Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Al-kīmiyā']

The discussion over whether or not Smash should add more obscure characters should have ended a while ago, when these points were made:

• Smash has been adding obscure characters since Melee (64 if you count Ness as obscure at that point in time).
• Despite the above, Nintendo gave Sakurai a list of potential characters for DLC. Nintendo presumably would have chosen characters they thought would sell the most (so unlikely to include obscure characters).

Maybe Sakurai will have more discretion in future DLC. He almost certainly will in a future Smash game.

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

I don’t really have my expectations that high since Nintendo has shown in the past that it doesn’t seem that adamant or keen on the online side to things with their games. There’s a part of me that really wishes they’ll keep releasing DMC’s through the games lifespan but I think I’m just expecting too much.

It would be cool to see a version of Ganondorf that has own moveset, maybe even similair to the boss fight with his pig-demon form in the game.

 

[Door Key Pig]

First parties in the pass in general feels very unlikely. Smash Ultimate is far from a port as some would have insisted, but it borrows heavily from it (the physics are generally similar, graphically similar (Ult has better lighting and texture but that's mostly it)) and the smaller base roster only adds to this. If the game'd been given a few more years (2020 release?) then we prolly would have gotten a much larger base roster, including a "retro" character(s) and whatnot. I'm glad Ultimate is out, but I can really only imagine how different things would have been if it'd been given 2 more years to develop and grow in roster size. As a retro fighter, I'd love Ayumi or Takamaru- both were cut from Melee because their source games weren't known in America and were thereby even moreso "who" than the Icies.
Outside of personal opinion (Sakurai does base his choices off of popularity to a degree but that don't mean Walu would have gotten in) and the obvious Rex, ARMs, etc, who do y'all think would have gotten in as base roster if the roster was decided in later 2017/2018 and game released in 2020?

They already spent like 2 and a half years on Ultimate tho? And back to back with Smash 4. Five years for one Smash game, maybe a lil unprecedented?

CAN Nintendo lean on crappier and crappier pulls from their older properties? Sure. Or they could continue their trend of making a larger portion of their newcomers better, more popular 3rd Party characters.

Rhythm Heaven isn't inactive.

I don't think that the last fighter will necessary be the most hype of the fighter pass. They start Ultimate with Ridley, K. rool and Belmont, which create lots of hype, but end with Isabelle and Incineroar (not bad character but they really generates less hype). I don't think that character 5 needs to be at the same level of hype as the first four, especially considering that they probably knows that for most people, if they have interested in one or two character of the first 3, they will probably buy the whole fighter pass.

Just to clarify I'm not saying that fighter 5 will probably be disappointing, just that it's not because we have 3 very good characters that the last 2 needs to be as good or more.

Word of advice for those saying "the next character has to be X".

Keep your expectations in check. It's always good to have hope and hype for a character, but resigning them as the only option left is getting your expectations dangerously high.

While a few characters do seem to be logically likely (Crash, Leon, Doom Marine), curveballs can still be thrown. Remember, most people assumed that the final two characters for Smash for would be Wolf and someone who performed well in online polls (usually K. Rool), when it actually turned out to be a dark horse candidate and a character who 95% of the Smash community never considered.

I honestly just want a Rhythm Heaven character and I'm good for 1st parties. If Corrin can be the unexpected yet not the only anticlimactic Smash reveal ever, for Smash 4's DLC, I want a surprisingly niche character they happened to be saving for the end again because among other reasons, they really wanted at least one new Nintendo franchise amongst the Fighter Pass characters for Ultimate, as Splatoon was getting lonely in there. It's the only "planned but cut" character we know of to be of its own still-not-fighter-represented franchise.

As for the 5th Fighter Pack, well who knows for sure. For some reason, I think it could either be from a franchise a great amount of people know about or an indie game. I'm still hoping it's Nightmare from Soulcalibur, but it could also end up being a Resident Evil character, Crash, Doom Slayer, or even Cadence depending on the timing of Cadence of Hyrule's development and if Sakurai figured out a moveset for her before finalizing the Fighter Pass.

