Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Pupp135]

As an aside from the cut talk, I was finally able to sit down and make an updated lil visual of newcomers that I've been feeling for the next game. If you've been paying attention to some of my talking points over the last few months I don't think anyone here would be that surprising, but what would you guys think of this lineup? Pokemon withstanding, I'm not convinced the Pokemon we'll get next Smash even exists yet.

View attachment 394731

I'll try to place them in a greater 60ish roster context at some point but for now I'd rather people focus on what's here rather than what isn't - my slew of cuts is a conversation for another day I think (and I'm still working that out). I'll elaborate on things if anyone wants me to but this time didn't really feel like typing out all the redundant justification for some of the most obvious choices here (you know why Waluigi or Ring Fit are here, lol).

I think this newcomer list would be solid overall, and my favorite choice out of these is Isaac, who is one of my most wanted newcomers. Here is a more detailed opinion of the fighters.

Spoiler: Newcomers

Waluigi: I think he’s making it given that he’s the new Ridley.
Sidon: The Legend of Zelda is really hard to pinpoint on who they would add, assuming that we receive one in the next game. Impa is recurring, but I kind of see her as the Legend of Zelda’s Anna where other one-off characters have a larger impact like Skull Kid. Skull Kid and Midna are popular, and they just don’t have the relevancy, and then we have the characters from BotW/TotK to highlight newer games. I think Sidon is a reasonable choice.
Oatchi: A new Pikmin character seems like a logical choice given Pikmin 4’s release, and Nintendo sees it as a valuable franchise. Oatchi also is a prominent character in the new game.
Tom Nook: This really feels like the next step with Animal Crossing, and the series has done tremendously well on the Switch. Also, I do like the Tom Nook memes.
Off the Hook: Another Splatoon character feels highly probable, and I agree with you that Octoling woukd be an echo, and we’d get another character from the franchise as a unique fighter. Off the Hook also could have an interesting gameplay mechanic.
Excitebike Rider: I don’t really know how this fighter would work (Note to self: I should try out the Crusade mod of this fighter while also getting the Isaac mod), but I really can‘t think of another option who would take the surprise fighter that’s been around since Melee.
Isaac: He’s one of my three most wanted newcomers, and I don’t think he’s highly probable, but he does have a chance given his popularity in the SSB community.
Ring Fit Trainee: Assuming that Nintendo is bringing in new IPs, this seems to be the most probable one given its success.
Tails: I expect a Sonic character to join, and it’s more a matter of who than if. I’m leaning towards Tails and Shadow at the moment, but I’m not certain.
Chun-Li: Chun-Li would fit in SSB really well given Chun-Li’s prominence in crossovers and fighting game history.
Monster Hunter: This is the only newcomer that I‘m skeptical of. Monster Hunter is a very prominent franchise, but I think there were concerns from Capcom with adding a playable Monster Hunter in crossovers, so I’m unsure how it would affect their chances.
Sans: This one feels kind of like a sleeper pick in my opinion. The Sans Mii outfit was really popular, and Undertale still has an impact almost ten years later, but this character doesn’t feel highly speculated.

So… what series do you all think will only gain characters, and not lose any in a transition to a new game?

Here are the franchises that I‘m most confident in with this type of situation:

Kirby: I find it hard to imagine us losing one of the Kirby trio, and Bandana Waddle Dee is one of the most requested characters going into the next game, and Waddle Dees are a notable part of Kirby marketing.

Sonic the Hedgehog: I guess this is somewhat cheating given that Sonic is the only fighter here, but there are many choices that the fanbase would like to see who I could realistically imagine (Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, Eggman). I’m leaning towards Tails or Shadow at the moment.

Animal Crossing: I’m almost certain that Nintendo would not allow Villager or Isabelle to be cut unless the roster goes down to something like Melee sized, and Tom Nook is a notable character from the Animal Crossing series, which had its most popular title with the Switch era.

Street Fighter: I think echo fighters will tag along with their parent fighters, and I could see Chun-Li joining the roster given her promince to fighting game history.

Splatoon: Like with Sonic, there is currently only one fighter here, but I’m confident that we’ll see an Octoling echo and either a Pop Idol Duo or DJ Octavio (leaning towards the former) in the next game.

There are a few franchises where I don’t see cuts, but I don’t necessarily think they‘ll gain a new fighter either.

