Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[cothero]

OK, you guys did it. I wasn't very optimistic about having a RE character in Smash, but now you bunch of meanies are throwing hope on me. But still, i think Dante has a better shot than a RE character.

 

[TheYungLink]

Sakurai said none of the characters in the Fighter's Pass would be Echo Fighters. However, Resident Evil fans typically are unsure whether Jill or Leon should represent Resident Evil in Smash, despite having similar abilities.

Thus, I propose the theory that both would be added, with one being an Echo Fighter of the other like Simon and Richter were. Their inclusion will just wait until after the Fighter's Pass is done to keep with Sakurai's word that the Pass wouldn't have any Echo Fighters.

 

[StormC]

Jill and Leon are basically tied in popularity. Have been for a long time. Now did Leon get a boost from Resident Evil 2 Remake? Definitely, so yeah maybe he's ahead right now but their popularity has always been nearly identical.

Personally, I'm a Leon boy. Resident Evil 4 wasn't just my first RE it was my very first M Rated game. Fell in love with the character in that game and even more so as I played retroactively through 2, 6, and Darkside Chronicles.

The issue lies in the fact of which one do you go with? On one hand, at the moment, Leon is more profitable and is a part of 4, the most recognized game of the franchise, 6, the best selling game in the franchise, and 2 and 2 Remake, which are fan favorites to say the VERY least, OR do you go with Jill? One of the characters that KICKED OFF the franchise, has appeared in multiple Capcom crossovers, and is overall seen as one of THE MOST recognized and popular female protagonists in gaming.

It's honestly a coin toss which is why I'm hoping they either go with an alternate costume take featuring Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, etc. Or just bite the bullet and make this a special case where a DLC character gets an Echo with slight differences. Honestly, I think a RE character is inevitable but if I HAD to choose one over the other it'd absolutely be Leon. Simply because he has YET to be a BIG crossover character of Capcom's and I feel like he deserves it.

If it were up to me, I’d go with Jill as the default and a Leon echo included alongside her. Feel like it would be the best way to make everyone happy like Simon/Richter while still prioritizing one of gaming’s most iconic women.

Chris can show up in the Final Smash or something.

EDIT: 'd

 

[cothero]

Sakurai said none of the characters in the Fighter's Pass would be Echo Fighters. However, Resident Evil fans typically are unsure whether Jill or Leon should represent Resident Evil in Smash, despite having similar abilities.

Thus, I propose the theory that both would be added, with one being an Echo Fighter of the other like Simon and Richter were. Their inclusion will just wait until after the Fighter's Pass is done to keep with Sakurai's word that the Pass wouldn't have any Echo Fighters.

Then what would be the character's name? It worked with Hero because, well... They're all heroes. I definitely don't see "two RE characters in one" happening.

 

[TheYungLink]

Then what would be the character's name? It worked with Hero because, well... They're all heroes. I definitely don't see "two RE characters in one" happening.

I think you misread my post. Basically they'll be like Simon and Richter, e.g. both Jill and Leon are their own fighters, with one being an echo of the other.

 

[Idon]

Then what would be the character's name? It worked with Hero because, well... They're all heroes. I definitely don't see "two RE characters in one" happening.

Olimar and Alph and the Koopalings exist eh?

 

[cothero]

Olimar and Alph and the Koopalings exist eh?

That could work, but being placed as a skin kinda diminishes the other character. If It wasn't the case, then they'd make Richter an alternate costume for Simon instead of an echo.

 

[Sysreq]

That could work, but being placed as a skin kinda diminishes the other character.

This. Daisy is an echo fighter despite being literally identical to Peach.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I'll have my Jill Sandwich with her STARS outfit from RE1 and her RE3 outfit as an alt.

If she gets an alt, it'd probably be the one from RE5, since those are the two that showed up in fighting games already.

 

[Shyy_Guy595]

RE, eh?

