Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Speed Weed]

Personally, my own take on SEGA is that it would wind up being AiAi. Considering that the Monkeyball series has been pretty popular, has a bit of legacy behind it, and is still clearly beloved to this day, AiAi seems like a pretty reasonable choice considering that he's pretty active, like, right now!

Whilst I would love to see a variety of characters - Beat, primarily, because THIS IS A HILL I WILL DIE ON, - I think that the issue is that other characters... don't really have as much star power or history. Kiryu has issues with canon, sure, but then is another character like Majima likely to be chosen? Are other SEGA characters like NiGHTS and Ulala even reasonable to so much as consider, considering they've been dead for years?

I hate having to look at it this way, because I've always loved the idea that any character can get in. The thing is, a second Sonic pick (I'd say Eggman, probably,) is arguably the most likely, because I feel like Sonic might honestly be one of the only series that SEGA are actually interested in actively promoting. Note that Bayonetta was PlatinumGames, and Joker was ATLUS - not SEGA. AiAi might be one of the most likely...

Not to come across as a doomer at all, of course. Believe me, I have a ton of characters I'd love to see - Opa-Opa, Ryo Hazuki, the Jack Bros., Space Harrier and of course Beat, my beloved. It's just... I feel SEGA would want to promote one of their more popular series, and I don't feel like Football Manager would be particularly popular somehow.

With all due respect, I think the claim that no other SEGA character has as much star power or history as AiAi is an incredibly disingenuous take

 

[DarthEnderX]

SEGA reps:
Kiryu
or possibly Ichiban(depending on if Like A Dragon becomes a staple before Smash 6)

The end.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

SEGA reps:
Kiryu
or possibly Ichiban(depending on if Like A Dragon becomes a staple before Smash 6)

The end.

They could throw us a curveball with Majima too.

 

[Garteam]

I did this a couple of times in the old thread, but I figured I'd go through Wikipedia's best-selling video game franchises list to see who's in Smash, who's not in Smash, and to highlight who could be in Smash.

Green means the series in Smash with at least one playable character, yellow means the series is in Smash without a playable character, and red means the series is not in Smash.

I also left off series did not originate as a video game, like Dragon Ball, for obvious reasons. I also folded Super Mario, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Sports, and Mario and Sonic into Mario and Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Fit into Wii, likewise for obvious reasons.

Spoiler

• Mario
• Tetris
• Call of Duty
• Pokemon
• Grand Theft Auto
• Minecraft
• Wii
• The Sims
• Final Fantasy
• Assassin's Creed
• Need for Speed
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• The Legend of Zelda
• Resident Evil
• Pro Evolution Soccer
• Tomb Raider
• Dragon Quest
• Halo
• Grand Turismo
• Monster Hunter
• Worms
• Mortal Kombat
• Just Dance
• Borderlands
• Animal Crossing
• Super Smash Bros
• Donkey Kong
• The Oregon Trail
• Red Dead
• The Elder Scrolls
• Battlefield
• Civilization
• Metal Gear
• Tekken
• God of War
• Crash Bandicoot
• Bejeweled
• Far Cry
• Diablo
• Street Fighter
• Pac-Man
• Uncharted
• Guitar Hero
• Medal of Honor
• Kirby
• Fallout
• Total War
• Mega Man
• Bioshock
• Counter-Strike
• Football Manager
• Souls
• Saint's Row
• Kingdom Hearts
• Command & Conquer
• Nintendogs
• Half-Life
• Kinect
• Gears of War
• Rayman
• Tales
• Age of Empires
• Devil May Cry
• The Last of Us
• Petz
• Power Pros
• Megami Tensei (Wikipedia includes Persona's sales in this entry, so that's why it's green)
• Mystery Dungeon
• Imagine
• Dynasty Warriors
• Prince of Persia
• Castlevania
• Frogger
• J. B. Harold
• Lemmings
• Simple
• Singstar
• Spyro
• Mass Effect
• Sim City
• Raving Rabbids
• Watch Dogs
• Ace Combat

Obviously, a lot of these series can't really provide a feasible fighter (Need for Speed, Pro Evolution Soccer, Just Dance, etc.), but I figured I'd include them anyways, since they could provide supporting content.

 

[Ivander]

They could throw us a curveball with Majima too.

His entrance better be the trash can or manhole.

 

[Ramen Tengoku]

If we're talking Sega characters...

I rest my case

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

His entrance better be the trash can or manhole.

His tagline on the trailer should be Majima Everywhere!

If not, I riot

 

[MarioRaccoon]

Green means the series in Smash with at least one playable character, yellow means the series is in Smash without a playable character, and red means the series is not in Smash.

• Tetris
• Assassin's Creed
• Resident Evil
• Tomb Raider
• Halo
• Monster Hunter
• Worms
• Mortal Kombat
• Borderlands
• The Oregon Trail
• The Elder Scrolls
• God of War
• Crash Bandicoot
• Far Cry
• Diablo
• Uncharted
• Bioshock
• Souls
• Nintendogs
• Half-Life
• Gears of War
• Rayman
• Tales
• Devil May Cry
• The Last of Us
• Mystery Dungeon
• Dynasty Warriors
• Prince of Persia
• Frogger
• Spyro
• Sim City
• Raving Rabbids
• Ace Combat

Just put the one that don’t have a fighter in smash, and filtered others like very likely won’t get a fighter.

If Nintendo wants to chase the west, include full representation of Assasins Creed, Halo, Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and Crash. These 5 IPs are huge and have lots of legacy behind. Halo and Crash has more fan requests, so maybe they will prioritize them.

As for a new SEGA rep, upgrade Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter) from AT to full fighter so both Capcom, Bandai-Namco and Sega have their fighting game IPs represented. (street fighter vs virtua fighter vs tekken).

In summary, here are some “big” names that may be worth getting full representation in smash:

• Halo
• Crash Bandicoot
• Assasins Creed
• Tomb Raider
• Mortal Kombat
• Resident Evil
• Monster Hunter

Other mid names that has fan demand and/or legacy behind:

• Ninja Gaiden
• Devil May Cry
• Tales of
• Souls
• Virtua Fighter
• Rayman

 

[DarthEnderX]

They could throw us a curveball with Majima too.

