Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Delzethin]

Sun and Moon were the 20th anniversary titles and came around right when the roster was being decided. Their importance, the series' popularity, and the timing lead me to believe an Alolan newcomer is as good as a lock. Pokémon, more than any series, can afford a ton of characters.

It's interesting. You and I agree on a newcomer from Gen 7 still being highly likely, but diverge in complete opposite directions now on who that newcomer might be.

Just like old times, huh? Takes me back to Fire Emblem talk during Smash 4 speculation...

 

[Opossum]

It's interesting. You and I agree on a newcomer from Gen 7 still being highly likely, but diverge in complete opposite directions now on who that newcomer might be.

Just like old times, huh? Takes me back to Fire Emblem talk during Smash 4 speculation...

As is tradition. Honestly I'd be fine with any of the Alola frontrunners in the end, though.

Not sure how well Decidueye fares now, but that also applies to everyone due to the nature of this installment. The focus was on bringing back every veteran, with Sakurai stating that he had hoped we weren't expecting too many newcomers. The website mentions 66 fighters, with Ridley being 65. Assuming we've only one more newcomer, I'm thinking either a Ubisoft character, or a fan-favorite ballot pick.

With Krystal eliminated, Decidueye stands as my 2nd most wanted newcomer now. A lot of moveset potential there that would be great to see in Smash.

Actually, with Ridley being confirmed and a multitude of other characters being eliminated, what's everyone's "Most Wanted Newcomers" lists looking like now? My original Top 10 had quite a shake up, with Ridley confirmed, and Krystal, Midna, and Waluigi deconfirmed.

As far as most wanted is concerned...honestly, most of the characters I really want are already in, so I'll do a top five instead.

Most Wanted:
Chrom
Celica
Decidueye
Crash Bandicoot
Captain Toad

 

[AlphaSSB]

So, starting a new topic, put on your tinfoil hats, because I've got a long-shot theory. Although I know the CSS doesn't impact roster creation, I went ahead and recreated the roster based on the website. With Pokemon Trainer and Mii Fighters taking one slot each, I can make five full rows of thirteen, without any blank slots for newcomers. 68 fighters total.

However, six rows of twelve would leave seven slots open for newcomers, for 75 fighters total. This would also leave the original twelve starting roster at the top. It's a long-shot, but I think seven more unrevealed fighters, clones or not, may be the sweet spot. There's five full months in-between now and the December launch, so if what I'm calling the "Seven Slot Theory" holds up, then maybe we'll see five more newcomers across each month, with two of those months showing an Echo fighter. Perhaps from the same series the newcomer they're revealed with is from?

Like I said, it's a long-shot, but something about it just feels right to me. Sakurai was hoping we weren't expecting too many newcomers, and so with Inklings, Ridley, and five more non-clone newcomers, that leaves seven total. Not too many, I'd say. I don't think Sakurai considers Echos as completely new fighters, either, seeing as how they don't have their own numbered slots on the website.

Or maybe I'm completely wrong, and just driven by my OCD of wanting a full CSS.

 

[GalacticPetey]

So, starting a new topic, put on your tinfoil hats, because I've got a long-shot theory. Although I know the CSS doesn't impact roster creation, I went ahead and recreated the roster based on the website. With Pokemon Trainer and Mii Fighters taking one slot each, I can make five full rows of thirteen, without any blank slots for newcomers. 68 fighters total.

However, six rows of twelve would leave seven slots open for newcomers, for 75 fighters total. This would also leave the original twelve starting roster at the top. It's a long-shot, but I think seven more unrevealed fighters, clones or not, may be the sweet spot. There's five full months in-between now and the December launch, so if what I'm calling the "Seven Slot Theory" holds up, then maybe we'll see five more newcomers across each month, with two of those months showing an Echo fighter. Perhaps from the same series the newcomer they're revealed with is from?

Like I said, it's a long-shot, but something about it just feels right to me. Sakurai was hoping we weren't expecting too many newcomers, and so with Inklings, Ridley, and five more non-clone newcomers, that leaves seven total. Not too many, I'd say. I don't think Sakurai considers Echos as completely new fighters, either, seeing as how they don't have their own numbered slots on the website.

Or maybe I'm completely wrong, and just driven by my OCD of wanting a full CSS.

I actually came up with this when trying to predict the roster and it fits in with that idea. I think it's a long shot, but this is me being hopeful.

 

[GoodGrief741]

While I like the idea of the Original 12 being the first row of the CSS, the fact that Echo Fighters are displayed next to the originals would mean Dark Samus won’t be in. I don’t like that prospect.

 

[AlphaSSB]

I actually came up with this when trying to predict the roster and it fits in with that idea. I think it's a long shot, but this is me being hopeful.
View attachment 148517

Shadow is possible, but I don't see it, personally.
Isabelle as a Villager clone is also I something I don't really see happening. I think her chances in of getting as a non-clone are high, though.
King K. Rool is likely, although I think a Dixie semi-clone or full clone is more likely.
Ashley I don't see happening.
Captain Toad is certainly possible.
Simon I can see happening, especially with Snake and Bomberman in the game.

In all, a pretty likely roster, honestly.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Not sure how well Decidueye fares now, but that also applies to everyone due to the nature of this installment. The focus was on bringing back every veteran, with Sakurai stating that he had hoped we weren't expecting too many newcomers. The website mentions 66 fighters, with Ridley being 65. Assuming we've only one more newcomer, I'm thinking either a Ubisoft character, or a fan-favorite ballot pick.

With Krystal eliminated, Decidueye stands as my 2nd most wanted newcomer now. A lot of moveset potential there that would be great to see in Smash.

Actually, with Ridley being confirmed and a multitude of other characters being eliminated, what's everyone's "Most Wanted Newcomers" lists looking like now? My original Top 10 had quite a shake up, with Ridley confirmed, and Krystal, Midna, and Waluigi deconfirmed.

A few changes but not much:

1. Captain Toad or Toad
2. Dixie Kong
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Impa
5. Meowth Tails
6. Chibi-Robo
7. Waluigi Isaac
8. Bomberman Crash Bandicoot
9. Slippy Toad
10. Tingle. Or Chrom. I like underdogs and that trailer made me like him a lot. I'll probably end up using Chrom most on Fire Emblem Warriors when I finally get that now.

 

[Triforce Uchiha]

Why are so many people hoping Sans will be a newcomer? There a lot of other Characters I would prefer and I think smash fans should as well such as Banjo & Kazooie. Also I'd love for Sora or Simon Belmont to make it. Sora or any Belmont character is much more important to the Nintendo universe then what most people are requesting for.

