If the Super Smash Brothers series started on the Famicom/NES...

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

My picks for Smash NES (1988)
1. Mario
2. Link
3. Little Mac
4. Donkey Kong Jr.
5. Samus
6. Urban Champion

Smash SNES (1995):
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Fox
4. Kirby
5. Donkey Kong Jr.
6. Samus
7. Marth
8. Link

Smash 64 (1999) (Original):
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Link
4. Kirby
5. Fox
6. Samus
7. Pikachu
8. Donkey Kong (Rare)
9. Mewtwo
10. Bowser
11. Capt. Falcon
12. Marth

Smash Melee (2001):
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Bowser
4. Peach
5. Link
6. Zelda
7. Fox
8. Wolf
9. Samus
10. Donkey Kong
11. ExciteBiker
12. Pikachu
13. Mewtwo
14. Marth
15. Yoshi
16. Capt Falcon
17. Wario
18. Ness
19. Banjo-Kazooie
20. Mr. Game and Watch

Smash Brawl (2008)
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Bowser
4. Peach
5. Geno
6. Link
7. Zelda
8. Ganondorf
9. Samus
10. ZZS
11. Fox
12. Wolf
13. Krystal
14. Pikachu
15. Mewtwo
16. Lucario
17. Sceptile
18. Marth
19. Roy
20. Wario
21. Olimar
22. ExciteBiker
23. Pit
24. ROB
25. Solid Snake
26. Sonic
27. Donkey Kong
28. Diddy Kong
29. Villager
30. Lucas
31. Yoshi

Smash 4 (2014): (COMING SOON)

 

[TheLastMaverickHunter]

Smash Bros. (1990)


Super Smash Bros. (1995?)



Super Smash Bros. 64 (1999)



Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)




Not sure what to do for Brawl and beyond​

 

[CrusherMania1592]

Togepi is an interesting one. How would you turn it into a fighter?

 

[TheLastMaverickHunter]

Togepi is an interesting one. How would you turn it into a fighter?

To be honest, I only threw it in due to Melee's short dev time; it could probably have been made using Kirby's model.

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

here's my NES Smash Roster

1. Mario (Super Mario)
2. Link (The Legend of Zelda)
3. Samus (Metroid)
4. Donkey Kong Jr. (Donkey Kong)
5. Pit (Kid Icarus)
6. Takamaru (Mysterious Murasame Castle)
7. Kirby (Kirby)
8. Marth (Fire Emblem)

 

[Pupp135]

I decided to make a new attempt on this. Another thing to note is that the games would probably be much simpler in terms of moveset (Think SSF1 or Super Smash Land).

Spoiler: NES (1987/1988)

​

Like SSB64, I assume that this would come around the third year of the system‘s lifespan, which would put it in 1987 in Japan and 1988 in the West. I don’t really have much to say here as these are the prominent characters of the main games at the time. Luigi would be a secret character unlocked by beating the Arcade Mode.

Spoiler: SNES (1991)

​

Like with Melee in real life, I’m going to make an assumption that this game is released really early on in the console’s lifespan, and I’ll use 1991 as the timeline. Donkey Kong could be expendable for his lack of relevancy, but having him against Bowser seems like an interesting idea. Peach may seem a little weird, but I can make things work based on Super Mario Bros 2. Marth is to highlight a new game, and Mega Man introduces us to third parties, which probably wouldn’t be that weird given that the door was open back in Melee. If secret fighters are here, I’d assume that they would be Marth and Bowser.

Spoiler: 64 (1998)

(Bomberman)​

Given that I’d have more experience making these games at this point, a holiday 1998 release doesn’t seem farfetched. Unfortunately, this will be my first entry with cuts, and he would be Marth because of time constraints (let’s just assume that I found a workaround for the polygons and Peach’s dress). Barring Falco, the Nintendo newcomers are primarily here to account for newer franchises, and Falco is an easy clone. Bomberman is a recurring third party on Nintendo consoles. Given the tight cutoff for Ocarina of Time, Link is based on his Link to the Past look.

Spoiler: GBA (2001)

​

I actually think there would have been a GBA SSB at this point kind of like how Mario Kart got handheld games after 64 given that we already had sprite based versions. There is a noticeable reduction between this one and 64’s, but GBA is weaker. The SNES fighters who were never cut remain, and Kirby and Pikachu remain. For newcomers, Wario and Mewtwo would be added given Wario’s presence on handhelds and Pokemon’s popularity.

