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Looking back on Sakurai's comments and the character poll...

Neiteio

Smash Cadet
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
39
It's been roughly a year since Sakurai closed the polls for Brawl suggestions. And yet, the list of characters suggested and Sakura's comments have never been completely clear to me. When searching the Web for info with Google, I came across an interesting interpretation of Sakurai's comments. Apparently, it was written by our forums' very own FlipTroopa, with notes by Marshigio of Smashbenders. Their comments were as follows...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Fliptroopa (notes by Marshigio, I think):

"King Dedede

He appears the most on the list, with a total of 5 definite nods out of all the entires shared with the public. Sakurai did make a comment when he was asked about Meta Knight that he was afraid he may never see Kirby or his other creations ever again since he left Nintendo, and now that he was back, he was going to relish it. He has always loved Meta Knight, Kirby, and King Dedede as a colorful trio of characters. He's said it many times in the past. He's also said that the reason Kirby games were underrepped in the past two Smashes was because he didn't want to overinclude himself, and screw other guys out of their own characters appearing. But now that this may be his final game, he stopped caring XD And, judging by his eagerness to read King Dedede requests, we can tell that's true!

*NOTE: This just in! http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=81891

Go there, and read a bit of history! I completely forgot about this, and eternally thank GenG for posting it again and freshening our minds. Basically, there was a similar poll for Melee in '99 (which I remember taking; they had it on the NOA site as well). If you notice, the number 1 choices pretty much all appeared in Melee in some form or another. Sakurai also separated the suggestions by series, and then commented on a few. What he says about Dedede is pretty profound.

Essentially: He intended for Dedede to appear in the original, but ran out of time and space. He also had the same happen for others like WARIO, PEACH, and BOWSER. And now go back, and look at the poll. And then your copy of Melee. And the Brawl trailer. Get it? Got it? Good. Now who is the ONLY number one character who does NOT appear in Melee/Brawl in any form (other than a trophy)?

I think we have our first confirmed Secret Fighter for Brawl *though I wouldn't jump too soon into any assumptions, just pointing out the very likely conclusion*

Krystal

I read once somewhere before that Sakurai was astounded by the popularity Star Fox had as a series, and that's partially why he decided Fox would get a clone in Falco when he had to go ahead and make clone characters in Melee. This time around he wants to keep the fans of Star Fox happy still, and supposedly was asking questions about Krystal the Fox to eager gamers. I don't know how definite what he said is what I'm saying here, but I heard that he essentially asked who she was, why they liked her, if they would like to see her, and how cool would it be to see her with that staff of hers. He was very intrigued by her after the E3 trailer was first shown, and journalists began throwing him ideas.

Diddy Kong

DKC is underrepped in Smash. We know this for a fact. And I'm sure Sakurai wouldn't mind changing that. Diddy was requested almost as much as Dedede, tying for second with a few other characters for top requested. He was also heavily requested for Melee, but left out for whatever reasons there may be. However, when Sakurai was presented with the idea for a Diddy/Dixie duo on his poll, he went crazy: he really liked it!

Ike

Since SSB64, Sakurai has wanted Sigurd to be a fighter. Of course, that never happened. And when he started work on Sigurd for Melee, he got cut off, and had to instead include Roy (Marth was already going to be included as Sigurd's "partner"). Now that Ike has replaced Sigurd as the top requested, and most popular, FE Lord in Japan, Sakurai has a new decision on his hands. He has expressed interest in the character before, even remarking that he was the first international lord that everybody seemed to like. So his chances are high. Especially with that new FE stage showing up in the trailer...

Ridley

Sakurai openly stated he wanted more Metroid characters. Whether that's legit, or just his polluted idea of "giving Western fans their own share," I'm not sure. But he's already redesigned Samus to match her Prime outfit (as well as her emblem), and is going all out by tossing in Zero Suit Samus. So is Ridley far behind? He has made a comment, not pertaining specifically to Ridley, that Metroid has leapt to a major forerunner franchise for the company again, and he feels that it's his duty to do it justice. Ridley is also tied for second most requested character, even on the Japanese polls.

Geno

Here's an interesting one. A character that actually belongs to Square, but belongs in the Marioverse. What does Sakurai think? Well, actually, he's intrigued. Geno is tied for second as well, and Sakurai has been noted as asking around for what the character is like. When he starts asking, it's a good thing, btw. It means he's bothering to learn who they are But Geno has been mentioned many-a-times, and Sakurai is listening to hard to each suggestion. And he's yet to turn them down. That's something, right?

