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

[John Dylan Smith]

Way too many imo. IF we get two, it will be one at beginning of direct and one at the end. You have to remember, this is a Nintendo direct, not a Smash one. Set expectations low for the number of newcomers. If we get more, fantastic

Good sir! Please keep this in mind!

These are just my predictions! Not general demands as to what I want to see revealed (Could care less if the character's I mentioned got revealed as their not on my personal wish-list)! There is a difference!

 

[Quillion]

Just wondering, I asked this on the one-shot Zelda characters thread, but is there any reason behind Skull Kid having such a big upswing in popularity?

Is it just another leak, or is it just a Geno situation where it's solely on moveset potential?

 

[CleverDan]

While I want Skull Kid in the game regardless, I'm just as curious if the chair color/couch pillow idea for predictions continues to hold water.

 

[TheCJBrine]

Just wondering, I asked this on the one-shot Zelda characters thread, but is there any reason behind Skull Kid having such a big upswing in popularity?

Is it just another leak, or is it just a Geno situation where it's solely on moveset potential?

Skull Kid has always been popular, especially to the general public, as Majora's Mask is one of the most iconic Zelda games (if not the most iconic), and he has a major role in that game, being the one who puts on the mask and becoming the villain due to it boosting the bad side of his personality.

Though, I think many people like him for his roles in OoT and Twilight Princess as well, for his character and design...at least, I do...

Anyway, there was a leak and theories relating to what was shown in the 8/8 direct, which brought back hope for the character (he wasn't seen as a likely character even with his popularity, due to his early disconfirmation in Smash 4).

 

[AnOkayDM]

Just wondering, I asked this on the one-shot Zelda characters thread, but is there any reason behind Skull Kid having such a big upswing in popularity?

Is it just another leak, or is it just a Geno situation where it's solely on moveset potential?

He's been popular since Brawl, it's just that after Smash 4 his fans were beaten down. The Direct in August really made people take note, I think. The leaks helped too, as does his moveset potential, and the fact that Zelda hasn't gotten a truly new character in seventeen ****ing years.

He didn't have a chance to get a big, loud following in Smash 4, because he was disconfirmed early. Then people didn't vote for him in the ballot because he was an AT. But he's been popular for a long time, and we're all hoping Sakurai knows that.

 

[Majora's Visage]

Just wondering, I asked this on the one-shot Zelda characters thread, but is there any reason behind Skull Kid having such a big upswing in popularity?

Is it just another leak, or is it just a Geno situation where it's solely on moveset potential?

Yes. Please watch this video made by papagenos

 

[TheCJBrine]

So I was thinking about something:

I remember Sakurai stating that Dark Samus was "highly requested," yet I don't remember there being much support for her, maybe because she was also an assist trophy. Then, there's this data for fan-polls during the Ballot in 2015: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...pw5m-b4JHJ0_cGRKU15KYlTe1E/edit#gid=729442469 but Dark Samus isn't on it (nor Skull Kid, sadly), despite it having about 45,000 votes all-together. The Smash Ballot had over 1 million votes, didn't it? I'd assume Skull Kid could've done especially well among the Zelda series, if any were requested (as I'd also assume the core Smash community wouldn't have been the only ones voting). If Ridley was voted for, and if Dark Samus was too, despite being disconfirmed...

 

[Quillion]

You guys gotta keep in mind, he's almost a one-shot.

"Almost" since he did appear in OoT in a very, very minor role, but even that's a far cry from even Tetra, Vaati, or Impa.

 

[egaddmario]

I believe we're getting Skull Kid. Maybe not tomorrow, but I think it's happening. Majora's Mask is so iconic and Operation Moonfall proves it.

 

[Kensho]

Skull kid also showed up in Twilight Princess and the mask is way more recognizable than other Zelda stuff from specific games.

 

[AnOkayDM]

You guys gotta keep in mind, he's almost a one-shot.

