Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Strider_Bond00J]

Copying this sort of from the RTC thread, but my predictions going forward are relatively the same as I had previously - just minus Travis Touchdown.

Ryu Hayabusa: One of the last remaining NES classic heroes, and his parent company Koei-Tecmo have a very strong relationship with Nintendo. Ninja Gaiden was pretty big in its heyday for having some of the more advanced cutscenes and stories of the NES era, and Ryu's got plenty of fighting potential thanks to both the classic games, the reboot trilogy and Dead or Alive. If Vergeben is to be believed about Minecraft being in the works and Nintendo and Koei-Tecmo have been in discussions, then I think Ryu is pretty likely to show up.

Reimu Hakurei: A personal want of mine since Touhou's become more popular in the speculation scene. A long running indie/doujin franchise with wonderful music and lots of charming characters - Reimu joining Smash Bros would be a shout-out to the doujin world of video games.

Capcom Character (Dante, Phoenix Wright, Viewtiful Joe): Capcom seem to me like they're due for a new character from one of their other franchises, and given how highly requested Dante's become, in addition to his games slowly making their way to Switch (which is something that Hideaki Itsuno said would be important before Dante showed up), I have a feeling that Dante's probably in the best spot. Phoenix Wright is close behind, thanks to his long-standing presence on Nintendo platforms since the Game Boy Advance and DS days, so he's got a strong shot too.

SEGA Character (Kazuma Kiryu, Arle Nadja, Dr. Eggman): Given that Microsoft got their second character in this pass, a new SEGA character wouldn't be a bad idea if you ask me, especially from some of the franchises that have taken off in popularity like Yakuza or Puyo Puyo.

Runner up to this is a new Nintendo character like Euden to represent mobile games; or we could see Dixie Kong show up with a promotion to playable status; as well as the fresh games Nintendo want to promote like Pokémon Sword & Shield and Xenoblade.

 

[Deleted member]

I didn't watch the Steve Presentation all the way since I was in the middle of moving, but man those definitely are some cursed Mii Costumes from Minecraft. RIP Travis fans thoe.

Anyways, I posted predictions for the last 4 characters on the RTC thread, so I'm quoting it for here.

Sakurai has given every DLC character something unique to Smash whether if it's on their playstyle or their mechanics. My predictions will mostly be based on characters/franchises that could implement something different to the table.

1: Dynasty Warriors Rep (Dynasty Warriors lol)

Lo and behold: Dynasty Warriors fan thinks Dynasty Warriors character will be in Smash.

Anyways, Dynasty Warriors was the series that spawned the entire Musou genre since 2000. Koei-Tecmo have been involved with various Nintendo projects since Other M and have continued onwards with Age of Calamity being released this holiday. I firmly believe that a Dynasty Warriors character will be in Smash with the series being Koei-Tecmo's flagship title, and Sakurai will develop the character around the mechanics of the games. While I can't speak for the combat of Dynasty Warriors 9, previous Dynasty Warriors titles give me the impression that the character will have around 4 - 6 jabs with 3 - 5 of them being able to combo into a strong attack like how it is in the games. The trend of each DLC character having a Cinematic Final Smash has remained consistent throughout Vol 1 and 2, so I could picture Sakurai implementing Musou Attacks into the character from both getting enough hits in and getting hit enough times. That's good enough to make them completely stand out from the rest of the roster already, and I haven't even gotten around to the concept of the stage being similar to the games with Officers cameoing on the stage, seeing their dialogue on screen, and even the possibility of Morale based attack boosts.

2: Billy & Jimmy (Double Dragon)

So here's how I see this: Billy and Jimmy are going to be in a Challenger Pack with 1 of them being an Echo Fighter, essentially a 2 for 1 offer that'll guarantee both of them getting separate Amiibos. They're 1 of the most iconic Beat Em Up franchises of all time and happen to be super overlooked when it comes to classic NES icons with Smash potential. Arc System Works have added River City spirits to Smash back in January and Whether if you take it either as a good or bad sign for an ASW rep, it does mean they've collaborated with Nintendo and Sakurai before. While I don't know much about the franchise other than me playing Neon for a couple of hours a long time ago, there's a huge opportunity in an actual Beat Em Up stage where you can fight stage enemies and proceed onwards to the next set of enemies That'd pretty much be the best DLC stage if not the best stage in all of Ultimate (if executed well of course). I could also imagine Billy and Jimmy incorporating items to their moveset where they can pick up practically any random melee items with either their neutral or down special ranging from weapons from their games to even Smash items like the baseball bat.

