Hey everyone. Long time lurker (since 06?), first time poster.
Just thought that I'd make a quick 'case for Geno'. I understand that most of this has probably already been said, and that people on either side of the debate probably don't need any input, considering most of the conversation has been beaten to death, but...
What better way to make a first post than to support my favourite character? :D
My case for Geno is essentially this: Sakurai is big on obscurity. From that, you could name tons of characters that could essentially be in Brawl, BUT, it's a mix of many factors that make me think Geno (still) has a decent shot.
Again, to rephrase, Sakurai likes obscurity. That's why Sakurai brought in people like Mr. Game and Watch, Ness, ROB, Roy, etc., where, regardless of how obscure they may have been to certain people (Smash Bros is what introduced me to Earthbound in the first place), inclusion of an obscure character didn't bring the game down, and instead, actually CREATED a fanbase for the characters that were being reintroduced, or brought back any fanbase that may have existed in the first place (see: Kid Icarus).
With Geno, the drawpoint is nostalgia. Personally, I loved both Geno and Mallow from Super Mario RPG equally. It was such a special and awesome game, and despite the support and critical reception, it was a game I felt was overlooked, and would have been way more successful if it had been released a year prior (instead of on the very dying days of the SNES). Luckily, Squaresoft and Nintendo's partnership did cause for some hype, and there is still a very dedicated following that exists today- one that I am very proud to support.
With that dedication, and with Sakurai's love for obscurity, you could at least see a starting point. From there, the spark turned into a fire, with fans of SMRPG new and old hoping for a small glimpse of anything from that game in the new generation (Mario and Luigi's cameo was nice, but we need more!). For me, I would've been happy seeing Geno and/or Mallow in any random Mario sports game, and yet, in a strange way, it's Sakurai's weird tendencies that make me think that Geno could get into a game where the process of being picked for the game is the most rigorous.
The 'Geno Alliance' has lived on in many forums, and despite his obscurity, Geno is basically synonymous with 'character that could have been in Brawl'. At this point in time, I believe that the 'rights' that Square-Enix may have over Geno are basically pointless, and that they would most likely allow his usage for a small fee, or for nothing (considering he doesn't, and won't get used by SE). Geno's inclusion could help provide an original 'rep' for Mario RPGs, which could lead to them getting more focus and recognition in smash games. His fanbase WAS, and in some ways, STILL IS huge. Just check out the 'Geno glitch in SSBB' video on Youtube- over 1,400,000 hits! With other 'Geno' videos related to Smash Bros. ranging anywhere from 20k to 200k in hits, and even 'Forest Maze' remixes getting lots of recognition. Top that with continuing support of SMRPG, with 'Rawest Forest' still being very meme-like in it's popularity, and many 'Let's Plays' and general SMRPG tributes/remixes/videos getting solid amounts of hits, and you can see that the game is alive and well in hearts (with new supporters being born from the Virtual Console). And with the fan support, and Sakurai's personality outlined, I want to highlight the true reason of why I feel like Geno is a solid possibility.
Sakurai's poll. Things are still very cloudy for me in regards to that poll, but one thing I am certain of is that Geno had a very solid reception (2nd most mentioned, behind Sonic, if I am correct), and Sakurai actively mentioned his existence. That means something to me. Sakurai knows he is, and I'm sure he was at least aware of the hype.
If Nintendo ever wants to put a new focus on a game that was released at a bad time (SMRPG), then I think the combined effort of that, WITH Sakurai putting in an SMRPG (and essentially- a Mario RPG) rep to legitimize it, would be brilliant.
And aside from all that, he's just a really awesome character that I would love to see again. His move set could be derived very easily (this can be said about a lot of characters, I know), and it would be a big service to fans who vaguely remember SMRPG, or love it with all their heart- and hell, even the fans that have heard of and support Geno, despite having never played SMRPG.
And if you look at it all from face value, it's illogical and downright insane to think that a character from a random Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo has a shot for this. But then I realize that for every Paper Mario game there has been, and for awesome the partners have been in said games, most of them still did, at the end of the day, feel like 'placeholders' for a certain chapter in said games, whereas Geno was a part of the 'crew' that went from beginning to end in a strange adventure, with changes and actual growth happening in between (moreso for Mallow, but whatever
). And that is why I believe the following for Geno is, and always will be, greater than for someone like Watt (despite how much I love Watt).
So in conclusion, I just really, really, really, love Geno, and I hope Sakurai's poll, Geno and SMPRG's fanbase, Sakurai's love for obscurity, and a fulfilled wish from the Star Road will help bring this guy back onto my television screen in delicious 3d.
:laugh 
