Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[3BitSaurus]

I think anything is fair game for post-Pass DLC.

Spoiler

Shame we won’t get any.

I'm not really confident in that either. But boy, would it be fun for speculation...

 

[SKX31]

I'm not really confident in that either. But boy, would it be fun for speculation...

Honestly, I'm pretty optimistic, but cautiously so. The main question is whether Nintendo's stance on further DLC has / will change or not. I could see it changing if a number of factors fall Nintendo's way - such as the Switch's Chinese release.

Then again, they won't lift a finger without Sakurai's approval, and luckily both Nintendo and Sakurai have lots of flexibility on this. The Switch's doing really well (approaching the Xbone's lifetime numbers AFAIK), work on Banjo looked mostly done at E3 (which was two months ago now) and they have 6 1/2 months to go (assuming the latest possible deadline day, Leap Day 2020). A lot will also depend on Sakurai's health and if it's improved this DLC cycle. If it has, I could see Sakurai agreeing on another DLC cycle - with a vacation inbetween being a possibility.

In essence, they could decide whichever way they want to take.

 

[tenworldsguy]

I wonder if fighter 4 is a completely new character (no presence in Ultimate), there will still be debate on whether or not Spirits deconfirm for the Fighters Pass.

For sure. Rejection of their beloved hurts, and many don't want to accept such a fate.
(I really wanted a bunch of now-spirit characters, so these aren't outsider's claims)

Spoiler: quote from 4chan, Anon, 2019

">be sakurai, or really anyone developing the game
>include many many characters, including some third-parties, as interactive spirit battles
>game is still in development and will be for at least a few months
>find out nintendo wants you to make dlc, gives you a list of options
>hey this one would be neat, let's make them a fighter
>but wait >we already made them a spirit fight
>we could scrap that fight so we can include this character properly as a fighter
>this way this battle won't age poorly by having the character misrepresented by a completely different fighter
>
>naaah
You can call me out for making up rules all you won't, and I won't deny that I know any more or less than you do, but this is not a "Mewtwo and Lucas trophies in Sm4sh" situation because the DLC selection was officially finalized by November at the earliest, and because spirits are more interactive than trophies. This is not absolutely 100% how it will pan out, because frankly, anything CAN happen. But it is common sense. If you still believe in Geno, Rayman, Shantae, Wonder-Red, Bandana Dee, Rex, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. This isn't even getting into Reggie's statement about Joker frontlining the rest of the fighters yet to come in the pass, which has already been misinterpreted to hell and back. t. wanted two of those guys I just mentioned"

 

[Dark Bagel]

Sorry to dumb down and interrupt current discussion, but with the current characters being speculated, out of ALL of them, what do you guys think are the general chances of seeing a female character in this fighter pass (besides Kazooie)?

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Sorry to dumb down and interrupt current discussion, but with the current characters being speculated, out of ALL of them, what do you guys think are the general chances of seeing a female character in this fighter pass (besides Kazooie)?

Decently low just because most of the potential picks are male. If we do get a female then it will probably be Jill.

 

[SuperSceptile15]

IMO a new Fire Emblem character shouldn’t happen before at least one of the following:

• 4th Kirby character, be it Bandana Dee or Adeleine

I don't think a new Kirby character is necessary. It's a mediocre C-list franchise with its main characters already in the roster.

It's not that Fire Emblem doesn't have any more interesting things to add, it's that it's only just starting to make a name for itself while still having double the roster size of already established franchises like Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby.

FE is way bigger and more relevant than DK and Kirby now. Did you forget how wildly successful Heroes was? And FE is a series with tons of characters like Pokemon, so of course it will have many characters in the roster.

Also I find it hypocritical how many people don't want another FE or Pokemon rep because there's already "too many", but want Geno or Waluigi when there are already nine Mario characters.

 

[Deleted member]

Regarding spirits disconfirming characters, I don't think the spirits inherently disconfirm but rather all the content surrounding characters and series currently in Smash.

One of the most important aspects that Sakurai remarked with the Fighter pass is the addition of Music, Stage and Spirits in addition to the fighter. Which would make me think that the pass is focused on new franchises rather than those represented in the game. One of the things that is worth noticing is that the only new stages we got in the base game in addition to Zelda and Mario were the ones related to the newcomers, I would suspect that the stage part is pretty much implying a new series is being added rather than any currently in the game.