3: Gen 8 Pokemon (Pokemon Sword & Shield)

Look I'll be honest here: I got nothing when it comes to how a Gen 8 Pokemon would work that'd make them stand out from the rest since I haven't played the game. I just think they're going to happen since SwSh essentially breathes money on the Switch, and even when they had a Spirit Event and a Tourney to hype up its launch date, I'd say it's just promotional material and not outright deconfirmations like a good portion of people think on here. I'm sure there are Pokemon that would bring something completely new to the table. Sakurai's already proven he's capable of doing such things with various characters including Pokemons, so I'm sure he'll be able to do the same with any Gen 8 Pokemon chosen for the spot.

4: Cadence (Crypt of the NecroDancer)
Cadence seems like a super out there character for predictions given how Crypt of the NecroDancer is an Indie game, but hear me out. It's completely possible that Sakurai wants to make a rhythm based character for Smash where their moveset is based on the beat of the soundtracks, but it sounds like complete hell when you consider how many tracks are currently in Ultimate. Perhaps Sakurai decided to greenlight the idea around the time Vol 2 was currently being concepted on because of how much he wants to give it a whirl, and Cadence was chosen thanks in part to Cadence of Hyrule. Of course, it doesn't have to be her only being able to attack per beat like how the game does it; you could just have it where her attacks do more dmg when they strike at the beat. I'd say she'll be the last character added to Smash because of how much time the team would have to put through developing rhythm based attacks for her, but Cadence coming to Smash with such a mechanic definitely feels like the grand finale to Ultimate. If you think they can't top Steve being able to mine different materials from over 100 stages, wait until you see Cadence get rhythm based attacks from around 1000 soundtracks.

To wrap up: Dynasty Warriors Character, Billy & Jimmy, Gen 8 Pokemon, and Cadence are my predictions. The only character I'm confident about being last is Cadence because of how much of a technical struggle it sounds to be compared to every other character, so the 1st 3 predictions are based on how I want them ordered instead of how I think they will be ordered.

 

[DarthEnderX]

So what's everyone's current predictions?

I don't make predictions. Only wishlists.

We're getting The 'Busa, Rizer, Arthur and Kunio. 100% guaranteed.

FP8: Kenau Reeves (Cyberpunk 2077)

Cyberpunk originated as a pen and paper roleplaying game, along with the character Johnny Silverhand. So he's not eligible for Smash.

 

[cosmicB]

ok i tihnk some things need to be cleared up regarding sony microsoft and nintendo as companies.

the main thing to consider is what company is popular where. Microsoft has been attempting to get a foothold in japan for years but microsoft's issue is the games it pushes (FPS and sports, primarily american sports) arent big in japan. japan isnt too keen on FPS as a cultural thing and as a result of microsoft biggest games being FPS for years it never took there. Series like tales of and dragon quest and other RPGS series didnt even bother tor develop on or release on xbox for years leading to even more Japanese gamers never even considering an xbox. This has caused xbox to attempt to diversify its games library to expand more. Hence why they are making these huge purchases of dev teams like Bethesda and ninja theory. Working with nintnedo more also helps them learn about the Japanese market and smash provides a relatively cheap way for microsoft to get their IPs into Japan without having to make games they have little experience with.

in contrast sony has had a more diverse game library fr years now. They have exclusive RPGs, adveture games, indie games, and more. Sony has had a presence in japan for years so Nintendo is less of an opportunity and more of a business rival. Games that release on both xbox and playstation in japan really only have one choice. when you compare system sales and software sales of games that release on both platforms in japan playstation wins every time. Sony may not be as interested as microsoft is in playing ball with Nintendo. Sony's weakness as a company is its arrogance they have when they think they can do no wrong. some of it is earned the ps5 launch vs xbox series x launch is gonna go in their favor. but it also leads to choices like the spiderman standoff with disney.

Eh, Sony is effectively a western company at this point. The main SIE branch is in California and Japan Studios isn't really considered a pillar for them in the way Naughty Dog and Santa Monica are. They're even using Vtubers and other influencers in Japan to advertise the PS5 to try and get back the domestic market, even though they're still showing off the same games that are still "west first".