 

[David James]

What about paper mario?

 

[Arcadenik]

A few changes but not much:

1. Captain Toad or Toad
2. Dixie Kong
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Impa
5. Meowth Tails
6. Chibi-Robo
7. Waluigi Isaac
8. Bomberman Crash Bandicoot
9. Slippy Toad
10. Tingle. Or Chrom. I like underdogs and that trailer made me like him a lot. I'll probably end up using Chrom most on Fire Emblem Warriors when I finally get that now.

Smash 6 needs to finally add the underdogs... characters who have been requested for 19 years... especially Toad, Waluigi, and Meowth.

 

[Triforce Uchiha]

Smash 6 needs to finally add the underdogs... characters who have been requested for 19 years... especially Toad, Waluigi, and Meowth.

Toad is unnecessary. He would be a waste of a character. I could understand Meowth but Banjo Kazooie, Custom Robo, King K Rool or Isaac from Golden Sun. I'd even appreciate Shantae more than Waluigi and Toad. People need to get off of the Mario Bandwagon and stop requesting characters to be in the game simply just to be in the game. We need playability not placeholders.

 

[Arcadenik]

Toad is unnecessary. He would be a waste of a character.

Don't go there.

. People need to get off of the Mario Bandwagon and stop requesting characters to be in the game simply just to be in the game. We need playability not placeholders.

It is not jumping on the Mario Bandwagon when Waluigi fans and Toad fans have been asking for them for more than 15+ years.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Toad is unnecessary. He would be a waste of a character. I could understand Meowth but Banjo Kazooie, Custom Robo, King K Rool or Isaac from Golden Sun. I'd even appreciate Shantae more than Waluigi and Toad. People need to get off of the Mario Bandwagon and stop requesting characters to be in the game simply just to be in the game. We need playability not placeholders.

Gosh it's almost like Mario's a popular franchise or something with lovable characters that captured generation after generation of people's imagination.

Personally I think adding anyone from a dead series is pointless and a waste of time for Nintendo if they have no plans to revive it. But hey, opinions.

 

[Starbound]

Speaking of Pokemon newcomers from earlier today, we're missing such an obvious candidate!

Spoiler: Big image

No, but for real, what do you think about Tapu Koko as a newcomer? Like Lycanroc, it was pretty big in the anime as it gave Ash the Z-ring and continues to make appearances. He's also pretty important to the story and lore of the game, being the guardian diety of Melemele and, especially, the player basically from the beginning of the game when you get rescued, all the way to the end when you go to the shrine to challenge him after being Kukui. Plus it's a legendary, which Smash currently only has Mewtwo for. SM is also heavily story-focused, and adding Koko would be a cool reference to that.

I'm envisioning a speed-based character, using Electric Terrain (D-Special) to boost its own speed and Thunder Wave (N-Special) to slow enemies down. It can also have Electro Ball (S-Special), which does more damage the more speed buffs and debuffs that have been applied. Volt Switch (U-Special) would be a recovery move that allows another action when hitting an opponent (excluding another Volt Switch).

I know 3 electric types isn't terribly interesting, but I don't think it's a problem if they're actually interesting.

 

[Hidan]

This is all my personal thoughts and opinions (as I feel should be obvious), I'm not saying any of this is 100% going to happen, just what I'm leaning towards and am personally wanting to happen. Also putting it in spoiler tags since it's so long.

Spoiler

I think we could get around eight newcomers and five echo fighters. Doing some math based on previous rosters gives me this:

Bros: 12 Total Fighters
Melee: 12 + 14 New Fighters = 26 Total Fighters
Brawl: 21 Returning Fighters + 18 New Fighters = 39 Total Fighters
Sm4sh: 34 Returning Fighters + 15 New Fighters (+2 echo) = 49 Total Fighters (+2 echo)
-DLC: 3 Returning Fighters + 4 New Fighters = 56 Total Fighters (+2 echo)

So when taking the difference between each game (Including echo fighters though since they're a 'newer' named concept and will likely be implemented more in this game), and dividing that by 3, the roster usually grows by about 13 fighters. Now if we don't include echo fighters, that average drops to around 12 per game. Regardless I'm not suggesting that we'll gain 12 or 13 brand new fighters, considering all the veterans they're bringing back. However, I wouldn't be shocked if they brought in more echo fighters in the past to try and beef up the roster a bit. So I still predict that altogether there will be 13 new characters introduced, but only 8 of them as new fighters and 5 as echo fighters. Here's my list of newcomers that I personally want and think have a decent chance of making the cut (including those revealed).

New Fighters:
1. Inklings (Splatoon)
2. Ridley (Metroid)
3. Geno (Mario)
4. King K. Rool (Donkey Kong)
5. Ashely (Warioware)
6. Bandana Dee (Kirby)
7. Rex and Pyra (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
8. Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Echo Fighters:
1. Daisy (Mario - Based on Peach)
2. Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong - Based on Diddy Kong)
3. Dark Samus (Metroid - Based on Samus)
4. Isabelle (Animal Crossing - Based on Villager)
5. Shadow (Sonic - Based on Sonic)

With those out of the way, I'll move on to DLC. I know SM4SH got 7 DLC characters, but I'll just play it safe by only doing 6 for this game, because the last game did have 3 veterans as DLC. So these are my personal picks, some based on what I think Sakurai would probably do, and others (mainly the last two - because I was a bit of a Sony kid growing up...) based on what I'd really like to see.

DLC Characters:
1. Isaac (Golden Sun)
2. Pokemon Rep (Either Decidueye or a Gen 8 rep down the DLC line)
3. Fire Emblem Three Houses Rep (Edelgarde maybe?)
4. Medusa (Kid Icarus)
5. Crash (Crash Bandicoot)
6. Spyro (Spyro the Dragon)

and finally the visual roster:

Spoiler

Regardless, if you've made it this far, thanks for listening to my ramblings. I doubt many of these picks will come true, but I can't wait to compare it when the final roster hits.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Every time I hear somebody mention Dixie as an Echo Fighter I die a little.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Every time I hear somebody mention Dixie as an Echo Fighter I die a little.

This is a big mood, just...no

 

[Opossum]

Toad is unnecessary. He would be a waste of a character. I could understand Meowth but Banjo Kazooie, Custom Robo, King K Rool or Isaac from Golden Sun. I'd even appreciate Shantae more than Waluigi and Toad. People need to get off of the Mario Bandwagon and stop requesting characters to be in the game simply just to be in the game. We need playability not placeholders.

