Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Gengar84]

You know that last 2 will also competing for the spots for Smash 6? They aren't guaranteed. If Nintendo and Microsoft wanted a stronger relationship i'm pretty sure Banjo, Chief and Steve would better to fit that bill than Crash.

Especially with the latter actually having real Japanese support that actually works in his favor




Crash was never a mascot for Sony though, he was always owned by Universal which is why they were only 3 games until Sony and Naughty Dog lost license.

If you want a Playstation Mascot that actually represent Sony. Why not Ratchet and Clank? Actual Sony Mascot reps with Relevance, actual future that reps who Sony is today

Or Nathan, Kratos, Krack, Aloy, Abby or go old-school like Parapappa or Ape Escape. Would Diversify and stand from the cartoony picks from Nintendo, Sony, Capcom

Crash was never officially a Sony mascot but he was definitely promoted as one.

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[RodNutTakin]

I feel like people’s main concern isn’t being able to play as the character in general in Smash on a Switch 2, though.

• Some see a character being in Smash as validating; it’s one of the most prestigious crossovers in gaming, so any character being playable is a big honor. As such, their character being cut is taking that validation away. It can feel like the devs are saying “Sorry, your favorite character wasn’t important enough to return!” It’s best for people to not associate theirselves with any pick that way, but I see why people see it that way.
• As a crossover, a big aspect of the game is having character being able to fight other character. If your favorite character is stuck in Ultimate and isn’t in the new game, they won’t be able to fight the new game’s newcomers.
• If the game has any notable new mechanics, your favorite cut character won’t get to interact with them. For example, if your favorite Melee character was one of the ones that was cut in Brawl, you didn’t get to see their Final Smash until they returned in Smash 4 or Ultimate.

I think a bigger concern than all of this regarding cuts is how much character speculation could potentially regress depending on the severity of who's gone.
By proxy, the more characters removed from the game, the smaller the chances become for a majority of new faces (outside of a very select few) to potentially get in.

 

[Gengar84]

I think a bigger concern than all of this regarding cuts is how much character speculation could potentially regress depending on the severity of who's gone.
By proxy, the more characters removed from the game, the smaller the chances become for a majority of new faces (outside of a very select few) to potentially get in.

If it gets confirmed early that we’re only getting around 50 characters or less, I’m more or less done with Smash speculation. I’ll still probably buy the games and have fun with them but that effectively kills the chances of all my most wanted. I feel like even Zero wouldn’t have much a chance with such a small roster.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

You know, I remember seeing it mentioned in videos discussing Ultimate back before it was properly unveiled with a title and everyone is here, but one pipedream we didn't end up getting were any Indie characters.

One might count Steve on principle, but that really doesn't feel right given the Minecraft Community is currently at war with its corporate overlords.

I championed Undertale a lot a few years ago, and honestly feel just as Determined about it as ever. Bit sad we haven't gotten Chapters 3 & 4 of Deltarune yet, but the wait is almost over so I'm not salty. There's a ton of Indies to potentially add, a skeleton

 

[Gengar84]

I just started playing indie games a few years ago and I ended up enjoying quite a few of them. For example, I just beat Sea of Stars last month and had a lot of fun. I’ve also played Nexomon, Coromon, and Indivisible. Unfortunately, I feel like they’re all too niche compared to the larger indie games like Undertale and Shovel Knight to have much a chance.

Mako from Brawlhala is a super cool looking indie character and I’d like to see him in Smash.

 

[mynameisBlade]

I musta missed the Namco console.

Edit: Nm, just realized he's supposed to be the Atari mascot.

Yep I just didn't mention it as I don't want to pretend I grew up with Atari is all. Pacman is for sure up there with the greats though!

 

[Captain Shwampy]

My biggest hope is frankly just a rerelease, but knowing how rerelease-averse modern SEGA is, I don't know that I should count on that. We'll see!

[Smugly]: We are not a retro game company.

 

[mynameisBlade]

You know that last 2 will also competing for the spots for Smash 6? They aren't guaranteed. If Nintendo and Microsoft wanted a stronger relationship i'm pretty sure Banjo, Chief and Steve would better to fit that bill than Crash.

