If Smash debuted this year, what would be your roster of 12?

[Mastermiine]

I am gonna add echos because if they don't count for Smash Ultimate then they don't count here.
Starters
1.(1e )
2.(2e )
3.(3e )
4.(4e )
5. (5e )
6.
7. (7e

)
8. (8e

)

Unlockables
9. (9e

)
10. (10e

)
11.
12.


This brings us to 21 characters which is a good amount for a modern fighting game.

 

[Ramen Tengoku]

Starters









Unlockables

 

[DarthEnderX]

1. Mario [Super Mario Bros.]
2. Link [Legend of Zelda]
3. Samus [Metroid]
4. Kirby [Kirby]
5. Pit [Kid Icarus]
6. Mega Man [Mega Man]
7. Simon [Castlevania]
8. Ryu Hayabusa [Ninja Gaiden]
9. Bill Rizer [Contra]
10. Arthur [Ghosts 'n Goblins]
11. Kunio [River City Ransom]
12. Black Mage [Final Fantasy]

All franchises at the absolute PEAK of their popularity in 2018!

 

[Opossum]

- One character per franchise (if Sakurai can count Yoshi's Island as its own franchise, I can do the same for Luigi's Mansion, dammit)
- Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu are kept
- Marth, Olimar, Isabelle, and Inkling are added
- Isabelle is the face of the franchise so I gave her priority over Villager
- Marth is the original hero, and really only the Awakening trio can compare as far as notoriety (many other characters are popular, but importance-wise, I'd say Marth, Chrom, and Lucina are near the top), and it's not like Marth was unimportant to Awakening...he still has a presence in the game as a legendary hero of yore.
- Pikmin and Splatoon are big name Nintendo franchises so Olimar and Inkling were no-brainers.

Stage List:

- New Donk City Hall (Mario)
- Luigi's Mansion (Luigi)
- Jungle Hijinxs (Donkey Kong)
- Great Plateau Tower (Link)
- Norfair (Samus)
- Millennium Court (Marth)
- Green Greens (Kirby)
- Corneria (Fox)
- Victory Road (Pikachu)
- Distant Planet (Olimar)
- Tortimer Island (Isabelle)
- Moray Towers (Inkling)

 

[R O F L]

- All obvious picks, they all come from game franchises that still get games and that sell well.

FE Rep - Haven't played FE, so I don't know who to chose.

- Less major, but have games confirmed for the future.

/ - Don't know who it would be, but AC would need a rep.

/Xenoblade Rep/ - One of these for the last spot.

 

[MG_3989]

There would be a Fire Emblem rep and it wouldn’t be Marth. It would either be Chrom or Lucina

There’s absolutely no doubt there would be an FE rep though

 

[NintenEdgyMan]

I tried to think of what would be there if smash never existed.

, , and would never even get glanced at, and although maybe considered would probably be passed up on.

I chose the other original 8 because like theres a reason why they were chosen, they are very iconic.


is arguably more iconic than even characters like Samus and maybe even Kirby when we talk about the mainstream. There popularity in the west doesn't even come close to there popularity in the east.

is the mascot of animal crossing from New Leaf onward, and is also very iconic. Animal Crossing is also a very mainstream Nintendo IP, so much so that some celebrities have tweeted about wanting to play the 2019 game.

these are two extremely iconic characters that can even rival Mario. With BandaiNamco making the game and Sonic being tied to Nintendo it makes sense how they could get the rights, and why they would be great guest characters.

these charcters came pretty close but I thought that they just weren't as important. I wouldn't blame you if you thought these charcters were more deserving though.

Obviously characters like and would be in, but Smash was what made these characters iconic in the first place, meaning that they would be highly unlikely.

 

[MG_3989]

I tried to think of what would be there if smash never existed.

, , and would never even get glanced at, and although maybe considered would probably be passed up on.

