone who needs to undergo a major growth on their own. You know, like Goku.
So, is that at least a semi-convincing take, or am I just being this "I've connected the dots" - "You haven't connected ****" - "I have connected the dots!" meme right now?

I guess you're saying Lin, Shulk and Cross as characters are all people born into the setting who end up being the emotional core through their efforts to improve and understand it. I agree, but there's already less of a focus on a set narrative in X anyway. I think in doing a video essay on this you'd end up tackling how characters serve different purposes between 1, 2 and X. In X particularly there's an important emphasis on the different perspectives characters are bringing. Elma, Vandham/Chausson/Nagi, Lao, Lin and Cross all have wildly differing interpretations of everything that has led up to the setting as we see it (with Elma having had the greatest influence, Cross having literally none and everyone else somewhere inbetween). Characters in 1 and 2 serve more to affect Shulk/Rex's development, while in X they're just more lives you can consider in the grand scheme of the setting.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

So what if Elma is DLC and she's been planned to be in Ultimate's roster since the project plan was finalized back in 2015? Unlike supposely Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X wouldn't be too late for Ultimate's project plan since it came out before Ultimate was finalized meaning Elma could get in.

This might not mean anything, but we know characters like Ridley, K. Rool, Simon, Richter, and Banjo & Kazooie were definitely planned when Ultimate was finalized since Sakurai did confirm they got in due to their extraordinary Smash Ballot performances back in 2015.

We know Steve or Minecraft content was negotiated and planned 5 years in advance.

We know Incineroar was planned as well from the beginning since Sakurai chose him before Game Freak or the Pokemon Company made his final design.

And it's possible Sephiroth was planned all the way back in 2015 as well as possibly a package deal with Cloud if the rumor about Cloud almost getting cut from base game and Square-Enix wanting him as DLC again was true. Square-Enix might have let Cloud return for "Everyone Is Here!" in base only if Sephiroth was DLC later which isn't far fetched if that rumor is true.

Not to say all of Ultimate's newcomers were planned since 2015 when the project plan was finalized, but a certain number definitely were. And I think if Elma get's in, she was one of those characters that was part of the project plan since her game came out in 2015 beforehand and she would be chosen over Rex & Pyra who Sakurai claimed were too late at least for base and Fighter's Pass 1 because of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 coming out so long after the project plan. I really do believe Sakurai was using that mech toy for Elma as so far, no newcomer in Ultimate as had a moveset that would look like it would remotely resemble that toy in anyway.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

So what if Elma is DLC and she's been planned to be in Ultimate's roster since the project plan was finalized back in 2015? Unlike supposely Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X wouldn't be too late for Ultimate's project plan since it came out before Ultimate was finalized meaning Elma could get in.

This might not mean anything, but we know characters like Ridley, K. Rool, Simon, Richter, and Banjo & Kazooie were definitely planned when Ultimate was finalized since Sakurai did confirm they got in due to their extraordinary Smash Ballot performances back in 2015.

We know Steve or Minecraft content was negotiated and planned 5 years in advance.

We know Incineroar was planned as well from the beginning since Sakurai chose him before Game Freak or the Pokemon Company made his final design.

And it's possible Sephiroth was planned all the way back in 2015 as well as possibly a package deal with Cloud if the rumor about Cloud almost getting cut from base game and Square-Enix wanting him as DLC again was true. Square-Enix might have let Cloud return for "Everyone Is Here!" in base only if Sephiroth was DLC later which isn't far fetched if that rumor is true.

Not to say all of Ultimate's newcomers were planned since 2015 when the project plan was finalized, but a certain number definitely were. And I think if Elma get's in, she was one of those characters that was part of the project plan since her game came out in 2015 beforehand and she would be chosen over Rex & Pyra who Sakurai claimed were too late at least for base and Fighter's Pass 1 because of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 coming out so long after the project plan. I really do believe Sakurai was using that mech toy for Elma as so far, no newcomer in Ultimate as had a moveset that would look like it would remotely resemble that toy in anyway.

Where’d the Cloud in base if Sephiroth is DLC rumor come from? First I’ve heard of this

and no way is the Gundam figurine for Inkling OR the Ray Mk-2 Mii costume. It has to be for a Skell.

