Heir to the Monado. Shulk General Discussion/Social Thread

[8-peacock-8]

Zero Suit Samus wasn't that hype worthy. Wario, Meta Knight, and Pit did it more. Snake is self explanatory.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

T

I don't think theres many characters left who will do that anyway. Not characters who would be starters at least.
Last trailer had Pit, Wario and Zamus who you could argue would generate equal or less hype than Shulk.

Thats true. I can see Ridley doing that. Maybe K. Rool or Mewtwo. Definitely Megaman. I have a feeling this trailer will garner two different reactions:

Nintendo Fans: HOLY F'ING ****!!!!!!' RIDLEY?? SHULK??? LITTLE MAC???? MEGA ****ING MAN???? Or something to that degree more or less. Lots if hype and eyegasm.

The rest: wait...........who are they?

I have a feeling this round will have more in recognizable faces compared to SSBB (Wario, Pit, Meta Knight, etc).

 

[Neanderthal]

Thats true. I can see Ridley doing that. Maybe K. Rool or Mewtwo.

Only issue with them is that you'd think they'd be unlockables.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Only issue with them is that you'd think they'd be unlockables.

True true. I really have no idea who will be The trailer. I hope it's Shulk!

 

[Neanderthal]

True true. I really have no idea who will be The trailer. I hope it's Shulk!

We're about to find out

 

[Neanderthal]

Shulk's chances took a big hit with the X reveal.
Doesn't look to be a sequel of Xenoblade and we didn't see the guy that looked like Shulk from the last screenshots.

I'm starting to think he might just be an assist trophy or something.
Oh well, too stoked about the trailer to care right now.

 

[Inawordyes]

X looks cool, but I still think that, even if it is a continuation of the Xenoblade story (though perhaps not by name), I'd assume Sakurai would include Shulk over the X protagonist (who hasn't been named yet, like the game), because Shulk - and Xenoblade itself - has a lot of popularity from what I've seen, and I think if they were gonna represent the series, it would be with the character everybody knows and loves (arguably) rather than the mysterious protagonist of the new game, of which nothing is known other than that he has black hair and fights mechas and dinosaurs. They haven't even shown his face yet, IIRC.

But anyways, I still think that Xenoblade is definitely gonna get representation in some form, and if that form is or includes a playable character, Shulk is the go-to and the obvious choice by far.

 

[Robert of Normandy]

I honestly don't see X affecting Shulk's chances at all. I'd have to wait until we see more gameplay, but it looks to me like Shulk and the new guy have different skills and abilities, which to me indicates that Sakurai wouldn't necessarily pick one over the other. Or something, IDK.

 

[Neanderthal]

I honestly don't see X affecting Shulk's chances at all. I'd have to wait until we see more gameplay, but it looks to me like Shulk and the new guy have different skills and abilities, which to me indicates that Sakurai wouldn't necessarily pick one over the other. Or something, IDK.

If Shulk and/or a Monado user is only ever planned to be in one game then it's unlikely Sakurai will put him in as a playable.

 

[SmashChu]

Wow, discussion on this guy seems to have slowed.

Hopefully, he'll make it in. The worst part about Smash is you get nervous about certain characters not being in. I was worried about Dedede, Olimar and Diddy for a long time.

 

[foolssigma]

I'm nervous about Shulk's inclusion, especially after the reveal of the first three newcomers, but I still have hope that he will make it into the game as a playable character. My guess is that both X and Smash Bros will come out towards the end of next year, though X probably will not affect a rep from the series IMHO. I didnt really follow the smash scene much before brawl came out besides checking the dojo from time to time. Seeing Dedede get in was the greatest thing for me. Who knows how long it will be before Sakurai switches to dojo esque updates instead of simple photos. As others have previously stated, anything Xenoblade in HD would be amazing.

