Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[RileyXY1]

Even if we scale back the third party content, I personally prefer Smash to celebrate Nintendo’s entire history rather than just focusing too much on the newest console generation. I think we should still get characters from newer games but the roster would get a little too boring and predictable if that’s all we get. Thats just my opinion though.

Yeah. I think that's the problem with many Smash reboot rosters I've seen. They focus too much on what's popular and iconic right now and forget entirely about the classics.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I just realized Fortnite has something Super Smash Bros. would deserve:
The beautiful artworks in the loading screens.
If the next game can't have the trophies back, I'd willingly trade them for some loading screens as nice as the ones in Fortnite.

 

[Perkilator]

Sakurai put out his last Graphics video.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Sakurai put out his last Graphics video.

"By the way, this is the final video in the Graphics category"
And I've already pointed out that before this, he's already posted the final videos for 6 out of 14 categories, which means now...

 

[ninjahmos]

If the next game does have a little more emphasis on first-party representation, I'm still hoping for Takamaru. And Ayumi.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Still on team no cuts just saying.

I’m on team no-cuts myself but I realize that it’s basically an inevitability at some point.

The certainty exists due to Sakurai himself saying that "Everyone Is Here!" cannot happen again.

Except he didn't say "cannot". He said "probably won't".

 

[Gengar84]

View attachment 394495

Except he didn't say "cannot". He said "probably won't".

I feel like there is a chance that we get everyone back one more time in the next game. However, I don’t think the roster can just keep growing forever as much as I want it to. There’s going to come a point where bringing everyone back is going to take too much time and development resources to be worth it.

The same happened with Pokemon last Gen. In Smash’s case, I’m actually more okay with it because Sakurai was at least honest upfront and told us that it was unlikely far in advance. I still don’t like how Pokemon just casually revealed that in a gameplay demo like it didn’t matter. I understand why it had to happen but I wish they’d have told us during Gen 7 that it was the last time we’d see the whole Pokédex in one game.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I think they will wait a generation or two before calling back the characters that will be unavoidably cut from the next Smash.

 

[Perkilator]

I just noticed in the RTC Discord server how much Lara Croft has crossed over since 2021; stuff like COD, Fall Guys, Fortnite, etc.

Do you think this makes it easier for Lara to be considered as a Smash newcomer?

 

[CannonStreak]

I feel like there is a chance that we get everyone back one more time in the next game. However, I don’t think the roster can just keep growing forever as much as I want it to. There’s going to come a point where bringing everyone back is going to take too much time and development resources to be worth it.

The same happened with Pokemon last Gen. In Smash’s case, I’m actually more okay with it because Sakurai was at least honest upfront and told us that it was unlikely far in advance. I still don’t like how Pokemon just casually revealed that in a gameplay demo like it didn’t matter. I understand why it had to happen but I wish they’d have told us during Gen 7 that it was the last time we’d see the whole Pokédex in one game.

Exactly! Bringing everyone back a second time will take lots of work and resources, and given how there were things that could not be added in Ultimate; some things not added initially, all due to the amount of characters, I don’t think a second Everyone is Here is going to be worth it, even if it is actually done.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I'll join the fun I guess:

Mario	Luigi	Peach	Daisy	Bowser	Captain Toad
Donkey Kong	Diddy Kong	Yoshi	Wario	Geno	Ness
Link	Zelda	Ganondorf	Skull Kid	Fox	Captain Falcon
Pikachu	Pokémon Trainer	Mega Charizard X	Lucario	New Pokémon	Min Min
Kirby	Meta Knight	King Dedede	Bandana Waddle Dee	Shulk	Mio
Marth	Lucina	Robin	Lyn	Olimar	Oatchi
Villager	Isabelle	Tom Nook	Samus	Dark Samus	Ridley
Inkling	Octoling	D.J. Octavio	Ring & Ring Fit Trainee	Sonic	Pac Man
Steve	Monster Hunter	Mii Brawler	Mii Swordfighter	Mii Gunner	Random

Bold = Newcomer, Italics = Echo Fighter

50 is once again the target number (Echoes don't count), though I'm starting to think that any number between 50 and 60 could be fairly realistic as well, especially with how tight the belt is at a flat 50. In case it's not intuitive enough, Mega Charizard X is an Echo Fighter of Charizard that doesn't have Pokémon Change. I also gave up on predicting the new Pokémon since there's a fairly decent chance it's a character we haven't even seen yet.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I always complain about people’s rosters not being creative but when I sit down to make a roster it’s also the same “heeho Bandana Dee/Mio/Oatchi” stuff. Not sure why our collective powers of imagination are so poor but it is frustrating.

 

[Gengar84]

I always complain about people’s rosters not being creative but when I sit down to make a roster it’s also the same “heeho Bandana Dee/Mio/Oatchi” stuff. Not sure why our collective powers of imagination are so poor but it is frustrating.

That’s why I mostly stick to wishlist rosters (while trying to keep it at least somewhat feasible). I get a bit bored with pure prediction rosters because they always end up looking so samey. Maybe I’m guilty of being a bit too creative and unrealistic and I know my tastes don’t necessarily align with many others in the Smash fanbase.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

That’s why I mostly stick to wishlist rosters (while trying to keep it at least somewhat feasible). I get a bit bored with pure prediction rosters because they always end up looking so samey. Maybe I’m guilty of being a bit too creative and unrealistic and I know my tastes don’t necessarily align with many others in the Smash fanbase.

Yeah, I’d rather stick to advocating for the few creative alternatives to speculation darlings (Off the Hook for a Splatoon newcomer, Master Kohga as the Switch Era Zelda character) rather than to have an opinion about all series’ potential newcomers. I generally like your newcomer choices but I’m personally not invested in third party choices.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I always complain about people’s rosters not being creative but when I sit down to make a roster it’s also the same “heeho Bandana Dee/Mio/Oatchi” stuff. Not sure why our collective powers of imagination are so poor but it is frustrating.

The fact is creative rosters gets a lot of complains and/or laughs because one character or another, and no one want to hear that, expecially from kids that seriously think that Goku and Shrek would have the right to be in Smash more than any obscure actual videogame character.

 

[Gengar84]

The fact is creative rosters gets a lot of complains and/or laughs because one character or another, and no one want to hear that, expecially from kids that seriously think that Goku and Shrek would have the right to be in Smash more than any obscure actual videogame character.

Mine mostly get ignored more so than complained about or laughed at lol. I’m not sure whether to take that as a good sign because no one calls it out as bad, or a bad sign because no one cares. Either way, it’s fine since the roster is mostly my personal preferences with the guideline that I can at least make a decent argument for their inclusion.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Yeah, there is a kind of SmashBoards hivemind that influences prediction rosters. As a community, we have a general idea of which picks are safe, with the rest being "heck if I know" picks. Anytime you see someone generate a roster with the explicit purpose of being different from the general consensus, it generally ends up making decisions for the sake of being contrarian and we get stuff like Luigi's not on it for no reason.

