If only 30 characters returned...

[txhy8]

Here's mine

Mario
Donkey Kong
Link
Samus
Yoshi
Kirby
Fox
Pikachu
Luigi
Ness
Captain Falcon
Jiggypuff
Peach
Bowser
Zelda
Marth
Mewtwo
Mr Game and Watch
Pit
Wario
Charizard
Diddy Kong
King Dedede
Sonic
Villager
Mega Man
Pac Man
Shulk
Inklings
Ridley

 

[slambros]

Very tough decisions all around.

 

[Pupp135]

I have an old list, but I’m going to revise it right now:

Spoiler: Reasoning

SSB64: I’ll start with this group because there is the alleged rule that no one from SSB64 can be cut. I’d say that this belief applies to the starting cast and Luigi. For the starting cast, they are treated as the true perfect attendance crew (they’re also the only starters in Ultimate), but even then, they all have a large enough legacy to justify their inclusion (Fox might be the only exception). Luigi is the player two character with his own side series. Captain Falcon is a highly popular character in the SSB fanbase, but I just prefer other retros.
“New” Series: While the majority of the SSB64 cast is relevant outside of SSB, there are series that were popular after SSB64, and the most notable ones that come into mind are Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Splatoon, and Wii series. From Animal Crossing, I prioritized Villager for being the player character. In Fire Emblem’s case, there’s no true mascot, but as Marth is the most notable one in the context of SSB, I’ll just go with him. For Miis, I’ll just leave the Brawler in as Miis are technically three different fighters.
Side Characters: Although we have almost 40 franchises in Ultimate, some series are large enough to warrant additional fighters. Just like Melee, Mario, LoZ, and Pokemon take top priority. From Mario and LoZ, Bowser, Ganondorf, Peach, and Zelda give both series their villain and damsel. For the Pokemon series, I’m going with an unconventional choice with Pokemon Trainer as (s)he is the player character of the series, and (s)he has a cool gimmick (sorry Mewtwo, Greninja, Lucario fans). For my other addition, I’ll go with Isabelle because Animal Crossing is incredibly popular, and both she and Villager appeared in Mario Kart 8.
Third Party: At this point, third parties are a big part of SSB’s appeal, so they have to stay. In this case, I’ll go with Sonic and Megaman because they were both requested characters, and they have a strong history with Nintendo (I’d replace Mega Man with Sora if Disney permitted. I only have 2 third parties because the games technically have a huge emphasis on Nintendo characters.
Almost Final Fighters: At this point, I have 7 more spots, and all of the major franchises are added at this point. The first thing I’ll do is add a Xenoblade character and Pit because Xenoblade is a growing series, and Pit is more of a Sakurai bias case more or less. While I like playing as Mythra, Shulk works well enough, and Pokemon Trainer is also a transforming character. At this point, I could just add four of Wario, Diddy, Ridley, Dedede, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, Lucario, and Greninja, but I’ll only go with Wario, Dedede, and Lucario in this case for the formers presence in Mario spinoffs and side series, Dedede being Kirby’s rival, and the latter’s popularity in Pokemon.
Biased Picks: These are my two favorite characters from the SSB series (Ice Climbers and Ness), so I’m keeping them even if other choices are more relevant.
Oddballs to Note for: Jigglypuff and Toon Link didn’t make the cut, but the roster is determined by development time and resources instead of the number of slots, meaning that they’d probably sneak onto the roster like the latter did in each entry.

 

[anlunx]

As an RPG fan, here is my roster!