Sure, the Japanese 3rd parties that want to work with modern hardware will go to PS5 for the Series X, but just like in past generations, it'll take like 3-4 years before that becomes the norm for anyone that isn't Capcom and Square Enix. It's very clear what region their focus is in, so calling Nintendo a direct rival to them over Japanese mindshare seems weird.

 

[Mamboo07]

I found a guide about if characters you want or not join Smash:

 

[RaintheCriminalWhirlwind]

So what's everyone's current predictions?

Mine are

78: Ryu Hayabusa
79: Cinderace
80: Master Chief
81: Rex

2B
Dante
Tracer
Waluigi

 

[SpectreJordan]

Something I am left wondering about is given how big Steve is via Minecraft if that played any factor in the significance of the rest of the pass. Does Nintendo consider him a big selling point and thus the rest can be riskier choices because the pass has been boosted by Steve, or is there a sense that the rest should be of some major status to avoid being a letdown in comparison to him?

Well from a technical standpoint, you can’t get bigger than Steve so it’s all “downhill” from here. But I think there’s going to be one more character on the scale of Hero & Steve for next E3... or whatever happens instead of E3.

I think the Travis Mii Costume sort of shed some light on how “small” 3rd parties can get. If a series that’s almost been entirely Nintendo exclusive (albeit without Nintendo’s backing) & has its creators as Sakurai’s buddy can’t get in, then I doubt any small/niche series are getting in... atleast in Ultimate.

I’d say are the threshold for how small we’ll be seeing in Ultimate. So I could see the likes of Sol Badguy, Sakura, Chrono, Adol, etc... But probably not like Monokuma (sadly) or Ryza.

I’d say the rest of the pass goes as follows:

• Another Switch era Nintendo character
• Another huge gaming icon
• A mid tier sized Japanese third party
• Another mid tier sized Japanese third party or Switch era Nintendo character

 

[cashregister9]

I found a guide about if characters you want or not join Smash:
View attachment 288287

This is almost perfect except for the fact that there are multiple Fatal Fury and KOF games on Nintendo Consoles even before the switch (also the cheap jab at fire emblem but that is par for the course)

 

[rcp24]

No that we have mii costumes with detached limbs (Creeper and Pig) I think the chance of a deluxe Rayman mii costume happening went up a lot.

 

[7NATOR]

Yeah, After Sleeping on it, and thinking about it, I think an Assist Promotion got more Merit with Bomberman's Mii Costume Inclusion

1. Bomberman's Mii costume Really did use the AT Model as a Base

The Mii Costume is more Smooth due to higher Polygons, but honestly this whole time i thought they had to create entirengly new Models because of Polygon difference. But it seems with Bomberman they can even use Existing AT Model and Smooth it out

They could probably do the same thing with a Playable character.

Plus I think there is merit to Asset Re-use being heavy. Min-Min's Model is taken from ARMS straight up, and Steve's Model is Straight up taken from Minecraft. I think especially with how long Min-Min and Steve took considering their Models were ripped (and in Steve's Case, was easy to animate), That I think there may be more merit to characters with Model Assets already available than characters without

2. Sakurai still did not Deconfirm Assists

Would have been the perfect moment too right here, (or even back then in Min-Min's Presentation), but It's still not a Confirmed Rule.

3. Arguments against the idea took a hit

honestly with the Mii costume having Multiple colors, and the high quality of the model, this Really feels kind of like Bomberman is actually playable. The Problem of people being confused with Assist and the Playable assist took a hit

Arguments detailing stuff like Programming being an issue (which i don't think many people used cause it's not the best arguement), got even more killed with all the Programming they had to do for Steve

Despite putting all the effort into the Assist, they still went back and made a Mii Costume that they are gonna sell to you. Really there's nothing stopping them from going ahead and giving a full Playable character despite being an Assist. it's not waste of effort

4. The Likely Options

Bomberman is out, and With the Zelda Costume being the bonus this pass, I'm not expecting a Zelda character

The 4 options that I think are most likely are Shovel Knight, Isaac, Shadow, and Waluigi. all 4 of these have been heavy requests at some point in time. Shovel Knight, Shadow, and Waluigi are still relevant characters. There's rumor of Golden Sun coming back, Stuff like that

In terms of Moveset, Shovel Knight and Issac have set options. Waluigi is all over the Place, but there can be something special done with him. and for Shadow, despite His Similiarites to Sonic, He still has Chaos Powers like Chaos control, which conceptually can be really unique, and good source material to use. Plus his Similiarties to Sonic is honestly a Plus, because easier time to Animatie, and also access to Moves Sonic doesn't use in Smash (Boost, Light Speed Dash, Black Tornado).

