Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Deleted member]

This really reads like you're ignoring Japan's deep cultural issues, especially considering how much of a problem sexism is in there.

No, it reads as someone who lives in Japan, and sees how ridiculous the issues have gotten in the West, and how horribly Japan's "issues" have been overplayed.

 

[Nquoid]

Maybe it's the west who's backwards and should learn to adapt to Japan, rather than the other way around. As far as I see it, Japan is a model society considering the quality of the standard of living here.

I don't see why Japan should have to adopt ideologies that have ultimately proved destructive and divisive in the West.

Isn't it widely reported that Japan's otaku culture is actually a part of why the birth rate has been in such decline in recent years? Japan's depiction of women in a lot of media is highly problematic, also leading to a widespread groping problem on public transport.

Like I've finally gotten around to around to watching Evangelion, and the abundance of sexualising literal 14 year olds is definitely not great.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I don't think Mai has any chance. I just think "we already have a hot gal" is a stupid argument against new female characters.

Yeah, it's kind of worrying to be honest.
That people are only viewing females based how how they look. Isn't that the sort of thing we're trying to move away from?

 

[RileyXY1]

Let's just move to another topic.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Let's just move to another topic.

Agreed.

Here's one, do you think the remaining DLC characters will be from companies already on board or new ones?

 

[osby]

Yeah, it's kind of worrying to be honest.
That people are only viewing females based how how they look. Isn't that the sort of thing we're trying to move away from?

It's disturbing when you remember we have male characters who superficially resemble each other, but appearently it's only a problem with women?

We even have two different JRPG protags in the same pass, I think we shouldn't let imaginary quotas rule the speculation.

 

[RileyXY1]

Agreed.

Here's one, do you think the remaining DLC characters will be from companies already on board or new ones?

I think that it can go either way when it comes to this.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I haven't really played any SNK games, but my only exposure is from seeing a friend play King of Fighters on Xbox 360 when I was in college. I'm sure SNK characters are more popular than I think, but I think there are characters/series that would stand out more based on what we currently have and appeal to a broader range of fans. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen though.

I just finished Devil May Cry 4 the other day, and I would totally be down for Dante. Still have to play DMCV (which I might start today), but what honestly gets me hooked on Devil May Cry is a combination of the gameplay and Dante's personality. Like, the taunts he has in-game would be absolutely amazing in Smash.

Not that I find him super likely, especially in combination with what has been said about Dante in Smash and getting Devil May Cry on Nintendo platforms.

While not a guarantee, I think Capcom and Namco have great odds of having the last two characters. Both companies have stellar series to pull from (Capcom- RE, DMC, Monster Hunter...Namco- Tekken, Tales) and I think would bring a ton to Smash that isn't already involved. Just the idea of the various creatures of Resident Evil, as well as some sort of inventory management playstyle for Leon, Chris, or Jill, and then the idea of Lloyd Irving having different combos to pull off similar to Tales of Symphonia would be super cool.

People have different tastes though, so it's not as if I speak for everyone.

EDIT: One last thing, I'm not convinced any western character is suddenly more likely because of Banjo-Kazooie specifically. The only thing that comes to mind is that interview from last year with Bethesda saying, "We talked about Smash", but I think the connections to Crash are overblown and seem to me to be the "thing that everybody assumed and would be wrong about" at the end of all of it.

Not to say I don't think he'd be a good addition. I do think he would be a good addition. But I think folks are latching to him because Banjo-Kazooie is a similar "90s mascot character" and hope the similarities mean it's happening. I simply don't think it is.

 

[osby]

Agreed.

Here's one, do you think the remaining DLC characters will be from companies already on board or new ones?

Can go either way, since we got new Square-Enix along with a Microsoft character and an ATLUS (albeit owned by SEGA) character but I think companies already on board are somehow more likely.

Maybe we'll get one new and one veteran company "reps", that'll give us some new blood while still making negotiations easier.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Maybe it's the west who's backwards and should learn to adapt to Japan, rather than the other way around. As far as I see it, Japan is a model society considering the quality of the standard of living here.

I don't see why Japan should have to adopt ideologies that have ultimately proved destructive and divisive in the West.

I don't think our differences in Tabuus are the reason that we're "worse off than Japan". Regardless of how silly the notion of protecting children from the knowledge of how babies are made is it's still something every country needs to recognize when they ship their products over to the west.

No, it reads as someone who lives in Japan, and sees how ridiculous the issues have gotten in the West, and how horribly Japan's "issues" have been overplayed.

America's issues are pretty overplayed as well. Our media outlets are pretty much designed to make us fear the worst. Social media doesn't help much either.