I'd take Waluigi and Captain Toad over Banjo and Ray any day of the week, no questions asked.

 

[SirCamp]

This is a big mood, just...no

Honestly I hate the idea but I've said it a couple times because at this point I'd rather get used to the idea. I'd rather it be a happy surprise that she isn't a clone than be brutally disappointed if/when she is.

 

[Triforce Uchiha]

Oh you mean like earthbound and mother ?

Gosh it's almost like Mario's a popular franchise or something with lovable characters that captured generation after generation of people's imagination.

Personally I think adding anyone from a dead series is pointless and a waste of time for Nintendo if they have no plans to revive it. But hey, opinions.

 

[Billybae10K]

Thought I'd chime in with a few newcomers that I'm hoping see the light of day. It really does feel like Ultimate is a fanservice game, and as such I'm hoping that Sakurai adds in less "new" characters and maybe digs into that hat of names that have been requested for a while now.

My main hope is Isaac from Golden Sun being represented in some way. If not as playable, then at least with his assist trophy back, but obviously the dream would be actually playing as him.

While I don't care for Donkey Kong as a series, I am invested in seeing K.Rool for the sheer tenacity that the fandom has for him and, as someone who's been repping Isaac in my Smash circles for 10 years, I totally feel your guys pain.

I also wouldn't be opposed to Ashley, Dixie or Dark Samus, since they're all just solid picks all around.

I just hope we don't go too far down the Third Party train, at least for the base roster. Third parties make more sense as DLC, as Sm4sh showed since people will lap the big names up and buy em.

 

[Marcello691]

I don't know why many think characters like rayman, spyro and crash will be in the game. They are very very unlikely as Sakurai only puts Japanese characters in, so why should he put someone like rayman in, when he's clearly ignoring K.rool and dixie who are also western developed characters but unlike rayman and co they are at least Nintendo owned and still not in the game.
I think a Pokemon from gen 7 is likely, but I don't know if Decidueye or lycanroc are likely candidates, because to be honest I don't know where the "they are very popular Pokemon" comes from. I play Pokemon mostly but not only competitive and I don't see Players using them at all. I have many friends playing Pokemon as well and know one really cares about them. I think mimikyu is probably the most popular one from gen 7, it's heavily featured in the anime, it's a viable Pokemon in the game and I think that it resembles Pikachu is also positive because Pikachu is the most popular bla bla bla.
I don't like the gen 7 starters, I think they're very boring and not very good designed compared to previous starters (gen 1-4).
@Lampy :
I do understand you and i think decidueye would fit very well into smash. He's an Archer which would be interesting and he can also use many pokemon moves, it would be an easy additon regarding his moveset.

 

[Takasmash]

1.Rayman
2.Geno
3.Simon Belmont
4.Travis Touchdown
5.King K Rool
6.Dixie Kong
7.Elma
8.Medusa
9.Chorus Kids
10.Lip

 

[SmashChu]

Thought I'd chime in with a few newcomers that I'm hoping see the light of day. It really does feel like Ultimate is a fanservice game, and as such I'm hoping that Sakurai adds in less "new" characters and maybe digs into that hat of names that have been requested for a while now.

My main hope is Isaac from Golden Sun being represented in some way. If not as playable, then at least with his assist trophy back, but obviously the dream would be actually playing as him.

While I don't care for Donkey Kong as a series, I am invested in seeing K.Rool for the sheer tenacity that the fandom has for him and, as someone who's been repping Isaac in my Smash circles for 10 years, I totally feel your guys pain.

I also wouldn't be opposed to Ashley, Dixie or Dark Samus, since they're all just solid picks all around.

I just hope we don't go too far down the Third Party train, at least for the base roster. Third parties make more sense as DLC, as Sm4sh showed since people will lap the big names up and buy em.

Im not sure if it will be totally fan requested characters. We've already seen Lyn, Krystal, Waluigi and even Bomberman made assist trophies despite all four being popular characters. I don't think it will be based solely on that. Ridley was in a league of his own and was practically a meme at that point. The only character I think is on the same level is Geno who I expect to be in (given Sakurai's past comments, the costume and the fact they got rights for content from SE). If anything, new characters may be pulled moreso from newer titles, so Sun/Moon, ARMS and Xenoblade 2. This is already true for Splatoon which came out after SSB4 was released.

 

[Spirit Toons]

Alright, so I already made a list a few days before, so here it is if you want to see the old; https://smashboards.com/threads/a-c...ction-returning-and-new.455259/#post-22109614

To highlight the content of that list I went over every characters’ chances of making it in, new or veteran, as well as any changes. To give the the gist of how much is correct here’s a list;
1. I thought Wolf had a chance of coming back and he did
2. I thought Ridley had a good chance of joining the roster, and that was proven correct.
3. I thought Link would have new moves from BOTW, and got that correct with the remote bombs and arrow final smash
4. I thought Cappy would be part of Mario’s move set, and while I thought his integration would be higher, he was still there.
5. I thought Daisy would be in, and while she is, her being a costume was incorrect. (I did throw in the potential of her being a clone)
6. I predicted that all Star Fox characters would have designs from Zero

As for what I got wrong;
1. Waluigi and Lyn as playable characters
2. No previously excluded characters outside of Wolf and Ice Climbers returning.
3. Lucina and Dr. Mario being costumes
4. Any move set changes outside of Mario and Link, not including final smashes
5. Zelda characters having Hyrule Warriors designs besides Link
6. Character cuts (Corrin, Roy, Wii Fit Trainer, Capcom characters, etc.)

So with that out of the way I want to set up how I decided upon the new characters. I mainly go off the idea that Smash is a way to get newer characters out into the public, or advertise Nintendo’s franchises. While there usually is one retro/ weird choice, most characters get in due to Nintendo wanting to market the newest titles they have from the current and previous generation. (Basically the games that came out between Smashes.) To put it bluntly, Smash’s newcomers are made to represent the newest generation. I say this because all my choices are from games between the Wii U to Switch era (including 3DS), so don’t expect characters like Krool who haven’t really had a major role since the SNES because those characters are outdated and don’t really help in boosting up Smash’s or Donkey Kong’s popularity to the mainstream audience.

I will go through Franchise by franchise to assume what the New comers will be.

