Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Lady Kuki]

As much as I'd love to doodle out a moveset for one of my most wanteds, I feel like it's all for naught. Maybe if this were during the ballot days, sure, but I feel like there isn't much point to supporting a character anymore, personally. Sakurai has already more or less decided on who he's going to add. The only thing I can hope for is that we both somehow had the same idea on who or what could be added.

 

[AmphabulouSnake]

Aight so I can safely assume when I wake up tomorrow morning there will be another new set of deconfirmations right

 

[SNEKeater]

Reminder that sora and kratos were already deconfirmed by their developers.

Well yeah. Hasimoto said back then Sora wasn't in. But let's be serious, people really expect they would say "oh yeah, now that you're asking, our character is totally in Smash. Look forward to the official announcement from Nintendo"?
I don't think Sora is FP5 but not for that reason, honestly.

About Kratos first time I read that. Not that I thought he and a Sony rep in general were likely. I guess it was Santa Monica deconfirming him.

 

[Lamperouge]

Aight so I can safely assume when I wake up tomorrow morning there will be another new set of deconfirmations right

Yeah, and it's gonna be Phoenix Wright and Spyro. :')

 

[PrettyIvyPearls22]

Reminder that sora and kratos were already deconfirmed by their developers.

Oh yeah, go ahead and believe these developers or anyone else involved with the process and their PR talk, what else are these people suppose to say when asked about Smash.

They can only say so much without trying to spoil anything.

When its pretty obvious that they know a more bigger picture than we even do. Not even "deconfirmation" from developers even mean anything. That whole thing happened months ago, and a lot could've changed from since then. Grant Kirphobe said that he wasn't working on anything for Smash AND said he knew nothing of Banjo, only to reveal for a couple months later after E3 has admitted that he known and worked on music for a while.

 

[KatKit]

I really wish people would talk more about how certain characters would be fun, how they could be implemented, potential movesets, thread game and activities, etc.

Same.

I especially like unorthodox combatants and provided examples for Carmen Sandiego and a Style Savvy rep (two series I think more people should check out). To counter the anime swordsmen complaint, I provided a brief concept for Adol Christin to show how he'd be radically different from other melee weapon wielders. Although the one I poured my heart into that took the most effort was for 2B; I gave her every attack and conceptualized a plausible way to implement it in the form of follow-up attack inputs. When people ask how a character would work, I've also done summaries for Morrigan, Elma, and Bella Goth (The Sims), and a few others I can't recall ATM. I'd like to try one for a character I don't care about as much as the aforementioned, mostly for the challenge.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the new character to be announced, so that I can explain how they'd probably work to the "literal who?" crowd and why they'd be awesome. I don't know if anyone actually reads stuff like this (particularly outside of support groups) since it doesn't gain much traction in this thread, but I do it anyway because it's fun.

 

[Evil Trapezium]

Man with all these deconfirmations, I feel like Cortez could actually have a decent chance of being Fighter #5!

It's time to split!

 

[PSIGuy]

It's just not rewarding to brainstorm how a character could work when there's so little to gain from it. Any character moveset basically boils down to Sakurai's idea of risk vs reward anyways so it's not like it's particularly hard for any character when you look at it that way. Things like

• What resources do you need to manage?
• How close to enemies do you need to get before you can do damage?
• Can your moves work against you or put you into a vulnerable state?

These are already present in all the DLC characters. Joker has to play around when he can RISE UP WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY, Hero has to use his risky, limited magic to standout because his swordplay is nothing special. Banjo-Kazooie have to use their unique moves to progress through BK so other than golden feathers being a "use it or lose it" they're pretty standard. Terry has inputs that can be strong but misinputs can be your end just like the other fighting characters etc.