Eh, indies Shovel Knight and Shantae could only get an AT and spirits WITH fan demand, sooooooooo

 

[OrpheusTelos]

I don't know why yall are so quick to call certain characters locks when we don't have any clue who the next two characters are gonna be. To single out Doomguy specifically since he's the hot new meme, there's basically no concrete evidence to go off with him. The only things we have is Bethesda saying something about Smash once and Doom games being on Switch, neither of which really help him because the former would potentially be breaching an NDA and Doom is far from the only franchise to have notable Switch releases this year. That's not even mentioning the things going against him, such as being a literal nobody in Japan and the possibly NDA-breaking interview. If I'm being completely honest, it's frustrating how barely anyone wants to discuss this character critically and instead insists on him being a lock despite the lack of concrete evidence in his favor

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

Oh I forgot to say, they should have went the Hyrule Warriors route when using characters in the game as fighters. I also would like to see some more Megaman characters, mostly like Protoman or just another version of Megaman, likefrom Legends, or his X version. I’d also love to see Sephiroth, and of course other Final fantasy characters, but Sephiroth is my top pick at the moment just becusee having him and Cloud in the game would feel so tantalizing and exciting.

I’d also love to see Twinkle or is it Linkle? In the game along with this version of Ganondorf. I’d also love to see some Street Fighter characters like Bison and Guile, perhaps?

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

Resident Evil, Battletoads, Omnimusha, *shudder* Zero, Megaman Exe, Gutsman, Dr.Wiley (his alien form, and his weird hover cart he rides in) would like to see Leon and Claire. Double Dragon would suit the game really well, Ninja or Raiden from Metal Gear...again, Bison with his psycho powers would be really cool in the game. Tron Bonne from Legends, Chrono Trigger characters!? (Since it was such a Super Nintendo classic) they’ve used almost as many Nintendo characters as they can, I wonder if they scrape the barrel from 3rd party franchises.

For some reason I get this weird feeling that Resident Evil has a good chance of appearing in the future.

 

[CapitaineCrash]

I don't know why yall are so quick to call certain characters locks when we don't have any clue who the next two characters are gonna be. To single out Doomguy specifically since he's the hot new meme, there's basically no concrete evidence to go off with him. The only things we have is Bethesda saying something about Smash once and Doom games being on Switch, neither of which really help him because the former would potentially be breaching an NDA and Doom is far from the only franchise to have notable Switch releases this year. That's not even mentioning the things going against him, such as being a literal nobody in Japan and the possibly NDA-breaking interview. If I'm being completely honest, it's frustrating how barely anyone wants to discuss this character critically and instead insists on him being a lock despite the lack of concrete evidence in his favor

I agree that he's far from being a lock (to be fair there's no character that are lock), but I do think Doomguy have some strong points and that he's worth discussing, he's way more than just a "hot new meme". There's the fact that Bethesda relationship with Nintendo is getting stronger and stronger and a lot of Bethesda are now on switch (including Doom 1, 2 and 3, Doom 2016 and soon Doom eternal). We also know for a fact that Pete Hines have talk with Nintendo about smash bros. The interview stuff is basically just the cherry on top.

I do agree that he have some points against him like he's not that known in Japan, but to be fair I've heard that Banjo is basically also a literal who in Japan (although I'm not sure if that's really true or a hyperbole, if someone have a more definitive answer let me know). Once again I know he's not a lock, but he does have some evidence.

 

[OrpheusTelos]

I agree that he's far from being a lock (to be fair there's no character that are lock), but I do think Doomguy have some strong points and that he's worth discussing, he's way more than just a "hot new meme". There's the fact that Bethesda relationship with Nintendo is getting stronger and stronger and a lot of Bethesda are now on switch (including Doom 1, 2 and 3, Doom 2016 and soon Doom eternal). We also know for a fact that Pete Hines have talk with Nintendo about smash bros. The interview stuff is basically just the cherry on top.

I do agree that he have some points against him like he's not that known in Japan, but to be fair I've heard that Banjo is basically also a literal who in Japan (although I'm not sure if that's really true or a hyperbole, if someone have a more definitive answer let me know). Once again I know he's not a lock, but he does have some evidence.