I had a decent list of other picks I was going to add, but couldn't because I felt all the others were more necessary. Off the top of my head, these picks were, Zero, Isaac, Dixie Kong, a second Sonic character, Excitebiker, and Ashley. I do think it's possible that one or two of them could get in over Oatchi, D.J. Octavio, or Skull Kid, but I went with them instead. Maybe I shouldn't have? I dunno. If I had a few more roster slots, I probably would have.

 

[Louie G.]

I always complain about people’s rosters not being creative but when I sit down to make a roster it’s also the same “heeho Bandana Dee/Mio/Oatchi” stuff. Not sure why our collective powers of imagination are so poor but it is frustrating.

I feel this. I've latched onto a few oddballs to campaign a little harder for though, like Off the Hook and I guess Excitebiker, also on and off deliberating picks like King Boo or Sidon, so I feel like that infuses the roster with at least a little extra personality. Besides, it's not as if every Smash game didn't have the obligatory / obvious pulls. It's no crime to state the obvious.

Funny enough though, my prediction would only have one of those three - and it's Oatchi, lol.

 

[Gengar84]

I’m curious what other people’s semi-plausible wishlist rosters are. I mostly see prediction rosters around here. What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

I always complain about people’s rosters not being creative but when I sit down to make a roster it’s also the same “heeho Bandana Dee/Mio/Oatchi” stuff. Not sure why our collective powers of imagination are so poor but it is frustrating.

Well... I would like to see at least one other Kirby character alongside the usual Bandana Dee in more rosters. It doesn't necessarily have to be a character I want, but it would be nice if I wasn't getting a strong implication that Bandana Dee is the only "priority" inclusion Kirby has left.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Well... I would like to see at least one other Kirby character alongside the usual Bandana Dee in more rosters. It doesn't necessarily have to be a character I want, but it would be nice if I wasn't getting a strong implication that Bandana Dee is the only "priority" inclusion Kirby has left.

I personally think that Magolor has a pretty good shot at the Kirby slot, I just don't want him over Dee.

EDIT: Whichever one gets in, I'll be rooting for the other on the next go 'round.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I’m curious what other people’s semi-plausible wishlist rosters are. I mostly see prediction rosters around here. What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

If I was in full control, people with no context would be really confused when a T-Rex gets put on the roster is all I'm saying lmao

But yeah, if I did a wishlist roster I'd basically just try and cram in my copium/partial hopium picks like Starfy, T-Rex, a Rhythm Heaven character, Reimu, probably Isaac for my friend, Paper Mario, and then some more likely picks like Bandana Dee, Noah/Mio, Oatchi.

Partial hopium is for Isaac mostly since he feels sort of likely but I could also see him maybe not happening again? I dunno, it's a weird thing to think about for me lol

 

[Gengar84]

My favorite Kirby character is Bugzzy but I don’t see it as terribly likely since it’s just a generic enemy. We did just get Piranha Plant so I suppose it’s not impossible.

 

[Louie G.]

What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

Probably more emphasis toward lesser represented Nintendo series, like Rhythm Heaven and Sin & Punishment. My mind still defaults to trying to find a nice comfy balance so I’d still prioritize bringing in more active faces like Tom Nook and Off the Hook and/or DJ Octavio, and Oatchi. And I’d probably show Kirby more love, whoever it is. I’d be happy with two newcomers.

Several of my most wanted third parties feel very practical already. Arle, Sans, Chun-Li all have a decent shot at it. Maybe I’d ambitiously try to squeeze Morrigan in as a dual reveal with Chun-Li. Would like to see some love toward Metal Slug too.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

The fact is creative rosters gets a lot of complains and/or laughs because one character or another, and no one want to hear that,

Possibly, SmashBoards is a bit more echo chambery than other places might be.

expecially from kids that seriously think that Goku and Shrek would have the right to be in Smash more than any obscure actual videogame character.

I love how that’s not even related to the point, but Goku and Shrek are not creative. In fact they’re obtusely ignorant of the one single guideline that Smash actually has.

Yeah, there is a kind of SmashBoards hivemind that influences prediction rosters. As a community, we have a general idea of which picks are safe, with the rest being "heck if I know" picks. Anytime you see someone generate a roster with the explicit purpose of being different from the general consensus, it generally ends up making decisions for the sake of being contrarian and we get stuff like Luigi's not on it for no reason.

I had a decent list of other picks I was going to add, but couldn't because I felt all the others were more necessary. Off the top of my head, these picks were, Zero, Isaac, Dixie Kong, a second Sonic character, Excitebiker, and Ashley. I do think it's possible that one or two of them could get in over Oatchi, D.J. Octavio, or Skull Kid, but I went with them instead. Maybe I shouldn't have? I dunno. If I had a few more roster slots, I probably would have.

True, especially with the idea that the roster is going to shrink. People haven’t really adapted their rosters to that. There’s nothing wrong with your roster per se, and Oatchi is at least an acknowledgement of Pikmin’s growth as a series and I really like Excitebiker as a retro choice.

I feel this. I've latched onto a few oddballs to campaign a little harder for though, like Off the Hook and I guess Excitebiker, also on and off deliberating picks like King Boo or Sidon, so I feel like that infuses the roster with at least a little extra personality. Besides, it's not as if every Smash game didn't have the obligatory / obvious pulls. It's no crime to state the obvious.

Funny enough though, my prediction would only have one of those three - and it's Oatchi, lol.

Yeah, I’m basically the same way. I don’t have the energy to research and advocate for oddballs in every series but I help where I can. I think we actually managed to bring Off the Hook to the conversation, which is really nice. Of course, Smash does have the obvious picks in there, though a roster with only obvious picks is the least obvious thing to happen. Closest thing we got to that since Brawl was Ultimate base game.

Well... I would like to see at least one other Kirby character alongside the usual Bandana Dee in more rosters. It doesn't necessarily have to be a character I want, but it would be nice if I wasn't getting a strong implication that Bandana Dee is the only "priority" inclusion Kirby has left.

I agree, though it’s a catch 22: Bandana Dee has gotten too big to ignore, but Kirby doesn’t have a logical character to include after him. Stranger things have happened though, such as Rosalina sneaking in before Toad and outprioritizing Bowser Jr. back in Smash 4. Kirby also has a wonderful cast of potential fighters and it is a legitimate shame that those characters don’t get discussed as often.

I’m curious what other people’s semi-plausible wishlist rosters are. I mostly see prediction rosters around here. What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

I once made this roster, though I think it takes too radical an approach with the third parties to be feasible. The vision behind it is to intergrate third party franchises in the same way as Nintendo franchises, with multiple characters per series where possible, but the first party newcomers aren’t super unique. Just not always the most obvious.

