Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Wunderwaft]

I still want a Gen 3 and Gen 5 Pokemon in Smash but I am aware of how strong the backlash against them would be.

Blaziken as a Captain Falcon Semi-clone would still be rad tho.

I will forever be against cross-series clones until the end of time. Ganondorf got in as a Captain Falcon clone and he still retains those clone properties nearly two decades later.

 

[I.D.]

Seriously though has anyone here ever noticed how people act when asking for more non-character representation in Smash? If you want another Ice Climber, it's ok! If you want another Earthbound AT, it's perfectly fine. If you want Fates to have more songs than Lost in Thoughts All Alone, god, you already have sooooo much! Fire Emblem fans are almost cartoonishly greedy! It's so unfair that one composer made a bunch of FE remixes, he should have been told to stop and add a Zelda remix! Typical FE fans, never satisfied! What's that? FE fans aren't happy with Corrin? How dare you! You know how much Kirby fans wanted another character? For shame FE fans!

2 years later
OH MY GOD THE FE FANS ARE SOOOO MEEEAAAAN THEY'RE SAYING 'HOES MAD' AT MEEEEEE WHY ARE THEY SO MEEEAAAAN

Who are you quoting

 

[WeirdChillFever]

What i like about giving him the champion's power is that not only he helps represent one part of BOTW that link doesn't, but also works as a bridge between teh four champions, and i think that channeling the champions spirits as a concept works better with his theme as Songs, but not only songs as sound, but also as legends and lorekeeping.

With songs that reminiscent the deeds of the ones that are long gone. while he isn't a shaman, IMO wouldn't be so much of a stretch to make him a channeler of dead heroes.

Plus think of all the potential jojo memes that he could create,

Oh yeah, it's canon for the Champions to appear as souls and he is connected to Champions through the DLC. Maybe certain notes could correspond to certain directions and thus a specific Champion, Byleth-style? It'd be as if you played a song by chaining individual notes together which causes the Champions to come together in harmony,

 

[Ridrool64]

With Volume 2 upon us, I already posted my predictions for it. My wants are my wants, but this game is not catered to me so making a pass that is purely my wants is fanatical. Plus, it'd just be my top 5 and filler in the exact order of Arle, Crash, Paper, Frisk, and Lloyd, then some random guy.

But I'm going to make a "plan B" pass, where for whatever reason none of the fighters I picked could be realized. For reference, I'm assuming Volume 1's format will mostly repeat with Volume 2 (a big character who isn't really thought of as Nintendo, two characters that get the west and Japan hyped, a lower key third party, and a first party with something to promote) [And for the final spot, something that makes the public go "OH MY GOD" but the Smash fandom go "Aw man..."]. The plan B pass also has only one potential new third party involved; everything else is from somebody they know will work with them, minimizing the chances of things going south.

1. Crash Bandicoot -> 2B. 2B is a character who, in a lot of respects, matches what Joker is like. While her game never touched Nintendo consoles, she is a widely popular and beloved figure... for her game, her personality, and her figure. Still, Nier: Automata is a game I believe will get represented in Smash sooner or later.
2. Doom Slayer -> Master Chief. To the layman who isn't aware, you would still be able to tell just how monumental the character is. Thus, everybody would go gaga over the character in the west, even if the Japanese are like "くそ" or "www" for the whole thing.
3. Arle Nadja -> Reimu, or maybe Sora. Reimu is the one who fits this category the best: Touhou is basically the Undertale of Japan's indie/doujin scene. Sora is a global name but to say he's not incredibly big in Japan is to spew fabrications. Both of them would wash the taste of Chief out of the Japanese's mouths, while the western world is sated and forgives the character, or in the case of Sora is also hyped.
4. Travis Touchdown -> Phoenix Wright or Amaterasu. Both of them are very popular in the Smash fandom for sure, but unlike the above their sphere of influence is nowhere near as big. I see them fitting the "low-key" third party, somebody who's iconic amongst fans of the genre but otherwise somewhat obscure, though they have the stuff.
5. Bandana Waddle Dee -> Paper Mario. Aside from the rumors of a potential Paper Mario game to be announced, the guy was a massive fan favorite in the Smash 4 era, formerly being top dog for Mario RPG characters. Keeps the hype going. If a Xenoblade X remaster were to be a thing, I would put Elma here as well.
6. Waluigi -> A Pokémon. They don't need to be Galarian, but considering that we only ever get new Pokémon that are relevant, I think it's safe to assume they will be. Ends the pass with a bang to the general public, and on a wet fart to the Smash fandom, as well as a portion of the Pokémon fandom.

