Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[fogbadge]

Does toad have that? I think not.

now that's just plain rude

 

[Gengar84]

Speaking of Dixie Kong, my brother and I just got the Switch online plan so we could play through a lot of our favorite NES and SNES games from when we were kids. We just beat DKC2 again but had to use the rewind feature more often than I’d like to admit lol. I’m definitely nowhere near as good at games as an adult as I was as a kid. I never really used to struggle much with the game. Either way, I still had a ton of fun with it and I was reminded why it’s still one of my favorite games ever. I think David Wise did a phenomenal job with the soundtrack and it’s a real shame we don’t get more of his music in Smash.

 

[ninjahmos]

BWD has basically been considered the Player 2 of the Kirby franchise since Return to Dreamland, but I feel like he's mostly just there, and as far as I know about Kirby, he hasn't played a major role since Revenge of the King in Super Star Ultra. That may possibly hold him back from Smash, as well as the popularity of other characters.

 

[Gengar84]

BWD has basically been considered the Player 2 of the Kirby franchise since Kirby: Return to Dreamland, but I feel like he's mostly just there, and as far as I know about Kirby, he hasn't played a major role since Revenge of the King in Kirby Super Star Ultra. That may possibly hold him back from Smash, as well as the popularity of other characters.

To be honest, I actually really miss when Player 2 was able to control the enemies themselves rather than Bandana Dee. I’ve got nothing against Dee but I loved the variety of controlling different enemies. It always feels like Player 2 isn’t getting the same experience of variety and experimentation of different powers now that there’s a dedicated character for them to use.

 

[cashregister9]

Might be.

Buy then again, literally the whole Zelda cast in Smash would have more sauce if they'd just have their Hyrule Warriors move set in Smash, at least whatever moves are possible of course.

It was an especially popular idea for Ganondorf back in the day. "If only" was the whole premise about the potential. But I think literally all the Zelda characters would be better off having move sets inspired from Hyrule Warriors. Link being so dynamic and fast, Zelda having the rapier and light magic and Light Arrows, Sheik with the Goddess Harp and music and elemental attacks / buffs, Young Link with the Majora's Mask, Toon Link doing actual Wind Waker things, Ganondorf with dual great swords , dark magic and semi transformations or the Trident?

Count me in for all of that.

This is where I am conflicted because I do love Hyrule Warriors and the designs, and I want to see them referenced outside of those games

But I also personally feel that it is a balancing act, if the only concept for a character requires a Dynasty Warriors game to exist and can only be envisioned with those games in mind. Then I start to question it

Like I want Zelda's Hyrule Warriors costume in smash and maybe even a few moves, but a whole sword based Zelda would feel wrong.

I will fully admit and concede about this being a sauce problem, it isn't fully, it is more of a vibes problem.

 

[Kirbeh]

Regarding Dixie, I'm actually pretty optimistic?

I feel like K. Rool's popularity on the ballot may have been a sort of wake up call to NoJ that people still really, really like the DK franchise. Obviously we don't know the results but even with the rallying behind K. Rool, I think Dixie should have probably done decently well herself.

I could honestly also see Dixie being our next Little Mac or Ridley, being a character added for their Western popularity.

Nothing's guaranteed and it's really nothing more than a feeling, but I'm honestly more confident in Dixie than I am in a Zelda newcomer or even BWD tbh. (Though my guesses will probably wind up way off.)

 

[Gengar84]

Regarding Dixie, I'm actually pretty optimistic?

I feel like K. Rool's popularity on the ballot may have been a sort of wake up call to NoJ that people still really, really like the DK franchise. Obviously we don't know the results but even with the rallying behind K. Rool, I think Dixie should have probably done decently well herself.

I could honestly also see Dixie being our next Little Mac or Ridley, being a character added for their Western popularity.

Nothing's guaranteed and it's really nothing more than a feeling, but I'm honestly more confident in Dixie than I am in a Zelda newcomer or even BWD tbh. (Though my guesses will probably wind up way off.)

If we can just get Dixie Kong, a Smash stage based on an actual stage from a DKC game and not a nondescript jungle location, and a good amount of David Wise music, I’ll be pretty content with the series overall in terms of Smash. Ideally, they’ll do something interesting with Dixie and not make her a Diddy echo but I’ll take what I can get. If the animal buddies aren’t a part of her moveset, I’d love to see them as rideable assist trophy like items you break open from a crate.