Spoiler: Gamecube (2002/2003)

()
(Isaac)
(Bomberman)​

I cannot certainly say when this would come out, but I assume it would be somewhere between Mario Sunshine and Double Dash. In terms of fighters, I think this may be where Everyone is Here would occur as people would want Yoshi and Fox back, Falco is essy to return, Bomberman can tag along with Snake, and I might as well bring back Marth. Since I just mentioned Snake, I think there’s enough time to accommodate the requests for him and Sonic. I might be generous here, but I giving myself eight Nintendo newcomers. While Mario can always get more fighters, I’ll focus on other franchises first. I’ll leave Diddy alone for the moment as I don’t know the timing. The Legend of Zelda warrants something. At the time of development, Zelda, Ganon(dorf), and Skull Kid would probably be in consideration, and I went with Zelda/Sheik like in the real timeline as I probably don’t have Wind Waker readily available, and a transforming character seems interesting. For pokemon, and I’d probably pick Togepi as I probably don’t have much information on Hoenn at the time, and Metronome could be interesting to see in a fighter. Given that Kirby was still relevant at the time, and he would have been a popular request, I’d add King Dedede here. With Marth on the roster, I think that I’d consider Roy because of Binding Blade’s recent release. I think that I would be aware of Pikmin and Golden Sun, and I think Olimar would be pushed by Nintendo, and I’d find Isaac to be a cool idea. In spite of Earthbound 64’s cancellation, I like the Ice Climbers gimmick, so they’re joining. Let’s say unlockable fighters are Wario, Marth, Roy, Falco, Mewtwo, Isaac, Snake, and Sonic.

Spoiler: SSBDS 2006

​

I’m using 2006 more or less so that it doesn’t compete with Mario Kart DS in 2005. Also, I’m going to make priority lists here on out as I don’t plan to implement a technically third Everyone is Here. Olimar and Ice Climbers get dropped due to technical limitations, and this also causes the Zelda/Sheik split. Also, I’d make the Legend of Zelda fighters have their Wind Waker variant (here’s our Toon Sheik that Sakurai intended back in Brawl). Given my smaller roster, I did have to make a few tougher cuts like Wario and Mewtwo. Newcomers are mostly straightforward as three are heavy hitters, two promote newer games, and one is a major Capcom character. Secret fighters would be Ganondorf, Marth, Lucas, and Ryu.

Spoiler: SSBWii 2008/2009

​

With the DS entry, it’s probably good to push this game back to at the earliest holiday season 2008. I feel like the Animal Crossing shaped hole would be filled here. Also, I find it hard to imagine myself excluding Pac-Man or Miis at this point. Most of the major franchises have been filled, so I’ll pick some more obscure ones, and I think Pit and R.O.B. work well here. Daisy just seems like an easy clone. Lucario may have still been promoted here given that development would probably start near Sinnoh’s Japanese release. I like the idea of a playable Pokemon Trainer. I just don’t if I want an Espeon/Umbreon combo or what we actually got. Another Metroid fighter doesn’t seem weird, so I’m fine adding Zero Suit Samus. For returning veterans, I think Ice Climbers, King Dedede, Olimar, Falco, and Snake seem fair. In terms of cuts, let’s say everyone on the DS version returned

Spoiler: SSB3DS 2012

(Zoroark)
(Rayman)(Lloyd)​

I don’t think that I would have done the parity thing that Sakurai tried to do, and 2012 helps avoid competition with Mario Kart 7. For newcomers, I like the ideas of Palutena and Little Mac here. Zoroark would be the new promotional pokemon. A Mario character or two seems appropriate, and I’d add Bowser Jr. and Rosalina here. I could see myself wanting to make Ridley work here. Rayman and Lloyd are the new third party fighters. I think the clamor for Mewtwo would be noticed at this point, so it comes back. In terms of cuts, Ice Climbers, Snake, and any Pokemon Trainer pokemon not named Charizard are easy enough cuts. Let’s just say everyone else is just a victim of time constraints.

Spoiler: SSB Wii U 2014/2015

(Toad)(Toadette)


(Tom Nook)
(Barista Dog)(Rayman)(Lloyd)
(Tails)(Chun-Li)​

For this sequel, I’ll say that Bowser Jr. and Zoroark seem like easy enough cuts. I’d probably try to bring pack Ice Climbers, Pokemon Trainer, Wario, and Meta Knight base game. For newcomers, I’d assume that Bayonetta would be a decently high priority. For other newcomers, Robin, Greninja, and Shulk would promote newer games. I think that I’d want Rhythm Heaven here, so Barista Dog is in. For my last base game newcomers, I’ll add Toad, Tom Nook, Toadette, Lucina, and Pittoo. In terms of DLC, I guess Ganondorf would have been the bonus DLC fighter, and Roy is an easy bonuses. For the remaining DLC, I’d add supplemental Street Fighter snd Sonic characters in addition to Cloud and Corrin.