Even if Pokemon and FE have new games that don't have any spirits so far nor any kind of content, I don't really see them happening compared to a series that hasn't appeared before as they could potentially use the Pokemon and FE stages that are currently in the game just like Incineroar and Edelgard did which is what makes me wary of the possibility. But heck I could be wrong and just reading too much into stuff..

So overall I would qualify the possibility of DLC as follows: New series -> Old series with an entry Post-Ultimate -> Current series,

Also, can we not get into FE representation in Smash topic again? It's kinda samey everytime it gets brought and most of the time its used as a boogeyman, which tends to be kinda silly.

Sorry to dumb down and interrupt current discussion, but with the current characters being speculated, out of ALL of them, what do you guys think are the general chances of seeing a female character in this fighter pass (besides Kazooie)?

I would say a decent chance, there are quite a few characters that can work like Jill, Monster Hunter(having a female variant), Chosen Undead(female variant), Ammy, Nakoruru, Athena Asamiya, etc. Only thing that would matter if they get chosen over other characters and given we got Joker and Bayo, it wouldnt surprise me that they go for a character that is not that big.

 

[KatKit]

Why go to ArcSys though? I would think that if Nintendo wants a Granblue character, they would only go to Cygames and develop from scratch.

I meant giving the character a moveset (and maybe control inputs a la Ryu/Ken) inspired by Fantasy Vs. Like... if Cygames allowed ArcSys to help develop the character for Smash or something.

I'm glad others remember the Katalina rumors. I have a friend who is really into GranBlue and as established I'm an ArcSys fan so I'll definitely be getting GBF VS once it releases, so I'm fine with a GBF character being in. I've familiarized myself with the VS roster too so they all seem cool.

It's a day 1 buy for me, and I don't know much about the series. The action RPG mode looks fun, too: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zUUJ_cyHSMI

I hope the new Guilty Gear (or Blazblue) gets a side mode like that, haha.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I don't think a new Kirby character is necessary. It's a mediocre C-list franchise with its main characters already in the roster.

Kirby may have gotten stale (and it's always been a bit lower profile) but it's still one of Nintendo's biggest franchises.

FE is way bigger and more relevant than DK and Kirby now. Did you forget how wildly successful Heroes was? And FE is a series with tons of characters like Pokemon, so of course it will have many characters in the roster.

Fire Emblem may have made a big splash, but it's still a rising star like the Xenoblade Chronicles and Splatoon series. Meanwhile Kirby is still incredibly popular and while I wouldn't know where to look to find the sales myself, the Donkey Kong Country Returns series has sold incredibly well from what I've heard. Also if Fire Emblem is as big as Kirby or Donkey Kong then why is it still a running gag that nobody knows who the Fire Emblem cast is?

In other words, the Fire Emblem series might be approaching the status of the big Nintendo franchises and is certainly getting its time in the limelight right now, it's still not there yet. Close, but not quite.

Also I find it hypocritical how many people don't want another FE or Pokemon rep because there's already "too many", but want Geno or Waluigi when there are already nine Mario characters.

Yeah but the Super Mario series is also the single most iconic gaming franchise. This and it's immediately evident that any given character from this series will give us something that feels new whereas a Fire Emblem character is likely to be one of the many sword characters and Pokémon aren't all that interesting as characters since they technically aren't ones.

EDIT: Not that they don't have personalities, but if you don't like a Pokémon's design there's little anyone can do to convince you of how cool they are.

Personally I don't think characters should be excluded because they hail from a specific series, but having a balance in series representation is still important. Adding Fire Emblem characters or Pokémon isn't really a bad thing in my eyes, but the rest of the series in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate should get the time they need as well. Did I just say the same thing twice? Probably.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Also I find it hypocritical how many people don't want another FE or Pokemon rep because there's already "too many", but want Geno or Waluigi when there are already nine Mario characters.

That's because Mario and his franchise is pretty much Nintendo itself. Its understandable why people would want more characters from it and have the most reps if it could.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Speaking of Splatoon, I’d love to see Octolings playable, as DLC or in the next game

 

[Deleted member]

I meant giving the character a moveset (and maybe control inputs a la Ryu/Ken) inspired by Fantasy Vs. Like... if Cygames allowed ArcSys to help develop the character for Smash or something.