 

[SmashChu]

I'm nervous about Shulk's inclusion, especially after the reveal of the first three newcomers, but I still have hope that he will make it into the game as a playable character. My guess is that both X and Smash Bros will come out towards the end of next year, though X probably will not affect a rep from the series IMHO. I didnt really follow the smash scene much before brawl came out besides checking the dojo from time to time. Seeing Dedede get in was the greatest thing for me. Who knows how long it will be before Sakurai switches to dojo esque updates instead of simple photos. As others have previously stated, anything Xenoblade in HD would be amazing.

I'm in the same boat. I'm hoping Shulk is in, but it's hard to visualize it now. We'll see.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Well, just the inclusion of stuff from Xenoblade and the (unconfirmed) sequel X would in general be a great opportunity to go for something grand. I mean, it's kind of hard to imagine a game like Xenoblade being skipped over considering how high quality it is.

 

[8-peacock-8]

I can honestly say that i cans till see Shulk getting in. Although he might end up being a hidden character.

 

[Pyra]

It has been decided that Shulk is confirmed for Jellyfish due to Google Translate and an important Japanese twitter account.

 

[foolssigma]

As long as he is in, I don't mind if he is hidden. When I first played melee, I had no idea who was in the game and loved the surprise of unlocking characters, but I cannot say the same for brawl. Hopefully there is a universal launch to avoid everything being exposed beforehand, though leaks happen and I can't avoid the internet. The shock of a new challenger approaching screen with shulk unexpectedly would be grand.

 

[FlareHabanero]

It has been decided that Shulk is confirmed for Jellyfish due to Google Translate and an important Japanese twitter account.

 

[Pyra]

I'm being totally serious when I say I'm okay with Jellyshulk being a character.

 

[SmashChu]

I'm nervous about Shulk's inclusion, especially after the reveal of the first three newcomers, but I still have hope that he will make it into the game as a playable character. My guess is that both X and Smash Bros will come out towards the end of next year, though X probably will not affect a rep from the series IMHO. I didnt really follow the smash scene much before brawl came out besides checking the dojo from time to time. Seeing Dedede get in was the greatest thing for me. Who knows how long it will be before Sakurai switches to dojo esque updates instead of simple photos. As others have previously stated, anything Xenoblade in HD would be amazing.

I'm in the same boat. I'm hoping Shulk is in, but it's hard to visualize it now. We'll see.

Just a thought on what I said last time.

It is clear Sakurai is listening. Mega Man was chosen because fans want him. Villager was chosen for a similar reason. In Brawl, Sakurai thought having a character like Villager wouldn't work in the type of game Smash Brothers is. However, most fans disagreed and some still wanted to see him. Sakurai likely changed his mind because he saw fans didn't care either way, and (unlike a lot of games coming out today, even from Nintend) Sakurai cares very much for pleasing players. From Chronobound's investigation of the Japanese fanbase and Shorties polls, we know Shulk is a pretty popular character worldwide. He has a shot. The problem with Smash is you never know until the end. For now, we'll have to wait and see.

Also, not sure what's up with Jellyfish Shulk.

 

[SureNsync]

Shulk is in, I just know it.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Also, not sure what's up with Jellyfish Shulk.

Alright, lets put it this way.

Someone found a tweet regarding to Shulk in Super Smash Bros., the music track, and something about being squishy. The latter part confused people and so we proclaimed that the Japanese find Shulk to be squishy, and then I came out to say that Shulk was confirmed for jellyfish. Then those two images above came out of that statement.

 

[foolssigma]

Jellyfish shulk is rather odd....my optimism makes me more confident that he will be in as time goes on. WFT threw me off, but now I'm over that and accept her. Considering all of the newcomers thus far have received their own trailers, what do you guys think shulks would be like? I imagine the trailer would focus on some alterations made to a veteran or two, show off a new stage , and just as someone is about to deal a finishing blow, the screen would turn that bluish color from when shulk has a vision. To be honest, I forgot if it was grayscale or some form of blue, haven't played xenoblade in a few months , but may do a playthrough soon. Shulk would then save the character and k.o. the attacker. Some pun about visions or the future would be his tagline, then que the great music and show off his moveset....the end

 

[evilsmashbrosfan]

I'm nervous about Shulk's inclusion, especially after the reveal of the first three newcomers, but I still have hope that he will make it into the game as a playable character. My guess is that both X and Smash Bros will come out towards the end of next year, though X probably will not affect a rep from the series IMHO. I didnt really follow the smash scene much before brawl came out besides checking the dojo from time to time. Seeing Dedede get in was the greatest thing for me. Who knows how long it will be before Sakurai switches to dojo esque updates instead of simple photos. As others have previously stated, anything Xenoblade in HD would be amazing.