Just working off of that I can easy come up with concepts for tons of characters

• Overwatch/MOBA character: Strong specials, but they're on a cooldown. This creates a cat & mouse game as well as the idea of "I can't use this resource now, what if I need it later!"
• Doom Guy/Reimu: has to be constantly moving or they're dead. Doom Guy is strong but has limited ammo and needs to be willing to rip and tear. Reimu has to be constantly avoiding fire and counterfiring. In a way they're like tweaks on Little Mac; fast, strong but a clearly defined weakness (weak jumps or easy to KO, etc)
• Summoner/Style Change: similar to Hero's magic or Shulk's Monado Arts they're weak if you don't make use of their main resource, but that resource is tricky. What's the right spell/demon/style etc for the situation? Any is better than none, but beyond that you have to be constantly planning. A character like Dante drowns when you don't know what to do next.
• Duo characters ie Rex & Pyra, Astral Chain MC: Weaknesses and strengths spread out across two characters. You're held back by the weakest link in their moveset and only reach their best if you make active use of their abilities. Rosalina & Luma, Nana & Popo etc already demonstrate this.

None of this is going to matter because none of the characters I listed are getting in. Fittingly for all my talk of risk vs reward, there's a bit of risk (what if I get burnt after spending all night coming up with cool fitting moves only for them to never get in) for a very low chance of reward (they actually get in AND resemble my ideal moveset).

 

[Cosmic77]

I feel like more people would share moveset ideas if responses weren't either (A) everyone ignoring their post, or (B) three or four people saying stuff like, "Cool, but they're never getting in Smash. Sorry."

 

[Lady Kuki]

Same.

I especially like unorthodox combatants and provided examples for Carmen Sandiego and a Style Savvy rep. To counter the anime swordsmen complaint, I provided a brief concept for Adol Christin to show how he'd be radically different from other melee weapon wielders. Although the one I poured my heart into that took the most effort was for 2B. When people ask how a character would work, I've also done summaries for Morrigan, Elma, and Bella Goth (The Sims), and a few others I can't recall ATM.

Right now, I'm waiting for the new character to be announced, so that I can explain how they'd probably work to the "literal who" crowd and why'd they be awesome. I don't know if anyone actually reads stuff like that since it doesn't gain much traction, but I do it anyway because it's fun.

Aaaaah man, I wish Adol Christin had a chance. I found out about the YS series in 2016 I think, and he was always my guilty pleasure pick. Ever since I found out Falcom was interested in Smash, I held on to the hope that someday he'd be in Smash in some form. What I'm afraid of though, is the reaction he'd receive if he got added. His franchise may be super old, but he's very obscure and he's anime. I haven't looked into the YS series too much, aside from Lacrimosa of Dana (before its localization), so I have no clue what kind of moveset he'd even have.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

After a week of chaos in terms of candidates for Challenger Pack 5, we're down to far fewer candidates than we had a week ago. Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Tekken, Tales of...all off the table.

With this in mind, the only companies that haven't yet been struck down are the following:

Capcom (Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright, Okami/Amaterasu, Monster Hunter)
Square Enix (Kingdom Hearts/Sora, Nier Automata/2B, The World Ends with You/Neku)
Nintendo (Astral Chain, Fire Emblem Three Houses are the only two games without content updates)
Bethesda (Elder Scrolls/Dragonborn, DOOM/Doom Slayer)
Arc System Works (Guilty Gear/Sol Badguy)
SEGA (Puyo Puyo/Arle)
Microsoft (Minecraft/Steve, Halo/Master Chief)

It's really not all that wide of a selection. While I'm not one for "rules" I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly assume there are no limits when there are a few inferences to be made about the fighter pass:

1) Thus far, all content in the Challenger Packs have been entirely new to Smash. Despite some Mii Fighters returning, those are not considered a part of the Challenger Packs, but the Updates that accompany them.

2) The pass has been about bringing in new series to Smash, as well as "expanding the demographic" of Smash. This comes from Nintendo leadership regarding the DLC sales. Logically (hate to get all FACTS AND LOGIC on y'all) Nintendo fighters don't necessarily expand the demographic, especially of series that have plenty of content in the game already like Mario or Pokemon.