 

[Guynamednelson]

I feel like anyone putting Dixie and BWD above Isabelle hasn't been paying attention to how Nintendo has been marketing itself for like the last ten years

I'm not living under a rock regarding Isabelle. I just think some people ITT would be if she wasn't playable.

 

[Gengar84]

I think a lot of it depends on how old you are when it comes to Dixie vs Isabelle. Isabelle is undeniably more popular and pushed right now but she doesn’t have the same legacy as Dixie Kong. Younger fans may have never played the old SNES DKC games that made Dixie so popular back in the day. That said, I think both Isabelle and Dixie deserve to be in Smash but for different reasons. Isabelle is a great character to represent the modern era of Nintendo and Dixie is a great way to honor what came before. I’d personally prioritize Isabelle over Villager if we’re ever in a situation where only one of them can stay since I prefer established characters over avatars.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Regarding Dixie, I'm actually pretty optimistic?

I feel like K. Rool's popularity on the ballot may have been a sort of wake up call to NoJ that people still really, really like the DK franchise. Obviously we don't know the results but even with the rallying behind K. Rool, I think Dixie should have probably done decently well herself.

I could honestly also see Dixie being our next Little Mac or Ridley, being a character added for their Western popularity.

Nothing's guaranteed and it's really nothing more than a feeling, but I'm honestly more confident in Dixie than I am in a Zelda newcomer or even BWD tbh. (Though my guesses will probably wind up way off.)

Well, she got a Mii hat and a 4-star spirit, so she probably did pretty well on the Ballot. Those are some of the typical "consolation prizes".
There's also Nintendo's newfound respect for Rare's legacy, not just DKC and also Banjo, but just... pretty much everything they made in the golden age.

I'm not optimistic about her chances, though.
The DK series is in dire straits, and it's not like they added her back in Smash 4 either, when the series was in a very healthy place instead, right after Returns' groundbreaking success and with Tropical Freeze (which reintroduced Dixie - and Funky - in style) due to release.
Like, I feel like it would be unlikely enough for them to add a secondary character from any series that's been as dead as DKC has been lately, but considering it's DKC on top of that... There's just 0 chance.

 

[Gengar84]

Well, she got a Mii hat and a 4-star spirit, so she probably did pretty well on the Ballot. Those are some of the typical "consolation prizes".
There's also Nintendo's newfound respect for Rare's legacy, not just DKC and also Banjo, but just... pretty much everything they made in the golden age.

I'm not optimistic about her chances, though.
The DK series is in dire straits, and it's not like they added her back in Smash 4 either, when the series was in a very healthy place instead, right after Returns' groundbreaking success and with Tropical Freeze (which reintroduced Dixie - and Funky - in style) due to release.
Like, I feel like it would be unlikely enough for them to add a secondary character from any series that's been as dead as DKC has been lately, but considering it's DKC on top of that... There's just 0 chance.

Not everything has to be about what’s currently popular. Smash is also great at celebrating gaming history even if those properties didn’t have much going on at the time. Donkey Kong is still a huge part of Nintendo’s legacy, so much so that it was one of the first major areas added to its theme park. I’m sure there’s still a lot planned for the future of the series, they just had other things to work on right now.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

But I also personally feel that it is a balancing act, if the only concept for a character requires a Dynasty Warriors game to exist and can only be envisioned with those games in mind. Then I start to question it

I will fully admit and concede about this being a sauce problem, it isn't fully, it is more of a vibes problem.

I think the point that people are trying to make about the Hyrule Warriors series is less that characters should specifically be inspired by their appearance in Hyrule Warriors, and moreso that Hyrule Warriors kind of proves that these characters have inherent moveset potential in an action game, specifically with inspiration being pulled from the source material (even if in unique ways, like how Sheik's harp is recontextualised into a more direct element-switching magical weapon.)

Though, I think there's something to be said about Hyrule Warriors' "original" characters, whether it be the original game's Lana, Wizzro, Cia and so forth, or AoC's takes on established characters like Impa. They're still based on the mainline series in some way, but I don't think the fact that they're reasonably original characters would inherently make them less feasible as potential Smash candidates (beyond the potential consideration of shared rights.)