Assist Trophy. Majima everywhere.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

I'm just gonna steal my final post from RTC about some characters I would keep an eye on for Smash 6. If you want a TLDR on my expectations, I think we are in for a glorified Smash Ultimate Port that comes out close to launch for the new system, likely without Sakurai at the helm and he shows up maybe in one video giving the new director/team his blessing. I think this is a reasonable amount of newcomers since we got all 7 cut vets and 6 newcomers for Ultimate with everyone coming back. I also think that expecting a full on reboot within the next five years (or even if you asked me before 2030) is setting yourself up for disappointment.

First Party

• Andy/Sami/ an Advance Wars rep
  • Advance Wars ain't dead, thank god. To be honest, I did not think we would ever see the Wars series come back at all. But we are getting the first two games remade by WayForward. If we are looking back towards the switch like Brawl looked to the gamecube and 4 looked to the DS and Wii, I think Advance Wars makes sense so long as the game does well. The series has a long history with Nintendo and you could easily make some sort of moveset for Andy, Sami, or whatever commanding officer they end up choosing in the end. If I had my choice, I would go Sami just because I think she would look the most natural in the Smash roster: she feels to me the most like a fighter if that makes sense. Any CO could work and you could make a cool moveset for them. Its a long standing series that to be honest deserves a spot in Smash.
• Ashley
  • WarioWare Get It Together was a big success, and as a result I could see it getting a rep. As I said with Andy, Nintendo does enjoy representing the previous generation's success. Brawl leaned heavily on Gamecube era content, and Sm4sh leaned on DS/Wii era content for the most part. You could raise Smash Ultimate, but the Wii U era was represented with its biggest new IP and the 3DS did get Isabelle and Incineroar to rep its new stuff. I could easily see that Smash 6 does end up representing a few big Switch releases that came out after 2017 that are not Three Houses. If we do get another WarioWare rep, Ashley does seem to be the obvious choice. She is far and away the most popular pick both with Nintendo (see the love she got in Badge Arcade) and from fans. Now, you could do Mona or Jimmy T instead, but I think that if we do get WarioWare, they would go with Ashley.
• Impa
  • This is to some extent a catch all Zelda rep spot, and I almost put Skull Kid here instead. But to me, his fan demand came for a short period of time really and has not stuck around nearly as much as say, Bandana Dee, Isaac, or Waluigi. Impa usually either ends up as a young protector of Zelda or an elderly sage, but with AoC we see yet again the more combat ready Impa show up. Impa is really the only recurring Zelda character at this point that is not in Smash outside of Link Zelda and Ganon. The Zelda series as a series does tend to not have the best choices for newcomers, since you have characters like Midna and Skull Kid that, while popular, are stuck in one game if that makes sense outside of spinoffs. I think that for future proofing the Zelda series, Impa is the best choice to rep going forward.
• Ring Fit Trainee
  • Ring Fit sold super well. Like, 8 million copies well. The series to me seems like a solid pick to get representation if we are going the Switch repping path. I still can't believe it sold 8 million copies. A moveset based on the fitness ring seems so dumb but so easy to envision. The character imo will probably end up our WTF character next time.
• Tom Nook
  • I am not an Animal Crossing fan, but at this point it feels impossible not to note how huge the series is. While there was a solid debate in this game whether you would go with Isabelle or Nook for the second AC rep, I think now for the third one it is far and away Nook. I do think there is plenty of stuff you could in theory do to make Nook distinct from Isabelle and Villager, while also using Villager potentially as a base in order to make an easy, lower effort newcomer.
• Waluigi
  • Look, this might just be my passive observation, but we really do not have that many big first party fan favorites left. Compared to the Smash 4 days and especially the brawl days, the number of super huge fan favorites that you could pull from that are first party has dwindled down to such a point, I would really only say three really make that cutoff, with Waluigi having risen to their ranks. Really, my only concern with Waluigi is whether there is significant Mario competition. With how Pauline has been treated, I would not be surprised if she pulls a Rosalina and gets upgraded to the core cast at this rate. But Waluigi has a large fanbase that at this rate does not seem to be going anywhere. He is an easy fan favorite to throw on the roster to generate free hype. Maybe this time he will try hard and get his place in battle.
• Bandana Dee
  • Another fan favorite. While you could argue that Kirby does not need a fourth rep, it is clear Nintendo has big plans for the series. He is getting a full fledged 3D game now, which to me seems like an attempt to finally move Kirby up to their A list. If you put in another Kirby rep, it has to be Dee at this point. He is the fourth most recurring character to pull from. He is the player 4 character. He is by far the most popular Kirby request. The only real obstacle to be honest is whether Nintendo and Sakurai think its time to put him in.
• Isaac
  • If I had to bet on one fan favorite making it into the next Smash in terms of first parties, it is Isaac. Isaac is really the last big Brawl era request that has an active fanbase besides Geno, who I personally think is not a realistic choice to be brutally honest. With Advance Wars getting a remake, Golden Sun coming back is less of a question of if and rather when. Combine that with how much of a large fan request Isaac is to this day, and he seems like a no brainer choice. It also helps that if Nintendo does ever want to push Golden Sun, Smash is great advertising for it.
• Octolings
  • The top two I am almost certain will be in the next game. Splatoon seems to have been adopted by Nintendo into its core franchises, and Octolings are the obvious second choices. You could either do a semi clone or echo of Inkling, where you have a ton of overlap, or you could push them to be more unique since Splatoon has so many weapons. To me, this just feels like a no brainer choice, and it would have been number one if it were not for one reason.
• Officer Howard
  • This list was not exactly ordered, but I would say Octolings and Howard are far and away the safest bets. The fact Nintendo bought the full rights to Astral Chain from Platinum to me tells me that they are going to do more stuff with the IP in the future. Astral Chain to me is one of the few franchises I am shocked did not make the playable jump in Smash Ultimate. After its big reveal and success, I thought it was a safe bet for FP2...until it got spirited. The moveset writes itself, especially with how the legions are so cool. The character to me is far and away the safest bet for a Smash Ultimate Deluxe first party.