I definitely see a rep happening. If we don't get one I'll honestly be super surprised.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

I think it really would be a better idea to reveal them all at once honestly. I doubt that will happen but it would be nice to know at least who is coming and then have to wait on the release dates instead of endless bickering about who could be next. SFV did it and it worked out fine.

Is there any good reason for revealing them all at once when Smash characters are easily the single biggest DLC reveals in basically all of gaming right now? Like, the speculation is what makes them this constant source of intrigue and discussion that keeps the game in the public conscious and ensures that every reveal is a big event that surprises people (well, most of the time, leakers aside) and really kicks up advertising on the game. Like, for Nintendo, who sees the benefit of revealing new characters more slowly and methodically, there's no damn good reason to just throw them all out there other than appease some fans who are terribly impatient/tired of speculating but still speculating. Why go for a single big announcement that you can't capitalize anymore when you can go for 5 different ones at a different points throughout the year that are notable moments for the game and help extend the game's life?

The thing is, they take considerably less time to make, but they'd still sell like hotcakes (more characters is always a good thing and can add longevity to the game's lifespan). I honestly think we're going to get roughly 10-12 characters after this first pass - 5 of which will be Echoes.

They don't add longevity to the game's life span. To be blunt, they do more harm to it as unexciting additions. A big part of why Smash Bros. DLC is so successful is that it's brand new characters from crossover universes being added into the game and it's becoming this increasingly legendary crossover for those inclusions. We've argued a lot about first parties vs. third parties in this speculation thread, but Echoes just exacerbate the problems of first party inclusions to an insane degree. They aren't nearly as exciting as the alternatives to a wide group of people and even worse, they're horribly limited in who you can even include given the Echo restrictions. Not to mention, you basically have to bastardize beloved characters to make them work in a lot of cases. Shadow is probably the only one that's going to pull any weight comparable to a full newcomer addition... and he's clearly not going to be an Echo since he wasn't one in the base game (This most likely comes down to Sega's requirements for the character and explains why the obvious win wasn't taken).

Like, the problem is, Echoes in DLC piss off a lot of people. You lose a set of people who just aren't interested in non-unique newcomers altogether. You frustrate people who think that DLC resources are better spent on full characters and other content. You potentially lose people in converting to beloved characters into half-versions of themselves. Not to mention almost all of the realistic options are pretty niche characters to begin with. All while you're getting basically a minor portion of the advertisement and positive buzz that the full characters would be bringing. Less buzz means less interest which means less sales and eventually the shorter life cycle of Ultimate if you lose enough in the process. The "sale" like mad isn't necessarily a given, and there's a strong likelihood they wouldn't sale as well as full fledged additions that inspire people to purchase characters more so.

Echoes only really make sense in the context of base Ultimate. Additions made to beef up the base roster when they couldn't devote enough resources to more full-fledged newcomers. They were a way to get the total number of additions up while not putting in as much effort because they also had to focus on so much other stuff. Now, there's nothing taking them away from newcomer development since it's actually the primary goal of production right now. There's no longer a need to compromise on development and you can instead just throw resources more consistently behind unique newcomers that will have an overall greater impact on continuing the game's life cycle and will earn more money, which would inspire Nintendo to focus on those. Not to mention, echoes don't fundamentally expand the world of Smash Bros. or its place as a crossover title... they just pad the roster with additions, and I don't really think that Sakurai is as interested in that either. So I don't actually see Nintendo or Sakurai really on board with Echoes.

 

[Nquoid]

The Capcom 5 (Resident Evil 4 being the most prominent game of the bunch) is actually a pretty dark spot in the history between Nintendo and Capcom.

There's plenty of evidence for Leon's inclusion, but Leon "mattering" to Nintendo doesn't really hold up from a business perspective given how Capcom essentially backstabbed Nintendo with RE4.

You're right, Capcom Five was a ****ty time, I still think it was a net positive for Nintendo ultimately.

