TheBeastHimself
No time for tea, uncle, gotta capture the Avatar!
DISCLAIMER: There are a handful of EarthBound characters that already have support threads, so you may be asking why I made this one. It's because a lot of those threads receive little to no activity. Even the two most popular ones (Ninten and Porky) hardly receive much attention, so I thought with this thread, we can all discuss the series in general, and who we would want to see make it into Smash as a possible third rep (I will link all of the individual support threads below). There really isn't a place for the Mother community in general to gather on this site, so I hope we can all find a home here and discuss what future content we would be interested in seeing in Smash Ultimate. And with that out of the way, welcome!
It's a bit hard to describe the scope of the Mother series. To those who played and enjoyed those games, they are certainly unlike any other in Nintendo's library, let alone the gaming industry as a whole. Shigesato Itoi really went out of his way to create such a unique JRPG franchise, one that invokes fun, creativity, and humor, but also anger, and despair. These games feel like a living, breathing universe that balances total craziness and total seriousness so well. My point is, they're an experience like no other.
Although Itoi has deemed the franchise finished (unless someone makes an official 4th sequel), the series lives on through Smash. Hell, I'm sure most of us learned of this series through Smash. Just by looking at Ultimate, we should be very grateful with how much content from Mother was included:
There may be a handful of characters that share the same abilities as Ness and Lucas, but the majority of characters from the series have their own unique assets that could bring fresh ideas to Smash. Even then, the characters similar to Ness and Lucas have unique attributes. I wanted to give a few examples of some characters I think would be awesome to see in Smash.
Jeff Andonuts (Mother 2/EarthBound)
Jeff already appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy so based on Sakurai's judgment, he may already be deconfirmed (but honestly, when has ATs ever stopped people from discussing possibilities?) Jeff is no doubt one of those EarthBound characters that would have no choice but to play completely different from Ness and Lucas. As a non PSI/PK user, the science and engineering prodigy Jeff would rely on his own inventions as a playable fighter.
From EarthBound, there are plenty of tools for Jeff to pull from to create a moveset. Jeff has his classic air guns, bombs, Multi Bottle Rocket, Heavy Bazooka, Gaia Beam, etc. In addition, I can see some of his items having special properties in Smash. The Sky Runner ship could be used as his recovery, crashing down and exploding upon making contact with a surface. The Defense Spray can allow Jeff to take less damage and have less knockback for a short amount of time (similar to Shulk's Shield Monado Art), with the move having a bit of cool-down to compensate. There is also the Hungry HP Sucker which can drain an enemy health for Jeff to receive in exchange. Additionally, I could see the Slime Generator being used by Jeff to slow down the movements of enemies temporarily. All in all, Jeff is one of those incredibly unique characters from EarthBound that would make for a great playable fighter in Smash, adding a lot of new ideas to the game.
Poo (Mother 2/EarthBound)
Poo would be quite the interesting fighter to see in Smash, a sword/PSI user (also, who wouldn't want to hear the announcer shout POOOOO at the character select screen?) Although yes, there are already sword/magic users in Smash such as Robin and Hero, I'd love to see what Poo would be able to bring to the table. Especially if he is a complete balance of sword-wielding and magic.
Of course, Poo would wield his iconic Sword of Kings. However, I also feel that Poo could bring some unique PSI/PK abilities to Smash that haven't been brought over yet. Brainshock could be performed in a similar manner to Mewtwo's down special, immobilizing an opponent for a small window of time. The Healing move could allow Poo to negate status effects (such as Jiggly's flower), and I think that could be pretty interesting since no character can do that yet. As long as the right adjustments are made to make the move fair, I feel like it'd be awesome for Poo to have that ability. Poo could even have his own spin on the classic PK Fire (that dreaded move!) I did have an idea for Poo's recovery. Instead of PK Thunder, Poo can use the Teleport ability from the Star Master, where a tornado engulfs him and teleports him to another location. Poo is another character I'd kill to see playable!