Super Mario Bros.
Captain Toad is easily the best choice, being a new main character with his own game and a decently sized role in Odessey. His inability to jump would make him an interesting fighter, and Toadette could easily be a costume.
I don’t need to explain further as this should explain how he fights; https://youtu.be/sqk0vlKgu2c

Donkey Kong Country
Dixie Kong would make the most sense as she was a popular character from the latest title that is now on Switch. In Tropical Freeze, her hair was shown to do multiple things, which could lead to different attacks. She also has a bubble gum gun to use on enemies, so she could be a semi-clone if Diddy, akin to someone like Falco. She can have Diddy’s Neutral B and Down, but use her hair for an up D and maybe use her hair to propel herself for a side.

The Legend of Zelda
Zelda is a hard franchise to find characters for as BOTW should get a character as it is the new Ocarina, changing up the formula for the future. The problem is that BOTW has no characters that were significant enough to build a move set around or really imagine one. For Zelda, I believe Impa will be a new character, and while it may seem to go off the rule, Impa was a significant character in the newly re-released game Hyrule Warriors and was in BOTW, albeit older than she would be. Impa can use her Giant Blade or Naginnata to fight leading to some new play styles. Her design would most likely be based on Ocarina as they are going back for Ganon, but other designs could be Skyward Sword (which may get a remaster soon) or some sort of Pya, Impa mash up from BOTW. Hyrule Warriors seems to have no impact, so Impa probably won’t take moves from that sub-franchise.

Pokémon
Whatever the new big Pokémon during development was, that will be the new comer, so either Decidueye or the new Let’s Go mystery Pokémon.

Kirby
Bandana Dee is the most logical choice as he has become a new main stay to the franchise and offers a unique move set as he uses his spear. Many moves can be pulled straight from the Kirby titles as they are designed similarly to Smash.

Fire Emblem
Similar to Pokémon, whatever the new big lord was during development will get in. The character will either be Celica who can use magic that could inflict damage upon her, or Edelgard who has the ability to be either another generic swordsman or maybe give us our first axe play style. It could also be the male protagonists like Alm or who ever the Three Houses guy is. Either way, someone from either Echoes or Three Houses is getting in.

Star Fox
With a recent come back, I believe Slippy has the highest chance of being a new fighter as not only would he represent Star Fox, but he could also be a joke character. His moves can also be original as his recent title Star Fox Guard gives him new turrets to use.

Metroid
Their is a possibility for a second Metroid new comer, being a Federation Trooper as their game connects to Prime 4, and they could have a unique move set using both a blast ball and the standard game’s power ups for moves.

I would also like to throw in Dark Samus as a possible Echo Fighter due to her absence as an assist.

Pikmin
The Pikmin 4 protagonist could be a new fighter, if there is one? We know Pikmin 4 is almost done if not done with development as said 2 years ago (fitting with Smash’s time frame), so Pikmin 4 may have a bearing on the new title. The new character will most likely be a clone using a few new Pikmin, or just a straight up echo fighter.

Xenoblade
Rex and Pyra because they are the newest protagonists in the Xenoblade series and have lots of moveset potential being a driver and blade duo.

Sonic The Hedgehog
Shadow because now Knuckles has his assist Trophy spot, and since Echo Fighters are a thing, he could be a clone of Sonic.

Chibi-Robo
Sakurai loves odd, joke characters, and with Chibi having two 3DS titles, one that gives him a move set. I feel Chibi may make it in this time around. Chibi could use his plug for attacks and an interesting mechanic could be that he needs to charge in battle to be at full power and have stronger attacks.

Ubisoft
Let’s face it, Ubisoft and Nintendo are partners now, so the idea of one of their characters getting in is more of an inevitablility than a possibility. Sakurai has two choices, Rayman or Rabbids. While Rabbids just had a successful crossover with Mario giving them an edge, I’m going to side with Rayman though, as Bomberman was made an assist trophy despite his come back giving him more credibility than Snake. I believe Rabbids will be an assist trophy as Rayman becomes playable.

ARMS
I’m still going with the idea that Spring man will be in and have a Ribbon Girl costume or Echo fighter. The ARMs characters are very unique and have plenty of potential, plus Smash can help boost sales or interest in the new IP.

Splatoon
Octolings will be Echo fighters for Inklings as they are now getting a DLC Story expansion, and are overall easy characters to implement and are main antagonists.

Nindie
Nintendo is making huge strides to corner the Indie market, so a Smash character seems highly likely. I feel the most likely is Shovel Knight due to his insane popularity with Smash players and the fact that Yaht Club Games have proven their loyalty to Nintendo with the best releases on Nintendo consoles and even having the first Indie Amiibo. If Shovel Knight doesn’t make it in, it’s easy to assume that Commander Video of Bit Trip would have a shot as he already had a trophy in Smash, or Shantae due to a similar loyalty to Nintendo and a high demand.

Retro Character (NES or Older)
The retro pick usually follows a similar mold of being part of the NES era or predating it, and they are a mascot of the franchise, so it could be any unrepresented franchise from that era. Here are a few possibilities though;
1. Mike from Star Tropics
2. The Urban Champion from Urban Champion
3. Bubbles from Clu Clu Land
4. Excite Biker from Excitebike
5. Mach Rider from Mach Rider

What do you think of my predictions. Comment below to say anything I missed.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Oh you mean like earthbound and mother ?

I swear to god people, Earthbound is not dead, it finished! It’s like complaining that Iron Man is in Infinity War because he hasn’t gotten a movie since 2013.

 

[Spirit Toons]

Im not sure if it will be totally fan requested characters. We've already seen Lyn, Krystal, Waluigi and even Bomberman made assist trophies despite all four being popular characters. I don't think it will be based solely on that. Ridley was in a league of his own and was practically a meme at that point. The only character I think is on the same level is Geno who I expect to be in (given Sakurai's past comments, the costume and the fact they got rights for content from SE). If anything, new characters may be pulled moreso from newer titles, so Sun/Moon, ARMS and Xenoblade 2. This is already true for Splatoon which came out after SSB4 was released.

I’ve commented about this before and have gotten hate, but I think many Smash characters are picked for the sole purpose of selling the newest titles between Smash games (excluding the usually 1-2 Retro NES or older reps). While Smash is by no means a commercial, it certainly helps in boosting sales for modern titles.

I think you’re wrong in putting Ridley as a choice by the community. I think he was picked due to the recent comeback of Metroid as in the past three years we have gotten a spin-off, a remake, and a tease for a whole new title coming to Switch, along with a New Nintendo 3DS variant and a car in Rocket League. Ridley was most likely put in due to Nintendo wanting to advertise Metroid as new titles have come out.