Especially with the latter actually having real Japanese support that actually works in his favor




Crash was never a mascot for Sony though, he was always owned by Universal which is why they were only 3 games until Sony and Naughty Dog lost license.

If you want a Playstation Mascot that actually represent Sony. Why not Ratchet and Clank? Actual Sony Mascot reps with Relevance, actual future that reps who Sony is today

Or Nathan, Kratos, Krack, Aloy, Abby or go old-school like Parapappa or Ape Escape. Would Diversify and stand from the cartoony picks from Nintendo, Sony, Capcom

Crash was Sony's answer to Mario if you didn't know. I'm pretty sure in the late 90s Crash was always the character people thought of in terms of a mascot for Sony. I can see him not being for some people, but that doesn't make me want him any less as I'd go by the majority. Sakurai seems to do the same with most of his Smash picks.

It'd work out perfect as the Crash suit guy can come in out of nowhere in a reveal trailer similar to the N64 Smash Trailer haha!

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Or Nathan, Kratos, Krack, Aloy, Abby or go old-school like Parapappa or Ape Escape. Would Diversify and stand from the cartoony picks from Nintendo, Sony, Capcom

Calling Capcom picks cartoony when two out of three of them are Street Fighter characters is certainly an opinion.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

I feel like Mario and Pokemon are big enough where the cuts aren’t going to be significant

Oddly, while everyone seems to love or hate the idea of the Engage mechanic based on it using characters that will never be fighters, I kind of think that the most likely Emblem they use is Marth, and just Marth.

Emblems are more like spirit copies of the original so I don’t think there would be any issues.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Calling Capcom picks cartoony when two out of three of them are Street Fighter characters is certainly an opinion.

Also Parappa the Rapper and Ape Escape aren't cartoony?

 

[CannonStreak]

Also Parappa the Rapper and Ape Escape aren't cartoony?

Whoever thought they weren’t, they need to rethink that.

…’Cause they gotta believe!

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Also Parappa the Rapper and Ape Escape aren't cartoony?

I can let Parappa slide because the idea of being a flat character is unusual for Smash since there's only one instance of that right now

Yeah, he's cartoony but in a uniquely distinct way so he still supports the "diversity" argument, even if not in the way Nabbitfan says.

There's no defending Ape Escape though. That series is sillier and has even more cartoon energy than even most of the stuff Nintendo puts out.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Also Parappa the Rapper and Ape Escape aren't cartoony?

Pipo Monkeys have been in the same game as Solid Snake...maybe kinda because Mesal Gear Solid is also doing Smash's maybe-Solid-maybe-Big-Boss thing.

Clearly that means they're photorealistic.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I can let Parappa slide because the idea of being a flat character is unusual for Smash since there's only one instance of that right now

Ya know, I'm kinda curious how they'd handle Parappa the Rapper's aesthetic in Super Smash Bros. since it's a bunch of 2d images running around as if they were 3 dimensional, and not in the Paper Mario sort of way where they redraw the characters whenever the perspective changes. PlayStation All Stars: Battle Royale gave the characters a bit of depth, making them look like stuffed toys that had pretty much run out of stuffing. It doesn't look bad there, but it would be interesting to see if Sakurai would take the same approach, do something different, or say "screw it" and use Parappa's aesthetic full send.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Ya know, I'm kinda curious how they'd handle Parappa the Rapper's aesthetic in Super Smash Bros. since it's a bunch of 2d images running around as if they were 3 dimensional, and not in the Paper Mario sort of way where they redraw the characters whenever the perspective changes. PlayStation All Stars: Battle Royale gave the characters a bit of depth, making them look like stuffed toys that had pretty much run out of stuffing. It doesn't look bad there, but it would be interesting to see if Sakurai would take the same approach, do something different, or say "screw it" and use Parappa's aesthetic full send.

My guess is they'd do what PSASBR did but better

 

[dream1ng]

I feel like Mario and Pokemon are big enough where the cuts aren’t going to be significant

I feel Mario and Pokemon are big enough on the roster where their cuts are probably going to be as significant as any other series if not more. At like 10~ characters, if you cut a couple, they'll still have many left and are always among the likeliest to get more. (this also applies to FE)

Smaller series it depends how you look at significant. If you axe a character you might be losing 50% of the representation, but you only cut one character.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Emblems are more like spirit copies of the original so I don’t think there would be any issues.