 

[cashregister9]

Yeah, After Sleeping on it, and thinking about it, I think an Assist Promotion got more Merit with Bomberman's Mii Costume Inclusion

1. Bomberman's Mii costume Really did use the AT Model as a Base


View attachment 288288

View attachment 288289

The Mii Costume is more Smooth due to higher Polygons, but honestly this whole time i thought they had to create entirengly new Models because of Polygon difference. But it seems with Bomberman they can even use Existing AT Model and Smooth it out

They could probably do the same thing with a Playable character.

Plus I think there is merit to Asset Re-use being heavy. Min-Min's Model is taken from ARMS straight up, and Steve's Model is Straight up taken from Minecraft. I think especially with how long Min-Min and Steve took considering their Models were ripped (and in Steve's Case, was easy to animate), That I think there may be more merit to characters with Model Assets already available than characters without

2. Sakurai still did not Deconfirm Assists

Would have been the perfect moment too right here, (or even back then in Min-Min's Presentation), but It's still not a Confirmed Rule.

3. Arguments against the idea took a hit

honestly with the Mii costume having Multiple colors, and the high quality of the model, this Really feels kind of like Bomberman is actually playable. The Problem of people being confused with Assist and the Playable assist took a hit

Arguments detailing stuff like Programming being an issue (which i don't think many people used cause it's not the best arguement), got even more killed with all the Programming they had to do for Steve

Despite putting all the effort into the Assist, they still went back and made a Mii Costume that they are gonna sell to you. Really there's nothing stopping them from going ahead and giving a full Playable character despite being an Assist. it's not waste of effort

4. The Likely Options

Bomberman is out, and With the Zelda Costume being the bonus this pass, I'm not expecting a Zelda character

The 4 options that I think are most likely are Shovel Knight, Isaac, Shadow, and Waluigi. all 4 of these have been heavy requests at some point in time. Shovel Knight, Shadow, and Waluigi are still relevant characters. There's rumor of Golden Sun coming back, Stuff like that

In terms of Moveset, Shovel Knight and Issac have set options. Waluigi is all over the Place, but there can be something special done with him. and for Shadow, despite His Similiarites to Sonic, He still has Chaos Powers like Chaos control, which conceptually can be really unique, and good source material to use. Plus his Similiarties to Sonic is honestly a Plus, because easier time to Animatie, and also access to Moves Sonic doesn't use in Smash (Boost, Light Speed Dash, Black Tornado).

The big thing is Bomberman being an assist that has a DLC Mii costume isn't new. Callie and Marie already got Mii costumes when Min Min dropped. Your point still stands I just wanted to point that out

 

[Guynamednelson]

The big thing is Bomberman being an assist that has a DLC Mii costume isn't new. Callie and Marie already got Mii costumes when Min Min dropped. Your point still stands I just wanted to point that out

Yes, but Sakurai has yet to point out that a character is represented in both ways until now.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

If we are going for personal predictions...

In no particular order...

Geno, Lloyd, Ryu Hayabusa, Rex

 

[SharkLord]

If we're doing predictions, here's my list from RTC. They told me to list four, but I cheated and did ten because then I have a better chance at getting it right. Anyways:

