Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

I never imagined Starfy 2 would end up being such a top tier platformer. It starts a little slower than Starfy 1 but in the last worlds and especially in the post game it makes great use of all its unique mechanics.
I don't think the comparison with Kirby is particularly apt? Aside from the games being easy and the main characters being cute, they play nothing alike.

Can't wait to support Starfy for the next Smash game, and to be disappointed when he doesn't become playable!

 

[Noipoi]

Kazooie apparently also likes being used as a weapon, so there's clear consent.

We are all unwilling participants of Kazooie's masochism

 

[ninjahmos]

You know what are three other Metal Gear songs I'd love to hear in Smash if Snake makes it into the next game? The Best Is Yet To Come, Heavens Divide and Sins of The Father.

Oh, and they probably wouldn't do it, but if they can't use the MGS1/MGS2 Main Theme, maybe they could use the MGS3 Main Theme.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

Kazooie apparently also likes being used as a weapon, so there's clear consent.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I kinda think they should have added either Duck Hunt or Takamaru instead of the Ice Climbers for Melee.

None of them should have been Fighters. Characters who only had one game, 20 years prior, are perfect AT/Trophy fodder. Especially those that weren't popular to begin with.

Plus, not many people realized the duck hunt dog was heavily inspired by...

That was made pretty obvious by Smash when they gave him literally the same laugh.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

 

[DarthEnderX]

You know what are three other Metal Gear songs I'd love to hear in Smash if Snake makes it into the next game?

Zero's Allies, Rules of Nature, It Has To Be This Way

 

[SharkLord]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I think it's a mix of the poll being based on general approval rather than the absolute most popular, the idea that Funky could be an easy Echo for DK, and the NEW FUNKY MODE memes meaning everyone gets a good laugh out of the guy. Maybe it would've been more precise if we had a separate little section at the end asking for your single first pick for first-parties. Even so, I think it at least shows that Funky's generally accepted by most players

 

[cashregister9]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I think for the poll specifically, It being approved on the DK subreddit but missing some other big ones definitely boosted all the DK characters

Also no one truly hates Funky Kong, Bro is chill.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I think for the poll specifically, It being approved on the DK subreddit but missing some other big ones definitely boosted all the DK characters

Also no one truly hates Funky Kong, Bro is chill.

Thing is, Funky was third before the DK board got it.

 

[cashregister9]

Thing is, Funky was third before the DK board got it.

Oh, Then I guess my second point stands the most

Funky is just that guy

 

[CannonStreak]

Speaking of Donkey Kong characters, I know this is likely to not happen, but I do want Donkey Kong Jr. to be playable in a future Smash Bros. game. That as well as Cranky Kong and Dixie Kong.

 

[PeridotGX]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I think he's benefiting from the poll format. He's not very many people's number one, but most people enjoy him to some degree, even if it's just New Funky Kong Mode and Mario Kart Wii memes. It's sort of the opposite of Geno, his performance suffered because he's a very love-or-hate kind of character.

 

[Diddy Kong]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

Everyone wants him. Wether as unique or Echo, Funky is wanted. And how could he not be ?

 

[Wonder Smash]

I don't know why but this theme just popped up in my head recently:

I hadn't even played this game in a while and yet, this just came up. It's a fun theme to listen to and one of my favorites. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes with Kunio and Riki if they get in and even though it does have a remix of it, I like this original version better and hope it gets in.

 

[NintenRob]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I do think Funky benefited very heavily by being next to Dixie Kong and general format of the poll. Dude is obviously well liked and often seen as an easy echo, so put him next to someone who is considered one of the biggest missed characters in the game, he's gonna get a lot of votes

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I do think Funky benefited very heavily by being next to Dixie Kong and general format of the poll. Dude is obviously well liked and often seen as an easy echo, so put him next to someone who is considered one of the biggest missed characters in the game, he's gonna get a lot of votes

People keep saying they are right next to each other but there were other characters between the two. Enguarde and Ellie are just some examples.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Speaking of Donkey Kong characters, I know this is likely to not happen, but I do want Donkey Kong Jr. to be playable in a future Smash Bros. game. That as well as Cranky Kong and Dixie Kong.