It's a day 1 buy for me, and I don't know much about the series. The action RPG mode looks fun, too: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zUUJ_cyHSMI

I hope the new Guilty Gear (or Blazblue) gets a side mode like that, haha.

Are the mechanics in Vs that unique? Havent tried the series, but I would think that translating the mechanics from one fighting game to another would be more difficult than making the character from scratch.

If you're referring to any special gimmick a Granblue character can carry from Vs., I could see it more reasonable.

 

[3BitSaurus]

Speaking of Splatoon, I’d love to see Octolings playable, as DLC or in the next game

Me too. If we end up getting more Echoes in these circumstances, Octolings would be my top pick. I'm aware they could be made unique with stuff from Splatoon 2, but they would be a relatively easy Echo, meaning more chance of bringing other characters too, I guess.

 

[ze9]

The actual Fire Emblem games don't sell really much more than Kirby or DK. Actually, they probably sell less (Returns broke 7 millions, while Tropical Freeze sits at 4 between Wii U and Switch, Kirby always sells at least around 2 millions).
Heroes I suspect gets a majority of its profits from whales. Even then, FE sure as hell isn't as renowned as Mario, Zelda or Pokèmon so it has no business getting even more characters.

 

[smashingDoug]

No I haven't. I think it was OutsideXbox that reported it.

And thats why I ****ing hate gaming channels. So much false information being said all in the name of ''humor''. God it pisses me off so much as people than start to belive it.

Well like most times outsidexbox is wrong.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Are the mechanics in Vs that unique? Havent tried the series, but I would think that translating the mechanics from one fighting game to another would be more difficult than making the character from scratch.

If you're referring to any special gimmick a Granblue character can carry from Vs., I could see it more reasonable.

From what I've seen they aren't unique, but they aren't incredibly common either. It seems that all special moves (like a Hadouken for example) have a cooldown attached to them. It means that players can't spam and must be careful with their combos. I'm not sure how well this would translate into smash though and I wouldn't know if it would be the best way to represent a Granblue Fantasy character in the first place.

 

[YoshiandToad]

I don't think a new Kirby character is necessary. It's a mediocre C-list franchise with its main characters already in the roster.

C tier seems a little harsh.
Kirby's only doing worse than Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Smash in terms of franchise sales. It's definitely more lauded in Japan than the West though, where you could make an argument for Kirby being as big a deal as Zelda is over here.

That said, I do agree Fire Emblem is a big rising star right now and Three Houses and Heroes really pushed the series as one of Nintendo's big sellers. Heroes is an incredible achievement with it outselling Animal Crossing, Nintendo's own dedicated Mobile game in Dragalia Lost and even Mario on mobile devices.

The hate outburst recieved when Corrin was announced for Sm4sh is a little outdated since thanks to the combined efforts and successes of Heroes, Three Houses, Warriors(yep even this hit over 1M sales), Fates and Awakening, Fire Emblem has enough clout to easily warrant it's current fighters and then some.

Fire Emblem has outdone MARIO. That's not an easy thing to do. Granted, Run is a little bare bones, especially compared to Heroes but the fact it outstripped all those other mobile games by such an insane margin is a bigger deal than the Smash community may want to admit. $500 million sales for a mobile game is nothing to sniff at.

 

[KillerCage]

Sorry to dumb down and interrupt current discussion, but with the current characters being speculated, out of ALL of them, what do you guys think are the general chances of seeing a female character in this fighter pass (besides Kazooie)?

The only female character I think has a decent shot at getting into Smash Bros is Jill Valentine of Resident Evil/Biohazard fame. Not only is she one of the most popular characters in the franchise, Jill also co-stared in the first RE title along side Chris Redfield. Resident Evil is generally considered the father of the survival-horror games and has fairly strong connections to Nintendo with the ports of RE2 (N64), RE5 (Switch), RE6 (Switch), and the original releases of the RE1 remake and RE4 (both on the Gamecube.)

I don't think a new Kirby character is necessary. It's a mediocre C-list franchise with its main characters already in the roster.

