As you may or may not know, I am putting together a roster. But not just a wishlist or prediction roster. This roster was made to look at the potential candidates for SSB4, look at the choices that would make the most sense and one that would represent Nintendo the best. This model as to how I explain my choices is somewhat based off the one SmashChu used when doing his roster. Note that this roster does not aim for realism, just for what I think would be the best for it.
There are fifty-five characters, transformations included: Not likely to be reached, but possible if Sakurai is given 3+ years to develop this game. While I would be satisfied with a small roster, a large roster is what I feel would truly represent Nintendo's history the best and considering that there are plenty of good choices, there wasn't really much problem with diving in. You have quite a few relatively important additions left from existing series along with many new franchise added and I can name over 20 good choices that have not been in Brawl and this roster gets the majority in.
No cuts have been made: One thing that ticks me off about the community is their cut-happy behavior towards Brawl characters. They assume that because cut happened in Melee that cuts are needed to make room for more newcomers or "flavor-of-the month characters" (especially the latter) due to patterns that do not exist. Cuts were easy to make in Melee because many characters were added in as clones to buff up the roster and as such, could easily be cut (and even then, only Pichu and Young Link were intentionally cut, Dr. Mario, Roy, and Mewtwo were all victim of time restraints). When Mewtwo was found to be cut, many fans went into an uproar and Mewtwo has found itself to be among the most wanted characters for SSB4 (a similar case can be applied for Roy as well). Sakurai have also went on the record to say that
he loves all his characters, meaning that he enjoys playing with all the characters he made and the work he did on them. If Sakurai gets his way, he will try to ensure that no Brawl vets owned by Nintendo are cut and given that he's been able to delay Kid Icarus for over a year, it is not out of the realm of possibility. However, if we absolutely must have cuts, Sakurai will likely take out Sonic and Snake first due to the legality issues surrounding getting these characters, even saying that it is harder to make third-party fit then
making the game itself. I may expand on why I think no cuts on Nintendo characters is possible and why it shouldn't happen, but for now, I'm saying no to cuts.
Roy and Mewtwo are brought back with Young Link as costume for Toon Link, Dr. Mario as costume for Mario, and Pichu as costume for Pikachu: This way, every vet is brought back in at least an alt costume. Roy and Mewtwo return in full form because both were planned for SSBB but cut due to time restraints and are highly wanted to return. Roy would also represent Fire Emblem much better then Krom would (unless Krom proves himself to be unique from the others) and would also represent the first character that started in Smash. Mewtwo has recently regained relevancy thanks to Nobunga x Pokemon in which he will likely play a major role and is possibly the most wanted character for Smash. So with that being said, here's the roster and my explanation for it:[COLLAPSE="Starting Roster"]
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Toad: The bar to a fifth Mario rep are extremely high. So far, we only have the absolute core characters of the series in. If any other Mario character could be justified as an absolute core character, it is Toad. They have been with the series since the very beginning and since then, have appeared in most every mainstream games and the roles of Toad increasing since Brawl was released (and in Paper Mario 3DS, there is a Toad partner that goes with Paper Mario). The importance and relevance of Toad (which were already obviously noticeable) have grown throughout the past few years to where they are almost are well-known as the four characters in Brawl and along with it, the fan base. Mario has a very good chance of getting a fifth slot and Toad is the most likely to occupy the spot.
Mii: They aren't the most exciting choice for potential newcomers, but they have every reason to be in this game. The Mii's are synonymous with the success of the Wii and have become incredibly important to Nintendo consoles (they will remain important). Regardless of what a few people on the Internet say about Mii's and how much they whine about it, it is Mii's importance to Nintendo that make them so highly deserving of a spot.
King K. Rool: Not as much of a sure shot as Diddy Kong was in Brawl, but his absence in DKCR will not stop him from returning in a main title or even in SSB4 and I do sincerely think he highly deserves a place. King K. Rool remains as important to the series as ever thanks to starring in the revolutionary DKC trilogy and in the very popular
Donkey Kong 64 and remains loved by millions of fans to this date. Appearing in the 2008's Super Mario Sluggers show he hasn't been completely forgotten either and it is very likely he will return in a main DK installment eventually. DK is due for a third rep and he is the best choice for it.