 

[RebelMaren]

So what if Elma is DLC and she's been planned to be in Ultimate's roster since the project plan was finalized back in 2015? Unlike supposely Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X wouldn't be too late for Ultimate's project plan since it came out before Ultimate was finalized meaning Elma could get in.

This might not mean anything, but we know characters like Ridley, K. Rool, Simon, Richter, and Banjo & Kazooie were definitely planned when Ultimate was finalized since Sakurai did confirm they got in due to their extraordinary Smash Ballot performances back in 2015.

We know Steve or Minecraft content was negotiated and planned 5 years in advance.

We know Incineroar was planned as well from the beginning since Sakurai chose him before Game Freak or the Pokemon Company made his final design.

And it's possible Sephiroth was planned all the way back in 2015 as well as possibly a package deal with Cloud if the rumor about Cloud almost getting cut from base game and Square-Enix wanting him as DLC again was true. Square-Enix might have let Cloud return for "Everyone Is Here!" in base only if Sephiroth was DLC later which isn't far fetched if that rumor is true.

Not to say all of Ultimate's newcomers were planned since 2015 when the project plan was finalized, but a certain number definitely were. And I think if Elma get's in, she was one of those characters that was part of the project plan since her game came out in 2015 beforehand and she would be chosen over Rex & Pyra who Sakurai claimed were too late at least for base and Fighter's Pass 1 because of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 coming out so long after the project plan. I really do believe Sakurai was using that mech toy for Elma as so far, no newcomer in Ultimate as had a moveset that would look like it would remotely resemble that toy in anyway.

Honestly this has been my running theory since the November 2018 Smash Direct, if she happens I doubt it'd be a recent decision, just one a long time in the making, timed to drop when she's more relevant.

I thought maybe her cameo in XC2 was the spoonful of sugar to help the Elmedicine go down among the newer Xenoblade fans that missed out on X, but these days I'm just hoping they're holding out for a port.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Honestly this has been my running theory since the November 2018 Smash Direct, if she happens I doubt it'd be a recent decision, just one a long time in the making, timed to drop when she's more relevant.

I thought maybe her cameo in XC2 was the spoonful of sugar to help the Elmedacine go down among the newer Xenoblade fans that missed out on X, but these days I'm just hoping they're holding out for a port.

And of course, Caitlin Glass announced she had an NDA shortly after said direct...

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Where’d the Cloud in base if Sephiroth is DLC rumor come from? First I’ve heard of this

and no way is the Gundam figurine for Inkling OR the Ray Mk-2 Mii costume. It has to be for a Skell.

No you misread. The rumor was that Square-Enix almost didn't allow Cloud to be in base game for "Everyone Is Here!" because they wanted him as DLC again and Sakurai managed to negotiate with them to get Cloud in base somehow. I think it was xenother that heard this and I just added the Sephiroth part in since it would make sense adding Sephiroth as DLC later was part of their agreement to allow Cloud in base.

 

[RebelMaren]

No you misread. The rumor was that Square-Enix almost didn't allow Cloud to be in base game for "Everyone Is Here!" because they wanted him as DLC again and Sakurai managed to negotiate with them to get Cloud in base somehow. I think it was xenother that heard this and I just added the Sephiroth part in since it would make sense adding Sephiroth as DLC later was part of their agreement to allow Cloud in base.

The problem I've always had with the Sephiroth as a conditional character is... does anyone really think you'd have to twist Sakurai's arm to add Sephiroth to Smash?

 

[RetrogamerMax]

The problem I've always had with the Sephiroth as a conditional character is... does anyone really think you'd have to twist Sakurai's arm to add Sephiroth to Smash?

I think Square-Enix would have twisted Sakurai's arm for Sephiroth if that rumor is true they wanted Cloud as DLC again.

 

[RebelMaren]

I think Square-Enix would have twisted Sakurai's arm for Sephiroth if that rumor is true they wanted Cloud as DLC again.

Eh, I'm just saying, I get the impression Sakurai would have been more than happy to add Sephiroth regardless, if it'd been some new character they were pushing (Like how they wanted Lightning instead of Cloud initially) it'd be easier to buy, but Seph is probably the most popular video game villain not in Smash (At least in Japan), from a game with a huge following in Japan amongst older gamers. And Sakurai is like, the king of the fanboys.

