Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Ridrool64]

This was the exact same logic used in Mii Costumes for Smash 4, especially in regards to K. Rool. Who wasn't in Smash 4. Until they do happen, I believe that Spirits are, indeed, considered proper representation and not eligible for DLC. Yes, this means that if Arle is an unrevealed spirit, she's out of the running.

 

[TheCJBrine]

Samus had Mii headgear.

Lucas and Mewtwo were trophies before being made playable in Smash 4.

I'm pretty sure Spirits won't disconfirm characters.

 

[Daedulus]

I've seen quite a few people say spirits disconfirm characters, that couldn't be further from the truth because it would basically mean almost everyone can't become playable

U R RIGHT!!!!!!

 

[TheCJBrine]

Yup, Spirits don't disconfirm playable fighters.

We have King K. Rool:
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/9takr3/a_character_already_confirmed_as_a_full_fighter/

And Male Wii Fit Trainer:
https://twitter.com/Phantomias2/status/1058014582839619584

This should mean Geno isn't disconfirmed, either, along with others; if Spirits don't disconfirm characters, neither should tokens in Battle Arena. Giga Mac is a token, too.

 

[cybersai]

Most of the DLC is probably going to be third party, a Gen 8 Pokemon, and maybe yet another Fire Emblem character.

I don't have high hopes the characters who didn't make it will, especially if there's only 5 DLC picks this time.

 

[Lord-Zero]

Most of the DLC is probably going to be third party, a Gen 8 Pokemon, and maybe yet another Fire Emblem character.

I don't have high hopes the characters who didn't make it will, especially if there's only 5 DLC picks this time.

They’ll probably do a second batch of DLC characters if the first 5 do well enough.

 

[Deleted member]

Crash is popular among japanese Smash fans online in regards to DLC requests.

Banjo and Sora too.

This could boost the chances of the three.

 

[FancySmash]

I don't see Gen 8 Pokemon or FE 3 Houses as DLC.
If Rex couldn't make DLC, and is only getting a costume, what chance do these unreleased games have?

 

[Door Key Pig]

Given that the roster is now known and paid DLC fighters have been confirmed, I think it's important to pay particular attention to which characters are suspiciously absent from the game. The ones that come to mind are Bandana Dee (the most popular ballot pick to lack any sort of representation at all), Lloyd, and Heihachi (the only costume characters not to have any representation what-so-ever displayed, including the costumes they had in Smash 4).

These all seem like prime picks, and they've all had their share of insiders pointing their way.

Also, side note - I'm glad that moronic Grinch Leak is finally dead. Everything about it screamed that it was fake - from the fact that no one in their right mind would do such a seemingly deliberately ****ty job obscuring their name to the fact that every insider under the moon, from Vergeben and Mystic to Emily and Tansut, kept saying that it's fake. Not to mention the suspiciously ****ty quality that made it damn near impossible to make out any details, or the fact that people kept pointing out inconsistencies in the background.

It shouldn't be that difficult to imagine a fake leaker looking up a company on LinkedIn and editing a random employee's name, but I suppose people love to forget that points in a leak's favor can almost always be explained away by a fake leaker's attention to detail, whereas points against leak's can't be.

You can claim that folks are bull****ting, but the Grinch Leak really was just carried by people's blind hype. Short of Vergeben chiming in, all of these things were known days ago.

Insiders hinting at Bandana Dee and Bamco reps? How so?

 

[War Anvil]

I had a little word with AwesomeAussie27 , and she says she doesn't mind letting me take over Mini Kangaroo's thread. Just giving you a heads up.

 

[Captain Shades]

Well its over now... Except DLC of course. Seeing everything in Smash so far, I guess I want to chime in on what the possible DLC may be.

First off, I don’t think Piranha Plant is apart of the DLC as it seems to be more of a bonus if anything, so that leaves 5 open spots as of right now.

We can also get rid of some popular picks; Shadow, Isaac, Spring Man, and Black Knight in particular

1) Bandana Dee - Yeah, a biased pick for sure, but it seems likely. Think about it, Kirby is obviously getting more attention compared to Wii U as he’s the main character of Spirits. The Kirby franchise has blown up in recent years since its return to form with Return to Dreamland. People want more Kirby reps, and Bandana Dee is the most popular, even being reported to have taken 4th, second if counting non-returning fighters, on the Japanese Ballot. He’s an immensely popular character that literally seems to have nothing in Smash so far, be it spirits or assist trophies.

Now what about stages, as I’d assume fighters would come with their own. Bandana Dee is in a great position due to Sakurai’s neglect of roughly 2/3 of the franchise. Bring in a clay Rainbow Curse stage, or how about a robotic Planet Robobot stage. The music and stage possibilities are huge, and seeing as the Dee has his own medley he should be up there for possibilities. Plus he is like the 4th main Kirby character at this point, just saying.