Spoiler: BEEG Post

• A large-yet-niche third-party: Basically any large series that's held back by something. Maybe they used to be big but fell on hard times. Perhaps they don't get much attention, despite being large and influential. Or, potentially, their popularity is concentrated in one corner of the world rather than being widespread. Sorta like Terry; He's from an influential, long-running franchise, but isn't very well-known beyond the FGC and countries with strong arcade scenes, like Japan and Latin America. Some examples include...
  • Reimu Hakurei: Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "Shark, when will you drop her?" And I respond, "The Touhou law requires that I don't." Still, Touhou's the definition of iconic-but-niche; A long-running franchise with a massive fandom, but an indie. Given how friendly Nintendo is with indies lately, I think we're getting one. Seeing as the Touhou Project is one of the oldest and biggest indies, especially in Japan, the natural choice would be Reimu. While she's not as big in the West, Touhou still has enough of a following there for ZUN to just let them translate for him. On that note, ZUN being the sole owner of the Touhou Project means it should be pretty easy to negotiate the rights for her. It should also be noted that while the apparent frontrunners have been relegated to more minor roles, those are all fairly recent Western indies. Perhaps Nintendo wants something a little older, and closer to home... or maybe I'm just deluding myself
  • Quote: Similar boat as Reimu, being an old, influential Japanese indie. However, I'm a bit shaky on him. From what I've heard, his owner, Nicalis, isn't just a bad company, they're unreliable, with a history of ghosting other companies. With a reputation like that, Nintendo might be a bit hesitant to have a major collaboration with them. Then again, it's not like I know enough to be qualified to talk about this guy, so...
  • Sakura Shinguji: Sakura's like a more extreme version of Reimu, being a massively popular Japanese character who's less popular in the West. She's appeared in basically everything, from anime to stage shows, and her series won a SEGA poll for franchise investment while her series was in dormancy. If you're beating out every other SEGA IP, that's saying something. However, she's even less localized than Reimu, with only two official localizations-And unlike with Touhou, she can't rely on fan translations. Overall, she's a 50-50 split for if Nintendo wants a Japan-centric pick or a more worldwide appeal.
  • Adol Christin: Ys has undeniably left a huge mark on RPGs. It was one of the oldest JRPGs, as well as being the OG action RPG. When you have that kind of reputation under your belt, you've got quite the claim to fame. In addition, Falcom's a smaller company, so they're more easily negotiated with. Heck, we might even get a Terry situation and draw songs from Falcom's entire history. Still, Ys never really hit it big. At the very least, Ys sells better in the West, so they could potentially balance out the "anime swordfighter" thing with that.
• Two first-parties: I'm hedging my bets on two of these. An even 50-50 split, no further explanation needed. Now, for the examples:
  • Rex: We've all gone through this before. Helped Xenoblade break out of it's cult classic status, is still promoted even with the release of XC:DE, was enough that Rex was chosen as the bonus Mii of FP1. Seeing as the Rex Mii was chosen around the same time as FP1, I think he's on the same level as Spirits and base game Miis. Now, if he gets sold separate from the first pass, I'll pull the plug, but that hasn't happened yet.
  • Isaac: As I mentioned before, I think AT upgrades are possible, but the pool of viable promotes is small. I think Isaac could be this pass' fan-favorite, being a long-standing request with a series to back him up. Plus, the new trademark that was filed back in 2018 and was rejected twice between going through seems to imply that Nintendo isn't quite done with the series yet.
  • Euden: A bit of a sleeper character, seeing as he's one of, if not the biggest new Nintendo IPs that haven't been represented yet. Then again, his game isn't available in Europe, so that could prove to be a bit of a hindrance.
• 100% Iconic Third-Party: Self-explanatory. Either a recent success like Joker, or a long-runner like Hero. I'm counting Steve under the latter category, having been added after a decade of history. Here's some examples:
  • Monster Hunter: We already know where this is going. Long-runner, huge money-maker, expanded to the West with World, new Switch-exclusive release with a heavy push. Not much more to say.
  • Ryu Hayabusa: We also know where this is going. NES classic, OG video game ninja, Koei-Tecmo doesn't have a rep yet despite their status and closeness with Nintendo.
  • Crash Bandicoot: Yadda yadda, old, popular, harkens back to the Console Wars. We know this already, next.
  • Lara Croft: Major pillar for Square Enix, long-runner, is the female protagonist of gaming. We already know this. And yet we all called her underrated...

 

[7NATOR]

The big thing is Bomberman being an assist that has a DLC Mii costume isn't new. Callie and Marie already got Mii costumes when Min Min dropped. Your point still stands I just wanted to point that out

I Knew that, but I think with Bomberman it was more potent and Noticeable. Part of that is that Squid Sisters were just Outfits pretty much. Bomberman is in the style of Sans and Cuphead, so him re-using the Assist Model just becomes more noticeable at this point.

With all that being Said, I think one way or another, Shovel Knight is gonna Show up as either a Costume or Playable, but leaning towards costume personally. Isaac could be playable and has merit, but if he doesn't get in he already has a Costume

Waluigi and Shadow are Curious. Waluigi has a Hat, but not a full outfit. Shadow has Nothing

 

[AidanTheGreat]

I haven't seen many people talk about this, but I would like to see a Character from the Tales series, but who isn't Lloyd. I personally think it's really unlikely we will get anyone from the Tales series, but if we did I would be really happy. I would love to see someone like Velvet, since she has a wide range of abilities she could use, and it would be cool to see how they would interpret her moves when changing her into a smash Character.