When I called Doomguy a "meme," I meant it more in the literal sense of "idea being shared between multiple people." Nothing against him, but him being a staple of fake leaks is practically a meme at this point. I understand how that'd come across as negative given the connotations that word has thanks to the internet, but I couldn't think of a better word to describe the phenomenon

I agree that most of those points could be in Doomguy's favor, but the interview stuff can go either way. I'm not 100% sure how NDAs work, but I'm pretty sure that Bethesda would be pretty hush about Smash if they did have a character in. To me, it just comes across like they entertained the idea, but nothing came about and Pete Hines didn't want to outright say that

Also for Banjo, I think the game's might've had some following in Japan. Obviously not as much as they do in the west, but I imagine those games had some kind of moderate success during the N64 era. At the very least, their Smash reveal seems to have been received well over there, so we know there's an audience

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Oh I forgot to say, they should have went the Hyrule Warriors route when using characters in the game as fighters. I also would like to see some more Megaman characters, mostly like Protoman or just another version of Megaman, likefrom Legends, or his X version. I’d also love to see Sephiroth, and of course other Final fantasy characters, but Sephiroth is my top pick at the moment just becusee having him and Cloud in the game would feel so tantalizing and exciting.

Spoiler: Media

I’d also love to see Twinkle or is it Linkle? In the game along with this version of Ganondorf. I’d also love to see some Street Fighter characters like Bison and Guile, perhaps?

Spoiler: Some More Media

I feel like what I have to say works best as a list.

• I think Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros. choose their characters with a very similar criteria; Go for the big names first, add some fan favorites, then go crazy to add some viriety.
• I would love more Mega Man stuff. Like, what if we got a boss room stage that uses a random boss room layout from the Classic series. You could even have the Robot Masters show up and attack the players.
• The "girl Link" character's name is Linkle. I feel like she should start appearing in the main Legend of Zelda games as an "I want to play as a girl" option.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Definitely not. I'm aware there are big name (third party) characters that would sell even better than the ones we've received. For example, even thogh I prefer Hero, I think that Sora would have sold better.

That said, I definitely think you're wrong about all three of those characters selling better than the ones we have. Even as someone who has never played Persona, I think Joker is one of the single best additions the Smash roster has ever gotten, just on account of how unique he is in the way he plays and his aesthetic and what he brings to the table. He was also the perfect first DLC character, in that he set the tone for the fighter pass as being fighters that people wouldn't see coming.From my own personal experience, I saw him drum up a lot of hype around the fighter pass that I don't think Rex or Springman (a character people feel pretty lukewarm about) would have. I think if Springman or Rex had been the first DLC announced, a lot of people would have skipped the fighter pass entirely, since Rex and Springman are characters that appeal to hardcore Nintendo fans who are already buying the pass.

Then to follow that up with with Bandana Dee, that's another one I don't think would have done super well. People who don't love Bandana Dee are indifferent to him, and would see it as a 4th Kirby character they don't need. Why spend 5 dollars on another Kirby stage and more Kirby music when you already have so much.

And to top it off, though I would personally prefer Waluigi to Banjo, I also understand that Waluigi is a polarizing character and a lot of people wouldn't buy him out of spite. And again, another Mario stage? more Mario music? Notice that besides ARMS every suggestion you make was for a represented series.

Obviously this is just my speculation on how this would play out, and I've proved nothing. So maybe someone else wants to give us a second opinion here.

Thing is, you said the same thing about every character. 'People who don't love them would be indifferent to them'. That's true of every character.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Thing is, you said the same thing about every character. 'People who don't love them would be indifferent to them'. That's true of every character.

This is also assuming the person doesn't hate the character for whatever reason.

 

[TheYungLink]

For some reason I get this weird feeling that Resident Evil has a good chance of appearing in the future

I think a lot of us who think a Capcom character will be a part of the Fighter's Pass definitely feel that Resident Evil is the most likely pick, mostly because it's Capcom's best selling franchise and is therefore the biggest missing piece left.

I would also like an Ace Attorney character if possible, like Phoenix Wright, but if Phoenix gets skipped over for a Resident Evil character I wouldn't be mad because Resident Evil is so popular and influential, and because some of my fonder memories from high school was watching my neighbor play the games on GameCube.

I hope you're enjoying your time on this site!

 

[Playstation Guy 1000]

I do believe if Capcom gets a rep in the fighters pass it would be resident evil.

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

There’s some other things I just thought of that I wish were included.

Not only could they make a Protoman, and Bass characters, but I think if they made a Dr. Wily character, he could be like Pokémon trainee in that, instead of playing him directly he’d send out individual robot maters, like Gutsman and the like. I’m not sure what other enemies are so iconic in the franchise but it would be really cool. You basically can hover around like baby bowser and shoot lightning bolts or spin attack and maybe throw Mettaurs out that attack and then call him a robot master to take his place. I think that would be really cool. He could also transform into an alien and abduct you with a giant tractor beam ans then turn it into a laser beam simultaneously. It would either be his final smash or something.