2) Steve - Yeah, a bit of a long shot, but it could work. Minecraft has been promoted heavily by Nintendo in the past few years, even being a highlight of Switch online. It also got a custom 3DS not to long ago, and was the bridge for cross play and more cooperation between Microsoft and Nintendo since the DS. Sakurai has also stated that it is a game he likes to go back to. Add in MC’s popularity on Miiverse and with children and it could be a top seller to casuals.

As for Steve’s moveset, it would incorporate item management and building, two things Sakurai claims MC is all about. Since Sakurai seems to base MC around something that can work for a character, I don’t think the whole MC is about the world argument can work. Moving on to stages, just make a generic, maybe randomly generated, world that has the MC style as the grassy hills and large water landscapes make up most of MC’s imagery. Songs are also easy, they’re decently memorable, but will probably fade more into the background in a similar vein to Distant Planet’s tracks.

3) Rayman/ Rabbids - Weird, but might fit. Most of Wii U’s DLC fit around two concepts, being 3rd party, and being new. These two fit both the categories as Mario + Rabbids is confirmed to be getting a sequel, and the long awaited Rayman 4 is in development. Ubisoft and Nintendo have been very close recently, so it wouldn’t come as a shock to have one of their mascots drop into the game. Both are also fairly popular picks with Rayman being huge since the Smash 4 trophy and ‘leak’ and Rabbids gaining traction after their cross over with Mario. I should also point out that Rayman had trophies in the last Smash game, but is yet to have anything in this one even though Smash is branching out to more 3rd parties (Shantae, Vitual Fighter, Shovel Knight, etc.) and the two companies seem closer than ever.

As for the world, it could be anything. Glade of Dreams for Rayman, and probably a Mario + Rabbids thing if its Rabbids. Music is plentiful in both series, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

4) Meltan/ Melmetal - I do think we’ll get a Pokemon Gen 8 rep, but why Meltan. Easy, he’s the one everyone will know as he came a year beforehand. Meltan is the only confirmed Gen 8 Pokémon and has been given tons of love by the Pokémon Company. His liquid metal structure also allows for more movement possibilities which Sakurai enjoys if Piranha Plant is any indicator. This would be a fun character that breaks the mold of the more fighter looking Pokémon. Basically, I think we can all agree that an advertisement Pokémon is coming, but having a pre-established member not only promote the new game, but could drive more sales for the DLC it self.

Also, I’m pretty sure Smash Wii U reused some models for characters in DLC, so now that Ditto is in, they can reuse the Ditto Pokémon model to help shape Meltan into his own fighter. His stage will likely be based on Gen 8, or the Let’s Go titles and use music from them.

5) Rex - I feel the Mii costume heavily hints at his inclusion along with the he was too late to make the base comment. It seems that Sakurai likes the Xenoblade franchise and seeing as the sequel has stayed huge for a full year I’d expect 2 to get some love. His unique fighting style should also tickle Sakurai’s interests like Corrin from the previous game. It honestly feels like the Rex costume was the gateway for his inclusion. I should also note that he is a popular pick, and the idea of a second Xenoblade rep has been big since Elma.

The music and stage will be based on Xenoblade 2 as it seems Smash will cover only minimal amounts of content from the title, probably Spirits exclusively. I think Rex will probably be the first DLC fighter after Piranha.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Well its over now... Except DLC of course. Seeing everything in Smash so far, I guess I want to chime in on what the possible DLC may be.

First off, I don’t think Piranha Plant is apart of the DLC as it seems to be more of a bonus if anything, so that leaves 5 open spots as of right now.

We can also get rid of some popular picks; Shadow, Isaac, Spring Man, and Black Knight in particular

1) Bandana Dee - Yeah, a biased pick for sure, but it seems likely. Think about it, Kirby is obviously getting more attention compared to Wii U as he’s the main character of Spirits. The Kirby franchise has blown up in recent years since its return to form with Return to Dreamland. People want more Kirby reps, and Bandana Dee is the most popular, even being reported to have taken 4th, second if counting non-returning fighters, on the Japanese Ballot. He’s an immensely popular character that literally seems to have nothing in Smash so far, be it spirits or assist trophies.

Now what about stages, as I’d assume fighters would come with their own. Bandana Dee is in a great position due to Sakurai’s neglect of roughly 2/3 of the franchise. Bring in a clay Rainbow Curse stage, or how about a robotic Planet Robobot stage. The music and stage possibilities are huge, and seeing as the Dee has his own medley he should be up there for possibilities. Plus he is like the 4th main Kirby character at this point, just saying.

2) Steve - Yeah, a bit of a long shot, but it could work. Minecraft has been promoted heavily by Nintendo in the past few years, even being a highlight of Switch online. It also got a custom 3DS not to long ago, and was the bridge for cross play and more cooperation between Microsoft and Nintendo since the DS. Sakurai has also stated that it is a game he likes to go back to. Add in MC’s popularity on Miiverse and with children and it could be a top seller to casuals.