I love how we're using logic in a game where Robin can summon Chrom to pummel Chrom while Mario and Dr. Mario are having a projectile war.

The Emblem bit is still correct. My point is that it doesn't matter if it's correct or not.

 

[Ivander]

I love how we're using logic in a game where Robin can summon Chrom to pummel Chrom while Mario and Dr. Mario are having a projectile war.

The Emblem bit is still correct. My point is that it doesn't matter if it's correct or not.

I mean, if there's any benefit for Alear having characters as Emblem specials, it's that if the development team wanted to later, they could use one of those models as the base for a playable version of that character in a future update or game. It certainly helped Chrom.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Calling Capcom picks cartoony when two out of three of them are Street Fighter characters is certainly an opinion.

Who said Street Fighter can't be Scrimblo

(Yeah they look more super-deformed/chibi, rather than being inspired by the Golden Age of American Animation, but my point still stands)

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Calling Capcom picks cartoony when two out of three of them are Street Fighter characters is certainly an opinion.

Their more 80's Saturday morning cartoon tier but thats still cartoony i suppose

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Oddly, while everyone seems to love or hate the idea of the Engage mechanic based on it using characters that will never be fighters, I kind of think that the most likely Emblem they use is Marth, and just Marth.

The most I can see is having bits of other Emblems if it makes sense to match them with the sword-wielding Emblem Marth since that's without question the Emblem most associated with Alear.

Sigurd's Overdrive is a great example since it's a rushing stab that can be done with a sword. It just... wouldn't have any horse

Who said Street Fighter can't be Scrimblo

(Yeah they look more super-deformed/chibi, rather than being inspired by the Golden Age of American Animation, but my point still stands)

I love Super Puzzle Fighter!

I mean, if there's any benefit for Alear having characters as Emblem specials, it's that if the development team wanted to later, they could use one of those models as the base for a playable version of that character in a future update or game. It certainly helped Chrom.

I also severely doubt they would go over so much effort as to have multiple different Emblems fully modeled for only one attack each, maybe two. This has the same vibes as someone thinking Joker would have a billion different Personas because Wild Card.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Their more 80's Saturday morning cartoon tier but thats still cartoony i suppose

Pretty sure the actual western SF show is some sort of homage to the action/superhero cartoons from the prior decade (even it had a toyline)

Also, Discotek Media is giving this and the Darkstalkers one a physical release, with audio commentary from Justin Wong and Maximilliam Dood (Something like Mystery Science Teather 3000 or an audio version of The Annotation Station)

 

[Ivander]

I also severely doubt they would go over so much effort as to have multiple different Emblems fully modeled for only one attack each, maybe two. This has the same vibes as someone thinking Joker would have a billion different Personas because Wild Card.

We're talking about the team that had to rework every stage for Steve, made mostly new models for the KoF characters in the KoF stage, compared to the Three Houses characters who were mostly ported, and tried to make Rex, Pyra AND Mythra all together before it was scrapped and they simply did Pyra & Mythra.
I'm just saying, Sakurai is the person where if he really wants to, he will do it. There are cases where because of hardware, he was unable to, but the fact that they tried to begin with shows that Sakurai is willing to go the full mile if he's able to.

Will it happen? No certainty. Could it happen? Possibly. We still have to wait for the game to be announced to begin with, but depending on what the Switch 2 is capable of, some ideas that weren't possible with previous hardware could become realisable and possible with the Switch 2. Though we still have about 2 months to wait through before we get the full details.

 

[Gengar84]

The most I can see is having bits of other Emblems if it makes sense to match them with the sword-wielding Emblem Marth since that's without question the Emblem most associated with Alear.

Sigurd's Overdrive is a great example since it's a rushing stab that can be done with a sword. It just... wouldn't have any horse


I love Super Puzzle Fighter!


I also severely doubt they would go over so much effort as to have multiple different Emblems fully modeled for only one attack each, maybe two. This has the same vibes as someone thinking Joker would have a billion different Personas because Wild Card.