Takamaru

I had to put him in here. Takamaru is tied for third on the top requested characters in the Japanese poll. But he's also got something else: Sakurai's interest. I've heard through the grapevine that Sakurai wants to see this character make a comeback, and I know for a fact that he's asking Japanese readers of his poll (or, I guess, "asked," since it's closed) to go back and play these retro games, because it will really expand their horizons. He has duly noted that he always knew Kid Icarus was really popular, and was waiting for the right moment. He MUST know that Nazo no Murasame is the same.

*NOTE: As far as Japan-only is concerned, it's not a concern. Sakurai stated he would like to avoid a BUNCH of Japanese only characters, but he's not against a few. Afterall, Marth and Roy did well for themselves, wouldn't you say? Irregardless, if we're talking specifics, a game like Nazo no Murasamejo is easy as hell to translate/slap on the western Virtual Console.

*NOTE 2: I guess I should clarify where I got this bit about Nazo no Murasame. There was a letter thanking Sakurai for inspiring a reader to go back and play Kid Icarus, because when he did he found out he loved it, and wants Pit even more. Sakurai has always said that he's more interested in the unique and the obscure, and Pit fit the bill very nicely. He's also said that he is a big fan of old NES titles, and would appreciate it if people spent time to go back and play them more often. As far as Takamaru is concerned, Sakurai supposedly has been previewing a lot of older NES titles, Nazo being one of them, for Brawl.

And here are a few characters you may NOT have known Sakurai is considering...

Little Mac

Not much here, but he did include a Punch-Out character in his poll, and has commented that he loves the franchise a LOT. He intended for Punch-Out trophies in Melee, including a 3D Mac in all his glory, but ran out of time. He does plan to look into the series further for this Smash Bros., as it is one of those "internationally popular" ones.

Balloon Fighter

He was in the beta for Melee, and is partially to blame for that alternate music in the Icicle Mountain stage. So what's the big deal? Sakurai has commented that he likes Balloon Fight, and that Balloon Fighter offers a lot of fun potential for a Smash Bros. game. He doesn't appear once in the poll, but that really means nothing in the end if you've never appeared--as long as Sakurai likes you. And clearly he likes the game and character. And clearly salvaging what they had from Melee Beta isn't hard.

Lolo

Sakurai has remarked a few times that he loves the character and his games. He copies a lot of stuff for Kirby games from the Eggerland/Lolo titles, and even goes so far as to include Lolo's doppelganger as a boss (Lololo) as well. He's sometimes even gone out of his way to tell people "look, i love this character, and i will bring him back if i have to." Supposedly he's pointed at Smash Bros. as one of the ways.

*NOTE: Early drawings from Kirby Canvas Curse actually show Lolo as a playable character, and this was one of the few games that Sakurai did come back to Nintendo to help develop. And if you want evidence that Sakurai likes Lolo, just play a Kirby game. Lololo and Lalala, Rocky, and Skulls all appear in Kirby games as enemies, and the games supposedly even share sound fx (never checked myself).

Muddy Mole

One of the few letters Sakurai actually responded to concerned none other than this character! Sakurai actually really enjoyed Miyamoto's Mole Mania game, and remarked that he would love to implement Muddy in some shape or form. To add even more rumor milling, he added that "he's so interesting, he might be in the roster already!" ...makes you wonder.

*NOTE: I am still waiting for the source on this, to be honest.

Sukapon

That's right kiddies. He appears twice on the poll, but Sakurai has commented on him nonetheless! Supposedly Sakurai has been looking towards a lot of retro NES titles, and has landed his eye on Joy Mech Fight affectionately. That's really... all there is. But it should be nice to note that Sukapon is remembered in Japan, and that technically Joy Mecha Fight is Smash Bros. NES. Sort of. .....did you know Smash Bros. was planned for SNES? *runs away*

*NOTE: I only added that emote for comedic effect >.>;; But Smash Bros. was actually planned for the SNES. This is fact. It was gonna use the FX Chip, like Star Fox did, to make a really funky fighting game. But it was scratched, and the project began for N64 instead.

Demiru

Appears more than once on the poll, and intrigues the hell out of Sakurai! The star of Tomato Adventure has a lot of potential up his sleeve, and Sakurai notes this repeatedly. Does this mean he has a chance? It depends. But Sakurai certainly read and enjoyed those lengthy requests for this character.

*NOTE: I don't know the exact numbers, but they are veeerrrryyy long requests. So long, they even give Demiru moves and expressions for the game. And Sakurai posted both of 'em.

