New Characters for Project M Discussion Thread (Voting Closed)

[TimeSmash]

Young link was mostly incorporated into Toon Link
I'm pretty sure they can't just have a costume with modified moves. Apparently the case with mario's fireballs to pills was a special case.

That's against the rules. You can't have an alt that is a different character entirely.

Ninja'd

I guess I understand; the transition from Mario to Dr. Mario definitely is a much smaller step than Pikachu to Pichu. Although I thought Dr. Mario had more things altered than just the pills, like FSmash, though that could just be cosmetic. It just seems incredibly nitpicky on their part, and this is coming from someone who loves PM and only slightly wants Pichu in. It's just odd I guess haha.

 

[Cool Blue]

Pichu should not exist purely because it has potential or because it was a thing in Melee. Every character has potential. Pichu is no different from Dark Samus, Blood Falcon, Slippy, or Ninten, besides the fact that it has already appeared in a Smash game. My opinion is that Pokemon has enough to work with, and that Pichu's potential "Damage = Offense" gimmick isn't worth leaving out other characters with similar or greater potential who haven't already been portrayed in an official Smash or ever will be.

I agree with your point. Pichu should have less priority than other characters. However, there are 5 slots left. The PMBR could put in reps for unrepped series and still have enough room for Pichu.

 

[TimeSmash]

I agree with your point. Pichu should have less priority than other characters. However, there are 5 slots left. The PMBR could put in reps for unrepped series and still have enough room for Pichu.

^ This. Although I still am opposed to new characters in being in PM, but I can understand why that's desired. Were Pichu to be put in, I would obviously want him to be a non-clone. I hope I made that clear.

 

[UltimateWario]

^ This. Although I still am opposed to new characters in being in PM.

Mind if I ask why? P:M exclusive characters would not only establish a more defined identity for the project, but also draw in new users and enrich the scene further with new strategies and playstyles. It seems like a win-win-win.

 

[TheKk-47]

Dr.Mario is an alt costume, like Fire Peach, he doesn't take up a slot. Everything is simply cosmetic. I believe Pichu should not get in. Really the only arguements I've seen for him is: he's a melee veteran, he can be a troll character(I REALLY hate this one), moar pokemon, and he has potential. The first one is dumb because that means the PMBR is obligated to make Young Link and Doc fully fleshed out chars, which is really pointless. It's a waste of 3 spots that gives us 3 new clones with some changes. The second one is super dumb because who wants PMBR to spend like 300 hours to make a troll char for skilled people to troll unskilled people, and not be used by anybody else. It's a gigantic waste. The 3rd one is dumb because we have 7 pokes, more reps than any other series. And the last one is dumb because the only potential he has is to be a Pika clone with a special attribute. There are many other characters with much more potential.

 

[Cool Blue]

Dr.Mario is an alt costume, like Fire Peach, he doesn't take up a slot. Everything is simply cosmetic. I believe Pichu should not get in. Really the only arguements I've seen for him is: he's a melee veteran, he can be a troll character(I REALLY hate this one), moar pokemon, and he has potential. The first one is dumb because that means the PMBR is obligated to make Young Link and Doc fully fleshed out chars, which is really pointless. It's a waste of 3 spots that gives us 3 new clones with some changes. The second one is super dumb because who wants PMBR to spend like 300 hours to make a troll char for skilled people to troll unskilled people, and not be used by anybody else. It's a gigantic waste. The 3rd one is dumb because we have 7 pokes, more reps than any other series. And the last one is dumb because the only potential he has is to be a Pika clone with a special attribute. There are many other characters with much more potential.

Ay caramba! Where to begin...

 

[Solbliminal]

Oh boy. Pichu discussion. Somebody call me when we get past Ridley's too big, Ganondorf needs to use a sword, and Sonic's friends are too 3rd party to chill with Nintendo. Sodium levels are too high to deal with this right now.