But this is getting off topic, we should probably drop the subject or move it somewhere else.

 

[Deleted member]

Isn't widely reported that Japan's otaku culture is actually a part of why the birth rate has been in such decline in recent years?

Reported by whom?

Japan's otaku culture is but a niche subsection of the entire population. Despite being "the mecca of anime" Otaku are still looked down upon and stigmatized. It is in no way responsible for the declining birth rates, which is an issue in ALL developed western nations, not just Japan. One of the primary arguments provided for declining birth rates in developed nations is because they're countries that have stabilized, and thus have less of a need for a growing population. Additionally, Japan's work culture leaves little room for dating among young couples, with many women focusing on their careers first, and then realizing their options for dating partners have all but disappeared by the time they reach 40. The issue is nuanced, and complex, and certainly not the result of "THESE GUYS ARE DRAWING ANIME ****, AND NOW NO ONE WANTS TO HAVE SEX." That's absurd to an incredibly stupid degree.

Japan's depiction of women in a lot of media is highly problematic,

Problematic according to whom? A lot of Japanese porn artists and such are WOMEN themselves. Just becuase it doesn't pertain to your particular tastes, or because it offends you, doesn't mean that other people, especially people from different cultures will hold or should adopt your standards. Perhaps self-reflect a little and realize that you're seeing problems where they don't exist. What exactly makes it problematic? In what way? How? And what evidence do you have to back it up? Moreover, why are your sensibilites and value systems more valid than that of women who are creating said content?

also leading to a widespread groping problem on public transport.

That's not why that happens, and it's not nearly as widespread as reported. This is another case of Western media misreporting and overplaying Japan's problems. Chikan DOES happen, but it's also highly guarded against, which is why you see specific measures taken against it. Japan just functions like that, it's preventative. It sees a problem, and takes measures to stop it at the root. Look at the statistics instead, and compare it to the west. How many instances of **** or sexual assault do you have in western nations? How many in Japan? I assure you, Japan's stats are significantly lower than the USA, Canada, Europe, etc...

Like I've finally gotten around to around to watching Evangelion, and the abundance of sexualising literal 14 year olds is definitely not great.

And this is a problem because....?

It's a cartoon, not a real child. AoC exists to protect children as they develop so they don't have to deal with things like pregnancy at such a young age. Arguing that it's amoral to find a fertile woman or what looks like a fertile woman attractive, is dumb, considering men are biologically programmed to find youth, beauty, and fertility attractive. What's wrong is to harass, sexually assault, exploit, or copulate with a minor, because it disrupts their development. A cartoon is a cartoon, it can't be harmed. And arguing that "it's wrong" on moral principle is stupid, considering there are many adult women who look like 14/16 year olds, due to how their bodies developed, very common among Asian women I should add. Arguing that they're not allowed to be seen as attractive by men because of how they were born or how they developed is incredibly discriminatory toward them for absolutely no valid reason. You're basically arguing that the standard of beauty should be one that adheres to your own moral sensibilities. Despite the fact that in our own history, we've seen girls as young as 13 marry older men, see Romeo and Juliet. Again, we've evolved as a society to protect the development of teenagers, but the attraction to youthful features itself has never been amoral. Fertile women are fertile women. And a cartoon is a cartoon. Japan has different cultural values than you, and there is no reasonable argument that proves that your standards are more moral than theirs.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Guys, can we PLEASE drop the current topic? I’m getting really uncomfortable

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Looking at each company indivudually

Konami: Threw Bomberman under the Assist Trophy Bus and I'm not sure how to get full Contra or Frogger movesets
SAY-GAAA!: Already had Atlas add Persona
Namco: The biggest pool to draw from with both arcade classics and their own fighting games
Capcom: Has a lot of big series like Resident Evil and Ace Attorney
Square: Already has Cloud representing one single Final Fantasy Game and Hero Representing all of Dragon Quest. (Someone's being protective...)
Microsoft: Has a couple of big ones but only just got on board.

 

[Door Key Pig]

I haven't really played any SNK games, but my only exposure is from seeing a friend play King of Fighters on Xbox 360 when I was in college. I'm sure SNK characters are more popular than I think, but I think there are characters/series that would stand out more based on what we currently have and appeal to a broader range of fans. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen though.

I just finished Devil May Cry 4 the other day, and I would totally be down for Dante. Still have to play DMCV (which I might start today), but what honestly gets me hooked on Devil May Cry is a combination of the gameplay and Dante's personality. Like, the taunts he has in-game would be absolutely amazing in Smash.

Not that I find him super likely, especially in combination with what has been said about Dante in Smash and getting Devil May Cry on Nintendo platforms.

