Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[dream1ng]

This is why "Sakurai bias" is based. Always a treat on the occasions we get characters who are not really "deserving" or "have the resume," but are just super fun and therefore worthwhile characters anyway, i.e. Palutena. It gives the game so much more personality, makes it feel less transparently corporate.

Palutena was highly requested and the secondary character of a series with multiple million+ selling titles.

She had good timing, but that kind of character can get in without Sakurai bias.

 

[Noipoi]

Sakurai bias is good but only when it aligns exactly with my interests.

Otherwise it’s poopy

 

[dream1ng]

And idk man if they wanted to get a little corporate and add Waluigi or Toad or Pauline or someone over Piranha Plant I wouldn't have minded.

Also Nintendo, please be more corporate about Zelda; I would like a new character.

 

[Laniv]

Sakurai bias is great if you like Fire Emblem*.


*Does not apply if Lyn or the Black Knight are your most wanted characters

 

[Quillion]

Also Nintendo, please be more corporate about Zelda; I would like a new character.

I'd love for Nintendo to be more corporate about Zelda so they can explore new ideas within that franchise via spin-offs.

But you still gotta remember how Mario spin-off characters and Zelda one-shot characters are stuck in an established pattern of being highly requested but very unlikely at this point.

 

[Louie G.]

Capcom is weird to me, they were the company I and so many people were confident would get a character during Ult's DLC, but 11 characters passed and not a whiff of Capcom could be found.

In retrospect, I suppose there's something to be said about DLC's motivation to strengthen ties with business partners.

Capcom and Konami are notably absent from the DLC lineup - they were also two of the most generous contributors to Ultimate's base game content. Perhaps they ended up a bit lower on the picking order because there was little need to build on these relationships. Instead strides were made toward areas less accounted for on the base roster.

1 SEGA (Atlus) character
2-3 Square Enix characters (1 Disney character)
2 Microsoft characters
1 SNK character
1 Namco character

Most of these are representing either a new collaboration, or one that may have been more difficult to work out without DLC. Well, that and Kazuya, but I'm just gonna factor this in as Bandai Namco's reward for all their hard work lmao. Square Enix is clearly the outlier here, likely due to their character / content expenses making these characters more suited for post-game collaboration. Otherwise, we added Microsoft, SNK and debatably Atlus (really just comes down to how you want to look at this one) to our list of collaborators.

All that to say, despite Capcom's vast catalogue of viable and exciting characters I believe that Nintendo felt less compelled to seek out Capcom who had already been so generous and is already such a prominent partner. Compared to Microsoft, whose relationship with Nintendo is quite young or Square Enix who may or may not have been one of the harder companies to convince to allow their one returning character back without the additional DLC tax.

 

[Gorgonzales]

Sakurai bias is great if you like Fire Emblem*.


*Does not apply if Lyn or the Black Knight are your most wanted characters

This is the most savage response you could've typed bro

 

[dream1ng]

Sakurai bias is great if you like Fire Emblem*.


*Does not apply if Lyn or the Black Knight are your most wanted characters

Sakurai bias is great if you like Kirby or Star Fox*


*expires 2012

 

[Guynamednelson]

Sakurai bias is great if you like Kirby or Star Fox*


*expires 2012

Oh, it's great if you like Kirby games alright.

Kirby games that he made.

 

[Laniv]

This is the most savage response you could've typed bro

The funniest jokes come from personal experience, because I wanted Lyn!

...
...
I'm not salty, you are.

 

[7NATOR]

In retrospect, I suppose there's something to be said about DLC's motivation to strengthen ties with business partners.

Capcom and Konami are notably absent from the DLC lineup - they were also two of the most generous contributors to Ultimate's base game content. Perhaps they ended up a bit lower on the picking order because there was little need to build on these relationships. Instead strides were made toward areas less accounted for on the base roster.

1 SEGA (Atlus) character
2-3 Square Enix characters (1 Disney character)
2 Microsoft characters
1 SNK character
1 Namco character

Most of these are representing either a new collaboration, or one that may have been more difficult to work out without DLC. Well, that and Kazuya, but I'm just gonna factor this in as Bandai Namco's reward for all their hard work lmao. Square Enix is clearly the outlier here, likely due to their character / content expenses making these characters more suited for post-game collaboration. Otherwise, we added Microsoft, SNK and debatably Atlus (really just comes down to how you want to look at this one) to our list of collaborators.