Porky Minch (Mother 2/EarthBound/Mother 3).
Porky is definitely my most wanted Mother character for Smash. Porky has terrorized the lives of both Ness and Lucas, and would be the first fighter in Smash history to use a mech. To say there is a lot of moves for Porky to pull from would be an understatement. Firstly, Porky was already a boss in the Subspace Emissary mode of Brawl, so there are a lot of moves that can be re-used from there (including my favorite, the Mecha-Porkies!)
Aside from that, Porky's mech is able to perform a variety of creative attacks, being a spider and all. From fancy air mobility, to spewing out laser beams and missiles, there's no real limit to what you could do with this character. Even incorporating some moves from his original appearance in Mother 2 would be very interesting to see, like releasing a "very stinky gas" from his mech that could cause status effects to other players. The infamous Porky Statue could show up during his Final Smash. But most importantly, Porky would undoubtedly have the best taunts in the game; SPANKETY SPANKETY SPANKETY... It'd be great to have another villain join the fray! But I don't want to hear anyone say "PORKY IS TOO BIG TO GET INTO SMASH" because, as you likely know where I'm going with this, THEY ADDED RIDLEY OKAY?!
Ninten (Mother/EarthBound Beginnings)
Ah yes, the controversial one. That's right ladies and gentleman, there is still one more striped-shirt psychic protagonist from the Mother series that has yet to join Smash: Ninten, the protagonist of the first game. I'm sure just by looking at the character, you can see why he would be controversial. His in-game sprite and official clay model (the one he currently uses as a spirit) is nearly identical to Ness aside from the most minor of differences. Of course, an updated design can be used, but alas, Ninten is controversial.
What also makes him controversial is that we already have two Mother protagonists who are psychic boys. And no matter how much you try to explain to naysayers that he could function differently in a sort of Fox/Falco/Wolf dynamic, they will never listen. Ninten has plenty of moves from his game that I believe differentiates him from Ness and Lucas. The fact that he uses boomerangs, could steal PK Beam from his party member Ana, use 4th-D Slip as a teleportation recovery, etc. There are plenty of defensive PK abilities that Ninten uses which could translate into Smash for the first time. I could see his Final Smash incorporating the robot EVE as well as the Eight Melodies. Although Ninten personally isn't my most wanted and I would feel his inclusion could be redundant, I ultimately wouldn't care too much because I think it would be awesome to have all three Mother protagonists concluded for a rounded-out Smash roster.
Duster (Mother 3)
Duster, like Jeff, is a non-PSI/PK user whose resourcefulness makes up for lack of battle power. Duster, the thief with a limp, has been trained his entire life to use his special thief tools both offensively and defensively. AND, he's the original owner of Rope Snake, whom Lucas stole when he joined Smash! Aside from his thief tools, Duster only attacks by kicking, never punching, and I feel that could be an interesting change up in Smash, since nobody strictly fights with only kicks. Here are Duster's thief tools:
Masked Man (Mother 3; Smashified Render)
Ah, the Masked Man. For the sake of easy reading, I'm not going to say who this character is because it is a major spoiler for Mother 3. Regardless, the Masked Man is the secondary antagonist of Mother 3. In Smash, the Masked Man could function as a hybrid of brawlers, gunners, swordies, and magic users, which I think would be pretty freaking awesome. Also, that design, it's so dope.
The Masked Man has all sorts of tools at his disposal. The most basic, a sword (which shoots lightning out of it). Additionally, his right arm is literally a blaster, he has a Batman-esque jet-pack for a recovery as well as advanced air mobility, and he also uses common tools such as bombs. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that he is a PSI/PK user. While he never uses common PSI like PK Fire, he does use PK Love, a move that has not been translated into Smash yet. I feel like the combination of all of these attributes would make for one of the most badass fighters to date, and, behind Porky, he's my most wanted Mother character. The only trouble Sakurai could have of getting him in is that he is a walking spoiler for those who have never played Mother 3, but aside from that, the Masked Man would certainly make for a great addition to the game.
