I knew this would come up.
Anyway after thinking about it, and the fact that I could care less about who gets the Mario slot, although I would perfer PM.
- He was chosen above several other possible Mario AT characters, of whom my be more deserving.
- He does have a fare fanbase.
- Sakurai gave a major hint on the Dojo when he talked about him, similar to Saki.
- While many see that him being a Spin-Off only character will hurt his chances, it may in fact help increase them. As Sakurai may choose him as a representative for the many Mario Spin-Offs, so it's really all on how Sakurai sees him.
Over all, he's the only Mario character to actually show
evidence for becoming playable in the next game. And this being a relistic roster it makes sense for me to pick him despite my own personal bias.