I don't consider Kirby a C-list franchise; it's at best a high tier B-list series. I can't put Kirby in A-tier due to the franchise not pushing the video industry forward. It makes for the lack of innovation with memorable characters, fantastic music, intriguing lore, and a good starting series for new gamers. Kirby is the only large video game franchise that doesn't have a truly bad game; maybe a mediocre game here and there, but never a BAD game.

 

[CosmicQuark]

Sorry to dumb down and interrupt current discussion, but with the current characters being speculated, out of ALL of them, what do you guys think are the general chances of seeing a female character in this fighter pass (besides Kazooie)?

While Sakurai has mentioned wanting more diversity in the cast, I think it's up to a variety of factors if it actually happens. While I understand the impulse to want a character for diversity (it's one of the reasons why I prefer Twintelle over Spring Man, I feel like focusing on "arms" isn't necessary), I don't think that's at the forefront of choosing characters. I think it's a matter of "We'll pick the characters, and if I can do it from there, then I'll try to do it," rather than a part of the initial deciding process--and like what was mentioned, there's not as many diverse picks to choose from, as the lack of diversity in the Smash roster is emblematic of the problems in gaming as a whole. And I'm sure Sakurai would have wanted female alts for Hero, but either financial considerations or Square prevented it. He made sure to include diversity when possible when thinking of Pokemon Trainer, Villager and Inklings this time around.

I can certainly see one of the characters being female, or female as the default--but when I try to come up with ideas, it's the same ones that keep coming up (e.g., Jill, Lara Croft before Hero was revealed, female Byleth). It's something I don't expect, but welcome.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Heroes is an incredible achievement with it outselling Animal Crossing, Nintendo's own dedicated Mobile game in Dragalia Lost and even Mario on mobile devices.

Wait Dragalia Lost is a Nintendo game?!? What is it? *looks it up* Oh. It's another gacha game.

The only female character I think has a decent shot at getting into Smash Bros is Jill Valentine of Resident Evil/Biohazard fame. Not only is she one of the most popular characters in the franchise, Jill also co-stared in the first RE title along side Chris Redfield. Resident Evil is generally considered the father of the survival-horror games and has fairly strong connections to Nintendo with the ports of RE2 (N64), RE5 (Switch), RE6 (Switch), and the original releases of the RE1 remake and RE4 (both on the Gamecube.)

Ya know, I was talking to my mom the other day about the possibility of adding a Resident Evil character, but who Nintendo would pick is up in the air. She told me it would be weird if they didn't add the main character: Alice. She was surprised to learn that Alice is non canonical, hasn't even made a cameo in the games, and that Resident Evil fans hate her. I kinda wonder how many people would also find any of the eligible picks to be odd choices because of the movies.

 

[N3ON]

If you've ever been to Japan I think you'd be able to back me up that Kirby is certainly no C-tier; that little pink ******* is everywhere. They adore him.

However, though a crucial region, that is only one part of the world, and Kirby games don't ever smash records or anything like that. A comfortable, solid B-tier is more apt for him, I'd say.

I would agree that Kirby doesn't need any more characters. Though we're long past the point where existing franchises need anything. Now it really comes down to who is popular or relevant.

 

[Slime Scholar]

I've never been on board with the Fire Emblem complaints, and I've never seen the need for parity in playable representation in Smash. FE may have a lot of fighters, but it also happens to have a lot of central protagonists- characters who are the stars of their own games. Conversely, some series don't lend themselves to having a lot of playable fighters- and that's just fine.

I certainly don't expect everyone to be excited by the prospect of Edelgard getting in, or whatever, but the fact that it's become almost taboo to suggest her is plain silly.

 

[3BitSaurus]

The only female character I think has a decent shot at getting into Smash Bros is Jill Valentine of Resident Evil/Biohazard fame. Not only is she one of the most popular characters in the franchise, Jill also co-stared in the first RE title along side Chris Redfield. Resident Evil is generally considered the father of the survival-horror games and has fairly strong connections to Nintendo with the ports of RE2 (N64), RE5 (Switch), RE6 (Switch), and the original releases of the RE1 remake and RE4 (both on the Gamecube.)

There's something I'm curious about with RE: what would its "fanservice gimmick" be?