All that to say, despite Capcom's vast catalogue of viable and exciting characters I believe that Nintendo felt less compelled to seek out Capcom who had already been so generous and is already such a prominent partner. Compared to Microsoft, whose relationship with Nintendo is quite young or Square Enix who may or may not have been one of the harder companies to convince to allow their one returning character back without the additional DLC tax.

I could see this being one of the reasons, but I don't completely buy it as being the main reason

Considering how Adamant Nintendo was about wanting Dragon Quest, Minecraft, and Tekken in the DLC, even when compared to some of the other DLC, It's weird that at the least, Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, Both Franchises that both Rival and Surpass the Listed Franchises here except Minecraft, did not have a playable spot in DLC, or just the game period

We also know that with Kazuya Mishima Tekken and Steve Minecraft, They were stated to have some challenges when it comes to implementing them into the game, with Tekken going all the way to Smash 4. probably why they had to wait till Fighter Pass 2

Looking at all the franchises and potential characters from Capcom, I think All of them suffered from Implementation issues in terms of a Smash Moveset, for Smash Ultimate. However I think that can be rectified in this next Smash game

So honestly, My theory, and also kind of why I asked about Capcom, is that I could see Capcom making a good brunt of the "Huge Additions" in regards to newcomers of the Next Smash game. You have

-Monster Hunter and Resident Evil Characters as Really the last Huge Japanese Franchises to add to the playable Roster

-Devil May Cry (Dante) and Ace Attorney (Phoenix), which while smaller series, are The Most popular within their niche and also among The Most requested characters right now (And for Phoenix, been requested for awhile)

-Another Street Fighter and Mega Man Character, especially Street Fighter with Chun-Li, which while I've had my doubts in the past about if she can be Implemented properly, I think the fact she's as Iconic as she is is too hard to ignore. Zero is also a character that I think gets decent amount of requests to become playable

-Some of the More Niche picks like Amaterasu, Arthur, and Viewtiful Joe, though I kind of doubt these becoming playable, especially the latter, but the options are there

Since Capcom does have such a easy going attitude when it comes to Crossovers, I could see a scenario where they might be more beneficial for the Next Smash game over trying to force them into DLC for the current Smash game

 

[CapitaineCrash]

Most of these are representing either a new collaboration, or one that may have been more difficult to work out without DLC. Well, that and Kazuya, but I'm just gonna factor this in as Bandai Namco's reward for all their hard work lmao. Square Enix is clearly the outlier here, likely due to their character / content expenses making these characters more suited for post-game collaboration. Otherwise, we added Microsoft, SNK and debatably Atlus (really just comes down to how you want to look at this one) to our list of collaborators.

My guess is that Kazuya is dlc simply because of how hard it was for Sakurai to translate the Tekken gameplay to a 2d fighting game, so the character was only possible through dlc when all the base mechanics were already created so they could put all (or most) of their ressources on this single character instead of the team being separated between lot of things. I think Steve is in the same boat where at this point the relation with Microsoft was already strong thanks to Banjo in wave 1, but Steve took so much time that he was only really possible later on through the game life cycle.

 

[Louie G.]

Since Capcom does have such a easy going attitude when it comes to Crossovers, I could see a scenario where they might be more beneficial for the Next Smash game over trying to force them into DLC for the current Smash game

These decisions usually aren't made with next game in mind. Sure, by proxy since all those Capcom picks went untouched there are more possibilities to explore next time, but it's not especially realistic to believe they were absent because they're being stocked up for a currently unconfirmed Smash game.

A little different than Smash 4 -> Ultimate, since Ultimate was in fact being plotted out during Smash 4 DLC production and I'm going to assume some of those choices were held off for the upcoming title. We have no reason to believe this was happening with Ultimate's DLC as well, with no game in sight as of now.

 

[Zerp]

I wonder if there's an universe out there where Inverse-Sakurai is director, and people keep on saying things like "Why is Kirby the ONLY Nintendo IP to ever get stages from its new games?" and "Please add a new Fire Emblem character, it's been 16 years since we got Ike."

 

[7NATOR]

These decisions usually aren't made with next game in mind. Sure, by proxy since all those Capcom picks went untouched there are more possibilities to explore next time, but it's not especially realistic to believe they were absent because they're being stocked up for a currently unconfirmed Smash game.

A little different than Smash 4 -> Ultimate, since Ultimate was in fact being plotted out during Smash 4 DLC production and I'm going to assume some of those choices were held off for the upcoming title. We have no reason to believe this was happening with Ultimate's DLC as well, with no game in sight as of now.