As for Steve’s moveset, it would incorporate item management and building, two things Sakurai claims MC is all about. Since Sakurai seems to base MC around something that can work for a character, I don’t think the whole MC is about the world argument can work. Moving on to stages, just make a generic, maybe randomly generated, world that has the MC style as the grassy hills and large water landscapes make up most of MC’s imagery. Songs are also easy, they’re decently memorable, but will probably fade more into the background in a similar vein to Distant Planet’s tracks.

3) Rayman/ Rabbids - Weird, but might fit. Most of Wii U’s DLC fit around two concepts, being 3rd party, and being new. These two fit both the categories as Mario + Rabbids is confirmed to be getting a sequel, and the long awaited Rayman 4 is in development. Ubisoft and Nintendo have been very close recently, so it wouldn’t come as a shock to have one of their mascots drop into the game. Both are also fairly popular picks with Rayman being huge since the Smash 4 trophy and ‘leak’ and Rabbids gaining traction after their cross over with Mario. I should also point out that Rayman had trophies in the last Smash game, but is yet to have anything in this one even though Smash is branching out to more 3rd parties (Shantae, Vitual Fighter, Shovel Knight, etc.) and the two companies seem closer than ever.

As for the world, it could be anything. Glade of Dreams for Rayman, and probably a Mario + Rabbids thing if its Rabbids. Music is plentiful in both series, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

4) Meltan/ Melmetal - I do think we’ll get a Pokemon Gen 8 rep, but why Meltan. Easy, he’s the one everyone will know as he came a year beforehand. Meltan is the only confirmed Gen 8 Pokémon and has been given tons of love by the Pokémon Company. His liquid metal structure also allows for more movement possibilities which Sakurai enjoys if Piranha Plant is any indicator. This would be a fun character that breaks the mold of the more fighter looking Pokémon. Basically, I think we can all agree that an advertisement Pokémon is coming, but having a pre-established member not only promote the new game, but could drive more sales for the DLC it self.

Also, I’m pretty sure Smash Wii U reused some models for characters in DLC, so now that Ditto is in, they can reuse the Ditto Pokémon model to help shape Meltan into his own fighter. His stage will likely be based on Gen 8, or the Let’s Go titles and use music from them.

5) Rex - I feel the Mii costume heavily hints at his inclusion along with the he was too late to make the base comment. It seems that Sakurai likes the Xenoblade franchise and seeing as the sequel has stayed huge for a full year I’d expect 2 to get some love. His unique fighting style should also tickle Sakurai’s interests like Corrin from the previous game. It honestly feels like the Rex costume was the gateway for his inclusion. I should also note that he is a popular pick, and the idea of a second Xenoblade rep has been big since Elma.

The music and stage will be based on Xenoblade 2 as it seems Smash will cover only minimal amounts of content from the title, probably Spirits exclusively. I think Rex will probably be the first DLC fighter after Piranha.

After Piranha Plant, I can actually see Steve and Rabbids making it in.

 

[Midoriki]

First off, I don’t think Piranha Plant is apart of the DLC as it seems to be more of a bonus if anything, so that leaves 5 open spots as of right now.

Can confirm! The terms for how to get bae Piranha Plant specifically say Piranha plant is "separate from Fighters Pass content".

Does anyone think we're getting any DLC echos? The Fighters Pass content not mentioning echos makes me think no, plus the only echo obvious to me has been banned to the Shadow realm of assist trophies. But I guess they could be in some other pack or used as free promotionals similar to Piranha Plant.

 

[PK-remling Fire]

What I hope for DLC:
Banjo Kazooie
Bandanna Dee
Sora
Geno (not someone I personally like, but Geno fans need a break)
Jack Frost

What we'll probably actually get for DLC:
Melmetal
Steve
Bandanna Dee
Sora/Geno
Rabbids

Does anyone think we're getting any DLC echos? The Fighters Pass content not mentioning echos makes me think no, plus the only echo obvious to me has been banned to the Shadow realm of assist trophies. But I guess they could be in some other pack or used as free promotionals similar to Piranha Plant.

I think it was confirmed we aren't getting any echoes as DLC

 

[ganondorf_22]

Given recent news, and assuming Spirit characters are deconfirmed as regular fighters, here’s how my list of considerations from August holds up—

Bomberman Still an assist trophy, still covered.

Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong) No echoes!

Rayman (Rayman) I really don’t want him to win.

Phoenix Wright I looked him up more in Marvel vs. Capcom. If they can do something better with him than what they did in that game, then sure.

Crono this guy could be good, I s’pose. *shrug*. I don’t think he deserves it, though.

Impa (Zelda) she could be good. I dunno how she played in the warriors game. If it wasn’t anything special, then never mind. But, it might be a way to move units of the switch hyrule warriors game if her inclusion was connected to that in a significant way.