 

[Oracle Link]

yeah thats hopefully not gonna happen but if you want to know my opinion here:

duh
(no jiggly puff i like it but in such a small roster theres no place for it)
(yeah no peach shes not really that interesting or important also Mario has already 4 Chareacters Yeah Yoshi is from Mario And so are Wario and Dk debatebly)
(the main Character and a Pokemon Villan need to be here to)
( kirby is huge so yeah but sadly bwd would not get in sorry Otoad)
( single rep Franchises)
(metroid gets 2 reps)

(zelda gets these 3 why Ganon because villain, why Zelda because she is more important than Peach in her franchise, why Gb link because Link needs 2versions hes not just the 3d openworld blue clothed adult guy hes also the classic child link that is the main character in 2d Zelda

 

[Golden Icarus]

This is always very difficult for me, and definitely a worse case scenario. I understand the desire to see Smash as a more refined fighting game, but the crossover aspect and the fact that there are just so many characters is what makes stand out. Still, I like making little rosters like this so I'll play along.

I decided to leave out all third-parties as it's really difficult to decide exactly which ones deserve to be represented and which ones do not. Overall, any staple Nintendo characters and staple Smash characters got to stay. I thought about cutting Falcon and Ness, but they are so iconic to Smash Bros. that I just couldn't do it.

I also wanted a handful of newcomers, so I'll go over those. Ganondorf has never been well utilized in my opinion, so I decided to replace him with Ganon. That way the King of Evil is still present, but gets a brand new look and playstyle. Rhythm Heaven is probably the biggest unrepresented franchise, and Karate Joe has a ton of potential for a unique moveset. Finally, Captain Toad is probably the biggest Nintendo All-Star that is currently left out of Smash. Nintendo has been using him a lot over the last decade, and I imagine his series is gonna continue to grow.

 

[Otoad64]

alright, here's my attempt.

got rid of 3rd parties and pkmn trainer to save me the headache of trying to balance those numbers

 

[Oracle Link]

View attachment 306571
alright, here's my attempt.

got rid of 3rd parties and pkmn trainer to save me the headache of trying to balance those numbers

Hm but which link should be the one in the Game maybe OOt or Toon im split on this!

 

[Otoad64]

Hm but which link should be the one in the Game maybe OOt or Toon im split on this!

Breath of the Wild.

 

[Depressed Gengar]

Assuming it's veterans only:

Spoiler

Absolutely needed for a roster this size: Mario, Bowser, Peach, Luigi, Pikachu, Lucario, Mewtwo, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Kirby, King Dedede, Samus, Ridley, Yoshi, Fox, Marth, Wario, Villager

Almost absolutely needed: King K. Rool, Meta Knight, Inkling, Mr. Game & Watch

The rest are more complicated.

Greninja: One of the most popular Pokémon, and helps keep the Pokémon lineup from being "Oops! (Almost) all Gen 1!".

Captain Falcon: Not for the silly "original 12" reason, but out of virtue that he's pretty much a Smash original at this point. Smash is about as much of his home as his own series is. Sure, I don't think it would be ridiculous to cut him, but it would actually feel wrong to do so.

Robin: Fire Emblem kinda does warrant another character in a roster of thirty, and not only is Awakening one of the most important games in the series, but Robin just so happens to be the most unique out of the FE vets.

Olimar, Duck Hunt Dog: Honestly, these two are mostly filler, since no one else in particular were really necessary enough to include, outside of the Miis (who I would have to cut another character for anyways). Olimar stuck around because he felt too unique to cut, and Duck Hunt Dog, while not a very important Nintendo character, is a very iconic one.

 

[JOJONumber691]

My List, going by Series:
Mario:
Donkey Kong:
Zelda:
Metroid:
Kirby:
Pokemon:
Fire Emblem:
One-Offs:

 

[Otoad64]

My List, going by Series:
Mario:
Donkey Kong:
Zelda:
Metroid:
Kirby:
Pokemon:
Fire Emblem:
One-Offs:

no Animal Crossing?!

 

[JOJONumber691]

no Animal Crossing?!

Oh crap I forgot! Replace either Ike, Robin, or Diddy Kong with Isabelle.