I completely disagree with Geno though as he has no bearing on modern Nintendo and is owned by a different company. The lengths to get him aren’t worth the trouble as Nintendo won’t get anything out of it as the only people who know Geno are long time fans and he can’t gain interest for any new titles. Similar to Krool, his Mii costume functions as the proper nod since taking time on characters who haven’t been relevant since the SNES seems like a waste when there are many new characters that should get attention, or older mascots that have been forgotten since the NES, like Pit, that could gain interest for a revival.

 

[Triforce Uchiha]

Alright, so I already made a list a few days before, so here it is if you want to see the old; https://smashboards.com/threads/a-c...ction-returning-and-new.455259/#post-22109614

To highlight the content of that list I went over every characters’ chances of making it in, new or veteran, as well as any changes. To give the the gist of how much is correct here’s a list;
1. I thought Wolf had a chance of coming back and he did
2. I thought Ridley had a good chance of joining the roster, and that was proven correct.
3. I thought Link would have new moves from BOTW, and got that correct with the remote bombs and arrow final smash
4. I thought Cappy would be part of Mario’s move set, and while I thought his integration would be higher, he was still there.
5. I thought Daisy would be in, and while she is, her being a costume was incorrect. (I did throw in the potential of her being a clone)
6. I predicted that all Star Fox characters would have designs from Zero

As for what I got wrong;
1. Waluigi and Lyn as playable characters
2. No previously excluded characters outside of Wolf and Ice Climbers returning.
3. Lucina and Dr. Mario being costumes
4. Any move set changes outside of Mario and Link, not including final smashes
5. Zelda characters having Hyrule Warriors designs besides Link
6. Character cuts (Corrin, Roy, Wii Fit Trainer, Capcom characters, etc.)

So with that out of the way I want to set up how I decided upon the new characters. I mainly go off the idea that Smash is a way to get newer characters out into the public, or advertise Nintendo’s franchises. While there usually is one retro/ weird choice, most characters get in due to Nintendo wanting to market the newest titles they have from the current and previous generation. (Basically the games that came out between Smashes.) To put it bluntly, Smash’s newcomers are made to represent the newest generation. I say this because all my choices are from games between the Wii U to Switch era (including 3DS), so don’t expect characters like Krool who haven’t really had a major role since the SNES because those characters are outdated and don’t really help in boosting up Smash’s or Donkey Kong’s popularity to the mainstream audience.

I will go through Franchise by franchise to assume what the New comers will be.

Super Mario Bros.
Captain Toad is easily the best choice, being a new main character with his own game and a decently sized role in Odessey. His inability to jump would make him an interesting fighter, and Toadette could easily be a costume.
I don’t need to explain further as this should explain how he fights; https://youtu.be/sqk0vlKgu2c

Donkey Kong Country
Dixie Kong would make the most sense as she was a popular character from the latest title that is now on Switch. In Tropical Freeze, her hair was shown to do multiple things, which could lead to different attacks. She also has a bubble gum gun to use on enemies, so she could be a semi-clone if Diddy, akin to someone like Falco. She can have Diddy’s Neutral B and Down, but use her hair for an up D and maybe use her hair to propel herself for a side.

The Legend of Zelda
Zelda is a hard franchise to find characters for as BOTW should get a character as it is the new Ocarina, changing up the formula for the future. The problem is that BOTW has no characters that were significant enough to build a move set around or really imagine one. For Zelda, I believe Impa will be a new character, and while it may seem to go off the rule, Impa was a significant character in the newly re-released game Hyrule Warriors and was in BOTW, albeit older than she would be. Impa can use her Giant Blade or Naginnata to fight leading to some new play styles. Her design would most likely be based on Ocarina as they are going back for Ganon, but other designs could be Skyward Sword (which may get a remaster soon) or some sort of Pya, Impa mash up from BOTW. Hyrule Warriors seems to have no impact, so Impa probably won’t take moves from that sub-franchise.

Pokémon
Whatever the new big Pokémon during development was, that will be the new comer, so either Decidueye or the new Let’s Go mystery Pokémon.

Kirby
Bandana Dee is the most logical choice as he has become a new main stay to the franchise and offers a unique move set as he uses his spear. Many moves can be pulled straight from the Kirby titles as they are designed similarly to Smash.

Fire Emblem
Similar to Pokémon, whatever the new big lord was during development will get in. The character will either be Celica who can use magic that could inflict damage upon her, or Edelgard who has the ability to be either another generic swordsman or maybe give us our first axe play style. It could also be the male protagonists like Alm or who ever the Three Houses guy is. Either way, someone from either Echoes or Three Houses is getting in.

Star Fox
With a recent come back, I believe Slippy has the highest chance of being a new fighter as not only would he represent Star Fox, but he could also be a joke character. His moves can also be original as his recent title Star Fox Guard gives him new turrets to use.

Metroid
Their is a possibility for a second Metroid new comer, being a Federation Trooper as their game connects to Prime 4, and they could have a unique move set using both a blast ball and the standard game’s power ups for moves.

I would also like to throw in Dark Samus as a possible Echo Fighter due to her absence as an assist.

Pikmin
The Pikmin 4 protagonist could be a new fighter, if there is one? We know Pikmin 4 is almost done if not done with development as said 2 years ago (fitting with Smash’s time frame), so Pikmin 4 may have a bearing on the new title. The new character will most likely be a clone using a few new Pikmin, or just a straight up echo fighter.

Xenoblade
Rex and Pyra because they are the newest protagonists in the Xenoblade series and have lots of moveset potential being a driver and blade duo.

Sonic The Hedgehog
Shadow because now Knuckles has his assist Trophy spot, and since Echo Fighters are a thing, he could be a clone of Sonic.

Chibi-Robo
Sakurai loves odd, joke characters, and with Chibi having two 3DS titles, one that gives him a move set. I feel Chibi may make it in this time around. Chibi could use his plug for attacks and an interesting mechanic could be that he needs to charge in battle to be at full power and have stronger attacks.

Ubisoft
Let’s face it, Ubisoft and Nintendo are partners now, so the idea of one of their characters getting in is more of an inevitablility than a possibility. Sakurai has two choices, Rayman or Rabbids. While Rabbids just had a successful crossover with Mario giving them an edge, I’m going to side with Rayman though, as Bomberman was made an assist trophy despite his come back giving him more credibility than Snake. I believe Rabbids will be an assist trophy as Rayman becomes playable.

ARMS
I’m still going with the idea that Spring man will be in and have a Ribbon Girl costume or Echo fighter. The ARMs characters are very unique and have plenty of potential, plus Smash can help boost sales or interest in the new IP.

