I’m essentially a 5 Geno list as well. He’s the only character I’ve really had a strong hope for all these years. There are certainly characters I’ve rooted for, Ridley, K. Rool, and Banjo among them. Both Simon and Joker quickly won me over too as they introduced me to their respective series.
Beyond Geno, though, there are a few overall trends I’d like to see:
1) With Terry added, I’d love to see a one or two more fighting game icons. Smash is the greatest crossover in gaming history, it might as well be the best fighting game crossover ever as well. Smash x Street Fighter x SNK x Tekken/Soul Calibur x Guilty Gear/BlazBlue. Ryu H. would even double as a Dead or Alive rep if he makes it in.
2) With Banjo added, I’m hopeful for a couple more Western characters. Since Smash is a celebration of gaming history, I think there is a place for characters like Doom Slayer/Master Chief, Crash, Lara Croft, Sarah Kerrigan/Thrall, Rayman, Vault Boy, etc.
3) I really like how Sakurai and the dev team are experimenting with new mechanics, even if Hero’s down B is a bit problematic atm. So, I’d like to see more characters that bring interesting move set potential: Geno with timed hits, Amaterasu with the celestial brush, Yoshimitsu with stance changing, Phoenix Wright/Professor Layton with puzzle solving, etc.