Donkey Kong: I think the three fighters that we have are relatively safe given that Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are still relevant characters, and K. Rool was one of the most requested fighters, but I’m unsure if the developers are interested in adding another Donkey Kong character at the moment kind of like in SSBFor given that the two titles on the Switch are ports.

Xenoblade: I think Shulk and Aegis are relatively safe, but I think Xenoblade 3’s timing won’t work out for the character selection.

I could see Pikmin also be like the first five franchises, but I haven’t given the series much thought to give a fair assessment.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Also unlike the Champions, who you could play the entirety of both BOTW and TOTK without even meeting them, every player is sure to meet Rauru within the first hour of TOTK.

And then he leaves after the tutorial and you could go through the entire rest of the game without seeing him.

Although...it's probably disingenuous to argue that this would be the common experience because that would mean skipping the main bulk of BOTW and the second most important quest in TOTK.

That is going to be too utopistic.
Yet someone would be like:"We could have had more new characters if Nintendo had the balls of dropping this old character. And this! And this! And this..."

Plus, if the Switch 2 is going to be retrocompatible, Nintendo is more motivated to make a very different new Super Smash Bros., unless the servers of Ultimate are shut down the exact moment the servers of the next Smash Bros. are being opened.

So...your stance is that all of them are going to lose a character? Like...Inkling won't be in the next game kind of a thing?

 

[DarthEnderX]

So… what series do you all think will only gain characters, and not lose any in a transition to a new game?

Any series that's already in the game and gets a new character.

Because no series is going to lose a character!

 

[toonito]

regarding Chun-Li chances for Smash 6

I'm of two minds when it comes to her inclusion:

1. If Nintendo and Capcom's goal in Smash is to spread awareness for more of Capcom's various franchises being promoted even further through Smash's audience then I think she may miss the boat as Capcom has a strong selection of franchises without a playable character such as Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Ace Attorney.

2. However, If Capcom and Nintendo's goal is to bring their most popular characters to Smash regardless of franchise then her resume speaks for itself (She's Capcom's crossover female lead: just recently she's going to be in the next Fatal Fury game) she's fairly likely to show up in Smash 6 through base game or DLC. Since Smash 4 a fighting game character has been added to Smash (SSB4 DLC: Ryu, SSBU base: Ken, SSBU FP1: Terry, SSBU FP2: Kazuya). I feel Sol Badguy is the favorite in terms of debuting franchise in Smash but for returning franchises Chun-Li's a safe bet.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

And then he leaves after the tutorial and you could go through the entire rest of the game without seeing him.

Although...it's probably disingenuous to argue that this would be the common experience because that would mean skipping the main bulk of BOTW and the second most important quest in TOTK.


So...your stance is that all of them are going to lose a character? Like...Inkling won't be in the next game kind of a thing?

Some series might lose one character, some might lose two or more, some might not lose anyone and some might be entirely cancelled from Smash.
Also I won't exclude some characters might be removed from the base roster just to return later as DLC.
Yeah! That would be dirty but not impossible.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Some series might lose one character, some might lose two or more, some might not lose anyone and some might be entirely cancelled from Smash.
Also I won't exclude some characters might be removed from the base roster just to return later as DLC.
Yeah! That would be dirty but not impossible.

OK. I was just confused since the question was "which series do you think won't lose a fighter" rather than "do you think that all of them won't".

 

[CannonStreak]

I'd hate to be that guy, but Nintendo just released some things for their maintenance schedule.

Network Maintenance Information / Operational Status

Would any of this indicate that there could be an Nintendo Direct soon, or at least a Switch 2 presentation?

I mean, I am not in a hurry for either, but I just want to know all your thoughts if that is okay.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

I'm thinking of Shadowheart. There's a wide variety of spells in Baldur's Gate 3 she could use. For her normals, she could use Spiritual Weapon to summon sentient weaponry. And for her specials, she could use Sacred Flame to create holy fire, Invoke Wounds as a sort of command grab, and Glyph of Warding to set up traps.

 

[Gorgonzales]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

Anyone other than the most-talked-about potential newcomers.

 

[DarthEnderX]

1. If Nintendo and Capcom's goal in Smash is to spread awareness for more of Capcom's various franchises being promoted even further through Smash's audience then I think she may miss the boat as Capcom has a strong selection of franchises without a playable character such as Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Ace Attorney.

2. However, If Capcom and Nintendo's goal is to bring their most popular characters to Smash regardless of franchise then her resume speaks for itself

I mean, I seems like a given that Capcom's goal would be the former and Nintendo's goal would be the latter.