 

[TimeSmash]

Mind if I ask why? P:M exclusive characters would not only establish a more defined identity for the project, but also draw in new users and enrich the scene further. It seems like a win-win-win.

It's honestly more of a traditionallly stupid bias I have haha. I think characters like Pichu and Young Link (again, original versions, athough I can accept that Toon Link is basically Young Link's spiritual successor) should have more priority in the game because they have been in past Smash series. I realize it's not the best opinion, but who says whatever original character gets in is deserving of that spot? Not that I'm saying Sakurai's opinion is gold or anything or the sort, it just feels odd to add people that have never been in. But I'm not going to be one of those people that are/would be like "LYN IS IN THIS GAME WTF HOW DOES TAHT EVEN MAKE SENSE WE HAVE ENOUGH FIRE EMBLEM CHARACTERS WITH WEIRD HAIR COLORS." If we as a community could decide what characters will make it in, I'd be much more open to the idea--because at least in that way there is more of an overall consensus of the want for that character in the game, not just based on the PMBR's (an amazing but rather small group compared to the entire boards) opinion.

I hope that makes sense. My sentence structuring seems whack in this post.

Edit: Thank you everyone for not making this a flame war so far. I really enjoy hearing other's opinions, even if I don't necessarily agree with them all the time. (Well, in Smash anyways. Let's not get started on real things like abortion, healthcare, and gay marriage haha)

 

[Sour Supreme]

This being said, Black Shadow could be a skin...albeit modified to fit Ganon's body type in PM. And Ganon's moveset in general could generally use a change, something more inspired at the least. I dunno how controversial Sword Mode would be, but ideas like that are a step in the right direction. Even moves inspired from Phantom Ganon aren't out of the question, seeing as how some characters in the Smash series use moves that didn't EXACTLY originate from the character themselves (Ness and Lucas' Psy Moves, the Zero Laser and MULTIPLE final smashes, things like Villager's Balloon Fight recovery)

Alas, he can't be just a skin. Neither can your idea for Pichu over Pikachu. PMBR doesn't want any skins that change who the character is.

 

[UltimateWario]

-text-

Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion. You needn't be apologetic about it. I suppose I can see where you're coming from, and, although I can't agree, I suppose I could see the appeal of the situation you described.

Though, I think one of the primary for which P:M exists is to take into question Sakurai's choices and take Smash in a direction more heavily influenced by the fans (or rather, the more dedicated ones). Having the ability to add characters of our own choosing is a way to show who we think should be in, rather than using Sakurai's seemingly-shaky reasoning for selecting rosters.

It's why I think choices like Ridley and Isaac are perfect for the extended roster: they're both unique, highly-demanded characters that, for whatever reason, Sakurai just seems adverse to adding. As a Ridley fan, it irks me that Sakurai continues to forgo such an important character, but P:M gives me hope that I can play as my cake Ridley and eat it have him not suck, too.

 

[TimeSmash]

Alas, he can't be just a skin. Neither can your idea for Pichu over Pikachu. PMBR doesn't want any skins that change who the character is.

See that's the thing. Dr. Mario is an exception to the rule, by what ends justify the means of that rule? Even if Pichu is a Dr.Marioified skin, I'd be fine with that. I definitely get why Black Shadow would be out in terms of that, but Pichu (that fits a Pikachu's model/hurtboxes) vs. Pikachu in regards of an alternate skin especially when compared to the reasons why Doc got in [as an alternate skin] make little sense. Not trying to disrespect you personally or the decisions of the PMBR! I hope it doesn't come off that way. The internet makes it very hard to convey tone haha

 

[Cool Blue]

See that's the thing. Dr. Mario is an exception to the rule, by what ends justify the means of that rule? Even if Pichu is a Dr.Marioified skin, I'd be fine with that. I definitely get why Black Shadow would be out in terms of that, but Pichu (that fits a Pikachu's model/hurtboxes) vs. Pikachu in regards of an alternate skin especially when compared to the reasons why Doc got in [as an alternate skin] make little sense. Not trying to disrespect you personally or the decisions of the PMBR! I hope it doesn't come off that way. The internet makes it very hard to convey tone haha

Errr, you do know that Doc is purely a cosmetic change, right?