Spoiler: 64 character roster

1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Bowser
4. Peach (ε: Daisy)
5. Bowser Jr.
6. Rosalina and Luma
7. Waluigi
8. Yoshi
9. Wario
10. Donkey Kong
11. Diddy Kong
12. King K. Rool
13. Cranky Kong
14. Link
15. Zelda
16. Ganondorf
17. Sheik (ε: Impa)
18. Master Kohga
19. Samus (ε: Dark Samus)
20. Ridley
21. Kirby
22. Meta Knight
23. King Dedede
24. Bandana Dee
25. Fox
26. Falco
27. Pikachu
28. Pokémon Trainer
29. Lucario
30. Mewtwo
31. Greninja
32. Zacian
33. Captain Falcon
34. Ness
35. Marth (ε: Lucina)
36. Ike
37. Robin & Chrom
38. Anna
39. Excitebiker
40. Duck Hunt
41. Pit (ε: Dark Pit)
42. Palutena
43. Villager
44. Isabelle
45. Shulk
46. Pyra & Mythra
47. Olimar & Pikmin (ε: Alph & Pikmin)
48. Captain & Oatchi
49. Louie & Titan Dweevil
50. Little Mac
51. Inkling
52. Octoling
53. Off The Hook
54. Sonic
55. Dr. Eggman
56. Ryu (ε: Ken)
57. Chun-Li
58. Cloud
59. Sephiroth
60. Sora
61. Simon (ε: Richter)
62. Alucard
63. Pac-Man
64. Mega Man

1. 
   
   

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

My roster wouldn't change much if I was given full control because I want a roster that everyone can enjoy (as much as possible anyway), but if I was given 1 selfish pick...

Well I don't know off hand, but you certainly would the second you saw 'em. lol

 

[Gengar84]

There’s a few general themes I’d love to see Smash lean more into with future installments as far as the roster is concerned:

1) More female non-avatar characters
2) More villains
3) More western third party characters
4) More nonhuman characters beyond platformer mascots and Pokemon

Obviously, the specific character themselves matters but I find a lot of my favorite characters tend to fall into one or more of these categories so it would be cool to see more of these.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I'll join the fun I guess:

Bold = Newcomer, Italics = Echo Fighter

Guess I'll repost.

Newcomers at the end
' = Echo

What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

*points up

That’s why I mostly stick to wishlist rosters (while trying to keep it at least somewhat feasible). I get a bit bored with pure prediction rosters because they always end up looking so samey.

Yeah, I only care about who I want. Not who I expect.

 

[Louie G.]

True, especially with the idea that the roster is going to shrink. People haven’t really adapted their rosters to that.

I've been keeping this in mind and have applied a general philosophy to whichever characters I choose - which is that I will not add anyone that I think may be expendable or struggle to stand in a vacuum (except a new Pokemon). Where even in a scenario that the roster is like 40-50 fighters, each character is holding their own individual weight. I think in such an uncertain time for the series that's pretty much what they have to do, everyone needs to make a very potent case for themselves. That's why I'm hesitant to back characters like Alear or Noah / Mio who are susceptible to being outshone later.

And that isn't saying oh they're gonna add all the popular characters or anything, just those who have something really strong going on. Evergreen mascots like Tom Nook, rising stars like Off the Hook or Oatchi, fan favorites like Waluigi or Isaac, mechanically interesting curveballs like Excitebiker or Off the Hook (again). I think these are all gonna be effective choices even in dire straits, capable of becoming series staples in their own right.

I guess this sounds kind of obvious, but I see many rosters thrown together kind of carelessly to include one character and exclude another where it feels wrong. The sentiment among many is that when condensing a roster you're just doing swap-outs and replacing old faces for the sake of the new. I've ranted about it before but it's my least favorite community trend. Smash doesn't operate that way and operating under that mindset is not looking far enough ahead... because then do we just swap out those characters for new ones again later? It cheapens the crop exponentially. Work out your characters on their own merits first and then make the hard decisions after that.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I’m curious what other people’s semi-plausible wishlist rosters are. I mostly see prediction rosters around here. What would you guys like to see if you were in full control of the game?

The problem is what fit into the "semi-plausible" category. Nintendo is crazy and modern collaborations are crazy too. If we put the two things together the level of crazyness is elevated, and the record for the craziest character in a fighting game still belongs to Fighters Megamix:

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My favorite Kirby character is Bugzzy but I don’t see it as terribly likely since it’s just a generic enemy. We did just get Piranha Plant so I suppose it’s not impossible.

Exactly! That's what I mean! The slime from from Dragon Quest was seriously taken in consideration as a playable character.
The list of crazy yet possible characters is bigger than we might think, expecially when having to top Piranha Plant in WTFness.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

All the roster posting has inspired me to finish my own roster. It'll mostly be want, that's a lot more fun to work with than prediction.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I guess this sounds kind of obvious, but I see many rosters thrown together kind of carelessly to include one character and exclude another where it feels wrong. The sentiment among many is that when condensing a roster you're just doing swap-outs and replacing old faces for the sake of the new. I've ranted about it before but it's my least favorite community trend. Smash doesn't operate that way and operating under that mindset is not looking far enough ahead... because then do we just swap out those characters for new ones again? It cheapens the crop exponentially.

Sacrifices need to be made.
The actual roster is gigantic already and if we don't remove someone there will be not room enough for new characters.

All the roster posting has inspired me to finish my own roster. It'll mostly be want, that's a lot more fun to work with than prediction.

Well, I guess some boundaries would make it look more senseful.

 

[Gengar84]

Sacrifices need to be made.
The actual roster is gigantic already and if we don't remove someone there will be not room enough for new characters.


Well, I guess some boundaries would make it look more senseful.

Yeah, the only boundary I set for myself is that I have to be able to make a decent argument for why the character could or should be in beyond “I like them”. Thats why I usually leave out my all time favorite game character since he’s a side character in a PS2 JRPG owned by Sony that’s only been in one game. Needless to say, I would be beyond shocked to even hear him talked about for Smash by someone other than myself.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

expecially when having to top Piranha Plant in WTFness.

Why does it have to be some escalating arms race?

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I've been keeping this in mind and have applied a general philosophy to whichever characters I choose - which is that I will not add anyone that I think may be expendable or struggle to stand in a vacuum (except a new Pokemon). Where even in a scenario that the roster is like 40-50 fighters, each character is holding their own individual weight. I think in such an uncertain time for the series that's pretty much what they have to do, everyone needs to make a very potent case for themselves. That's why I'm hesitant to back characters like Alear or Noah / Mio who are susceptible to being outshone later.

And that isn't saying oh they're gonna add all the popular characters or anything, just those who have something really strong going on. Evergreen mascots like Tom Nook, rising stars like Off the Hook or Oatchi, fan favorites like Waluigi or Isaac, mechanically interesting curveballs like Excitebiker or Off the Hook (again). I think these are all gonna be effective choices even in dire straits, capable of becoming series staples in their own right.

I guess this sounds kind of obvious, but I see many rosters thrown together kind of carelessly to include one character and exclude another where it feels wrong. The sentiment among many is that when condensing a roster you're just doing swap-outs and replacing old faces for the sake of the new. I've ranted about it before but it's my least favorite community trend. Smash doesn't operate that way and operating under that mindset is not looking far enough ahead... because then do we just swap out those characters for new ones again later? It cheapens the crop exponentially. Work out your characters on their own merits first and then make the hard decisions after that.

One thing Alear does have going for them is the ability to backpack in extra characters through an Emblem mechanic, but the problem is that the Emblems most associated with Alear are Marth and Lucina, who are priorities for the series representation either way.

 

[Louie G.]

Sacrifices need to be made.
The actual roster is gigantic already and if we don't remove someone there will be not room enough for new characters.