For third parties, I decided to divide this up into both new companies and companies already on board. I could list a few honorable mentions, but this is long enough as it is.

Third Party

• Master Chief
  • If I had to bet on one character to appear in the next game, it would be Chief. I would even bet on him over Octolings or Howard. The fact is, I doubt Microsoft is leaving Smash anytime soon. And if we get more Microsoft reps, Chief is the clear frontrunner. He has a ton of fan demand, especially with it exploding after Steve. Microsoft themselves seem open to the idea of doing Chief in the future. I know that Halo has no games on the Switch yet, and I know that this might be a bit of a weird call, but so long as Microsoft is involved in smash Chief is a question of when rather than if to be honest.
• Dante
  • To be honest, I was very bullish on Dante for this cycle. I thought his fan demand came too late and that Capcom competition was fience. But now? I honestly think he is the frontrunner for Capcom. Monster Hunter got shafted twice this game, where it made so much sense for both base game and DLC but it just did not happen. Resident Evil got reduced to spirits. Heck, Phoenix Wright did not even show up this game! But Dante gets the nod from Sakurai that he was a big fan request? To me, that screams that if we get another Capcom rep, Dante is the frontrunner now. It helps that DMC is a super influential series, helping pioneer action games and beat em ups in 3D. Dante also has a moveset that writes itself which would help him translate super easily to smash.
• Arle Nadja
  • Puyo is my pick of a Sega franchise to highlight. I know some people might think Kiryu, Eggman, Tails, SMT, or Phantasy Star might be the move, but to me Puyo makes a lot of sense. The series is actively supporting the Switch; Puyo Puyo Tetris was one of the bigger launch window titles in terms of success and it got a sequel. She is a relatively popular fan request of sorts as well. While never on the A list either this game or during the ballot days, Arle was not invisible. She always had some fans pushing for her. I also think the idea of a puzzle game themed fighter might be a tantalizing idea for the development team. Puyo has a long history as one of the biggest puzzle series out there. To me, this just makes a ton of sense.
• Lloyd Irving
  • Similar to Dante, getting the nod from Sakurai tells me that if we get a third Namco rep, its Lloyd. Tales is one of the biggest JRPG series not in Smash, if not the biggest. Sakurai has himself said if it gets a rep, its Lloyd. The dude is popular to this day with the Smash community and the Tales community, which helps a ton too. Honestly, it is kind of a straightforward pick in my eyes.
• Lara Croft
  • This is the ideal fourth Square rep, you may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like . In all seriousness, if we do get a fourth Square rep, I would bet on Lara. Geno has so many issues I could go into, but I would prefer not to do that on the last day of RTC. Chrono and Neku, even if they would be cool as hell, are much more niche. Tomb Raider was huge, it was one of the biggest series on the PS1 and it got its own big budget Hollywood movie back in the day. Tomb Raider had a big reboot this past generation too. Its a solid pick if you want to go with something to represent gaming as a whole: going with one of gaming's most iconic heroines, easily the most iconic not in Smash.
• Adol Christian
  • For the first new company we could bring in, I thought Falcom would be a good choice to highlight. To me, this is a Terry style pick. A pioneer of the genre with a ton of history and legacy in it. Ys has been going on forever and was a super big game back in the day. Heck it is still going strong today. Keep an eye on Adol, sleeper pick imo.
• Ryu Hayabusa
  • The Hayabusa hype train came a little too late, but for the next game I think he has a solid shot to be a Simon styled retro pick. Ninja Gaiden really feels like one of the last truly massive NES games not in Smash at this point. You have a handful of retro picks like Excitebikes, Murasame Castle, and Mach Rider, then third party retro picks like Arthur or Bill Rizer. But Hayabusa to me seems to be the most sensible. His series does have that retro appeal while still having a successful reboot and revival. He is a pick similar to Simon that just feels like he would belong in Smash to me. It helps Koei Tecmo is super close to Nintendo, making Three Houses and tons of Warriors spinoffs. Heck, Nintendo trusted them with the Zelda IP twice!
• Crash Bandicoot
  • Were you surprised one of the biggest Crash supporters has Crash as a top seed? I think the main issue Crash had for this game is that his demand did not really start to rise until 2016...one year after the Ballot had come to a close. In Ultimate, even during the base game when titans like K Rool, Banjo, and Ridley loomed over speculation, Crash always managed to show up as a fan favorite. At many points during speculation, it almost seemed like he was the frontrunner. Obviously, that did not come to pass, but the case for Crash is still very much there. His fan demand is through the roof, he is one of the most popular fan requests nowadays. He is super iconic, he was the mascot of the PS1. He is relevant now, and with his re introduction to modern gamers he likely will remain a strong fan request.
• Sol Badguy
  • I originally had Rayman on this spot in a past draft of this, but the more I thought about it Sol made a lot more sense to me. Guilty Gear has finally hit the mainstream due to Strive, and I think the series will still be seen as the cornerstone of the anime fighter a few years down the line. Arc Sys already has been friendly with Nintendo, as we did get River City Spirits. I think that if we do get another fighting game rep, Sol is the obvious choice. I know some people might say MK, but Mortal Kombat sadly is a non factor in Japan. Overall, I'd call this a sleeper pick for next game.
• Jonesy
  • I flip flopped between Jonesy and a League of Legends rep for my final pick I wanted to highlight. I know Fortnite is a controversial game, but to be honest, it has earned a spot in Smash. The game is a juggernaut and it clearly is one of the biggest games of the past decade. It has shown no signs of stopping, and I doubt the game will die out in the next five years. Epic as we know also is on good terms with Nintendo and does at least show some desires of wanting to have collabed with Nintendo on Fortnite. If Nintendo wanted Jonesy, they would get him. I also think it helps that Fortnite moveset wise also offers some good stuff. You have the obvious gunplay, but the building aspect could be really cool to try and implement similar to how Steve has his mining. Dread it, but Jonesy to me seems like a viable choice in the future, even if I personally have little to no interest in him being in.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Just put the one that don’t have a fighter in smash, and filtered others like very likely won’t get a fighter.

If Nintendo wants to chase the west, include full representation of Assasins Creed, Halo, Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and Crash. These 5 IPs are huge and have lots of legacy behind. Halo and Crash has more fan requests, so maybe they will prioritize them.