That leaves out some prominent peoples. Dante and Ryu Hayabusa are runner ups to the spots I've been talking about, and fit the game like a glove, but in general I think 2B and one of the Capcom duo fit those places better. Lara Croft is close, but I feel like 2B would be the kind of character Sakurai would go for over her. Geno... at this point, I'm starting to believe that Geno will get Mii'd again. I dunno if he's gonna get upgraded to a premium one with a song, or just have his old Smash 4 costume ported, though. I'm also not a believer in Bamco if they've continually failed to get a newcomer [4's DLC, Ultimate's base game, and Volume 1 have all passed without a Bamco character], though maybe that could change. Anybody else I left out has slipped my mind.

 

[N3ON]

I still want a Gen 3 and Gen 5 Pokemon in Smash but I am aware of how strong the backlash against them would be.

Blaziken as a Captain Falcon Semi-clone would still be rad tho.

I actually don't think Gen 3 or 5 would generate much backlash, especially when compared to Gen 8. Because presumably a Pokemon from one of those gens would be chosen out of popularity, which people are generally fairly cool with. Other than maybe Sceptile, due to people taking issue with the reasons it gained popularity in the first place.

But yeah, if it was a semi-clone, people would be mad. They'd have to be original. But that really isn't unique to Pokemon.

Anyone's Fighter Pass 2 concept that has Doomguy in it gets a 10/10 from me instantly.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I actually don't think Gen 3 or 5 would generate much backlash, especially when compared to Gen 8. Because presumably a Pokemon from one of those gens would be chosen out of popularity, which people are generally fairly cool with. Other than maybe Sceptile, due to people taking issue with the reasons it gained popularity in the first place.

But yeah, if it was a semi-clone, people would be mad. They'd have to be original. But that really isn't unique to Pokemon.

I think an echo would be fine, but not as DLC.

 

[N3ON]

I think an echo would be fine, but not as DLC.

If there was a clone of some sort offered in addition to the characters already promised, sure.

But anything up to and including a Wolf-type character in the pass would generate backlash on the basis of not being completely original.

 

[staindgrey]

I still want a Gen 3 and Gen 5 Pokemon in Smash but I am aware of how strong the backlash against them would be.

Eh, who cares about backlash. Play whomever you want.

This post made by Corrin main gang.

 

[Nesysli]

Paper Mario would be pretty rad. I always thought Seven Stars was ok but I never got really into it. But the first Paper Mario hit me hard and is one of my most beloved games of all time. It & Thousand year door came into my life at the perfect time and I have the fondest memories of them.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Paper Mario would be pretty rad. I always thought Seven Stars was ok but I never got really into it. But the first Paper Mario hit me hard and is one of my most beloved games of all time. It & Thousand year door came into my life at the perfect time and I have the fondest memories of them.

Paper Mario's been an odd character for me as he was one of my most wanted until Color Splash then he fell down the list.
Not because I didn't like Paper Mario any more but it was... well you know how Bowser Jr is a New Super Mario character instead of a Sunshine character? I was afraid that all the potential of the first three games would be wasted in favor of more closely aping original Mario, much like Paper Mario itself was becoming.

 

[Deleted member]

I think an echo would be fine, but not as DLC.

I'm in the same boat. I've warmed up to clones and echos over the years but I refuse to pay for one. My standards for purchasing a fighter should have a unique moveset that's fun to play.

I wouldn't mind if there was a scenerio where a fighter came with an echo for free or something but I can't see an echo taking up an entire slot.

 

[Captain Shwampy]

Made my pass:

 

[I.D.]

I wouldn't mind if there was a scenerio where a fighter came with an echo for free or something but I can't see an echo taking up an entire slot.

Nintendo makes you pay for mii costumes, no way they are going to hand out clones for free

 

[UtopianPoyzin]

Rate my season pass umu.

View attachment 258754

It has everything! platformers, exploration, action adventure, sandbox, shooter, fighting game, non human characters, males females, bishonens, gender neutrals, cute, sexy, cool, though, swords, staff, guns, western, first party, third party, promotional picks, legendary picks, fan favorites, surprises, and even a little chocolate.

Call me a debbie downer, but Alucard is redundant with Simon and Richter being added this cycle after appearing as an assist trophy, Kass is completely random and is definitely shadowed by better, more recognizable Zelda reps. Smash is for good boys and girls: no Morrigan.

The rest is fine I guess.