Splatoon
Octolings will be Echo fighters for Inklings as they are now getting a DLC Story expansion, and are overall easy characters to implement and are main antagonists.

Nindie
Nintendo is making huge strides to corner the Indie market, so a Smash character seems highly likely. I feel the most likely is Shovel Knight due to his insane popularity with Smash players and the fact that Yaht Club Games have proven their loyalty to Nintendo with the best releases on Nintendo consoles and even having the first Indie Amiibo. If Shovel Knight doesn’t make it in, it’s easy to assume that Commander Video of Bit Trip would have a shot as he already had a trophy in Smash, or Shantae due to a similar loyalty to Nintendo and a high demand.

Retro Character (NES or Older)
The retro pick usually follows a similar mold of being part of the NES era or predating it, and they are a mascot of the franchise, so it could be any unrepresented franchise from that era. Here are a few possibilities though;
1. Mike from Star Tropics
2. The Urban Champion from Urban Champion
3. Bubbles from Clu Clu Land
4. Excite Biker from Excitebike
5. Mach Rider from Mach Rider

What do you think of my predictions. Comment below to say anything I missed.

Spirit Toons, Imo believe that out of BOTW characters, one could most definitely build a move set around Revali.

 

[Spirit Toons]

Spirit Toons, Imo believe that out of BOTW characters, one could most definitely build a move set around Revali.

Yeah, I could easily see a new Falco Echo fighter. Literally just keep all the same lines.

Jokes aside, Revali may have potential, but he’s one of four big new characters in BOTW and honestly none of them feel like they had enough to demand a position in Smash as we just saw brief snippets from them. There’s just not much to go off of.

If anything Shark Boy, Sidon, should be the rep, as he has more potential being in some action scenes and a fan favorite.

 

[Zema]

I completely disagree with Geno though as he has no bearing on modern Nintendo and is owned by a different company. The lengths to get him aren’t worth the trouble as Nintendo won’t get anything out of it as the only people who know Geno are long time fans and he can’t gain interest for any new titles. Similar to Krool, his Mii costume functions as the proper nod since taking time on characters who haven’t been relevant since the SNES seems like a waste when there are many new characters that should get attention, or older mascots that have been forgotten since the NES, like Pit, that could gain interest for a revival.

I'm going to disagree here with a few things. First, Sakurai never said that characters that have no potential for any future games aren't going to be in the game, just that they're on a lower priority. Given that this time around *everyone* is back, and we're still getting newcomers, I'd wager that more popular picks like K.Rool or, yes, even Geno, have increased chances than ever before.

As I mentioned in another thread, Mii costumes aren't necessarily a death knell for a character's chances, either, especially since Inklings AND Daisy were Mii costumes. I'm not gonna hold my breath, but to dismiss Geno so readily is a bit naive, especially since, as we all know at this point, Sakurai works in weird ways.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Ridley wasn't a Mii costume, for the record.

On the other hand, Daisy was.

 

[Zema]

Ridley wasn't a Mii costume, for the record.

On the other hand, Daisy was.

Whoops. Fixed.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Whoops. Fixed.

I wanted him as a costume too. Generic dragon one wasn't terrible, at least. And considering Ridley has a ton of different designs...

 

[EricTheGamerman]

I'm a big fan of seeing characters get revivals through Smash. I think it's much more interesting to acknowledge all aspects of Nintendo (and more and more so gaming history) in Smash. Classic characters that have huge cult followings for Smash definitely deserve a bone or two at this point, and even more so than Smash 4 there aren't a ton of new era characters that make as much sense from Nintendo's perspective seeing as we already have Inkling, which only leaves ARMS as the new series lacking representation.

I'll admit I'm bias, but it's befitting of the name of Super Smash Bros Ultimate to be the ultimate fan service game. Even if we've had a couple of unfortunate characters already dashed of their chances. I know not to expect too many newcomers, but my personal top ten list of desired newcomers looks something like this:

1. King K. Rool
2. Geno
3. Simon Belmont
4. Isaac
5. Chibi-Robo
6. Ashley
7. Bandanna Dee
8. Rayman
9. Captain Toad
10. Dixie Kong

 

[YoshiandToad]

Oh you mean like earthbound and mother ?

Honestly?

Yes.

If Mother started getting Porky, Claus or Ninten I wouldn't really see the point either in including more characters from a three game series that's ended with only one western release. Lucas was the only DLC fighter I didn't even bother with.

I kinda feel like you were expecting me to defend Mother's inclusions simply because they're in the game, but I didn't even get the point of including Lucas as a fighter to begin with if they're never going to release Mother 3 internationally. "Here's a character we'll never allow the vast majority of the world to play the game of". At least Roy has a chance in the future of getting a remake for western shores.

Although GoodGrief741 is right, that series had ended more than died since it was only meant to be three games.

 

[Spirit Toons]

I'm going to disagree here with a few things. First, Sakurai never said that characters that have no potential for any future games aren't going to be in the game, just that they're on a lower priority. Given that this time around *everyone* is back, and we're still getting newcomers, I'd wager that more popular picks like K.Rool or, yes, even Geno, have increased chances than ever before.

As I mentioned in another thread, Mii costumes aren't necessarily a death knell for a character's chances, either, especially since Inklings AND Daisy were Mii costumes. I'm not gonna hold my breath, but to dismiss Geno so readily is a bit naive, especially since, as we all know at this point, Sakurai works in weird ways.

Ehh, I see Sakurai’s word as a way to keep fans on their toes rather than something legit, or just used as a tool to describe his usual NES Retro character pick. The problem with Geno and Krool is that they don’t fit any category. Usually Smash bases the new characters off of the previous generation and modern, while throwing a curveball in the form of a forgotten NES or prior character. (The characters are always mascots) If you really go through Smash new comers they are almost always picked with modern in mind besides the 1-2 curveballs.