Obviously, but my point is that it isn't as simple as "I'm adding Tom Nook, so we don't need Isabelle. I'm adding Bandana Dee, so bye bye Meta Knight". Is Alear a good replacement for Byleth, or Mio for Pyra and Mythra, if the preceding characters and games are significantly more popular? These are the lapses many people make without thinking beyond old vs new. I've been seeing a few rosters swap out K. Rool for Dixie Kong lately and... why? Their situations were exactly the same in Ultimate and K. Rool was chosen instead. Smash doesn't "take turns" like this.

Characters aren't really these expendable pieces to swap for one another. Too many rosters that attempt to simultaneously cut down and build up have these backwards methods of equivalent exchange. Not directed at anyone here necessarily, I think everyone just needs to factor in characters on their own merit - and if same series cuts need to eventually be made then so be it. But it is often an (unrealistic) excuse to unambitiously keep the basic framework of the roster and just shuffle the parts around. Instead of making inspired new moves in different directions, like Smash always does instead.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

Obviously, but my point is that it isn't as simple as "I'm adding Tom Nook, so we don't need Isabelle. I'm adding Bandana Dee, so bye bye Meta Knight". Is Alear a good replacement for Byleth, or Mio for Pyra and Mythra, if the preceding characters and games are significantly more popular? These are the lapses many people make without thinking beyond old vs new.

Characters aren't really these expendable pieces to swap for one another. Too many rosters that attempt to simultaneously cut down and build up have these backwards methods of equivalent exchange. Not directed at anyone here necessarily, I think everyone just needs to factor in characters on their own merit - and if same series cuts need to eventually be made then so be it. But it is often an (unrealistic) excuse to unambitiously keep the basic framework of the roster and just shuffle the parts around. Instead of making inspired new moves in different directions, like Smash always does instead.

The problem with this line of thinking is that you’ll find that very few potential newcomers have more merits than the veterans, especially since “being a veteran” is a big merit in and of itself.

 

[Gengar84]

The problem with this line of thinking is that you’ll find that very few potential newcomers have more merits than the veterans, especially since “being a veteran” is a big merit in and of itself.

That’s my problem with severely reduced rosters in general. We have so many of the most important characters already. Cutting a ton of them for a few newcomers that are less iconic is a hard sell (for me at least). More than that, a drastically smaller roster means less unconventional character choices since there’s such limited space. Its going to be hard for the roster to look drastically different from Brawl’s beyond swapping out the 10 or so least relevant characters for more modern ones.

 

[Louie G.]

The problem with this line of thinking is that you’ll find that very few potential newcomers have more merits than the veterans, especially since “being a veteran” is a big merit in and of itself.

I agree with that, although to some extent you have to take it with a grain of salt and recognize the fact that we're giving new characters the capacity to become these valued veterans too. In some way, the "new" may very well take precedent over the old. But it definitely won't be through some pre-decided exchange of an eye for an eye. Especially when one of those eyes has 20/20 vision and the other needs glasses.

I want to harp a bit more on Alear and Byleth to demonstrate the point. This is a common point of interest for some fans to believe the newest FE protagonist is in some roster rotation. In actuality we have zero evidence for this ever happening - perhaps characters like Lucario or Ike outprioritized Mewtwo or Roy. This is susceptible to happen, and ultimately I think the right decision is to favor the new. But those characters were also planned to be on the roster. So when people pose the idea that oh, Raven Beak is here so we don't need Ridley anymore (a remarkably stupid point that I've unfortunately seen more than once) they simply have the wrong idea of how this all operates. The old guard doesn't get tossed to the curb so dismissively.

Anyway, back to Alear and Byleth, Alear has some moveset potential in their camp but the conversation is often driven by their fleeting newness. Byleth is still fairly contemporary, debuted on Switch, and Three Houses is by far the more popular and successful game pit up against Engage. So exchanging the protagonist of the highest selling game in the series, right after they got here, for a character from a game with middling performance and hype at best... that's a bad trade. There's no doubt that Byleth is the character that speaks to more people. And yes, you have an inherent staying power if you are already a veteran that has connected with people, which is another can of worms, but not all legacies are infalliable and to get into that I'd have to break apart the roster one by one lol.

I hope it's clear this isn't just about Alear. But I think it's the most glaring example of the way some people attempt to make what on paper feels like a reasonable trade-off, but in actuality is a decision motivated by an arbitrary sense of the new as the only justification.

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

This is the "roster" I made a few months back, but I didn't really feel like addressing cuts, so it's pretty much just a list of character I think are plausible and/or interesting that I wanted to talk about. Just like take a smattering of those first-parties, smattering of the third-parties, and then a handful of the more out there characters for DLC, and cut the characters everybody has discussed cutting 1 trillion times to have a roster lol.

Mio: Xenoblade 3 is the obvious pick for understandable reasons, I think Xenoblade 3 getting nominated for GOTY really cemented it as one of Nintendo's newer A-list franchises, and it sells pretty well considering the type of game it is. Both Noah and Mio are valid picks, but while Noah definitely is more important to the game overall and is more of the main character with Lucky Seven as its symbol, I feel like Mio would get the nod for her weapons. You can use any kind of weapon with any character in the game, but Noah would undoubtedly need to focus on Lucky Seven for a lot of his moveset, while Mio would focus on her chakrams, I don't think their alternate weapons would be used for more than filling out some of their miscallaneous attacks. In that scenario, I think hand-held twin chakrams are a lot more obviously distinct both visually and likely playstyle-wise, though that's not to say Lucky Seven and Noah wouldn't be unique if they did get in. A lot of fan movesets incorporate Noah or Mio as a character the other summons, which I think is a bit clunky and not necessary, but could be done if you really wanted, and I don't think a tag-team fighter is impossible either assuming the Switch 2 is strong enough to handle it. I think both Noah and Mio would be great picks on their own merits either way. I also picked Mio just because I have a few other notable swordfighters on this list, and I didn't want to make it too heavy with them. Considering Sakurai has talked about sword user saturation and his misgivings with it for Ultimate, I do think that'd be worth keeping in mind.

Waluigi: Another pick which I think would mostly speak for itself, if the game does end up being Ultimate Deluxe, and the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with previous Switch games, you'd need a strong selling hook to convince people who already own Ultimate to buy it. I definitely don't think "hey we added Waluigi" would be what convinces your average person lol, but in terms of people more hooked into industry news who followed stuff like E3 in the past, I think he'd be a good fan-favourite pick to get some more eyes on the game alongside some other big hook in a similar way to Ridley, and I think Waluigi has plenty going for him beyond just that. He's a notable and long-lasting popular Mario character with a very distinct visual identity and personality. In terms of moveset, I think Delzethin's is probably closest to what I have in mind, I like the idea of spinning him as a character who cheats and breaks the rules, using random items (within reason) and pokes with his long disjointed limbs to zone and control neutral, think like Faust from Guilty Gear or Teddie from Persona 4 Arena. This would probably make him pretty annoying to fight against on paper, but like the examples I mentioned for this archetype, I think it'd be possible to control his chaoticness so he's not just playing a completely different game from everybody else.