It's still the third best selling third party game for Gamecube and it's not like Capcom stopped supporting Nintendo, in fact, a long with Sega they were one of the most supportive during the Gamecube era with Resident Evil Remake, Zero, Killer 7 and Viewtiful Joe. Whilst a lot of those games ended up on PS2, they all had time on Gamecube to find a base.

What Capcom did was bad, but you can't blame them for it when the PS2 literally had 4x the install base at that point in the life cycle. At the end of the day, Nintendo got one of the best games of all time as an exclusive (briefly) at a time when that really mattered even if it was undercut at the finish line. Plus ultimately Capcom continued supporting the Wii. The highest profile original for the Wii was probably Zack and Wiki or Monster Hunter Tri, Resident Evil 4 and Okami were both greatly appreciated ports.

In the end, I just think Leon is the "Nintendo" Resident Evil character. And that's why I think that would matter to Nintendo history.

 

[DaybreakHorizon]

Capcom's a real tough company to speculate for, if only because they have so many good series. Out of Capcom franchises not in Smash right now:

• Resident Evil is a best-selling, near multi-media franchise that defined the horror genre as we know it.
• Devil May Cry is the quintessential action game series, defining the modern action game genre that inspired games like God of War and Bayonetta. Dante also seems to be one of Capcom's go-to-guy when it comes to crossovers.
• Ace Attorney has the strongest ties out of any Capcom series to Nintendo, and while it hasn't sold as much as the former two Capcom definitely seems to have stuff in the works for the series going forward.

That's three highly influential series right there. In an ideal world I'd love to see them all in Smash since they each have their own merits, but I highly doubt it'll. I don't even know which character I'd speculate getting in over the others since each has strong points for them (You can read my In Defence of Phoenix Wright to see an in-depth argument for Phoenix's inclusion, and Idon or Scoliosis Jones have given good arguments about Dante and Resident Evil respectively).

 

[Nquoid]

Capcom's a real tough company to speculate for, if only because they have so many good series. Out of Capcom franchises not in Smash right now:

• Resident Evil is a best-selling, near multi-media franchise that defined the horror genre as we know it.
• Devil May Cry is the quintessential action game series, defining the modern action game genre that inspired games like God of War and Bayonetta. Dante also seems to be one of Capcom's go-to-guy when it comes to crossovers.
• Ace Attorney has the strongest ties out of any Capcom series to Nintendo, and while it hasn't sold as much as the former two Capcom definitely seems to have stuff in the works for the series going forward.

That's three highly influential series right there. In an ideal world I'd love to see them all in Smash since they each have their own merits, but I highly doubt it'll. I don't even know which character I'd speculate getting in over the others since each has strong points for them (You can read my In Defence of Phoenix Wright to see an in-depth argument for Phoenix's inclusion, and Idon or Scoliosis Jones have given good arguments about Dante and Resident Evil respectively).

In an ideal world we get Dante, Leon, and Amaterasu (maybe Viewtiful Joe) and we just start a Hideki Kamiya corner in Smash.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Get outta here with these non-Arthur Capcom picks, you chumps!

 

[EricTheGamerman]

I decided to start working on my own write-up of Square Enix content in Smash and examining the supposed "stinginess" of Sqaure Enix for fun and to eventually post... and now I have a 2000+ word document there's still a bunch of stuff I want to cover. Whoops. That might see the light of day around here sometime in the next week or two haha (in a much more easily digestible and edited form).

 

[GoodGrief741]

Is there any good reason for revealing them all at once when Smash characters are easily the single biggest DLC reveals in basically all of gaming right now? Like, the speculation is what makes them this constant source of intrigue and discussion that keeps the game in the public conscious and ensures that every reveal is a big event that surprises people (well, most of the time, leakers aside) and really kicks up advertising on the game. Like, for Nintendo, who sees the benefit of revealing new characters more slowly and methodically, there's no damn good reason to just throw them all out there other than appease some fans who are terribly impatient/tired of speculating but still speculating. Why go for a single big announcement that you can't capitalize anymore when you can go for 5 different ones at a different points throughout the year that are notable moments for the game and help extend the game's life?