I guess not Directly planned, but more indirectly, in that they figured out the Capcom characters couldn't be implemented, at least in Smash Ultimate, but they had the knowledge that there will be a Smash game in the future, even if the Next Game wasn't actually in mind, so they can try again there. I guess kind of the same thing that happened with Tekken when they figured out they couldn't implement it in Smash 4, maybe next time.

Though I will say, Personally I have the theory that at least when they greenlit FP2 to be made, there was also a greenlit to at least think of what characters could be added to the Next Smash game, even if the focus was on Smash Ultimate. The success of Smash Ultimate was surely a main reason we got FP2, but It's probably also means that a Next Smash game was guaranteed afterwards as well.

However even if you don't buy into that theory, I think Nintendo and Capcom are so comfortable with each other that Nintendo knows they could go to them for whatever characters they want added when the Next Smash gets into Development

In respect to what brought this discussion on, I believe Square Enix will absolutely be of some presence on the base roster.

Everyone is Here or not, they got Cloud on the roster. The rest of the FF7 content added post DLC is a question mark, but we know this is feasible even if it was difficult. Perhaps next game it may be Hero instead, or Cloud can return because it seems as if Square has seemed a bit more lenient with the FF7 license since then. I absolutely don't think all three (four?) SE characters will land on the base roster and we need to be prepared for unfortunate third party losses, at least temporarily, but this relationship has gone on long enough for at least one to be there from the beginning.

On paper, I think Cloud is practically up there with the bare essentials. In execution, FF7 has taken a lot of time to build itself up to a normal amount of content. I'm not sure whether or not it's feasible to get the songs or spirits that came with Sephiroth back for base roster, even if it's viable to get Cloud back. I've seen the proposition of Cloud / Sephiroth as a dual DLC to reinstate the missing FF7 content, which seems realistic enough. By default he's the SE character I expect to come back first but I wouldn't be shocked if it played out like this.

Sora will probably come back since he was such a monumental request, but you're definitely gonna have to pay for his ass. Sorry.

I could see Disney being reasonable and allow Sora to be in the base roster, if Nintendo and Disney agree to have a Certain Mouse come to the Playable roster so Disney can rake in all that DLC money that would come from that

 

[kirbstr]

Importance to the plot isn't the kind of importance Smash values if it doesn't overlap with prominence within the series. It's not like we're going to get Demise. But he's pretty important to Zelda's plot.

And moveset potential is not a rare quality.

He could be a boss, he could be an AT, but he's a one-off Metroid character. He's not got the demand to be included, he's not got the attendance to be included, and Metroid already has four characters - which for Metroid is perfectly adequate. Including two we just got.

Raven Beak's cool, but he's not really at the playable level in terms of his resume.

He's a popular and cool nintendo character with a big role in a popular recent game, which at the end of the day is more than enough of a resume to get into smash. You could have made these same arguments against Ike, Wolf, Lucas, Rosalina, Palutena, Isabelle, Pyra/Mythra and they all made it in.

I wonder if there's an universe out there where Inverse-Sakurai is director, and people keep on saying things like "Why is Kirby the ONLY Nintendo IP to ever get stages from its new games?" and "Please add a new Fire Emblem character, it's been 16 years since we got Ike."

The incredibly based timeline where Sakurai stays with HAL and Kumazaki ends up directing Smash 4 and Ultimate

 

[Sucumbio]

... it's been 16 years since we got Ike."

Jesus

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I'm not sure if an echo would really work well for Min Min, since her Arms dragon are heavily associated with her (although every fighter can have every Arms) and iirc she's the only character that can do kick in the game. If Arms have a second character, I'd rather have someone unique like Twintelle, Helix, Byte and Bark or Dr. Coyle. Either way, if Arms 2 is a thing they might also just add the popular newcomers from Arms 2 instead of someone from 1, depending of how they treat the roster (if every fighters return or not).

As far as getting an Echo Fighter of Min Min, you would have to:

• Give them a new ARMS loadout.
• Change their Up Smash.
• Add their gimmick.
• Change variable number of animations depending on who you pick.