3) For Wii U, no companies overlapped and all newcomers were not in Smash Wii U previously. For Ultimate, this is consistent. With that said, that would rule out Atlus (part of SEGA), Square Enix (still leaves Sora with Disney directly owning him), SNK (probable that they're out), and Microsoft.

4) DLC was planned with the base roster in mind and with THAT in mind, it should be assumed that Assist, Spirit, or other upgrades are improbably for at least Pick 5.

5) It's entirely possible that Banjo is an exception. This is largely speculation with nothing to back it, but if he is an exception, then Bethesda, and Microsoft by extension are off the table.

If we infer these things as a whole, then that would shoot down Nintendo as not "expanding the demographic" and cap off Picks 1-5 with another 3rd party. If repeat company picks don't happen, that shoots down Microsoft, SEGA, SNK, and Square Enix. This takes down plenty of picks from those companies. Lastly, if Banjo is the western exception, then Bethesda is as good as shot down.

That essentially leaves Capcom, Disney, and Arc System Works, with characters Phoenix Wright, Amaterasu, Sora, and Sol Badguy remaining.

Should be an interesting week coming up unless we hear more. None of this is confirmed or anything, but I think it's safe to make inferences based on precedent and what fits with the pass. We all have wants, but I think it's much clearer to put our biases aside to look at what stands out now that we're through the leaker massacre.

 

[Icedragonadam]

io ahead and Oh yeah, go ahead and believe these developers or anyone else involved with the process and their PR talk, what else are these people suppose to say when asked about Smash. They can only say so much without trying to spoil anything.

When its pretty obvious that they know a more bigger picture than we even do. Not even "deconfirmation" from developers even mean anything. That whole thing happened months ago, and a lot could've changed from since then. Grant Kirphobe said that he wasn't working on anything for Smash AND said he knew nothing of Banjo, only to reveal for a couple months later after E3 has admitted that he known and worked on music for a while.

Well Kirkhope isn't apart of Microsoft, so I don't think he would even have any knowledge that the music he was composing for would be for Smash. Compared to the producer of KH flat out saying Sora isn't in.

 

[Lamperouge]

None of this is going to matter because none of the characters I listed are getting in.

I was about to throw a like your way until I came across this part.

 

[3BitSaurus]

Relating to dev disconfirmations: I think the fact that Kirkhope is the exception and not the rule should tell me everything I need to know. Yes, Sora's disconfirmation could very well just have been a lie, but... I don't think there's any merit in just assuming that in the first place. Personally, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised if my most wanted makes it in later than say it was a lie right now and possibly be let down.

That's just me though. I'm just an internet rando, so... you do you.

 

[Curious Villager]

I feel like that kind of discussion only really happens in support threads rather than the speculation thread because the focus of this thread changes at the drop of dime due to the nature of the thread.

I was working on a long post explaining how Professor Layton could be implemented and how his move set might be, but it's kind of hard to keep motivated when he is very likely not going to show up for character #5. Supporting characters can be draining, no one wants to raise their hopes or put in the effort to promote them if they feel like it's all going to be for naught.

That said it's not all gloom and doom, I'll probably get back to writing my post after Character #5 is revealed since post pass in a new horizon.

One bright side with all the disconfirmation massacre that happened the past week or two.
They only partain to fighter 5.

Once that's done and over we will be having post pass to look forward to.

 

[Hinata]

After a week of chaos in terms of candidates for Challenger Pack 5, we're down to far fewer candidates than we had a week ago. Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Tekken, Tales of...all off the table.