They don't add longevity to the game's life span. To be blunt, they do more harm to it as unexciting additions. A big part of why Smash Bros. DLC is so successful is that it's brand new characters from crossover universes being added into the game and it's becoming this increasingly legendary crossover for those inclusions. We've argued a lot about first parties vs. third parties in this speculation thread, but Echoes just exacerbate the problems of first party inclusions to an insane degree. They aren't nearly as exciting as the alternatives to a wide group of people and even worse, they're horribly limited in who you can even include given the Echo restrictions. Not to mention, you basically have to bastardize beloved characters to make them work in a lot of cases. Shadow is probably the only one that's going to pull any weight comparable to a full newcomer addition... and he's clearly not going to be an Echo since he wasn't one in the base game (This most likely comes down to Sega's requirements for the character and explains why the obvious win wasn't taken).

Like, the problem is, Echoes in DLC piss off a lot of people. You lose a set of people who just aren't interested in non-unique newcomers altogether. You frustrate people who think that DLC resources are better spent on full characters and other content. You potentially lose people in converting to beloved characters into half-versions of themselves. Not to mention almost all of the realistic options are pretty niche characters to begin with. All while you're getting basically a minor portion of the advertisement and positive buzz that the full characters would be bringing. Less buzz means less interest which means less sales and eventually the shorter life cycle of Ultimate if you lose enough in the process. The "sale" like mad isn't necessarily a given, and there's a strong likelihood they wouldn't sale as well as full fledged additions that inspire people to purchase characters more so.

Echoes only really make sense in the context of base Ultimate. Additions made to beef up the base roster when they couldn't devote enough resources to more full-fledged newcomers. They were a way to get the total number of additions up while not putting in as much effort because they also had to focus on so much other stuff. Now, there's nothing taking them away from newcomer development since it's actually the primary goal of production right now. There's no longer a need to compromise on development and you can instead just throw resources more consistently behind unique newcomers that will have an overall greater impact on continuing the game's life cycle and will earn more money, which would inspire Nintendo to focus on those. Not to mention, echoes don't fundamentally expand the world of Smash Bros. or its place as a crossover title... they just pad the roster with additions, and I don't really think that Sakurai is as interested in that either. So I don't actually see Nintendo or Sakurai really on board with Echoes.

People literally got excited for a Mii Costume of Sans, I think there's no argument to be made against Echoes.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

People literally got excited for a Mii Costume of Sans, I think there's no argument to be made against Echoes.

There's a ****ing huge chasm between how much effort goes into a Mii costume and a song, and a full on Echo that has to be balanced, animated, and diversified from the parent character to even work. Echoes may be easier than full newcomers, but they still require substantial work. Worse yet, there's very few options for them as is. Echoes are inherently limited by the parent character proportions and (not officially, but it's heavily implied in how they've been designed thus far) series. There just aren't many compelling options and the overwhelming majority would have to be even less inspiring choices than the already super limited pool of heavily desired/popular first party newcomers. Like the absolute best you can get are Shadow (and again, if that was possible, it probably would have already happened) and Mrs. Pac-Man (again, probably would have happened already if it was possible), and its just a quick descent into more and more niche options from there. They don't fill fan requests because the overwhelming majority of fan requests are unique newcomers. They also can't by nature expand the crossover of Smash into any new universes. They don't even represent major facets of Nintendo because of how C-tier most of the options pretty much are in terms of recognize-ability, popularity, and exposure.

I also find it super disingenuous to point to Sans' Mii costume like that isn't a more specific set of circumstances that people got excited for. Sans would play better than basically every Echo fighter you could even choose. People were excited because Sans is that important/beloved/meme'd of a character to a lot of people from one of the biggest Indie hits in modern gaming that was also completely unexpected by most to turn up in Smash Bros. Black Shadow sure as **** ain't pulling even a small fraction of that appeal.