So for example, the easiest character would probably be Ninjara since his ninja motif works pretty well with Min Min's kicks. His changes would probably be something like:

• His ARMS loadout is:
  • Chakram: Ram Ram, but no fire. Is his primary ARM.
  • Buff: Handles similarly to Dragon, but instead of lasers, the smash attacks have bigger hitboxes (and probably a little more damage).
  • Tri-Blast: There are probably a few ways of doing this one, but my guess would be poor angleability, and low damage, but the smash attacks explode right after hitting something, acting as a multi-hit. Hitting the ARM while he's charging a smash attack causes it to explode. Optionally, the little shots this ARM fires could act as projectiles, allowing them to be reflected.
• His new Up Smash could be similar to Captain Falcon's or something.
• I'm not sold on the poof shield as a mechanic in this game, so instead I'd make his dodge roll and spot dodge activate faster, or make the whole thing really fast. Alternatively you could give him a Bat Within/Foresight style mechanic, but without the slowdown that turns it into a counter.
• He would need new idle, taunt, and victory animations, and possibly a change to his ledge and item grab animations that have him swap to his regular hand so he can grab things.

I think this falls under the same style of "small change; big difference" that Chrom and Lucina have, setting him up as a trickier fighter who lacks the K.O. power that Min Min has due to charged Dragon and Megawatt.

As for new characters, I feel like what I said still applies, but you're free to get as creative in the design space as you want, and you could even forgo the mechanics that Min Min has in favor of a more traditional zoning moveset like what Dhalsim has (though I'm not sure they'd do that).

 

[HyperSomari64]

I could see Disney being reasonable and allow Sora to be in the base roster, if Nintendo and Disney agree to have a Certain Mouse come to the Playable roster so Disney can rake in all that DLC money that would come from that

So, basically this?:

Who are gonna main? https://t.co/7wPlIJfnrz pic.twitter.com/Am69jB5Dks

— Lisnovski🍐 | PixelArt (@Lisnovski) April 13, 2024

 

[kirbstr]

Sakurai bias is great if you like Kirby or Star Fox*


*expires 2012

If we are being 100% honest Sakurai has never really acknowledged any Kirby games he didn't direct even before leaving HAL. Meta Knight and Dedede being added in Brawl blinded people from the fact that the Kirby content in that game was 99% from Super Star, Air Ride, or reused from Melee (aka 99% from Adventure or Super Star).

 

[7NATOR]

So, basically this?:

Who are gonna main? https://t.co/7wPlIJfnrz pic.twitter.com/Am69jB5Dks

— Lisnovski🍐 | PixelArt (@Lisnovski) April 13, 2024

Well We are breaking one of the most stated rules in Smash Bros, in that only Video Game characters can join.

But in this scenario, I'd only say Mickey, because it would already be a huge undertaking to Implement, but also you're only working with Disney proper.

In regards to KH3 as an example, Nomura I believe stated that it required quite an effort to work with Pixar on the Toy Story World as an example, and that Star Wars and Marvel were too much of an undertaking to implement at that time, and while Disney owns those I.Ps and companies, There might be more checks and balances to go through to make sure the I.P is represented faithfully, and in turn still probably much more effort in working with something that's not Disney original

Mickey is the Flagship mascot of Disney, but I think also the character that's probably most allowed to different Interpretations due to his history, so long as Disney agrees it of course. I think also the fact that the Disney VP in 2015 said he would like to see Mario and Mickey meet might make the transition easier, though of course that was awhile ago and opinions could have changed, but I remember that quote knowing that it was Disney that was really down for the idea of Sora in Smash

 

[Gorgonzales]

I wonder if there's an universe out there where Inverse-Sakurai is director, and people keep on saying things like "Why is Kirby the ONLY Nintendo IP to ever get stages from its new games?" and "Please add a new Fire Emblem character, it's been 16 years since we got Ike."

"I'm glad Zelda's character roster is very diverse with Skull Kid and Midna and Ghirahim and all, but does anyone else find it a little strange that almost all of its stages come from Ocarina of Time?"

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

In respect to what brought this discussion on, I believe Square Enix will absolutely be of some presence on the base roster.

Everyone is Here or not, they got Cloud on the roster. The rest of the FF7 content added post DLC is a question mark, but we know this is feasible even if it was difficult. Perhaps next game it may be Hero instead, or Cloud can return because it seems as if Square has seemed a bit more lenient with the FF7 license since then. I absolutely don't think all three (four?) SE characters will land on the base roster and we need to be prepared for unfortunate third party losses, at least temporarily, but this relationship has gone on long enough for at least one to be there from the beginning.

On paper, I think Cloud is practically up there with the bare essentials. In execution, FF7 has taken a lot of time to build itself up to a normal amount of content. I'm not sure whether or not it's feasible to get the songs or spirits that came with Sephiroth back for base roster, even if it's viable to get Cloud back. I've seen the proposition of Cloud / Sephiroth as a dual DLC to reinstate the missing FF7 content, which seems realistic enough. By default he's the SE character I expect to come back first but I wouldn't be shocked if it played out like this.