Maybe an alt skin for DK that turns into DK Jr?

They are meant to be the same character if i remember right.

 

[SharkLord]

Oh yeah, wanted to mentioned I went back and revised this
View attachment 390031
Mainly I just wanted to go back and revise the ordering, since the previous one ended up a bit funky. While I was at it, I realized that Greninja was super popular and probably not someone I should risk cutting, and that the Sprigatito line was the new face of the Pokemon anime, so I reasoned they'd probably be the designated ScVi rep. It's sad to see Dracovish and Tinkaton go, but I feel this makes Pokemon's representation stronger overall.

Pokemon has been the biggest headache in making this roster, because A: All the Pokemon added have been pretty popular representatives of their generation (Short of Jigglypuff and Pichu, and even Jiggly has some defenders for being part of the OG 12), and B: The self-imposed five fighters limit (Minus Echoes) meant someone had to go regardless, so something had to give. It doesn't help that I've been kinda out of Pokemon lately, so I've been trying to remember exactly which Pokemon are the super duper marketable popular ones again

Hey guys, remember this old thing?

In light of Swamp's recent poll, I've gone back and done another roster

Like before, it runs on the idea of character who "missed the boat," so to speak. Like the first roster, it accounts for recent switch releases that were too late to get fighters in Ultimate. However, it also accounts for characters who did well on the ballot but simply didn't have room due to Ultimate's focus on veterans and third-parties, leaving a fairly tight squeeze for first-parties. Everyone from the top 10 on Swamp's poll are here; I also let Zelda have two newcomers, since the top three requests are so close. Since characters from Star Fox, Donkey Kong, and Kid Icarus placed pretty highly, I was also motivated to try and preserve some extra veterans as well.

I tried to stick to the 60-fighter limit, not counting Echoes, but the extra veterans and newcomers seriously ate into the 3rd-party lineup. I cheated and upped it to 64 to squeeze in a couple more, but the guest lineup still feels a bit lacking in my opinion. I was hoping to add Shadow, Bayonetta, and Sora, but alas, no room. I might go back and try to make a middle ground roster between this one and the Switch-centric one.

Also of note is that I wanted Zelda to be based on Echoes of Wisdom, but we don't have a non-chibi render that won't look out of place. I was also going to have placeholders for Pokemon Z-A/Gen X and the next Fire Emblem, but while that's fine for bingo cards, it'd look kinda lame on a roster. So, I preserved my original picks for those series. The Pokemon selection was going to be the obligatory Pikachu, the top three for the Pokemon Of The Year vote in 2020, and then the future release placeholder

 

[Hypercat-Z]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I think a lot of people are asking for the same characters because a lot of people are asking for the same characters. It's herd mentality.
In all honesty I'd like to see Candy Kong Kong as a playable character. She has been in the NPC zone for too much time IMHO.
Imagine her being like a parody of Lara Croft using Tiny Kong's crossbow, a couple them, as guns.
Also imagine Candy Kong having her TV counterpart as alt.

 

[fogbadge]

So... Funky Kong did ridiculously well on my poll.

Do you see this as accurate? He has never been this popular on a poll before and I can't help but wonder if something is off.

What do you think?

I don’t think it’s that surprising that funky is popular. Although personally I’ve just not found him interesting since he sold me guns as a child

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Funky feels like a case where a great character design goes a long way and his resonant popularity in stuff like Mario Kart has made him a really enduring option, even if I suspect most view him in the context of being a DK echo fighter.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I honestly hope echo fighters will remain a perk of Ultimate and closest thing we will get from then forward are just semiclones, regardless of the franchise they belong to, like Ganondorf to Captain Falcon.
As for Funky Kong, he and DK. Kong Jr. (Super Mario Kart version) would make good alt skins for Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong Jr. could be even be two skins for Donkey Kong:

One with the J and one more reddish with the V.