Let me explain: Joker got a stage that transformed to the music, stuff from P3 and P4 and several visual gimmicks. Hero came with 4 alts total and the biggest amount of special attacks to date.

What do fans think RE would bring to sweeten the deal to its main demographic? I wouldn't know, so could anyone give some ideas?

 

[PLATINUM7]

There's something I'm curious about with RE: what would its "fanservice gimmick" be?

Let me explain: Joker got a stage that transformed to the music, stuff from P3 and P4 and several visual gimmicks. Hero came with 4 alts total and the biggest amount of special attacks to date.

What do fans think RE would bring to sweeten the deal to its main demographic? I wouldn't know, so could anyone give some ideas?

Sexy costumes
New boss: The boulder

 

[N3ON]

Not that there can't be multiple additions within the same game, but I think a series having a lot to choose from should raise inter-series competition, not inherently result in a disproportionate amount of representation on Smash's roster. Of course, if a series doesn't lend itself to a multitude of additions, that's one thing - but there are many series, both with rotating casts and without, that have enough potential candidates that a c, now b-tier franchise punching so much above its weight does stick out.

I don't dispute FE has characters to work with, but so does Kirby. So does DK. So does Xenoblade. Zelda hasn't received an original character since Melee, or a newcomer since Brawl. Three of those series match or exceed FE's audience, so I think they should at least receive roughly as equal a share of additions as possible when compared to other series within their strata (should they have the candidates for it).

And that is generally how Smash operates, otherwise there'd be more than one glaring exception at which to point.

 

[Will]

I've never been on board with the Fire Emblem complaints, and I've never seen the need for parity in playable representation in Smash. FE may have a lot of fighters, but it also happens to have a lot of central protagonists- characters who are the stars of their own games. Conversely, some series don't lend themselves to having a lot of playable fighters- and that's just fine.

I certainly don't expect everyone to be excited by the prospect of Edelgard getting in, or whatever, but the fact that it's become almost taboo to suggest her is plain silly.

Edelgard has numerous reasons behind peoples supporting her exclusion.

1. Sakurai already commented on how he believes he's putting too much into Fire Emblem. Chrom's just lucky he could get cloned and have a high ballot spot.
2. Three Houses is still a recent game, no matter the development hell it went through for 3 years. Smash Ultimate began not long after Bayonetta/Corrin DLC came out and only 2 months(?) after Fates finished all of its content. Putting Edelgard in over someone else who was within the same time release *cough* Rex and Spring Man *cough* is not only going to upset the people who don't support the idea of Fire Emblem having more characters, but it's also going to make others who were disappointed that Rex or Spring Man couldn't be included. That's showing Sakurai has clear favoritism and the people will riot.
3. This Fighter's Pass may be the only one we get. Most people would rather see brand new additions to the franchise instead of additions to old ones, especially if they have seven characters.

Does it mean Edelgard should be excluded? No. ****, I rooted for Hector half for the axe, axes are cool. Is it gonna be well received? Look at Corrin and tell me.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Plus Chrom was Base roster.

 

[Playstation Guy 1000]

Edelgard has numerous reasons behind peoples supporting her exclusion.

1. Sakurai already commented on how he believes he's putting too much into Fire Emblem. Chrom's just lucky he could get cloned and have a high ballot spot.
2. Three Houses is still a recent game, no matter the development hell it went through for 3 years. Smash Ultimate began not long after Bayonetta/Corrin DLC came out and only 2 months(?) after Fates finished all of its content. Putting Edelgard in over someone else who was within the same time release *cough* Rex and Spring Man *cough* is not only going to upset the people who don't support the idea of Fire Emblem having more characters, but it's also going to make others who were disappointed that Rex or Spring Man couldn't be included. That's showing Sakurai has clear favoritism and the people will riot.
3. This Fighter's Pass may be the only one we get. Most people would rather see brand new additions to the franchise instead of additions to old ones, especially if they have seven characters.

Does it mean Edelgard should be excluded? No. ****, I rooted for Hector half for the axe, axes are cool. Is it gonna be well received? Look at Corrin and tell me.

you pretty much hit the nail on the head on that one.

 

[OrpheusTelos]

There's something I'm curious about with RE: what would its "fanservice gimmick" be?