With this in mind, the only companies that haven't yet been struck down are the following:

Capcom (Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright, Okami/Amaterasu, Monster Hunter)
Square Enix (Kingdom Hearts/Sora, Nier Automata/2B, The World Ends with You/Neku)
Nintendo (Astral Chain, Fire Emblem Three Houses are the only two games without content updates)
Bethesda (Elder Scrolls/Dragonborn, DOOM/Doom Slayer)
Arc System Works (Guilty Gear/Sol Badguy)
SEGA (Puyo Puyo/Arle)
Microsoft (Minecraft/Steve, Halo/Master Chief)

It's really not all that wide of a selection. While I'm not one for "rules" I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly assume there are no limits when there are a few inferences to be made about the fighter pass:

1) Thus far, all content in the Challenger Packs have been entirely new to Smash. Despite some Mii Fighters returning, those are not considered a part of the Challenger Packs, but the Updates that accompany them.

2) The pass has been about bringing in new series to Smash, as well as "expanding the demographic" of Smash. This comes from Nintendo leadership regarding the DLC sales. Logically (hate to get all FACTS AND LOGIC on y'all) Nintendo fighters don't necessarily expand the demographic, especially of series that have plenty of content in the game already like Mario or Pokemon.

3) For Wii U, no companies overlapped and all newcomers were not in Smash Wii U previously. For Ultimate, this is consistent. With that said, that would rule out Atlus (part of SEGA), Square Enix (still leaves Sora with Disney directly owning him), SNK (probable that they're out), and Microsoft.

4) DLC was planned with the base roster in mind and with THAT in mind, it should be assumed that Assist, Spirit, or other upgrades are improbably for at least Pick 5.

5) It's entirely possible that Banjo is an exception. This is largely speculation with nothing to back it, but if he is an exception, then Bethesda, and Microsoft by extension are off the table.

If we infer these things as a whole, then that would shoot down Nintendo as not "expanding the demographic" and cap off Picks 1-5 with another 3rd party. If repeat company picks don't happen, that shoots down Microsoft, SEGA, SNK, and Square Enix. This takes down plenty of picks from those companies. Lastly, if Banjo is the western exception, then Bethesda is as good as shot down.

That essentially leaves Capcom, Disney, and Arc System Works, with characters Phoenix Wright, Amaterasu, Sora, and Sol Badguy remaining.

Should be an interesting week coming up unless we hear more. None of this is confirmed or anything, but I think it's safe to make inferences based on precedent and what fits with the pass. We all have wants, but I think it's much clearer to put our biases aside to look at what stands out now that we're through the leaker massacre.

The first time I've been able to post this here.

 

[Iko MattOrr]

Honestly my issue with PP is that his dev time could've been spent on one of the last remaining Nintendo icons. Something like Bandana Dee, Dixie, Toad or Waluigi even. Heck, if those four got in and then PP I think he would've been a funny joke pick. His timing was really awkward, and it will be even more awkward if we don't end up having another first party pick for DLC. At least his moveset is inventive. Remember, if Sakurai can think of a moveset for some generic baddie, he'd probably come up with a moveset for pratically anything.

Piranha Plant is the character I like the most of all the newcomers of Ultimate, and I think they should add more characters of that type.
I disagree about the remaining icons thing; to me, characters with original gameplay concept should get the priority.
What really counts to me is that a character is fun to play as/against, I don't care if it's not a big icon.
This said, I like Corring in Smash because of the moveset, I don't care if the character is bad in the original games or what.

We don't have to get those characters first. I mean, we don't need Peppy and Slippy to complete the Starfox crew before getting Krystal... Krystal's staff is interesting gameplay wise and can offer way more variety than making a random uninspired moveset made up for Peppy and Slippy only because they are main characters.
Having the big icons first is another of those fanmade rules that honestly are very limiting.
We got Rosalina before Toad, what's the problem? We got K Rool before Dixie; ok, Dixie is interesting and can be unique, though we didn't get her, so it's not mandatory to get the icons before being able to get the more secondary characters (K Rool was important in the classic DKC games, but remained unused for decades and when brought back in Smash, he was an old forgotten character).