"Almost" since he did appear in OoT in a very, very minor role, but even that's a far cry from even Tetra, Vaati, or Impa.

He was also in Twilight Princess. So he's got more appearances than Tetra, the same number as Vaati, and more than Sheik, who is actually a one-shot and yet is somehow still here.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

So I was thinking about something:

I remember Sakurai stating that Dark Samus was "highly requested," yet I don't remember there being much support for her, maybe because she was also an assist trophy. Then, there's this data for fan-polls during the Ballot in 2015: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...pw5m-b4JHJ0_cGRKU15KYlTe1E/edit#gid=729442469 but Dark Samus isn't on it (nor Skull Kid, sadly), despite it having about 45,000 votes all-together. The Smash Ballot had over 1 million votes, didn't it? I'd assume Skull Kid could've done especially well among the Zelda series, if any were requested (as I'd also assume the core Smash community wouldn't have been the only ones voting). If Ridley was voted for, and if Dark Samus was too, despite being disconfirmed...

Ridley and Dark Samus probably didn't do very well on the ballot as they already were in Smash 4 in some role, so people figured they couldn't happen and placed their votes elsewhere. This is also why Skull Kid doesn't appear on a lot of the fan polls from around that time, as well as Chrom.

Dark Samus has had decent popularity since the Brawl times, she's never been one of the frontrunners as Ridley has always stolen her thunder, but compared to other possible echoes she's still been right up there. If anything Sakurai mentioning Dark Samus and Chrom being very popular is an indication that they're also looking elsewhere than just the ballot to determine popularity, which can only be good for Skull Kid.

 

[0007]

To be fair, Dark Samus is a special case because she's an Echo and not a full fighter.

 

[DMTN]

Let's hope for our boy tomorrow. Also, I would be incredibly surprised if there were any disconfirmations in a general Direct. It's probably going to be one character trailer, so there isn't much room to disconfirm anyone.

 

[Quillion]

He was also in Twilight Princess. So he's got more appearances than Tetra, the same number as Vaati, and more than Sheik, who is actually a one-shot and yet is somehow still here.

It's not confirmed if the TP Skull Kid is the same guy, though.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

So I was thinking about something:

I remember Sakurai stating that Dark Samus was "highly requested," yet I don't remember there being much support for her, maybe because she was also an assist trophy. Then, there's this data for fan-polls during the Ballot in 2015: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...pw5m-b4JHJ0_cGRKU15KYlTe1E/edit#gid=729442469 but Dark Samus isn't on it (nor Skull Kid, sadly), despite it having about 45,000 votes all-together. The Smash Ballot had over 1 million votes, didn't it? I'd assume Skull Kid could've done especially well among the Zelda series, if any were requested (as I'd also assume the core Smash community wouldn't have been the only ones voting). If Ridley was voted for, and if Dark Samus was too, despite being disconfirmed...

You fell for the trap just like a lot of other people

A lot of people took the ballot as only for smash 4 so a lot of people didn’t vote for characters that were already deconfirmed I figured it was all future smashes in general

 

[Cap’nKazam]

He was also in Twilight Princess. So he's got more appearances than Tetra, the same number as Vaati, and more than Sheik, who is actually a one-shot and yet is somehow still here.

Tetra was actually in three games (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Four Swords Adventures, and had a strong presence in Spirit Tracks), so technically they have the same number of appearances. Tetra +1 if you count Spirit Tracks. But yeah, Skull Kid is a far cry from a one-off. Given that exists only in a single era in Zelda history, that's a huge deal.

 

[Nazyrus]

While I want Skull Kid in the game regardless, I'm just as curious if the chair color/couch pillow idea for predictions continues to hold water.

They will if he gets announced next, because it wil be second time in a row that a room had a theme hinting the next newcomer. We shall finally see tomorrow I guess…

 

[Sleeps with Butterflies]

Tetra was actually in three games (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Four Swords Adventures, and had a strong presence in Spirit Tracks), so technically they have the same number of appearances. Tetra +1 if you count Spirit Tracks. But yeah, Skull Kid is a far cry from a one-off.