 

[CannonStreak]

Maybe an alt skin for DK that turns into DK Jr?

They are meant to be the same character if i remember right.

Nah, that would be if Kiddy Kong was playable in Smash!

But seriously, judging by the picture Hypercat-Z posted, that also works.

 

[Oracle Link]

Fan theory the duck from the duck hunt duo is the shooters pet!
Hes also a very dependable hunter only hunting if theres an overpopulation!

 

[Gengar84]

People keep saying they are right next to each other but there were other characters between the two. Enguarde and Ellie are just some examples.

I’m also curious if people feel more inclined to vote for a few characters per franchise just due to how the polls were broken up. If it wasn’t split up like that and everything was just one big list, I wonder how much the results would have changed. I ask because I personally voted for a few characters I think would be pretty cool that weren’t really on my list of most wanted characters.

For example, I think I probably voted for Picco and Black Shadow from F-Zero but that was mostly because I was comparing them to the other F-Zero characters I was looking at. Both would be neat additions but neither are anywhere near a character like Dixie Kong on my list. Despite me caring way more about Dixie than F-Zero characters, they were weighted the same in the poll. I wonder if some of Funky’s support comes from the same logic.

 

[Louie G.]

Whatever the circumstances that led to Funky Kong placing so highly, the indisputable conclusion is that people just plain like the guy.

The general goal and format of the poll makes it difficult to say confidently that Funky Kong is straight up one of the most highly requested characters. But what I think we are able to say is he would be one of the least controversial additions. It’s hard not to love him.

I wonder how this would flip if Funky Kong was slated to make it in over Dixie Kong though? Even if some people are chill with him on paper, I think it might not sit well with some older fans if Dixie was snubbed again in his favor. But that’s just my speculation, I’d like to know what others think.

Personally I kinda just want Funky and/or Cranky more than Dixie Kong at this point anyway.

 

[Diddy Kong]

The format helps which characters are actually popular. My issue with the ballot, amongst many others, is we could only vote for one specific character. Changing up your IP address worked to by pass this a little. But Swampie's format is perfect. Why? You either want a character or you don't. Bandana Dee and Dixie might not be everyone's number one as a Geno or Isaac would be, but they're wanted by almost everyone. And with 89 characters already in, this is a healthier format I feel.

 

[Gengar84]

Whatever the circumstances that led to Funky Kong placing so highly, the indisputable conclusion is that people just plain like the guy.

The general goal and format of the poll makes it difficult to say confidently that Funky Kong is one of the most highly requested characters. But what I think we are able to say is he would be one of the least controversial additions. It’s hard not to love him.

I wonder how this would flip if Funky Kong was slated to make it in over Dixie Kong though? Even if some people are chill with him on paper, I think it might not sit well with some older fans if Dixie was snubbed again in his favor. But that’s just my speculation, I’d like to know what others think.

Personally I kinda just want Funky and/or Cranky more than Dixie Kong at this point anyway.

I’d be understanding if Funky made it in over Dixie as an DK echo with maybe one or two different attacks using his surfboard. I want Dixie a lot more but I also think she should be a fully unique character and not a Diddy echo. It’s understandable if they’d want to prioritize an easy echo rather than a full character that would take a lot more development time and resources. Thats how I look at it anyway.

 

[Gorgonzales]

Nobody can hate Funky.

 

[Louie G.]

I’d be understanding if Funky made it in over Dixie as an DK echo with maybe one or two different attacks using his surfboard. I want Dixie a lot more but I also think she should be a fully unique character and not a Diddy echo. It’s understandable if they’d want to prioritize an easy echo rather than a full character that would take a lot more development time and resources. Thats how I look at it anyway.