Mach Rider

While Sakurai himself didn't say much about the character as it pertains to Brawl, rumor persists that MR was slated to appear in Melee in some form or another. Funny, considering his music and trophy are still left behind in the game. Rumors go so far, in some cases, as to suggest MR was playable in the beta alongside Balloon Fighter, and, if such is true, he wouldn't be hard to salvage for Brawl. Not to mention Sakurai did get a letter or two commending him for including such a vintage character in the trophy section of Melee, with music.

Mother Characters

I'm gonna lump this together, because there isn't really one specific character. Essentially, the entire party of Mother 2, Ninten from Mother 1, and Lucas, Claus, and Kumatora from Mother 3 all popped up on Sakurai's poll. Claus got a bigger deal of attention, considering his "LOL SECRET," and Sakurai, who DID WORK ON MOTHER 3 *hint hint*, mentioned amongst the letters that he would be including stuff from the game. Now, firstly, he confirmed in Famitsu that Mother 3 music was appearing in Brawl. Secondly, he confirmed that had EB2/64/M3 been released pre SSB64, Ness would've been replaced by Lucas. He even held out for it to be released prior to Melee, to try and put in Lucas then. So, now that Lucas is out, what happens to Ness....?

Animal Crossing

While the Animal Crossing "human" has appeared twice on the poll, and somebody joked with Sakurai about having Tom Nook fight, he hasn't really said anything. He knows it's a big deal with a lot of fans, though, so maybe that counts for something? Personally, I'd doubt that he'd throw AC FIGHTERS into the mix, but maybe a stage or something. He seems like the guy that would enjoy such a game, but wouldn't like the idea of playing as Tom Nook.

Important Sonic info below!!!

Also, someone from Nintendo recently said that Sega hasn't contacted them about Sonic being in Brawl. The real question though: Did Nintendo actively pursuit to ask Sega if they could include him, or are they just laying back and waiting for companies to come to them?

The latter doesn't seem very smart...at all."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Back to me, Neiteio… I have to say, Dedede’s chances of appearing in Brawl are about 100%. The only reason he may NOT appear is Sakurai’s modesty; Sakurai has said before that he doesn’t want to “over-include” himself (Dedede is Sakurai’s creation). But now, with this being the third Smash Bros and possibly Sakurai’s last, the time has never been better to put in this most popular of characters, who topped the polls in Melee and Brawl.

I’m not sure what to make of the Ridley comments. I think he has a good chance. There’s certainly nothing to suggest he doesn’t. I’ve read elsewhere on the Web that Ridley was given a definite mention FOUR times (tied with Geno and a couple others) in Sakurai’s responses to various emails. This, coupled with his textured and resized character model in Melee’s intro and trophy, suggests he’s in the cards. If Sakurai wants to add non-Samus Metroid characters, Ridley’s the way to go.

No mention of Wolf, but Krystal gets a definite nod. I wonder where FlipTroopa heard that Sakurai was asking fans about Krystal?

Sakura’s comment about Muddy Mole being such a great character idea that he “might be in the roster already” is very, VERY interesting.

This talk of Balloon Fighter having been a character in the Melee beta is interesting. Does anybody have proof that Balloon Fighter was in the beta? I would certainly like to see it. I could imagine the possibilities -- indefinite flight until his balloons are popped, anyone?

On Earthbound/Mother: Sakurai confirmed in Famitsu that music from Mother 3 WILL be in Brawl. Sakurai worked on Mother 3. And Sakurai said that had Mother 3 come out sooner, Lucas would’ve replaced Ness in the original Smash Bros. In fact, he said he held out for his appearance in Melee, but it wasn’t to be. Could Brawl see the end of Ness and the start of Lucas? I’m starting to think we’ll see Lucas in some form…

And, and best of all… Sakurai seemed lukewarm to the idea of Diddy’s inclusion, but when Diddy and Dixie were suggested as a team, he got VERY excited. Makes me hopeful we’ll see Diddy & Dixie as an IC-style pair with swappable movesets.

So, what do you make of Sakurai’s comments and list now, a year later? Also, if anybody has the list of suggested characters, please post it here!

- Neiteio
 

Meta_Owns_Ur_Dad

Smash Ace
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
697
Location
Pennsylvania
Good job, but i'd hate to see diddy in a duo...

This is very interesting stuff *thumbs up* Thank you!

EDIT: I thought Sonic was the 100% confirmed character, not Dedede, but I like him too.
 

The Director

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 22, 2007
Messages
1,500
Location
North Carolina
Since DKC2 was my favorite DK game, I wouldn't mind having Diddy and Dixie as a pair or separate. As long as they're in at all.