I never finished FSA, but I'm fairly certain Tetra wasn't in that game. Toon Zelda does not equal Tetra. By that logic, Shiek is in every Zelda game because the princess is.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

I never finished FSA, but I'm fairly certain Tetra wasn't in that game. Toon Zelda does not equal Tetra. By that logic, Shiek is in every Zelda game because the princess is.

Tetra's Trackers. It was a Japanese-only thing, I think, but was still a thing.

 

[Sleeps with Butterflies]

Tetra's Trackers. It was a Japanese-only thing, I think, but was still a thing.

Yeah, but that's a separate thing from FSA.

I remember being really excited about it, and then it never came over.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

It's in the Japanese version of the game, but none other.

I know, right? Would've played the heck out of that thing. Was disappointed I never got the chance. Maybe I'll import it at some point.

 

[AugustusB]

Hey hey Marauders! Getting excited with the direct tomorrow. Anything exciting happening over here? (Currently at work, can't look to much)

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Riding high on Lady Bow/Resetera hype and oddly colored, out-of-place office chairs!

 

[AnOkayDM]

It's not confirmed if the TP Skull Kid is the same guy, though.

Even if he's not the exact same one, which is not an outlandish theory by any means, it's still an appearance for Skull Kid. That's like saying that Link has only been in two games: OoT and MM.

Personally I think it is the same one, but I acknowledge it's not confirmed.

Tetra was actually in three games (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Four Swords Adventures, and had a strong presence in Spirit Tracks), so technically they have the same number of appearances. Tetra +1 if you count Spirit Tracks. But yeah, Skull Kid is a far cry from a one-off. Given that exists only in a single era in Zelda history, that's a huge deal.

****, you're right, I forgot about Tetra's Trackers. Nevertheless, my point remains!

EDIT: The wiki says it's in the Korean version too.

 

[Pyra]

Woah is it cool now to go into a support thread and then be totally wrong about their popularity in an attempt to discredit their qualifications

That doesn't sound very fun

 

[Demonfunds]

This is terrifying and exciting at the same time, Skull Kid could be cemented into the roster forever tomorrow.
If he does get revealed tomorrow we will probably see final smash aswell which is bonus hype.

 

[NintenRob]

Skull Kid also has a couple of spin offs under his belt.


He of course has Hyrule Warriors (only non WindWaker/OC added in legends) and is even on the front cover of the Switch release. His exclusion from MM dlc pack actually just showed how popular he is as there was A LOT of backlash. Hence being forced into Legends with very little story reason.


And lesser known, but he was also the penultimate challenge in Crossbow Training. A much smaller title. But still.

Oh and he's in Monster Hunter as a costume


And that's not counting the many Mask appearances

 

[Majora's Visage]

Skull Kid also has a couple of spin offs under his belt.


He of course has Hyrule Warriors (only non WindWaker/OC added in legends) and is even on the front cover of the Switch release. His exclusion from MM dlc pack actually just showed how popular he is as there was A LOT of backlash. Hence being forced into Legends with very little story reason.


And lesser known, but he was also the penultimate challenge in Crossbow Training. A much smaller title. But still.

Oh and he's in Monster Hunter as a costume


And that's not counting the many Mask appearances

Totally agree. He is a popular character and remains iconic across gaming

 

[0007]

Tetra was actually in three games (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Four Swords Adventures, and had a strong presence in Spirit Tracks), so technically they have the same number of appearances. Tetra +1 if you count Spirit Tracks. But yeah, Skull Kid is a far cry from a one-off. Given that exists only in a single era in Zelda history, that's a huge deal.

