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

[ColtonS25]

That's gotta be one hell of a reversal of fortunes if it comes to pass, though. Pre-release, everyone keeps ignoring Elma in favour of the usual suspects or passing her over for Rex, and now, for DLC, she's already shaping up to be the likeliest candidate, and being actually treated as such in discussions. I wouldn't mind it.

This is our penance for being ignored.

Edit: So who is everyone maining? Incineroar looks incredibly fun, so he's my choice. Richter and Inkling are awesome as well. I'm really excited for this game, even without Elma!

 

[AuraWielder]

A post on Reddit put it best this way:

"No XBX music, No XBX characters as Spirits, No XBX characters as ATs, No XBX stage, No Elma at all. It's definitely one of the DLCs. When goddamn Tsubasa Oribe from Tokyo Mirage Sessions (Thanks for acknowledging her Sakurai) is getting shown off as a spirit, as well as XB2 having a bunch of spirits, and then there's no Elma at all, it speaks volumes that they're definitely doing something bigger for them."

I'm inclined to agree, especially considering even the most obscure stuff (like Tokyo Mirage Sessions) got Spirits and XBX got so extremely minimal... it feels like this can't just be an exclusion for the sake of it.

 

[Deleted member]

The only concern I have for Elma is whether or not Sakurai considered her in 2015; mainly the fact that he didn't know whether or not Xenoblade was gonna fizzle out and die. I'm still super hopeful!

This is our penance for being ignored.

Edit: So who is everyone maining? Incineroar looks incredibly fun, so he's my choice. Richter and Inkling are awesome as well. I'm really excited for this game, even without Elma!

I'm definitely gonna main Shulk, just because I'm not suler competetive and enjoy playing characters I like. His changes seem lovely however! Out of Ultimate newcomers, Inklings seem to have a highly technical moveset so maybe them. Richter looks amazing tho so I'm gonna have to go with him

 

[Izayoi]

So who is everyone maining? Incineroar looks incredibly fun, so he's my choice. Richter and Inkling are awesome as well. I'm really excited for this game, even without Elma!

My general roster will mostly be the FE characters plus whoever I find fun. As for mains? Too early to tell. I need to see how well I connect with any character I play and...

My mind, heart, and soul cries for Elma.

 

[MeekMeek93]

A post on Reddit put it best this way:

"No XBX music, No XBX characters as Spirits, No XBX characters as ATs, No XBX stage, No Elma at all. It's definitely one of the DLCs. When goddamn Tsubasa Oribe from Tokyo Mirage Sessions (Thanks for acknowledging her Sakurai) is getting shown off as a spirit, as well as XB2 having a bunch of spirits, and then there's no Elma at all, it speaks volumes that they're definitely doing something bigger for them."

Still believe you, but could you give a link? I'm intriuged...

 

[ColtonS25]

I'd also like to point out how Pyra's spirit is just pink haired Lucina.

Spoiler: Comparison

She's basically on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to breast size and I don't know why I'm laughing so hard about it.

 

[MeekMeek93]

Soraya Saga retweeted NoE's Smash Bros DLC announcement... though I think she might be referencing Mii Costume Rex.

 

[Fierymew]

Rex has been confirmed as a Spirit, so Elma has an even bigger chance at sealing her spot as DLC!!!

I really feel like the lack of X is telling of something greater. Especially since they didn't even show one X song while talking about Xenoblade music.

The hope still lives on!

 

[PSIGuy]

I really want to state clearly that the lack of XCX content being shown does not mean they have more planned for XCX. Don't misinterpret no news as good news. That's the same road fans of Shadow, Isaac and countless other characters went down and they all got deconfirmed today. Sakurai went out of his way to apologize for Rex not being included because he knew Japanese fans would be upset. He obviously knows what people want and are vocal about.

 

[Izayoi]

No news doesn't mean bad news either. It's how we want to interpret it now.

So...It's up to you to be positive about Elma or negative. We can follow the same path the fans of many other characters went through but it doesn't matter to me. It's still worth it to hope.

Ridley's fans went that same path and they got it. Doesn't exactly mean we will but we need to try.

 

[Calamitas]

This is going to be the next months, really.

So who is everyone maining? Incineroar looks incredibly fun, so he's my choice. Richter and Inkling are awesome as well. I'm really excited for this game, even without Elma!

I'm probably stick with Shulk as well as the FE cast (minus Roy). As far as newcomers are concerned, I wanna give Inkling a chance and maybe K. Rool and Simon/Richter.