 

[EdgeTheLucas]

Oh boy. Pichu discussion. Somebody call me when we get past Ridley's too big, Ganondorf needs to use a sword, and Sonic's friends are too 3rd party to chill with Nintendo. Sodium levels are too high to deal with this right now.

Don't worry, I'll tag your name when all that's over.

In the meantime I'm gonna enjoy myself by watching people go through the exact same motions yet again.

Hey, remember when a Pichu flame war erupted RIGHT AFTER a Blackondorf flame war? Good times.

 

[TheKk-47]

The whole Ganondorf sword thing is easily resolved. Just let it be a taunt switch like Samus. There's already mods out there doing this. Infact I use one. Ganondorf mains don't have to be forced to change their playstyle if they don't want to. No need for Black Shaodw, he can get in, but he doesn't have to be a replacement Ganon. Plus this could be beneficial to Ganon since he isn't the best character. They can even throw in some magic moves too without affecting the original moveset.

 

[Sour Supreme]

See that's the thing. Dr. Mario is an exception to the rule, by what ends justify the means of that rule? Even if Pichu is a Dr.Marioified skin, I'd be fine with that. I definitely get why Black Shadow would be out in terms of that, but Pichu (that fits a Pikachu's model/hurtboxes) vs. Pikachu in regards of an alternate skin especially when compared to the reasons why Doc got in [as an alternate skin] make little sense. Not trying to disrespect you personally or the decisions of the PMBR! I hope it doesn't come off that way. The internet makes it very hard to convey tone haha

Not at all, I understand where you're coming from. Keep in mind though, Dr. Mario is Mario. I guess you could argue that because Pichu evolves into Pikachu they could be counted as the same character. But yeah, Black Shadow is out.

I appreciate this rule because it gives every character integrity. For example, what if during Brawl's development the dev team just decided Lucas should be a Ness skin, as it fits the hurt boxes. But since move set editing between skins is not that simple and certainly isn't within guidelines, Lucas has the same moves as Ness when in truth he could bring a different, more unique set to the table. That's not fair to people who love the character.

 

[UltimateWario]

Blackendorf

There's probably some sort of racist subtext here, I'm just not quite sure what it is.

Do you guys think the PMBR is more likely to choose characters based on ease of implementation or popularity/potential? Said information may make it a bit easier to predict the likes of Pichu or Ridley, if, say, the PMBR came out and said "We're not going to do anything that'll take a significant amount of work or time to implement" or "We're selecting characters on popularity, foremost".

Of course, we may see both cases. If Ridley is added (and is indeed the chore his addition is made out to be), then the rest of the roster may be a little less "out there" in terms of originality or design simply due to fatigue on the part of the designers. That said, I don't think that the PMBR will do anything unprofessional or lacking in quality, either way.

 

[Cool Blue]

The whole Ganondorf sword thing is easily resolved. Just let it be a taunt switch like Samus. There's already mods out there doing this. Infact I use one. Ganondorf mains don't have to be forced to change their playstyle if they don't want to. No need for Black Shaodw, he can get in, but he doesn't have to be a replacement Ganon. Plus this could be beneficial to Ganon since he isn't the best character. They can even throw in some magic moves too without affecting the original moveset.

Well it depends on how much space is left in Ganondorf's file. If there is enough to do what you said,then it would be an easy resolution.

 

[Cool Blue]

Do you guys think the PMBR is more likely to choose characters based on ease of implementation or popularity/potential?

Probably a bit of both. If the PMBR only wanted to add in charcters that were easy to program, then Mewtwo would have never made it in.

 

[UltimateWario]

Probably a bit of both. If the PMBR only wanted to add in charcters that were easy to program, then Mewtwo would have never made it in.