I guess they feel like they’d have trouble making Bass and Protoman characters because they don’t have the copy ability like Megaman has so they’d mostly just have normal abilities but they would almost be like copies of Megaman. It seems silly to leave them out of the game once Megaman is in at the least.

 

[StormC]

I guess they feel like they’d have trouble making Bass and Protoman characters because they don’t have the copy ability like Megaman

Huh? In all the classic titles where Bass and Protoman are playable, they have copy abilities.

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

Huh? In all the classic titles where Bass and Protoman are playable, they have copy abilities.

Edit: hey, why did they take my sig away again?

 

[Idon]

Edit: hey, why did they take my sig away again?

Ay is that a Senyuu reaction image? Good taste.

Also, in smashboards, signatures only appear for the first post in every threadpage you make, so you're gonna have to wait till we reach page 415 if you want to see your sig again.

 

[Fenrir-Bolt]

I don’t think the game series has ever officially stated whether or not Protoman and Bass has the same copying abilities as Megaman.

Edit: Open Gangam Star, I guess I’m wrong! I’ve just never witnessed Bass and Protoman doing this at all in the games, comic books, or tv shows. I’m not that big of a Megaman fan but I’ve played a lot of their games.

“

• Proto Buster - Proto Man carries an arm cannon that is very similar to Mega Man's cannon.
• Proto Shield - Proto Man carries a shield that can deflect small weapons fire. He can also use it as a battering ram when he dashes.
• Proto Strike - A powerful, short-range charged Buster shot.
• Big Bang Strike - A large energy blast that is powerful enough to destroy even the strongest Robot Masters. It is dangerous for Proto Man to use, however, as it severely depletes his power core.
• Copy Chip - Like Mega Man, Proto Man can copy certain abilities from the Robot Masters he defeats.”

 

[YezenIRl]

Thing is, you said the same thing about every character. 'People who don't love them would be indifferent to them'. That's true of every character.

I don't think this is true at all. For starters, some characters (like Waluigi for example, who I love), have haters. Second of all, some characters just create interest better than others. Joker or Hero for example, get people who are unfamiliar with their series curious about Persona and Dragon Quest, and thus build hype. Bandana Waddle Dee isn't going to have that affect. Smash players already know Kirby.

Myself as an example, I'd never heard of Joker before he was announced for the Fighter Pass. But he seemed really cooland unique, so I watched a bunch of footage of P5, and got pretty into the character. Joker sold me on the fighter pass pretty quickly in that way because he emphasized just how openand unexpected it was.

Total honesty, if the first fighter on the pass had been Rex or Springman I would have held off. Springman is one of the least inspired Arms characters to me, and Shorter Shulk + Anime Waifu is just a character I have no interest in. If the next one were Bandana Waddle Dee I wouldn't have continued to hold off. If the third were Waluigi, I would have just gotten him and left the others. I know that may sound harsh, but I think you'd be surprised how prevalent that sentiment is.

New series and different genres (whether Third Party or first doesn't actually matter to most, since most people don't have the level of brand loyalty to care who profits off the character) have more of an impact than I think you might realize. Asking people to pay an extra 5 dollars for another FE character, or another Kirby character, kinda feels like a lot when you look at how much content those series already have in Smash. If you are a person who already actively wants those characters, then sure you'd be glad to. But if you are a person without expectations beyond being surprised and impressed, new series maybe carry more appeal.

 

[Renjamin]

Or maybe that trailer was just not canon in the Mario lore (if the Mario universe even have a lore). I mean honestly I agree that Doomguy have a lot going on for him, but saying that this is the biggest reason is really a stretch. It's not like Nintendo will just stop using Luigi, one of their most popular character from their biggest franchises, just because of a trailer.

I believe my dear Watson my post was what we in the trade call, a joke. Luigi's obviously not dead because of a non-canon trailer, that shows Luigi coming back to life, set in a world where Mushrooms, tomatoes, hearts and even Dog Bones that can resurrect the dead had his soul split from his body. (Though I'm not gonna lie I would love to see this trailer if only for the fact it would shut up those people who comment 'BuT lUiGi'S dEaD!' on every tweet about LM3)

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I don’t think the game series has ever officially stated whether or not Protoman and Bass has the same copying abilities as Megaman.

Edit: Open Gangam Star, I guess I’m wrong! I’ve just never witnessed Bass and Protoman doing this at all in the games, comic books, or tv shows. I’m not that big of a Megaman fan but I’ve played a lot of their games.