(Impa's interesting in both cases, because I think her AoC appearance would arguably be unique enough to be a straight-up justified inclusion as is (given she's pretty much an original character), but I think specifically including her HW appearance would probably be less interesting (because that specific take on Impa is already intended to be a sort of collage of elements of the character overall.) That said, I think taking inspiration from her HW appearance if you were to go for a cross-series vibe for the character could still make sense; the use of something like a giant sword or a naginata is hardly out of the question for a ninja-coded character.)

Though, to be honest, I think "sauce" is a pretty flawed way of judging newcomers to begin with. There's an element of creativity and originality that almost always has to come to adapting characters to the new medium of a platfighter, and I think the argument that characters should already have an action focus in their series of origin is a little flawed when Smash is well-known for being able to create interesting fighters from very little in the way of action (case in point, Fox, Captain Falcon, the Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., and Wii Fit Trainer arguably all count in some way, and you could say something loosely similar for characters like Olimar and Isabelle, for instance.) That's just me, though.

 

[Kirbeh]

Well, she got a Mii hat and a 4-star spirit, so she probably did pretty well on the Ballot. Those are some of the typical "consolation prizes".
There's also Nintendo's newfound respect for Rare's legacy, not just DKC and also Banjo, but just... pretty much everything they made in the golden age.

I'm not optimistic about her chances, though.
The DK series is in dire straits, and it's not like they added her back in Smash 4 either, when the series was in a very healthy place instead, right after Returns' groundbreaking success and with Tropical Freeze (which reintroduced Dixie - and Funky - in style) due to release.
Like, I feel like it would be unlikely enough for them to add a secondary character from any series that's been as dead as DKC has been lately, but considering it's DKC on top of that... There's just 0 chance.

All of this makes perfect sense to me, and I understand why so many feel this way.

I know it runs counter to reasonable expectation, but I still think her odds are a little better now. Again, not a guarantee, but I feel like she's an inclusion that could blindside people.

Similarly, but on the opposite end, I'm not expecting a Zelda newcomer or BWD, or even a Mario newcomer honestly. Probably nonsensical predictions, but that's just where I'm at rn.

 

[Gengar84]

I think the point that people are trying to make about the Hyrule Warriors series is less that characters should specifically be inspired by their appearance in Hyrule Warriors, and moreso that Hyrule Warriors kind of proves that these characters have inherent moveset potential in an action game, specifically with inspiration being pulled from the source material (even if in unique ways, like how Sheik's harp is recontextualised into a more direct element-switching magical weapon.)

Though, I think there's something to be said about Hyrule Warriors' "original" characters, whether it be the original game's Lana, Wizzro, Cia and so forth, or AoC's takes on established characters like Impa. They're still based on the mainline series in some way, but I don't think the fact that they're reasonably original characters would inherently make them less feasible as potential Smash candidates (beyond the potential consideration of shared rights.)

(Impa's interesting in both cases, because I think her AoC appearance would arguably be unique enough to be a straight-up justified inclusion as is (given she's pretty much an original character), but I think specifically including her HW appearance would probably be less interesting (because that specific take on Impa is already intended to be a sort of collage of elements of the character overall.) That said, I think taking inspiration from her HW appearance if you were to go for a cross-series vibe for the character could still make sense; the use of something like a giant sword or a naginata is hardly out of the question for a ninja-coded character.)

Though, to be honest, I think "sauce" is a pretty flawed way of judging newcomers to begin with. There's an element of creativity and originality that almost always has to come to adapting characters to the new medium of a platfighter, and I think the argument that characters should already have an action focus in their series of origin is a little flawed when Smash is well-known for being able to create interesting fighters from very little in the way of action (case in point, Fox, Captain Falcon, the Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., and Wii Fit Trainer arguably all count in some way, and you could say something loosely similar for characters like Olimar and Isabelle, for instance.) That's just me, though.

Yeah, I think you summed it up perfectly. I agree that Hyrule Warriors proves that all these characters are capable of having really interesting and unique movesets. Smash doesn’t necessarily have to pull directly from them but it shows their potential. That said, I’d still love to see direct inspiration from that game as well. The original Hyrule Warriors has my favorite versions of a lot of the characters and still really high up there for the others. HW Impa is by far my favorite incarnation of the character so I’d love to see her in Smash. Lana is my friend’s most wanted Smash character in general.