 

[cothero]

RE, eh?

I definitely see a rep happening. If we don't get one I'll honestly be super surprised.

Please don't.

 

[BlueMonk]

There's a ****ing huge chasm between how much effort goes into a Mii costume and a song, and a full on Echo that has to be balanced, animated, and diversified from the parent character to even work. Echoes may be easier than full newcomers, but they still require substantial work. Worse yet, there's very few options for them as is. Echoes are inherently limited by the parent character proportions and (not officially, but it's heavily implied in how they've been designed thus far) series. There just aren't many compelling options and the overwhelming majority would have to be even less inspiring choices than the already super limited pool of heavily desired/popular first party newcomers. Like the absolute best you can get are Shadow (and again, if that was possible, it probably would have already happened) and Mrs. Pac-Man (again, probably would have happened already if it was possible), and its just a quick descent into more and more niche options from there. They don't fill fan requests because the overwhelming majority of fan requests are unique newcomers. They also can't by nature expand the crossover of Smash into any new universes. They don't even represent major facets of Nintendo because of how C-tier most of the options pretty much are in terms of recognize-ability, popularity, and exposure.

I also find it super disingenuous to point to Sans' Mii costume like that isn't a more specific set of circumstances that people got excited for. Sans would play better than basically every Echo fighter you could even choose. People were excited because Sans is that important/beloved/meme'd of a character to a lot of people from one of the biggest Indie hits in modern gaming that was also completely unexpected by most to turn up in Smash Bros. Black Shadow sure as **** ain't pulling even a small fraction of that appeal.

just want to say that the main reason echos take less time is because they DON'T have to be balanced and that cuts out most of the development time

 

[DoubleYooToo]

You think you can just steal my format for your pro Waluigi propaganda?!

i don't know who you are sir

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Smash Ridley and Smash Chris malnourished themselves so Sakurai would let them into the game.

This implies that Ridley ever had a decent diet. lol

There's a ****ing huge chasm between how much effort goes into a Mii costume and a song, and a full on Echo that has to be balanced, animated, and diversified from the parent character to even work. Echoes may be easier than full newcomers, but they still require substantial work. Worse yet, there's very few options for them as is. Echoes are inherently limited by the parent character proportions and (not officially, but it's heavily implied in how they've been designed thus far) series. There just aren't many compelling options and the overwhelming majority would have to be even less inspiring choices than the already super limited pool of heavily desired/popular first party newcomers. Like the absolute best you can get are Shadow (and again, if that was possible, it probably would have already happened) and Mrs. Pac-Man (again, probably would have happened already if it was possible), and its just a quick descent into more and more niche options from there. They don't fill fan requests because the overwhelming majority of fan requests are unique newcomers. They also can't by nature expand the crossover of Smash into any new universes. They don't even represent major facets of Nintendo because of how C-tier most of the options pretty much are in terms of recognize-ability, popularity, and exposure.

I also find it super disingenuous to point to Sans' Mii costume like that isn't a more specific set of circumstances that people got excited for. Sans would play better than basically every Echo fighter you could even choose. People were excited because Sans is that important/beloved/meme'd of a character to a lot of people from one of the biggest Indie hits in modern gaming that was also completely unexpected by most to turn up in Smash Bros. Black Shadow sure as **** ain't pulling even a small fraction of that appeal.

just want to say that the main reason echos take less time is because they DON'T have to be balanced and that cuts out most of the development time

I'll add that since they're the same character, the Echo fighters are balanced against their original counterparts. However, I would agree that unless the Echo fighter is a part of a non-pass DLC character the only people that stand to gain much from Echoes are the Zelda community. Echoes also take a bit more work since they also have to have their own classic mode, and a rearrangement of the roster for them to have a slot on it (though I suppose the latter is more trivial).