“

• Proto Buster - Proto Man carries an arm cannon that is very similar to Mega Man's cannon.
• Proto Shield - Proto Man carries a shield that can deflect small weapons fire. He can also use it as a battering ram when he dashes.
• Proto Strike - A powerful, short-range charged Buster shot.
• Big Bang Strike - A large energy blast that is powerful enough to destroy even the strongest Robot Masters. It is dangerous for Proto Man to use, however, as it severely depletes his power core.
• Copy Chip - Like Mega Man, Proto Man can copy certain abilities from the Robot Masters he defeats.”

Proto Man and Bass are shown to have Variable Weapon Systems (or at least something similar) in Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10, Mega Man: The Power Battle, Mega Man: The Power Fighters, and for Bass only, Mega Man & Bass, and Mega Man and Bass: Challenger from the Future.

There are abilities Mega Man has that Proto Man and Bass don't like the Mega Upper.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

There’s some other things I just thought of that I wish were included.

Not only could they make a Protoman, and Bass characters, but I think if they made a Dr. Wily character, he could be like Pokémon trainee in that, instead of playing him directly he’d send out individual robot maters, like Gutsman and the like. I’m not sure what other enemies are so iconic in the franchise but it would be really cool. You basically can hover around like baby bowser and shoot lightning bolts or spin attack and maybe throw Mettaurs out that attack and then call him a robot master to take his place. I think that would be really cool. He could also transform into an alien and abduct you with a giant tractor beam ans then turn it into a laser beam simultaneously. It would either be his final smash or something.

I guess they feel like they’d have trouble making Bass and Protoman characters because they don’t have the copy ability like Megaman has so they’d mostly just have normal abilities but they would almost be like copies of Megaman. It seems silly to leave them out of the game once Megaman is in at the least.

Roll could also be a fun echo, she was Megaman’s clone in MvC 1 and 2, being able to do a lot of his moves, and has had some experience in crossover fighting games. She also wasn’t in Megaman’s Final Smash, so there’s that. (Some might argue Chrom has disproved this, but PM and B were actively added to MM's Final Smash between 4 and Ultimate while Chrom was just left in so they wouldn't have to do more work to change it).

 

[Door Key Pig]

Also for Banjo, I think the game's might've had some following in Japan. Obviously not as much as they do in the west, but I imagine those games had some kind of moderate success during the N64 era. At the very least, their Smash reveal seems to have been received well over there, so we know there's an audience

Yeah there were several positive video reactions to Banjo over there at the very least despite not having a successful game in over a decade.

There’s some other things I just thought of that I wish were included.

Not only could they make a Protoman, and Bass characters, but I think if they made a Dr. Wily character, he could be like Pokémon trainee in that, instead of playing him directly he’d send out individual robot maters, like Gutsman and the like. I’m not sure what other enemies are so iconic in the franchise but it would be really cool. You basically can hover around like baby bowser and shoot lightning bolts or spin attack and maybe throw Mettaurs out that attack and then call him a robot master to take his place. I think that would be really cool. He could also transform into an alien and abduct you with a giant tractor beam ans then turn it into a laser beam simultaneously. It would either be his final smash or something.

I guess they feel like they’d have trouble making Bass and Protoman characters because they don’t have the copy ability like Megaman has so they’d mostly just have normal abilities but they would almost be like copies of Megaman. It seems silly to leave them out of the game once Megaman is in at the least.

Could they make Bass/Protoman a Megaman echo, with some reused moves from Smash 4's custom moves that were based off of other Megaman moves?

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Roll could also be a fun echo, she was Megaman’s clone in MvC 1 and 2, being able to do a lot of his moves, and has had some experience in crossover fighting games. She also wasn’t in Megaman’s Final Smash, so there’s that. (Some might argue Chrom has disproved this, but PM and B were actively added to MM's Final Smash between 4 and Ultimate while Chrom was just left in so they wouldn't have to do more work to change it).

Honestly, assuming that Chrom was added because they already had a character model for him, if Mega Man had his design from Mega Man 11 then I feel like we would have seen Proto Man as an echo. But since he has the more squat Smash design while Proto Man has his current design it wouldn't have worked.

To be honest I really hope Mega Man gets his Mega Man 11 design in the future. His current design is pretty lifeless.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

I still feel relatively safe predicting a Capcom pick (not that Sakurai picks them that way) and from Capcom I would expect either Resident Evil or, at this point, Ace Attorney. It really comes down to how the pick is made.