I really want to state clearly that the lack of XCX content being shown does not mean they have more planned for XCX. Don't misinterpret no news as good news. That's the same road fans of Shadow, Isaac and countless other characters went down and they all got deconfirmed today. Sakurai went out of his way to apologize for Rex not being included because he knew Japanese fans would be upset. He obviously knows what people want and are vocal about.

Dude. I get that we should temper our expectations and all, but your constant over-the-top pessimism is really getting annoying.

 

[AuraWielder]

Still believe you, but could you give a link? I'm intriuged...

I don't know where the exact picture of Tsubasa as a Spirit is in the Direct, I just recognized her ASAP because I'm actually a fan of TMS myself (currently playing through it). She WAS in there, I know that.

 

[MeekMeek93]

I don't know where the exact picture of Tsubasa as a Spirit is in the Direct, I just recognized her ASAP because I'm actually a fan of TMS myself (currently playing through it). She WAS in there, I know that.

LOL I meant to the reddit post. I saw Tsubasa and the skell lol. I even posted the shot of the skell haha

 

[Jocario Zero]

Have we all calmed down a bit now? I don't really want to leave this thread (but the general discussion can burn for all I care...).

Anyway. So Rex is a spirit and a costume. Doesn't necessarily mean that he is out but it could potentially boost Elmas chances. For the time now let's just wait and see whats gonna happen next. People talk about a possible announcement at the game awards. Maybe but if that's happening I don't expect more than a teaser like with Mewtwo back in the 50-Fact-Direct.

So who is everyone maining? Incineroar looks incredibly fun, so he's my choice. Richter and Inkling are awesome as well. I'm really excited for this game, even without Elma!

I'm definitely staying with Mario, Lucario, Lucina, Shulk and Corrin. They where my mains in Smash 4. But I somehow have the urge to put my focus on Corrin. Poor Dragon-Boy needs some love (...I might be the only person on the planet who genuinely likes Corrin despite the "questionable" writing of Fates...)

When it comes to the Newcomers I want to play Daisy (no reason for me to use Peach anymore thank the Lord), Chrom (mah boy finally got his chance) and i already look forward to Piranha-Plant. It just looks so ridiculously amazing and i love Sakurai for it.

 

[Izayoi]

If you dwell in the Elma discord you'll know how much I'm blabbing about Elma being DLC... lol.

I'm not calm at all.

 

[Arsh99]

My DLC picks are

1. Elma - for all the reasons that have been stated in this thread.

2. Crash - never played his games, but he is huge in the UK. Would bring in a lot of fans their and the HD trilogy made him relevant again. Also, we know 3rd parties are big for DLC.

3. Sylux - I'm kinda unsure about him since he was stated to be the big bad for MP4 for a couple years now, but MP4 has been in dev for maybe a year and a half now. Would be great if he could coincide w/ MP4's release

4. Edelgard - I'm gonna get flack for supporting a character I barely know anything about, but I love her design and her dialogue really intrigued me in the Three Houses trailer. She reminds me a lot of Micaiah. An axe weilding FE rep would be great as well.

5. Mach Rider - can't get this character out of my head since the Grinch leak. Really hope they make it in now.

I would still like Medusa as an echo, Impa as either a new comer or echo (but DLC characters coming with a stage makes her unlikely as a newcomer since we already got Sheikah Tower), and Chun-Li ( the first female fighter would make a great fighter or even assist trophy too bad we got Guile instead even though his move is neat). Really hoping Sakurai changes his stance ob echo fighters for DLC.

Note: I know a lot of these don't fall in line with Sakurai said about the project plan, but if the releases are spread out I'm sure they'll have a enough time to get these characters out.

 

[ZealousGamer]

I feel bad about so many characters being deconfirmed.... While I felt Elma wasn't the most likely; I thought she had more of a chance. As far as I'm aware; "Spirits" don't mean they won't be playable. So, maybe a little hope left?

 

[Phoebe3315]

I really want to state clearly that the lack of XCX content being shown does not mean they have more planned for XCX. Don't misinterpret no news as good news. That's the same road fans of Shadow, Isaac and countless other characters went down and they all got deconfirmed today. Sakurai went out of his way to apologize for Rex not being included because he knew Japanese fans would be upset. He obviously knows what people want and are vocal about.

I agree that we shouldn't EXPECT Elma to be DLC. Although...Shadow, Isaac and 50+ others are still in the game as Assist Trophies, which take effort. Spirits take significantly less effort (new art isn't even required). It's strange the entire main cast of Xenoblade 2 + characters from many, many games more obscure than Xenoblade X got spirits of characters. Despite how many people he's currently upsetting, I think Sakurai is really trying to please as many people as he can with representation of characters in one way or another (and without having to spend the rest of his life working on Smash). It would be SO EASY to throw in a spirit of Elma. If she isn't one, I'll have to wonder why...

