He's covered wars, you know. Frank West for Smash Ultimate!

[GaminGryff]

Many genres are represented in Smash, from shooters like Splatoon to platformers like Mega Man and Super Mario to adventure titles. It's a celebration of gaming, after all. So one would expect there to be a horror representative, or even a survival one, right? Haha, WRONG.

Who is Frank West?
What, you're telling me you've never heard of the one and only Frank West, the photojournalist who uncovered the secrets behind the Willamette Incident? You must be joking. This guy's famous. Frank West is a major character of Capcom's Dead Rising series, and the main protagonist of the first game. He's the face of the franchise, and has represented it in crossovers such as Marvel vs. Capcom and Project x Zone.

Oh, THAT Frank West. Why should he be in Smash?
Well, beyond the fact that's he's covered wars, Frank is a Capcom character, a company which already has it's foot in the door with Ryu and Mega Man. Capcom loves crossovers and promotion for their franchise, and Dead Rising is a highly profitable franchise, spawning three direct sequels and several remakes. While it's not as successful as say, Resident Evil, the franchise has a less-serious tone and would fit in Smash much better.

But Capcom already has two reps, they can't have more!
Show me exactly where Sakurai said that.

Alright, fine. What can Frank do?
Frank's a photojournalist and several time survivor of zombie crises. He may not be the most agile fellow in the world, but his knowledge and experience has given him a wide arsenal of weapons and fighting skills he can use in combat. While he has used firearms before, Frank can turn just about anything into a weapon - such as baseball bats, chainsaws, brooms, garbage cans, shopping carts, and the like. He's also got a wide variety of moves he's honed taking down zombies, such as the Face Crusher, the Double Lariat, and the Knee Drop, just to name a few. Beyond this, as a photojournalist, Frank also has his trusty camera, with a flash so bright it can stun opponents, and such as in the Marvel vs. Capcom games, help him Level Up.

Why Frank over other Capcom or third party characters?
Dead Rising is an incredibly popular franchise, garnering praise for it's survival gameplay and reckless fun. While it doesn't have the Nintendo relevancy that Ace Attorney or Monster Hunter have, it has appeared on Nintendo consoles before - specifically with the remake of the first game, Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop on the Wii (though this was a less-than-perfect port). He's also appeared as a playable character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars on the Wii and Project x Zone on the 3DS, meaning he's no stranger to crossovers.

That's it for now. I'll add more as I come up with it.

Spoiler: Moveset

WIP.

Spoiler: Supporters

KeybladeSmasher
SEGAGameBoy
MacDaddyNook
LuisSLS_HQ
Sari
DarkSt0rm009
Tito Lounge
Danganzilla5
Lionfranky

 

[SEGAGameBoy]

Never played it before. I support!

 

[GaminGryff]

Working in coming up with a moveset for Frank.

Never played it before. I support!

Added to support list.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

Frank's been one of my long-shot wants for a long time. It'd be cool to see him have a movest cenetered around spawning/using items as a call to the "use everything as a weapon" play style of Dead Rising.

 

[GaminGryff]

Frank's been one of my long-shot wants for a long time. It'd be cool to see him have a movest cenetered around spawning/using items as a call to the "use everything as a weapon" play style of Dead Rising.

Shall I add you to the support list then?

And I agree; it'd be cool to have him rely on that. But maybe restrict it to only certain items to keep it from being OP.

S SEGAGameBoy - If you're curious about Dead Rising, it's currently 60% on Steam for the Steam Summer Sale, at $7.99 (normal price $19.99).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/427190/DEAD_RISING/

 

[MacDaddyNook]

Of course, I've been wanting this guy since the Brawl days.

 

[GaminGryff]

Of course, I've been wanting this guy since the Brawl days.

Fantastic! Added.

 

[GaminGryff]

MacDaddyNook

I came up with a stage concept for Frank.

I know it'd never happen, but when coming up with my dream roster, I had Frank West as a newcomer, and had an idea for a stage for him: Willamette Parkview Mall from the original Dead Rising.

The stage takes place in either Paradise Plaza or Wonderland Plaza, doesn't matter which as the stage is completely flat either way. The Battlefield and Omega versions take place on the second floor of the mall instead. As in the original game, the place is packed to the brim with zombies in the background. Occassionally, when hazards are enabled, a zombie will wander onto the battlefield and attempt to grab a player and tackle them to the ground, biting them for some damage. Zombies can be grabbed and thrown towards other players just as Frank can do in the original game.

When playing Frank on the stage, you can do a special Smash taunt where Otis Washington will call you and alert you that there's a "survivor" (one of the fighters you're battling) in the mall, providing a brief description of them and a comment about them (I.E. "He's pretty short and wearing a red hat and overalls... maybe he's the pizza delivery guy?") Beware though, because if you take any damage while talking to him, you'll forcibly hang up and he'll call back, disgruntled. ("Don't hang up on me like that! It's rude! Anyway, here's what I was sayin'...")