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The point I'm attempting to convey with all of these examples is that the Mother series is both diverse and expansive, with plenty of opportunities to make characters into fighters thanks to their unique potential and attributes. Although there isn't a huge chance we'll get new content from the franchise when it comes to Smash Ultimate, it's always fun to speculate and contemplate about what could be. I hope Mother fans and Smash fans alike are able to come together in this thread to not only discuss the series, but also what might come to Smash in the future, whether it be in Ultimate or a future game down the road.
In this thread, feel free to:
Here is a list of individual support threads, make sure to show your support!
Although Itoi has deemed the franchise finished (unless someone makes an official 4th sequel), the series lives on through Smash. Hell, I'm sure most of us learned of this series through Smash. Just by looking at Ultimate, we should be very grateful with how much content from Mother was included:
- 2 Playable Characters
- 4 Stages
- 14 Music Tracks
- 2 Assist Trophies
- 28 Spirits
- 3 Items
- 3 Mii Costume Accessories
There may be a handful of characters that share the same abilities as Ness and Lucas, but the majority of characters from the series have their own unique assets that could bring fresh ideas to Smash. Even then, the characters similar to Ness and Lucas have unique attributes. I wanted to give a few examples of some characters I think would be awesome to see in Smash.
Jeff Andonuts (Mother 2/EarthBound)
From EarthBound, there are plenty of tools for Jeff to pull from to create a moveset. Jeff has his classic air guns, bombs, Multi Bottle Rocket, Heavy Bazooka, Gaia Beam, etc. In addition, I can see some of his items having special properties in Smash. The Sky Runner ship could be used as his recovery, crashing down and exploding upon making contact with a surface. The Defense Spray can allow Jeff to take less damage and have less knockback for a short amount of time (similar to Shulk's Shield Monado Art), with the move having a bit of cool-down to compensate. There is also the Hungry HP Sucker which can drain an enemy health for Jeff to receive in exchange. Additionally, I could see the Slime Generator being used by Jeff to slow down the movements of enemies temporarily. All in all, Jeff is one of those incredibly unique characters from EarthBound that would make for a great playable fighter in Smash, adding a lot of new ideas to the game.
Poo (Mother 2/EarthBound)
Poo would be quite the interesting fighter to see in Smash, a sword/PSI user (also, who wouldn't want to hear the announcer shout POOOOO at the character select screen?) Although yes, there are already sword/magic users in Smash such as Robin and Hero, I'd love to see what Poo would be able to bring to the table. Especially if he is a complete balance of sword-wielding and magic.
Of course, Poo would wield his iconic Sword of Kings. However, I also feel that Poo could bring some unique PSI/PK abilities to Smash that haven't been brought over yet. Brainshock could be performed in a similar manner to Mewtwo's down special, immobilizing an opponent for a small window of time. The Healing move could allow Poo to negate status effects (such as Jiggly's flower), and I think that could be pretty interesting since no character can do that yet. As long as the right adjustments are made to make the move fair, I feel like it'd be awesome for Poo to have that ability. Poo could even have his own spin on the classic PK Fire (that dreaded move!) I did have an idea for Poo's recovery. Instead of PK Thunder, Poo can use the Teleport ability from the Star Master, where a tornado engulfs him and teleports him to another location. Poo is another character I'd kill to see playable!
Porky Minch (Mother 2/EarthBound/Mother 3).
Aside from that, Porky's mech is able to perform a variety of creative attacks, being a spider and all. From fancy air mobility, to spewing out laser beams and missiles, there's no real limit to what you could do with this character. Even incorporating some moves from his original appearance in Mother 2 would be very interesting to see, like releasing a "very stinky gas" from his mech that could cause status effects to other players. The infamous Porky Statue could show up during his Final Smash. But most importantly, Porky would undoubtedly have the best taunts in the game; SPANKETY SPANKETY SPANKETY... It'd be great to have another villain join the fray! But I don't want to hear anyone say "PORKY IS TOO BIG TO GET INTO SMASH" because, as you likely know where I'm going with this, THEY ADDED RIDLEY OKAY?!