 

[PeridotGX]

I will forever be against cross-series clones until the end of time. Ganondorf got in as a Captain Falcon clone and he still retains those clone properties nearly two decades later.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Ganondorf has a lot of unique things he can do, making him a clone was wasted potential. Blaziken is an old Pokemon who's whole thing is fire kicks, he has no real reason to be unique and would be very fitting as an echo.

 

[Deleted member]

Nintendo makes you pay for mii costumes, no way they are going to hand out clones for free

I said free or something, so I could part ways with a buck or two for a clone if I had too but again, I doubt a clone would take up an FP slot.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Paper Mario would be pretty rad. I always thought Seven Stars was ok but I never got really into it. But the first Paper Mario hit me hard and is one of my most beloved games of all time. It & Thousand year door came into my life at the perfect time and I have the fondest memories of them.

Well if the rumors were true about the new Paper Mario game, Paper Mario as a fighter could be possible. There are issues with that decision though. From a conceptual standpoint, he's Mario, but paper, those negative about it would latch onto that immediately. Combine that with him being an obvious promo pick and the Super Mario series's 10th (he'd actually be the 9th because Daisy doesn't count but that's not gonna matter considering people count Chrom and Lucina) fighter and you might be looking at a huge backlash bomb, especially if he precedes Byleth. Also, he's not really a good pass opener. You'll have to convince people to buy an alternate version of Mario, unlike if it was a Joker level reveal. The only way I'd see people accepting him is if his reveal was snuck in after the reveal of an industry juggernaut joining the battle.

I wouldn't mind if there was a scenerio where a fighter came with an echo for free or something but I can't see an echo taking up an entire slot.

Nintendo makes you pay for mii costumes, no way they are going to hand out clones for free

I don't think they'll do this, but it could be feasible for them to add Echo Fighters at the same (or a similar) price as the Mii Costumes. It'd probably be received just fine as well. Though as always, it would depend on who it was.

Smash is for good boys and girls: no Morrigan.

Is this why you don't want the character or why you think they wouldn't add her?

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Ganondorf has a lot of unique things he can do, making him a clone was wasted potential. Blaziken is an old Pokemon who's whole thing is fire kicks, he has no real reason to be unique and would be very fitting as an echo.

I agree with you, but the reasoning goes a bit deeper. In pretty much all official materials, Blaziken has been shown to be very similar to Captain Falcon. It's not quite as showboaty, but it does battle very...flamboyantly for lack of a better term. Heck, in Pokkén Tournament it's basically Bruce Lee as a Pokémon. And of course a lot of Captain Falcon's moves could easily be translated into moves Blaziken can learn, such as Sky Uppercut, Blaze Kick, and Brave Bird (Though the last one would be taking creative liberties since it's a tackle and not a punch).

 

[RetroBro]

I think the root of the problem is that we're all arguing over a video game in the first place.

Like, if you like FE, awesome! If you don't, that's cool, but please just be respectful about it. Both sides of this thing constantly antagonize each other and act immaturely.

Basically? It's just a video game. Why does anyone gotta be mad?

Well sure, people argue about dumb **** all the time. Doesn't really matter either way, people put their emotions into things that they care about. A thought experiment if you will. How many fire emblem characters would you take before you would ever say that's enough?

A lot of why people get frustrated has to do with representation of their favorite games. So there's a lot of people who feel their favorite game or character hasn't been repped at all or proportionately. Fire Emblem fans have a lot of reason to rejoice, no doubt. But it is kinda humorous how that fanbase is definitely the largest recipient of fan service than any other base. Which plenty of people think it's inappropriate given the massive success and legacies of other Nintendo franchises.

I love FE and 3H. But this does stick out like a sore thumb, I say this as I have plans to play and potentially main Byleth (Slow characters are my jam). I'll say it again, why the hell wasn't it Edelgard, Dimitri, or Claude and not the generic silent protagonist avatar.... It's just snoozeville to me. Zzzzzzz.

 

[PeridotGX]

Is there a fighter's pass vol.2 template online? I'm looking for it, but I'm not finding anything.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Call me a debbie downer, but Alucard is redundant with Simon and Richter being added this cycle after appearing as an assist trophy, Kass is completely random and is definitely shadowed by better, more recognizable Zelda reps. Smash is for good boys and girls: no Morrigan.

The rest is fine I guess.

Morrigan doesn't have a minkskirt, I fail to see the issue with her

 

[RetroBro]

Morrigan doesn't have a minkskirt, I fail to see the issue with her

Her outfit is definitely up there as far as being provocative goes. Her chest is almost entirely exposed.