While not a guarantee, I think Capcom and Namco have great odds of having the last two characters. Both companies have stellar series to pull from (Capcom- RE, DMC, Monster Hunter...Namco- Tekken, Tales) and I think would bring a ton to Smash that isn't already involved. Just the idea of the various creatures of Resident Evil, as well as some sort of inventory management playstyle for Leon, Chris, or Jill, and then the idea of Lloyd Irving having different combos to pull off similar to Tales of Symphonia would be super cool.

People have different tastes though, so it's not as if I speak for everyone.

EDIT: One last thing, I'm not convinced any western character is suddenly more likely because of Banjo-Kazooie specifically. The only thing that comes to mind is that interview from last year with Bethesda saying, "We talked about Smash", but I think the connections to Crash are overblown and seem to me to be the "thing that everybody assumed and would be wrong about" at the end of all of it.

Not to say I don't think he'd be a good addition. I do think he would be a good addition. But I think folks are latching to him because Banjo-Kazooie is a similar "90s mascot character" and hope the similarities mean it's happening. I simply don't think it is.

I have to wonder if that Capcom guy openly saying "no he's not in Smash lol" base game period affects his chances currently?

I mean, it remains to be seen IF, as they got Microsoft on board for a character, they also lept for another Western but Japan-popular character of nostalgic properties.

Maybe he was finished with negotiations as late as November as they were waiting for N. Sane to do okay on Switch in Japan or something, thus why he'd be fighter 4/5...

 

[Garteam]

So, how do you guys feel about other western characters? I'm cautiously hopeful for Crash, but years and years of waiting for Banjo taught me to not expect anything.

I honestly think that Crash is the only other Western 3rd Party with a real chance of joining the battle, simply because he's had the most success jumping over into the Japanese market. I think Doom Marine is very overrated, seeing how he has little to no fan demand in Japan. Some may cite to Hero as proof that you don't need international appeal to get into Smash, but Sakurai intentionally included Eight as a costume to appeal to a western audience, so it seems he was still had international interests in mind.

 

[Ornl]

It's disturbing when you remember we have male characters who superficially resemble each other, but appearently it's only a problem with women?

We even have two different JRPG protags in the same pass, I think we shouldn't let imaginary quotas rule the speculation.

It's a commercial image problem. Asking if Smash could make sure to look politically correct in an universal way isn't "stupid". This is an important societal anti-sexist controversy, not evoked by the players but evoked by the cultural criticism, which isn't comparable to the fact that there are several third party JRPG. We may not agree. We may not debate about this. But every reaction should be respectful, judging feeds tensions.

_____
Above a Capcom / Bamco rep, or an unrepresented company, I think the biggest surprise would come from Konami / Sega / Squenix / Microsoft.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

I’ll preface this by saying I’m a Nightmare supporter and he’s my Namco character of choice, but I’m noticing an upwelling of support/predictions of Lloyd Irving recently.

So I’m generally uninformed on the subject since I really only know Lloyd from smash speculation , but why is Lloyd Irving or a Tales of rep so likely? Not trying to be factious, I’m genuinely curious.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I stole this picture from /v/ (unashamedly):

The thread topic was, "which character is least deserving", but I don't entertain questions like that to be honest. Obviously, the two characters not currently in Smash are Jill Valentine from Resident Evil and Kasumi from Dead or Alive, but I just looked at this picture and feel that it embodies why, biases aside, Resident Evil makes perfect sense here.

I realize that in some cases in the last few months, I've become the "Smash x Resident Evil" guy. I'll be frank and say that I've played the RE2 remake, 1, 0, Revelations 1 and 2 all in the last few months, which has brought me to only not having played Code Veronica, RE3, and 7. I'm highly appreciative of the series, but by no means is it my favorite series of all time. It's up there, but it's not as if the reason I talk about it is because of heavy bias and fan-boner. I've played every series with a playable character in Smash (because that's been my thing), and while not in Smash, I consider Resident Evil to be a huge contender.

Basically, I feel as though the lineup here including Resident Evil makes complete sense. The series itself is horror genre-defining, it's among the top earners in multi-media franchises related to gaming (it's got movies to add in there as well). It's popular worldwide. Characters like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or Chris/Claire Redfield are among legendary gaming protagonists. This is simply fact, not just my opinion. It's not an opinion that these characters are legendary throughout gaming, it's just a fact that Resident Evil is huge.