Tetra is a stained glass window in Spirit Tracks and gets name dropped once or twice. That's not exactly a "strong presence"

 

[Cap’nKazam]

Tetra is a stained glass window in Spirit Tracks and gets name dropped once or twice. That's not exactly a "strong presence"

She's represented as the founder of the land you are adventuring in, the ancestor of the princess you spend the game interacting with, and the best friend of the mentor who orchestrates your entire adventure (along with bearing an uncanny resemblance to her, from her hairstyle to her wink), who compliments Zelda by comparing her to Tetra. One of Tetra's original pirate crew who still lives, Nico, narrates the opening to the game and reminisces about Toon Link and Tetra's adventures when you interact with him. Tetra's featured prominently in the main explorable area in the game, Hyrule Castle, in stain glass window form. Her name is invoked in the final battle against Malladus. Also, the Spirit Pipes - the main item and gimmick of the game - was expressed to be first her prized possession, which was made a relatively big deal out of when Link was entrusted with it. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. Not to mention, the game is advertised as a sequel to Phantom Hourglass.

I dunno. I guess it would have to depend on what we mean as a "strong presence." Do you think the Hero of Time Link had a strong presence in Wind Waker, or Navi in Majora's Mask?

 

[AnOkayDM]

I dunno. I guess it would have to depend on what we mean as a "strong presence." Do you think the Hero of Time Link had a strong presence in Wind Waker, or Navi in Majora's Mask?

No. The Hero of Time has no presence in Wind Waker. That's...that's why the game happens.

But I think the Hero of Time had a strong presence in Twilight Princess.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

No. The Hero of Time has no presence in Wind Waker. That's...that's why the game happens.

But I think the Hero of Time had a strong presence in Twilight Princess.

Hmm. The introduction revels in his legend, and the tragedy of Hyrule's demise is blamed because of the fact that he did not appear. People all throughout the game compare Link to him, as someone he reminds them of - of a hero to aspire to - and the most prominent, significant feature inside the remains of Hyrule Castle is his effigy, standing proud with Master Sword - the same sword Link wields - raised high. This same effigy is later defaced by Ganondorf himself after Zelda's disappearance, which is used rousingly as the game's thematic cue to you that something bad has happened, progressing a big plot point in the story. The Hero of Time's tragedy - and heroic legacy - weigh heavily upon the entire game's narrative, and the Hero of Wind's character arc (such as it is). Even if it is oftentimes unspoken. Similar deal with Navi in Majora's Mask.

EDIT: If we are talking about literal presences here, then obviously Tetra, Hero of Time, and Navi had none. Narrative and influential presence on the other hand - all three of them seem pretty important to their own respective stories.

 

[AnOkayDM]

Hmm. The introduction revels in his legend, and the tragedy of Hyrule's demise is blamed because of the fact that he did not appear. People all throughout the game compare Link to him, as someone he reminds them of - of a hero to aspire to - and the most prominent, significant feature inside the remains of Hyrule Castle is his effigy, standing proud with Master Sword - the same sword Link wields - raised high. His tragedy - and heroic legacy - weigh heavily upon the entire game's story, and the Hero of Wind's character arc (such as it is). Even if it is (oftentimes) unspoken. Similar deal with Navi in Majora's Mask.

I think we disagree on what "presence" means in this case.

Legends of a character do not equal that character being present. The Hero of Time is literally not there. Tetra is also not there in Spirit Tracks; her name is spoken a few times, reference is made to her, but she is gone. Her legacy lives on indeed, but you can't count legends and legacy as game appearances. Navi has the smallest presence of all. You literally hear the noise she makes one time before any gameplay, and then there's nothing else for the entire game.

Contrast it with Twilight Princess. The Hero of Time guides his descendant throughout the course of the entire game. He lingers as a spirit because he is unable to move on, so he trains you, challenges you, helps you grow stronger. Hell, it's the first time we hear canonical Link dialogue. That is a strong presence.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

I think we disagree on what "presence" means in this case.