 

[SuitGirl]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

I'm thinking of Shadowheart. There's a wide variety of spells in Baldur's Gate 3 she could use. For her normals, she could use Spiritual Weapon to summon sentient weaponry. And for her specials, she could use Sacred Flame to create holy fire, Invoke Wounds as a sort of command grab, and Glyph of Warding to set up traps.

Would love a Baldur's Gate rep, and Shadowheart's a great choice.

To respond to your prompt, I think Gengar would go over with most people very well.

Gengar's like, -the- Ghost Pokemon and probably one of the most popular Pokemon that doesn't actively get promoted. He could hide in people's shadows, use his gigantic tongue like a swordie for fun melee attacks, and learns almost every Pokemon move in the book.

 

[Dukefire]

I'd hate to be that guy, but Nintendo just released some things for their maintenance schedule.

Network Maintenance Information / Operational Status

Would any of this indicate that there could be an Nintendo Direct soon, or at least a Switch 2 presentation?

I mean, I am not in a hurry for either, but I just want to know all your thoughts if that is okay.

October may be the time that Nintendo announces a direct since near the end of September had Capcom, Sony and SEGA announcing their content.

Though, I wouldn't be surprised if they also added "No information about Switch 2" is stated days before going live.

 

[MasterCheef]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

I'm thinking of Shadowheart. There's a wide variety of spells in Baldur's Gate 3 she could use. For her normals, she could use Spiritual Weapon to summon sentient weaponry. And for her specials, she could use Sacred Flame to create holy fire, Invoke Wounds as a sort of command grab, and Glyph of Warding to set up traps.

I like this as a character model

https://image.civitai.com/xG1nkqKTMzGDvpLrqFT7WA/60205a48-13f0-4e83-954b-9d9d120bd6af/width=1200/60205a48-13f0-4e83-954b-9d9d120bd6af.jpeg

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

I'm thinking of Shadowheart. There's a wide variety of spells in Baldur's Gate 3 she could use. For her normals, she could use Spiritual Weapon to summon sentient weaponry. And for her specials, she could use Sacred Flame to create holy fire, Invoke Wounds as a sort of command grab, and Glyph of Warding to set up traps.

A Baldur's Gate character would be really fun. I think DND in general would be a good pick, though it would definitely cause huge arguments about if it should count as a videogame or not. In any case I think Shadowheart, Astarion, The Dark Urge, and Karlach could all be fun picks with pretty unique magic movesets. This would be super out there but Planescape: Torment is a really important game, The Nameless One would be a super cool choice.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

Arcade bunny would be a funny character with all his shapeshifting shenanigans, but even complex to develope.

 

[BritishGuy54]

If returns, is there any new Minecraft content you’d like to see?

Such as spirits, assist trophies, or new biomes in a Minecraft stage?

 

[Potted Plant]

So who are some characters that have a low chance of getting in, but would have a really unique and interesting moveset?

I'm thinking of Shadowheart. There's a wide variety of spells in Baldur's Gate 3 she could use. For her normals, she could use Spiritual Weapon to summon sentient weaponry. And for her specials, she could use Sacred Flame to create holy fire, Invoke Wounds as a sort of command grab, and Glyph of Warding to set up traps.

Mark/Mint from the Pokémon Trading Card Game GB games. Translating card mechanics into a platform fighter sounds super fun (setup fighter with items exclusive to the card game used in his attacks, maybe an Ancient Mew Final Smash?).

If returns, is there any new Minecraft content you’d like to see?

Such as spirits, assist trophies, or new biomes in a Minecraft stage?

Creeper Assist Trophy and Ender Dragon boss, anything past that would just be a neat bonus imo.

 

[Perkilator]

If returns, is there any new Minecraft content you’d like to see?

Such as spirits, assist trophies, or new biomes in a Minecraft stage?

Definitely Creeper as an Assist Trophy.

Though that begs the question; what new Assist Trophies would you like to see for the DLC series that didn’t get one?

 

[Gorgonzales]

If returns, is there any new Minecraft content you’d like to see?

Such as spirits, assist trophies, or new biomes in a Minecraft stage?

Creeper as an Assist Trophy.
Ender Pearl as an item.
The Nether as a stage (containing varying biomes like Minecraft World currently does).

 

[Potted Plant]

Definitely Creeper as an Assist Trophy.