Landorus: This isn't actually Landorus specifically, it's a placeholder for a new Pokemon character. I think if the timing works out then Meowscarada is definitely the likeliest, they have pretty much everything going for them as a unique and very popular and marketed starter with a gimmick and aesthetid that makes them easily stand out, and I think they'd be a cool pick. I like the idea of making a character who's not an actual magician, but a stage magician specifically, there's a lot you could do that with animation wise and gameplay wise, I imagine them being really heavy on set play. I picked Landorus instead to represent other options. I think Meowscarada could be cool, but there's over 1000 pokemon, and there's tons of other interesting options that I think would be fun to talk about as well if you wanted. Do Meloetta and give them a stance-switching mechanic, do Annihilape so we can get an Akuma function, do Genesect because they're cool, do like, I dunno, Volo because they were a memorable character and could use Garchomp lol. And of course, do Landorus so we can finally get stealth rocks in a smash moveset. Incineroar needs his intimidate partner. If it was up to me, I think Meloetta for some reason sticks out in my mind as having really fun moveset potential and a cool visual identity. If this even remotely worked as an actual character, I'd kind of also just want to add Zygarde himself. Basically just saying to get creative with what you talk about lol.

Octoling: As a pick their merits are pretty self-explanatory, especially since currently the Splatoon content in smash is almost entirely just from the first game. You could adjust this just by adding more content or changing up the Inkling's moveset a bit, but you could also adjust it by adding the Octolings with their new styles. I could see them as an echo, but I feel like a semi-clone moveset would also make sense. The later Splatoon games have a lot of new interesting weaponry that you could use to give an alternate take on the stage control bait-and-punish style, and it would fit with the Octolings' story. I'd want the Splat Brella to be in there somewhere.

On this note I'll say I think Animal Crossing could also get a new character given how massive it is, I could see Tom Nook getting in with a moveset more focused around bells that could be fun. It's not a series about action though, so I think it could go either way given this would be its third character.

Magolor: Kirby could obviously do with a new character and has popular requests. Bandana Dee is definitely the most popular and would make a lot of sense, but I think Magolor would be more interesting personally. Return to Dreamland was the game that essentially started the modern Kirby era, with Magolor as a very popular and well liked recurring character within the fanbase who just recently got a starring role, and above all I think his moveset would stand out a lot in a lot of cool ways. I imagine him basically having an install, where he builds up meter by attacking and is able to use his down special to morph into his Master Crown form when it's full, giving him super enhanced attacks reminiscent of his boss fight at the cost of it slowly damaging him and increasing his endlag to make him more punishable. You also couldn't revert out of the form if you activate it, so in essence it would be a risk-reward mechanic that rewards having a lot of confidence, kind of in a similar way to Magolor's own trickery at the end of the original RTTD. That's just one idea, but I think there's a lot of neat directions you could go. He's redeemed now though, don't worry. I think Dee is more likely, or I could see a world where both get in, but I just wanted to talk about Magolor.

Riju: Similar to Kirby, the merits of a Zelda newcomer speak for themselves, and there's a lot of good options you could do. Rauru is really important to TOTK and could have a really unique moveset using the fuse mechanics and light magic, but personality and presence wise I just don't think he's a very interesting character. Impa would be cool if you based her on her Warriors appearances, though that might complicate the rights, and Sidon is very popular and charming and could have a fun moveset with his trident and waterbending. I think overall Riju would be the best pick though, her moveset is cool and flashy with her lightning powers in a way that has a lot of obvious appeal, and twin scimitars would be a unique weapon that are easy to make stand out, with Riju herself having a neat small-but-mighty visual identity. Summoning movesets are very overused, but for the TOTK sages I think it would make sense to have them summon some of the other sages for their specials, because their teamwork is an important aspect and they feel a bit more cohesive. She'd also add a bit of diversity to the roster which is nice.

I'll also note here that a Metroid newcomer would make sense. Raven Beak is really popular and could have a super sick moveset, I think he could be great, but it might be a bit weird to include a one-off character from a game that's gonna be fairly old by the time a new Smash is likely to drop, and it's kind of unlikely Raven Beak will show up in any other game in a prominent role. I'll talk about Geno later lol. Sylux meanwhile I do actually like on his own merits, I thought he was cool in Prime Hunters and his weapon already has some interesting mechanics you could use, but he's also definitely the epitome of Potential Man, we just don't know if he'll actually be in Prime 4 at all, let alone what his actual role or abilities will be. Mahoraga-chan save me.

Officer Howard: Nintendo taking the Astral Chain IP would indicate they have some kind of plans with it, and the first game did really solidly for a new IP. They're an action game protagonist with a unique gimmick that essentially writes itself moveset wise, and I love Astral Chain's aesthetic, they'd have a great stage for sure. Also a good counterpart to Joker if you think about it, though obviously that's not an actual positive lol. Like Bayonetta they'd definitely be a fairly high skill-ceiling character that I imagine would focus on using the right Legion for whatever situation and matchup they're in. My only concern is that having both the Officer and the Legion on-screen at the same time might be too much for the hardware, unless the Legion was only on-screen for a certain amount of time, because they both have fairly complex designs like Rex and Pyra. Still, would be cool, and I think a good choice for a character from a new IP, their style is so unique that I think a lot of people unfamiliar with Astral Chain could think they're appealing.

The Ring Fit Adventure protagonists would also make a lot of sense and seem likely, that game sold amazingly and it's another action title, I just didn't really have much to say about them.

Karate Joe: Everybody has discussed Rhythm Heaven in Smash 4 to death a million times, but it is personally probably my favourite Nintendo series, and would be a great standout. The main issue likeliness wise is that the series is in limbo and doesn't seem likely to get a new title, but for what it's worth its sister series Warioware keeps chugging along with regular new games and notable marketing. I think Ashley is likelier in that sense, but idk I just wanted to talk about Rhythm Heaven instead. RH has a lot of characters you could pick from, but I think Karate Joe is the best choice, his game is significant to the series and prominent every time, and while any RH moveset would have to involve a lot of summoning because that's basically how the remixes operate anyways, Karate Joe being a martial artist means you can fill out his moveset with more standard attacks without having to rely on odd hitboxes or summoning for every single move. I think it'd be a lot more cohesive and appealing in that sense. There's a lot of ways you could implement the rhythm gimmick, though given precise input timing would likely be incorporated, this would be a good time to clarify that my actual most wanted character for Smash 6 is Rollback Netcode from the Street Fighter 6 franchise. Add Tekken 8 rollback as an echo fighter with twice as much endlag. Also reduce input lag please.

Takamaru: agfkhiugdihkdhufjffhifiu retro pick, I think Takamaru is the coolest choice out of them by far. I'd want him to go a similar direction to Pit with a redesign, but perhaps keeping the 8-bit sound effects and visuals effects for some of his attacks. That sort of classic vs modern duality fits his character and the plot of Murasame Castle. I'd want him to essentially be an MVC Dante function, because if the Murasame franchise continued, that's basically the direction it seems like it would have gone. Give him different stances based on the various chess pieces where he assumes different sword stances, each altering his stats, with his gameplan revolving around precise inputs switching between them to extend your combos, in trade-off for the stance switching itself being easily punishable and him being very lightweight. Also give him a monochrome alt. Personally Takamaru is probably my most wanted first party character, but I will say I don't think a new retro pick is particularly likely, we'd have to see.