 

[DX_E]

A RE character would be great in smash. They could have a 2 part move where they douse a character in gasoline and then set on fire with a lighter....which is quite morbid now that I've typed it out. Flash grenades to stun. Flamethrower. Magnum/shotgun smash attacks. Basic moves could involve the pistol, Combat Knife swings, Dagger stabs and kicks. There could be a multi-hit electrical stun gun attack and they could heal themselves with herbs. I'm not sure about their recovery....maybe they could use an ink ribbon as a teather to save themselves? Final smash could be a Tyrant Rocket Launcher finish. I would choose Jill over everyone else but I'd like to see a Leon/Chris echo fighter. I really think they could bring something unique to smash....they fight by surviving.

 

[3BitSaurus]

All of my experience with Resident Evil content is restricted to Marvel vs. Capcom, but isn't Jill the one that Capcom normally pushes for crossovers? I think that may be an edge she'd have over Leon. We kinda saw something similar with Terry.

And as far as the next "season" goes, Dante's chances will probably skyrocket imo. I don't think he's Challenger Pack 5, because of the thing with Matt Walker, but it's one of Capcom's strongest IPs, so... maybe he'll get his chance on the next batch of DLC.

 

[RileyXY1]

It is possible that Fighter #5 isn't even from Capcom. Ryu Hayabusa is a realistic possibility.

 

[Aetheri]

If she gets an alt, it'd probably be the one from RE5, since those are the two that showed up in fighting games already.

Not that I've played many Capcom Vs. fighters but I've seen Jill with pretty much all of her outfits in these games. RE1, 3, 5, etc.

That said Sakurai isn't going to choose her costume based on how she appeared in other fighting games. But as I mentioned RE1 and 3 are her most recognizable and iconic outfits. Though there's nothing stopping Sakurai from using all of them (provided he does add Jill of course). Dude is a madman afterall.

 

[NurpNurp]

All this talk about Capcom and I see no mention of Monster Hunter (at least recently). It is one of Capcom's best seller, even if it isn't a well known classic name like RE. Considering the Rathalos is a boss I can feasibly imagine a Monster Hunter character, even if it's just a Palico (even if I would prefer a Cha Cha/Kayamba duo).

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the "poor souls" meme from the Banjo presentation was hinting at Dark Souls?

 

[TheCJBrine]

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the "poor souls" meme from the Banjo presentation was hinting at Dark Souls?

I think Sakurai called them something different, “soul” was the translator’s choice.

 

[ThatOneAnon]

Frank West is getting in since he’s literally the last Capcom rep people would expect
It’d fit with how the DLC has went so far

 

[Flyboy]

Frank West is getting in since he’s literally the last Capcom rep people would expect
It’d fit with how the DLC has went so far

That's the fun part of being a Capcom fan. I may be a Phoenix supporter through-and-through but I can't see myself being disappointed by Jill Valentine or Dante or Frank West or Amaterasu or Viewtiful Joe or Mike Haggar or Tron Bonne or......

 

[Rie Sonomura]

In terms of Capcom reps I feel like Amaterasu is slept on big time

 

[Ace C.R.O.S.S.]

Why is everyone sleeping in Phoenix Wright chances?

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Why is everyone sleeping in Phoenix Wright chances?