Ninten (Mother/EarthBound Beginnings)
What also makes him controversial is that we already have two Mother protagonists who are psychic boys. And no matter how much you try to explain to naysayers that he could function differently in a sort of Fox/Falco/Wolf dynamic, they will never listen. Ninten has plenty of moves from his game that I believe differentiates him from Ness and Lucas. The fact that he uses boomerangs, could steal PK Beam from his party member Ana, use 4th-D Slip as a teleportation recovery, etc. There are plenty of defensive PK abilities that Ninten uses which could translate into Smash for the first time. I could see his Final Smash incorporating the robot EVE as well as the Eight Melodies. Although Ninten personally isn't my most wanted and I would feel his inclusion could be redundant, I ultimately wouldn't care too much because I think it would be awesome to have all three Mother protagonists concluded for a rounded-out Smash roster.
Duster (Mother 3)
- Wall Staples - This item can pin enemies down, and also allow Duster to create his own personal ladders at a moment's notice.
- Hypno Pendulum - By swinging this back and forth in front of enemies, Duster can cause others to fall asleep.
- Siren Beetle - In Mother 3, this item causes enemies to turn around and become vulnerable. In Smash, I could see it being used to somehow impair opponents, either with a status effect, slowness, or immobilization (such as the stunned animation).
- Smoke Bomb - In Mother 3, this item causes enemies to cry and miss attacks more often. In Smash, the Smoke Bomb can be used like the item already in the game, temporarily engulfing Duster in a cloud of smoke to obscure the way he will attack next.
- Scary Mask - When Duster puts this mask on, enemy offense power decreases. This could be used to allow Duster to take less damage for a short period of time.
- Tickle Stick - The opposite of the Scary Mask, this item decreases enemy defense. If Duster uses this on an opponent in Smash, it could allow him to do more damage on that specific opponent for a short period of time.
- Rope Snake - We're already all familiar with who the Rope Snake is. If Sakurai would be so inclined, Duster could also use the Rope Snake as a tether recovery like Lucas.
Masked Man (Mother 3; Smashified Render)
The Masked Man has all sorts of tools at his disposal. The most basic, a sword (which shoots lightning out of it). Additionally, his right arm is literally a blaster, he has a Batman-esque jet-pack for a recovery as well as advanced air mobility, and he also uses common tools such as bombs. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that he is a PSI/PK user. While he never uses common PSI like PK Fire, he does use PK Love, a move that has not been translated into Smash yet. I feel like the combination of all of these attributes would make for one of the most badass fighters to date, and, behind Porky, he's my most wanted Mother character. The only trouble Sakurai could have of getting him in is that he is a walking spoiler for those who have never played Mother 3, but aside from that, the Masked Man would certainly make for a great addition to the game.
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The point I'm attempting to convey with all of these examples is that the Mother series is both diverse and expansive, with plenty of opportunities to make characters into fighters thanks to their unique potential and attributes. Although there isn't a huge chance we'll get new content from the franchise when it comes to Smash Ultimate, it's always fun to speculate and contemplate about what could be. I hope Mother fans and Smash fans alike are able to come together in this thread to not only discuss the series, but also what might come to Smash in the future, whether it be in Ultimate or a future game down the road.
In this thread, feel free to:
- Discuss the possibilities of future Mother content for Smash Ultimate and beyond
- Discuss the Mother series in general
- Debate! However, flame-wars will not be tolerated, please keep any discussion and disagreements civil and refrain from using targeted insults and harassment.
- Duster (Mother 3)
- Flying Man (Mother/EarthBound Beginnings; Mother 2/EarthBound)
- Giygas (Mother/EarthBound Beginnings; Mother 2/EarthBound)
- Masked Man (Mother 3)
- Ninten (Mother/EarthBound Beginnings)
- Porky Minch (Mother 2/EarthBound/Mother 3)
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