Especially Bandana Waddle Dee. Why people think that we have to get him first in order to get any other Kirby character? I'll never understand; especially since I think that most of the other Kirby characters are way more interesting than him.
Bandana Waddle Dee is not even that much of an icon, he's a secondary character like any other; Kirby advertising/merchandise still consider Kirby, Dedede, Metaknight and regular waddle dees as the main characters, Bandana Waddle Dee has never been "the 4th main character" as some people say.

Spoiler: recent photo of a store in Japan, published on Kirby's official Twitter page

Kirby, Dedede, Metaknight, and some random Waddle Dees without any hat. The 25th Anniversary graphics were the same, the Amiibo too, and so.

Getting Bandana Waddle Dee first is totally unnecessary; we can potentially get Adeleine & Ribbon, Magolor, Marx, Daroach, Taranza, Susie, the Three Mage Sisters, Dark Matter or wathever you want (even a new character from a still unannounced Kirby game) without necessarily getting dee first, because the main trio is Kirby, Dedede and Metaknight, and they are all in the game already, everything else is side characters on the same level of importance.

 

[PSIGuy]

I was about to throw a like your way until I came across this part.

Sorry to be a downer, but it's a given that most characters aren't getting in. If I had a penny for every character moveset I tried to flesh out and a dollar for each one that actually got in I'd almost have two dollars. (Little Mac was the only character I came close to being right and even then he totally disregarded my "uses signature moves of other boxers" idea)

 

[PrettyIvyPearls22]

I feel like more people would share moveset ideas if responses weren't either (A) everyone ignoring their post, or (B) three or four people saying stuff like, "Cool, but they're never getting in Smash. Sorry."

Discussing character movesets would be a nice, fun change of pace to this thread. It could make people see why some people want certain characters. Wanting a character is one thing, but how would they play and what moveset style could they bring differently to the roster is pretty important.

Yeah if people weren't such jerks this topic would come up more often.

 

[Gyrom8]

Piranha Plant's timing was awkward but I like how it even rused the people anticipating a WTF pick

'oh yeah it'll be Labo Man or something'


enter generic mario enemy that isn't even a goomba or koopa

 

[KatKit]

I feel like more people would share moveset ideas if responses weren't either (A) everyone ignoring their post, or (B) three or four people saying stuff like, "Cool, but they're never getting in Smash. Sorry."

I think it's worth it anyway. If ya have cool ideas, please share them. I'm sure we have lurkers here who love stuff like this and people looking for inspiration and stuff. Creativity shouldn't be halted because you might not get noticed; these ideas should be exchanged, IMO. And at the very least, you might get someone else interested in something you're passionate about, which is always nice.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

To be honest, I thought discussing movesets was off topic here.

 

[Lady Kuki]

Piranha Plant is the character I like the most of all the newcomers of Ultimate, and I think they should add more characters of that type.
I disagree about the remaining icons thing; to me, characters with original gameplay concept should get the priority.
What really counts to me is that a character is fun to play as/against, I don't care if it's not a big icon.
This said, I like Corring in Smash because of the moveset, I don't care if the character is bad in the original games or what.

We don't have to get those characters first. I mean, we don't need Peppy and Slippy to complete the Starfox crew before getting Krystal... Krystal's staff is interesting gameplay wise and can offer way more variety than making a random uninspired moveset made up for Peppy and Slippy only because they are main characters.
Having the big icons first is another of those fanmade rules that honestly are very limiting.
We got Rosalina before Toad, what's the problem? We got K Rool before Dixie; ok, Dixie is interesting and can be unique, though we didn't get her, so it's not mandatory to get the icons before being able to get the more secondary characters (K Rool was important in the classic DKC games, but remained unused for decades and when brought back in Smash, he was an old forgotten character).

Especially Bandana Waddle Dee. Why people think that we have to get him first in order to get any other Kirby character? I'll never understand; especially since I think that most of the other Kirby characters are way more interesting than him.
Bandana Waddle Dee is not even that much of an icon, he's a secondary character like any other; Kirby advertising/merchandise still consider Kirby, Dedede, Metaknight and regular waddle dees as the main characters, Bandana Waddle Dee has never been "the 4th main character" as some people say.