Oh I do see Phoenix Wright talked about a fair amount. Not as much as Dante or a Resident Evil character but he’s up there

Even Viewtiful Joe is discussed sometimes (still think Sakurai saying “ummm” to Kamiya is a hint at Joe being a costume for Mii Brawler) but Amaterasu gets... crickets

 

[BlueMonk]

Oh I do see Phoenix Wright talked about a fair amount. Not as much as Dante or a Resident Evil character but he’s up there

Even Viewtiful Joe is discussed sometimes (still think Sakurai saying “ummm” to Kamiya is a hint at Joe being a costume for Mii Brawler) but Amaterasu gets... crickets

Probably because okami hasn't done anything notable for awhile and ammy isn't a big request

 

[KatKit]

They don't add longevity to the game's life span. To be blunt, they do more harm to it as unexciting additions. A big part of why Smash Bros. DLC is so successful is that it's brand new characters from crossover universes being added into the game and it's becoming this increasingly legendary crossover for those inclusions. We've argued a lot about first parties vs. third parties in this speculation thread, but Echoes just exacerbate the problems of first party inclusions to an insane degree. They aren't nearly as exciting as the alternatives to a wide group of people and even worse, they're horribly limited in who you can even include given the Echo restrictions. Not to mention, you basically have to bastardize beloved characters to make them work in a lot of cases. Shadow is probably the only one that's going to pull any weight comparable to a full newcomer addition... and he's clearly not going to be an Echo since he wasn't one in the base game (This most likely comes down to Sega's requirements for the character and explains why the obvious win wasn't taken).

Like, the problem is, Echoes in DLC piss off a lot of people. You lose a set of people who just aren't interested in non-unique newcomers altogether. You frustrate people who think that DLC resources are better spent on full characters and other content. You potentially lose people in converting to beloved characters into half-versions of themselves. Not to mention almost all of the realistic options are pretty niche characters to begin with. All while you're getting basically a minor portion of the advertisement and positive buzz that the full characters would be bringing. Less buzz means less interest which means less sales and eventually the shorter life cycle of Ultimate if you lose enough in the process. The "sale" like mad isn't necessarily a given, and there's a strong likelihood they wouldn't sale as well as full fledged additions that inspire people to purchase characters more so.

Echoes only really make sense in the context of base Ultimate. Additions made to beef up the base roster when they couldn't devote enough resources to more full-fledged newcomers. They were a way to get the total number of additions up while not putting in as much effort because they also had to focus on so much other stuff. Now, there's nothing taking them away from newcomer development since it's actually the primary goal of production right now. There's no longer a need to compromise on development and you can instead just throw resources more consistently behind unique newcomers that will have an overall greater impact on continuing the game's life cycle and will earn more money, which would inspire Nintendo to focus on those. Not to mention, echoes don't fundamentally expand the world of Smash Bros. or its place as a crossover title... they just pad the roster with additions, and I don't really think that Sakurai is as interested in that either. So I don't actually see Nintendo or Sakurai really on board with Echoes.

What? Almost any post-release content increases activity in fighting games; Smash is no exception. You seriously believe that there will be outrage of adding hype characters that take considerably less time/resources to make (at a discount), when a Mii costume like Sans got people excited? By all means, I think they should focus on adding new complete characters first, but echoes have a lot to bring to the table once development slows down. You don't even have to 'bastardize' certain characters to make them work (see: Ken). Why not expand some of these worlds we just introduced? Kasumi Yoshizawa from Persona 5 comes to mind (seriously, what was with that whole "Jane" thing?). Smash needs more villains? How about Akuma or Evil Ryu. More Women? Sakura or the DQ Heroines. I know I'd buy it. Felt Final Fantasy got the short end of the stick, or don't like Cloud as a character? Here's Zack Fair. What about 1st party characters? How about Octolings. Any of the upcoming DLC could have dope Echo equivalents, too. Hypothetically speaking, if we got Travis, for example, there's Henry. I think you get the idea.

 

[Calamitas]

It is possible that Fighter #5 isn't even from Capcom. Ryu Hayabusa is a realistic possibility.

Or - hear me out on that one - it's neither. Not someone from Capcom, and not Ryu Hayabusa, either. Let's remind ourselves, how many here predicted a SNK character?

 

[Michael the Spikester]

All this talk about Capcom and I see no mention of Monster Hunter (at least recently). It is one of Capcom's best seller, even if it isn't a well known classic name like RE. Considering the Rathalos is a boss I can feasibly imagine a Monster Hunter character, even if it's just a Palico (even if I would prefer a Cha Cha/Kayamba duo).