 

[StrangeKitten]

That's a tough one. Definitely hoping that, assuming cuts happen next game, it's not all the way down to 30. It's just too few, when considering franchises such as Pokemon and Mario have a lot of characters who make their case for inclusion. I'll give it a shot, though:
Mario: , , , This is the main four, so

Pokemon: , , Mascot, evolution and switching represented, newer gens represented

DK: , This was a tough one. I like Diddy, but I'd prefer to keep villains where possible

Zelda: , ,

Metroid: ,

Yoshi:

Kirby: ,

Starfox:

Mother:

F-Zero:

Fire Emblem: , Closest thing the series has to a mascot, and the one who best represents the gameplay

Kid Icarus: There are very few female characters on my roster, and I don't think there'd be much outcry if she was added over Pit.

Sonic:

Animal Crossing:

Xenoblade:

Street Fighter:

Final Fantasy:

Splatoon:

Castlevania:

 

[Otoad64]

Kid Icarus: There are very few female characters on my roster, and I don't think there'd be much outcry if she was added over Pit.

why do you gotta do Pit like that?

but seriously, he's the main character. It just seems wrong

 

[txhy8]

Mine is

Mario
Luigi
Peach
Bowser
Yoshi
DK
Wario
Link
Zelda
Ganondorf
Samus
Ridley
Kirby
King Dedede
Fox
Pikachu
Jiggypuff
Mewtwo
Pokemon Trainer
Gerninja
Marth
Ness
Captain Falcon
Pit
Mr Game and Watch
Shulk
Inkling
Sonic
Mega Man
Pac-Man

 

[Blackwolf666]

Original 8 (will always be in any list I make)


Original Hidden characters


Melee


Brawl (Counting Pokémon Trainer as 1 character)


Smash 4


Ultimate

Only thing I’d switch up is replace Wolf with miis (counting them as one fighter that is extremely customizable) since the wii series was far more lucrative than most of this roster.

 

[toonito]

Here's who I think are least likely to be cut going forward:







IMO this is the bare minimum of any given Smash roster

I think 30 is a bit too steep for me so here's my 35 man Smash roster

 

[Linkmain-maybe]

 

[Butters Stotch]

/ (either one can suffice)


This is just going off of first party veterans, as I've already done a similar take with newcomers. If third parties are being accounted for, then cut K. Rool/Meta Knight for Sonic and maybe Robin for Mega Man.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

My roster:
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Bowser
5. Yoshi
6. Wario
7. DK
8. Diddy
9. Link
10. Zelda
11. Ganondorf
12. Samus
13. Kirby
14. King Dedede
15. Fox
16. Pikachu
17. Lucario
18. Greninja
19. Marth
20. Robin
21. Pit
22. Olimar
23. Captain Falcon
24. Villager
25. Inkling
26. Shulk
27. Ness
28. Mr. Game and Watch
29. ROB
30. Mii

 

[nightowlgirl]

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser as stated by others are the 4 biggest characters in the Super Mario franchise so it makes sense to keep them.

Yoshi is the sole rep for his franchise, has been around since the beginning, and is still an iconic Mario character so he makes sense to keep.

Donkey Kong is another given. It was a hard choice between Diddy and K. Rool, but with how long K. Rool was requested for and with him being a villain rep, I chose him.

Pikachu and Mewtwo are both practically synonymous with the Pokémon franchise, and Greninja is both the most popular Pokémon in Japan as well as a more modern representitive of the series.

Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf all reflect the 3 pieces of the Triforce, and are the most iconic characters in their franchise.

Samus, again, makes sense to keep since she is the protagonist of Metroid. Ridley is a long time requested fighter and a villain so he makes sense.

Fox and Falco are synonymous with the Smash scene, and it would feel wrong to me to take either of them out. Wolf was cut to make space for other fighters and because he was already cut from Sm4sh for prior.

Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight are all great representitives for their franchise and it was hard for me to choose who to cut, so I kept all 3 of them.

Inkling represents Splatoon, one of Nintendo's most iconic recent franchises. Isabelle is practically the mascot of Animal Crossing at the point, so while it could be debatable with one should be kept, in terms of "iconicness" I feel Isabelle wins out. Pit is both a retro rep and also represents Kid Icarus: Uprising, so I chose to keep him.