I've got a question though: Sakurai is the game's director, so if he wants a character to be in does he have absolute power in the final decision? In other words, if he suggests a character can the team vote him down?
 

Fawriel

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
4,245
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oblivion~
Interesting read... although I already knew about Dedede and stuff....
Actually, it kind of scares me how much Sakurai seems to be interested in stuff like the mole. I wouldn't like characters like that in Brawl at all...
 

bivunit94

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
364
Location
Vault 101
Interesting read... although I already knew about Dedede and stuff....
Actually, it kind of scares me how much Sakurai seems to be interested in stuff like the mole. I wouldn't like characters like that in Brawl at all...
I feel your pain.

Takamaru, Lolo, Muddy Mole, and Demiru being in Brawl = *horror movie music* AGHHHH! I've only heard of Muddy Mole. The rest of them seem like random no-name characters that Sakurai decided to pull out of his ***. And the mole sucks.

Sukapon would be okay but I'd prefer him as a trophy. >.>
 

the grim lizard

Smash Master
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Messages
3,130
Animal Crossing

While the Animal Crossing "human" has appeared twice on the poll, and somebody joked with Sakurai about having Tom Nook fight, he hasn't really said anything. He knows it's a big deal with a lot of fans, though, so maybe that counts for something? Personally, I'd doubt that he'd throw AC FIGHTERS into the mix, but maybe a stage or something. He seems like the guy that would enjoy such a game, but wouldn't like the idea of playing as Tom Nook.
The only part AC should play in smash is the Mole should come out and chastise you if you quit from an online match (or maybe even a normal match)...
 

Neiteio

Smash Cadet
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
39
I guess you didn't read my intro where I say the comments are by Fliptroopa. The afterword following the second dashed line contains my own thoughts. You would've known this had you read the topic starter.

This world needs more people who read before they write about something. Skimming to get the gist of something won't get you anywhere on these forums.

- Neiteio
 

Neiteio

Smash Cadet
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
39
It's been roughly a year since Sakurai closed the polls for Brawl suggestions. And yet, the list of characters suggested and Sakura's comments have never been completely clear to me. When searching the Web for info with Google, I came across an interesting interpretation of Sakurai's comments. Apparently, it was written by our forums' very own FlipTroopa, with notes by Marshigio of Smashbenders. Their comments were as follows...
Fliptroopa (notes by Marshigio, I think):
Back to me, Neiteio…
No offense, guys, but if you don't see that I gave Fliptroopa credit for the ideas I copy and pasted in the topic stater, then you're stupid. :laugh:

READ before you WRITE. Humanity will thank you.

- Neiteio
 

Metaknight X

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 9, 2001
Messages
316
Location
Reading, England
The only part AC should play in smash is the Mole should come out and chastise you if you quit from an online match (or maybe even a normal match)...
That, sir, is an inspired suggestion! Who's knows, it might even stop some players from disconnecting during online play.

That is, of course, assuming there IS online play to be found in Brawl...
 

Toasty!

Smash Journeyman
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
405
Location
San Antonio, TX
lol, I did read before I wrote. But you ripped from a website, so you needed a source.

lolol Know proper nettiquite before you post.
 

Neiteio

Smash Cadet
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
39
lol, I did read before I wrote. But you ripped from a website, so you needed a source.

lolol Know proper nettiquite before you post.
Ah, but I did cite my source, FlipTroopa of Smashboards. Maybe we're misunderstanding each other. My apologies in advance if that's the case.

At any rate, does anyone have the complete list of suggested characters that was on Sakurai's poll? I heard some peculiar choices were on there, F-Zero's Black Shadow being one of 'em.

- Neiteio
 

Toasty!

Smash Journeyman
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
405
Location
San Antonio, TX
Yea. I'm saying you need the website source (link) and you're saying the poster.

Whatever. Just let the thing continue.
 

the grim lizard

Smash Master
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Messages
3,130
I want to bump this so that people flipping out about their favorite character becoming an AT will be put to rest.
 

Got Blood?

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
1,278
That seemingly bad Sonic info is leaving a bad taste in my mouth right about now...:urg: But will the Mario and Sonic Olympic Game and Sonic RPG boost his chances? Or are we doomed to see the two face off in the pole vaulting matches...:ohwell:
 

Mccdbz5

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
367
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Man...I bet that Diddy Kong will appear in a duo with Dixie Kong now...All I want is Diddy Kong by himself. I really hope that Sakurai doesn't decide to pair them up...:(
 
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