I think X will affect the possibilities of Shulk being playable in SSB4 more than you think.

Because once X will be out, all the Xenoblade fans will just flock out to the new game. Meaning that Xenoblade will be obsolete along with it cast of characters. So, Shulk is already irrelevant. He might appears as a trophy or as a color swap from the X`s protagonist since the two characters are very alike looking.

Also, the protagonist from X looks similar to Shulk in a way. Plus, he gets to pilot giant mecha. You can also add that having the protagonist from the new game in Smash Bros is free publicity for X and there`s nothing that says that the new guy wont be a worse protagonist than Shulk. He can still carry a sword, he still has similar hairs and he can carry other weapons judging from the trailer.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I think X will affect the possibilities of Shulk being playable in SSB4 more than you think.

Because once X will be out, all the Xenoblade fans will just flock out to the new game. Meaning that Xenoblade will be obsolete along with it cast of characters. So, Shulk is already irrelevant. He might appears as a trophy or as a color swap from the X`s protagonist since the two characters are very alike looking.

Also, the protagonist from X looks similar to Shulk in a way. Plus, he gets to pilot giant mecha. You can also add that having the protagonist from the new game in Smash Bros is free publicity for X and there`s nothing that says that the new guy wont be a worse protagonist than Shulk. He can still carry a sword, he still has similar hairs and he can carry other weapons judging from the trailer.

Because that's the way it works for Fire Emblem and Pokemon right?

Ugh. Recent =/= top priority.

 

[evilsmashbrosfan]

Because that's the way it works for Fire Emblem and Pokemon right?

Ugh. Recent =/= top priority.

Fire Emblem and Pokemon are franchises.Xenoblade is one game and it`s becoming old alongside it`s cast of characters in the face of the new game from Monolith Soft.

That`s just the way things are.

 

[8-peacock-8]

X is not affecting Shulk in anyway.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

It's very unlikely that X will affect Xenoblade imho. It is too far out and the roster has likely already been completed.

I've honestly felt the same as some of you with Shulk's chances. My confidence is struggling. But I still hope to see him. Any words of encouragement?

 

[SmashChu]

It's very unlikely that X will affect Xenoblade imho. It is too far out and the roster has likely already been completed.

I've honestly felt the same as some of you with Shulk's chances. My confidence is struggling. But I still hope to see him. Any words of encouragement?

Here is an analysis instead.
[collapse=earlier poll]

1.Megaman [Capcom] 1086
2.Mewtwo [Pokemon] 973
3.Ridley [ Metroid] 705
4.King K. Rool [Donkey Kong] 699
5.Little Mac [Punch Out] 689
6.Waluigi [Super Mario] 588
7.Isaac [Golden Sun] 565
8.Bowser Junior [Super Mario] 551
9.Roy [Fire Emblem] 545
10.Ghirahim [Legend Of Zelda] 506
11.Palutena [Kid Icarus] 499
12.Krom [Fire Emblem] 457
13.Zoroark [Pokemon] 447
14.Krystal [StarFox] 445
15.Shulk [Xenoblade] 428
16.Pac - Man [Namco] 422
17.Geno [Square Enix] 383
18.Toad [Super Mario] 337
19.Dixie Kong [Donkey Kong] 287
20.Takamaru [Murasame Castle] 268
21.Samurai Goroh [F-Zero] 248
22.Saki [Sin & Punishment] 239
23.Bandana Dee [Kirby] 214
24.Black Shadow [F-Zero] 207
25.Mona [WarioWare] 177