I don’t think being from a spinoff should disqualify a character. Spin-offs can offer a whole lot to Smash. Don’t a whole lot of people want Geno? Putting fan demand aside, isn’t Geno in the exact same situation as Lana or Cia? Waluigi is also exclusively in spin-offs (though most of those are first party). Why disqualify Lana while giving a pass to Geno and Waluigi? I think they should all be on the table as long as they can bring something unique and fun to Smash.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

If Tetra ever joins the roster of a Smash game, I'd only want to her to pull a few moves from her Warriors moveset or take inspiration from it.

There's a lot she could do that doesn't involve water effect pistols. Heck, with Joker and Bayo using actual guns in their moveset, you could probably have Tetra just use normal flintlock pistols in hers as well. No additional effects needed.

Impa's HW design is also peak, but I wouldn't want her moveset to be largely based on a spin-off that itself uses a completely different IP as the base for it's mechanics if she ever got into a Smash game.

 

[ScrubReborn]

It's not like they added her back in Smash 4 either, when the series was in a very healthy place instead, right after Returns' groundbreaking success and with Tropical Freeze (which reintroduced Dixie - and Funky - in style) due to release.

I wouldn't say her Smash 4 snub's surprising; Dixie wasn't in DKCR, and Tropical Freeze came out after Smash 4's project plan (early 2012, Freeze was announced in 2013).

I don't disagree with your broader point tho; I don't think she has no chance, but if nothing else happens with DKC, she's probably getting snubbed again in Smash 6 unless she's lucky enough to be one of the "fan demand" picks; I wouldn't bank on that either since DK already got a lot of attention in Ultimate.

 

[Gengar84]

What’s the difference between taking inspiration from Hyrule Warriors compared to Super Mario RPG? Both were spin-off games made by an outside developer based on their other existing properties. I’m not trying to say Geno shouldn’t be eligible for Smash, but if he is, so should Hyrule Warriors content. I’d love to see more spin-off games get Smash representation in general. Just because they’re not from the mainline series doesn’t make them any less valid. That’s just my view though.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Yeah, I think you summed it up perfectly. I agree that Hyrule Warriors proves that all these characters are capable of having really interesting and unique movesets. Smash doesn’t necessarily have to pull directly from them but it shows their potential. That said, I’d still love to see direct inspiration from that game as well. The original Hyrule Warriors has my favorite versions of a lot of the characters and still really high up there for the others. HW Impa is by far my favorite incarnation of the character so I’d love to see her in Smash. Lana is my friend’s most wanted Smash character in general.

I don’t think being from a spinoff should disqualify a character. Spin-offs can offer a whole lot to Smash. Don’t a whole lot of people want Geno? Putting fan demand aside, isn’t Geno in the exact same situation as Lana or Cia? Waluigi is also exclusively in spin-offs (though most of those are first party). Why disqualify Lana while giving a pass to Geno and Waluigi? I think they should all be on the table as long as they can bring something unique and fun to Smash.

As someone who's always thought Lana could be a pretty cool pick; I'm inclined to agree on your point about spinoffs. I'm not one to take much stock in "representing" different elements of a series these days, but I think including spinoff stuff does help for a bit more variety in some cases; plus, as you mentioned, I think so long as a character can bring something to the table (be it in terms of mechanics, visuals, or just personality) then they're fine by me.

Honestly, though, your point about a lot of the Hyrule Warriors designs being genuinely great interpretations of a lot of these characters is something I'd be inclined to agree with, and it was actually Hyrule Warriors that made me a little more interested in the idea of Smash being able to deviate a little from "original designs" for the sake of doing something interesting in terms of design or mechanics. Case in point, HW Impa is absolutely one of the more interesting takes on the character, along with AoC Impa, so... yeah. Though, of course, it still maintains the things that make the character interesting, just with a fresh look.

It's odd. On the one hand, I think the idea of trying to represent a series' "feel" is an interesting thing that Smash tries to do, but on the other hand, I think that it's a little bit at odds with Smash's other design sensibilities. Being able to do more unique things that take inspiration from the source material has absolutely brought about some of the more interesting characters; case in point, Fox's character design and general gameplay vibe in the Smash series being inspired by the gameplay loop of the earlier Star Fox games, rather than specifically on instances in which Fox is playable in the Star Fox series.