So would you say that rules out a summoner like Yuna or Princess Garnet from getting into Smash? I’d imagine they’d have to model all the summons for different attacks as well unless they used flat sprites like the Midgar stage. Do you think they’d just limit Yuna to Valefor? Officer Howard has a similar issue with their Legion.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

So would you say that rules out a summoner like Yuna or Princess Garnet from getting into Smash? I’d imagine they’d have to model all the summons for different attacks as well unless they used flat sprites like the Midgar stage. Do you think they’d just limit Yuna to Valefor? Officer Howard has a similar issue with their Legion.

I would assume it would work better in their favor since that's actually part of the gameplay.

There's no time in Engage where someone can have two Emblems simultaneously so it feels like cramming every Emblem into the moveset just so some characters can be "represented" rather than a genuine attempt at showcasing what Engage does.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

I don't think Ultimate will be abandoned like S4 especially if the Smash 6 is new game with cuts. It will stand out for Everyone is Here and Mods alone similar to Brawl. Not as much as Melee but still

In terms of a Smash announcement, i don't think Sakurai's new game will be Smash 6 but one after jointed with the first one. Probably Kid Icarus or a new ips

In meantime, to drum up speculation. what they should do is announce a teaser like they always for a new system in 2025 + a new Smash Ballot to keep the tide. Game releasing in 2026-7

I think it's time to host a new one. The Gaming landscape has changed quite a bit since 2015. It's been 10 years and Sakurai is probably doing a project plan rn.

It would help him, keep speculation alive and well without game needing to be fully revealed.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I would assume it would work better in their favor since that's actually part of the gameplay.

There's no time in Engage where someone can have two Emblems simultaneously so it feels like cramming every Emblem into the moveset just so some characters can be "represented" rather than a genuine attempt at showcasing what Engage does.

So do you feel like Lodestar Rush would be the Final Smash thanks to utilizing Emblem Marth or do you think it'd be something involving Emblem Alear and like Dragon Blast?

 

[Guynamednelson]

made mostly new models for the KoF characters in the KoF stage,

They're all edits of models from KoFXIV. I checked their UV maps. There's no other reason why else they'd have King's bra in her textures, that's from an easter egg in the Art of Fighting and KoF series.

 

[Ivander]

They're all edits of models from KoFXIV. I checked their UV maps. There's no other reason why else they'd have King's bra in her textures, that's from an easter egg in the Art of Fighting and KoF series.

Well, at least I found the answer I was looking for earlier. Whenever I tried to look for details on the background models when looking for if they were edited from another game, I was getting nothing on them compared to the other background models, which made me assume they were more brand new than edits.

Trying to find any details and answers on the internet in a nutshell.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Music app updated a little early tonight, adding Legends Arceus to the lineup, with the highlight saying it's to celebrate the third anniversary.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

So do you feel like Lodestar Rush would be the Final Smash thanks to utilizing Emblem Marth or do you think it'd be something involving Emblem Alear and like Dragon Blast?

Dragon Blast gets a pass because it's specifically an Alear thing (and also the beam looks cool). Lodestar Rush could be a cool Limit Break-like move though.

 

[PersonAngelo53]

So do you feel like Lodestar Rush would be the Final Smash thanks to utilizing Emblem Marth or do you think it'd be something involving Emblem Alear and like Dragon Blast?

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Fun fact someone made a mod of Lodestar Rush as a final smash already.

 

[Godzillathewonderdog]

You know that last 2 will also competing for the spots for Smash 6? They aren't guaranteed. If Nintendo and Microsoft wanted a stronger relationship i'm pretty sure Banjo, Chief and Steve would better to fit that bill than Crash.

Especially with the latter actually having real Japanese support that actually works in his favor




Crash was never a mascot for Sony though, he was always owned by Universal which is why they were only 3 games until Sony and Naughty Dog lost license.

If you want a Playstation Mascot that actually represent Sony. Why not Ratchet and Clank? Actual Sony Mascot reps with Relevance, actual future that reps who Sony is today

Or Nathan, Kratos, Krack, Aloy, Abby or go old-school like Parapappa or Ape Escape. Would Diversify and stand from the cartoony picks from Nintendo, Sony, Capcom

I mean Crash does have real Japanese support if the fan polls are anything to go off of.