AA wee bit over 2000 votes here

[/collapse]
[collapse=Recent Poll]quote="Shortiecanbrawl, post: 15591497, member: 150832"]Uber Tier
· Mewtwo 799

Top Tier
· King K. Rool 623
· Ridley 621

High Tier
· Roy 570
· Little Mac (Punch Out) 513

Mid Tier
· Palutena 467
· Bowser Junior 456
· Krystal 451
· Isaac (Golden Sun) 422
· Paper Mario 412

Low Tier
· Waluigi 391
· Chrom 390
· Shulk (Xenoblade) 372
· Dixie Kong 358
· Banjo & Kazooie 352
· Majora (Skull Kid) 340
· Ghirahim 315
· Samurai Goroh 315
· Pac-Man 300

Low Tier
· Black Shadow 298
· 2nd Sonic Character (Tails, Shadow, Knuckles) 293
· Bomberman 292
· Lyn 287
· 6th Gen Pokemon 277
· Toad 255
· Lucina 252
· Mii (Wii Series) 251
· Rayman 245
· Dark Samus 240
· Zoroark 236
· Bayonetta 236
· Super Mario RPG (Geno, Mallow) 234
· Castlevania (Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula) 228
· Kingdom Hearts (Sora) 227
· Takamaru (The Mysterious Musasame Castle) 222
· Rosalina 220
· Pokemon Trainer (Johto) 219
· Ace Attorney (Phoenix Write) 218
· Doctor Mario 215
· Kamek 214
· Medusa 214
· King Boo 213
· Balloon Fighter 213
· Eevee (and Eeveelutions) 210
· Saki (Sin & Punishment) 210
· Pokemon Trainer (Hoenn) 201
· Toon Zelda 200

Almost Tier
· Claus (Masked Man) 199
· Vaati 197
· Viewtiful Joe 195
· Tom Nook (Animal Crossing 191
[/collapse]

As you can see, Shulk does OK, but never outstanding. He is usually at the bottom of mid. Given, there are only 12 characters ahead of him. 2 are cut characters. A few of them are Mario characters, so he's not doing THAT bad. But it is still very hard to tell.
Chronobound's analysis shows that he is far more popular in Japan.

Other: Shulk gets quite a lot of requests. Shulk is easily the most requested Nintendo character from a series not represented yet with a playable character in Smash Bros. A distant second would be Starfy. There are several Japanese Smash fans that mention Punch-Out and Little Mac's "overseas" popularity. Isaac (Robin in Japan) and Matthew get few requests. Saki and Isa also get few requests.
[collapse=Chrono's Ranking]
S:
Mewtwo
Roy

A:
Mega Man
Palutena
Shulk
K. Rool

B:
Dixie Kong
Chrom
Zoroark
Waddle Dee[/collapse]
In the US, Little Mac is the most requested character from a series not in Smash, though Shulk is second and far beyond anyone else. RPGs are popular in Japan, so this will easily help Shulk. Shulk is one of the most requested characters in Japan right now. His US popularity is some what marginal, but he fairs OK with the other characters and is one of the only new series request. Given this, he has a good worldwide presence which is something Sakurai does consider. It is unlikely that Sakurai has not noticed him as the Smash Brothers fan base in Japan likes him more than we do. What may also help him is if the focus is on new series and the number of characters. It may be that SSB4 will have a greater percentage of new series in it. We already have 3 (though Animal Crossing was old, just it didn't have a character). Little Mac is a given and there may be more retro characters. There are also far fewer characters from returning series. We have: Ridley, Plautena, King K Rool, the Mario characters (maybe, and they wont all get in), Chrom, Ghirahim (maybe) Dixie, Goroh, and a new Pokemon (maybe). At most, that is 9 characters and they all might not get in. The other factor is the number of characters. Each Smash Brothers game has added more characters than the last. It would be expect that the number of characters added would be more rather than less. Brawl added 15 (with ZSS). The next game could have upwards of 16 new characters. Will that happen? Maybe not. But it is possible. And Namco did just release Tekken Tag Tournament 2 with 59 characters.So there may be room for Shulk. I should note that if he is announced, it will not be until later. Xenoblade is not very well know, so it's likely they will save it for the end.