Some of the stage's musical tracks could be:

Spoiler

Frank West, from the original Dead Rising

His Name's Frank, from Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Adam's Theme (Crazy Clown) from the original Dead Rising

Willamette Parkview Mall, from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

 

[Pegasus Knight]

Would be fun to see him in. I'm fine with making him via Mii Fighters, but a 'real' Frank would be fine by me too.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

MacDaddyNook

I came up with a stage concept for Frank.

That sounds like a fun stage. I hope we could get a couple Psychopath themes from DR2 in, I know they're technically licensed music, but they'd work so well.

 

[LuisSLS_HQ]

Absolute support!

 

[GaminGryff]

Absolute support!

Frank appreciates your support!

 

[Sari]

His chances are really low but I will lend my support. I poured so many hours into Off the Record and I loved using Frank in both UMvC3 and TvC.

 

[GaminGryff]

His chances are really low but I will lend my support. I poured so many hours into Off the Record and I loved using Frank in both UMvC3 and TvC.

Awesome! Added! ^^

 

[DarkSt0rm009]

Ah what the hell, Let's do this! Frank's got as much moveset potential as Banjo-Kazooie so I don't see the harm in him making the cut!

 

[Lamperouge]

I'll gladly show support for him as long as we can avoid "Frank" from Dead Rising 4. Loved the original game and how goofy, yet badass Frank was in it.

 

[GaminGryff]

Ah what the hell, Let's do this! Frank's got as much moveset potential as Banjo-Kazooie so I don't see the harm in him making the cut!

I'll gladly show support for him as long as we can avoid "Frank" from Dead Rising 4. Loved the original game and how goofy, yet badass Frank was in it.

Would you guys like to be added to the support list?

 

[DarkSt0rm009]

Would you guys like to be added to the support list?

That'd be Fantastic!

 

[DarkSt0rm009]

I'll gladly show support for him as long as we can avoid "Frank" from Dead Rising 4. Loved the original game and how goofy, yet badass Frank was in it.

I'm hoping for a blend of OG Frank meets Case West / Off The Record Frank

 

[Lamperouge]

Would you guys like to be added to the support list?

Sure, why not.

 

[GaminGryff]

That'd be Fantastic!

Sure, why not.

Done and done!

 

[DanganZilla5]

I support this! I really enjoy Dead Rising and Frank's moveset potential is insane with him able to use anything in a mall, and combining those objects into cooler weapons.

 

[GaminGryff]

I support this! I really enjoy Dead Rising and Frank's moveset potential is insane with him able to use anything in a mall, and combining those objects into cooler weapons.

Added to the support list!

 

[Lionfranky]

He would be similar case to Joker... at least, his game made it into console, not handheld before that... he would be more fun than Resident Evil characters for sure. I guess I will lend my support. His chance is slim with competiton from Dante and Phoenix Wright.

 

[GaminGryff]

He would be similar case to Joker... at least, his game made it into console, not handheld before that... he would be more fun than Resident Evil characters for sure. I guess I will lend my support. His chance is slim with competiton from Dante and Phoenix Wright.

Added to the support list.

 

[DanganZilla5]

We are rating Frank West in Rate Their Chances if anyone here wants to give their two cents.

 

[Perkilator]

I’ve never played Dead Rising, but I’ve seen enough of the games to support Frank! Here’s a moveset and Classic Mode I whipped up for him:

Spoiler: Moveset

Intro: Frank pushes a zombie off of him, and kicks it into the background.
In 1v1 battles, he sometimes takes a picture of the opponent (usually with female characters).

Stance/Idle 1: His idle stance from UMvC3.
Idle 2: Frank adjusts his camera’s focus.
Idle 3: Frank looks down and shakes his head.

Notable Palette Swaps:
-Default (black)
-UMvC3 color 2 (purple/black)
-UMvC3 color 4 (brown)
-Chuck Greene (yellow)
-Nick Ramos (blue/red)
-UMvC3 color 6 (gray/pink)
-X costume (alternate costume)

Walk: His walk from UMvC3.
Dash: Frank’s dash in his victory animation from UMvC3.
Damage: His damage animation from UMvC3.
Jump: His jump from UMvC3.
Crouch: His crouch from UMvC3.

Weapon of Choice: Basically, anything he can get his hands on. You’ll see in a second.