Though that begs the question; what new Assist Trophies would you like to see for the DLC series that didn’t get one?

Persona: Jack Frost, though if we're keeping it to just Persona and not wider SMT I'll go with Elizabeth.
Dragon Quest: Iconic party members like Sylvando, Jessica or Terry are probably the call, though I'd probably give the nod to someone from 5, since that's the most popular Dragon Quest game that didn't get any notable content.
Banjo-Kazooie: I'd rather have Gruntilda as a boss, so I'll say Mumbo Jumbo.
Fatal Fury: Geese, Kyo or Rock.
Minecraft: Gotta be Creeper.
Final Fantasy: Just VII? I'll take Barrett. Whole series? I'll say White Mage.
Xenoblade 2: Zeke
Tekken: Yoshimitsu
Kingdom Hearts: Kairi

 

[PeridotGX]

If returns, is there any new Minecraft content you’d like to see?

Such as spirits, assist trophies, or new biomes in a Minecraft stage?

Obviously Steve's moveset needs some balance adjustments, but there's one move I think should be completely replaced - Up Smash. The magma block feels like a really arbitrary choice. I would personally swap it out for him throwing a trident overhead. I also kinda wish his up b was an ender pearl but I get why they went with Elytra so I'm not expecting that to change.

A creeper is the obvious choice for a Minecraft AT, but I think a fun alternative would be a Villager. Mechanically it would kinda be like the Fake Smash Ball, where it strates around the stage trying to goad the opponent into attacking it. After being hit, it then summons an incredibly powerful Iron Golem to get revenge.

Also I wish we had a Nether stage and C418/Lena Raine songs, how original.

 

[BritishGuy54]

The Creeper seems to be the obvious choice for a Minecraft assist trophy. And of course, it’s iconic. It’ll do its thing and explode when it reaches a player.

But I could also see Sakurai opt for something with a bit more oomph and unique potential, namely the Warden. The darkness and sound mechanics would make it a fun game of chicken to not draw its attention.

 

[Cyberfire]

So… what series do you all think will only gain characters, and not lose any in a transition to a new game?

Pikmin, Splatoon and Animal Crossing. Hopefully Kirby and DK as well.

 

[fogbadge]

Though that begs the question; what new Assist Trophies would you like to see for the DLC series that didn’t get one?

KH: Riku. powerful strikes with his keyblade and a blast with dark firag
BK: Mumbo Jumbo. either zaps people with his staff or summon giant golden statue

 

[cashregister9]

While a Creeper assist trophy would obviously be the most iconic choice (and probably best)

MY Personal choice for a MC Assist would be either a Ghast, The Wither or a Pillager raid. I think those would be more fun as assists.

But the Creeper should get in in some capacity like a Smash run enemy or something if that comes back.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Xenoblade: I think Shulk and Aegis are relatively safe, but I think Xenoblade 3’s timing won’t work out for the character selection.

I keep seeing people saying this but I don't think timing is really detrimental to a Xenoblade 3 character.

The original Xenoblade came out in June 2010 in Japan and development for Smash 4 started in early 2012. Similarly, Xenoblade 3 came out in July 2022 and presumably the next Smash's project plan was either being drafted last year or this year (I'm kinda leaning towards the project plan finishing this year and development starting late in the year personally, but that's not super important here). Plus Future Redeemed came out early LAST year, so even if the project plan did get drafted last year, Future Redeemed, a DLC expansion to a series that saw a good amount of growth in the Switch era, would've been on Nintendo's mind.

Timing was a factor for Pyra and Mythra because Xenoblade 2 came out in 2017, but Smash Ultimate's plan was created in 2015 and development started in 2016, so they were too late to be added to Ultimate's original project draft. Xenoblade 3 has had about the same time frame as Shulk did pre-4, but with a DLC to bridge the gap and keep it in the public consciousness longer.

 

[SharkLord]

Monster Hunter: This is the only newcomer that I‘m skeptical of. Monster Hunter is a very prominent franchise, but I think there were concerns from Capcom with adding a playable Monster Hunter in crossovers, so I’m unsure how it would affect their chances.