 

[Megadoomer]

The problem I've always had with the Sephiroth as a conditional character is... does anyone really think you'd have to twist Sakurai's arm to add Sephiroth to Smash?

I guess it's because we know that at least one unnamed company made it difficult for them to give us "Everyone is Here!"

Nintendo obviously wasn't the company in question, Bandai-Namco's developing the game, and both Sega and Capcom seem to have no issues with having content from their games in Smash. That just leaves Konami and Square-Enix, presumably, and we got the absolute minimum of Final Fantasy 7 content in Ultimate. (two songs, two spirits (both of which were Cloud), and not even alternate spirit artwork for Cloud, at least until Sephiroth was added)

There's no way to know for sure, but given that we got plenty of Metal Gear and Castlevania content, along with Bomberman, I'm not sure if Konami would have been the issue. Sephiroth's inclusion partially came across (to me, at least) as Square-Enix saying that either Cloud would be DLC (meaning that we wouldn't get every veteran returning), or Smash would only get the bare minimum of FF content and there'd be another FF character later to add the spirits, music, etc. that should have been there to begin with.

I'm just guessing, but that's how it seemed to me.

 

[RebelMaren]

I guess it's because we know that at least one unnamed company made it difficult for them to give us "Everyone is Here!"

Nintendo obviously wasn't the company in question, Bandai-Namco's developing the game, and both Sega and Capcom seem to have no issues with having content from their games in Smash. That just leaves Konami and Square-Enix, presumably, and we got the absolute minimum of Final Fantasy 7 content in Ultimate. (two songs, two spirits (both of which were Cloud), and not even alternate spirit artwork for Cloud, at least until Sephiroth was added)

There's no way to know for sure, but given that we got plenty of Metal Gear and Castlevania content, along with Bomberman, I'm not sure if Konami would have been the issue. Sephiroth's inclusion partially came across (to me, at least) as Square-Enix saying that either Cloud would be DLC (meaning that we wouldn't get every veteran returning), or Smash would only get the bare minimum of FF content and there'd be another FF character later to add the spirits, music, etc. that should have been there to begin with.

I'm just guessing, but that's how it seemed to me.

Certainly I'd agree that Cloud was the most likely candidate for Ultimate nearly not being Ultimate, but on the other hand, considering the ballot was most likely always for Ultimate, you'd think they hash out contracts for Cloud and Bayonetta for 2 games right away. Maybe there was a deal to use the Dragon Quest 11 protagonist as the face of DQ in Smash.

I definitely feel like both Sephiroth and Min Min were planned pre-launch, hence the comfy gaps in the games music and spirit selection left for them to drop into. Banjo seemingly was a result of the ballot,Hero was rumoured for the base roster, Steve apparently was in talks for years, SNK supported the Switch very early on with a ton of games featuring Terry and even Three Houses was actually announced for Switch at the start of 2017.

We're probably getting off topic anyway. At any rate I don't think it's at all far fetched that the characters we're seeing now, are a result of talks that date back to the very start of Ultimate's development, rather than knee jerk reactions to current trends and new releases. Hopefully we're not in the final 3 and newer characters like the Astral Chain protagonists and newer Monolith Soft characters (after Elma) or characters who have become more popular in the community recently, like Doomslayer or whoever, can also get time to shine, rather than being an exception alongside Byleth.

 

[Starlight Liger]

The problem I've always had with the Sephiroth as a conditional character is... does anyone really think you'd have to twist Sakurai's arm to add Sephiroth to Smash?

All of the DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros Ultimate were selected by Nintendo, Sakurai made that explicitly clear, especially with Byleth.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

I definitely feel like both Sephiroth and Min Min were planned pre-launch

I'm not so sure about Min Min since the Party Crash Bash was in 2019 and she won that which probably contributed to part of the decision of making her the Arms rep in Smash as Sakurai was considering between Min Min and Ninjara and chose Min Min because the Arms creator M. Yabuki wanted Min Min. Both Min Min and Ninjara scored 1st and 2nd place in the Party Crash Bash in 2019 so I think that event was a big influence on Sakurai's decision on who would be the Arms rep. Like, I'm sure Sakurai heard about Arms in development during Ultimate's project plan and from the start had consider a rep from Arms since Ultimate's development begin. But I don't think Sakurai had a concrete idea on who he would pick as the Arms rep until after the Party Crash Bash happened in 2019.