Let me explain: Joker got a stage that transformed to the music, stuff from P3 and P4 and several visual gimmicks. Hero came with 4 alts total and the biggest amount of special attacks to date.

What do fans think RE would bring to sweeten the deal to its main demographic? I wouldn't know, so could anyone give some ideas?

Uhhh maybe having the other characters as alts. I'm pretty sure the animations would make that a bit troublesome, but having Jill, Leon, Chris, and/or Claire in the same slot would definitely appeal to fans. Aside from that, I imagine a Resident Evil character would have some sort of resource management gimmick to call back to the series' survival horror gameplay. Maybe have some of the tyrants such as Nemesis show up as stage hazards

 

[YoshiandToad]

Talking of Resident Evil, the more I look into it the more I think Chris might be the most slept on choice.

Technically Leon and Jill both have stronger Nintendo roots with Leon's game being the Gamecube's darling crown jewel and Jill being the protagonist on the surprisingly successful 3DS game, but Chris seems to be the overall main protagonist to me what with Jill making her last appearance two games ago, and Leon being more the star of his own story within that world.

Chris is there in Resident Evil 1, he is the main reason for both Jill and Claire's arcs("Gotta find Chris"), a lot of the central conflict was between him and series villain Albert Wesker, has major leading roles in Resident Evil 5 and 6 and he's even the one chosen to link the seemingly stand alone Resident Evil 7 to the main story. That's not including his appearances in other Resident Evil franchises.

I see a lot of support for Leon and Jill but not much for ol' Fists of Fun Chris Redfield and I'm not sure why...

 

[3BitSaurus]

Sexy costumes
New boss: The boulder

Hey, man, I know Rock Smash was really popular on Charizard, but c'mon, why would you want Chris to be just a clone?

Uhhh maybe having the other characters as alts. I'm pretty sure the animations would make that a bit troublesome, but having Jill, Leon, Chris, and/or Claire in the same slot would definitely appeal to fans. Aside from that, I imagine a Resident Evil character would have some sort of resource management gimmick to call back to the series' survival horror gameplay. Maybe have some of the tyrants such as Nemesis show up as stage hazards

Yeah, some people have suggested that (though some have doubts about their body types not fitting well). The survival horror mechanics could be unique.

But I meant other stuff too - a transforming stage? Is there any location that could reference multiple RE games? Other tyrants besides Nemesis? Would Jill or Leon have some special "battle end" effect or animation, like Joker?

I don't know if I'm able to get the idea across well enough, but... what would Jill or Leon bring besides... the basic stuff we know all DLCs will bring?

 

[Dust319]

Talking of Resident Evil, the more I look into it the more I think Chris might be the most slept on choice.

Technically Leon and Jill both have stronger Nintendo roots with Leon's game being the Gamecube's darling crown jewel and Jill being the protagonist on the surprisingly successful 3DS game, but Chris seems to be the overall main protagonist to me what with Jill making her last appearance two games ago, and Leon being more the star of his own story within that world.

Chris is there in Resident Evil 1, he is the main reason for both Jill and Claire's arcs("Gotta find Chris"), a lot of the central conflict was between him and series villain Albert Wesker, has major leading roles in Resident Evil 5 and 6 and he's even the one chosen to link the seemingly stand alone Resident Evil 7 to the main story. That's not including his appearances in other Resident Evil franchises.

I see a lot of support for Leon and Jill but not much for ol' Fists of Fun Chris Redfield and I'm not sure why...

Mostly why I think they’d work multiple protagonists into a character if they add an Re character. However, you are correct that Chris is the most prevalent hero in the RE series.

I think the problem most may have with him is:

a) he was front and center for 5 and 6 which were more action games than survival games.

b) He’s a bit over-exposed having been in Marvel vs Capcom 3, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite in addition to appearing in both 3DS games and is the only returning character in RE7 (even if he’s not the protagonist).

c) Chris is also the boy-scout of the RE series, so he’s incredibly bland in comparison to just about anyone else, but especially when placed against Jill or Leon.

 

[Ura]

Regarding spirits disconfirming characters, I don't think the spirits inherently disconfirm but rather all the content surrounding characters and series currently in Smash.