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the "poor souls" meme from the Banjo presentation was hinting at Dark Souls?

Thing is Rathalos is pretty much the face of Monster Hunter and represenation of the series pretty much. I feel if Monster Hunter were to get in he/she would had been revealed alongside Rathalos.

That said Dante, RE rep and Phoenix Wright are more likely Capcom reps.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Sakura

If this is referring to the Street Fighter one, her proportions are too different. Ken may be the cheating echo, but he still abides by rules like body shape and weight.

 

[M@R!3]

In response to some earlier posts, one thing I find a little odd is how a lot of people are treating the various RE protagonists as interchangeable. Sure the primary method of combat in RE is guns, and because of that most combat variety comes from using different weapons rather than anything inherently unique to the character in question. Taking that into account each character has gained a much more defined approach to combat that reflects their personalities as the series has gone on. I'll use Chris and Leon as an example since I feel they are the most fleshed out and have the most contrast.

I'll start with Chris. Chris's primary focus in combat is brute force. When in a situation calling for melee attacks he doesn't do anything fancy. He just beats the **** out of whatever is in front of him using his fists or the butt of his gun. (Sometimes even if it hurts him as seen with Wesker.) If he needs more than that he's strong enough to throw around most human sized enemies, or just break their necks outright. There's also his knife, which is often much closer to a machete. This preference for brute force isn't just seen in Chris's melee style, but also his choice of firearms. Since RE5 Chris has largely appeared in more action heavy sequences in the games featuring him, and usually has access to more powerful weapons and plentiful ammo early on to emphasize the action focused gameplay. This is most noticeable in RE6 where Chris is armed with an assault rifle from the start, and gameplay for his campaign is much closer to a more typical third person shooter. Chris's tendency to use larger or more powerful weapons can also be seen in the movie Resident Evil Vendetta.

Now for Leon. Unlike Chris, Leon doesn't have the same brute force approach. Instead he tends to rely more on skill through a combination of acrobatics, kicks, and knives. This is all shown in various ways throughout RE4 via QTEs, cutscenes, and gameplay. Acrobatics are used evasively in a very large number of QTEs to avoid attacks, but I feel the most notable of all of these is the laser array near the end of the game where Leon uses rolls, cartwheels, wall kicks, and even back flips flat onto his face to avoid being fried. (Chris has a slightly less absurd one in Umbrella Chronicles.) In terms of melee Leon uses momentum fueled kicks to make up for his comparative lack of physical strength. In cutscenes these are often met head on and tend to result in Leon getting manhandled, but against regular enemies they're very effective and can be used to knockdown entire crowds in one move. Leon's use of kicks carries into RE6 for his melee combat. When his kicks fail Leon uses his knife, which he states in a cutscene he has a preference for after he uses it to get the upper hand against Ada, and is quite skilled with it as shown in his knife fight with Krauser. Leon's choice in firearms is less defined than Chris's in any single game, with a small exception in RE6, where he is the only character to be able to dual wield handguns. However, in two of three of Leon's movie appearances he primarily uses handguns to great effect with Resident Evil Vendetta having Leon fight in a style ripped straight from John Wick.

I just thought I would go over this since I think it would be a disservice to these characters to ignore the various ways they've been built upon over the years just to get a few more faces in the game. Whether a theoretical RE rep turns out to be Jill, Chris, or Leon they've all got the popularity, reputation, and history to make it hard to say which is the right choice. There certainly isn't a wrong one.

Here's some video examples showcasing both Chris and Leon.

Spoiler

 

[Michael the Spikester]

In terms of Capcom reps I feel like Amaterasu is slept on big time

God how much I'd love for that to happen.

Another female rep on top of being 3rd party not to mention quadrupedal likeand