 

[N3ON]

Is there a fighter's pass vol.2 template online? I'm looking for it, but I'm not finding anything.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Her outfit is definitely up there as far as being provocative goes. Her chest is almost entirely exposed.

Which can easily be changed to cover up as much as Byleth's bust

 

[SvartWolf]

Her outfit is definitely up there as far as being provocative goes. Her chest is almost entirely exposed.

Her chest have gotten toned down and covered more in other games in order to lower the ESRB rating (Like MVC infinte), and is not an important part of neither her attacks nor animations (unlike may jigglity jiggleness).
Yes, she basically eats good and fun sex, but is always offscreen as is only implied. playfulness, guillotines, thorns, bats and mechas (yes, she is nerdier than you though) are the important parts of her moveset, and is teh kind of thing that needs to be represented in a moveset. thats why is easy to adapt the degrees of sexiness she can show. (and thats why is easy to fit her literally everywhere capcom has his hands on).

Regarding Kass. i think he is the most interesting BOTW NPC not named Zelda or teh champions, he also is a central point to teh champions, the expansion pass is centered around him and teh champions and since he is pretty much alive, he is elegible for being an important character for BotW 2 If so, he can be also be used as promotional material.

 

[lordvaati]

Just woke up from me odinsleep and yikes, what the drokk did I start with my character predictions? I'm just gonna lean onto what IKO said and that while characters without Spirits are not guaranteed, it does not mean they are expendable. I mean we've got Spirits of literally one of the most obscure Mario characters ever in Wanda, but you want me to believe that Giygas having none is because of low priority....despite them even holding a Mother Anniversary Spirit event last year where they could have made one. Gonna have to object to that. But I digress.

Made my pass:

View attachment 258774

yes, I too would like a sequel to Fighter's Megamix, preferrably updated with modern Sega characters like Ryo from Shenmue and Kiryu from Yakuza. And on that same vein I hope we can get that as a Sega Ages release on the Switch...only because I don't feel like buying a Saturn currently.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Ganondorf has a lot of unique things he can do, making him a clone was wasted potential. Blaziken is an old Pokemon who's whole thing is fire kicks, he has no real reason to be unique and would be very fitting as an echo.

Would you like to become familiar with the legendary hero Pokken DX?

I feel like you might be a bit rough on the Blazing Chicken there. As shown by the above there is some variety that can be evoked from a movepool for them rather then just being slapped onto the Captain Falcon skeleton. Furthermore part of the charm of Cap was that he was built from the remains of a scrapped character from the Dragon Fighter game. Ganondorf was overlayed on the Cap style due to time constraints of the 13 month dev cycle and because of having a similar body type, but was always favored poorly due to being another franchise. If we did that with Blaziken, it would be a case of YET ANOTHER franchise having to pull from Cap's skeleton...on top of already having to deal with the requests for Black Shadow, who like 95% of people request for to be another variation of that same movepool.

One of the few legitimate criticisms over the Fire Emblem cast is how a good chunk of them follow some of Marth's move template(or his older template in the case of Roy and sorta Chrom.) while we now know the reason why Counters were added was to reflect the turn-based play at the time, the remaining traits all culminated in the unfortunate typecasting by some of all of them being variants of Marth by some outsiders, and we all saw the side effect of that stigma on Thursday. Making more Echoes based on Cap would just be the same criticism under a different name, only arguably worse since it would absorb other IPs outside of F-Zero into that too.

 

[DaybreakHorizon]

I tried using the template for Fighters Pass predictions, but it didn't work out. Whatever. Instead I'll just use text.

Here it is: My Initial Fighters Pass 2 Predictions
Please note that these are subject to change.

I'm working under the assumption of a limited budget, which would therefore lead to Nintendo working mostly with companies already on board with Smash and mainly taking B and C tier third parties (aside from one or two). We'll also assume these are the last characters, so Sakurai's trying to fill in some blanks.

Spoiler: #1

Dante (Devil May Cry)

I sincerely believe that Capcom is getting a DLC rep at some point, and I think if we're getting one it has to be Dante. Given the suspect timing of current series director Hidaki Itsuno saying that if fans want Dante in Smash they should get DMC on Switch and the soon after releases of DMC 1, 2, and 3 (with added features) on Switch, the resurgence of DMC with V achieving critical acclaim (DMC IS BACK) alongside the aforementioned ports, and Dante's surprising uptick in popularity over the span of Fighters Pass 1, I think he'd edge out the Capcom competition. When it comes to gameplay, he could use the popular style change mechanic to change fighting styles on the fly, or just have a ****-ton of moves like he does in MvC3.