The problem with a new Smash is that you wont believe it until you see it. Dedede, Diddy and Olimar were gonna be in. But I (and many others) weren't sure until they were actually shown. Shulk and others will be the same way. You'll have to take a wait and see.

 

[foolssigma]

That was truly encouraging..my spirits are further lifted, as I find it difficult to even play devil's advocate to your reasoning. Thanks.

 

[Neanderthal]

It's very unlikely that X will affect Xenoblade imho. It is too far out and the roster has likely already been completed.

That's not my concern.
I believed Shulk would make it because I thought that Xenoblade would be an ongoing series. We all assumed X would be in some way a sequel.
That assumption has been smashed.
Sakurai will have known that there was not a sequel planned and is therefore unlikely to create a playable based on one stand alone game IMHO.

I should note that if he is announced, it will not be until later. Xenoblade is not very well know, so it's likely they will save it for the end.

I actually think if he was going to make it, he would be an early reveal. While he's still fresh in everyones minds (since he won't be coming back anytime soon) and while many people still play their Wii and can get access to play Xenoblade.

Also he's one of the few remaining characters that people have expected who would fit as a starter.

 

[Vann Accessible]

You know, while I enjoyed Xenoblade, I don't really like Shulk much as a character. I hate his appearance. I hate his voice. I hate his clothes. I hate his personality. I hate how he's always TALKING to his freaking sword and asking it for help and whining about it.

WHY DON'T YOU JUST MARRY THE MONADO?

The only thing I do like about him is the Monado. The Monado is the reason I wouldn't mind him being playable in SSB4. Shulk could have a very, VERY cool moveset. But Jesus,the weapon shouldn't make the man.

If the Monado could just be playable, floating in the air on the stage with no one holding it, that would make a better character than Shulk, IMO. :D

Just look at Link. He's awesome before he touches the Master Sword.

Shulk, on the other hand, is a little b*tch.

 

[FlareHabanero]

That's not my concern.
I believed Shulk would make it because I thought that Xenoblade would be an ongoing series. We all assumed X would be in some way a sequel.
That assumption has been smashed.
Sakurai will have known that there was not a sequel planned and is therefore unlikely to create a playable based on one stand alone game IMHO.

Xenoblade is not going to continue? How are you so sure about this?

 

[Neanderthal]

Xenoblade is not going to continue? How are you so sure about this?

I mean that there have been no immediate plans to continue it when Sakurai was choosing the roster.
If he added Shulk it would be based on one stand alone game as far as he knows. That doesn't bode well for his chances.

 

[8-peacock-8]

I don't even consider X a sequel now. It's seems more like it will be a completely new franchise.

 

[FalKoopa]

What are the chances of Shulk appearing in X, like Ike in Radiant Dawn? Just saying.

 

[N3ON]

This non-sequel business didn't stop people from supporting Shulk and thinking he was likely when X wasn't even announced yet. That said, even though his chances aren't as good as they would be if X turns out to be directly related, he still has a fair chance, especially if Sakurai is focusing on new series more this time around, which it seems he is.

 

[BluePikmin11]

I think Shulk is the best representation for a JRPG rep and Monolith Soft itself. That's all I have to say, I don't know much about it, but Shulk is constantly said when it comes to Monolith Soft, so Shulk should be added to the next Smash.

 

[N3ON]

I think Shulk is the best representation for a JRPG rep and Monolith Soft itself. That's all I have to say, I don't know much about it, but Shulk is constantly said when it comes to Monolith Soft, so Shulk should be added to the next Smash.

Neither of those categories (JRPG rep or Monolith rep) actually exist.

 

[foolssigma]

Neither of those categories (JRPG rep or Monolith rep) actually exist.

I would like to believe that Monolith being first party now would have some influence on Shulk's inclusion, however minor it may be.

 

[FalKoopa]

Neither of those categories (JRPG rep or Monolith rep) actually exist.

I suggest you to not waste your time.