One of the most important aspects that Sakurai remarked with the Fighter pass is the addition of Music, Stage and Spirits in addition to the fighter. Which would make me think that the pass is focused on new franchises rather than those represented in the game. One of the things that is worth noticing is that the only new stages we got in the base game in addition to Zelda and Mario were the ones related to the newcomers, I would suspect that the stage part is pretty much implying a new series is being added rather than any currently in the game.

Even if Pokemon and FE have new games that don't have any spirits so far nor any kind of content, I don't really see them happening compared to a series that hasn't appeared before as they could potentially use the Pokemon and FE stages that are currently in the game just like Incineroar and Edelgard did which is what makes me wary of the possibility. But heck I could be wrong and just reading too much into stuff..

So overall I would qualify the possibility of DLC as follows: New series -> Old series with an entry Post-Ultimate -> Current series,

I also subscribe to this. Not only with there being a stage included but also "all of their music tracks" makes me believe any addition would come from series that have never had a Fighter before (and for that matter, any franchise with a Stage or even Music). So I don't believe there's going to be overlap between tracks included in the Fighters Pass and any of the Base Roster stages. Hence why I believe all the pre-exisiting franchises are soft deconfirmed (unless sold outside the Pass) and any series with a Stage or music in the game (Rhythm Heaven, Style Savvy). And of course, franchises with an Assist Trophy/Mii Costume. Spirits remains to be seen but i'm hoping not. At least for the sake of my most wanted character lol.

 

[N3ON]

It's a divisive topic now, but I'm just guessing there will be a lot of revisionism when the pass is out and it's filled entirely with characters absent from the base game.

Also when there's no free bonus fighter.

 

[Slime Scholar]

1. Sakurai already commented on how he believes he's putting too much into Fire Emblem. Chrom's just lucky he could get cloned and have a high ballot spot.
2. Three Houses is still a recent game, no matter the development hell it went through for 3 years. Smash Ultimate began not long after Bayonetta/Corrin DLC came out and only 2 months(?) after Fates finished all of its content. Putting Edelgard in over someone else who was within the same time release *cough* Rex and Spring Man *cough* is not only going to upset the people who don't support the idea of Fire Emblem having more characters, but it's also going to make others who were disappointed that Rex or Spring Man couldn't be included. That's showing Sakurai has clear favoritism and the people will riot.
3. This Fighter's Pass may be the only one we get. Most people would rather see brand new additions to the franchise instead of additions to old ones, especially if they have seven characters.

Does it mean Edelgard should be excluded? No. ****, I rooted for Hector half for the axe, axes are cool. Is it gonna be well received? Look at Corrin and tell me.

What's funny is that I don't actually disagree with any of this. And there are a dozen+ characters I'd rather have over more FE- I'm just rubbed the wrong way by the fact that people can't express their support for a new character without somebody chiming in with comments that amount to "no, this series already has so much, you're not SUPPOSED to want more." It's a moot point because I don't think Fire Emblem is getting any more content to begin with but I don't remember things being like this before Corrin. I really don't want to be on a high horse or anything though, so I'll just end this by saying that I think fans focus too much on what they don't want vs. what they want. I've never once been bothered by a character inclusion.

On the subject of Resident Evil: I don't think an RE rep lends itself to using different characters as alternate costumes the way something like Dragon Quest does. The RE protags all have different body types, signature martial arts and, depending on how accurately you want to reference specific games, weapons. Jill and Leon are two of my most-wanted fighters, but it seems like we'd get one over the other and not both.

 

[Ura]

It's a divisive topic now, but I'm just guessing there will be a lot of revisionism when the pass is out and it's filled entirely with characters absent from the base game.

Also when there's no free bonus fighter.

Hey i'll gladly (well maybe not gladly but still) eat my **** sandwich if it turns out Spirits were the death sentence for any character in the base game. Not saying that they'll absolutely be in but I at least have a reason for believing it's not a hard deconfirm.

 

[HyruleHero]

Talking of Resident Evil, the more I look into it the more I think Chris might be the most slept on choice.

Technically Leon and Jill both have stronger Nintendo roots with Leon's game being the Gamecube's darling crown jewel and Jill being the protagonist on the surprisingly successful 3DS game, but Chris seems to be the overall main protagonist to me what with Jill making her last appearance two games ago, and Leon being more the star of his own story within that world.