Spoiler: #2

Lloyd Irving (Tales of)

Say hello to your core fanbase pick. I've written about Lloyd in the past, and the points about him I made back then still hold to this day. I believe the lack of his costume (or any Namco costumes in general) is kind of suspect, and unlike Heihachi he didn't get any references in base, which is even more suspect. Tales of is pretty much the last major JRPG series remaining not in Smash, Lloyd is the Tales of pick according to Sakurai, and Lloyd could bring a lot to the table with chaining arte attacks. His popularity in the core fanbase and likely solid ballot turnout are definitely also factors in his favor.

Spoiler: #3

Agnes Oblige (Bravely Default)

This is probably my most out-there prediction, but I believe Square is going to return to Nintendo for more sweet sweet Smash money, and they're going to put forward Bravely Default. Bravely Default is making a comeback with 2 releasing on Switch, so you could consider this somewhat of a "shill-pick" for lack of a better word, as Agnes (or any Bravely character) would be added in part to promote the franchise on Switch (it's still a solidly notable franchise regardless).

Why would Sakurai choose Bravely over other prominent Square Enix characters? One word: moveset. Sakurai is on the record saying that moveset is more important than recognizability, and the job-swapping mechanic so central to the Bravely Default games is oozing fun moveset potential. In 2016 Sakurai spitballed a job-changing moveset in an interview and then stopped himself to remark that "actually, that would be kind of interesting." I'm assuming that Sakurai is working under his eternal assumption that this is pack is the end of Smash Bros., and would therefore be interested in revisiting novel ideas like this. It's a matter of certain variables coming together in a perfect way to get Bravely into Smash.

Before you ask, yes, Geno gets hit up with the deluxe Mii Costume treatment.

OR


Nintendo character (**** if I know)
In an alternate world where Smash DLC doesn't double-dip with companies, I'd reserve a spot for an up-and-coming Nintendo IP. I don't know why but I really feel like, if we get another Nintendo rep, it'll be from Monolith's new IP. If there's any game Sakurai would play early to include a character in Smash for, I feel like it'd be the new IP given how much he loves Monolith Soft's work. You could also include Stylist (Style Savvy - my second personal pick), Euden (Dragalia Lost - we're sleeping on him imo), or Ring Fit Trainer (Ring Fit Trainer - I heavily doubt this one since I don't know how she could properly differentiate herself from Wii Fit Trainer) among others (though I personally doubt the latter most). You could also include characters from IPs close to Nintendo, such as Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes) or Gran (or any Granblue character) (Granblue Fantasy - we're seriously sleeping on this series imo Nintendo owns 5% of Cygames it'd be so easy and get so much money). Hell, you could even put Geno (Super Mario RPG) here I guess.

This is pretty much just a flex spot since I don't ****in' know who it'll be, just that it'll be a really easy character to get.

Spoiler: #4

Arle Nadja (Puyo Puyo)

I feel like Arle would've been next in line as a Sega rep if only they hadn't bought Atlus. She actually placed decently in the Ballot era, especially in Western observations of Japanese fan speculation. Sega's been making a harder push for the series to be one of their main series recently, and In terms of moveset she's a puzzle rep. Sakurai could do a lot with that. Good popularity, good relevance, good moveset, good pick.

Spoiler: #5

Adol Christin (Ys)

Remember when I said Tales of was the last major JRPG series not in Smash? I lied.

The Ys series is pretty much the last major JRPG not in Smash, and is to Action RPGs as Dragon Quest is to JRPGs. It's been around since 1987 and pretty much paved the way for later Action RPGs (and also kinda chiptunes) after it. Falcom is a major Japanese video game development company, and while the Ys series is relatively niche in the West

• a) That didn't keep Dragon Quest out of Smash, and
• b) Could bring a lot of interesting movesets given the many different mechanics his games have introduced. If taking from Lacrimosa of Dana, the Flash Guard and Flash Dodge systems could be used to make him a highly mobile swordfighter who relies on precisely timed spotdodges and parries to inflict large damage on opponents.

There are other points to be made and I'd love to write a full speculation post on him if I had the time, but for the sake of brevity I'll cap things here.

Spoiler: #6

Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)

A former icon of a major competitor, a defining character of the fifth generation of consoles, making a resurgence, would please the core fanbase alongside casuals, Activision is pretty close to Nintendo, etc. etc. etc.