Spoiler: SSB Switch 2017/2018

(Toad)(Toadette)(Waluigi)


(Tom Nook)
(Barista Dog)(Chun-Li)(Tails)(Rayman)(Lloyd)
(Isaac)​

I’m sure that this probably would have been a port of SSB Wii U. For additional returning fighters, I could see Snake, Ike, and Bowser Jr. return. For newcomers, it would probably be the same list, but Waluigi in Ridley’s spot. The bonus DLC would be Isaac. I’m guessing the DLC would probably be just one wave.

 

[TheLastMaverickHunter]

(Bomberman)​

Given that I’d have more experience making these games at this point, a holiday 1998 release doesn’t seem farfetched. Unfortunately, this will be my first entry with cuts, and he would be Marth because of time constraints (let’s just assume that I found a workaround for the polygons and Peach’s dress). Barring Falco, the Nintendo newcomers are primarily here to account for newer franchises, and Falco is an easy clone. Bomberman is a recurring third party on Nintendo consoles. Given the tight cutoff for Ocarina of Time, Link is based on his Link to the Past look.

Maybe this is a Mandela thing, but I swear it said somewhere that 64 was originally scheduled for December 12, 1998. Feel free to correct me on this, of course.

 

[Pupp135]

Maybe this is a Mandela thing, but I swear it said somewhere that 64 was originally scheduled for December 12, 1998. Feel free to correct me on this, of course.

You’re correct that Miyamoto stated that the release was intended for holiday season 1998 during an interview, and he also stated that Bowser was going to playable. This was the reason for my tentative holiday 1998 assumption.

 

[Zakawer2]

Ganon Toad


I think this would be a perfect roster for an NES Smash Bros. game, assuming only internal Nintendo characters are included.

 

[Warupicchi]

Spoiler: Super Smash Bros. NES (1988/1989)

Jr.
I felt like the game would've released late on the game's life span, so I feel like 1988 in Japan and 1989 in the rest of the world would've fitted fairly well. While 8 characters seems like a mouthful at first glance, keep in mind that Luigi would probably be a clone of Mario at the moment and I can see Simon sharing some moves with a few fighters here.

: Mario was (and is) Nintendo's mascot since a long time and since Super Mario USA and Super Mario Bros 3 did (will) release, it would be a good way to promote the game for others.
Jr.: While I did consider Donkey Kong, I felt like he would still be a villain at the time and having him debut in the SNES title feels like a good solution. Jr. could inherit most of the DK's moveset in the Smash games.
: Legend of Zelda is a classic game and was definitely popular at the time. Like with Junior, Link could also still have him moveset from theoriginal Smash games.
: Metroid was an outstanding game at it's time, being one of the few games to give the player the feeling of loneliness and desperation. Since Samus is a female, it would be a great way to include a female rep in the game too.
: Kid Icarus was a great selling game on the NES and it had been on the 20th place on the 100 top NES games.
: Being a palette swap of Mario, it is incredibly easy to include him and it saves time to work on different characters.
: The same as Pit.
: Konami and Nintendo had been pretty good partners and besides, he could use elements of both Samus and Link.

Honorable picks:
: While the King of the Koopas may be an iconic character, there elsely would be too many characters associated with Mario, dialing up to 4 if Bowser would've been included and the roster is limited to 8 characters only.
: The Mega Man series only had two games and I feel like other franchises deserve more priority.
: Even though Duck Hunt was a fun and noteable game on the NES, I couldn't fit a place for him on such a narrow roster.
: Same as Duck Hunt.

 

[AlRex]

I might go back and revise my previous rosters/post a new-ish one in here, but I feel like expecting 12 or even 8 characters and third parties and a lot of side characters in the first entry, especially given Smash 64’s roster for the latter case, and it being technically limited and, according to a lot of the posts here, releasing before Street Fighter II even does. I often think a 1990 Smash would be somewhere between Konami Wai Wai World and a beat-em-up with selectable characters with some unique move/ability, like the Simpsons and X-Men Konami arcade games. Maybe a VS mode like NES Double Dragon, too.