Very true. I hadn't thought about that.

 

[TimeSmash]

Errr, you do know that Doc is purely a cosmetic change, right?

Is he? I thought properties of his moveset were slightly tweaked in terms of damage and/or hitstun. Gah, foggy memory ftw.

If he is just a cosmetic change, though, my argument doesn't change that much. I get that Dr. Mario is much closer to Mario in terms of characters, but for an alternate skin argument, Pikachu and Pichu aren't incredibly different. Like I said earlier, something like a Black Shadow skin for Ganon is out of the question after I learned the appropriate knowledge, but having said that I still don't see [totally] how a Pichu alternate skin for Pikachu would be in such violation of the rule.

 

[Cool Blue]

but having said that I still don't see [totally] how a Pichu alternate skin for Pikachu would be in such violation of the rule.

Alt. costumes are purely cosmetic. Having Pichu be an alt costume of Pika would mean that the bones of the model would be altered, which would not be purely cosmetic.

 

[Sour Supreme]

@ Solbliminal Ridley is far too big to use Ganon's sword unless he takes on Pichu.

 

[TimeSmash]

Don't worry, I'll tag your name when all that's over.

In the meantime I'm gonna enjoy myself by watching people go through the exact same motions yet again.

Hey, remember when a Pichu flame war erupted RIGHT AFTER a Blackendorf flame war? Good times.

FYI haha, if this turns into a flame war I'm out. But the people I'm debating with so far seem to be incredibly civil, so I hope it continues to be that way. I mean I see your point of rehashing arguments, but I still want to talk about it anyways haha

Not at all, I understand where you're coming from. Keep in mind though, Dr. Mario is Mario. I guess you could argue that because Pichu evolves into Pikachu they could be counted as the same character. But yeah, Black Shadow is out.

I appreciate this rule because it gives every character integrity. For example, what if during Brawl's development the dev team just decided Lucas should be a Ness skin, as it fits the hurt boxes. But since move set editing between skins is not that simple and certainly isn't within guidelines, Lucas has the same moves as Ness when in truth he could bring a different, more unique set to the table. That's not fair to people who love the character.

I'm more viewing it from the point for Pichu being in at all. I'm a supporter for him being an original character or a skin, I don't care much as to how he is implemented haha, just for him to be implemented in some way.

Edit:

Alt. costumes are purely cosmetic. Having Pichu be an alt costume of Pika would mean that the bones of the model would be altered, which would not be purely cosmetic.

I was talking about altering Pichu's model to fit Pikachu's, if that is possible.

 

[TheKk-47]

@ Cool Blue , oh yeah filesize limits -_- Well lets just hope there's enough space to appease to both sides . And I'm guessing ease of implementation is one thing the PMBR looks at with it's possible choices. Even though most requested characters like Isaac or Ridely are likely harder to implement than Mewtwo due to having to create movesets. I know Pichu is easy, but I'm soooo against him getting in. Tbh I'd rather see Slippy than Pichu.

 

[Shin F.]

Is he? I thought properties of his moveset were slightly tweaked in terms of damage and/or hitstun. Gah, foggy memory ftw.

If he is just a cosmetic change, though, my argument doesn't change that much. I get that Dr. Mario is much closer to Mario in terms of characters, but for an alternate skin argument, Pikachu and Pichu aren't incredibly different. Like I said earlier, something like a Black Shadow skin for Ganon is out of the question after I learned the appropriate knowledge, but having said that I still don't see [totally] how a Pichu alternate skin for Pikachu would be in such violation of the rule.

Pikachu and Pichu are more different than you think. Just having slightly different body shapes and sizes means that any Pichu costume would have to be more than cosmetic by necessity. His head is far bigger than Pikachu's relative to his body, which means his hurtboxes would need to be different from Pikachu's, and that's too much of a change for their rules. These things need to match between costumes so that playstyles aren't altered.