Spoiler: Honorable Mentions

I could see these being one of the slots, but am not confident enough to predict it

Sora (Kingdom Hearts) or Master Chief (Halo)
The other two major bombshell characters besides Dante. However, I see Dante as more likely given Capcom is already on board with Smash. Comparatively, Sora entails Nintendo negotiating with Disney, and given the timeline of Disney warming up to video games (around Summer 2019) and Pass 2 being decided (before November 2019), there's only a very small window where negotiations would even be seriously possible, let alone succeed. I also work under the assumption that, given Sora's popularity since the Ballot era, negotiations have been attempted and failed before, which adds another layer to the complicated question of "Would Nintendo approach Disney for Sora in Smash?" Master Chief has to contend with lesser popularity in Japan and the language barrier between Japanese and English. While that worked out for Banjo, it's worth mentioning that Banjo was popular in both America and Japan, whereas Master Chief is not. Both are possible, but impractical unless DLC 2 has an increased budget (which I doubt it does).

No ****in' way we get both of them in one pass. If we do I'll ****in' eat crow but there's no way it happens.


Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

It's like yeah, I see the merits of his inclusion (historic ties to Nintendo, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo being close since the Wii U era, etc.), but also he doesn't really appeal to any major groups. He only picked up traction as a result of leaks, which then brought his merits to light. His popularity in speculation seems to have fizzled down since then.


Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)

I think to myself "would Sakurai approach Arc System Works for Sol Badguy?" and I honestly don't know. I don't think I know enough about Guilty Gear to make a call of if it's on the same level as King of Fighters in terms of history and icon status, nor do I know how easy it'd be to license him given Guilty Gear's large resurgence. He'd be hella cool tho.

 

[KillerCage]

Good morning everyone.

Okay, who labeled Lesley's post as spam?
That was totally unnecessary.

 

[I.D.]

Okay, who labeled Lesley's post as spam?

Probably a mod.

 

[Sysreq]

So I skipped like 30 pages because I couldn't be bothered, but has the topic of future deluxe Mii costumes been discussed? I assume we're getting at least 3 or 4 more.
My guesses for some future ones are:
-Geno
-Knight from Hollow Knight
-Shovel Knight

 

[NeonVoid]

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Ganondorf has a lot of unique things he can do, making him a clone was wasted potential. Blaziken is an old Pokemon who's whole thing is fire kicks, he has no real reason to be unique and would be very fitting as an echo.

If they were going to make another fire starter for Smash, it would probably be Cinderace because Gen 8

Honestly, I would give Cinderace a fair try

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Her outfit is definitely up there as far as being provocative goes. Her chest is almost entirely exposed.

Nothing a little reducing could do. That or cover them more as they did withand

 

[Gentlepanda]

I tried using the template for Fighters Pass predictions, but it didn't work out. Whatever. Instead I'll just use text.

Here it is: My Initial Fighters Pass 2 Predictions
Please note that these are subject to change.

I'm working under the assumption of a limited budget, which would therefore lead to Nintendo working mostly with companies already on board with Smash and mainly taking B and C tier third parties (aside from one or two). We'll also assume these are the last characters, so Sakurai's trying to fill in some blanks.

Spoiler: #1

View attachment 258766
Dante (Devil May Cry)

I sincerely believe that Capcom is getting a DLC rep at some point, and I think if we're getting one it has to be Dante. Given the suspect timing of current series director Hidaki Itsuno saying that if fans want Dante in Smash they should get DMC on Switch and the soon after releases of DMC 1, 2, and 3 (with added features) on Switch, the resurgence of DMC with V achieving critical acclaim (DMC IS BACK) alongside the aforementioned ports, and Dante's surprising uptick in popularity over the span of Fighters Pass 1, I think he'd edge out the Capcom competition. When it comes to gameplay, he could use the popular style change mechanic to change fighting styles on the fly, or just have a ****-ton of moves like he does in MvC3.

Spoiler: #2

View attachment 258762
Lloyd Irving (Tales of)

Say hello to your core fanbase pick. I've written about Lloyd in the past, and the points about him I made back then still hold to this day. I believe the lack of his costume (or any Namco costumes in general) is kind of suspect, and unlike Heihachi he didn't get any references in base, which is even more suspect. Tales of is pretty much the last major JRPG series remaining not in Smash, Lloyd is the Tales of pick according to Sakurai, and Lloyd could bring a lot to the table with chaining arte attacks. His popularity in the core fanbase and likely solid ballot turnout are definitely also factors in his favor.