Geno: I feel like this has also been discussed to death, but the fact that Super Mario RPG Remake sold so well and is about to become the best-selling Mario RPG feels like the leg-up Geno needs to actually get in. While it's not like the success of other Mario RPGs have let their characters get in, and like Raven Beak he's a one-off character who's unlikely to show up in anything else, with the amount of fan support he has which has been acknowledged in Smash itself, I think if he was ever gonna get in, it would be here. Obviously I'm sure that's also not an uncommon opinion lol, we'll just have to see. In terms of moveset, gun.

Doomguy: I don't think this is like a definitive thing or anything, but if you check the best-selling Smash DLC on the e-shop in most regions, the Doom Slayer Mii is always in the top 10, usually only beaten by Sans, Cuphead, and the Minecraft costumes, and that includes in Japan. The fact that he even got in as the last Mii costume is cool and I think indicates he had some strong fan demand, coming just off of the wave of costumes Sakurai acknowledged as popular requests. I think he has a lot going for him, with how massive his series is and its strong presence on Nintendo consoles combined with what seems like a lot of fan requests and demands. I think it wouldn't be too challenging to tone him down to fit the age rating, the Doom series is already somewhat cartoony and almost all of Doom's most iconic weapons are sci-fi equipment and not realistic guns. Even the Super Shotgun was already redesigned in Quake Champions to have a more stylised sci-fi look, so I think the chainsaw would the biggest hurdle. I disagree with anybody saying glory kills are too integral to the character to lose, but that's also my bias for classic Doom coming into play lol. In terms of playstyle I imagine him having an ammo and weapon switching mechanic, with his guns behaving as long disjoints on limited ammo, which can be replenished by hitting opponents with normal attacks similar to the recent Doom games. It would encourage against zoning and instead reward playing as an aggressive rushdown character who has to constantly keep moving. I will say though that while the Doom/Animal Crossing meme probably helped with fan demand, I definitely don't think Nintendo liked it for their image lol. I could also see Dragonborn happening instead.

Akira Yuki: People suggest a lot of different Sega and fighting game characters, but I rarely see Akira come up, which I understand given the state Virtua Fighter is in. I think Akira has a fairly solid shot, Virtua Fighter is outright just one of the most influential games ever made with massive legacy and significant representation in Smash already, it seems clear to me Sakurai holds a lot of reverence for the series. It's one of Sega's most important IPs, and is about to get a revival according to Midori's leaks. While I don't see why someone like Sakurai would necessarily be privy to something like that happening, I do think it helps counter the series being dormant for a while. The main issue with Akira I'd say is implementing Virtua Fighter mechanics into a game like Smash. Akira isn't your average fighting game martial artist, he plays nothing like someone like Ryu and is very complex. Sakurai even cited Virtua Fighter as a 3D fighting game that's difficult to translate into Smash in the Kazuya presentation, and the Virtua Fighter series is known for being relatively grounded, so Akira doesn't have any projectiles. The trade-off is that something Virtua Fighter is also known for is having fairly low gravity and high jumps, moreso than most Tekken games, which is somewhat adapted in Akira's assist trophy already. I could imagine Akira being somewhat like Jigglypuff, having no real recovery but high jumps to make up for it, but unlike Jigglypuff, having limited air mobility and attack powerso he's still a grounded fighter. This would make him easily punishable, but I think it's a fair trade-off. Virtua Fighter, unlike Tekken, is a 3-button game, with guard, punch, and kick buttons, so I could see a moveset adapting it as the attack button being punch, the special button being kick, and the shield button being guard, which would allow you to faithfully represent Virtua Fighter's grounded movement and Akira's moveset. Sakurai already considered giving Min-Min no actual special attacks, and I could see that coming into fruition here. It would make Akira very technical and difficult to master, but I think that's important to the series. Akira is very basic and standard visually, but to me that's part of the appeal of him and Virtua Fighter as a whole, and how the series has to evolve to attract a wider audience is something the people behind it have talked about in interviews, so it's something to think about.

Dante: Capcom has tons of characters who have a great shot and are requested and would be really cool, you could basically do an entire season of just Capcom guests. I think Jill and Monster Hunter in particular stand out the most, and I could definitely see Monster Hunter getting in. Still, Dante has been acknowledged as a very popular request by both Itsuno and Sakurai with a Mii costume that seems like it sold well based on e-shop charts and presence on Nintendo consoles for what that's worth, and his appeal really speaks for itself, so I think he has a fair shot. If the Switch 2 is comparable in specs to the PS4 and Xbox One, it would be nice to get a DMC5 port. Dante obviously has too much moveset potential, there's a million directions you could go. I think AShadowLink's moveset on Source Gaming did a decent job getting most of what you'd want down without being too overtuned from what I remember. This would definitely be another big crowdpleaser.

The Tarnished: This is the first more out-there pick I think, but I could see it happening. Dark Souls is up there as one of the most important and influential Japanese game series not yet featured in Smash, and is owned by Bandai Namco. There's a few suggestions you could do, Solaire is popular and has a lot of appeal, but his actual moveset is fairly limited, he only has one offensive miracle and he's pretty much perfect for an Assist Trophy role. Artorias is really cool and iconic to the series, but I think getting to play as him would kind of diminish his appeal. Part of what makes him so impactful is trying to understand what's going on inside him as he tries to fight the abyss, stuff like him using his weaker arm for his sword swings. I feel like it wouldn't be the best representation of Dark Souls's gameplay. The Chosen Undead is I think definitely the best pick for Dark Souls, but Elden Ring took Dark Souls's formula and really hit the mainstream with it and found massive success. Elden Ring is still getting new content, and FromSoft and Bandai Namco have said they plan to make it a full expansive franchise. Between the two, I feel like Dark Souls might be slightly better represented by a stage. Every soulslike (except Sekiro if you count that) is more about the world than the player character, but I think it'd be fair to say the Tarnished is more important to Elden Ring than the Chosen Undead is to Dark Souls 1. Part of the point of the original Dark Souls is I'd say the Chosen Undead being ultimately irrelevant and their actions not having any impact on the future games, while in contrast the story of Elden Ring places more prominence on the player character as an entity within the story. Personally speaking, given that and how massive Elden Ring is, the Tarnished as a playable character with a Limgrave stage, alongside an Anor Londo stage and a Solaire Assist Trophy I feel like would be the most solid way to feature both games. If the Switch 2 is powerful enough to handle Elden Ring like the base PS4, I could see a port happening. The main complication with the Tarnished specifically over the Chosen Undead is that FromSoft now owns the Elden Ring IP, not Bandai Namco, which could make licensing a bit more complex, though I imagine Bandai Namco would still have to be involved in discussions. The Tarnished also has way too much moveset potential, you could come up with 10 entirely unique movesets for them, so there's a lot you could do, I've already written too much here.