Sora will probably come back since he was such a monumental request, but you're definitely gonna have to pay for his ass. Sorry.

Something I feel is understated when it comed to roster cuts is that Cloud is one of the most played characters. Even if Cloud wasn't the mega icon he is, him being the most popular character to play would make him high priority regardless. I think the same applies to characters like Falco and ZSS. I could see them getting cut, but their playstyles are important to Smash and are very commonly played, I could definitely see both being kept for that reason alone.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I'm just barely entering this conversation, but I hope no one is seriously entertaining the idea of Mickey Mouse getting in just because Sora, right?

 

[Ivander]

I'm just barely entering this conversation, but I hope no one is seriously entertaining the idea of Mickey Mouse getting in just because Sora, right?

Disney when they allow Nintendo to put Sora into Super Smash Bros

 

[CapitaineCrash]

I've been thinking about Raven beak a bit, and I just don't see him getting in at all as of now. The thing is, Smash rarely add one-off character, and when they do it's always the protagonist of said game (such as Ness and Lucas, Shulk and Pyra/Mythra, Ice climbers). The only exception is Sheik, but we know she's really lucky to be there and it was only because of the transformation gimmick back in Melee. So I don't really see a one off vilain getting in. If Zelda couldn't get any one off character despite being huge request such as Skull kid or Midna, I don't see Metroid getting one of their one off vilains. For those reasons, I think Noah/Mio have more chances than Raven beak, despite Xenoblade 3 selling less than Metroid dread, because they're the protagonists of their game.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

The only exception is Sheik, but we know she's really lucky to be there and it was only because of the transformation gimmick back in Melee.

The only thing Sheik was "lucky" about was that Melee was still hot off the N64 Zelda wave and was still very popular of a character to the point she was just as requested as Zelda.

The transformation gimmick is why Zelda got in with Sheik, not the other way around.
Why do you think Sheik was the one they marketed well before the gimmick and kept Zelda a secret until closer to release?

 

[7NATOR]

I'm just barely entering this conversation, but I hope no one is seriously entertaining the idea of Mickey Mouse getting in just because Sora, right?

I know it's crazy, but really, the Main reason I do entertain it is that I actually think Disney themselves might be the ones to insist on having Mickey Mouse in Smash

E3 2015: Disney Wants to See Mickey Mouse Meet Mario - IGN

Now this quote is very old, and I think the landscape might have changed, but I just think with the success of Smash as a franchise, as well as Nintendo I.P's being in such high value, I can see Disney thinking this would be good for them to have Mickey and Mario meet in official media, for both companies.

But honestly this idea only really works if Disney themselves are the ones adamant about it, if not then yeah I don't see one of the most established rules being broken

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I know it's crazy, but really, the Main reason I do entertain it is that I actually think Disney themselves might be the ones to insist on having Mickey Mouse in Smash

E3 2015: Disney Wants to See Mickey Mouse Meet Mario - IGN

Now this quote is very old, and I think the landscape might have changed, but I just think with the success of Smash as a franchise, as well as Nintendo I.P's being in such high value, I can see Disney thinking this would be good for them to have Mickey and Mario meet in official media, for both companies.

But honestly this idea only really works if Disney themselves are the ones adamant about it, if not then yeah I don't see one of the most established rules being broken

Sora came without any sort of acknowledgement of Donald, Goofy, Mickey, etc. outside the keychain, and even then it's just a symbol rather than the Mouse himself.

That should tell you everything you need to know about how believable the idea is.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

I still don't see any characters who didn't debut or primarily star in video games ever joining Smash as newcomers or playable characters.

And I'd rather not see that change.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Mickey is the Flagship mascot of Disney,

I know this isn't the main point but this bit made me imagine Sakurai introducing the world to Mickey Mouse with his "Who is Mickey Mouse?" slideshow.

 

[dream1ng]

He's a popular and cool nintendo character with a big role in a popular recent game, which at the end of the day is more than enough of a resume to get into smash. You could have made these same arguments against Ike, Wolf, Lucas, Rosalina, Palutena, Isabelle, Pyra/Mythra and they all made it in.

No, it's not the same.

One, you're comparing a primarily static-cast series to rotational ones with FE, Mother and Xenoblade; they don't operate the same way. Two, those characters are protagonists, Samus is their parallel.