Spoiler: #3

View attachment 258770
Agnes Oblige (Bravely Default)

This is probably my most out-there prediction, but I believe Square is going to return to Nintendo for more sweet sweet Smash money, and they're going to put forward Bravely Default. Bravely Default is making a comeback with 2 releasing on Switch, so you could consider this somewhat of a "shill-pick" for lack of a better word, as Agnes (or any Bravely character) would be added in part to promote the franchise on Switch (it's still a solidly notable franchise regardless).

Why would Sakurai choose Bravely over other prominent Square Enix characters? One word: moveset. Sakurai is on the record saying that moveset is more important than recognizability, and the job-swapping mechanic so central to the Bravely Default games is oozing fun moveset potential. In 2016 Sakurai spitballed a job-changing moveset in an interview and then stopped himself to remark that "actually, that would be kind of interesting." I'm assuming that Sakurai is working under his eternal assumption that this is pack is the end of Smash Bros., and would therefore be interested in revisiting novel ideas like this. It's a matter of certain variables coming together in a perfect way to get Bravely into Smash.

Before you ask, yes, Geno gets hit up with the deluxe Mii Costume treatment.

OR
View attachment 258785

Nintendo character (**** if I know)
In an alternate world where Smash DLC doesn't double-dip with companies, I'd reserve a spot for an up-and-coming Nintendo IP. I don't know why but I really feel like, if we get another Nintendo rep, it'll be from Monolith's new IP. If there's any game Sakurai would play early to include a character in Smash for, I feel like it'd be the new IP given how much he loves Monolith Soft's work. You could also include Stylist (Style Savvy - my second personal pick), Euden (Dragalia Lost - we're sleeping on him imo), or Ring Fit Trainer (Ring Fit Trainer - I heavily doubt this one since I don't know how she could properly differentiate herself from Wii Fit Trainer) among others (though I personally doubt the latter most). You could also include characters from IPs close to Nintendo, such as Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes) or Gran (or any Granblue character) (Granblue Fantasy - we're seriously sleeping on this series imo Nintendo owns 5% of Cygames it'd be so easy and get so much money). Hell, you could even put Geno (Super Mario RPG) here I guess.

This is pretty much just a flex spot since I don't ****in' know who it'll be, just that it'll be a really easy character to get.

Spoiler: #4

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Arle Nadja (Puyo Puyo)

I feel like Arle would've been next in line as a Sega rep if only they hadn't bought Atlus. She actually placed decently in the Ballot era, especially in Western observations of Japanese fan speculation. Sega's been making a harder push for the series to be one of their main series recently, and In terms of moveset she's a puzzle rep. Sakurai could do a lot with that. Good popularity, good relevance, good moveset, good pick.

Spoiler: #5

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Adol Christin (Ys)

Remember when I said Tales of was the last major JRPG series not in Smash? I lied.

The Ys series is pretty much the last major JRPG not in Smash, and is to Action RPGs as Dragon Quest is to JRPGs. It's been around since 1987 and pretty much paved the way for later Action RPGs (and also kinda chiptunes) after it. Falcom is a major Japanese video game development company, and while the Ys series is relatively niche in the West

• a) That didn't keep Dragon Quest out of Smash, and
• b) Could bring a lot of interesting movesets given the many different mechanics his games have introduced. If taking from Lacrimosa of Dana, the Flash Guard and Flash Dodge systems could be used to make him a highly mobile swordfighter who relies on precisely timed spotdodges and parries to inflict large damage on opponents.

There are other points to be made and I'd love to write a full speculation post on him if I had the time, but for the sake of brevity I'll cap things here.

Spoiler: #6

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Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)

A former icon of a major competitor, a defining character of the fifth generation of consoles, making a resurgence, would please the core fanbase alongside casuals, Activision is pretty close to Nintendo, etc. etc. etc.

Spoiler: Honorable Mentions

I could see these being one of the slots, but am not confident enough to predict it
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Sora (Kingdom Hearts) or Master Chief (Halo)
The other two major bombshell characters besides Dante. However, I see Dante as more likely given Capcom is already on board with Smash. Comparatively, Sora entails Nintendo negotiating with Disney, and given the timeline of Disney warming up to video games (around Summer 2019) and Pass 2 being decided (before November 2019), there's only a very small window where negotiations would even be seriously possible, let alone succeed. I also work under the assumption that, given Sora's popularity since the Ballot era, negotiations have been attempted and failed before, which adds another layer to the complicated question of "Would Nintendo approach Disney for Sora in Smash?" Master Chief has to contend with lesser popularity in Japan and the language barrier between Japanese and English. While that worked out for Banjo, it's worth mentioning that Banjo was popular in both America and Japan, whereas Master Chief is not. Both are possible, but impractical unless DLC 2 has an increased budget (which I doubt it does).