Waluigi (Mario) he’s still fine as an assist trophy.

Funky Kong (Donkey Kong) Funky Kong is not a good idea.

Andy (Advance Wars) This series is dead. No need to live in the past.

Ken (Street Fighter) I don’t think he’s getting in, you guys.

Viewtiful Joe this is a pretty darn dead game series, as well. Nonetheless, I have fond memories of it. I would probably find it gauche if he was put in as anything more than an assist trophy, but I would probably have fun with him if he was.

Ashley (Wario Ware) Deconfirmed.

Lyn (Fire Emblem) Deconfirmed.

Metal Sonic (Sonic) No echoes!

Krystal (Star Fox) She’s an assist trophy. No.

Gardevoir (Pokemon) No thanks.

Boo - I’m still down for a regular Boo. I’ll accept King Boo, but a regular Boo would be cool with me.

Tom Nook - Please no.

K.K. Slider - he’s a good dog. I think I did see him as a Spirit, though. Deconfirmed, I believe.

Isabelle (Animal Crossing) - Hmmm... I dunno... don’t think she’s gonna make it in this time, folks....

Akuma (Street Fighter) enough SF representation already.

Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil) RE4 was a big deal for Gamecube owners when it came out. Leon could pay homage to that time. I like him more now.

Klonoa His best game was on PS1, but since then he’s been on DS and Wii, in *actual, starring roles*. *looks at Cloud*. He could get a slot. Sure, why not? Namco only has one rep at the moment, anyway.

Captain Rainbow an extremely niche left field choice, but also an iconic choice. So his favorability rating has gone up.

Petey Piranha (Mario) - I guess he’s in as a final smash now. : p

Tiki (Fire Emblem) Deconfirmed.

Tharja (Fire Emblem) Heyyy, suuurrre.

Arle & Carbuncle (Puyo Puyo) Sure, why not. Any Puyo Puyo Tetris rep, minus the dumb ones.

Tetris Block - Yeah, man, let’s do it.

Cecil (Final Fantasy) - A good hecking choice.

The Builder (Dragon Quest Builders) - bwahaha this character would be cool.

Akira - Deconfirmed.

Haunter S. Thompson - Still a possibility! Fingers crossed!

The city of Corpus Christi, Texas - hmmm I dunno about this one.

Prince of Sablé and Takamaru - deconfirmed.

Prince of Persia - Still no thanks.

The guitar controller from Guitar Hero - Hey, it’s still an option.

Kyle Hyde - Deconfirmed as a Spirit. :’’’’

Given, all this, who should the next five fighters be? *drumroll*

Blue, Red, and Green from Gunstar Heroes!!!
The last two slots go to Greta Thunberg and Michael E. Mann.

Okay, I get it, no echoes. We could only have one rep from Gunstar Heroes. Let’s make it Green.

Cecil, Leon Kennedy, Boo, Captain Rainbow, Haunter S. Thompson. There, now I’ve narrowed it down to eight. You decide which of the eight should make it in.

If Kyle Hyde and K.K. Slider are not deconfirmed because they’re spirits, then just replace Haunter with Kyle and leave K.K. out to get my new final 8. But I’d rather believe that spirit characters can’t also be regular fighters.

 

[Oniric Spriter]

If spirits meant disconfirmation I guess that means we'll get some obscure characters not even worth having as a png or more third parties no one asked for.
And somehow they want us to pay for them? nah, it doesn't add up.

 

[Daedulus]

Well its over now... Except DLC of course. Seeing everything in Smash so far, I guess I want to chime in on what the possible DLC may be.

First off, I don’t think Piranha Plant is apart of the DLC as it seems to be more of a bonus if anything, so that leaves 5 open spots as of right now.

We can also get rid of some popular picks; Shadow, Isaac, Spring Man, and Black Knight in particular

1) Bandana Dee - Yeah, a biased pick for sure, but it seems likely. Think about it, Kirby is obviously getting more attention compared to Wii U as he’s the main character of Spirits. The Kirby franchise has blown up in recent years since its return to form with Return to Dreamland. People want more Kirby reps, and Bandana Dee is the most popular, even being reported to have taken 4th, second if counting non-returning fighters, on the Japanese Ballot. He’s an immensely popular character that literally seems to have nothing in Smash so far, be it spirits or assist trophies.

Now what about stages, as I’d assume fighters would come with their own. Bandana Dee is in a great position due to Sakurai’s neglect of roughly 2/3 of the franchise. Bring in a clay Rainbow Curse stage, or how about a robotic Planet Robobot stage. The music and stage possibilities are huge, and seeing as the Dee has his own medley he should be up there for possibilities. Plus he is like the 4th main Kirby character at this point, just saying.