 

[venomthebest]

Do you guys think that pallet swaps for deluxe mii costumes is going to be a thing for future deluxe costumes? cause if that was the case, id be a little more ok with a geno deluxe costume.

 

[nintenboyy]

Personal bias speaking but Bandai Namco still not having another rep after working on 2 Smash games now is very strange and I feel like with the reveal of the Heihachi and Gil costumes back in the game and possibly Lloyd returning as a costume I'm honestly betting on Siegfried/Nightmare being the unexpected pick for this pass. He already has more going for him just on the basis of Soul Calibur and Nintendo collaborating before way back when Soul Calibur II on the Gamecube came out and Link was an exclusive character on that version. It'd be neat to have Siegfried and Link fight again! (Well, that and there was an odd Wii exclusive spin-off of the series.) There'd probably be a lot of flack on the basis of Soul Calibur being a niche series and not many people knowing who he is (plus the sword character argument LOL) but honestly there hasn't been a true greatsword rep in Smash yet and Sieg feels like a choice that'd fit in well and could have a lot of potential and help Soul Calibur blow up which I'd love to see since it's such an underrated and unique fighter. I don't see Siegfried/Nightmare mentioned a lot in speculation so I wonder what other people think about this? :o

 

[Goombaic]

Do you guys think that pallet swaps for deluxe mii costumes is going to be a thing for future deluxe costumes? cause if that was the case, id be a little more ok with a geno deluxe costume.

Mii costumes being able to change color is something that's been around since 4. Bomberman got them because he got lucky there's always palette swaps in Bomberman games. It's more likely that future full model Mii costumes won't have color options as that's been the case for 90% of the Mii costumes.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Do you guys think that pallet swaps for deluxe mii costumes is going to be a thing for future deluxe costumes? cause if that was the case, id be a little more ok with a geno deluxe costume.

Bomberman got them because he has palette swaps that can be seen in-game. Geno's capes are supposed to be different colors, but his sprite always shows a blue one.

 

[GothicSlenderman]

So what's everyone's current predictions?

Mine are

78: Ryu Hayabusa
79: Cinderace
80: Master Chief
81: Rex

Mine might be a little odd but hear me out!

1. A League of Legends Champion. As LoL is HUGE and celebrated it's 10 year anniversary around the same time as Fighters Pass 2 was being planned I feel like they were considered at one point. Another thing is Nintendo's relationship with Tencent as they sell Switches in China and are now making a Pokemon MOBA. Not only this but Riot is now selling League on consoles in the form of Wild Rift. The Switch included. Riot is also working with other companies and developers to expand the brand with a Fighting Game, a Diablo styled game and a Beat Sabers Crossover. I feel like it's inevitable we'll get some form of content. Even if it's just a Mii Costume or a Spirit Event.

As for who? I've heard a lot of people spread rumors of Ahri being chosen. But I can also see Teemo, Ryze, Akali, Jinx or Katarina.

2. Crash Bandicoot. Thanks to both the N. Sane Trilogy and the Nitro Fueled remasters selling especially well and Crash 4: It's about Time just coming out I feel like Crash would be heavily considered. Crash is also popular in Japan. Though I can't remember Nintendo and Activision's current relationship and that might be a problem.

3. Ryu Hayabusa seems very likely considering Tecmo making multiple Warriors games with Nintendo IPs and Ryu has NES level history which could be a good opportunity to put him along side characters like Megaman, Simon Belmont, Snake and Duck Hunt. If they went for his classic design he'd fit right in! But then again, Nintendo an Ubisoft have been making just as many collabs and they still don't have a rep. Rayman is the only option left as Rabbids, Altair and Travis became Mii Costumes and I'm starting to lose hope for him.

4. A second Namco or Capcom character. After all this time Namco only has 1 fighter despite being the co-developer of both Smash 4 and Ultimate I feel like Lloyd Irving is still on the table. Capcom has 3 (Megaman, Ryu and Ken) Sega has 3 (Sonic, Bayo and Joker) Konami has 3 (Snake, Simon and Richter) Square has 2 (Cloud and The Hero) and even Microsoft has 2 (Banjo and Steve) I think another Namco rep will just be natural but considering how many IPs Capcom has been reviving I could see either Monster Hunter or Dante make it in as well.