Spoiler: recent photo of a store in Japan, published on Kirby's official Twitter page

Kirby, Dedede, Metaknight, and some random Waddle Dees without any hat. The 25th Anniversary graphics were the same, the Amiibo too, and so.

Getting Bandana Waddle Dee first is totally unnecessary; we can potentially get Adeleine & Ribbon, Magolor, Marx, Daroach, Taranza, Susie, the Three Mage Sisters, Dark Matter or wathever you want (even a new character from a still unannounced Kirby game) without necessarily getting dee first, because the main trio is Kirby, Dedede and Metaknight, and they are all in the game already, everything else is side characters on the same level of importance.

Okay, as someone who actually likes Adeleine way more than Bandana Dee, I'm inclined to agree; I only brought him up though because he did have a lot of supporters before his disconfirmation.

I mean, I'm not opposed to random off-the-wall characters either, but I'm just frankly disappointed that Piranha Plant had to get in when something like Dixie, who has appeared in many games especially recent ones got overlooked for whatever reason. I find it unfair to compare her to the likes of Slippy and Peppy for that reason lol. Perhaps my view on Piranha Plant will soften a lot more if we do get a first party. Or not. Either way I have no control on who or what gets in. I can only express how I feel you know?

Also, you can come up with a unique moveset with just about anyone. You can do it with Toad, Bandana Dee, etc. All that matters is the amount of time you put in, which is why we even have clones in the first place.

 

[Iko MattOrr]

Okay, as someone who actually likes Adeleine way more than Bandana Dee, I'm inclined to agree; I only brought him up though because he did have a lot of supporters before his disconfirmation.

I mean, I'm not opposed to random off-the-wall characters either, but I'm just frankly disappointed that Piranha Plant had to get in when something like Dixie, who has appeared in many games especially recent ones got overlooked for whatever reason. I find it unfair to compare her to the likes of Slippy and Peppy for that reason lol. Perhaps my view on Piranha Plant will soften a lot more if we do get a first party. Or not. Either way I have no control on who or what gets in. I can only express how I feel you know?

Also, you can come up with a unique moveset with just about anyone. You can do it with Toad, Bandana Dee, etc. All that matters is the amount of time you put in, which is why we even have clones in the first place.

I see, I respect your opinion.
The post wasn't specifically aimed at you, I quoted your post because you mentioned that "icons first" thing, but it was mostly aimed to all those people who say "that character can't get in Smash because that other one is more important and should get in first", something that honestly I hate.

 

[AntagonisticGalaxyCetacea]

Picking and choosing which characters are subject to "just PR talk" or not is a bit silly IMO

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Piranha Plant was a neat addition, but it's also the kind of inclusion where if it begins to happen more often, it'll lose its charm and begin feeling like a waste imo. Generally Smash has done a good job at keeping obscure surprise newcomers refreshing by keeping it to 1 or 2 new ones per game.

 

[TheCJBrine]

If Banjo & Kazooie, as Sakurai said, were easy to get, then Steve should be a cake walk.

Let's look at what he has going for him:

-Popular? Check.
-Popular IN JAPAN? Check.
-Easy to work with? Check.
-Nintendo loves it? Check.
-Sakurai loves it? CHECK.

Now, will he be fighter 5? Probably not, I don't find him likely myself, but for the next pass? He's in, my dudes. please Sakurai.

 

[Lady Kuki]

I see, I respect your opinion.
The post wasn't specifically aimed at you, I quoted your post because you mentioned that "icons first" thing, but it was mostly aimed to all those people who say "that character can't get in Smash because that other one is more important and should get in first", something that honestly I hate.