2) Steve - Yeah, a bit of a long shot, but it could work. Minecraft has been promoted heavily by Nintendo in the past few years, even being a highlight of Switch online. It also got a custom 3DS not to long ago, and was the bridge for cross play and more cooperation between Microsoft and Nintendo since the DS. Sakurai has also stated that it is a game he likes to go back to. Add in MC’s popularity on Miiverse and with children and it could be a top seller to casuals.

As for Steve’s moveset, it would incorporate item management and building, two things Sakurai claims MC is all about. Since Sakurai seems to base MC around something that can work for a character, I don’t think the whole MC is about the world argument can work. Moving on to stages, just make a generic, maybe randomly generated, world that has the MC style as the grassy hills and large water landscapes make up most of MC’s imagery. Songs are also easy, they’re decently memorable, but will probably fade more into the background in a similar vein to Distant Planet’s tracks.

3) Rayman/ Rabbids - Weird, but might fit. Most of Wii U’s DLC fit around two concepts, being 3rd party, and being new. These two fit both the categories as Mario + Rabbids is confirmed to be getting a sequel, and the long awaited Rayman 4 is in development. Ubisoft and Nintendo have been very close recently, so it wouldn’t come as a shock to have one of their mascots drop into the game. Both are also fairly popular picks with Rayman being huge since the Smash 4 trophy and ‘leak’ and Rabbids gaining traction after their cross over with Mario. I should also point out that Rayman had trophies in the last Smash game, but is yet to have anything in this one even though Smash is branching out to more 3rd parties (Shantae, Vitual Fighter, Shovel Knight, etc.) and the two companies seem closer than ever.

As for the world, it could be anything. Glade of Dreams for Rayman, and probably a Mario + Rabbids thing if its Rabbids. Music is plentiful in both series, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

4) Meltan/ Melmetal - I do think we’ll get a Pokemon Gen 8 rep, but why Meltan. Easy, he’s the one everyone will know as he came a year beforehand. Meltan is the only confirmed Gen 8 Pokémon and has been given tons of love by the Pokémon Company. His liquid metal structure also allows for more movement possibilities which Sakurai enjoys if Piranha Plant is any indicator. This would be a fun character that breaks the mold of the more fighter looking Pokémon. Basically, I think we can all agree that an advertisement Pokémon is coming, but having a pre-established member not only promote the new game, but could drive more sales for the DLC it self.

Also, I’m pretty sure Smash Wii U reused some models for characters in DLC, so now that Ditto is in, they can reuse the Ditto Pokémon model to help shape Meltan into his own fighter. His stage will likely be based on Gen 8, or the Let’s Go titles and use music from them.

5) Rex - I feel the Mii costume heavily hints at his inclusion along with the he was too late to make the base comment. It seems that Sakurai likes the Xenoblade franchise and seeing as the sequel has stayed huge for a full year I’d expect 2 to get some love. His unique fighting style should also tickle Sakurai’s interests like Corrin from the previous game. It honestly feels like the Rex costume was the gateway for his inclusion. I should also note that he is a popular pick, and the idea of a second Xenoblade rep has been big since Elma.

The music and stage will be based on Xenoblade 2 as it seems Smash will cover only minimal amounts of content from the title, probably Spirits exclusively. I think Rex will probably be the first DLC fighter after Piranha.[/Q

In my opinion I think we'll get to rounds of 5 characters (the first will sell really well)
1st set: Geno, Banjo, Rayman, Waddle dee and maybe Isaac (I dunno)
Geno is very requested, even though he's a spirit he ca still make it in(Lucas and Mewtwo were trophys in smash 4 before dlc)
Banjo just makes sense also highly requested (Sakurai met with Microsoft earlier this year)
Rayman for the same reasons also popular
Waddle dee, what captain shades said
Isaac Maybe?? (matters what the stance of Assists are in Ultimate)

The 2nd batch will be newcomers the made there video game debut in 2018 or 2019

 

[RileyXY1]

If spirits meant disconfirmation I guess that means we'll get some obscure characters not even worth having as a png or more third parties no one asked for.
And somehow they want us to pay for them? nah, it doesn't add up.

Yeah. Leaving out the Spirits essentially limits DLC to only either up and coming Nintendo characters, heavily obscure Nintendo characters, or unrepresented third parties. This is heavily unrealistic.

 

[Daedulus]

Yeah. Leaving out the Spirits essentially limits DLC to only either up and coming Nintendo characters, heavily obscure Nintendo characters, or unrepresented third parties. This is heavily unrealistic.

What about assists I NEED MY BOI WALUIGI

 

[GoodGrief741]

All DLC will be third party. Mark my words.

Did you not live through the last DLC cycle?

 

[ganondorf_22]

If spirits meant disconfirmation I guess that means we'll get some obscure characters not even worth having as a png or more third parties no one asked for.
And somehow they want us to pay for them? nah, it doesn't add up.