Jill Valentine herself is considered among the most famous female gaming characters in the history of the hobby. Leon comes from the ever popular Resident Evil 4, which revolutionized 3rd person, action gaming. What has always made Resident Evil unique in the earlier titles at least, is the supply management aspect to the survival horror gameplay. Sure, you might only have one zombie in the room with you. But do you have healing items? Bullets? Low health? If you don't have supplies, the horror of fighting these monsters is multiplied, in addition to the limited amount of times you can save in the game with your supply of ink ribbons.

These are big-time characters, with gameplay that revolutionized a genre.

Basically, the horror games of today...Outlast, Five Nights at Freddy's, the Evil Within, among others, have Resident Evil to thank for the groundwork of the genre being placed before them, similar to how Dragon Quest set the pace for later RPG series to grow, or like how Metal Gear supported the stealth genre (in addition to cinematic, story-driven campaigns).

I realize that not everyone on Smashboards has played every single series in Smash like I have (mainly because I want to experience new series I haven't tried if they make it to playable in Smash). Something I learned though, is that even if you haven't played a series, it doesn't mean it isn't worth adding to Smash. I would very much recommend to anyone who hasn't played Resident Evil to give it a shot. It's a lot of fun, has goofy aspects to the plot that doesn't always take itself too seriously, but also has excellent gameplay that lines itself up with some of the other legendary series in Smash already.

It's hard for me to believe that this game would say, "Everyone is here!" and not include one of the biggest franchises not yet in Smash, especially considering in the Top 10 Japanese gaming series in sales, Resident Evil is the only Japanese-created game not in Smash in any capacity.

I haven't played Dead or Alive, but I really don't know that I would line up Kasumi with some of these picks. Change my mind?

 

[Nightguything]

People really think mai’s in?

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Just wanna put it out there, but I think people are sleeping on Mai Shiranui:

Like DQ Hero/Erdrick, she's another one of those characters that "just make sense" when you stop and think about it. Just a list of stuff she's got in her favor:

-She's an incredibly iconic character in fighting games, just behind Ryu, and rivaling Chun Li
-She one of THE most iconic females in gaming, alongside the likes of Lara Croft, Samus, and Jill Valentine
-She's had a significant cultural impact in gaming, with character's like Kasumi (DOA) and Jam (Guilty Gear) being inspired by her.
-Additionally, her costume is incredibly iconic, making her by far one of, if not THE most popular cosplay character of all time, with various contests being held in Asia purely themed around Mai cosplay
-She's incredibly popular in Asia, appearing in games like BDO, DFO, and many many other Asia exclusive games purely due to how popular she is in China, Korea, and Hong Kong.
-She's also a fan favorite in her native country of Japan arguably taking the number 1 spot for most iconic female videogame character in Japan
-She's made a ridiculous amount of crossovers in other games (over 70 - more than Ryu), and is essentially SNK's mascot.
-SNK is a significant and important company in gaming, especially in Japan, they're up there with Capcom, Bamco, and Square Enix. Her getting added to Smash would bring Metal Slug, and other KoF content to Smash
-And let's not forget, King Of Fighters is Sakurai's favorite fighting game. Being one that he's cited to playing in his youth in Japanese arcades, and with the Smash series taking some inspiration from it in some mechanics.
-Also, less imporant, but her moveset from KoF/Final Fight would translate perfectly to Smash, and she'd be a unique fighter among the current roster.


Just out of how much excitement her inclusion into Smash would cause in Asia, and no, not just Japan, but also markets like China, Hong Kong, and Korea, I can definitely see Mai happening. People are sleeping on her hardcore. She's one of those few remaining characters who are popular and iconic enough to generate a huge uproar. Like the DQ Hero in fact, she honestly feels like she's missing from the roster given how iconic she is in gaming. I feel like I can definitely see Mai happening all things considered.

Here's her wiki article if you wanna read up on how significant Mai is to gaming:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai_Shiranui#Cultural_impact

I struggle to think of other characters that hold as much weight as she does.

Also, out of all the possible fighting game IP characters that could still be added to Smash, she's by far the most unique AND iconic. If you tell me "the next character will be from a fighting game IP" and/or "the next character will be female" I'd 100% put money on Mai. She's just an obvious choice when you stop and think about it.

If she were to get. They'd have the censor her as they had withand

 

[Rie Sonomura]

It's a commercial image problem. Asking if Smash could make sure to look politically correct in an universal way isn't "stupid". This is an important societal anti-sexist controversy, not evoked by the players but evoked by the cultural criticism, which isn't comparable to the fact that there are several third party JRPG. We may not agree. We may not debate about this. But every reaction should be respectful, judging feeds tensions.

_____
Above a Capcom / Bamco rep, or an unrepresented company, I think the biggest surprise would come from Konami / Sega / Squenix / Microsoft.