Rayman: I needed a scrimblo to break up the last few picks. Ubisoft seems like it has a solid shot of getting a character, and while I think Ezio also has a good chance, and I'd honestly personally prefer him, I think it'd be Rayman off the back of fan demand in a similar way to Banjo, and I think he'd be a good choice as well. I could see Ezio happening later. While likely not as requested, Rayman is a lot more relevant than someone like Banjo and just recently had a prominent role in a Mario game, with a moveset that pretty much writes itself given how Origins and Legends control. The biggest hurdle is him having pretty much no Japanese presence to my knowledge, which definitely hurts. If you wanted to argue against that, you could bring up Sakurai saying that Banjo scoring so highly in the ballot was surprising from a Japanese perspective I guess.

Ryu Hayabusa: Koei Tecmo also seems very likely to get a character, Nintendo higher-ups seem to view Smash picks in terms of getting new companies or representing popular games, and Koei would fit into that perfectly, with Hayabusa being the obvious choice, especially given the Hayabusa clan is also present in Dead or Alive and Nioh. It's sort of surprising he didn't get a Mii costume honestly. I see a lot of his fan movesets base him more on his classic appearance, but I disagree with that. While him being more NES-styled would fit in with how Mega Man and Simon are handled, I don't think a new character should be modelled based on how they would fit in with characters from entirely different franchises as opposed to being modelled based on what best represents their own franchise. In that sense, the modern style for Ninja Gaiden is much more prominent, still featured to this day, and offers a ton in terms of moveset with his weapons and ninpo. He's in a similar boat to Dante and Bayonetta as an action game protagonist with dozens of weapons to pick from for a moveset, and he'd undoubtedly be a difficult character to master. Give him a classic NES alt though of course.

Doctor Eggman: Eggman definitely shot up in requests after Sephiroth, and I could see that playing a factor in the next game. A new Sonic character has always been a significant request, and I feel like Eggman has the most going for him in that field with how unique he is visually and how prominent he is in the series, though I could see Tails, Knuckles, or Shadow getting the nod as well. I like the idea of giving him the Egg Walker as his basic appearance, and making him heavy on setplay with slow frame-data but odd disjointed attacks and stage control, most similar to K. Rool in that regard. I don't think he'd end up being a very good character, but it's good to have some variety in viability and have a few lower tiers. His final smash should be the Egg Fleet.

Shovel Knight: An indie character is always a slightly tougher sell, and there's tons of great picks if one were to happen. I'd say the strongest contendors are Sans or Frisk, Shantae, the Knight, and Zagreus. Undertale really speaks for itself and I think could be a really good pick with some really interesting movesets, I'd personally probably want Kris but I think Deltarune should get much farther along before that's considered. Shantae was acknowledged as a popular pick and has a lot of history even if the games have never been the most popular, with Wayforward doing work for Nintendo, and Hollow Knight was a massive success and is very popular within these kinds of spheres. Zagreus strikes me as being kind of a Joker-style pick, someone really surprising you wouldn't expect to be in Smash but from a very popular and well-liked game with an incredibly distinct style that lends itself well to Smash. I'd love Quote but I don't think that would happen. I think for an actual roster Sans or the Knight (or Hornet I guess) feel like the most likely, but I picked Shovel Knight partially out of bias and partially because I'd say Shovel Knight has strongly established itself as a proper franchise beyond just one game. You could say the same for something like Shantae, but while I think obssessing over sales numbers is a bit silly and leads to dumb arguments, I do think it's probably worth noting that Shovel Knight Treasure Trove on its own has sold as much as the entire Shantae franchise combined for example, it's not just a franchise but a fairly successful one. It is definitely bias involved as well though lol, I really like Shovel Knight. His moveset potential again writes itself, and the fact he was popular enough to get an Assist Trophy and a set of spirits helps.

I also have to give a shoutout to Reimu, Touhou's history is very notable and longlasting and she'd fit in well. I'm not sure how likely she is given Touhou's odd circumstances as a franchise, and I'm not even sure how much I want her, but I do love Touhou, EOSD is my favourite game in the series. Youmu is the real pick though.

Lara: I promise I'm not bandwagoning off of that BAFTA poll lol, I think Lara has always been a good pick. She's massively iconic and important and her games got released recently on the Switch which I think would help a bit, though Nintendo history definitely isn't the be-all end-all these days. Tomb Raider also does have some presence in Japan even if it's obviously not as popular as it is in the West. A hurdle is that it's currently owned by the Embracer Group, a very big but somewhat unstable company which might make negotiating difficult. Still, while I don't think she's particularly likely, I think Lara has a lot of merit. She'd most likely be based more on the classic games, with her reboot design as an alt, using some of her more grounded weaponry like the spear gun and fragmentation grenade, and maybe some of the artifacts like Mjolnir for her specials, she'd probably be somewhat of a zoner. Could have a great stage too, Tomb Raider has tons of iconic locations to choose from.

On a similar note, I also want to say I'd love Agent 47 to get in. He definitely has no shot, and I don't know what his recovery would be, maybe using a shortcut ladder, but he's also very iconic and I love the Hitman games, and their slight cartooniness really fits well in Smash. He's definitely my number one "not gonna happen but wouldn't it be crazy tho?" pick.

The Traveler: This is probably the second really out there pick, I don't tend to see them on other fan rosters at least. Genshin Impact is a massive title which is popular globally, especially in Japan, and mihoyo is definitely a company I could see Nintendo wanting to strengthen relationships with. Genshin was announced to be coming to the Switch a while ago, and while that probably won't happen until the Switch 2 so it can actually be powerful enough to run the game, it having a presence would help, I think a Genshin character would have a lot of appeal. You could also do Kiana from Honkai Impact or the Trailblazer from Star Rail, but Genshin is undeniably their biggest title with the most recognition. Genshin has a lot of player characters to choose from, Hu Tao is probably a contendor for the most popular and would be a good pick as well, and Raiden Ei is also really up there and could be very cool, but this is a case where I think picking the main character would make the most sense. The Traveler has access to (or in the future will have access to) all 7 elements of Teyvat so you represent all the nations of the game, and it gives them a ton of obvious moveset variety. It would basically be putting the Avatar in Smash, which really sells itself I'd say, and Genshin has some very nice visual effects to give their attacks a lot of flair. Would also be another character with a male/female alt which is probably good to have. It would definitely be a more controversial pick if it were to happen, and I don't think it's the most likely, but I could see it for sure.