Melee - Fire Emblem characters were added to promote the GBA games with Roy being in before his game.
Mario characters were all main characters found in all titles
Zelda characters were solely based on Ocarina and Majora, the two most recent games
Pokémon were added to promote the anime, with Mewtwo having a movie and Pichu apparently being big back then.
Falco was added because 64
Ice Climbers and Game and Watch were the NES/ Classic

Brawl - Ike was chosen for being the newest FE character
Wario had multiple Wario Ware titles on both DS and Wii, which is why he was based on Ware than Land
Lucario was the newest Pokémon
Wolf was put in because Star Fox had two GameCube titles and Command on DS
Toon Link represented the modern Wind Waker title
Diddy was the only Country character used in Donkey Kong after Rare left
Zero Suit Samus was put in for Metroid Zero mission on GBA
Olimar was the main character of a new GameCube IP
Sonic and Snake were both heavily featured on the GameCube
King Dedede and Meta Knight were added as Kirby was a big and growing franchise then and now
R.O.B. and Pit fit the NES character mold

Wii U/ 3DS - Rosalina and Bowser Jr were chosen for the modern titles of Galaxy, The New franchise, and 3D World
Lucina, Robin, and Corrin promote Awakening and Fates respectfully
Greninja promotes X and Y
Shulk promoted Xenoblade
Villager promotes New Leaf
Wii Fit Trainer Promotes Wii Fit for both Wii and Wii U
Cloud promoted the FF7 Remake that was said to be in development at the time
Ryu was in because Street Fighter V
PAC Man, while has many new titles, he was said to use the Ghostly Adventures design before Sakurai said no
Palutena and Dark Pit were in because of Uprising
Little Mac made it because of Punch Out! on the Wii
Bayonetta (while said to be a fan pick) was probably chosen due to Nintendo wanting to promote Bayonetta 2
Duck Hunt and Mega Man easily fit the NES era Retro character mold, plus Mega Man is Capcom’s mascot.

Ultimate - Ridley is in due to Metroid’s return with Federation Force, Samus Returns, and the upcoming Prime 4
Inklings are in because new IP from Wii U era, plus Splatoon 2

I will admit though that Sakurai does seem to be more involved with the fandom now, but I think he will make decisions that please both Nintendo and the fans rather than bringing in a ton of old characters because fans want them. I feel Smash gives Nintendo an opportunity to market titles without coming off as advertisements, like for me, I played Kirby due to Smash having Meta Knight. I think viewing Smash as giving kids the opportunity to see what Nintendo’s got is the best move as kids will identify with a newer roster and if they become interested in some new comers, that character should be in a title that kids can buy on their modern systems, not the SNES. Krool isn’t in modern Donkey Kong titles, so new fans won’t recognize him and if they become interested, then finding his game will be tricky as they’ll have to look into the virtual console. Smash, while for Nintendo fans, is really a big gateway for newbies into the world of Nintendo and should focus on getting them hooked over trying to appease the already existing fans who will buy it regardless.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Ehh, I see Sakurai’s word as a way to keep fans on their toes rather than something legit, or just used as a tool to describe his usual NES Retro character pick. The problem with Geno and Krool is that they don’t fit any category. Usually Smash bases the new characters off of the previous generation and modern, while throwing a curveball in the form of a forgotten NES or prior character. (The characters are always mascots) If you really go through Smash new comers they are almost always picked with modern in mind besides the 1-2 curveballs.

Melee - Fire Emblem characters were added to promote the GBA games with Roy being in before his game.
Mario characters were all main characters found in all titles
Zelda characters were solely based on Ocarina and Majora, the two most recent games
Pokémon were added to promote the anime, with Mewtwo having a movie and Pichu apparently being big back then.
Falco was added because 64
Ice Climbers and Game and Watch were the NES/ Classic

Brawl - Ike was chosen for being the newest FE character
Wario had multiple Wario Ware titles on both DS and Wii, which is why he was based on Ware than Land
Lucario was the newest Pokémon
Wolf was put in because Star Fox had two GameCube titles and Command on DS
Toon Link represented the modern Wind Waker title
Diddy was the only Country character used in Donkey Kong after Rare left
Zero Suit Samus was put in for Metroid Zero mission on GBA
Olimar was the main character of a new GameCube IP
Sonic and Snake were both heavily featured on the GameCube
King Dedede and Meta Knight were added as Kirby was a big and growing franchise then and now
R.O.B. and Pit fit the NES character mold

Wii U/ 3DS - Rosalina and Bowser Jr were chosen for the modern titles of Galaxy, The New franchise, and 3D World
Lucina, Robin, and Corrin promote Awakening and Fates respectfully
Greninja promotes X and Y
Shulk promoted Xenoblade
Villager promotes New Leaf
Wii Fit Trainer Promotes Wii Fit for both Wii and Wii U
Cloud promoted the FF7 Remake that was said to be in development at the time
Ryu was in because Street Fighter V
PAC Man, while has many new titles, he was said to use the Ghostly Adventures design before Sakurai said no
Palutena and Dark Pit were in because of Uprising
Little Mac made it because of Punch Out! on the Wii
Bayonetta (while said to be a fan pick) was probably chosen due to Nintendo wanting to promote Bayonetta 2
Duck Hunt and Mega Man easily fit the NES era Retro character mold, plus Mega Man is Capcom’s mascot.

Ultimate - Ridley is in due to Metroid’s return with Federation Force, Samus Returns, and the upcoming Prime 4
Inklings are in because new IP from Wii U era, plus Splatoon 2

I will admit though that Sakurai does seem to be more involved with the fandom now, but I think he will make decisions that please both Nintendo and the fans rather than bringing in a ton of old characters because fans want them. I feel Smash gives Nintendo an opportunity to market titles without coming off as advertisements, like for me, I played Kirby due to Smash having Meta Knight. I think viewing Smash as giving kids the opportunity to see what Nintendo’s got is the best move as kids will identify with a newer roster and if they become interested in some new comers, that character should be in a title that kids can buy on their modern systems, not the SNES. Krool isn’t in modern Donkey Kong titles, so new fans won’t recognize him and if they become interested, then finding his game will be tricky as they’ll have to look into the virtual console. Smash, while for Nintendo fans, is really a big gateway for newbies into the world of Nintendo and should focus on getting them hooked over trying to appease the already existing fans who will buy it regardless.

This seems like a stretch. If Marth can get into Melee to promote GBA titles he doesn’t appear in, Bowser Jr. can rep random Mario games (versus Sunshine, where he’s much more prominent and from where his Final Smash is based), Cloud can represent a title that has just recently been stated to have begun full development, Mega Man can be considered an NES rep, and Ridley can represent one game he’s not in, one game where his appearance is a spoiler, and one game pretty early in development, then K. Rool can represent the ongoing Donkey Kong Country series.

You left out Daisy, by the way.

 

[Spirit Toons]

This seems like a stretch. If Marth can get into Melee to promote GBA titles he doesn’t appear in, Bowser Jr. can rep random Mario games (versus Sunshine, where he’s much more prominent and from where his Final Smash is based), Cloud can represent a title that has just recently been stated to have begun full development, Mega Man can be considered an NES rep, and Ridley can represent one game he’s not in, one game where his appearance is a spoiler, and one game pretty early in development, then K. Rool can represent the ongoing Donkey Kong Country series.