As for a new SEGA rep, upgrade Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter) from AT to full fighter so both Capcom, Bandai-Namco and Sega have their fighting game IPs represented. (street fighter vs virtua fighter vs tekken).

Bro, adding Oregon Trail rep could be an Issue, since it's based on Real Life event and we don't want Non-VG characters in Smash like Real People. Unless we're gonna make original Characters to Mask the RL proportions before joining the Roster.

For West, your ideas could be working, but we need God of War, Fortnite, Plants vs Zombies and Rayman stuff in Smash.

And for SEGA, I'll prefer Space Harrier or Opa-Opa or even 2nd Sonic rep as Smash Characters rather than Akira Yuki.

 

[Garteam]

Just put the one that don’t have a fighter in smash, and filtered others like very likely won’t get a fighter.

If Nintendo wants to chase the west, include full representation of Assasins Creed, Halo, Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and Crash. These 5 IPs are huge and have lots of legacy behind. Halo and Crash has more fan requests, so maybe they will prioritize them.

As for a new SEGA rep, upgrade Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter) from AT to full fighter so both Capcom, Bandai-Namco and Sega have their fighting game IPs represented. (street fighter vs virtua fighter vs tekken).

In summary, here are some “big” names that may be worth getting full representation in smash:

• Halo
• Crash Bandicoot
• Assasins Creed
• Tomb Raider
• Mortal Kombat
• Resident Evil
• Monster Hunter

Other mid names that has fan demand and/or legacy behind:

• Ninja Gaiden
• Devil May Cry
• Tales of
• Souls
• Virtua Fighter
• Rayman

There's a couple of more franchises I'd add to this list.

First, while it's not on the Wikipedia list of best-selling games, I think Doom is a very strong candidate to get a character in the next Smash. The original is incredibly iconic and influential, the reboot has been a massive success critically and commercially, Doom Slayer was a popular enough request to where Sakurai felt confident enough to make him the sole full costume for the final wave, Doom Slayer would bring a unique playstyle as a mobile zoner, inroads are already built between Nintendo and Microsoft, and everyone on Doom's dev team seemed very enthusiastic about the idea of Doom in Smash.

I also think there's a strong argument to be made for Dovahkinn and the Elder Scrolls. Aside from Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V, Skyrim is probably the biggest game released tin the 2010s, selling incredibly well and being ported to every console under the sun. Hell, one of the games Nintendo really flaunted when the Switch was revealed 5 years ago (on a side note, AAAAAHHHH THE SWITCH WAS REVEALED 5 YEARS AGO) was the Skyrim port. Likewise, the fact that Dovahkinn got a Mii costume and was this Mii costume was noted to be the product of fan demand suggests that the character is on Sakurai's radar.

I'd also include Grand Theft Auto and God of War as "They got that guy!?!?" options like Sonic, Cloud, Steve, and Sora. However, those two would almost certainly be saved for DLC and their chances on getting in really depend on how Nintendo's relationship with Rockstar and Sony are in a few years, so I wouldn't commit to them yet. That being said, I do think they're reasonably good options to keep an eye on.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Bro, adding Oregon Trail rep could be an Issue, since it's based on Real Life event and we don't want Non-VG characters in Smash like Real People. Unless we're gonna make original Characters to Mask the RL proportions before joining the Roster.

For West, your ideas could be working, but we need God of War, Fortnite, Plants vs Zombies and Rayman stuff in Smash.

And for SEGA, I'll prefer Space Harrier or Opa-Opa or even 2nd Sonic rep as Smash Characters rather than Akira Yuki.

Purely out of interest, how do you think Space Harrier would play? I mean, there isn't all that much in game to pull from, so I was just wondering like, would he kinda be like how Fox and Falcon took from elements of their games, or do you think he'd be more original?

 

[Dan Quixote]

I did this a couple of times in the old thread, but I figured I'd go through Wikipedia's best-selling video game franchises list to see who's in Smash, who's not in Smash, and to highlight who could be in Smash.

Green means the series in Smash with at least one playable character, yellow means the series is in Smash without a playable character, and red means the series is not in Smash.

I also left off series did not originate as a video game, like Dragon Ball, for obvious reasons. I also folded Super Mario, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Sports, and Mario and Sonic into Mario and Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Fit into Wii, likewise for obvious reasons.

Spoiler

• Mario
• Tetris
• Call of Duty
• Pokemon
• Grand Theft Auto
• Minecraft
• Wii
• The Sims
• Final Fantasy
• Assassin's Creed
• Need for Speed
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• The Legend of Zelda
• Resident Evil
• Pro Evolution Soccer
• Tomb Raider
• Dragon Quest
• Halo
• Grand Turismo
• Monster Hunter
• Worms
• Mortal Kombat
• Just Dance
• Borderlands
• Animal Crossing
• Super Smash Bros
• Donkey Kong
• The Oregon Trail
• Red Dead
• The Elder Scrolls
• Battlefield
• Civilization
• Metal Gear
• Tekken
• God of War
• Crash Bandicoot
• Bejeweled
• Far Cry
• Diablo
• Street Fighter
• Pac-Man
• Uncharted
• Guitar Hero
• Medal of Honor
• Kirby
• Fallout
• Total War
• Mega Man
• Bioshock
• Counter-Strike
• Football Manager
• Souls
• Saint's Row
• Kingdom Hearts
• Command & Conquer
• Nintendogs
• Half-Life
• Kinect
• Gears of War
• Rayman
• Tales
• Age of Empires
• Devil May Cry
• The Last of Us
• Petz
• Power Pros
• Megami Tensei (Wikipedia includes Persona's sales in this entry, so that's why it's green)
• Mystery Dungeon
• Imagine
• Dynasty Warriors
• Prince of Persia
• Castlevania
• Frogger
• J. B. Harold
• Lemmings
• Simple
• Singstar
• Spyro
• Mass Effect
• Sim City
• Raving Rabbids
• Watch Dogs
• Ace Combat

Obviously, a lot of these series can't really provide a feasible fighter (Need for Speed, Pro Evolution Soccer, Just Dance, etc.), but I figured I'd include them anyways, since they could provide supporting content.