What’s the difference between taking inspiration from Hyrule Warriors compared to Super Mario RPG? Both were spin-off games made by an outside developer based on their other existing properties. I’m not trying to say Geno shouldn’t be eligible for Smash, but if he is, so should Hyrule Warriors content. I’d love to see more spin-off games get Smash representation in general. Just because they’re not from the mainline series doesn’t make them any less valid. That’s just my view though.

Honestly, I think the main difference between Hyrule Warriors and Super Mario RPG in this case would boil down to appearances. Beyond the original characters in SMRPG (Geno, Mallow, etc.) a lot of the other characters have literally hundreds of appearances, especially Mario, Peach, and Bowser - so while you could take influence from SMRPG in some cases (like with Peach being able to use a frying pan in her moveset), it's not like SMRPG is specifically suited off the bat to representing a character's entire vibe.

Comparatively, Hyrule Warriors is for a lot of its characters their first playable appearance, and in other cases pretty much the only time we've seen them in action; plus, by its very nature, it already collates elements from throughout the series in terms of their design. Impa, for instance, takes influence from her appearances in Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword (which are probably her more prominent appearances outside of something like AoC) so, in a sense, including her HW appearance directly might feel a little more "complete"?

In my mind, it shouldn't really discount including content from either, just that I can see how there'd be different ways of looking at them because they ultimately do pretty different things. And, well, when it comes to playable characters from spin-offs, I guess at that point it boils down to preferences; whether you prefer the inclusion of Lana or Mallow's pretty much your call in the same way it would be for any other series.

 

[ninjahmos]

If we get another Zelda character, I don't think they should take all of their moves from Hyrule Warriors, unless it's Lana and/or Cia. In fact, if we really wanted a Dynasty Warriors character, our best bet would probably be Lu Bu, but I feel like him being based on a historical figure might be an obstacle for him to get into Smash.

 

[Louie G.]

What’s the difference between taking inspiration from Hyrule Warriors compared to Super Mario RPG? Both were spin-off games made by an outside developer based on their other existing properties. I’m not trying to say Geno shouldn’t be eligible for Smash, but if he is, so should Hyrule Warriors content. I’d love to see more spin-off games get Smash representation in general. Just because they’re not from the mainline series doesn’t make them any less valid. That’s just my view though.

I get it, but I don't think this applies for someone like Impa.

Mind you... it's easy to argue that Peach has a couple bits of Mario RPG inspiration in her moveset, such as her frying pan. But it's not the central point of inspiration for her moveset, more of a flavor added to the character off of her existing material. Otherwise Peach's moveset is built dominantly off her role and abilities in the standard Mario games, particularly Super Mario Bros 2.

A better comparison to what you're posing here is if you were advocating for Lana or Cia. I think advocating for these original characters feels more "honest" than asking for a character with plentiful mainline appearances to be dictated by her appearance in spinoff games. Personally I really don't care, if it works it works and Impa is kind of an "up for interpretation" character anyway, but I just wanted to highlight why people would not see this the same way they do Geno.

Implying a number of these people want Geno in the first place, which many people here evidently do not. But I think these are two different scenarios.

 

[Kirbeh]

I wouldn't mind taking some inspiration from the HW designs, but I wouldn't want those titles to be the primary basis for existing characters or newcomers.
I think they should be valid/eligible for content, just not the main source.

That said, with Impa in particular I think you could more easily meet in the middle if only because of BotW/TotK being the games they are. Maybe she doesn't use her HW design or those specific weapons, but you could probably pull a spear or claymore from BotW/TotK and do something similar. Link remains traditional and doesn't make use of any additional weapon types, so, if you don't go the Sheik echo/clone route, that's a possible direction you could take with Impa as well.

I know the mention of stance changes tends to annoy people but I'm personally partial to taking this route for Impa. Make her the Falco to Sheik's Fox but instead of Burst Grenade, she pulls out a heavy claymore to attack and it stays out, changing to a slower, heavy hitting playstyle. Then add Paya who echoes Impa's standard stance but uses a different spear move set for her stance change.