Cecil, Leon Kennedy, and Green are good characters. Boo isn’t that obscure. Captain Rainbow I’m a little more unsure on, but you gotta have a fifth character. They could possibly make him work. Include Spirits and the only additional person worth having would be Kyle Hyde. Replace him with CR for the best possible roster (assuming assist trophies must remain assist trophies.)

 

[BluePikmin11]

As much as I disagree with Sakurai's decisions of Ultimate lately, the inner part of me still wants to speculate the remaining DLC fighters. The current circumstances set for DLC (with a bunch of disconfirmations for example) makes predicting somewhat easier for me Based on my initial process of elimination, I am feeling the Battle Pass fighters will be this. The top I find to be more likely, while the bottom is the unlikelier, alternative choice:

I still need to draft up more in-depth analyses for the characters, but... this what I'm thinking now. The logic is rough for now:
-Elma is based on the suspicious lack of XCX and Rex no longer being competition. If DLC was decided around the same time as base game, then Elma still has a decent shot.
-I think Sakurai will implement the Chorus Kids for DLC this time. I honestly don't know why they aren't in the base roster now, but I just cannot see them being excluded this time. (Karate Joe is also a possibility in the scenario that Chorus Kids face technical problems)
-Based on Verge's comments, Minecraft seems like the likelier choice, and around 2015, Minecraft Wii U edition was being developed, with Nintendo and Mojang/Microsoft teaming up for Sakurai to take the opportunity to negotiate them for a character.
-Also based on Verge's comments, either Geno or Sora. And seemingly Sora has a credible Spawn rumor of him being revealed at the Game Awards. Geno is not out of the running either, not appearing as an AT. Both have so many positives, but I think only one of them will get in the roster. I'm slightly leaning towards Geno.
-I'm thinking that we'll get Resident Evil this time. Since echos don't seem to be a possibility for DLC, either Leon or Jill will get in. Both share high popularity within the RE fanbase. Jill has the edge of being the most iconic. Leon also has the edge of being the most popular, known from the most innovative RE game ever that hundreds of Nintendo fans hold dear. Honestly, it all depends on which RE character was most popular in the ballot.
-I was thinking about adding Namco Bandai here, but it was REALLY hard to fit it in. If it does happen, I think Heihachi is the most likely, with Lloyd coming in second. The Akira AT kinda raises an eyebrow for me, making me wonder if it was done to open room for Heihachi. I have little doubt that Sakurai will have trouble implementing Heihachi this time.

That is it for me with predictions for now. I have no idea why I did this TBH.

 

[Daedulus]

All DLC will be third party. Mark my words.

Did you not live through the last DLC cycle?

What about corrin and returning fighters?
Waht about pokemon gen 8 and 3 houses?
It's whether WE want 3rd parties or not

 

[GoodGrief741]

What about corrin and returning fighters?
Waht about pokemon gen 8 and 3 houses?
It's whether WE want 3rd parties or not

What returning fighters? Everyone came back.

As for advertising reps a la Corrin, DLC was decided a long time ago (probably 2015 with the project plan), so if Rex (from 2017) was too late, any character from 2019 onwards is impossible.

 

[Midoriki]

What about assists I NEED MY BOI WALUIGI

The main issue with promoting an assist trophy is dev time. If the devs already knew what the DLC fighters were when they were working on assist trophies, they probably wouldn't waste their limited time on an assist trophy that they knew would be replaced by a fighter later.

Given that all 5 unknown chars are to be released by Feb 2020 I would assume they already selected them a while ago, but we don't know exactly when that planning happened.

If DLC fighter planning happened after the assist trophies were ported from smash 4, then there might still be some hope for Waluigi? We know he was done in time for the demo, so its possible his port was done very early.

I wouldn't bet on it, but maybe if there's a will there's a WAH?

 

[Daedulus]

What returning fighters? Everyone came back.

As for advertising reps a la Corrin, DLC was decided a long time ago (probably 2015 with the project plan), so if Rex (from 2017) was too late, any character from 2019 onwards is impossible.

When I said what about returning fighters that's not what I meant
I was replying to someone saying that all the DLC would be third party, probably based of the evidence of smash 4, in smash 4 most of the DLC fighters were first party, and not just because they were returning, if you look a Source Gaming's Pie Chart, you'll that most of the most requested fighters are returning, thus proving that DLC is what WE make of it. But.. it is fishy that Waddle Dees not playable yet. ARE U THINKING WHAT I'M THINKING!

 

[YoshiandToad]

So...Chrom is still Robin's Final Smash despite being playable.

Toad and Nook are very much back in the running for DLC.

 

[StormC]

I'm pretty sure the 5 DLC characters were already penciled in a while ago (not necessarily in 2015) and this will be the only wave we get. No ballot, no fan campaigns, nothing. For all intents and purposes these are going to be the final Smash characters for a long time.