Call of Duty's sales are nuts eh? I'm troubled by that series because I have a lot of nostalgia for it, it's very beloved, and it even has a long Nintendo history. I just dunno how it could be well-represented in Smash. Even the most iconic characters like Price wouldn't stand out among the rest of the roster.

The one that definitely "deserves" it the most out of this list is totes Tomb Raider though

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Say if echoes were still a thing next game and we got some more, who do you think are no brainers?

for me:

• if Joker returns, Violet. There is at least precedence with the Jane in Joker’s DLC file string that had a ponytail
• Jin Kazama as a Ken-style Kazuya echo
• Octoling, though they could also pass as a semi clone
• Ninjara as a Min Min echo maybe, we don’t have a male echo for a female original fighter yet. If you wanna go semi-clone instead of full echo I’d pick Dr. Coyle
• Roxas as a Sora echo if Disney’s willing to play ball for an echo

 

[Garteam]

Say if echoes were still a thing next game and we got some more, who do you think are no brainers?

for me:

• if Joker returns, Violet. There is at least precedence with the Jane in Joker’s DLC file string that had a ponytail
• Jin Kazama as a Ken-style Kazuya echo
• Octoling, though they could also pass as a semi clone
• Ninjara as a Min Min echo maybe, we don’t have a male echo for a female original fighter yet. If you wanna go semi-clone instead of full echo I’d pick Dr. Coyle

Shadow strikes me as the most obvious choice for an echo fighter, but they skipped on him for Ultimate, so I honestly don't know lol.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Purely out of interest, how do you think Space Harrier would play? I mean, there isn't all that much in game to pull from, so I was just wondering like, would he kinda be like how Fox and Falcon took from elements of their games, or do you think he'd be more original?

Dude, he could be Floaty Zoner, who uses Projectiles more than Melee Attacks. And his Final Smash could be Uriah, where he crashes at enemies with huge Damage. He could represent SEGA Arcade Games.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

What if they flat out added a Guardian to the next game. Like, "Oh, you want a Zelda rep, take this."

Neutral B takes a solid 20 seconds to charge but is more powerful than Thoron and has no endlag, and the model takes up literally half of the screen at all times.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I guess also Medusa as a Palutena echo (would have to be base game though) and Black Shadow as a semi clone of Captain Falcon? Since the builds are different

 

[Idon]

Now...here's my question.

...what are you basing that on?

Because the only footage I can find of Ike and BK fighting is from 15-year-old FE games where everyone still fights with the same canned animations. So how exactly do you know how either of them fights when FE games don't show you how they fight?

What... whar are you talking about?
FE9/10 both have unique animations for BK and Ike. Hell, in FE9 he is the only armored sword unit in the game.
He quite literally cannot fight like anyone else, much less Ike who also has unique animations that aren't like BK's, or any other character ever.
Hell even their signature moves, Eclipse and Aether do not function or look even remotely similar.

You can even see this in the differences between Black Knight's Assist Trophy and Smash Ike's moves. Did you think BK's slow sword swings were aesthetic? No, that's his actual animation speed.

Seeing as you had to look it up when it's obvious within, say, 1-2 hours of gameplay at the start, it seems you've wiki-dived and found that since they have the same teacher they fight similarly. Well if you wiki dived harder you'd know the only reason BK even wants to fight Ike was because he was a perfect reflection of Gawaiin's fighting style, which he obviously wouldn't use himself if that was the case.

Turns out, actually playing the game you're talking about tells you quite a bit about a character. So yeah, that's how I know. For a fact.

"Canned animations", my God...

 

[SNEKeater]

Majima is cool and everyone loves him but no way he would get in before Kiryu. And to be honest I'd just prefer Ichiban if for some reason they couldn't put Kiryu.
The character isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things within the series. I mean, he is important, but beyond a few games (0 and 1) he's not that big of a deal story wise in the rest of the series, and he's only properly playable in 0. He has a side mode in Kiwami 2 that didn't exist in the OG Yakuza 2. Well, he's also playable in Dead Souls, now that I think about it.

I get that he's basically a mascot of the series, but to me it would feel more right to add Akiyama or Saejima before him, and of course, Ichiban, who is going to keep the protagonist role in the next games.

 

[Perkilator]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Give this thread a read.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Give this thread a read.

“Fan rules mean nothing”
”ATs stay ATs”

Pick one or cope

 

[Wunderwaft]

I'm just gonna steal my final post from RTC about some characters I would keep an eye on for Smash 6. If you want a TLDR on my expectations, I think we are in for a glorified Smash Ultimate Port that comes out close to launch for the new system, likely without Sakurai at the helm and he shows up maybe in one video giving the new director/team his blessing. I think this is a reasonable amount of newcomers since we got all 7 cut vets and 6 newcomers for Ultimate with everyone coming back. I also think that expecting a full on reboot within the next five years (or even if you asked me before 2030) is setting yourself up for disappointment.