 

[RebelMaren]

I'm not so sure about Min Min since the Party Crash Bash was in 2019 and she won that which probably contributed to part of the decision of making her the Arms rep in Smash as Sakurai was considering between Min Min and Ninjara and chose Min Min because the Arms creator M. Yabuki wanted Min Min. Both Min Min and Ninjara scored 1st and 2nd place in the Party Crash Bash in 2019 so I think that event was a big influence on Sakurai's decision on who would be the Arms rep. Like, I'm sure Sakurai heard about Arms in development during Ultimate's project plan and from the start had consider a rep from Arms since Ultimate's development begin. But I don't think Sakurai had a concrete idea on who he would pick as the Arms rep until after the Party Crash Bash happened in 2019.

Her moveset works because she IS Min Min though, almost any other character leaves gaps that are hard to fill without access to Min Min's repetoir, her varied ARMS and her unique gimmicks. Yabuki was repping Min Min as his favourite pre-launch, which Sakurai stated was the reasoning behind her inclusion. At the tourney at E3 just as the game was launching, Yabuki went on to fight the champion and completely stomped on him with Min Min. For ARMS fans this is a pretty important moment, it was when we realised the game had some real depth, this wasn't Wii Boxing. The combo Yabuki used in those matches is known as 'The Yabuki Combo' in the community, it's a bread and butter technique in competitive play.

IF they'd used a fan ballot to choose their character, you would think they would have hyped that up in the presentation, to say to us "You did this, you chose Min Min", but they didn't.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

All in all tho, I feel if they pull an ARMS guessing game with Xenoblade X as the next fighter it’s Elma or bust

• she was the guest blade repping X in XC2. Not Cross. Not Lin. Not Lao, not that anyone woulda expected him in the first place
• That illustration with Shulk and Rex in the front on the left and right respectively as part of the Protagonist Trinity? Look who’s between them

 

[RetrogamerMax]

All in all tho, I feel if they pull an ARMS guessing game with Xenoblade X as the next fighter it’s Elma or bust

• she was the guest blade repping X in XC2. Not Cross. Not Lin. Not Lao, not that anyone woulda expected him in the first place
• That illustration with Shulk and Rex in the front on the left and right respectively as part of the Protagonist Trinity? Look who’s between them

Oh dear lord I hope Nintendo does not take the Arms guessing game direction with the Xenoblade rep because things could get ugly between certain Rex and Elma fans. Or almost everyone in general would ignore us and say "Yep, it's Rex for sure." Ignoring that Elma would have a phenomenal chance with the absence of Xenoblade X music from the game.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Oh dear lord I hope Nintendo does not take the Arms guessing game direction with the Xenoblade rep because things could get ugly between certain Rex and Elma fans. Or almost everyone in general would ignore us and say "Yep, it's Rex for sure." Ignoring that Elma would have a phenomenal chance with the absence of Xenoblade X music from the game.

i was referring to X in particular, but if it was Xenoblade as a whole series... sweats nervously

 

[RebelMaren]

All in all tho, I feel if they pull an ARMS guessing game with Xenoblade X as the next fighter it’s Elma or bust

• she was the guest blade repping X in XC2. Not Cross. Not Lin. Not Lao, not that anyone woulda expected him in the first place
• That illustration with Shulk and Rex in the front on the left and right respectively as part of the Protagonist Trinity? Look who’s between them

I look at this way, imagine they put Lin in as Assist Trophy, and then said "A Xenoblade character is coming to Smash Ultimate, guess who it is!"

Tatsu

 

[RetrogamerMax]

i was referring to X in particular, but if it was Xenoblade as a whole series... sweats nervously

I think it wouldn't change a thing as I would put all my stock on it being Elma. But so many people would ignore the evidence in Elma's favor and quickly assume it's Rex or nobody.