You’re forgetting THE biggest surprise.

That’s right, Nintendo themselves. Only Nintendo DLC we have so far is Piranha Plant and it isn’t even in the pass

 

[lordvaati]

Yeah, it's kind of worrying to be honest.
That people are only viewing females based how how they look. Isn't that the sort of thing we're trying to move away from?

Koei-Tecmo is probably the biggest omission of a company that has done collaborations with Nintendo in the past in this game, which I why I'm thinking that there is a high chance we might get a rep in the Fighter's Pass-Ryu Hayabusa in particular.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Koei-Tecmo is probably the biggest omission of a company that has done collaborations with Nintendo in the past in this game, which I why I'm thinking that there is a high chance we might get a rep in the Fighter's Pass-Ryu Hayabusa in particular.

Do you think they'd give Ryu his full name or just change it's delivery?

Or did this Ryu keep his Japanese pronunciation?

 

[3BitSaurus]

Looking at each company indivudually

Konami: Threw Bomberman under the Assist Trophy Bus and I'm not sure how to get full Contra or Frogger movesets
SAY-GAAA!: Already had Atlas add Persona
Namco: The biggest pool to draw from with both arcade classics and their own fighting games
Capcom: Has a lot of big series like Resident Evil and Ace Attorney
Square: Already has Cloud representing one single Final Fantasy Game and Hero Representing all of Dragon Quest. (Someone's being protective...)
Microsoft: Has a couple of big ones but only just got on board.

Contra is getting a new game... but I dunno. Konami is imo one of the weakest 3rd parties already in Smash in terms of possible future characters.

Capcom has a lot to pull from. My prediction is Resident Evil, but there are at least 4 other franchises with great potential. Capcom is in a really good place.

Namco is in a weird spot. On one hand, I don't believe in "quotas" for third party companies, but seeing Pac all alone in the corner when his company is helping make the game makes me scratch my head. There are a few possibilities, but we would have to wait for Sakurai has in store. I think Namco is the biggest question mark in all of this.

So aside from that, there's a reasonably good chance of one of the last 2 DLCs being from a completely new company, I think.

You’re forgetting THE biggest surprise.

That’s right, Nintendo themselves. Only Nintendo DLC we have so far is Piranha Plant and it isn’t even in the pass

The only problem is that there are very few options if you consider that Spirits may deconfirm. There are stil a few characters remaining, but I can't think of anyone that would receive overwhelming praise.

 

[Deleted member]

I stole this picture from /v/ (unashamedly):
View attachment 229618
The thread topic was, "which character is least deserving", but I don't entertain questions like that to be honest. Obviously, the two characters not currently in Smash are Jill Valentine from Resident Evil and Kasumi from Dead or Alive, but I just looked at this picture and feel that it embodies why, biases aside, Resident Evil makes perfect sense here.

I realize that in some cases in the last few months, I've become the "Smash x Resident Evil" guy. I'll be frank and say that I've played the RE2 remake, 1, 0, Revelations 1 and 2 all in the last few months, which has brought me to only not having played Code Veronica, RE3, and 7. I'm highly appreciative of the series, but by no means is it my favorite series of all time. It's up there, but it's not as if the reason I talk about it is because of heavy bias and fan-boner. I've played every series with a playable character in Smash (because that's been my thing), and while not in Smash, I consider Resident Evil to be a huge contender.

Basically, I feel as though the lineup here including Resident Evil makes complete sense. The series itself is horror genre-defining, it's among the top earners in multi-media franchises related to gaming (it's got movies to add in there as well). It's popular worldwide. Characters like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or Chris/Claire Redfield are among legendary gaming protagonists. This is simply fact, not just my opinion. It's not an opinion that these characters are legendary throughout gaming, it's just a fact that Resident Evil is huge.

Jill Valentine herself is considered among the most famous female gaming characters in the history of the hobby. Leon comes from the ever popular Resident Evil 4, which revolutionized 3rd person, action gaming. What has always made Resident Evil unique in the earlier titles at least, is the supply management aspect to the survival horror gameplay. Sure, you might only have one zombie in the room with you. But do you have healing items? Bullets? Low health? If you don't have supplies, the horror of fighting these monsters is multiplied, in addition to the limited amount of times you can save in the game with your supply of ink ribbons.

These are big-time characters, with gameplay that revolutionized a genre.

Basically, the horror games of today...Outlast, Five Nights at Freddy's, the Evil Within, among others, have Resident Evil to thank for the groundwork of the genre being placed before them, similar to how Dragon Quest set the pace for later RPG series to grow, or like how Metal Gear supported the stealth genre (in addition to cinematic, story-driven campaigns).