 

[BuckleyTim]

There's so much ground to cover with Zelda at this point that I feel like one slot doesn't cut it. What would it matter if impa gets in if she was included alongside another Zelda character I like? Feels justified since you could get two eras pretty easily covered by doing skull kid alongside her.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

At least that means that she was planned from the start since Lucas in Brawl is the only other character from the clone archetype that was planned from the start.

The rest were added later in development when they were introduced in Smash.

Pretty sure aside from Richter, all of Ultimate's Echoes were planned.

 

[Laniv]

There's so much ground to cover with Zelda at this point that I feel like one slot doesn't cut it. What would it matter if impa gets in if she was included alongside another Zelda character I like? Feels justified since you could get two eras pretty easily covered by doing skull kid alongside her.

Would anyone really be upset if Zelda (or Kirby) got two newcomers? I think people would be cool with that

 

[Gengar84]

Would anyone really be upset if Zelda (or Kirby) got two newcomers? I think people would be cool with that

I wouldn’t be. Zelda is long overdue for another unique character and Kirby has a lot of great options. My roster actually did give each of them two newcomers.

 

[RileyXY1]

Pretty sure aside from Richter, all of Ultimate's Echoes were planned.

Yeah. Richter was the exception because originally Alucard was gonna be the Castlevania rep before Sakurai realized that it would be weird to include Castlevania without having a single Belmont on the roster, so Alucard got cut and made into an Assist Trophy instead while Simon and Richter joined the roster.

 

[BuckleyTim]

Looking this up it says he was "briefly considered" according to smashwiki, but also he shows up fully voiced in Richter's Palutena Guidance? Dang, what did I miss not doing them when ultimate came out lol.

 

[Gengar84]

I get it, but I don't think this applies for someone like Impa.

Mind you... it's easy to argue that Peach has a couple bits of Mario RPG inspiration in her moveset, such as her frying pan. But it's not the central point of inspiration for her moveset, more of a flavor added to the character off of her existing material. Otherwise Peach's moveset is built dominantly off her role and abilities in the standard Mario games, particularly Super Mario Bros 2.

A better comparison to what you're posing here is if you were advocating for Lana or Cia. I think advocating for these original characters feels more "honest" than asking for a character with plentiful mainline appearances to be dictated by her appearance in spinoff games. Personally I really don't care, if it works it works and Impa is kind of an "up for interpretation" character anyway, but I just wanted to highlight why people would not see this the same way they do Geno.

Implying a number of these people want Geno in the first place, which many people here evidently do not. But I think these are two different scenarios.

That’s fair. I was trying to make a more general statement about spin-off eligibility rather than advocate specifically for Impa here. I did bring up Lana and Cia and the fact that Lana is my friend’s most wanted Smash character. I do personally want HW Impa and I have advocated for her in the past but I feel like the implications are bigger than just her.

Regarding Impa, I would generally agree with you if Impa had more to pull from in the mainline games themselves but she’s almost never shown fighting. Personally, I like the idea of basing the moveset around her first playable appearance even if it happened to be a spin-off. I agree that if a character has enough material from their main games, there’s less of a need to base much off the spin-off appearances. I think the fact that this was the first time she was ever playable as well as the first time she was shown fighting with an expansive moveset beyond magical barriers makes it a worthy source of inspiration for Smash. It’s perfectly fair if you see things differently though but I just wanted to explain where I’m coming from. It’s also possible that I’m making the excuse because she looks cool and has a fun moveset in that game.

 

[Arcanir]

From the sound of it, Alucard was only briefly considered for the position before Sakurai ultimately decided on Simon (and later Richter).

Alucard: When choosing a character from the Castlevania series, Alucard was momentarily considered. This is because the protagonists in Castlevania change quite often, and Sakurai felt that Alucard might be more recognizable to more fans. (Source)

Famitsu: It was quite interesting that you chose characters from the Castlevania series. What was the reason for you?
Sakurai: After Smash for 3DS/ Wii U, we conducted the fighter ballot and the series was highly requested. In addition when I went to decide new content for Smash Ultimate, my options were quite limited…
Famitsu: Your choices were limited to franchises that have appeal all over the world, huh?
Sakurai: The problem with Castlevenia is that that the protagonists change quite often (laugh). If anything, there are probably more people who are familiar with Alucard.
Famitsu: I think fans would want a character that is part of the Belmont lineage too.
Sakurai: If I had went with [Alucard], then there wouldn’t have been any connection to the Belmont lineage (laughs)

 

[Shinuto]

What does everyone think of Mike Hatsune's chances?