I don’t think the amount of characters a company has matters much at all. If Nintendo wants a character in the game they’ll get them in the game, Square Enix has 4 unique characters already, so 4 Microsoft characters isn’t a stretch at all. I imagine Crash is a character that is on Nintendo’s radar, due to his immense popularity, cultural significance, and high demand for Smash.

Also while Crash wasn’t officially Sony’s mascot, for all intents and purposes he basically was. The marketing team absolutely wanted to give off the impression that he was the PlayStation’s mascot, and almost everyone saw it that way.

A lot of people still don’t see Sony owned characters as a viable option at this point for various reasons, so Crash is seen as the best alternative, regardless though Crash is still a much more desired character than anyone Sony owns. Also there is way more to a character than their relevancy, our first Capcom and Microsoft characters were not relevant at the time they were added, and the idea that they would add someone like Abby or Parappa before Crash is absurd.

 

[Gengar84]

Why on earth would anyone use their vote for “placeholder Sword and Shield Pokemon”? I feel like voting for something that likely is kind of throwing your vote away as much as voting for someone with basically no chance but to each their own. Yes, I know we didn’t get a Sword and Shield Pokemon but that’s beside the point lol.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Why on earth would anyone use their vote for “placeholder Sword and Shield Pokemon”? I feel like voting for something that likely is kind of throwing your vote away as much as voting for someone with basically no chance but to each their own. Yes, I know we didn’t get a Sword and Shield Pokemon but that’s beside the point lol.

Wouldn't the fact that we didn't get one exactly prove the point of those who voted that?

You can't just say "oh, you're throwing your vote because it'll obviously happen" on an event that would eventually not happen whatsoever.

This is like, anti-hindsight.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Wouldn't the fact that we didn't get one exactly prove the point of those who voted that?

You can't just say "oh, you're throwing your vote because it'll obviously happen" on an event that would eventually not happen whatsoever.

This is like, anti-hindsight.

Imagine being the one to tell someone to not vote for something because it's going to happen regardless, only for it not to happen and you have to interact with that person. :V

 

[Gengar84]

Wouldn't the fact that we didn't get one exactly prove the point of those who voted that?

You can't just say "oh, you're throwing your vote because it'll obviously happen" on an event that would eventually not happen whatsoever.

This is like, anti-hindsight.

Yeah, that’s true. If it was a specific Pokemon, it would have been more understandable but just seeing the Sword and Shield logo makes it feel more like a prediction than an actual vote. I do understand that not getting one kind of defeats my point but it’s still kind of a strange vote choice to me. Like I said, people are free to vote for what they want. I’ve got no issues with it, it’s just kind of confusing to me.

So here’s my logic, let me know if it makes sense or not: voting for something that we basically get every game seems like something else could have used that support. I think, if they wanted a SS Pokemon, we’d have gotten one and the vote didn’t make much a difference but that’s just a gut feeling. Conversely, voting for a character almost no one else cares about seems like your vote could be better spent too. I feel like the smartest thing is to vote for a character that has at least a semi-realistic chance but may not be seen as an obvious choice for whatever reason.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Yeah, that’s true. If it was a specific Pokemon, it would have been more understandable but just seeing the Sword and Shield logo makes it feel more like a prediction than an actual vote. I do understand that not getting one kind of defeats my point but it’s still kind of a strange vote choice to me. Like I said, people are free to vote for what they want. I’ve got no issues with it, it’s just kind of confusing to me.

So here’s my logic, let me know if it makes sense or not: voting for something that we basically get every game seems like something else could have used that support. I think, if they wanted a SS Pokemon, we’d have gotten one and the vote didn’t make much a difference but that’s just a gut feeling. Conversely, voting for a character almost no one else cares about seems like your vote could be better spent too. I feel like the smartest thing is to vote for a character that has at least a semi-realistic chance but may not be seen as an obvious choice for whatever reason.

Ever thought about how it could be a Pokemon fan well-aware that Game Freak is only interested in the most recent ****, thus making the Gen 9 vote the most realistic option if they want their favorite franchise to get anything?

It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

If Byleth wasn’t planned then it was likely that there would have been a spirit event when Three Houses launched. Opposite for Gen 8 Pokemon.