I chose the other original 8 because like theres a reason why they were chosen, they are very iconic.


is arguably more iconic than even characters like Samus and maybe even Kirby when we talk about the mainstream. There popularity in the west doesn't even come close to there popularity in the east.

is the mascot of animal crossing from New Leaf onward, and is also very iconic. Animal Crossing is also a very mainstream Nintendo IP, so much so that some celebrities have tweeted about wanting to play the 2019 game.

these are two extremely iconic characters that can even rival Mario. With BandaiNamco making the game and Sonic being tied to Nintendo it makes sense how they could get the rights, and why they would be great guest characters.

these charcters came pretty close but I thought that they just weren't as important. I wouldn't blame you if you thought these charcters were more deserving though.

Obviously characters like and would be in, but Smash was what made these characters iconic in the first place, meaning that they would be highly unlikely.

Honestly I think Smash might’ve saved the FE series in the West

 

[osby]

Honestly I think Smash might’ve saved the FE series in the West

"save"?

It's the reason it came to the west to begin with.

 

[MG_3989]

"save"?

It's the reason it came to the west to begin with.

True which I’m really really happy about

 

[Arthur97]

Falcon, Ness, Fox, and maybe Yoshi go. Jigglypuff probably gets replaces. Preferably with Mewtwo.

Instead, we get Inklings, Bowser, Marth, and maybe Zelda.

Granted, yes, this is assuming FE managed to still achieve similar feats. I'd also keep Isabelle out for the first entry of the series as she isn't very combat oriented.

 

[osby]

True which I’m really really happy about

Agreed.

If we are talking about saving, that was Awakening, Smash hardly ever resurrects franchises, looking at you F-Zero.

 

[MG_3989]

Agreed.

If we are talking about saving, that was Awakening, Smash hardly ever resurrects franchises, looking at you F-Zero.

True, Awakening was a truly phenomenal game

 

[Arthur97]

Agreed.

If we are talking about saving, that was Awakening, Smash hardly ever resurrects franchises, looking at you F-Zero.

To be fair, Nintendo doesn't seem to want to save it.

 

[Primal Cookie]

What I would do (a rule of one character per series, which seems fair with only 12 characters total):

What Nintendo would probably do:


I justify my choices of Lucina and Isabelle over Marth and Villager because Lucina is probably the most popular character from the most popular game in all of FE, and Isabelle is practically Animal Crossing’s mascot at this point

 

[osby]

What I would do (a rule of one character per series, which seems fair with only 12 characters total):

What Nintendo would probably do:

Why the hell Nintendo would put Ganondorf into the game and not Samus or Fox?

 

[Primal Cookie]

Why the hell Nintendo would put Ganondorf into the game and not Samus or Fox?

I’d argue both Metroid and Star Fox are less popular than Zelda, and Ganon would be a second villain (so there isn’t just Bowser). However, those two were both the first two cut (making rosters like these just show you how small 12 really is)

 

[NintenEdgyMan]

I tried to think of what would be there if smash never existed.

, , and would never even get glanced at, and although maybe considered would probably be passed up on.

I chose the other original 8 because like theres a reason why they were chosen, they are very iconic.


is arguably more iconic than even characters like Samus and maybe even Kirby when we talk about the mainstream. There popularity in the west doesn't even come close to there popularity in the east.

is the mascot of animal crossing from New Leaf onward, and is also very iconic. Animal Crossing is also a very mainstream Nintendo IP, so much so that some celebrities have tweeted about wanting to play the 2019 game.

these are two extremely iconic characters that can even rival Mario. With BandaiNamco making the game and Sonic being tied to Nintendo it makes sense how they could get the rights, and why they would be great guest characters.

these charcters came pretty close but I thought that they just weren't as important. I wouldn't blame you if you thought these charcters were more deserving though.

Obviously characters like and would be in, but Smash was what made these characters iconic in the first place, meaning that they would be highly unlikely.

Edit: I glitched this is a repost

 

[osby]

I’d argue both Metroid and Star Fox are less popular than Zelda, and Ganon would be a second villain (so there isn’t just Bowser). However, those two were both the first two cut (making rosters like these just show you how small 12 really is)

I mean, why Ganondorf? He's absent from mainline games for more than a decade. Why not Zelda, who would be a lot more marketable?

And Metroid may be small, but not smaller than Fire Emblem and Lucina is in.