As for bonus stuff...
-I think we'll be getting a bonus stage similar to Small Battlefield and Super Mario Maker. It could either be The Wild Area from Pokemon or a Luigi's Mansion 3 stage. It all depends on what they have planned. Maybe even just to flex it could be a 3rd party stage not from any franchise represented. Like a Poyo Poyo stage or a stage based on the Atari 2600 library (Atari's Greatest Hits) or even Namco Museum. Maybe even a "Battle Royale" type stage like Mario 35 or Tetris 99.

-Mark my words. Five Nights at Freddy's is getting some form of content in Smash. Either as a Freddy Mii Costume or just a Spirit Event. Back when the Smash Ballot was active in 2015 many were suggesting Freddy (granted a lot of it was for the memes though I'm not sure how much Nintendo or Japan knows that) Because of that we've got King K Rool, Ridley, Simon and several others as they used the ballot as a reference. A Sans Mii Gunner Costume was added last year and Steve is in now. A former Mojang employee has said that talks of Steve being in Smash date back to 2015. The same year as the Smash Ballot. Coincidence? Yeah, most likely but I think it's something worth considering.

That's all I can guess for now!

 

[Staarih]

The Bomberman Mii costume made me think why we hadn't thought of those occurring before, as the base game already had AT's as Mii costumes already (Black Knight, Isaac, Ashley, Vince, Takamaru etc). Easy-to-use assets readily available. Though those are all first party, so maybe it's the third party ones that need/is beneficial to release separately either contract- or finance-wise.

...so, Alucard and Shovel Knight Mii costumes when?

 

[Cutie Gwen]

The Bomberman Mii costume made me think why we hadn't thought of those occurring before, as the base game already had AT's as Mii costumes already (Black Knight, Isaac, Ashley, Vince, Takamaru etc). Easy-to-use assets readily available. Though those are all first party, so maybe it's the third party ones that need/is beneficial to release separately either contract- or finance-wise.

...so, Alucard and Shovel Knight Mii costumes when?

Alucard's proportions wouldn't work as his design is too realistically human, though Shovel Knight would be very fitting and very cool

 

[Staarih]

Alucard's proportions wouldn't work as his design is too realistically human, though Shovel Knight would be very fitting and very cool

I guess Alucard could be Dunban-esque, but I dunno.

Shovel Knight is a no-brainer, though.

Forgot to mention Guile and Gray Fox, both of which could also work as Mii costumes.
And Rathalos but that's essentially the missing Monster Hunter ones.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Do you guys think that pallet swaps for deluxe mii costumes is going to be a thing for future deluxe costumes? cause if that was the case, id be a little more ok with a geno deluxe costume.

Bomberman got them because he has palette swaps that can be seen in-game. Geno's capes are supposed to be different colors, but his sprite always shows a blue one.

Actually, they could do something like this with the Mortal Kombat ninjas. Just figure out if it's gonna be presented as "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate X Scorpion" or "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate X Ninjas".

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I guess Alucard could be Dunban-esque, but I dunno.

Shovel Knight is a no-brainer, though.

Forgot to mention Guile and Gray Fox, both of which could also work as Mii costumes.
And Rathalos but that's essentially the missing Monster Hunter ones.

Oh if you mean a regular one then yeah you could do an Alucard one, but a modelswap like Bomberman would just look way too awkward. I'd show you a picture to emphasize it but for some reason this site is aggresively against me sending screenshots with a picture of Smash and won't let me do it, same goes for how the site refuses to let me upload the huge nail in Cacomallow's coffin

 

[Cosmic77]

I'm a little baffled by how many people expect Fortnite and FNAF content just because of Steve.

Aside from the fact that the fanbase deems them all as nonsensical meme picks, there's not much they have in common. Steve probably wouldn't have gotten in without a lot of cooperation from Microsoft.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I'm a little baffled by how many people expect Fortnite and FNAF content just because of Steve.

Aside from the fact that the fanbase deems them all as nonsensical meme picks, there's not much they have in common. Steve probably wouldn't have gotten in without a lot of cooperation from Microsoft.

It's a kneejerk reaction because "If those vile children dared to sully Smash with an Undesirable then we'll have even more Undesirables". At least with FNAF one can argue it's been around for 6 years, as for the cooperation point, FNAF's owned by a single person so if you're trying to suggest that negotiations would be too complicated for FNAF, then Smash couldn't possibly exist at all due to literally every character except the Kirby cast having Sakurai cooperate with creators.