Riven: League of Legends is one of the most popular games on the planet and, like Genshin, is popular globally with a massive playerbase even in the East. While they are obviously totally different teams that would require different negotations like Sakurai has mentioned for Banjo and Steve, Tencent technically already has content in Smash via the Warframe spirits, and Tencent owns Riot as well. League has especially been expanding recently, most prominently with Arcane making a huge splash, but also a ton of spin-offs across different platforms, including the Switch, alongside the planned future MMO. League is so popular and recognised by basically everybody that I could see one happening as a surprise, and there's certainly a lot of characters to pick from. Unlike Genshin, League is an ensemble cast with no one main character, and there are honestly like 30 characters I'd say would be valid picks for Smash. Yasuo and Ahri are both extremely popular and prominent, Lux ties into the Demacia storyline and is one of the most popular characters, Teemo is an icon of League's gameplay even if he has basically no story role, Jinx is prominent in Arcane and is the mascot of Wild Rift, and a ton of others. Ultimately I decided to pick Riven because I feel like she ticks the most boxes for a character. She's one of the oldest champions who was introduced in season 1 of the game, she's very popular with a lot of skins and marketing, she's played a lot competitively (though she's fallen off recently), she ties into a very important aspect of League's lore in the Noxus-Ionia war, and she's specifically designed to play like a fighting game character based on tons of games, including Smash, her codename while she was being developed was "Marth". This means her gimmick is animation cancelling, allowing her to quickly cancel her Q animation (her using a series of sword slashes) and begin moving again. She's built around dealing complex combos and has a well known high skill-ceiling because of that, so it's only fitting that she fits really well into Smash when she's partially based on Melee Marth in the first place. While she is technically a swordsman, her sword is massive Guts-style cleaver as big as her body which can disassesmble into component parts, so I think it stands out a lot more even in that field. She's also almost certainly gonna be in Project L/2XKO anyways. Like I said though, League has tons of characters to pick from, so there's a lot of options. My second choice would probably be Ekko, I had a tough time deciding between him and RIven.

Gordon Freeman: Despite everything I think Gordon is probably actually the least likely character out of any of these, given the Half-Life games have never been on a Nintendo console and he doesn't have much presence in Japan either. Still, Gordon is obviously very iconic and from one of the most important game series ever. While Half-Life itself isn't on the Switch, Portal got a fairly recent and notable port, and I do think Valve would be willing to play ball, I'm not sure to what extent Nintendo considers the Steam Deck a competitor to the Switch given that. I see TF2 characters get a lot of requests within these kinds of circles for understandable reasons, but I think Gordon is the best choice. Half-Life is an icon in much the same way Doom is, and is a respectable franchise with a few games, including a fairly recent entry. I'm also reminded of that weird Final Fantasy XV/Half-Life crossover from a while back. Either way, Gordon can be adapted to Smash fairly well. While he does use a lot of guns, his main weapon is a crowbar which is an easy fit, and a lot of his more well known weaponry i made-up sci-fi equipment. You could easily make his main gun the Combine Pulse Rifle from Half-Life 2 and it would be a perfect fit, Half-Life obviously isn't kid friendly but it's not like super focused on gore or anything. The main gameplay of Half-Life revolves around using every tool at your disposal to get ahead, having to both plan in advance and adapt quickly to sudden situations, and I think that element of strategy could be adapted into Smash by making him a stage control character most similar to Snake, who gets the opponent into tricky positions and then rushes in to deal damage. A lot of his moveset comes fairly naturally, with the Gravity Gun as a grab and the barnacle as a tether recovery.

Bomberman: On the flip-side, Bomberman has a pretty good chance I'd say with a lot going for him, he already has notable presence in Smash and his Mii costume seems to have sold really well, though ofc it being a good Mii costume helps a lot with that. The Bomberman franchise is currently plenty active and it's the next most popular Konami series that could feasibly get a character, unless they added a Power Pros rep lol. Moveset is tricker than most, but I think if you minimised the size of his explosions and took some inspiration from the Bomberman 64 games to give him a more standard adventure platformer kit, he could be adapted quite well into the game. Alucard also has a notable chance, and I think I'd personally prefer him, but I would say Bomberman is probably a bit likelier.

Lloyd: Mostly speaks for himself, Sakurai acknowledged him as a popular pick and he fits well into Smash. I could see him happening basically whenever, and Tales Of is definitely up there as one of the most notable Namco series to add. His weapons are pretty interesting and could be handled a few ways, but I like how his Smash Flash moveset used them from what I recall, and I think I'd want something similar to that. He also has a fairly unique aesthetic as a swordsman compared to others. It would most likely be Lloyd, but there's an off-chance of Yuri as well. I also have to mention Adol from Ys in a similar vein, I don't think he's really likely but he would definitely be a fun surprising pick from a nicher series with a strong history.

Terra: This list has gone on a long while without a Square Enix character, only one is Geno, and there's a lot to pick from. I'd personally want Neku but no way that's happening lmao, so I think Terra would be a great option. Final Fantasy VI is the second most iconic Final Fantasy game, with Terra as its mascot and the closest thing it has to a single main character. As a mage, she has access to a lot of the classic Final Fantasy spells which are yet to be featured in Smash. I could see her having an interesting MP gimmick where you can expend a full bar of mana to enter Trance and gain more powerful attacks, at the cost of not being able to use a lot of your spells and recovering MP more slowly when you exit it. It's not necessarily accurate to how her Esper form works in FFVI, but if balanced well I think it could be a really interesting risk-reward mechanic that helps her stand out. Hopefully she could bring representation from the entire rest of the Final Fantasy series, though the rights being all split up would make that easier said than done.

Crash: A very popular pick which again speaks for himself, and is also notable as a Western character with a lot of Japanese popularity. I'd personally like to see him use moves from some of the PS2 games to fill out his moveset, they're definitely less well liked but I think it would balance him out nicely. With Activision now owned by Microsoft officially, negotiating to get an Activision character would probably be a bit more stable than it was before, thanks corporate monopolies. I'd also personally like to see Kerrigan as an Activision-Blizzard character, but that's impractical for obvious reasons.

2B: I should have spaced her and Terra out more. Very popular modern character, from a popular and well liked game that's on the Switch, already in a ton of crossovers, Yoko Taro is friends with Sakurai, has a lot of obvious merits. I don't think her sexualisation would be an issue, her basic design isn't any more suggestive than Bayonetta's idle design is. All you really need to do is cover up her chest window and give her a skirt void. maybe lengthen the skirt, and I think you'd be fine. You'd just be missing out on the self-destruct, and I'm not sure how you'd incorporate that into her moveset anyways. She has tons to work with, and I think the pod would be an interesting gimmick. I could imagine the pod firing would be her neutral special, with her special mechanic being that she can keep firing as she's attacking with her normal attacks to mimic Nier's gameplay, with the shots doing no knockback so the opponent has to take the risk of building up damage to attack 2B directly.

Master Chief: No matter what I want Master Chief to be the last character added to whatever game he's in if he ever gets added, because "Finishes the Fight" is the perfect tagline. To my definitely limited understanding, the Halo games, while not crazy huge in Japan or anything, do have a presence and are known, and of course in the West Chief is one of the most iconic game characters ever. Chief has no Nintendo presence currently outside of like, Minecraft costumes, but I could see a case where Chief is so iconic and would sell so well as DLC that it mitigates that, though I don't want to LARP too much as Sakurai or Nintendo anymore lol. The biggest problem with Chief in Smash is that he'd almost certainly be a zoner using the bubble shield and plasma grenade as part of his specials and nobody would like fighting against him, but such is life. A Halo stage could be amazing. There's less to say here just cause Chief has already been discussed so much, but I could definitely see him as the big bombshell reveal of a future Smash game if Microsoft's game division continues down the path they seem to be heading. Who knows though, things could change on an instant.