For what it's worth, the Monster Hunter devs did nix a playable Monster Hunter in MvC3... But then six years later, we got a playable Hunter in Infinite. There's been some rumors that Capcom did it behind the dev's backs, or that the dissapointing reception to Infinite as a whole scared them away from letting Hunters be playable again, but those are just rumors. As far as concrete details go, there was opposition to a playable Hunter for MvC3, but we got a playable Hunter in MvC:I, and that's about it. Without any other details, I think it's safe to assume there isn't a hard ban on playable Hunters in fighting games, at the very least.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

As an aside from the cut talk, I was finally able to sit down and make an updated lil visual of newcomers that I've been feeling for the next game. If you've been paying attention to some of my talking points over the last few months I don't think anyone here would be that surprising, but what would you guys think of this lineup? Pokemon withstanding, I'm not convinced the Pokemon we'll get next Smash even exists yet.

View attachment 394731

I'll try to place them in a greater 60ish roster context at some point but for now I'd rather people focus on what's here rather than what isn't - my slew of cuts is a conversation for another day I think (and I'm still working that out). I'll elaborate on things if anyone wants me to but this time didn't really feel like typing out all the redundant justification for some of the most obvious choices here (you know why Waluigi or Ring Fit are here, lol).

Eh, in terms of certainty, i'm not really feeling these picks.

Sidon, is definitely a choice. Not having the popularity or legacy like Impa, Skull Kid or Tingle and even then being dated being the BOTW rep well before Smash 6 arrives. Why not just rep someone from the new LOZ on the Switch 2

I know i said Idols over Playables could be thing but that was the case, i would say the Squid Sisters have a better chance than OTH. Even then Octoling would be the most likely choice being the face of the series alongside the Inklings

Tails, especially post-Movie Era, has very stiff competition not just Sega picks likeArle, Kiryu or even Angry Birds. but even from the home series. Shadow, Eggman or even Knuckles all have the leg so far from popularity, current spotlight and focus. Doesn't help either Shadow would easier to implement being a built off clone of Sonic. Honestly he's basically the Toad of the Sonic series in terms of reps

Other than that, the rest are fine. Waluigi, Otachi, Ring Fit Trainee, Tom Nook or even SANS can see as certain although lukewarm predictables.

For Monster Hunter, I would rather prefer the actual monsters playable like Magamalo or even Rathalos than another generic human insert-protag. Have enough those already. Let's actually have something creative.

So… what series do you all think will only gain characters, and not lose any in a transition to a new game?

Mario
Animal Crossing



Sonic,Pokemon and Kirby maybes

 

[Louie G.]

The fallacy with Xenoblade 3, coming from both angles, is that it is buckled by the same restrictions that infest Pokemon or Fire Emblem representation. Xenoblade being a cyclical, "promo" type series is something that the community has entirely made up itself. I've always felt that this is a really premature judgement, and neither Shulk nor Pyra and Mythra were added under these conditions. With that in mind, two things are true.

Point one is what Poppy Bro said, that timing is not the be all end all of this character's inclusion. I think if Xenoblade 4 dropped tomorrow then maybe it would be an issue, but since that isn't happening I don't think it's in that much danger of being rendered especially irrelevant by release. Compared to someone like Alear I don't think Noah or Mio need to worry about competition.

Point two is that more Xenoblade content is not a guarantee in the same way those other aforementioned series are. This has been my personal reservation with backing the XB3 horse, kind of an overcorrection on my part to make the point that many are jumping the gun on its obligation. To many, the addition of a Xenoblade 3 character is an assurance the way a new Pokemon or Fire Emblem are by precedent. I think it's ultimately kind of reductive of Xenoblade to paint it in this way. It's also not that absolutely massive of a series to mandate a designated new slot every game like Pokemon... this isn't to discredit their odds entirely, but I do not like the way or reasons it manifests onto most rosters. You know?

I'm currently not sure how to feel about it, but I always consider Noah / Mio a really interesting case worth at least keeping an eye on.

I know i said Idols over Playables could be thing but that was the case, i would say the Squid Sisters have a better chance. Even then say Octoling would be the most likely choice being the face of the series alongside the Inklings

Yeah I probably should have just dropped Octoling in there for clarity sake, because I'm just backing the horse that both Octolings and another Splatoon character get in. It's a big enough series and I think it warrants a fully unique new character (since I'm prospecting Octoling as an echo fighter, semiclone or even skin before it gets in as a brand new unique character... that convo is another can of worms but that's how I personally feel). Just left them off for that reason.