Chris is there in Resident Evil 1, he is the main reason for both Jill and Claire's arcs("Gotta find Chris"), a lot of the central conflict was between him and series villain Albert Wesker, has major leading roles in Resident Evil 5 and 6 and he's even the one chosen to link the seemingly stand alone Resident Evil 7 to the main story. That's not including his appearances in other Resident Evil franchises.

I see a lot of support for Leon and Jill but not much for ol' Fists of Fun Chris Redfield and I'm not sure why...

I think its a matter of Chris being more of a 'generic' insert character in the franchise whereas Jill and Leon felt more alive in the world. Also if alt costumes were made with gender swaps I could see Jill and Leon working together with Leon being more slim than Chris, just give Jill some large heels and they would be the same height to.

 

[Nemuresu]

It's a divisive topic now, but I'm just guessing there will be a lot of revisionism when the pass is out and it's filled entirely with characters absent from the base game.

Also when there's no free bonus fighter.

Not to start bringing leakers into the this, but that's basically how Vergeben's detractors act about everything he says.

When he said Simon was going to happen: "He's a legend, anyone could've guessed that" (despite the character not being as wanted as others). When he called Base Goku and Vegeta: "FighterZ was already filled with different Gokus and Vegetas" (even though he mentioned a month prior to the game's release, not to mention everyone was hella angry when they found their data in a datamine). When he called Groh in SCVI: "I can call concepts too" (do I even have to point out all the flaws in that argument?). People have to be revisionist and think everything goes their way despite being obvious that things don't work likee that.

But moving on to Smash itself, there's nothing I have to be revisionist about. I stand when I say everyone will be a third-party and there's hardly any room for that to fail, and if it does, well, I'll just move on. Most things people have claimed about Smash go downhill eventually. It happened with Ridley, King K. Rool, Incineroar, Hero, Banjo, and even just the Fighters Pass in general (anyone here remembers when people thought the whole line-up would be just a bunch of promotional characters?); and because of that, I know my claims aren't immune to being wrong.

 

[StormC]

It's a divisive topic now, but I'm just guessing there will be a lot of revisionism when the pass is out and it's filled entirely with characters absent from the base game.

Also when there's no free bonus fighter.

You know, it's funny how the pendulum swings. I remember during the Smash 4 DLC there was a lot of crowing about how "we don't need any more Nintendo characters, all the important ones are in, the third party DLC is fine." When it was initially announced that Nintendo was involved in picking the characters, people feared it would be all first party advertisements. Now I'm noticing more resentment over the inevitability of the DLC being all third party. I know that's not necessarily the same people complaining, and I would wager it's because the Nintendo newcomer list was so much smaller in Ultimate (unless you were a diehard K. Rool/Ridley fan you didn't have a lot to chew on), but I am slowly but surely seeing more pushback against guest characters despite them initially being so exciting. I think the novelty has worn off for a lot of people.

But you're 100% right. I feel like three out of five characters in, some things are pretty safe to call, and I think your assessment rings true.

 

[Deleted member]

Not to start bringing leakers into the this, but that's basically how Vergeben's detractors act about everything he says.

When he said Simon was going to happen: "He's a legend, anyone could've guessed that" (despite the character not being as wanted as others). When he called Base Goku and Vegeta: "FighterZ was already filled with different Gokus and Vegetas" (even though he mentioned a month prior to the game's release, not to mention everyone was hella angry when they found their data in a datamine). When he called Groh in SCVI: "I can call concepts too" (do I even have to point out all the flaws in that argument?). People have to be revisionist and think everything goes their way despite being obvious that things don't work likee that.

But moving on to Smash itself, there's nothing I have to be revisionist about. I stand when I say everyone will be a third-party and there's hardly any room for that to fail, and if it does, well, I'll just move on. Most things people have claimed about Smash go downhill eventually. It happened with Ridley, King K. Rool, Incineroar, Hero, Banjo, and even just the Fighters Pass in general (anyone here remembers when people thought the whole line-up would be just a bunch of promotional characters?); and because of that, I know my claims aren't immune to being wrong.

Still waiting on that Radditz and Zarbon he supposedly “leaked.”