First Party

• Andy/Sami/ an Advance Wars rep
  • Advance Wars ain't dead, thank god. To be honest, I did not think we would ever see the Wars series come back at all. But we are getting the first two games remade by WayForward. If we are looking back towards the switch like Brawl looked to the gamecube and 4 looked to the DS and Wii, I think Advance Wars makes sense so long as the game does well. The series has a long history with Nintendo and you could easily make some sort of moveset for Andy, Sami, or whatever commanding officer they end up choosing in the end. If I had my choice, I would go Sami just because I think she would look the most natural in the Smash roster: she feels to me the most like a fighter if that makes sense. Any CO could work and you could make a cool moveset for them. Its a long standing series that to be honest deserves a spot in Smash.
• Ashley
  • WarioWare Get It Together was a big success, and as a result I could see it getting a rep. As I said with Andy, Nintendo does enjoy representing the previous generation's success. Brawl leaned heavily on Gamecube era content, and Sm4sh leaned on DS/Wii era content for the most part. You could raise Smash Ultimate, but the Wii U era was represented with its biggest new IP and the 3DS did get Isabelle and Incineroar to rep its new stuff. I could easily see that Smash 6 does end up representing a few big Switch releases that came out after 2017 that are not Three Houses. If we do get another WarioWare rep, Ashley does seem to be the obvious choice. She is far and away the most popular pick both with Nintendo (see the love she got in Badge Arcade) and from fans. Now, you could do Mona or Jimmy T instead, but I think that if we do get WarioWare, they would go with Ashley.
• Impa
  • This is to some extent a catch all Zelda rep spot, and I almost put Skull Kid here instead. But to me, his fan demand came for a short period of time really and has not stuck around nearly as much as say, Bandana Dee, Isaac, or Waluigi. Impa usually either ends up as a young protector of Zelda or an elderly sage, but with AoC we see yet again the more combat ready Impa show up. Impa is really the only recurring Zelda character at this point that is not in Smash outside of Link Zelda and Ganon. The Zelda series as a series does tend to not have the best choices for newcomers, since you have characters like Midna and Skull Kid that, while popular, are stuck in one game if that makes sense outside of spinoffs. I think that for future proofing the Zelda series, Impa is the best choice to rep going forward.
• Ring Fit Trainee
  • Ring Fit sold super well. Like, 8 million copies well. The series to me seems like a solid pick to get representation if we are going the Switch repping path. I still can't believe it sold 8 million copies. A moveset based on the fitness ring seems so dumb but so easy to envision. The character imo will probably end up our WTF character next time.
• Tom Nook
  • I am not an Animal Crossing fan, but at this point it feels impossible not to note how huge the series is. While there was a solid debate in this game whether you would go with Isabelle or Nook for the second AC rep, I think now for the third one it is far and away Nook. I do think there is plenty of stuff you could in theory do to make Nook distinct from Isabelle and Villager, while also using Villager potentially as a base in order to make an easy, lower effort newcomer.
• Waluigi
  • Look, this might just be my passive observation, but we really do not have that many big first party fan favorites left. Compared to the Smash 4 days and especially the brawl days, the number of super huge fan favorites that you could pull from that are first party has dwindled down to such a point, I would really only say three really make that cutoff, with Waluigi having risen to their ranks. Really, my only concern with Waluigi is whether there is significant Mario competition. With how Pauline has been treated, I would not be surprised if she pulls a Rosalina and gets upgraded to the core cast at this rate. But Waluigi has a large fanbase that at this rate does not seem to be going anywhere. He is an easy fan favorite to throw on the roster to generate free hype. Maybe this time he will try hard and get his place in battle.
• Bandana Dee
  • Another fan favorite. While you could argue that Kirby does not need a fourth rep, it is clear Nintendo has big plans for the series. He is getting a full fledged 3D game now, which to me seems like an attempt to finally move Kirby up to their A list. If you put in another Kirby rep, it has to be Dee at this point. He is the fourth most recurring character to pull from. He is the player 4 character. He is by far the most popular Kirby request. The only real obstacle to be honest is whether Nintendo and Sakurai think its time to put him in.
• Isaac
  • If I had to bet on one fan favorite making it into the next Smash in terms of first parties, it is Isaac. Isaac is really the last big Brawl era request that has an active fanbase besides Geno, who I personally think is not a realistic choice to be brutally honest. With Advance Wars getting a remake, Golden Sun coming back is less of a question of if and rather when. Combine that with how much of a large fan request Isaac is to this day, and he seems like a no brainer choice. It also helps that if Nintendo does ever want to push Golden Sun, Smash is great advertising for it.
• Octolings
  • The top two I am almost certain will be in the next game. Splatoon seems to have been adopted by Nintendo into its core franchises, and Octolings are the obvious second choices. You could either do a semi clone or echo of Inkling, where you have a ton of overlap, or you could push them to be more unique since Splatoon has so many weapons. To me, this just feels like a no brainer choice, and it would have been number one if it were not for one reason.
• Officer Howard
  • This list was not exactly ordered, but I would say Octolings and Howard are far and away the safest bets. The fact Nintendo bought the full rights to Astral Chain from Platinum to me tells me that they are going to do more stuff with the IP in the future. Astral Chain to me is one of the few franchises I am shocked did not make the playable jump in Smash Ultimate. After its big reveal and success, I thought it was a safe bet for FP2...until it got spirited. The moveset writes itself, especially with how the legions are so cool. The character to me is far and away the safest bet for a Smash Ultimate Deluxe first party.

For third parties, I decided to divide this up into both new companies and companies already on board. I could list a few honorable mentions, but this is long enough as it is.