Off the Hook is my preference / hunch over Squid Sisters because outside of their demonstrated popularity (they were by far the most popular team in the last Splatfest, for reference) they also offer the most variety. Marina and Pearl's favorite weapon types (Splatbrella, Dualies) are unused by Inkling and IMO lend themselves well to Smash, and they are more striking visually to convey more offense / defense dichotomy. Squid Sisters have more relevance to Splatoon on the whole but I'm going out on a limb to endorse the ones that bring more to the table.

Thanks for chiming in on it! I'm rethinking Sidon a lot based on the feedback although I still feel that a BOTW / TOTK related character may be in better standing than a legacy choice unless we get two Zelda newcomers (which is possible). And I think I'm swapping out Tails for Shadow on the next one.

 

[ScrubReborn]

I keep seeing people saying this but I don't think timing is really detrimental to a Xenoblade 3 character.

The original Xenoblade came out in June 2010 in Japan and development for Smash 4 started in early 2012.

Its US release though, was in April 2012, right when the project plan got drafted. It was Japan exclusive at launch and Sakurai tends to avoid gunning for region-exclusive characters so I imagine the original JP exclusive release wasn't what convinced Sakurai to add Shulk.

 

[Dukefire]

I remember that Greninja was a character added in Smash 4. Though, his decision was chosen while Pokemon X and Y was still in development and Sakurai was creating Smash 4.

So far, these were factors on how the character was selected from what I can recall....
1. Animal Crossing Villager was set aside for the moment since Brawl due to him being not the fighter type. Until his reveal in E3 for Smash Bros 3DS and Wii U years later.....
2. Greninja's trailer was revealed before Pokemon X and Y was released worldwide on October 12 2013. Which also revealed Mega Evolutions. So, ideas was going during development stage.
3. Ultimate's characters inital and DLC was influenced by the Fighter's Ballot. The other half was based on companies.

There are other reasons that I don't know or forgot, but here are a few of the many reasons that Sakurai used.

 

[SPEN18]

Impa is in both BOTW and TOTK. But old. Her AOC appearance fits right in with these games however, and I think it's the most likely version we get anyway. Outside of SS. But that still doesn't mean Impa wouldn't take inspiration of how Sheikah or Yiga fight in BOTW and TOTK.

Frankly, I think the AoC design is pretty unlikely because it's spinoff-exclusive. I know it's a popular one, though, and with all the recurring Zelda characters there is bound to be hot debate as to how exactly to depict them in Smash. And, yeah, a big part of the appeal of Impa is that she's usually around in some fashion, including in BotW/TotK, but I don't think "representing BotW/TotK" would be the reason she makes it. Just saying her inclusion would be of a distinctly different flavor than someone like Rauru or one of the Champions. I suppose you could take inspiration from the BotW/TotK renditions of the Sheikah in certain ways, but not to the point that it clashes with whichever design they go with.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

. Greninja's trailer was revealed before Pokemon X and Y was released worldwide on October 12 2013. Which also revealed Mega Evolutions. So, ideas was going during development stage.

Greninja's trailer was not released before X and Y.

It was several months after.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I often wonder with Impa if she had she gotten her prominence/playable appearances 10-12 years earlier than she did if she could have easily ended up in Smash because an amalgamation fighter with elements from different incarnations (like a hybrid between Skyward Sword, Age of Calamity, & Cadence of Hyrule) would have fit the 64/Melee/Brawl philosophy with characters.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

Off the Hook is my preference / hunch over Squid Sisters because outside of their demonstrated popularity (they were by far the most popular team in the last Splatfest) they also offer the most variety. Marina and Pearl's favorite weapon types (Splatbrella, Dualies) are unused by Inkling and IMO lend themselves well to Smash, and they are more striking visually to convey more offense / defense dichotomy. Squid Sisters have more relevance to Splatoon on the whole but I'm going out on a limb to endorse the ones that bring more to the table.

Off the Hook is a high-highs and low-lows for me personally. Love Marina and kinda tolerate Pearl. I just prefer the Squid Sisters more consistently. I would disagree on popularity tho. SS definitely has a strong senority over OTH. Plus didn't the SS/Team Past win Splatfest?

Gameplay potential, I recall Marie using a snipe, so i say that would be something unique but for the Sisters, I'm sorta imagine another Ice-Climbers or Pythra situation.

I wish in-game transformations would return.

Thanks for chiming in on it! I'm rethinking Sidon a lot based on the feedback although I still feel that a BOTW / TOTK related character may be in better standing than a legacy choice unless we get two Zelda newcomers (which is possible). And I think I'm swapping out Tails for Shadow on the next one.

