Would you mind explaining why Impa doesn't work as Sheik's replacement?
I think you could incorporate plenty of BotW and TotK stuff to make Impa similar yet distinct from Sheik.
I brought back TP Ganondorf because I brought back OoT Link while basing Impa on her BotW version.
Ike may be the most popular FE Lord, but Byleth does hail from the best-selling FE game to date so I had a stronger case for keeping Byleth in the base game over Ike and I hated doing that to Ike.
I never understood why Falco stayed over Wolf and even then I couldn't justify keeping either of them when the Starfox franchise is not in a healthy state.
It was amazing to control Master Hand in World of Light, but I don't think what presented there would gel well in regular Smash gameplay
Tabuu would require some major tinkling, but I can the potential moveset buried within his boss fight.
Because Impa has skills Sheik doesn't. She has unique magic, a different bodyshape(they were only similar in OOT), and does stuff differently. She's had multiple appearances with various designs and skills.
I didn't say anything about having issues making Impa distinct? I'm actually saying she easily can be. That was my point, heh. That's why she doesn't work as a replacement. They're extremely different.
Yeah, I don't see OOT Link seriously reappearing when the BOTW design is the latest one. If anything, I see him more taking from TOTK. I also see no real reason why you can't have two characters who both take from the same game. Sheik took cues from BOTW too, just not to the same degree as Link.
TP Ganondorf means he's overly slow again to match his core design philosophy. That only hurts him. There's not really a point to return to that design when his OOT fits him and his playstyle better. He still keeps his heavy design, but also gains speed and way more viability.
Ike is basically the most popular after Marth. He has zero chance of being cut. If they reduced it to two entirely, he's pretty much the mainstay with Marth. Lucina obviously would be kept unless all clones were gone. Byleth being DLC again is far more likely in comparison. Robin probably wouldn't be DLC either.
Falco is obvious. He's way more popular than Wolf and is also way easier to create. So it was a matter of "this is just plain easier to get done".
I don't see Tabuu remotely having a chance to be playable, though. He's a one-off boss and while cool, isn't really any different from Master Hand in practice(who at least notably was designed with normal Smash Controls before. Not just in Ultimate, but in Smash 64, he had regular controls too. It's unclear if it was for beta testing purposes or if like the other characters, they were clearly designed to be as normal as possible within the game's settings. Considering how there's no real oddity controlling the other Mini-bosses, etc., the latter seems the most likely).
I didn'tgo over Pokemon slightly beforehand, but I'll note some things; Pokemon Trainer is a maybe to come back. Pikachu is clearly the mascot and the core choice. So it won't get cut. Jigglypuff could go either way, and Mewtwo's in a very similar boat. Lucario has no chance of being cut. Greninja and Incineroar are iffy on possible returning, and Pichu's dead in the water bar extra time(which would likely be spent on another clone). Charizard probably will return if PT gets cut.
That said, I did speak of Palutena being a clear mainstay as well. Same with a Child Link. I know there's a lot to respond to, but, well, that's what happens when you make rosters. Also, Ryu won't be cut to keep Terry in. They both would be in plausibly, though. And I saw your oddity about Ryu Hayabusa representing fighting games. Uh, no. If he's in due to Dead or Alive, it's cause he's a Spirit for an actual character created for said franchise. He's a Ninja Gaiden character first and foremost.
That said, if this isn't based upon realism, I get where you're coming from, since it's more meant for pure wants(hence some odd choices like cutting the core Fighting Game character). Major overhauls aren't realistic. Not to the point of what people suggest. That said, Ganondorf suddenly being a slow tank again isn't completely unrealistic, but they aren't reverting Link back completely just like that. If he's getting more updates, it'll be the latest game in the franchise that's unique. Which the latest thusfar... is TOTK.
And yeah, Mr. Game & Watch is a safe return. No way he's getting cut either. Duck Hunt may not make it back in, among others(like Wii Fit Trainer), but this guy is a really important character in Nintendo history. Well, so to speak(due to being a technical OC). Point stands that cutting him is vastly unrealistic. I can understand not every newcomer will make it in general(K. Rool I'm not so sure would really be cut, though. I also highly doubt we're getting that many Mario cuts. Doc and Plant, maybe. Bowser Jr. I can see due to how hard he is to make work well. Rosalina is much safer, though.
I also don't see us losing Pyra/Mythra and gaining two new characters. A lot of these feel too much like switching out for the sake of it and less that they have a legit chance.
I have not seen the revised roster yet, so apologies if I missed any chances that would make this outdated. I'm replying to the message first sent to me.
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Oh, right, I forgot the thing about the Doctor Mario question.
Yeah, he'd be awesome as a mainstay. By Brawl, he would've further developed into a more unique character. He's already been quite diverse from Mario in 4 and later Ultimate. I'd still like to see a tad more changes, but he's a pretty fun gameplay clone that makes you feel like you got somebody new to work with~