No ****in' way we get both of them in one pass. If we do I'll ****in' eat crow but there's no way it happens.

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Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

It's like yeah, I see the merits of his inclusion (historic ties to Nintendo, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo being close since the Wii U era, etc.), but also he doesn't really appeal to any major groups. He only picked up traction as a result of leaks, which then brought his merits to light. His popularity in speculation seems to have fizzled down since then.

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Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)

I think to myself "would Sakurai approach Arc System Works for Sol Badguy?" and I honestly don't know. I don't think I know enough about Guilty Gear to make a call of if it's on the same level as King of Fighters in terms of history and icon status, nor do I know how easy it'd be to license him given Guilty Gear's large resurgence. He'd be hella cool tho.

mfw nintendo headlined bravely at TGA and now a smash appearance is very feasible

 

[DaybreakHorizon]

Okay, who labeled Lesley's post as spam?
That was totally unnecessary.

But it was?

"Good Morning everyone" has nothing to do with Newcomer speculation. If she wants the freedom to post that we have a social thread.

So I skipped like 30 pages because I couldn't be bothered, but has the topic of future deluxe Mii costumes been discussed? I assume we're getting at least 3 or 4 more.
My guesses for some future ones are:
-Geno
-Knight from Hollow Knight
-Shovel Knight

Pretty much this. Maybe something for Shantae too.

 

[Sysreq]

Pretty much this. Maybe something for Shantae too.

I was thinking Shantae too, but Shantae on a Mii body...

 

[snowgolem]

Now I got a FP2 game. Make your ultimate middle finger fighters pass, or the one that's made to 100% piss people off. The only rules I have are no 4th parties and no more than 1 character per series, so no 6 Fire Emblem reps. Mine is:
1. Alm as another Roy semi clone
2. Cinderace(Love the pokemon but please no for smash)
3. Pink Gold Peach as a unique fighter
4. Tingle
5. Brash the Bear(One of the most rejected characters in Rate Their Chances history)
6. Steve, so the final character can end with flame wars

1. Wigglytuff
2. Rabbid Mario
3. Balloon Fighter
4. Stanley the Bugman
5. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi as a Tag Team
6. Krystal

And to finish it off
Standalone: Jonesy

 

[Deleted member]

I have a hard time determining in my mind who all 6 could be based on my own theories and speculation but I can see the first 3 being DOOM Guy, Geno and Crash in possibly that order. As a biased Geno follower, I still think the Cacomallow leak has a leg to stand on and I can't see Geno getting in before DOOM Guy. And Crash is just Crash. Although, I'd prefer Spyro because I firmly believe that Spyro's games are way better than Crash's, Crash has more icon status than Spyro does. All those three are very likely in my mind to be next.

 

[SvartWolf]

I was thinking Shantae too, but Shantae on a Mii body...

I really wish that they throwed the noltion that every Mii fighter has to be perfectly balanced and introduced 2 more mii sizes/proportions, the old one for the more chubby characters, and an anime/realistic porpotions one. While it certainly would be more work, i think that it would help to raise teh value of certain mii costumes greatly (Shovel knight, goemon and hollow knight are good examples of characters that would rock better the other proportions, while Altair, Black knight, and saki are examples that would rock the more realistic proportions) IMO this along music tracks could prove to be a great way to represent tons of characters and series withouth burning teh coveted resources for the fighters.

 

[UtopianPoyzin]

If anybody is interested, the article on Jill Valentine is currently featured on Wikipedia's front page. Go check it out if you feel so inclined!

 

[Curious Villager]

I really wish that they throwed the noltion that every Mii fighter has to be perfectly balanced and introduced 2 more mii sizes/proportions, the old one for the more chubby characters, and an anime/realistic porpotions one. While it certainly would be more work, i think that it would help to raise teh value of certain mii costumes greatly (Shovel knight, goemon and hollow knight are good examples of characters that would rock better the other proportions, while Altair, Black knight, and saki are examples that would rock the more realistic proportions) IMO this along music tracks could prove to be a great way to represent tons of characters and series withouth burning teh coveted resources for the fighters.

That was kind of a thing in Smash 4 but the competitive community complained about it and was one of the reasons why they banned the Mii's so they now have a universal proportions now.

A shame, since some Mii costumes like Lip look way too off model at the default proportions....

 

[DarthEnderX]

Rate my season pass umu.

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I give it a 3/6. Which is actually quite good. Most people's lists get a 0/6.