I realize that not everyone on Smashboards has played every single series in Smash like I have (mainly because I want to experience new series I haven't tried if they make it to playable in Smash). Something I learned though, is that even if you haven't played a series, it doesn't mean it isn't worth adding to Smash. I would very much recommend to anyone who hasn't played Resident Evil to give it a shot. It's a lot of fun, has goofy aspects to the plot that doesn't always take itself too seriously, but also has excellent gameplay that lines itself up with some of the other legendary series in Smash already.

It's hard for me to believe that this game would say, "Everyone is here!" and not include one of the biggest franchises not yet in Smash, especially considering in the Top 10 Japanese gaming series in sales, Resident Evil is the only Japanese-created game not in Smash in any capacity.

I haven't played Dead or Alive, but I really don't know that I would line up Kasumi with some of these picks. Change my mind?

I was in that thread, lol. And that’s where I came with the idea of Mai. Because I saw Kasumi who is literally a Mai clone, and people have been bringing up Nakoruru cause she’s the FitM waifu as people just now learned of her through the new SamSho, under the pretext of “SNK should get a rep” and then I remembered “wait, isn’t Mai SNK?” And suddenly started to realize just how significant the character ACTUALLY is.

I’m the guy who made the first posts mentioning Mai ITT. So, you heard it here folks. IF Mai gets in, I 100% called it. Everyone has been sleeping on the character hard, flying under everyone’s radars, but if you pause, do the research, and really start to look into the character, you’ll see she holds way more weight that the likes of Doomguy, Dante, Nakoruru, Kasumi, and dozens of other characters I see tossed around.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Contra is getting a new game... but I dunno. Konami is imo one of the weakest 3rd parties already in Smash in terms of possible future characters.

Capcom has a lot to pull from. My prediction is Resident Evil, but there are at least 4 other franchises with great potential. Capcom is in a really good place.

Namco is in a weird spot. On one hand, I don't believe in "quotas" for third party companies, but seeing Pac all alone in the corner when his company is helping make the game makes me scratch my head. There are a few possibilities, but we would have to wait for Sakurai has in store. I think Namco is the biggest question mark in all of this.

So aside from that, there's a reasonably good chance of one of the last 2 DLCs being from a completely new company, I think.



The only problem is that there are very few options if you consider that Spirits may deconfirm. There are stil a few characters remaining, but I can't think of anyone that would receive overwhelming praise.

Which is why I believe Spirits, in fact, don’t deconfirm. It would be even more surprising if it WAS a Spirit getting a promotion, too.

 

[Nquoid]

I'm not going to respond to the post above because it is grossly off topic, just going to say "yikes".

I stole this picture from /v/ (unashamedly): The thread topic was, "which character is least deserving", but I don't entertain questions like that to be honest. Obviously, the two characters not currently in Smash are Jill Valentine from Resident Evil and Kasumi from Dead or Alive, but I just looked at this picture and feel that it embodies why, biases aside, Resident Evil makes perfect sense here.

I realize that in some cases in the last few months, I've become the "Smash x Resident Evil" guy. I'll be frank and say that I've played the RE2 remake, 1, 0, Revelations 1 and 2 all in the last few months, which has brought me to only not having played Code Veronica, RE3, and 7. I'm highly appreciative of the series, but by no means is it my favorite series of all time. It's up there, but it's not as if the reason I talk about it is because of heavy bias and fan-boner. I've played every series with a playable character in Smash (because that's been my thing), and while not in Smash, I consider Resident Evil to be a huge contender.

Basically, I feel as though the lineup here including Resident Evil makes complete sense. The series itself is horror genre-defining, it's among the top earners in multi-media franchises related to gaming (it's got movies to add in there as well). It's popular worldwide. Characters like Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or Chris/Claire Redfield are among legendary gaming protagonists. This is simply fact, not just my opinion. It's not an opinion that these characters are legendary throughout gaming, it's just a fact that Resident Evil is huge.

Jill Valentine herself is considered among the most famous female gaming characters in the history of the hobby. Leon comes from the ever popular Resident Evil 4, which revolutionized 3rd person, action gaming. What has always made Resident Evil unique in the earlier titles at least, is the supply management aspect to the survival horror gameplay. Sure, you might only have one zombie in the room with you. But do you have healing items? Bullets? Low health? If you don't have supplies, the horror of fighting these monsters is multiplied, in addition to the limited amount of times you can save in the game with your supply of ink ribbons.

These are big-time characters, with gameplay that revolutionized a genre.