 

[Golden Icarus]

I’d probably go with

 

[Mogisthelioma]

How did this thread come alive again?
Anyway, I'll revise my first two lists:

Spoiler: 12 Fighter Roster

Starters: Unlockables:

Spoiler: 26 Fighrer Roster

All the previous starters and unlockables
New starters: New unlockables:

 

[The Legend of Smash]

 

[Klimax]

King K Rool
Klump
Krusha
Klubba
Klaptrap
Krunch
Kutlass
Klomp
Kip
Kass
Kalypso
Krook

 

[Deleted member]

Starters
Mario
Luigi
Donkey Kong
Link
Kirby
Pikachu
Isabelle
Inkling

Unlockables:
Samus
Fox
Marth
Olimar

First off, I tried to represent as many series as possible, meaning the only series to have two reps is Mario (Mario and Luigi).

Now for the characters I removed:
Yoshi & Jigglypuff - There are other characters that are far more important then then in their home series, and that aren’t in this roster.

Captain Falcon & Ness - Have little to no importance nowadays.

Now for the new characters:
Isabelle & Inkling - The face off what are now major franchises for Nintendo.

Marth & Olimar - While more popular with hardcore Nintendo fans, their franchises are still big enough to be getting new games.

Lastly is why I chose the unlockables to be unlockables, and I chose them due to fact they wouldn’t be as easily recognised with people outside the hardcore Nintendo community, so they would work well as a treat for hardcore Nintendo fans who would go the extra mile to unlock them.

 

[Mooer]

No items
Final Destination ONLY

 

[BonafideFella]

MY IDEAL ROSTER OF 12~
~Everyone and their grandmother knows these fellas. It'd be a travesty not to include them!
~Though these characters have had their fair share of hiatuses throughout their series, they're still important to Nintendo and thus, I included them!
~The rising stars of Nintendo, not to mention they both have unique gimmicks that flesh out the game's roster.
~THE definitive video game villain. Convince me otherwise.
~Represents Nintendo's pre~NES days, not to mention he's a pretty unique character concept in general.
~The two third~party representatives with, arguably, the most history with Nintendo, though if you're a *shudder* first~party purist, replace them with both &

 

[Zinith]

I can't think of any justification for keeping Yoshi out of the 12-man roster that I buy...

 

[Rhus]

I can't think of any justification for keeping Yoshi out of the 12-man roster that I buy...

Similarly - Absolute lol at people including like...Shulk, Simon, Lucina, Marth etc. over Samus and Fox.

 

[soviet prince]

 

[Arthur97]

Similarly - Absolute lol at people including like...Shulk, Simon, Lucina, Marth etc. over Samus and Fox.

I would say at this point FE has outgrown SF and it's repeated remakes and poorly received motion controls. SF has stagnated. Why would it be included?

 

[Mogisthelioma]

I would say at this point FE has outgrown SF and it's repeated remakes and poorly received motion controls. SF has stagnated. Why would it be included?

SF may be stagnant in 2019 but it's certainly one of Nintendo's most beloved and iconic franchises. I'd keep it over Yoshi, Earthbound or F-Zero.

Plus there are rumors of a completely new SF game coming in 2019 but nothing's been confirmed (we're waiting for that direct, Nintendo).

 

[Zinith]

SF may be stagnant in 2019 but it's certainly one of Nintendo's most beloved and iconic franchises. I'd keep it over Yoshi, Earthbound or F-Zero.

Plus there are rumors of a completely new SF game coming in 2019 but nothing's been confirmed (we're waiting for that direct, Nintendo).

I hate to be the guy to pit franchise with franchise, but why would you put Star Fox over Yoshi when it's in a worse situation than my boi's? Or does the "spin-off" label makes its icon status null & void?

 

[Mogisthelioma]

I would say at this point FE has outgrown SF and it's repeated remakes and poorly received motion controls. SF has stagnated. Why would it be included?

SF may be stagnant in 2019 but it's certainly one of Nintendo's most beloved and iconic franchises. I'd keep it over Yoshi, Earthbound or F-Zero.