Palutena and Wolf are recurring main characters in their series. Both were also more requested than Raven Beak is. Wolf's parallel is much closer to Ridley than to Raven Beak. And Palutena is basically the Zelda of her series, including bearing its name (in Japan).

Isabelle was pretty much given co-lead (or more or less mascot) status of her series soon after she showed up, then featured in like three spin-offs and made her way into Mario Kart before Smash. Also, Animal Crossing is Animal Crossing and had one character. Metroid is Metroid and it has four.

Rosalina also had multiple appearances before she was included. Plus, the game before she was included received no new Mario characters. Metroid just got two. Mario is also Mario, and its b-tier characters are more well known than most series' a-tier characters. Which is why it began receiving them.

We haven't even got Zelda's yet - and that series has been full of popular and cool characters with big roles in popular recent games. And it's Zelda.

 

[DarthEnderX]

How do you think Capcom will be Represented in the Next Smash game? What direction do you think it will take in regard to its content and playable characters?

Resident Evil and, if I'm lucky, Arthur.

With Wily Machine as a Boss.

Smash Bros. is a video game, not some cultural event.

Keep telling yourself that.

 

[Ivander]

I mean, while I don't see non-video game characters getting in Smash Bros, I don't see an impossibility of a game that has Mickey Mouse and Mario. I mean, did anybody really expect Mario of all people to get a game with the Rabbids? Or Disney characters interacting with Square Enix characters?
I'm just saying, all it really hinges on is whether both Nintendo and Disney are willing to cooperate and work together.

 

[osby]

I thought "Sora will open the Disney floodgates" was just empty fear mongering to gatekeep him from any serious conversation.

No company is going to force their characters into Smash, that's not how licensing works.

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

If we are being 100% honest Sakurai has never really acknowledged any Kirby games he didn't direct even before leaving HAL. Meta Knight and Dedede being added in Brawl blinded people from the fact that the Kirby content in that game was 99% from Super Star, Air Ride, or reused from Melee (aka 99% from Adventure or Super Star).

I want to remain somewhat reserved for Brawl's bias, despite some early red flags. HAL made a very smart move releasing Super Star Ultra the same year Brawl did, which allowed them to capitalize on all the new publicity Super Star got. This was eventually what relaunched the series into the RtDL era. But of course, all that clever maneuvering was, in retrospect, lightning in a bottle. And you can't let the lightning strike twice like that without breaking the bottle.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Isabelle and Inkling are possibly THE Nintendo characters of the 2010s.

There's no comparing them to any other choices honestly. They were practically mandatory.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I thought "Sora will open the Disney floodgates" was just empty fear mongering to gatekeep him from any serious conversation.

Gates are open! Time for Guybrush!

 

[7NATOR]

Sora came without any sort of acknowledgement of Donald, Goofy, Mickey, etc. outside the keychain, and even then it's just a symbol rather than the Mouse himself.

That should tell you everything you need to know about how believable the idea is.

Yeah, the Licensing for the Disney original characters would be both different and more expensive, along with needing more hands on checking from Disney officials since these are some of their mascot characters, which is why Sora came alone and with the Kingdom Heart original characters making cameos in Spirit and stage backgrounds

With that being said, I don't think that means Disney wouldn't want the idea to happen, They would just want to make sure things are done right Seperately

I thought "Sora will open the Disney floodgates" was just empty fear mongering to gatekeep him from any serious conversation.

No company is going to force their characters into Smash, that's not how licensing works.

I don't think it would be forced, I just think if this scenario would happen, it would be Disney that would approach with the idea first since I think Nintendo/Sakurai would know that working with the Mascot of Disney would be a tall order not seen in Smash, both in terms of Time and Cost

I think Both Nintendo and Disney would both be down for the idea if the right circumstances were to come along. Because Smash has become such a big Franchise over the years, I think Both Nintendo and Disney could both benefit from Mickey's Inclusion

For Nintendo, It would make Smash even more high profile than it already is, and for Disney, it would make Mickey more relevant to Gaming audiences, in addition to Kingdom Hearts. I just think it could raise the profile of both of the I.Ps, not that they need it, but it would be such a cool idea that I think even years in the future, people would look at it and go "How?"

 

[Ivander]

Isabelle and Inkling are possibly THE Nintendo characters of the 2010s.

There's no comparing them to any other choices honestly. They were practically mandatory.

I wonder who's going to be our "THE" Nintendo characters of the 2020s? I mean, we obviously have Nintendo characters that originated in the 2020s, but so far, I don't think we have a 2020s Nintendo character who's reached Isabelle/Inkling status.