 

[dezeray112]

So what's everyone's current predictions?

Mine are

78: Ryu Hayabusa
79: Cinderace
80: Master Chief
81: Rex

78: Ryu Hayabusa
79: Pokemon Sword/Shield Rep
80: Another Third Party Character
81: Either a Legend of Zelda Rep or a Xenoblade Rep

 

[Rikarte]

Sorry for bringing something up from 5+ pages ago but MAN, as someone who thought Monster Hunter was a likely DLC candidate since the freakin Brave leak I can't tell you how frustrating it is that people now deem them as just another bandwagon character simply because the series is getting a new Switch exclusive. Come on, that's like calling Hero a shill pick for DQXI. If the franchise does get a playable fighter it's not gonna be because of recency bias but because it's god damn MONSTER HUNTER.

 

[Peeton]

I really don’t think the Nintendo Koei-Tecmo discussions mean Ryu in smash. It was probably for Age of Calamity

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Yeah, seems like we're thinking in similar lines here. I'm just a little hesitant on that since organizations like companies can be generally incredibly stubborn - especially when they're successful: "Why change what has worked?" Not counting out the possibility of course, but I'll be a little more hopeful when we start seeing actual movement in that direction. Either through an actual Smash reveal or games getting ported / released on the Switch.

Yeah, they were reluctant to even make games for the longest time until the double whammy of the Epic games store and losing out on hiring the creator of a hit mod for their game with Auto Chess going elsewhere.

 

[AmphabulouSnake]

You can't tell me how HAPPY I'd be if Ryu Hayabusa made it in :')
To finally have most of the legendary and classic NES characters playable in Smash would be a dream come true for many people.
Naturally I didn't get to live during the NES era, but I still got to experience the Ninja Gaiden games in a way, so I'd be super MEGA excited ^^

 

[Calamitas]

I really don’t think the Nintendo Koei-Tecmo discussions mean Ryu in smash. It was probably for Age of Calamity

So I'm not up-to-date on this entire thing, but do we know when Nintendo approached Koei-Tecmo, and who specifically said that they did that? I know Vergeben said something about it, but was there anyone else?

 

[Evil Trapezium]

I'll make a safe prediction for Fighters Pass 2.
Nintendo has added a new character from an already represented series
Nintendo has added a represented character to a new series (Spring Man is an assist trophy but the series logo was not represented)

But Nintendo will not add a represented character to an already represented series (As in represented with Fighters, not other things like Assist Trophies or Spirits).

 

[Shroob]

I'll make a safe prediction for Fighters Pass 2.
Nintendo has added a new character from an already represented series
Nintendo has added a represented character to a new series (Spring Man is an assist trophy but the series logo was not represented)

But Nintendo will not add a represented character to an already represented series (As in represented with Fighters, not other things like Assist Trophies or Spirits).

That's a bold as hell claim when you're staring down the likes of Gen 8, XB, and wooden boi lol

 

[Evil Trapezium]

That's a bold as hell claim when you're staring down the likes of Gen 8, XB, and wooden boi lol

Damn it. I knew it was bold but I changed it to safe at the last second.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Yeah, they were reluctant to even make games for the longest time until the double whammy of the Epic games store and losing out on hiring the creator of a hit mod for their game with Auto Chess going elsewhere.

Eh, Alyx would've been in development for a while before EGS and Auto Chess, and they did make a VR minigame collection before that called The Lab. It's more like they're reluctant to make non-VR games.

 

[rychu_supadude]

I'll make a safe prediction for Fighters Pass 2.
Nintendo has added a new character from an already represented series
Nintendo has added a represented character to a new series (Spring Man is an assist trophy but the series logo was not represented)

But Nintendo will not add a represented character to an already represented series (As in represented with Fighters, not other things like Assist Trophies or Spirits).

A likely outcome, but I hope you're wrong.

 

[Arcane Jill]

So what's everyone's current predictions?

Mine are

78: Ryu Hayabusa
79: Cinderace
80: Master Chief
81: Rex

Realistic:
78: Agnes or 2B
79: Sol Badguy
80: Crash
81: Dante

Dreams:
78: Reimu
79: Sol Badguy
80: Sora
81: Demifiend