Not a pretty picture to paint and not what people want to hear, but this is what I believe. And Bandana Dee is the only first party I think will be included.

Banjo-Kazooie, Rayman, Sora, Crash Bandicoot, and Steve all seem like third party contenders now. I think Geno is dead because Square probably won't negotiate for an obscure character from 22 years ago to be purchasable content. DLC has to sell.

 

[GoodGrief741]

When I said what about returning fighters that's not what I meant
I was replying to someone saying that all the DLC would be third party, probably based of the evidence of smash 4, in smash 4 most of the DLC fighters were first party, and not just because they were returning, if you look a Source Gaming's Pie Chart, you'll that most of the most requested fighters are returning, thus proving that DLC is what WE make of it. But.. it is fishy that Waddle Dees not playable yet. ARE U THINKING WHAT I'M THINKING!

Smash 4’s DLC was three third party characters, three veterans and one advertising picks. Veterans and advertising picks are out of the running, thus it’s all third parties this time around.

The ballot and fan demand doesn’t really mean anything. Most of the fan picks are disconfirmed anyways, and the roster selection implies that the process of selection is the same as 4’s.

 

[MrMcNuts]

If I had to guess for dlc I'd say we're getting
1. Rayman (popular fan pick that survived the deconfirmed massacre and ubi and Nintendo are practically dating)
2. Elma (Rex was deconfirmed)
3. Bandana dee (fan pick who wasn't deconfirmed)
4. Heihachi (has been considering by sakurai in the past)
5. Maybe just MAYBE Banjo (easily the most requested third party Character and Nintendo and Microsoft are becoming friendly with each other)

With so many deconfirmed yesterday this is what I think is likely although banjo is a bit of a stretch

 

[Fane]

Most of the DLC is probably going to be third party, a Gen 8 Pokemon, and maybe yet another Fire Emblem character.

I don't have high hopes the characters who didn't make it will, especially if there's only 5 DLC picks this time.

Sakurai stated in the final direct that DLC was chosen alongside the base roster. Which is why Springman is an assist and Rex is a Mii costume.

Meaning Gen 8 is more than likely out of the question. Fire Emblem rep got less likely because of this but Alm, Celica, and Azura are not out of the question by any means.

Third party is most likely for all slots if we're being honest. I just hope they're good choices.

 

[SuperSceptile15]

Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong) No echoes!

Why do you assume Dixie Kong would be an echo?

 

[Ark of Silence101]

Here is my take on the final DLC characters:

1. Square Enix character: Could be one of the following.
Dragon Quest character: Massively popular franchise in Japan.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is easily one of the most iconic franchises out there and would easily stand out in Smash.

Final Fantasy character: Terra for coming from what is widely considered the best FF in the series alonside VII or Noctis cause Square are looking to push XV at any chance possible.

2. Microsoft character: Master Chief(even if he has no ties to Nintendo, his impact on the shooter genre can't be ignored), Steve(Minecraft regardless of how much some people hate it, is VERY known) and Banjo(easily the one that both makes the most sense and would please a lot of people).

3. Xenoblade character: Elma or Rex.

4. 1st party newcomer.

5. 1st party newcomer.

 

[GoodGrief741]

I think DLC will be all third parties, and seeing how there are 5 third party companies involved, let me see who I expect from each.

Konami: This one’s tricky, because Bomberman’s disconfirmed. We could get a new Metal Gear (Raiden, Big Boss, Venom Snake) or Castlevania (Trevor, Soma Cruz) although Alucard is disconfirmed. Other than that, could be someone like Frogger, but I don’t see them thinking they can charge for Frogger.

Sega: Easy - just stick any second Sonic character. Sucks that Shadow and Knuckles are disconfirmed, but Tails and Eggman are still in play. I can’t see us getting a new Bayonetta character (Jeanne would probably be an Echo), but a Shin Megami Tensei/Persona character is in the cards, with Joker as the obvious one.

Capcom: Phoenix Wright seems like the clear choice to me. Nobody from Mega Man could be it, though we could get a Street Fighter character (Chun-Li or M. Bison would make sense). There’s also Monster Hunter or somebody from Resident Evil to consider.

Bandai Namco: Heihachi or Lloyd. Did I miss anyone?

Square Enix: Ahh, the elephant in the room. As a huge Geno fan, I can’t see them making Geno DLC given the direction of this game. They’re going to go for the most obvious, mass appeal character they got. Probably Sora (works for me, I actually like Sora more, but damn if Geno fans didn’t deserve to get their guy). Lara Croft, other Final Fantasy characters (like Terra), and a Dragon Quest character shouldn’t be underestimated, but imo it was always Geno or Sora.

So DLC would be something like: Raiden, Eggman, Phoenix Wright, Lloyd and Sora. Make sense to you?

Yeah, there’ll probably be a new company dealing, but hey, it was a nice experiment.