 

[CardiganBoy]

For some reason i really want any Advance Wars char. preferably Sami, even though i haven't played any game of that franchise, it would be so interesting to see any Snake clone.

 

[Mansta]

They should just have a Ditto that turns into Ridley, Pichu, Young Link, Shadow, Goku and Shrek.

 

[TimeSmash]

Pikachu and Pichu are more different than you think. Just having slightly different body shapes and sizes means that any Pichu costume would have to be more than cosmetic by necessity. His head is far bigger than Pikachu's relative to his body, which means his hurtboxes would need to be different from Pikachu's, and that's too much of a change for their rules. These things need to match between costumes so that playstyles aren't altered.

I don't think I realized how hard it would be to implement...I was thinking that altering the model to fit Pichu wouldn't be that hard, but if it's as difficult as you say, then I might base my argument to the more realistic option of Pichu filling the clone slot.

Although, if new characters are to be added, which they probably will be =P I would really like to reiterate that a voting system is the way to go.

 

[Cool Blue]

For some reason i really want any Advance Wars char. preferably Sami, even though i haven't played any game of that franchise, it would be so interesting to see any Snake clone.

Personally I would rather see Ray as a Snake clone.

 

[TimeSmash]

They should just have a Ditto that turns into Ridley, Pichu, Young Link, Shadow, Goku and Shrek.

You forgot Oprah, who is me.

 

[EdgeTheLucas]

Regarding Advance Wars characters:

Sami isn't really the main character, the closest thing to that is Andy. People who support Sami really only do so because ChronoBound made an argument a LONG time ago that the main character, Andy, doesn't really utilize military weapons like Sami does, so Sami should take priority.

Which, if you think about it, has a couple of holes. Why a side character and not the main character / mascot of the series? If the concern is over whether he is or isn't associated with weapons, remember that Ness and Lucas derive their abilities primarily from Paula and Kumatora, respectively. Just because the Andy is seen as somewhat lacking in fighting ability (he isn't--that wrench looks like it could HURT) doesn't mean he should keep himself from doing what Sami, Max, etc. do.

What I'm trying to say is that Andy just overall makes more sense. If you're looking for a Snake clone, support people like Raiden or Liquid Snake instead, they fit better.

 

[TheKk-47]

Personally I would rather see Ray as a Snake clone.

I love Ray and I want him in, but I don't think it's possible. He has way too many articles to fit on even Snake. He has like no H2H moves unless I'm missing something. He can make it, he just won't be as fun as he should be. Sami is probably the better choice for a Snake clone. Even though it's weird her getting in instead of Andy.

 

[TimeSmash]

The whole not-many-females-in-Smash argument could hold some sway as to why people want her to get in, or maybe more people just like her in general

 

[Solbliminal]

You forgot Oprah, who is me.

I'm not seeing any free give-a-ways under my chair. You're a fraud.

I love Ray and I want him in, but I don't think it's possible. He has way too many articles to fit on even Snake. He has like no H2H moves unless I'm missing something. He can make it, he just won't be as fun as he should be. Sami is probably the better choice for a Snake clone. Even though it's weird her getting in instead of Andy.

You are definitely missing something. My posts.

I actually played Custom Robo. One of the very many obscure Nintendo titles I actually enjoyed. The game is pretty solid even if the gameplay "looks" hectic. I actually recommend it. But if you guys are hand held gamers, Custom Robo Arena for the DS is your best bet.

As for a moveset, I've been planning it out and going through YouTube videos to refresh my memory about the game. I've been doing my best to work out ideas that would fit in a P:M setting without overlapping the requirements of being a clone. My biggest issue at the moment is that I yet again am without internet because I had to move back to Ohio, so I back to using my phone to type out replies. I'm getting internet sometime today, so I should be able go go more in depth with Ray's moveset.