Aside from a Capcom pick though, I really don’t know who makes the most sense, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a pick that either nobody actually expected or is a surprise.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Tbh I still haven't been sold on the fighters pass at current. Banjo's neat but one character I have only middling second hand interest in doesn't warrant dropping the cash for the full pass for me.

Unless we get a Resident Evil character, Crash, Lara Croft or god forbid a Nintendo character like Toad or Dixie Kong, the fighters pass will probably get a hard pass from me personally.

Anyone else only buying if they have a character they care about show up or am I alone in this at this late post Banjo stage?

 

[ze9]

I'm not buying the pass because I still live in fear that they pull a Corrin again, and I don't want to support that.
But I'm buying everyone singularly anyways. Banjo is a dream come true, the others are fun (especially Hero), and I like having a complete game.
Still bummed about Dixie but maybe there will another Pass, who knows.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

...I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a pick that...is a surprise.

*Gives suspicious look* But then would it really be a surprise? *Plays X-Files theme*

Anyone else only buying if they have a character they care about show up or am I alone in this at this late post Banjo stage?

I'm in it for the gameplay. I'll be happy so long as we don't get someone unfun like Greninja, or Bowser Jr. I also desire to have all of the characters (I already got the pass).

But I'm buying everyone singularly anyways.

Wait, doesn't that cost more?

 

[Guynamednelson]

Wait, doesn't that cost more?

He wants to save money by not buying Corrin 2.0 if that happens.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Tbf I DO think we will get at least one Nintendo character in the pass, but they won’t be a Corrin 2.0 reception wise

 

[RileyXY1]

Tbf I DO think we will get at least one Nintendo character in the pass, but they won’t be a Corrin 2.0 reception wise

Unless they decide to shove in a Gen 8 Pokemon that we don't even know about.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Unless they decide to shove in a Gen 8 Pokemon that we don't even know about.

Given the backlash SwSh got in the first few months following the National Dex controversy, I honestly think a SwSh Pokémon might be saved for a second pass/individual DLC after the pass is complete. If they even decide to include one

 

[RileyXY1]

Given the backlash SwSh got in the first few months following the National Dex controversy, I honestly think a SwSh Pokémon might be saved for a second pass/individual DLC after the pass is complete. If they even decide to include one

I think that they might actually do that to get people more hyped for Sword & Shield, but it won't make them forget all about Dexit.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I think that they might actually do that to get people more hyped for Sword & Shield, but it won't make them forget all about Dexit.

The backlash would be huge especially if it was reveal #5.

 

[ROBnWatch]

Anyone else only buying if they have a character they care about show up or am I alone in this at this late post Banjo stage?

In all honesty I bought the pass because I wanted to have a complete roster. Been kinda disappointed with the picks so far though besides Banjo.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Given the backlash SwSh got in the first few months following the National Dex controversy, I honestly think a SwSh Pokémon might be saved for a second pass/individual DLC after the pass is complete. If they even decide to include one

I think they would've already been too far through development by that point to cancel a Gen 8 Pokemon.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

The backlash would be huge especially if it was reveal #5.

I honestly think Sakurai is gonna avoid something like that happening again, as he WAS initially against adding another FE character until Nintendo convinced him that Corrin would be unique...

The backlash if SwSh were FP5 would be arguably GREATER than Corrin for 4, and since Sakurai is prioritizing fan requests like with King K. Rool, Ridley, Isabelle, Hero and Banjo, he might either go for a popularly requested Nintendo character (like Bandana Dee) or an overall less controversial one (like Octolings or Elma).

 

[Guynamednelson]

The backlash if SwSh were FP5 would be arguably GREATER than Corrin for 4

I think that would depend on how much popularity among Pokemon fans their choice already had.

 

[TechPowah]

We need to remember, the DLC roster was finalized sometime before the new year started
so if Sakurai ended up choosing a new Gen 8 Pokemon, he would have done so before we've ever even seen the first trailer for SW/SH

its reception in the following months after that would have had no bearing on the selection process

EDIT: At the same time, however
we don't know how far along Gen 8's designs were
for all we know, the Gen 8 evos weren't done yet in time for Sakurai to be able to get one

this is all assuming that a theoretical Gen 8 rep is even a starter, though

 

[Michael the Spikester]

I'm honestly really expecting the entire pass to be 3rd parties.