I don't like that mentality either, but considering the general pattern on what types of characters are added in Smash, I could sadly see why that sentiment keeps getting repeated. Heck, I feel like the only reason the "must be iconic" rule got broken in Ultimate was because of the ballot. I think Sakurai saw the ballot and used it to pick more off the wall picks. Off the wall as in "they're not iconic or relevant anymore, but that's what people want" type picks. Aside from some of the Ultimate newcomers, the only other crazy picks were from retro games. I don't know where I'd put Falcon and the Mother boys though; I think their games were relevant during their respective Smash debuts.

Adding onto my first point, with the "iconic or relevant characters only" I think he's probably gonna avoid promotional picks like Byleth or a Ring Fit character in general because of this. I remember part of people's issue with Corrin was that "no one asked for him" and that he was too corporate of a pick. Sakurai is probably trying to avoid more of those picks now, at least as far as Nintendo is concerned. Third parties tho? Go crazy.

 

[Night Gale]

As much as I'd love to doodle out a moveset for one of my most wanteds, I feel like it's all for naught. Maybe if this were during the ballot days, sure, but I feel like there isn't much point to supporting a character anymore, personally. Sakurai has already more or less decided on who he's going to add. The only thing I can hope for is that we both somehow had the same idea on who or what could be added.

Future installments. There's no way that this is the final Super Smash Bros.

 

[Al-kīmiyā']

I really don't follow the logic that because Sakurai apologized for Rex not being in, that somehow means another Xenoblade character is FP5. Sakurai apologized for Rex because he's one of the most popular newcomer requests, I don't really see the train of thought that leads from that to another newcomer.


Yeah, because the people willing to fork over $0.75 for Rex are going to be pissed at seeing him playable.

I thought the Rex costume was only available by buying the pass.

 

[Seanapotamus]

If Banjo & Kazooie, as Sakurai said, were easy to get, then Steve should be a cake walk.

Let's look at what he has going for him:

-Popular? Check.
-Popular IN JAPAN? Check.
-Easy to work with? Check.
-Nintendo loves it? Check.
-Sakurai loves it? CHECK.

Now, will he be fighter 5? Probably not, I don't find him likely myself, but for the next pass? He's in, my dudes. please Sakurai.

I think it should be mentioned that Steve does have good moveset potential. For example he could use a trident and/or bow as his projectile attacks. His Up-Special would easily be the Elytra with the rockets and his Down-Special could involve crafting, just like in Minecraft. As for standard attacks he could use various melee weapons such as a Diamond Sword.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

2) The pass has been about bringing in new series to Smash, as well as "expanding the demographic" of Smash. This comes from Nintendo leadership regarding the DLC sales. Logically (hate to get all FACTS AND LOGIC on y'all) Nintendo fighters don't necessarily expand the demographic, especially of series that have plenty of content in the game already like Mario or Pokemon.

Jones right now

I just want to add since Arc system works hasn’t been shot down yet, despite not knowing anything about Sol Badguy I wouldn’t mind him getting in because his name is hilarious.

 

[BlackInk]

I thought the Rex costume was only available by buying the pass.

It is...

 

[Lady Kuki]

Future installments. There's no way that this is the final Super Smash Bros.

Aside from Dixie, most of my most wanteds are either third parties who probably won't be in the next game due to no more big crossover stuff (Zero, Tails, Klonoa), or admittedly flavor of the month picks like a 3H or Pokemon SwSh rep. For the latter, if they do not show up in this game at all, their chances of appearing in Smash as playable are pretty much done for. I can only hope that the Pokemon/FE chars in the next games may tickle my fancy. Because of this, I will only truly support Dixie, because the more Sakurai overlooks her, the bigger her support base will grow. That, and I'm pretty sure we'll be getting more DKC games at this point

 

[cothero]

Any news?... Deconfirmations?... Fill me in.

 

[Seanapotamus]

Any news?... Deconfirmations?... Fill me in.

No new deconfirmations... yet.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Any news?... Deconfirmations?... Fill me in.