Legends of a character do not equal that character being present. The Hero of Time is literally not there. Tetra is also not there in Spirit Tracks; her name is spoken a few times, reference is made to her, but she is gone. Her legacy lives on indeed, but you can't count legends and legacy as game appearances. Navi has the smallest presence of all. You literally hear the noise she makes one time before any gameplay, and then there's nothing else for the entire game.

Contrast it with Twilight Princess. The Hero of Time guides his descendant throughout the course of the entire game. He lingers as a spirit because he is unable to move on, so he trains you, challenges you, helps you grow stronger. Hell, it's the first time we hear canonical Link dialogue. That is a strong presence.

Ah, doesn't appear I edited my post in time. Oh well.

Yeah, I agree. I'm more talking about a presence in the narrative itself, which gives it its urgency, its meaning, its themes, and influences its character arcs. Take Navi out of Majora's Mask, you lose a lot of the story's emotional weight. Navi's jingling sound could just as easily be Tatl and Tael's as we immediately cut to them after that cue. Without the Hero of Time, the Hero of Winds becomes a lot more stale and unrelatable as a character. Honoring and living up to Tetra's legacy is a motivating drive behind Zelda and Anjean both.

That's what I mean by presence.

 

[Blade of Evil's Bane]

Dawn of the Final Day, take 2! HYYYYPE!

'Playlist' for the next 24 hours

 

[The Legendary Beast]

The Hero of Time has a pretty big impact on Wind Waker's world so much so that Outset Island has a tradition of garbing boys in his outfit when they reach a certain age. Not to mention Tetra was into the legend of the Hero of Time since her cabin has a picture of him and the Triforce. Although that is most likely because she's actually Zelda and her mother probably told her tales of him.

In fact in Twilight Princess he has less of an impact on the world simply because in that timeline no one remembers the stuff he did as an Adult because it never happened in the Child Timeline. So he just helps expose Ganondorf and get's him sealed away before he can start his reign of terror on Hyrule.
That's why the Hero's Shade is teaching TP Link (who is his blood relative) how to become the true hero he needs to be. So in a sense he's fulfilling his role as the Hero even in death so that he actually had an impact on Hyrule again. It's kinda touching really.

 

[Cap’nKazam]

The Hero of Time has a pretty big impact on Wind Waker's world so much so that Outset Island has a tradition of garbing boys in his outfit when they reach a certain age. Not to mention Tetra was into the legend of the Hero of Time since her cabin has a picture of him and the Triforce. Although that is most likely because she's actually Zelda and her mother probably told her tales of him.

In fact in Twilight Princess he has less of an impact on the world simply because in that timeline no one remembers the stuff he did as an Adult because it never happened in the Child Timeline. So he just helps expose Ganondorf and get's him sealed away before he can start his reign of terror on Hyrule.
That's why the Hero's Shade is teaching TP Link (who is his blood relative) how to become the true hero he needs to be. So in a sense he's fulfilling his role as the Hero even in death so that he actually had an impact on Hyrule again. It's kinda touching really.

Yeah. Ironically, the Hero of Time probably had a much smaller presence in Twilight Princess than he did in Wind Waker, despite being physically present in the former. He was forgotten- a nobody - and no one remembered his legend, aspired to his legacy, or depended on him. He only became relevant to Twilight’s events because he made himself so. It’s a tragic, moving subplot within the narrative - although the story can be easily told without it. Unlike Wind Waker, whose entire premise is built upon the Hero of Time’s legacy.

Good observation, Legendary Beast. I hadn’t considered that before.

 

[jweb23]

Hey everyone! I’m from the Isaac thread. Just coming over to wish you all good luck for tomorrow. Hopefully one of our fan bases will be crying tears of joy after the direct!

 

[Cap’nKazam]

B

Hey everyone! I’m from the Isaac thread. Just coming over to wish you all good luck for tomorrow. Hopefully one of our fan bases will be crying tears of joy after the direct!

Back atcha, jweb! Looks like there are missing blog update slots enough for 2 newcomers! This is our moment!