For now though I have a bit of insight on the character that can help this discussion. The character Ray (any version) has one trait in common with characters like Mega Man and Samus. He has an extremely wide array of weapons with barely any physical attacks to draw inspiration from. While Samus gained physical moves based on her training with the Chozo and other forms of training (insert ChronoBound's previous Metroid discussions here), and Mega Man has modified variations of his copied abilities over the years, the only real physical combat that could be applied to Ray is based on his initial GameCube game appearance. (In case of spoilers, this next part I'll collapse.)

Spoiler

Ray's eventual owner in the GameCube Custom Robo, becomes a bounty hunter to pay his dues on an apartment he lives in, and at the end of the game he becomes part of a Custom Robo "Police Force". To me, this means that Ray himself might play with some limited Military and Police Academy training knowledge. Spoilers end here.

Another physical attack inspiration is a few weapons you obtain in the games that must be used at point blank. I do believe one of them was a stun gun of the sorts. Could be used similarly to ZSS's Side Smash, only horizontal / diagonal tilts on smash like Mario's Side Smash.

I do also believe the MKIII variant (and maybe more since I'm going off memory ) have a jet mode transformation. If cloned from Samus, the morphball model can be replaced with his jet mode as a Side B or glide function similar to Pit, Meta, and Charizard. This also brings up a concept for his Up-B recovery. Basically the concept is that he burst jumps upward a certain short distance upwards, then from the position he is at after the initial burst jump you have 4 options:
- Jet burst a short distance backwards.
- Jet burst a short distance forwards.
- Fast fall by pressing down.
- Cancel out of one of the above options with an A-Button air attack. Even the initial Up-B without a following input.

This concept is similar to that of Rob's Up and Air Side B moves.

One last idea I had was brought up earlier, a playstyle similar to that of Mega Man. And no I'm not suggesting he should be P:M's replacement Mega Man or anything of the sorts. But there is one interesting aspect of Mega Man that fits snug within the concept of Ray's playstyle. Mega Man's jabstring is his buster shots, and a lot of his smashes / A button attacks are various modified projectile moves. Since Custom Robo is a very weapon oriented game to the same extent as that of Mega Man, this concept translates nearly seamless for a Ray playstyle. If this concept has balancing issues, than I can understand not using it or limiting it in some manner.

This is all I've got for now, so feel free to discuss it and give feedback. I'll be getting my internet soon enough, so maybe I'll try sketching out the moveset concept similarly to how the Lyn one from the op was made. Hope you guys enjoyed this post.

I've got a lot going on, hence why there has been lack of updates with the moveset visuals. The moveset is by no means complete. You would already be seeing a moveset sheet if I did that. But I do have move concepts written out. Here are a few:

-Claw/Grapple Gun: Functions as a grab similar to that of Link or Samus.

-Drill Gun: A multi-hitting move that functions similar to a one-path PK Thunder. So obviously a lot of continuous hitstun based on charge duration.

-Gravity Gun: A small hitbox range black hole that appears on screen a set distance based on length of charge. Think Dormammu from UMvC 3.

-Stun Gun: Planned to use as grab pummel.

-Charge: Dashing A attack obviously.

-Standard Bomb: Was planned for Side-Smash, may re-map. Travels a 45 degree angle for a set distance and drops straight down after reaching maximum height/distance. Has KB based on charge.

-Standard 3-Shot Gun: Set as a jab string with very little hitstun. It is a trade off for his mobility and being able to use it during air dashes. L-Cancelable.

-Blade Gun: Converted to a melee blade for his B-Air. A good move for air juggles.

-Knuckle Gun: Set for either his forward or up tilt to pop the opponent into the air.

-Air Dashes: A main function for Ray as part of his air game. Backwards dashes can be utilized to combo with B-Air, U-Air, and D-Air, while Forward dashes can utilize spacing and F-Air.

The focus is to make his specials set-ups for his kill shots via: Bombs or other high KB moves. I'm still researching what would make a decent pod for his game style. The guns are part of his damage game

RAY STUFF

Nothing new to those who have already seen my Ray stuff, but for those who have not...