Right, make sense. It kinda slipped my mind that many people probably endorsed Funky Kong as a simple echo fighter, I was thinking more about his unique potential from his surfboard or the weapons from DK64 among other things. I don’t doubt that Funky could be an echo, although it’s always a little odd for me to imagine him running around on all fours too.

Of course they could change his animations, but would that alter hitboxes in a meaningful way or require certain attacks to be changed altogether? I feel like Funky is also a character bursting with so much distinct personality that it’d be a shame to have him animate the same way Donkey Kong does, but I guess this is a problem someone like Daisy is already facing to a degree.

For clarity, I’m not saying he totally can’t be an echo fighter, but I’d support him a bit more passionately for his unique character traits instead. I wonder how Funky voters were thinking of him when they voiced support?

 

[Gengar84]

Right, make sense. It kinda slipped my mind that many people probably endorsed Funky Kong as a simple echo fighter, I was thinking more about his unique potential from his surfboard or the weapons from DK64 among other things. I don’t doubt that Funky could be an echo, although it’s always a little odd for me to imagine him running around on all fours too.

Of course they could change his animations, but would that alter hitboxes in a meaningful way or require certain attacks to be changed altogether? I feel like Funky is also a character bursting with so much distinct personality that it’d be a shame to have him animate the same way Donkey Kong does, but I guess this is a problem someone like Daisy is already facing to a degree.

Dark Samus moves around very differently than Samus so I think it’s likely they could do something similar for Funky. I don’t see him running straight upright though because of how big DK’s model actually is. I think DK is considerably taller than Ganondorf standing straight and second only to Ridley. They could always shrink Funky’s model to accommodate that but he at least wants to be in the same general ballpark of DK size wise.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

Fan theory the duck from the duck hunt duo is the shooters pet!
Hes also a very dependable hunter only hunting if theres an overpopulation!

Fan theories are wild, and crossovers don't help!

 

[Perkilator]

I’m be of those people who thinks Funky should be almost completely unique while Dixie should be a semi-clone with a different up special.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

What if Dixie and Diddy become one shifting character like in the original plans?

 

[Gengar84]

I’m be of those people who thinks Funky should be almost completely unique while Dixie should be a semi-clone with a different up special.

That’s fair but I’m of the opposite opinion. I think Dixie is more important to the series, having a playable role in three games where Funky was only in the DLC for Tropical Freeze. Both characters have enough potential for a fully fleshed out original moveset (I’ve made one for Dixie I’ve shared here before) but I prefer Dixie as a character and think she’s more important to the series. I never liked the thought of reducing Dixie to a Diddy echo considering the few attacks she and Diddy had in DKC, they didn’t share any of them. From their running attack to their grabs and movement options, I always saw them as pretty distinct.

 

[fogbadge]

Nobody can hate Funky.

you can be indifferent to him

 

[Gengar84]

I actually used to love Funky in the first two DK games but I’ve personally found the character to be kind of annoying since then. Nothing wrong with the people that do like him but he’s just not a character I care much about.

 

[Laniv]

What if Dixie and Diddy become one shifting character like in the original plans?

Short answer: Nooooo I don't wanna

Long answer: I really don't think stapling Dixie to Diddy to fill a niche that's already done by Ice Climbers and Rosalina & Luma is a good idea. Both Diddy and Dixie can stand well enough on their own; why put them together now?

 

[Gengar84]

Short answer: Nooooo I don't wanna

Long answer: I really don't think stapling Dixie to Diddy to fill a niche that's already done by Ice Climbers and Rosalina & Luma is a good idea. Both Diddy and Dixie can stand well enough on their own; why put them together now?

I don’t think they’d play like Ice Climbers. They’d be a lot closer to a traditional transformation character like Pyra/Myhtra or Pokemon Trainer. The only difference is you’d be able to see the inactive Kong in the background and Diddy and Dixie would be able to pick up and throw their inactive partner. They wouldn’t actually have a hitbox or hurtbox otherwise.