Nothing yet today but it's currently 8am in Japan so give it an hour or three

 

[Deleted member]

After a week of chaos in terms of candidates for Challenger Pack 5, we're down to far fewer candidates than we had a week ago. Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Tekken, Tales of...all off the table.

With this in mind, the only companies that haven't yet been struck down are the following:

Capcom (Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright, Okami/Amaterasu, Monster Hunter)
Square Enix (Kingdom Hearts/Sora, Nier Automata/2B, The World Ends with You/Neku)
Nintendo (Astral Chain, Fire Emblem Three Houses are the only two games without content updates)
Bethesda (Elder Scrolls/Dragonborn, DOOM/Doom Slayer)
Arc System Works (Guilty Gear/Sol Badguy)
SEGA (Puyo Puyo/Arle)
Microsoft (Minecraft/Steve, Halo/Master Chief)

It's really not all that wide of a selection. While I'm not one for "rules" I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly assume there are no limits when there are a few inferences to be made about the fighter pass:

1) Thus far, all content in the Challenger Packs have been entirely new to Smash. Despite some Mii Fighters returning, those are not considered a part of the Challenger Packs, but the Updates that accompany them.

2) The pass has been about bringing in new series to Smash, as well as "expanding the demographic" of Smash. This comes from Nintendo leadership regarding the DLC sales. Logically (hate to get all FACTS AND LOGIC on y'all) Nintendo fighters don't necessarily expand the demographic, especially of series that have plenty of content in the game already like Mario or Pokemon.

3) For Wii U, no companies overlapped and all newcomers were not in Smash Wii U previously. For Ultimate, this is consistent. With that said, that would rule out Atlus (part of SEGA), Square Enix (still leaves Sora with Disney directly owning him), SNK (probable that they're out), and Microsoft.

4) DLC was planned with the base roster in mind and with THAT in mind, it should be assumed that Assist, Spirit, or other upgrades are improbably for at least Pick 5.

5) It's entirely possible that Banjo is an exception. This is largely speculation with nothing to back it, but if he is an exception, then Bethesda, and Microsoft by extension are off the table.

If we infer these things as a whole, then that would shoot down Nintendo as not "expanding the demographic" and cap off Picks 1-5 with another 3rd party. If repeat company picks don't happen, that shoots down Microsoft, SEGA, SNK, and Square Enix. This takes down plenty of picks from those companies. Lastly, if Banjo is the western exception, then Bethesda is as good as shot down.

That essentially leaves Capcom, Disney, and Arc System Works, with characters Phoenix Wright, Amaterasu, Sora, and Sol Badguy remaining.

Should be an interesting week coming up unless we hear more. None of this is confirmed or anything, but I think it's safe to make inferences based on precedent and what fits with the pass. We all have wants, but I think it's much clearer to put our biases aside to look at what stands out now that we're through the leaker massacre.

If I must be blunt the "Banjo is the exception of western characters" statement feels a little bit like goalpost moving. Of course by all means he could be and we'll never get Crash, Doomguy, Maxwell and the like but we'll never know that for sure until the DLC is over, and why did Snake/Cloud kill the "connection to Nintendo" rule but Banjo didn't do the same with the "no western characters" rule and was instead considered the exception that proved it?

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

If I must be blunt the "Banjo is the exception of western characters" statement feels a little bit like goalpost moving. Of course by all means he could be and we'll never get Crash, Doomguy, Maxwell and the like but we'll never know that for sure until the DLC is over, and why did Snake/Cloud kill the "connection to Nintendo" rule but Banjo didn't do the same with the "no western characters" rule and was instead considered the exception that proved the rule?

Because people assume that because fan demand is the only reason that the characters are in the game, no other characters that share their traits as an IP are going to even be considered until proven otherwise. And we all know nothing is ever proven otherwise.

 

[cothero]

Oh, so Vergeben killed Namco and Level-5 characters... That's surprising. Now things are getting interesting.