I mean, the whole point for that would to be keep representation up to date with the newest entry which most likely wouldn't be either. Think the train sailed. Each Smash always represents the latest Zelda and Ultimate, in a way, already has a BOTW/TOTK rep with the main Link.

It would make sense to rep the latest Zelda entry rep instead and then Tingle afterwards.

 

[SharkLord]

For Monster Hunter, I would rather prefer the actual monsters playable like Magamalo or even Rathalos than another generic human insert-protag. Have enough those already. Let's actually have something creative.

Me watching the Zinogre three-quarters the size of Final Destination do an epic backflip and spike me at the edge of the screen

I must stress that every single large monster is borked. You thought Ridley was bad? That's cute, here our monsters are elephant sized as the bare minimum. And all the mascots are like twice as long.

 

[Dukefire]

Greninja's trailer was not released before X and Y.

It was several months after.

Thanks for the correction. Looking at X and Y release date compared to Greninja's trailer. I failed to see dates correctly. Though, his decision was selected during Smash 4's development. That I can stand with that.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

On Zelda designs though, it was an unfortunate missed opportunity that Hyrule Warriors never got any sort of representation.

Would've be more captivating opportunity for Smash 4 to utilize the HW style for the main 3 instead or re-using TW.

Then again, that would've meant de-cloning Ganon so that wouldn't happen

 

[Louie G.]

Plus didn't the SS/Team Past win Splatfest?

Squid Sisters won the whole thing, but Off the Hook's team had a whopping 57% of participants on their side against Squid Sisters' 25%. So Off the Hook's team was by far the most popular, which as we know doesn't always assure victory for Splatoon 3 Splatfests (in fact, it usually does not). But it does give us hard numbers on which of the idol teams may be the fan favorite. I wouldn't have used this point otherwise, since I would have imagined they're at least somewhere equal to Squid Sisters given the Sisters' prevalence, but now we've got some objective measure to point to.

Sniper would be interesting, but I think wouldn't be as fun. Fair point in the Ice Climber thing, I agree but my mentality was that it was sort of a "swap the leader" mechanic where both idols are always fighting together but the leader dictates certain special moves and stats. Somewhere smack in the middle of Ice Climbers and Pyra / Mythra, probably close to what Diddy and Dixie would have been like. Although for the Sisters you could easily just do Ice Climbers with dance choreography, music oriented attacks and making the actual weapons sort of a secondary thing. I'm not opposed to either option, I just think Off the Hook is more "fitting" for what I personally have had in mind.

I mean, the whole point for that would to be keep representation up to date with the newest entry which most likely wouldn't be either. Think the train sailed. Each Smash always represents the latest Zelda and Ultimate, in a way, already has a BOTW/TOTK rep with the main Link.

It would make sense to rep the latest Zelda entry rep instead and then Tingle afterwards.

Fair enough on the existing Zelda veterans being able to represent the newest entries fine on their own, but that's kind of the sentiment that has put us in this Triforce Trio rut for this long to begin with. My intent wasn't to represent / promote the newest games in a vacuum as much as it was acknowledgement that these games are the most successful entries in the whole series and have spawned many characters who are popular in their own right. Sidon, Urbosa etc are beloved by the fans but I suppose are more contentious topics when it comes to Smash for a number of reasons.

Bottom line is I think there's just a divide in how you and I would see the purpose behind a Switch-era Zelda pick. If it's just for the purposes of keeping things up to date, then there isn't much of a point. I was just trying to celebrate the scope and influence of these games and pay homage to its expansive and well received cast in its own right. Agree to disagree, I don't have much else to say about it and idc enough to defend Sidon specifically anymore.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Zelda's a weird case because we've been locked into the Tri-Force trio for so long that we don't even have an example of what an exception from that could actually be. Skull Kid & Midna have the iconic status, Impa with the attendance, and the Champions/Rauru with recency. But strong frontrunner status being assigned to any fighter feels like a practical impossibility because in a lot of ways we don't know what the Smash team would even be looking for. It's the inverse issue of BWD with Kirby and Dixie with DK. The latter two are such obvious next selections in many ways that speculation beyond them doesn't get as much play as it should even though that makes makes potential campaigns/support for them easier to do.

LoZ has all sorts of fascinating discussion, but no real obvious choice to effectively rally around, especially with the explosive popularity of the BotW trilogy effectively muddling the choices even further.