Basically, the horror games of today...Outlast, Five Nights at Freddy's, the Evil Within, among others, have Resident Evil to thank for the groundwork of the genre being placed before them, similar to how Dragon Quest set the pace for later RPG series to grow, or like how Metal Gear supported the stealth genre (in addition to cinematic, story-driven campaigns).

I realize that not everyone on Smashboards has played every single series in Smash like I have (mainly because I want to experience new series I haven't tried if they make it to playable in Smash). Something I learned though, is that even if you haven't played a series, it doesn't mean it isn't worth adding to Smash. I would very much recommend to anyone who hasn't played Resident Evil to give it a shot. It's a lot of fun, has goofy aspects to the plot that doesn't always take itself too seriously, but also has excellent gameplay that lines itself up with some of the other legendary series in Smash already.

It's hard for me to believe that this game would say, "Everyone is here!" and not include one of the biggest franchises not yet in Smash, especially considering in the Top 10 Japanese gaming series in sales, Resident Evil is the only Japanese-created game not in Smash in any capacity.

I haven't played Dead or Alive, but I really don't know that I would line up Kasumi with some of these picks. Change my mind?

I actually saw this picture the other day but it has KOS-MOS instead of Kasumi which I think works slightly better? I don't think she's the most likely Bamco rep but the Monolith Soft history and the fact she exists in a kind nebulous copyright space makes me think she's got a slight advantage to her than some other characters who get thrown around. Also, I do hope we don't get 5 male characters for this fighters pass, even if a lot of the characters I think are most likely (Lloyd, Leon and Ryu) are men.

 

[3BitSaurus]

I honestly think that Crash is the only other Western 3rd Party with a real chance of joining the battle, simply because he's had the most success jumping over into the Japanese market. I think Doom Marine is very overrated, seeing how he has little to no fan demand in Japan. Some may cite to Hero as proof that you don't need international appeal to get into Smash, but Sakurai intentionally included Eight as a costume to appeal to a western audience, so it seems he was still had international interests in mind.

Yeah, Crash is imo one of the few western characters with enough star power to make it. While Doomguy's reputation is nothing to scoff at, I see people treating him as a lock because of one "Oh, yeah" from Pete Hines during an interview. And while it definitely could mean something (for one, we still have no idea about what Sakurai's gun mecha toy was bought for), I'm sure a lot of companies without playable characters were contacted about Smash. It's how we got Rayman, Shantae and Shovel Knight in the game.

Which is why I believe Spirits, in fact, don’t deconfirm. It would be even more surprising if it WAS a Spirit getting a promotion, too.

In a way, it would make sense as the ultimate troll/surprise pick. But I'm not holding my breath for those characters.

 

[Ornl]

Nintendo could also exploit a former third party character it bought (like Momotetsu, but not Momotetsu) or that it plans to buy back in the future.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I can't really comment on the likelihood of any SNK character, simply because I've never played any games from that company.

I would simply say that characters aren't picked because of the company they come from, but because of the series they come from and what they bring to Smash. If they can bring something unique, so be it. If they can come from an extremely iconic series, so be it.

If they can do both? Best picks come from here imho.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Nintendo could also exploit a former third party character it bought (like Momotetsu, but not Momotetsu) or that it plans to buy back in the future.

The heck's a Momotetsu?

I could see them doing Ray MK III.

 

[RileyXY1]

I don't believe in the idea of "reps". Characters aren't necessary because of what company created them, what genre their games are, etc. All that matters is their moveset potential and what they can bring to Smash.

 

[lordvaati]

Do you think they'd give Ryu his full name or just change it's delivery?

Or did this Ryu keep his Japanese pronunciation?

I would expect the whole name to avoid obvious confusion, though I would not rule out them using the different pronunciation either.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Drop the sexism and sexualization topic. It definitely does not belong here, and it's completely off-topic while missing the key point(that one character has to be censored to get in, which is a different situation in itself). Though it's better to move on from that too, as it's completely went in a direction that is just uncomfortable to talk about.

Take it to Debate Hall. That's where these kind of topics belong.

 

[StormC]

Which is why I believe Spirits, in fact, don’t deconfirm. It would be even more surprising if it WAS a Spirit getting a promotion, too.

Well, I don't think Sakurai picks characters because they are surprising insofar as "I put a Spirit in and now they're gonna be surprised when they're DLC." I think he just... put in Spirits of characters he didn't plan to be playable on the Fighters Pass, especially since it's looking more and more plausible the Pass was mostly decided on in early-mid 2018.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Well, I don't think Sakurai picks characters because they are surprising insofar as "I put a Spirit in and now they're gonna be surprised when they're DLC." I think he just... put in Spirits of characters he didn't plan to be playable on the Fighters Pass, especially since it's looking more and more plausible the Pass was mostly decided on in early-mid 2018.