Third Party

• Master Chief
  • If I had to bet on one character to appear in the next game, it would be Chief. I would even bet on him over Octolings or Howard. The fact is, I doubt Microsoft is leaving Smash anytime soon. And if we get more Microsoft reps, Chief is the clear frontrunner. He has a ton of fan demand, especially with it exploding after Steve. Microsoft themselves seem open to the idea of doing Chief in the future. I know that Halo has no games on the Switch yet, and I know that this might be a bit of a weird call, but so long as Microsoft is involved in smash Chief is a question of when rather than if to be honest.
• Dante
  • To be honest, I was very bullish on Dante for this cycle. I thought his fan demand came too late and that Capcom competition was fience. But now? I honestly think he is the frontrunner for Capcom. Monster Hunter got shafted twice this game, where it made so much sense for both base game and DLC but it just did not happen. Resident Evil got reduced to spirits. Heck, Phoenix Wright did not even show up this game! But Dante gets the nod from Sakurai that he was a big fan request? To me, that screams that if we get another Capcom rep, Dante is the frontrunner now. It helps that DMC is a super influential series, helping pioneer action games and beat em ups in 3D. Dante also has a moveset that writes itself which would help him translate super easily to smash.
• Arle Nadja
  • Puyo is my pick of a Sega franchise to highlight. I know some people might think Kiryu, Eggman, Tails, SMT, or Phantasy Star might be the move, but to me Puyo makes a lot of sense. The series is actively supporting the Switch; Puyo Puyo Tetris was one of the bigger launch window titles in terms of success and it got a sequel. She is a relatively popular fan request of sorts as well. While never on the A list either this game or during the ballot days, Arle was not invisible. She always had some fans pushing for her. I also think the idea of a puzzle game themed fighter might be a tantalizing idea for the development team. Puyo has a long history as one of the biggest puzzle series out there. To me, this just makes a ton of sense.
• Lloyd Irving
  • Similar to Dante, getting the nod from Sakurai tells me that if we get a third Namco rep, its Lloyd. Tales is one of the biggest JRPG series not in Smash, if not the biggest. Sakurai has himself said if it gets a rep, its Lloyd. The dude is popular to this day with the Smash community and the Tales community, which helps a ton too. Honestly, it is kind of a straightforward pick in my eyes.
• Lara Croft
  • This is the ideal fourth Square rep, you may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like . In all seriousness, if we do get a fourth Square rep, I would bet on Lara. Geno has so many issues I could go into, but I would prefer not to do that on the last day of RTC. Chrono and Neku, even if they would be cool as hell, are much more niche. Tomb Raider was huge, it was one of the biggest series on the PS1 and it got its own big budget Hollywood movie back in the day. Tomb Raider had a big reboot this past generation too. Its a solid pick if you want to go with something to represent gaming as a whole: going with one of gaming's most iconic heroines, easily the most iconic not in Smash.
• Adol Christian
  • For the first new company we could bring in, I thought Falcom would be a good choice to highlight. To me, this is a Terry style pick. A pioneer of the genre with a ton of history and legacy in it. Ys has been going on forever and was a super big game back in the day. Heck it is still going strong today. Keep an eye on Adol, sleeper pick imo.
• Ryu Hayabusa
  • The Hayabusa hype train came a little too late, but for the next game I think he has a solid shot to be a Simon styled retro pick. Ninja Gaiden really feels like one of the last truly massive NES games not in Smash at this point. You have a handful of retro picks like Excitebikes, Murasame Castle, and Mach Rider, then third party retro picks like Arthur or Bill Rizer. But Hayabusa to me seems to be the most sensible. His series does have that retro appeal while still having a successful reboot and revival. He is a pick similar to Simon that just feels like he would belong in Smash to me. It helps Koei Tecmo is super close to Nintendo, making Three Houses and tons of Warriors spinoffs. Heck, Nintendo trusted them with the Zelda IP twice!
• Crash Bandicoot
  • Were you surprised one of the biggest Crash supporters has Crash as a top seed? I think the main issue Crash had for this game is that his demand did not really start to rise until 2016...one year after the Ballot had come to a close. In Ultimate, even during the base game when titans like K Rool, Banjo, and Ridley loomed over speculation, Crash always managed to show up as a fan favorite. At many points during speculation, it almost seemed like he was the frontrunner. Obviously, that did not come to pass, but the case for Crash is still very much there. His fan demand is through the roof, he is one of the most popular fan requests nowadays. He is super iconic, he was the mascot of the PS1. He is relevant now, and with his re introduction to modern gamers he likely will remain a strong fan request.
• Sol Badguy
  • I originally had Rayman on this spot in a past draft of this, but the more I thought about it Sol made a lot more sense to me. Guilty Gear has finally hit the mainstream due to Strive, and I think the series will still be seen as the cornerstone of the anime fighter a few years down the line. Arc Sys already has been friendly with Nintendo, as we did get River City Spirits. I think that if we do get another fighting game rep, Sol is the obvious choice. I know some people might say MK, but Mortal Kombat sadly is a non factor in Japan. Overall, I'd call this a sleeper pick for next game.
• Jonesy
  • I flip flopped between Jonesy and a League of Legends rep for my final pick I wanted to highlight. I know Fortnite is a controversial game, but to be honest, it has earned a spot in Smash. The game is a juggernaut and it clearly is one of the biggest games of the past decade. It has shown no signs of stopping, and I doubt the game will die out in the next five years. Epic as we know also is on good terms with Nintendo and does at least show some desires of wanting to have collabed with Nintendo on Fortnite. If Nintendo wanted Jonesy, they would get him. I also think it helps that Fortnite moveset wise also offers some good stuff. You have the obvious gunplay, but the building aspect could be really cool to try and implement similar to how Steve has his mining. Dread it, but Jonesy to me seems like a viable choice in the future, even if I personally have little to no interest in him being in.

I pretty much agree with the characters you listed except for maybe Bandana Dee, not due to a shortage of his merits, but rather due to how Sakurai has a clear bias towards his own creations. I think it's telling how he was quick to scrap the Kirby's Epic Yarn stage in Smash 4's development the moment he heard a Yoshi yarn game was being made.....and that game would only release like a year after Smash 4 would release.....oh and we got the great cave offensive as a new stage instead.

The only chance I can see Bandana Dee getting in is if Nintendo specifically requested from Sakurai to add Bandana Dee in the game, or if Sakurai isn't the director of the next game.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I pretty much agree with the characters you listed except for maybe Bandana Dee, not due to a shortage of his merits, but rather due to how Sakurai has a clear bias towards his own creations. I think it's telling how he was quick to scrap the Kirby's Epic Yarn stage in Smash 4's development the moment he heard a Yoshi yarn game was being made.....and that game would only release like a year after Smash 4 would release.....oh and we got the great cave offensive as a new stage instead.

The only chance I can see Bandana Dee getting in is if Nintendo specifically requested from Sakurai to add Bandana Dee in the game, or if Sakurai isn't the director of the next game.

Whoa what’s this about a Epic Yarn stage? This is literally the first I’ve ever heard of this

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Okay guys.
Do you have a Prediction about Story Mode for Smash 6?

I have, it's gonna be out a Villain, who separates the Multiverses like Nintendo Multiverse from 3RD Party Omniverse (SEGA, Capcom, Microsoft, etc.) and fighters need to rejoin the Multiverse before's too late.

The Villain could be Dominus the Eternal.

 

[Wunderwaft]

Whoa what’s this about a Epic Yarn stage? This is literally the first I’ve ever heard of this

It's from a famitsu column that sourcegaming translated, more specifically this part right here.

 

[RileyXY1]

There's a couple of more franchises I'd add to this list.

First, while it's not on the Wikipedia list of best-selling games, I think Doom is a very strong candidate to get a character in the next Smash. The original is incredibly iconic and influential, the reboot has been a massive success critically and commercially, Doom Slayer was a popular enough request to where Sakurai felt confident enough to make him the sole full costume for the final wave, Doom Slayer would bring a unique playstyle as a mobile zoner, inroads are already built between Nintendo and Microsoft, and everyone on Doom's dev team seemed very enthusiastic about the idea of Doom in Smash.