While I'm not the PMBR, I do know that just because something is a projectile, doesn't mean it can't be balanced. A lot of the vision I had for Ray is projectiles set at certain speeds and paths, all with different attributes. No different than Snake from Vanilla Brawl, just purely focused on the ranged aspects. Custom Robo is a game that focuses on pure fire-arms combat. But that is not to say he isn't without close range attacks. He just has very few, if not the least amount of physical attacks of any character. This also means his close range game is weaker than the rest of the cast.

Also, I already discussed his mobility. I had expressed interest in air dashes and even 8-way air dashes. It is an interesting flavor to make Ray purely dependent on spacing for his combos, but suffer at close-range, and maybe even struggle at mid-range. All of this is merely brainstorming though.

 

[EdgeTheLucas]

If it's female characters, I'd be fine with Tetra, Lip, Micaiah, or Jody Summer.

Sami just isn't the main character of an unrepresented franchise, so she gets a no from me when it comes to a new Advance Wars character.

 

[Shin F.]

Regarding Sami v Andy, I'll just say this:

You don't pick Peach over Mario just because she's female and Smash needz more girl powahz. You don't pick Zelda over Link. You don't pick Amy over Sonic, or Paula over Ness. By the same token, you don't pick Adam Malkovich or Ridley before Samus. If she was the more central character, then yes, she would be first in line, just like Samus. But she's not. Andy is. That's all there is to it for me.

 

[TimeSmash]

Oh no, haha I was just saying that because that might be a characteristic in her favor. I'd much rather see someone like Lyn or Tetra in, someone like Jody Summer or Jade from Beyond Good and Evil would be welcome as well. Even though I'm still not exactly for it haha. If someone is a main character or representative of a series, they should get in, regardless of gender. Although I'm more for popular vote than anything

 

[Shin F.]

By the way, just made this real quick to show you why Pichu can't be a costume:

Spoiler

Here, we have the Melee models of Pichu and Pikachu side by side. To the left is Pichu at his original size and to the right, he is scaled so that he's at the same head height as Pikachu. As you can see, he doesn't match up nearly enough. Looking at the back shot, his tail isn't long enough even on the scaled-up version, his head is far too big, and his ears are ridiculously large compared to Pikachu's. Not to mention that he doesn't even have legs. For a costume to work, they need to be a very, very close match to the original. Pichu quite simply would not work.

 

[TimeSmash]

By the way, just made this real quick to show you why Pichu can't be a costume:

Spoiler

Here, we have the Melee models of Pichu and Pikachu side by side. To the left is Pichu at his original size and to the right, he is scaled so that he's at the same head height as Pikachu. As you can see, he doesn't match up nearly enough. Looking at the back shot, his tail isn't long enough even on the scaled-up version, his head is far too big, and his ears are ridiculously large compared to Pikachu's. For a costume to work, they need to be a very, very close match to the original. Pichu quite simply would not work.

DON'T CRUSH MAH DREAMZ. Haha but like I said, after further reconsideration, it'd be much easier to make Pichu an alternate character versus an alternate skin

 

[OrangeSodaGuy]

As broken-record as I sound at this point. If Ridley, Lyn, or Isssac somehow don't make it, the worst people can say is "Welp, they would have been awesome. Darn!"

If Pichu doesn't make it, then that means that somebody's main that will never, ever be in another smash game again. Young Link at least had most of his attributes transferred into Toon Link. Pichu has virtually no representation whatsoever.
That "waste of space" has people out there that genuinely like and main it, while the rest of the suggested characters (as awesome as they are) are only great ideas at this point.

On top of that, the game could use a sillier, more disrespectful character that people can cheese with since the rest of the characters are already SO good.
A character who's decent enough to be viable, but just bad enough for it to be embarrassing if you lose to them. NOBODY else in the game really fills that niche.