Marth was the first character chosen to represent Fire Emblem in Smash, so he was chosen to stay. Robin also has interesting moveset potential and because I feel Fire Emblem deserves more than 1 rep, they stay.

Sonic, Pac-Man, and Mega Man feel like go to 3rd party reps. Each one has a long history on Nintendo consoles, and as such I feel have earned their place here. Banjo & Kazzoie were long time request form many which in a better world, would have been in since Melee, so they stay. Finally, Steve comes from Minecraft, which is one of the best selling games of all time. It just makes sense to keep him.

If I could add five more fighters to this list, they would have been Wario, Diddy Kong, Charizard (alone since I count all of the Pokémon Trainer Pokémon as separate fighters), Snake, and the Mii Brawler. As is though, I feel like this is a pretty good 30 character roster. I like to imagine some of these characters would also get moveset revamps just to keep things fresh as well.

EDIT - Actually now that I think about it, if I could add in 5 more fighters they would actually be Ness, Captain Falcon, and Wario as veterans. Also Jack Frost and Conker as newcomers.

 

[UserKev]

Gonna try this again.

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser. DK, Diddy, K Rool. Link, Ganondorf. Samus, Ridley. Captain Falcon. Lyn. Kirby, Dedede. Fox, Falco. Ness. Yoshi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Charizard. Wario. Pit. Olimar. Little Mac. Shulk. Inkling. Isabella. Min Min.

Reasons: Even tho Peach and Bowser have been in far more games than Luigi, Luigi is still extremely important. King K. Rool is far too enjoyable and recurring by fans not to have. Ridley's absence wouldn't make sense by this point. Zelda would be redundant, honestly. Lyn would be a clever attempt at reestablishing the character. Dedede is the only 2nd rep Kirby need in a reboot. Jigglypuff has a more dedicate player base than Lucario, why she takes the edge.

 

[Oddball]

Only 30, huh? Okay ... Going to have to knock the roster down to less than half to pull that off.

Okay, let's see....

First let's kill some echoes. Ditch



Now let's take out some of those Fire Emblem characters that are too over represented to begin with. If we're getting cut down to 30 characters, we get ONE Fire Emblem guy.


Now we cut some of the characters that aren't as representative of Nintendo...

For now, I'll leave Megaman and Simon because they feel like honorary Nintendo characters.
Sonic's rivalry with Mario is a big part of Nintendo history and Ryu and Pac-Man get to stay for historic reasons.


While not quite echoes, are pretty close to their base characters and I'm not sure we need the extra characters from each franchise.

Gets knocked out because as a character I think she's outlived her relevance


Going to cut a few Mario characters so Mario and Mario related series don't absolutely dominate the roster.
Goodbye

Going to trim the Pokemons as well, cut the newer characters in favor of the classics.



That still leaves me with 17 characters to cut ...

We have two Samus on the roster, let's cut that back down to one and remove

Ditcha few more of the Johnny-come-latleys and move towards a more classic line-up.



I'm going to have to rethink my third party stance and remove a few more thirds. Right now I think we still have too many for a thirty man roster. Sonic, Megaman, and Simon feel more important to Nintendo so they stay and get cut.

We'll tone down the alleged Kirby Bias as well.


Ditcha few villains because the heroes are more important.



As much as I like odd school, might be a bit too old and barely count as characters.

I just don't like

If we're cutting down to just thrity, customization doesn't seem like a big focus, so gotta go.

Doesn't quite feel important enough out of the characters still left.

And I have to cut one more character to make the roster size fit, so we'll remove one of the Links.


That leaves the final roster as ...

 

[Pink Yoshi]

I'd probably go for a heroes vs villains angle.

King Boo
Captain Syrup



Kamek



Grima
Medusa or Hades
Ribbon Girl, Dr. Coyle
1-Rep Franchises: