Masked Marauders - Skull Kid For Smash! Night of the Last Day.

[AnOkayDM]

I'm still waiting for confirmation that they've ever gotten anything right, ever.

And desperately hoping this won't be their first legitimate leak.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

I'm still waiting for confirmation that they've ever gotten anything right, ever.

And desperately hoping this won't be their first legitimate leak.

Just skimming through LP’s history (on their Twitter, they pinned a history of their leaks), they seem to make really vague, or really safe predictions corroborated by other circulating rumors, safeguarded by near constant disclaimers to the gist of “we don’t have full confidence in this info” or “we’re getting conflicting info from our inside sources,” etc. They get something right, boom. Credibility. They get something wrong, well, they smelled something fishy about that leak anyway. They might have legit sources, as they’ve gotten a few things right before, like Direct dates, Travis Strikes Again gameplay trailer (only thing they got right with the Nintendo Direct fiasco), and Fortnite stuff, but even those seemed pretty easy, intuitive guesses. Given they’ve never actually supplied evidence to support their claims (that I’ve seen) and their track record seems well below 50/50, I think it’s fairly probable they’re just really savvy fakers who gain traction because they give off airs of skepticism and admit to mistakes, which is not common behavior in this game. Which shows character, but says nothing for substance - of which they consistently and considerably lack.

Even this Skull Kid rumor makes no sense. Why would they know this and nothing else? How did they corroborate this (which they claimed they failed to do with the Direct)? Why is this info so vague, and appear to be so recycled from other rumors going around? It’d hardly be a feather in their cap - even if they end up being right - if this prediction was already viral by the time they “leaked” it. Hell, we’ve talked about SK being a boss incessantly well before LP came into this scene. This could just as easily be an all-or-nothing gamble, considering LP’s recent infamy. And what better way to get you into the spotlight again than news-bearing of the internet’s latest favorite prospective Smash Bros. up-and-comer? Especially if you personally doubt his viability anyway and have little else to lose?

Most of this is skim work, so if someone has more knowledge of the situation than I, feel free to correct. That said, I see very little reason to take LeakyPandy seriously at this point.

 

[0007]

Just skimming through LP’s history (on their Twitter, they pinned a history of their leaks), they seem to make really vague, or really safe predictions corroborated by other circulating rumors, safeguarded by near constant disclaimers to the gist of “we don’t have full confidence in this info” or “we’re getting conflicting info from our inside sources,” etc. They get something right, boom. Credibility. They get something wrong, well, they smelled something fishy about that leak anyway. They might have legit sources, as they’ve gotten a few things right before, like Direct dates, Travis Strikes Again gameplay trailer (only thing they got right with the Nintendo Direct fiasco), and Fortnite stuff, but even those seemed pretty easy, intuitive guesses. Given they’ve never actually supplied evidence to support their claims (that I’ve seen) and their track record seems well below 50/50, I think it’s fairly probable they’re just really savvy fakers who gain traction because they give off airs of skepticism and admit to mistakes, which is not common behavior in this game. Which shows character, but says nothing for substance - of which they consistently and considerably lack.

Even this Skull Kid rumor makes no sense. Why would they know this and nothing else? How did they corroborate this (which they claimed they failed to do with the Direct)? Why is this info so vague, and appear to be so recycled from other rumors going around? It’d hardly be a feather in their cap - even if they end up being right - if this prediction was already viral by the time they “leaked” it. Hell, we’ve talked about SK being a boss incessantly well before LP came into this scene. This could just as easily be an all-or-nothing gamble, considering LP’s recent infamy. And what better way to get you into the spotlight again than news-bearing of the internet’s latest favorite prospective Smash Bros. up-and-comer? Especially if you personally doubt his viability anyway and have little else to lose?

Most of this is skim work, so if someone has more knowledge of the situation than I, feel free to correct. That said, I see very little reason to take LeakyPandy seriously at this point.

Great analysis, just about sums up what I feel about the whole situation. Daily reminder that they used to be known as @vandal_leaks but they changed their name because of a horribly wrong set of predictions made by that twitter account. Although to be fair they do acknowledge that they used to go by @vandal_leaks which is pretty unusual as you said. Still, very little in the way of credibility here.

 

[PhantomShab]

People will blindly believe what any "leaker" says regardless of how bad their track record is, especially if it suits their narrative. Sure Skull Kid could just be a boss, but I'd feel like Sakurai would have got that (unbelievably lame) news out of the way immediately like he did for Skull Kid's assist trophy.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

You know what would be funny? If PL’s insider from Bandai-Namco was legit, but purposely misinforming to screw with leakers and quell down some of the Skull Kid hype before his big reveal. Sakurai: “Check and mate, internet.”

 

[AnOkayDM]

I think that's a little far-fetched. To the best of my knowledge, Sakurai consistently just ignores leaks; I don't think he's ever done anything to counter one, even when it was accurate. The only thing you can really do in that scenario is nothing. All this stuff about Skull Kid being a fake leak one way or the other is just a conspiracy theory.

I'm still so confused about the way Sakurai does act sometimes though. For Skull Kid in Smash 4, he made it explicitly clear that he was an AT. When Ridley was teased as a boss, but people were still speculating one way or the other, he said nothing until right before the Wii U version launched. When Sable Prince was showed off as an AT but not explicitly confirmed as such like Skull Kid, and the speculation about him being playable started, Sakurai quelled it instantly. He's sometimes inconsistent about this sort of thing, so it makes it tough to predict.

That being said, he showed off Dracula and Rathalos as bosses in the same segment, so it feels very strange to me that, after explicitly showing the Moon AT and knowing exactly who it's replacing, he wouldn't confirm Skull Kid as a boss if he was a boss. That just screams of Smash 4 Ridley to me, and I want to think he wouldn't make that mistake again. Who knows though? We know that conspicuous absences don't necessarily lead to playability, judging by what happened to poor Ashley.

We're still in for a ride here. I just hope it pays off. I dunno if I can handle watching one of my favorite characters become a boss for the second game in a row.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

I think that's a little far-fetched. To the best of my knowledge, Sakurai consistently just ignores leaks; I don't think he's ever done anything to counter one, even when it was accurate. The only thing you can really do in that scenario is nothing. All this stuff about Skull Kid being a fake leak one way or the other is just a conspiracy theory.

I'm still so confused about the way Sakurai does act sometimes though. For Skull Kid in Smash 4, he made it explicitly clear that he was an AT. When Ridley was teased as a boss, but people were still speculating one way or the other, he said nothing until right before the Wii U version launched. When Sable Prince was showed off as an AT but not explicitly confirmed as such like Skull Kid, and the speculation about him being playable started, Sakurai quelled it instantly. He's sometimes inconsistent about this sort of thing, so it makes it tough to predict.

That being said, he showed off Dracula and Rathalos as bosses in the same segment, so it feels very strange to me that, after explicitly showing the Moon AT and knowing exactly who it's replacing, he wouldn't confirm Skull Kid as a boss if he was a boss. That just screams of Smash 4 Ridley to me, and I want to think he wouldn't make that mistake again. Who knows though? We know that conspicuous absences don't necessarily lead to playability, judging by what happened to poor Ashley.

We're still in for a ride here. I just hope it pays off. I dunno if I can handle watching one of my favorite characters become a boss for the second game in a row.

I think Dracula and Rathalos were simply revealed because they were relevant to the subjects that were being discussed. All of Castlevania's content was shown, so Dracula's reveal made sense, and Rathalos being both a boss and an AT is worth highlighting during the AT section. They're also both 3rd party bosses, so them getting individual spotlights like that isn't so odd if we're getting something like a boss showcase when Spirits is eventually revealed, they're supposed to be bigger deals. It's also generally a great way to tease us about something we still don't know anything about, Sakurai loves leaving us with a few loose ends, but of course he's not going to reveal too much at the same time.

I wouldn't trust that Sakurai can accurately predict how we as a fanbase reacts to things, at the moment there are several fanbases that are saying "Sakurai wouldn't do that" when chances are he's likely not even thought that we'd draw the conclusions we have, or maybe like in the Ridley case he just doesn't care.

I don't think a Skull Kid boss is happening, but that's mostly for design reasons as I've previously outlined.

 

[cybersai]

Skull Kid as a boss is a Ridley in Smash U trainwreck all over again. If worst case scenario happens, everyone better hope for Skull Kid for DLC.

Assuming he has a model in the game, it'd probably be easier to adapt a playable moveset for him. Maybe we can all rally behind Skull Kid like many did for Ridley and K. Rool and make him a reality. Kind of ironic Skull Kid has become one of the most requested villains of the series now, if not THE most requested villain now that Ridley/K. Rool got in.

 

[UserKev]

Leaks have never ruined speculation over a specific character for me so much. Makes it all the more "I NEED IT" and impacting for Skull Kid to be positively confirmed.

 

[AugustusB]

Leaks have never ruined speculation over a specific character for me so much. Makes it all the more "I NEED IT" and impacting for Skull Kid to be positively confirmed.

I hear you, bud. We are in the thick of it with "leaks" and "claims" that it is almost suffocating at times. We must believe in our beloved Masked Imp!

 

[cybersai]

Part of me wishes loz never mentioned Skull Kid. While many would have still been speculating about him due to the Moon Assist, etc, it probably wouldn't have been as strong.

I also think Zelda is long overdue for a new rep in general and Majora's Mask 3DS came out in 2015 at the right time when Sakurai was deciding the next roster. Only problem is Skull Kid likely didn't do well on the ballot since he was an Assist and people didn't want to waste their vote on something they knew wouldn't happen back then.

 

[Blade of Evil's Bane]

While we are all desperately waiting for more infos, i guess it wouldn't be harmful to have a little laugh.

Here's ZeRo playing Majora's Mask (apparently for the 1st time) and having waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun with silly things:

This guy's laugh is contagious lol.

 

[Nazyrus]

While we are all desperately waiting for more infos, i guess it wouldn't be harmful to have a little laugh.

Here's ZeRo playing Majora's Mask (apparently for the 1st time) and having waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun with silly things:

This guy's laugh is contagious lol.

• "YEAAAY!"
• His reaction to the bottle princess part haha
• The goron face reaction

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Part of me wishes loz never mentioned Skull Kid. While many would have still been speculating about him due to the Moon Assist, etc, it probably wouldn't have been as strong.

I also think Zelda is long overdue for a new rep in general and Majora's Mask 3DS came out in 2015 at the right time when Sakurai was deciding the next roster. Only problem is Skull Kid likely didn't do well on the ballot since he was an Assist and people didn't want to waste their vote on something they knew wouldn't happen back then.

I feel like barely anybody voted for Ridley in the Smash Ballot because he was already a boss in Smash 4. But he got in the roster for Ultimate regardless because of his massive following and demand in the west. I feel like Skull Kid would get in the same way especially after hearing what Sakurai said about his Assist Trophy in the last game:''I repeat, he is NOT a fighter!''

 

[TheCJBrine]

I've read Skull Kid was popular during the Brawl days, so I don't get why people say he only started getting popular recently. The fact this many people want him should be proof he's a popular choice, anyway (saw some people saying he's a bandwagon character), not to mention an iconic one for the Zelda series.

 

[Majora's Visage]

I feel like barely anybody voted for Ridley in the Smash Ballot because he was already a boss in Smash 4. But he got in the roster for Ultimate regardless because of his massive following and demand in the west. I feel like Skull Kid would get in the same way especially after hearing what Sakurai said about his Assist Trophy in the last game:''I repeat, he is NOT a fighter!''

We can only hope

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I got another trailer idea on my way home from work today. Enjoy!

Ok, got another one called “Lost in the Woods”

*Smash logo*

The scene opens on a pleasant forest clearing covered in wildflowers. Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, and Zelda are having a royal tea party. Bonus points for each showing a bit of personality, e.g. Peach thinks nothing could be better, Zelda holds herself as a royal should, Rosalina feeds some tea to Luma, and Daisy just feels out of place acting so stereotypically girly.

Close up of Peach as a shadow starts to fall and the wind picks up. She is fearful. All four of the ladies are now looking around anxiously as the forest darkens and strange rattling noises start to come from the trees. A rustle in nearby grass... Luma goes over to investigate... and is swallowed by the darkness.

Rosalina’s maternal instincts kick in, and she floats after Luma. Just then, a branch falls and blocks the way. Peach shrieks and takes off running in the other direction.

The rattling noises are getting louder and louder. Zelda and Daisy look at each other and get into back to back battle poses. Daisy pulls out a baseball bat and holds it menacingly while Zelda summons sparks in her hands.

Then Rosalina screams. Her Star KO scream.

Zelda and Daisy look at each other and both split up to follow the other two. Zelda runs into the underbrush after Peach, and we follow Daisy as she vaults over the fallen log after Rosalina.

Daisy runs through the forest, all the while the rattling and other creepy noises are getting louder. She finally sees Luma laying on the ground. Daisy gets down to help Luma, and doesn’t notice the shadow coming up behind her...

Meanwhile Peach is lost in a different misty grove. A twig cracks, she pulls out her frying pan, and then is relieved to see Zelda. Peach runs over and hugs her, but looks around in fear as we hear Daisy’s scream pierce the air. Zelda and Peach start to look for a way out, but another monster noise causes them both to run. Zelda doesn’t notice Peach trip and fall. As Zelda runs off screen, the camera quickly approaches Peach from the monster’s POV. Just like in the SSE scene where Wario turns her into a trophy, she pits a hand up and...

Zelda has found another dark clearing as Peach’s scream is heard. She looks around and notices she’s cornered. Rattling and cackling noises break out. And the a text box comes on screen, as if a mysterious voice fills the forest...

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

Determined, she turns and generates two fireballs in her hands. And then the mask appears in the mist, followed by the puppet’s body, just like his first entrance in his game.

Skull Kid Clocks In!

Following him are three Deku scrubs, one pinkish, one bluish, and one orange. They wear the princesses’ crowns.

He starts to shake the mask as the scene cuts to his gameplay.

*gameplay of Skull Kid, then Ultimate logo appears*

The stinger shows four Deku Scrubs, now joined by a reddish one with Zelda’s tiara, back in the first clearing having another tea party.

 

[chronomantic]

Part of me wishes loz never mentioned Skull Kid. While many would have still been speculating about him due to the Moon Assist, etc, it probably wouldn't have been as strong.

I also think Zelda is long overdue for a new rep in general and Majora's Mask 3DS came out in 2015 at the right time when Sakurai was deciding the next roster. Only problem is Skull Kid likely didn't do well on the ballot since he was an Assist and people didn't want to waste their vote on something they knew wouldn't happen back then.

I've wanted Skull Kid in for a long time and loz18 gave me a little hope, specially after seeing his record on his 'leaks', although his phrasing regarding Skull Kid playability is confusing: he thinks is playable? he either knows he's in or not. In any case it's all very muddy with all these leaks and speculation right now and it's going to get much worse specially a month before release, hopefully we know his fate by the next direct.

 

[Dr Bones]

I've wanted Skull Kid in for a long time and loz18 gave me a little hope, specially after seeing his record on his 'leaks', although his phrasing regarding Skull Kid playability is confusing: he thinks is playable? he either knows he's in or not. In any case it's all very muddy with all these leaks and speculation right now and it's going to get much worse specially a month before release, hopefully we know his fate by the next direct.

yeah he unfortunatly has been really vague on how much he acctually knows. it's pretty clear that Skull Kid will be in the game in some large capacity, he just cant 100% that he will be playable. But he seems to be leaning to playable so there is hope.

 

[AnOkayDM]

I know I've said it before, and maybe I'm just feeling extra pessimistic today, or worried about reliving Smash 4 Ridley, but we all need to prepare for the possibility that our boy doesn't make it. You never know what weird stuff Sakurai is gonna pull, especially when he hasn't been particularly kind to the Zelda series in the past.

 

[MajoraMoon]

I know I've said it before, and maybe I'm just feeling extra pessimistic today, or worried about reliving Smash 4 Ridley, but we all need to prepare for the possibility that our boy doesn't make it. You never know what weird stuff Sakurai is gonna pull, especially when he hasn't been particularly kind to the Zelda series in the past.

Agreed. Now that that is out of the way.....Lets talk about him being in smash!

 

[AugustusB]

I know I've said it before, and maybe I'm just feeling extra pessimistic today, or worried about reliving Smash 4 Ridley, but we all need to prepare for the possibility that our boy doesn't make it. You never know what weird stuff Sakurai is gonna pull, especially when he hasn't been particularly kind to the Zelda series in the past.

This. There is definitely shades of Ridley going about not only here, but else where as well. 'Cautious Optimism' is (I think) the phrase to live by.

 

[NintenRob]

We should definitely remain cautious. I'll remain hopeful but I'll keep in mind it might not happen.


However, I'm confident that he's not a boss, it just doesn't make sense to me. And I'm confident that he's not any assist trophy, thank you moon.

I do believe it's possible he's not in the game at all. The reason for the assist trophy change could simply be because Skull Kids function in the other game was unpopular. But I believe Skull Kid is popular and Iconic enough to prove otherwise. And I find how prominent Great Bay has been a little suspicious.


Plus I've always believed Skull Kid has had a decent shot at being playable, I'm not about to lose faith now, not when I have more reason than ever to believe he's playable

 

[AnOkayDM]

I agree that Young Link and Great Bay have been fairly prominent in the presentations thus far, but there's always the chance that's just because they've been missing for two games and they want people to be excited about their return. Hell, I believe Young Link is the only Melee character besides Pichu who hadn't returned until now!

It could mean something more, but it might not. I'll try to remain hopeful though!

 

[Jasper the Tourist]

LeakyPandy sounds like Venom with all the “we’s” in those tweets.

I’m not trusting this cat. I’m still thinking he’ll be playable

 

[0007]

While we are all desperately waiting for more infos, i guess it wouldn't be harmful to have a little laugh.

Here's ZeRo playing Majora's Mask (apparently for the 1st time) and having waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun with silly things:

This guy's laugh is contagious lol.

The Song of Healing is basically "This is so sad, Alexa play Despacito" tbh

 

[Isaac for Smash Pls]

Hiya friends,

Finally made an account after many reveal seasons spent lurking the forums. I wanted to pop in and say hi. Skull Kid wasn't really on my radar for this installment, if I'm being totally honest, but once I saw that he was picking up momentum I have to say I really love the idea of him as a character. Majora's Mask is a glorious entry in the series (my second favorite, behind only Wind Waker) and I was already happy to see Great Bay come back. If Skull Kid was revealed as a fighter I think I would lose my mind with excitement, haha. I won't say he's a shoe-in in my mind, but I'm 100% behind this Sun, Moon, and Stars theory!

(PS this thread actually inspired me to get a copy of Majora's Mask on DS and start my first replay of the game since the N64 days. It's every bit as brilliant as I remember.)

 

[smashkirby]

I got another trailer idea on my way home from work today. Enjoy!

I don't post here often, but I have to say that Skull Kid reveal you thought of is perfect! Just the right amount of scary and fitting for a character like him!

 

[Duck$mash]

Hi Skull Kid supporters! Good luck to having him playable in Ultimate! I only lurk in the forums a little, but I've played ever Smash game since N64 came out. I also don't follow a whole lot of news or research that goes in to the way Sakurai thinks, or what not. That said, there seems to be so much going for Skull Kid at this point in time. The chairs and pillows behind Sakurai in the direct, the Moon assist trophy, Young Link is back, and the Majora's Mask for Mii Fighters in SSB4. It just feels good. Feels about as good as Geno.

May your dreams become reality!