Dixie Kong: But if anyone can beat K. Rool to the spot, it is Dixie (or perhaps both will exist in a fourth slot situation) Dixie Kong is another important character in the series and was placed over K. Rool for consideration for Brawl. Given that Sakurai tends to add contents he missed from the last game, it is plausible to assume that a few planned characters from the Forbidden 7 will get in and this plays a good part as to why Dixie Kong has a slot of getting in.
Takamaru: Zelda's sister series, so it already has a piece of Nintendo's history and in 2009, Takamaru got a side game in
Samurai Warriors 3. If Sakurai were to consider this enough of a new game, expect him to be in SSB4. Also seems to be a decently popular choice in Japan.
Ridley: How long is it going to be before the size issue finally dies? Because I sure haven't seen anything that indicates that Ridley is too big for Smash. He is the most deserving character for Smash 4. His relevance to the series along with importance and massive popularity from the Brawl era that carries on to this date. Excluding him is a huge mistake (as it was in Brawl).
Palutena: If there is only one new Kid Icarus character, it will be Palutena. She is the only major Kid Icarus character to be in all three games and is the most important character to the series next to Pit himself. There is also that Sakurai is developing the game, so unless the game bombs and is mediocre in reception, she is very likely first. However, there is a decent chance of us getting a third rep. Which lead us to...
Medusa: as the second new Kid Icarus character. Also a major player in the Kid Icarus series, next to Palutena in importance. Basically, copy paste everything else except her being first.
Samurai Goroh: Not exactly the most exciting addition, but I do think that F-zero should get a second rep after not getting it for so long and many have been asking for a second character. With Samurai Goroh being from the series since the start, receiving the AT treatment in Brawl, and that he appeared in the Melee intro, I do think he is the best suited for it.
Little Mac: Should be on every roster by now along with Ridley, K. Rool, and Mewtwo. Little Mac is likely the first new franchise that will get bidding. Sakurai looks towards the west and western fans absolutely love him, not to mention that the Punch-Out!! series is influential and his series is about fighting and Smash is a fighting franchise, so they should fit together like PB&J. Having a revival in May, 2009 also helps.
Isaac: Could be called the Marth of Golden Sun. He is the main character of Golden Sun, important in The Lost Age, and also has a small role in Dark Dawn, so most people are going to associate with Isaac, especially with his title being the most well known. They will likely opt for the most important character and not the most relevant (Matthew).
Starfy: This choice is somewhat iffy as well, but out of of a pool of Starfy, Saki, and Ray to choose from, Starfy is by far the most recognizable. Thanks to finally going international and it likely getting another game in the near future, Starfy should expect to see his series grow. A great way to represent that is to place him in SSB4.
Victini: The 5th gen rep (if any) will be between Zoroark and Victini. Out of those two, I find Victini to be the better choice.
Victini is the 1st Pokemon to receive two movies at the same time and the second Pokemon to star in two movies (Mewtwo was the first). The movie is also the closest to the beginning of SSB4's development, so already, this is something that the Pokemon Company will look into when deciding the 5th gen rep. Also interesting is that it is 000# on the Unova Pokedex, something that has never occurred before and is the first Pokemon to do so. It is also making a name for itself and is becoming one of Black & White's stand out Pokemons, having appeared in the Pokemon Center logo for the latest store and was in the largest event in Pokemon history with the Liberty Garden event (along with an event that's going on now here and the Liberty Garden event is more accessible then Zoroark's event). Not a guarantee by any means, but if anyone aside from Zoroark is picked as the 5th gen rep for SSB4 (and it is a real possibility), Victini is very likely to be that character.
Mega Man: The only new third-party addition. This one I'm more flexible about removing as it all depends on the number of slots made available and if third-party returns. But if only one third-party return, it will most likely be him since he has yet to appear in a Smash game (whereas Sonic and Snake has and they may get axed if Sakurai's guest policy means a guest can come in only once). Mega Man is by far the most popular third-party choices for SSB4 and the only one that has more supporters then detractors right now. He also has an extensive history with Nintendo, with over half of his games having originally appeared on Nintendo's systems and even more that were ported to Nintendo consoles. It is also what put Capcom in the spotlight and helped contributed to them being so successful. Capcom is also planning big things for Mega Man next year and it is possible that it could involve a Mega Man reveal for SSB4 (and/or new games for the franchise).
Please tell me what you think of this roster.