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I wanna say, I don't like the idea of seriously categorizing "sauceless" character picks. Even characters that don't have anything that immediately stick out to people as interesting on paper, in practice the result can and likely will click with a decent amount of people at the very least. Take Bandana Waddle Dee for example, a small, lightweight swordfighter with a projectile and probably even multiple jumps isn't inherently exciting on paper, but it is a novel playstyle that people could easily fall in love with.

And I know this line of thinking generally leads to "well if everyone can have a fun and interesting moveset, they should just pick [insert thing the person values more in a fighter]", and that's valid, but using that argument to put other characters down doesn't really accomplish much other than being annoying/hostile to the people who do like those characters.

EDIT: This is all to say, I don't want the conversation to start revolving around how boring the potential picks are, and I think if it starts going that way this thread's just going to be a mess of angry people yelling at each other.
EDIT EDIT: It could also just dampen people's excitement about the new games if everyone feels like nobody appreciates any of the newcomers.

 

[fogbadge]

What does everyone think of Mike Hatsune's chances?

non existent

 

[Gengar84]

I wanna say, I don't like the idea of seriously categorizing "sauceless" character picks. Even characters that don't have anything that immediately stick out to people as interesting on paper, in practice the result can and likely will click with a decent amount of people at the very least. Take Bandana Waddle Dee for example, a small, lightweight swordfighter with a projectile and probably even multiple jumps isn't inherently exciting on paper, but it is a novel playstyle that people could easily fall in love with.

And I know this line of thinking generally leads to "well if everyone can have a fun and interesting moveset, they should just pick [insert thing the person values more in a fighter]", and that's valid, but using that argument to put other characters down doesn't really accomplish much other than being annoying/hostile to the people who do like those characters.

EDIT: This is all to say, I don't want the conversation to start revolving around how boring the potential picks are, and I think if it starts going that way this thread's just going to be a mess of angry people yelling at each other.
EDIT EDIT: It could also just dampen people's excitement about the new games if everyone feels like nobody appreciates any of the newcomers.

I think “sauce” is almost entirely subjective. What’s exciting to one person may be boring to another and vice versa. Everyone has a particular taste in what kind of characters they want to see most. For example, I love characters with a deep personality and unique design that tends to border on “dark and edgy”. Other people might prefer happy and cheerful platforming mascot characters and don’t care as much about any kind of complex story or personality. Neither of these is wrong, it’s just all up to interpretation of what resonates with you the most. That’s why I always do my best to build up my favorites without knocking anyone else’s down. I still have my biases and preferences and I try to share them as respectfully as I can.

 

[Ivander]

What does everyone think of Mike Hatsune's chances?

Possible. Not high, but possible. And in all honesty, Hatsune Miku wouldn't be any weirder than a character from a visual novel, from a edutainment title or is an accessory for a game.

 

[BuckleyTim]

Miku is one of those characters I could easily see being a surprise mii costume with music that gets a very positive reaction.

 

[Laniv]

What does everyone think of Mike Hatsune's chances?

It ain't looking great but it would be funny if she did

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Who is the most likely character to be in Smash 6. Like the ones that feel almost guaranteed.

Specific characters rather then just statements like Gen 9/10 Pokemon or New FE main character.

 

[RouffWestie]

What does everyone think of Mike Hatsune's chances?

She's not a video game character, she's an audio software mascot. If FL Studio or Audacity had a mascot, they wouldn't have a chance either, and those are the same type of program just with different intended uses.
BTW I've said Miku was a possible candidate in the past, but that was my fault for not doing proper research on Vocaloid and assuming it was closer to a rhythm game than what it actually is.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Who is the most likely character to be in Smash 6. Like the ones that feel almost guaranteed.

Specific characters rather then just statements like Gen 9/10 Pokemon or New FE main character.

Octolings.

Whether as alt, Echo, or their own thing, they seem like a no-brainer.

 

[Gengar84]

Octolings.

Whether as alt, Echo, or their own thing, they seem like a no-brainer.

I second this. I think a second Splatoon character is about as close to a guarantee as you can get with how successful the series has become. Octolings are the simplest and most obvious choice. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got Octolings as echoes and a second completely unique newcomer in addition to them.