 

[NintenRob]

There a lot of rumours of a Nintendo Direct coming up very soon, let's hope we get our Skull Kid!!!

 

[RetrogamerMax]

There a lot of rumours of a Nintendo Direct coming up very soon, let's hope we get our Skull Kid!!!

I'm thinking we will see Skull Kid get revealed in a Direct this mouth or the next because October would seem like the perfect time to reveal Skull Kid if you ask me.

 

[0007]

We will definitely get a Direct this month because Nintendo's Online service is launching in the last half of September. It probably won't be a Smash Direct so I expect it mostly to cover the online modes and features and maybe reveal a fan favorite mode like Break the Targets. At the end, we'll get one character reveal... but I have a feeling it will be an Echo like Shadow, Isabelle, or Ken.

 

[Mysteltainn]

I'd be surprised to see more Smash info so soon; I was predicting sometime in October (for more Smash info), personally. I see this upcoming one being about online more than anything else. After all, they've got a lot of explaining to do in that department, so I wouldn't be at all upset to see a good half hour or so designated to explaining what exactly we can be expecting with our money. When it comes to Nintendo and the internet, I think being cautiously optimistic is the way to go, lol.

 

[Majora's Visage]

I'd be surprised to see more Smash info so soon; I was predicting sometime in October (for more Smash info), personally. I see this upcoming one being about online more than anything else. After all, they've got a lot of explaining to do in that department, so I wouldn't be at all upset to see a good half hour or so designated to explaining what exactly we can be expecting with our money. When it comes to Nintendo and the internet, I think being cautiously optimistic is the way to go, lol.

To be fair, I think they would highlight some of the games that would support the online capabilities, Mario party, Smash, etc. And with the Smash segment to reveal 1 character to hold us over until next direct

 

[AnOkayDM]

Yeah, they've only got three months left until launch, and we're getting every character revealed before the game comes out this time, so I doubt a Direct will go by without a Smash reveal. We'll probably get at least one character in the September Direct, then probably someone in October if there's an opportunity, and I expect one last Smash presentation in November with the final newcomer(s), as well as info on Spirits mode and whatever else they haven't told us.

I'm not totally sure they'll have an opportunity in October, unless they do it like the Robin reveal for Smash 4 and just release a freestanding video. But we didn't get a character in July, and we were explicitly told not to expect too many newcomers, so maybe we just don't get anyone in October.

Then I wonder if we'll see the first pieces of DLC as their Game Awards reveal this year...

 

[0007]

Yeah, they've only got three months left until launch, and we're getting every character revealed before the game comes out this time, so I doubt a Direct will go by without a Smash reveal. We'll probably get at least one character in the September Direct, then probably someone in October if there's an opportunity, and I expect one last Smash presentation in November with the final newcomer(s), as well as info on Spirits mode and whatever else they haven't told us.

I'm not totally sure they'll have an opportunity in October, unless they do it like the Robin reveal for Smash 4 and just release a freestanding video. But we didn't get a character in July, and we were explicitly told not to expect too many newcomers, so maybe we just don't get anyone in October.

Then I wonder if we'll see the first pieces of DLC as their Game Awards reveal this year...

I don't be think we'll hear about any DLC until after the game releases.

 

[AnOkayDM]

I don't be think we'll hear about any DLC until after the game releases.

Could be. The Game Awards are on Smash release day! We also did get Mewtwo's announcement before the Wii U version came out. Not the 3DS version though, obviously.

You're probably right though, and they'll want to announce something that's not Smash-related at all. It was just a thought.

 

[Majora's Visage]

Nintendo Direct confirmed for tomorrow at 3PT. 6EST.

Hopefully we see our little imp!

 

[DMTN]

Didn't loz18 say there would be a Direct in 6 days?
I'll temper my expectations, but I'll allow myself to get a little hype.

 

[AnOkayDM]

Tomorrow could be the day, everyone! I kinda feel like we might see the next Pokémon character, but I'm trying to stay hopeful. Be on the lookout for Sakurai retweeting the announcement! Though it is 11 PM in Japan right now, so we might have to wait a bit.