 

[Oniric Spriter]

So why exactly do people think we'll get a promotional character like Edelgard from FE 3 Houses, Addam/Lora/Jin from Torna or a Gen 8 pokemon when those people also believe Rex won't be in because "it's too late for him" even though Sakurai never said he was too late to join as DLC?

 

[GoodGrief741]

So why exactly do people think we'll get a promotional character like Edelgard from FE 3 Houses, Addam/Lora/Jin from Torna or a Gen 8 pokemon when those people also believe Rex won't be in because "it's too late for him" even though Sakurai never said he was too late to join as DLC?

Sakurai: ‘Since we decided which fighters to include when we planned the game, we weren’t able to add characters from some games’ *shows Rex*

He was talking about the DLC Fighter Pass just before, so context points to him referring to DLC, but let’s look at the meaning of the sentence.

‘We decided which fighters to include [for base] when we planned the game’
That sentence seems redundant, doesn’t it? It’s obvious that they decided the fighters when they planned the game.

‘We decided which fighters to include [as DLC] when we planned the game’
Sadly, that makes more sense.

Then there’s the fact that if they were planning to make Rex DLC, they wouldn’t have made a costume.

I’m sorry to say (would have loved Rex for DLC), but his case is not looking great, and neither is the case for any character post-2015.

 

[Inawordyes]

I would say that it probably seems more likely to be:

Banjo-Kazooie
Geno
Elma
Bandana Dee
???

Lots of leaks pointing to a Square Enix character, Sakurai has gone on record multiple times showing his desire to have Geno in the game. Amidst the whole Grinch Leak fiasco, more than just Papageno came forward having info that Banjo was in. Since DLC was decided at the same time as the project plan, it is likely that is was part of the project plan, hence people would know about both of them but wouldn't know that they were DLC necessarily.

Elma had a lot going for her at the time of the project plan being created, and aside from one Spirit being shown in the form of a Skell variant, there is absolutely zero Xenoblade Chronicles X content that we have seen anywhere in Ultimate. Nothing, and we know that the XCX composer did secret recordings, likely for Ultimate, that know absolutely nothing about what they are. And there's also the Gundam figurine that Sakurai bought for reference for his then-unknown game (now Ultimate). Presumably for a moveset, the duel-gun setup matches a little too well with an XCX Skell and/or Elma's own signature dual-wielding weapons. Nothing else we've seen in-game matches, meaning whatever it's being used for is probably not in the game yet.

Bandana Dee is, based on numerous sources, probably the most popular and most requested character left that isn't already a fighter or an Assist Trophy. Not even showing up as a spirit, conspicuously missing from Dedede's Final Smash which is based on an event in the original game where Bandana Dee is very much so present, has basically become the fourth main character of the Kirby series, and is being constantly pushed now in everything merchandise, sometimes even more than Kirby it seems.

I don't know who the last character could be. There were leaks that talked about Lloyd Irving being in talks with Namco about inclusion, but if those leaks came from a trustworthy source but also relatively recent, and the DLC was decided back in 2015, then it would be for a second Fighters Pass beyond these five and he wouldn't be one of them. Wonder Red is conspicuously absent from everything despite being a perfect character to show off in promo material (Wonder Blue is seen on the site as a spirit, but Wonder Red is nowhere to be found despite plenty of other main protagonists being shown off like from Pushmo, Eternal Darkness, Codename S.T.E.A.M., etc.) while also having a cult following and a lot of moveset potential, but may not have been chosen because his game wasn't that much of a commercial success due to being on the Wii U. It could be a plethora of other 3rd-party characters, but since the Switch was only in prototypes in 2015 and obviously games like the DOOM Reboot, Crash Bandicoot Trilogy remaster, Mario+Rabbids Kingdom, Skyrim on Nintendo consoles, etc. weren't even fully-fledged twinkles in eyes probably, all these 3rd-parties that we see as likely now wouldn't have even been a consideration back then.

But I am reasonably confident in those four being part of the Fighter Pass, and the fifth could be anyone.

 

[zferolie]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Looks like the creator of Shantae is starting the DLC push for her again. Seems like being a spirit doesn't disconfirm DLC but she may or may not be set as DLC yet...

 

[EarlTamm]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Looks like the creator of Shantae is starting the DLC push for her again. Seems like being a spirit doesn't disconfirm DLC but she may or may not be set as DLC yet...

I don't think it will be any of the 5 DLC character we know are gonna happen, but I believe there will be a season 2 and more. Also, him even doing this is gonna cause a surge in support for a good while, especially if he keeps bringing it up.

 

[Questionmark222]

So...Chrom is still Robin's Final Smash despite being playable.

Toad and Nook are very much back in the running for DLC.

I wonder what happens if Robin uses his FS against Chrom. Maybe Alfonzo will pop up instead of Chrom...