 

[Malkior7]

The good news is that Elma still has a shot for DLC and even better Rex may even be out of the running because of the Mii costume so she won;t have much competition(in terms of Xenoblade characters)

 

[aarchak]

Elma still has a chance, people. There was only the formula Skell shown as a Spirit, and that means Sakurai is acknowledging the game. We may have a chance, people.

Also,

Spoiler: Subtle XC1 Spoilers

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

Elma and Bandana Dee definitely got the best from this direct I say.

 

[KatKit]

I was pleasantly surprised by the Tsubasa/TMS acknowledgement. Fairly underrated Wii U title.

Also,

Spoiler: Subtle XC1 Spoilers

View attachment 174806

They mention it every opportunity they can! That one's kinda subtle at least.

 

[Autobot N]

5. Mach Rider - can't get this character out of my head since the Grinch leak. Really hope they make it in now..

So I'm not the only one who this happened to. I couldn't have cared less about Mach Rider before the Grinch Leak, but now I really want him/her to be in.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

So...

DLC predictions?

My guess would be Elma, Geno, Banjo and Kazooie, Sora, and Skull Kid. Interesting to hear that there are no echoes planned for DLC. Rex, Springman, Ribbon Girl, Isaac, Shantae, Shadow, and Dixie Kong all got deconfirmed, so that definitely decreases potential newcomers. Maybe Elma just took too much development time with her moveset. The mystery of the robot figure lives on as well.

Also, if we don't see any tracks in the base game by Sawano then I think it's fair to assume that Elma is DLC.

Here are my character theories:

Sans (Undertale) - The character has proven popular with the fanbase in some circles (with some degree of ballot presence), and Toby has made a Smash reference in Delta Rune, so it stands to reason that he may know something we don't. It could just be a harmless reference, so it can go either way. Plus Isabelle proves that popularity can get you to make it over other characters.

Rayman - Ubisoft has a great relationship with Nintendo right now, he's in the public eye, and nor hide nor hair of him has been seen so far. The only dealbreaker is Brawlhalla, but even then, Ubisoft themselves have taken up publishing duties for it, so they probably are in a better position than most as far as NDAs go.

Bandana Waddle Dee - Derisively seen as the equivalent of "a Goomba with a hat" by some people, he is popular in Japan nonetheless, and Piranha Plant's introduction shows that Sakurai is willing to include enemy characters, so long as they have some justification, so it's likely that he might turn his attention to BWD.

Not sure what to expect for now otherwise though, so I'll withhold coming with any more of these until we know further DLC details.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Tsubasa/TMS acknowledgement. Fairly underrated Wii U title.



They mention it every opportunity they can! That one's kinda subtle at least.

So subtle that FlintOfMother3 labelled Shulk's Inktober drawing as "Spoilers".

 

[aarchak]

Hoo boy, the memes do not stop, especially with the Thanos cutscene.

"Everyone, get out of here, run! EVERYONE!"

Sans (Undertale) - The character has proven popular with the fanbase in some circles (with some degree of ballot presence), and Toby has made a Smash reference in Delta Rune, so it stands to reason that he may know something we don't. It could just be a harmless reference, so it can go either way. Plus Isabelle proves that popularity can get you to make it over other characters.

My reaction:

Please no Sans. PLEASE KEEP HIM OUT WE GOT AN UNDERTALE SEQUEL WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT

 

[Flyboy]

sans is good actually

Anyway, my big prediction is Elma, but I also find the lack of a Heihachi Mii outfit or Assist Trophy VERY suspicious.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Hoo boy, the memes do not stop, especially with the Thanos cutscene.
View attachment 174824
"Everyone, get out of here, run! EVERYONE!"


My reaction:
View attachment 174825
Please no Sans. PLEASE KEEP HIM OUT WE GOT AN UNDERTALE SEQUEL WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT

Relax, it's just a theory. Besides, the universe likes to prove me wrong when it comes to Smash speculation anyways.

That being said, I was reminded of this guy after the fact.

Like damn man, didn't think Sakurai had it in him to be this ballsy.

sans is good actually

Anyway, my big prediction is Elma, but I also find the lack of a Heihachi Mii outfit or Assist Trophy VERY suspicious.