You left out Daisy, by the way.

To explain;
Marth is the main character or at least first main of FE, so he needed to be there as he was the face of the franchise that Smash was essentially promoting. Think of having a Pokémon rep without Pikachu, it would just be weird.

Bowser Jr was clearly representing the New series, as that’s the only series were he uses the Clown Car, plus having the Koopalings as alts when they made a come back in that series is the biggest indicator of why he’s there. The final Smash was a nice nod, but if they wanted to be genuine, giving Jr. his paint brush would have been more true to character.

As for Ridley he is the main antagonist of Metroid and seems to continue being one as he was in Returns. He has appeared in games through the GameCube and Wii era making him a much more recognizable villain, and we can assume he will probably have a part in Prime 4, compare that to Krool, who had his last appearance in 2006 in a Mario Baseball game, and who hasn’t really been a main villain since the N64, maybe GBA. Donkey Kong has taken on countless new baddies in that time and his newest series from Retro seems to avoid any mention of Krool or the Kremlings. If Nintendo were to pick a new DK rep, Dixie, Cranky, or even Funky make more sense as they are all main characters who do appear in new titles. Compare that to Metroid which really only has Ridley as a main character to chose from, and Ridley still has a prominence in the franchise and doesn’t at all seem to be forgotten.

Ohh yeah Daisy, really she is in because they wanted to broaden the concept of Echo Fighters as easy clones to create, plus she is a part of the Mario series which is Nintendo’s flagship franchise. I could easily make the argument that Daisy is a big character for fans in spin-offs, where she makes frequent appearances, keeping her relevant, but I’m going to go with the idea that Echo fighters don’t follow the trend due to essentially just being appearance changes with slight variation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dark Samus is in because they can make a cheap and easy clone without wasting much development time on an irrelevant character, I mean they already have the model.

 

[GoodGrief741]

The point still stands that you can’t conclusively say that every character added to Smash was because of relevance and recent appearances. You could have just as easily claimed Marth as an NES rep, that doesn’t make it true.

Even if that were true, this Smash is, appears, and has been sold on the basis of being different: the Ultimate game for Smash fans. If you could argue that newcomers were added for relevance’s sake, that is definitely not the case for the return of every single veteran, like Dr. Mario, Young Link, Pichu or even Solid Snake (whose last appearance in Metal Gear barring cameos was 10 years ago). The premise of this game appears to be to please the fanbase, and so far it is doing so with heavily requested characters like Ridley and Daisy. K. Rool would definitely fit that mold.

And by the way, K. Rool not having appeared in recent Donkey Kong games doesn’t mean he isn’t still the main villain of the franchise, or the most iconic.

 

[epicgordan]

Let's go by confirmed franchises first and foremost:

Mario: With Waluigi disconfirmed and Daisy confirmed as an echo fighter, I'm going to guess that Captain Toad (if the jumping thing gets sorted out), and Paper Mario are the most likely contenders to round out the roster. And yes, it is possible to see both characters confirmed for the game.

Donkey Kong: Dixie Kong and King K. Rool. From what I gathered, both characters were extremely popular requests (similar to Ridley, in fact), and most likely received a ton of votes at the ballot. We could also perhaps include Cranky and...I'm gonna guess Funky as possible inclusions?

Zelda: Aside from Impa, I'm struggling to figure out who else could get in there. She's literally the only other recurring character from the Zelda franchise not yet to appear in any capacity in Smash Bros. Well, that and Tingle, who has yet to be revealed as an Assist Trophy. Anybody looking forward to Tingle possibly joining the battle? I know I'm not.

Metroid: We got Ridley. Honestly, if we get another newcomer, it's going to be Dark Samus--who has yet to be shown as an Assist Trophy. With the reveal of echo fighters, it's very likely she'll be an echo of Samus.

Kid Icarus: We haven't had another game from this series since Uprising. But if we get more characters confirmed, we could go with Viridi and/or Hades as potential newcomers.

Fire Emblem: I'm not terribly familiar with this franchise--haven't played a single Fire Emblem game--so I'm only going to guess whoever the main character of the newest game happens to be.

Earthbound: Considering the main character thing with Nintendo RPG's, it's either going to be Ninten or Claus as echo fighters to either Ness or Lucas.

Kirby: Bandana Dee first and foremost.

Star Fox: With Krystal disconfirmed, the only other character might be Slippy Toad. And honestly, who'd want that? No, seriously! I don't even know how popular with fans this character might be.

Pokémon: Honestly, my thoughts were going to be either Decidueye, Necrozma or Eevee. And we know Eevee is still a Pokeball Pokémon, so it's either Decidueye or Necrozma.

Animal Crossing: Unless Isabelle has been confirmed as an Assist Trophy, she's pretty much the only other rep to go with.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Similar to Fire Emblem and Earthbound, it's going to be the main character of the newest game (so, either Elma or Rex/Pyra). Although if we're going to go by Xenoblade X, wouldn't the main playable character be Cross instead?

3rd Party Reps: We are now at seven now (although Bayonetta is technically closer to 2nd party at this stage). Who else could be in there? Right now, fan demand suggests Crash Bandicoot. But if anything, I'm gonna say that it's going to ultimately come down to who did well enough on the Ballot, and whether or not Sakurai can actually get them. Other characters that I know did well include Rayman, Shovel Knight, Banjo & Kazooie, and Simon Belmount (okay, so knowing is too strong a word--how about suspect?).

And finally, some single IP's. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Excitebiker, Bubble Bobble, Chorus Kids (or any number of Rhythm Heaven characters), Isaac, and Spring-Man/Ribbon-Girl. Most candidates could either fit the mold of being heavily voted on in the Ballot; are a brand new IP; or in the case of Excitebiker and Bubble Bobble, representatives of the bygone NES days and it's history (like GW, ROB, IC, and DH).

Now, how many newcomers to expect? I'm going to say five or six. The likeliest candidates may actually be as follows: Dixie Kong, K. Rool, Dark Samus, Decidueye, and Isaac. And maybe throw in either Spring-Man/Ribbon-Girl or Simon Belmont to round out the roster. Either way, the choices would all pretty much be made based on the Ballot with perhaps one or two exceptions in there.

Personally, I'd take the Angry Video Game Nerd any day as a Smash Brothers representative. Can you imagine such a thing!?