Sakurai's team chose the spirits first. All Sakurai did was look over them and remove a few. So it's highly doubtful they mean anything. The only ones maybe could be the evolved Spirits, since they're treated as a bit more important, but that's a stretch.

 

[Door Key Pig]

Do you think they'd give Ryu his full name or just change it's delivery?

Or did this Ryu keep his Japanese pronunciation?

If we can have two Roys with different inflection!

Capcom has a lot to pull from. My prediction is Resident Evil, but there are at least 4 other franchises with great potential. Capcom is in a really good place.

Namco is in a weird spot. On one hand, I don't believe in "quotas" for third party companies, but seeing Pac all alone in the corner when his company is helping make the game makes me scratch my head. There are a few possibilities, but we would have to wait for Sakurai has in store. I think Namco is the biggest question mark in all of this.

So aside from that, there's a reasonably good chance of one of the last 2 DLCs being from a completely new company, I think.



The only problem is that there are very few options if you consider that Spirits may deconfirm. There are stil a few characters remaining, but I can't think of anyone that would receive overwhelming praise.

You’re forgetting THE biggest surprise.

That’s right, Nintendo themselves. Only Nintendo DLC we have so far is Piranha Plant and it isn’t even in the pass

Maybe if I keep posting this enough times...

In terms of Namco, maybe there's a few candidates they'd give another look at after not having a second within Smash 4? (Heihachi's moveset being difficult to SMASHIFY) And Capcom has a lot of characters to use, right? Who would be the most iconic and/or fitting amongst the all stars in Marvel vs Capcom, to be put in Smash Bros, I ask? I'm aware of the one post made about Resident Evil inclusion, so that and who else?

I honestly think that Crash is the only other Western 3rd Party with a real chance of joining the battle, simply because he's had the most success jumping over into the Japanese market. I think Doom Marine is very overrated, seeing how he has little to no fan demand in Japan. Some may cite to Hero as proof that you don't need international appeal to get into Smash, but Sakurai intentionally included Eight as a costume to appeal to a western audience, so it seems he was still had international interests in mind.

Maybe while they were getting Banjo, they decided to double down with the other big Western but Japanese popular character, also grabbing Crash's larger audience and fitting the surprise factor of picks, albeit maybe again alongside another Japanese-owned if not centric icon too, like Resident Evil or something.

 

[StormC]

Sakurai's team chose the spirits first. All Sakurai did was look over them and remove a few. So it's highly doubtful they mean anything. The only ones maybe could be the evolved Spirits, since they're treated as a bit more important, but that's a stretch.

After the first 3 characters being from series with 0 presence in the game, as well as the fact that they bring their own spirits, I would be very surprised to see any “spirit promotions” on the Pass.

 

[Nquoid]

Sakurai's team chose the spirits first. All Sakurai did was look over them and remove a few. So it's highly doubtful they mean anything. The only ones maybe could be the evolved Spirits, since they're treated as a bit more important, but that's a stretch.

Whilst I'm sure they ultimately don't mean much, looking through the list of 4* Primary Spirits is a who's who of 1st Party speculation. Obviously some characters like Dixie and Isaac are evolved versions (and Shadow for that matter). But I did enjoy that it proves that Sakurai is very much aware of who the most popular character requests are and at least threw fans a bone in making them Legendary.

 

[3BitSaurus]

In terms of Namco, maybe there's a few candidates they'd give another look at after not having a second within Smash 4? (Heihachi's moveset being difficult to SMASHIFY) And Capcom has a lot of characters to use, right? Who would be the most iconic and/or fitting amongst the all stars in Marvel vs Capcom, to be put in Smash Bros, I ask? I'm aware of the one post made about Resident Evil inclusion, so that and who else?

Maybe while they were getting Banjo, they decided to double down with the other big Western but Japanese popular character, also grabbing Crash's larger audience and fitting the surprise factor of picks, albeit maybe again alongside another Japanese-owned if not centric icon too, like Resident Evil or something.

Aside from RE, there's Ace Attorney, which is really popular among Capcom's franchises. Phoenix would, arguably, go toe-to-toe with a Resident Evil character when it comes to Capcom. There are also a few smaller contenders, like Amaterasu, Arthur and Viewtiful Joe, among others.

The only problem with Crash is that the demographic is relatively similar to Banjo's (3D platformer mascots from the 90s that originated in the west). Technically, a lot closer than Persona and Dragon Quest's are. So either Nintendo ignores the "genre repeat" and doubles down due to Crash's sheer popularity or they go for someone else. I can see it going either way, to be honest.