To me, the lack of any Namco characters at all since the announcement is suspicious to me. All this time, and just Pac-Man? They can't possibly be this modest...can they?

 

[RandomAce]

Elma future looks bright in my eyes.

Rex is out of the window, no X content yet, Elma’s massive update.

I think Elma was actually planned to be in Ultimate but is going to be saved for DLC. Surprisingly, I’m more stoked than I thought I once was.

 

[#Elma4Smash]

what worries me is that dlc characters are supposed to be hype, so when they get revealed everyone is excited and gladly pays money for them, but elma isnt really very well known, she shuold have been in the base roster imo, because if she gets announced as dlc i swear everyone will react like "who the **** is this?", i'm not trying to be pessimistic about it, im just worried

 

[aarchak]

what worries me is that dlc characters are supposed to be hype, so when they get revealed everyone is excited and gladly pays money for them, but elma isnt really very well known, she shuold have been in the base roster imo, because if she gets announced as dlc i swear everyone will react like "who the **** is this?", i'm not trying to be pessimistic about it, im just worried

Tell that to Piranha Plant and Richter. People will probably go like "a Xenoblade character? OK."

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

what worries me is that dlc characters are supposed to be hype, so when they get revealed everyone is excited and gladly pays money for them, but elma isnt really very well known, she shuold have been in the base roster imo, because if she gets announced as dlc i swear everyone will react like "who the **** is this?", i'm not trying to be pessimistic about it, im just worried

I think the blow would be softened if, say, they release an enhanced port of XBX, right around the time DLC news for her inclusion occurs. Bingo, free publicity.

 

[jamesster445]

what worries me is that dlc characters are supposed to be hype, so when they get revealed everyone is excited and gladly pays money for them, but elma isnt really very well known, she shuold have been in the base roster imo, because if she gets announced as dlc i swear everyone will react like "who the **** is this?", i'm not trying to be pessimistic about it, im just worried

Elma is technically in Xenoblade 2 so those people will know who she is. And general Smash fans will be fine with her once they see that she...
A. Has a mech.
B. Is from a series that's only repped by one character.
C. Isn't from Fire Emblem.

Actually, I don't think getting a Mii costume deconfirms a character yet. So maybe like FE in the last Smash, DLC will double dip for Xenoblade.

 

[Deleted member]

I know this isn't the Rex support thread but that thread is sorta dead and I know a lot of you guys also support Rex so how do you feel about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_...es_his_chance_as_a/?utm_source=reddit-android

I think that either way a XC newcomer is likely dlc (most likely Elma) what do you guys think?

 

[aarchak]

C. Isn't from Fire Emblem.

You got me there. People would go insane at another FE character.

I know this isn't the Rex support thread but that thread is sorta dead and I know a lot of you guys also support Rex so how do you feel about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_...es_his_chance_as_a/?utm_source=reddit-android

I think that either way a XC newcomer is likely dlc (most likely Elma) what do you guys think?

Possibly, but maybe they're thinking Elma, who knows?

 

[Michael the Spikester]

With Rex being confirmed as a Mii costume. I feel this slightly increases Elma's chances as DLC. Let's not lose hope guys and gals!

 

[PSIGuy]

I don't think XCX's 2015 release date helps its chances as DLC. Splatoon was released the same year and got straight into Ultimate's base roster; if X was popular it would've had the same fate. We don't know if the DLC roster was finalised in 2015 or (more likely) in 2016 and 2017, which would've given Sakurai time to gauge the game's reception/sales instead of making a decision based solely on its recency. Elma also doesn't fit any of the patterns DLC characters fall into. She's not new enough to be a promotional character like Corrin, not a missed veteran, not too late for the base roster and not a popular - or pushed - third party character. Bare in mind you could easily have 100% of the DLC be third party and have dozens of potential newcomers and stages left.

Rex's supposed deconfirmization also doesn't help because there's no reason to assume every new release in a franchise will get equal representation. We've seen XCX's content and it's comparable to something like Codename STEAM, not Rhythm Heaven Megamix or Yoshi's Woolly World etc.

At this point I think rooting for Elma is less important than showing support for Xenoblade Chronicles X in general. We don't even know if the new Monolith Soft DIvision 1 project is XCX related, let alone a Xenoblade game (it could very well be a new branch of Xeno). If there isn't any evidence that people would be interested in another game like X there's no reason to try make one. I'm not trying to be pessimistic; I just don't want to spend another 3 seasons clamouring for something that might not even stand a chance. If there's a way to put this effort to a more constructive purpose I'd like to pursue it. I apologise for making so many negative posts recently.