I also think there's a strong argument to be made for Dovahkinn and the Elder Scrolls. Aside from Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V, Skyrim is probably the biggest game released tin the 2010s, selling incredibly well and being ported to every console under the sun. Hell, one of the games Nintendo really flaunted when the Switch was revealed 5 years ago (on a side note, AAAAAHHHH THE SWITCH WAS REVEALED 5 YEARS AGO) was the Skyrim port. Likewise, the fact that Dovahkinn got a Mii costume and was this Mii costume was noted to be the product of fan demand suggests that the character is on Sakurai's radar.

I'd also include Grand Theft Auto and God of War as "They got that guy!?!?" options like Sonic, Cloud, Steve, and Sora. However, those two would almost certainly be saved for DLC and their chances on getting in really depend on how Nintendo's relationship with Rockstar and Sony are in a few years, so I wouldn't commit to them yet. That being said, I do think they're reasonably good options to keep an eye on.

With Doomguy now having to directly compete against Master Chief for a spot I don't expect him to ever join Smash unless Nintendo and Microsoft merge and become one company.

 

[Wunderwaft]

With Doomguy now having to directly compete against Master Chief for a spot I don't expect him to ever join Smash unless Nintendo and Microsoft merge and become one company.

Err, why would Nintendo and Microsoft have to merge for Doomguy to get in? We got like 3 SE characters and 2 Microsoft characters as DLC in Ultimate, I can very much see both Master Chief and Doomguy getting in together next time.

 

[RileyXY1]

Err, why would Nintendo and Microsoft have to merge for Doomguy to get in? We got like 3 SE characters and 2 Microsoft characters as DLC in Ultimate, I can very much see both Master Chief and Doomguy getting in together next time.

Except none of them filled the same niche and looked distinct. Master Chief and Doomguy are both green-armored FPS protagonists owned by Microsoft, and the former is far more iconic than the latter.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Except none of them filled the same niche and looked distinct. Master Chief and Doomguy are both green-armored FPS protagonists owned by Microsoft, and the former is far more iconic than the latter.

Considering Microsoft not only gave the okay for Banjo as the first Microsoft rep over actually relevant people such as Chief or Steve but also allowed Doom Slayer over Master Chief as a Mii Costume (it's likely negotiations for the costume happened after Microsoft bought ZeniMax 13 months ago), I don't think Chief trivilializes the Slayer's chances just by existing.

 

[RileyXY1]

Considering Microsoft not only gave the okay for Banjo as the first Microsoft rep over actually relevant people such as Chief or Steve but also allowed Doom Slayer over Master Chief as a Mii Costume (it's likely negotiations happened after Microsoft bought ZeniMax), I don't think Chief trivilializes the Slayer's chances just by existing.

Technically Steve was the first Microsoft rep. BK was just an added bonus.

 

[Wunderwaft]

Except none of them filled the same niche and looked distinct. Master Chief and Doomguy are both green-armored FPS protagonists owned by Microsoft, and the former is far more iconic than the latter.

Fam half the DLC in ultimate were JRPG anime pretty boys lol
Distinctness be damned.

Technically Steve was the first Microsoft rep. BK was just an added bonus.

Okay now you're confusing me.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Technically Steve was the first Microsoft rep. BK was just an added bonus.

....No he wasn't? Steve was still being negotiated on when Banjo's spot in the roster was set in stone.

But either way, Microsft could've said no to Banjo simply because he's not Steve.

Yet they didn't. They allowed Banjo to be done before Steve.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Turns out, actually playing the game you're talking about tells you quite a bit about a character. So yeah, that's how I know. For a fact.

Yeah, that's why I asked you. Cause looking it up on youtube just returns videos like this, where he has one attack animation. Which, I dunno how you can judge what his fighting style would look like from just that.

"Canned animations", my God...

Yeah. Or are you going to pretend Marth's entire Melee moveset isn't extrapolated from 2 SNES animations?

 

[RileyXY1]

Either way, Microsft could've said no to Banjo simply because he's not Steve.

Yet they didn't. They allowed Banjo to be done before Steve.

Then again BK didn't require an entire rework of all the stages just so their gimmick would function properly.

Fam half the DLC in ultimate were JRPG anime pretty boys lol
Distinctness be damned.

Okay now you're confusing me.

They all had unique designs and their origin games all had unique mechanics. The stuff that separates Doomguy from Master Chief can't be done without elevating the game's rating.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Then again BK didn't require an entire rework of all the stages just so their gimmick would function properly.

Steve arguably didn't either. That's just Sakurai and his team going above and beyond because they're ****ing lunatics.

And this is exactly why we love them.

 

[Wunderwaft]

They all had unique designs and their origin games all had unique mechanics. The stuff that separates Doomguy from Master Chief can't be done without elevating the game's rating.

But Doom and Halo are way too different from each other in gameplay. Halo is a slow paced shooter with a shield mechanic that promotes defensive play while Doom is more fast paced and aggressive. That alone will ensure Chief and Slayer will never play similar to each other, regardless of how similar they look with the green armor.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

But Doom and Halo are way too different from each other in gameplay. Halo is a slow paced shooter with a shield mechanic that promotes defensive play while Doom is more fast paced and aggressive. That alone will ensure Chief and Slayer will never play similar to each other, regardless of how similar they look with the green armor.

Also, I could understand graphic violence being core to Doom as a whole, but Halo has had one Teen rated game, and even then their M for Mature games aren’t that bad in terms of violence, Doom still takes the cake there

 

[RileyXY1]

But Doom and Halo are way too different from each other in gameplay. Halo is a slow paced shooter with a shield mechanic that promotes defensive play while Doom is more fast paced and aggressive. That alone will ensure Chief and Slayer will never play similar to each other, regardless of how similar they look with the green armor.

They can't show said aggression (through things like all the gore, the glory kills, etc.) without elevating the game's rating. I've mostly accepted that they'll go to Elder Scrolls for the Bethesda rep.