Plus there are rumors of a completely new SF game coming in 2019 but nothing's been confirmed (we're waiting for that direct, Nintendo).
Edit: This is a repost no clue what happened.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

I don't know which ones would be unlockables, but I know I would use these twelve as the fighters.

 

[Mogisthelioma]

I hate to be the guy to pit franchise with franchise, but why would you put Star Fox over Yoshi when it's in a worse situation than my boi's? Or does the "spin-off" label makes its icon status null & void?

I hate to be that guy too. I looked back on it and you're right. I never really treated Yoshi that well since he's associated with Mario more than any other non-Mario fighter, but he's an icon in his own way. But SF is certainly known more than Earthbound and F-Zero.

 

[Rhus]

I would say at this point FE has outgrown SF and it's repeated remakes and poorly received motion controls. SF has stagnated. Why would it be included?

Well, FE only accelerated in the west because of smash to begin with, and consequently if we're talking about smash only releasing this year I'm pretty sure FE wouldn't be very dominant at all.

Additionally - Fox is much more recognizable than any FE character due to his uniqueness. The Star Fox series has also been one of Nintendo's biggest legacies for a long time - it was at the peak of technological innovation for its first release, and really defined action/arcade games with 64. I will be the first to tell you that Star Fox has been having trouble with its footing lately, but Zero released <3 years ago, and Starlink just had a major guest appearance of the whole Star Fox team in October. Miyamoto has also stated in the past that Star Fox is a favourite of his and he wants to do more with it.

(I love Fire Emblem and support their inclusion in smash by the way, I'm not a 3manyswords person)

 

[AlexOviedo]

Starters


Unlockables


~ Everyone likes this guys.

~ Sakurai's son

~ Retro rep

~ Very iconic characters

~ Piranha Plant

~ A second rep for Pokémon

~ The first clone character in the history of videogames

~ Pac-Man


Edit: I killed Marth, no more FE yay

 

[ccllr]

This is literally perfect. Although they maybe would replace Villager with Isabelle.

Thread is closed. This guy won.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

, , , , , , , , , , , and just like how it was intended originally for Smash 64. Of course I'm missing , , and who were planned as well, but I'm going off of importance in terms of what cut characters from 64 should get in first. I'm also missing , but is clearly more important than him as she was intended to be in Smash 64 while was not. Of course, taking out time constraints Smash 64 would have had more fighters than 12. So there would probably be enough room for , , , and or other more important characters.

Edit: I'm not going to dig too deep into things, so I'm not going to give my take on Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate.

For Melee, I would add: , , , , , , , , , , , /, as a unique fighter, as a unique fighter, , , , , Dixie Kong, , , , , , and .

King K Rool
Klump
Krusha
Klubba
Klaptrap
Krunch
Kutlass
Klomp
Kip
Kass
Kalypso
Krook

Somebody sure loves Kremlings.

 

[SNinjaStudios]

Spoiler: 12 Character Roster

No explanation needed for Mario, DK, Link, Yoshi, Kirby, and Pikachu.

Although Metroid and Star Fox are going through some rough times, Samus and Fox are still some of Nintendo's most iconic characters.

Animal Crossing and Splatoon are both very popular.

Out of all the possible third-parties, Sonic has the strongest connection to Nintendo.

Bowser is the most iconic villain in gaming.

Spoiler: 26 Character Roster

(All previous characters)

No explanation needed for Luigi, Peach, Diddy, Zelda, Ganondorf, Ridley, MK, Dedede, Trainer, Mewtwo, and Wario.

Olimar and Shulk come from smaller franchises that need the promotion.

Spoiler: 35 Character Roster

(All previous characters)

Fire Emblem and Kid Icarus would've been a lot less popular if Smash never existed, so they each only get one representative.

Falcon and Ness are the "out of left field" picks. Smash was what kept them popular after both their series ended. Without Smash, I imagine that both F-Zero and Mother would get even less attention.

G&W and ROB are the obligatory retro picks to celebrate Nintendo's history.

Mega Man is another third-party who started on the NES.

If Namco's working on the game, then Pac-Man is definitely in. If not, I could still see him making it into the roster if only because of his popularity.