 

[Graizen]

Was this posted here?

 

[aarchak]

Was this posted here?

View attachment 174898

No it wasn't, but we had seen it. Honestly, the fact that XCX is acknowledged at all raises our chances.

 

[KatKit]

Anyway, my big prediction is Elma, but I also find the lack of a Heihachi Mii outfit or Assist Trophy VERY suspicious.

Since Heihachi's voice actor passed, and the character was seemingly killed off in the main storyline, I actually wouldn't mind his addition (and Tekken's influence in the 3D fighting genre in general) as a tribute of sorts. He'd fit right in, since he comes from a universe with fighting dinosaurs, bears, a Final Fantasy character, robots, Ryu's rival, zombie slayers, etc.

I know this isn't the Rex support thread but that thread is sorta dead and I know a lot of you guys also support Rex so how do you feel about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_...es_his_chance_as_a/?utm_source=reddit-android

I think that either way a XC newcomer is likely dlc (most likely Elma) what do you guys think?

I wouldn't completely count Rex (or a different XC2 rep) out. And I agree about a Xenoblade rep being likely DLC. I support all Xenoblade reps. I think we're stronger together and it's a good series. With that being said, my personal most wanted from the franchise is Elma, and (subjectively) I think she has the best chances of getting in. At the very least, I think X will get more content than what we have so far. It's suspiciously absent.

 

[Luviant X]

I don't think XCX's 2015 release date helps its chances as DLC. Splatoon was released the same year and got straight into Ultimate's base roster; if X was popular it would've had the same fate. We don't know if the DLC roster was finalised in 2015 or (more likely) in 2016 and 2017, which would've given Sakurai time to gauge the game's reception/sales instead of making a decision based solely on its recency. Elma also doesn't fit any of the patterns DLC characters fall into. She's not new enough to be a promotional character like Corrin, not a missed veteran, not too late for the base roster and not a popular - or pushed - third party character. Bare in mind you could easily have 100% of the DLC be third party and have dozens of potential newcomers and stages left.

According to Source Gaming, the first proposal plan for Smash Ultimate was completed December 2015. So I doubt there was that much time to fairly gauge reception/sales for XCX.

https://www.sourcegaming.info/2018/07/02/smash_special_complete/

The focus of Smash Ultimate's roster was the "Everyone is here!" theme. Veterans. Sakurai himself said, "Don't expect too many newcomers." Inkling and Incineroar were the only two recent (having new or upcoming games) newcomers added to the base roster. So it's understandable why someone like Elma wasn't prioritized, with XCX not being an outlier hit like Splatoon or a mega-franchise like Pokemon and the fact that only so many unique newcomers were going to make the base roster to begin with.

But since X was among the few big games released in that 2015 time period when they were working on the proposal plan, it's reasonable Sakurai considered Elma. XC1 had just received a port on the 3DS and XCX had just released worldwide and had a year of DLC in Japan. XCX was relevant at the time, and Sakurai has chosen characters based on relevancy in the past.

We've seen XCX's content and it's comparable to something like Codename STEAM, not Rhythm Heaven Megamix or Yoshi's Woolly World etc.

What do you mean XCX is more comparable to something like Codename STEAM because I don't see the comparison, especially with how much time, effort, and resources put into XCX. It was a pretty big game, one of the few notable titles on the Wii U. Codename STEAM was a new IP on the 3DS. What makes XCX like Codename STEAM?

At this point I think rooting for Elma is less important than showing support for Xenoblade Chronicles X in general. We don't even know if the new Monolith Soft DIvision 1 project is XCX related, let alone a Xenoblade game (it could very well be a new branch of Xeno). If there isn't any evidence that people would be interested in another game like X there's no reason to try make one. I'm not trying to be pessimistic; I just don't want to spend another 3 seasons clamouring for something that might not even stand a chance. If there's a way to put this effort to a more constructive purpose I'd like to pursue it. I apologise for making so many negative posts recently.

I'm sure most every supporter here understands how you feel. We all want Elma in, and we all love XCX and have dealt with others ignoring XCX's existence or hating it.

And being real here, we all understand there's a chance Elma might not make it in. But there are many things in her favor, as several awesome supporters in this thread have already pointed out. So you don't need to apologize. You're just voicing frustrations most of us here are feeling, too.

This thread isn't just to support Elma being in, but to support other people that love Elma and XCX. And since we love Elma, we're going to keep supporting her regardless what happens, hence our optimism. We're fans, so we're going to root for what we want, especially since she does have a chance of getting in.