Normal Attacks
Jab: Frank hits the target with a plunger once (3%, small knockback), and the proceeds with a flurry (2%-4% each hit, small knockback)
Forward+A: Frank punches the target in the stomach (6%, small knockback)
Down+A: Frank swings a fire axe straight down (11% with a meteor effect, OK knockback)
Up+A: Frank does a roundhouse kick (7%, small knockback)

Aerial Attacks
Air+A: Frank swings the bat all around him (9%, OK knockback)
Air Forward+A: Frank does a drop kick (13%, OK knockback)
Air Back + A: Frank swings the bat behind himself (11%, OK knockback)
Air Up+A: Frank holds a 5-hit chainsaw above himself (16%, OK knockback)
Air Down+A: Frank swings a golf club straight down (14% with a meteor effect, OK knockback)

Dash Attack: Frank pushes a shopping cart in front of him as he dashes forward (12%, OK knockback)
Edge Attack: Frank swings a fire axe down as he gets back up (11%, OK knockback)
Get-Up Attack: Frank kicks upward with both legs (9%, OK knockback)

Smash Attacks
Forward+A: Frank swings a baseball bat with great force (17%, OK knockback)
Up+A: Frank swings a golf club upwards (21%, OK knockback). This can reflect projectiles upward at a slight angle.
Down+A: Frank whirs a chainsaw on the ground; this scores up to five hits simultaneously (25%, medium knockback)

Grab Game
Grab: Frank puts a Servbot head on the opponent’s head. If the head isn’t the adequate size, he simply grabs them with both hands.
Pummel: Frank knees the opponent (1%-2%)
Forwards+Throw: Frank pushes back the opponent by kicking them (9%, OK knockback)
Down+Throw: Frank performs a face crusher (12%, OK knockback)
Back+Throw: Frank performs a judo throw (11%, OK knockback)
Up+Throw: Frank swings the opponent, then tosses them far up (11%, OK knockback)

Special Moves
B : Snapshot; Frank takes a picture of his surroundings (5%, small knockback). Has a chance to briefly stun opponents up close and raises PP based on how many items of interest are in range (up to 10 at a time; 1 PP per object is gained).
B + Forwards : Zombie Attack; Frank pushes a zombie forward. The zombie lurks for a few seconds, biting any opponent in its range (3%-8% at a time), which then poisons the opponent and deals continuous damage.
B + Up : Wall Kick; Frank jumps straight up and bounce forward, kicking any nearby opponents (14%, OK knockback)
B + Down : Combo Weapons; Frank squats down for a couple seconds and modifies his chainsaw and baseball bat. They then become the Paddlesaw and Spiked Bat, respectively, which have their damage increased by 5%. In addition, Frank’s down Smash now has him swing the dual Paddlesaw along the ground in a 360 spin (15% from each saw, OK knockback).

Final Smash: Dead Rising Charge; Frank takes out a Servbot head and slaps it on the opponent’s head (11%). The opponent is then taken into a cutscene where Frank charges them into a field of zombies (33%), throws them high up, and takes a picture with a nearby zombie as the opponent crashes down (19%, devastating knockback). Frank gains 500PP from the “Smashing” rank, instantly maxing him out.

Gimmick: Prestige Points; Frank gets these by taking snapshots of items of interest in front of him (fighters, Assist Trophies, Poké Ball summons and items). The more items in his range (up to 10 can be in range at a time), the more PP he gains. The level he reaches determines his stats.

Lv. 1: Default stats
Lv. 2 (50PP): Attacks do 3% more damage
Lv. 3 (100PP): Defense and PP rates are doubled
Lv. 4 (200PP): Movement speed is doubled
Lv. 5 (300PP): Frank is harder to launch, and his camera flashes (now with a longer range) can stun for 5 seconds

All of these buffs combine with each level. The level reverts back to Lv. 1 when Frank suffers a KO.


Taunts
1: “I’ve covered wars, you know.” Frank raises his right hand and sticks out his index finger.
2: Frank chugs down a water gallon, and then shouts “Tastes great!”
1+2: “Smile!” Frank takes a picture of himself.


Winposes
1: Frank loosely mimics his artwork from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
2: Frank’s victory animation from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
3: Frank screams towards the sky on his knees.


Applause: Frank takes pictures of the winner.
Icon: The zombie in the Dead Rising logo.
Boxing Ring Title: He’s covered wars, you know.
Star K.O.: Frank’s scream from the end of Dead Rising.
Victory Music: A snippet of Frank’s theme.
Kirby Hat: Frank’s hair and camera.

Spoiler: Classic Mode: I’ve covered wars, you know

Round 1: x3 on (Escape from the City)
Round 2: on (Yell "Dead Cell")
Round 3: on Living Room (Gourmet Race (Brawl))
Round 4: Marx (Vs. Adam the Clown)
Round 5: on Boxing Ring (Battlefield) (Midna’s Lament)
Round 6: on Kalos Pokémon League (Lost Painting)
Final Round: on Ω (Snake Eater)

 

[Deleted member]

Frank West would be really awesome!

Would have a really creative moveset.