Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Garteam]

A bit of a weird question, but it's one that's been on my mind a lot as of late. What does the next game need to have for you to be satisfied? There's often a lot of talk of what we think is likely or what unlikely addition we'd want included, but I wanna gauge a little just what the bar is for people to be happy with the game.

For me, moveset redesigns are the main thing I'd want over anything else. I'm fine with new characters and stages, but I'd hope for a 50-60 overall roster in regards to base game, since they kinda play second fiddle if the returning vets are using the same moves as in Ultimate. I really wanna see what updates can be made now that there isn't an incentive to rush through development. Of the 15-20 characters that are solidly in my want pile, I'd be pretty satisfied with just one or hopefully two of em, be they kinda a side want or one of my never evers.

I’d honestly say a 60-75 character roster where the newcomers make up whichever characters were lost.

I know that’s kind of a non-descriptive answer, but my expectations for newcomers wouldn’t be too high if I didn’t think the cuts were too dramatic and vice versa. Alternatively, if I felt too many key veterans were gone or the new batch of newcomers wasn’t great, I would want the other side of the equation to make up for that.

Bandana Waddle Dee and X are my most wanteds going in. Other than that, I’m relatively open to whichever specific characters got in. I do want to see more secondary characters from third party franchises generally, but I would be satisfied getting 3 or 4 of the most noteworthy options and leaving it at that.

 

[Garo]

I've always ended up enjoying the new Smash game more than the previous one, so I think I'll be satisfied no matter what.

Some things I'd personally like to see are the return of non-equipment customization (whether in the form of custom moves like in Smash 4 or perks like in Multiversus) and expanded movesets (universal shield specials or ledge and grab specials like in Rivals 2).

 

[Gengar84]

A bit of a weird question, but it's one that's been on my mind a lot as of late. What does the next game need to have for you to be satisfied? There's often a lot of talk of what we think is likely or what unlikely addition we'd want included, but I wanna gauge a little just what the bar is for people to be happy with the game.

For me, moveset redesigns are the main thing I'd want over anything else. I'm fine with new characters and stages, but I'd hope for a 50-60 overall roster in regards to base game, since they kinda play second fiddle if the returning vets are using the same moves as in Ultimate. I really wanna see what updates can be made now that there isn't an incentive to rush through development. Of the 15-20 characters that are solidly in my want pile, I'd be pretty satisfied with just one or hopefully two of em, be they kinda a side want or one of my never evers.

I don’t think I could be satisfied with a 50 character roster. I think I’d lose most of my favorites with a roster that size and any hope of seeing any of my most wanted in the future. Something closer to 70-75 would be perfectly acceptable though. I don’t need EiH2 but as long as we keep most of my favorites and get around 15 exciting newcomers, I’ll be happy with the base roster. I’d also love much better co-op and single player content. Nothing has really come close to Subspace Emissary for me so something along those lines would be awesome. I’d also love to see big improvements in the Stage Builder. What we have now is fun but very limited.

 

[BrawlX10]

Honestly, to me i'd be satisfied by the next game simply having new base game content comparable to Smash 4 or Brawl.
I like Ultimate....but the game got old to me after Banjo release, didn't help that i played Smash 4 for 4 years before Ult released.

 

[Garteam]

I'm currently working on a hypothetical roster for if Sakurai's current project is a Smash that releases at the end of the year. How satisfied would you personally be with the following list of newcomers? Alternatively, how satisfied do you think general audiences would be?

1. Waluigi
2. Skull Kid
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Meowscarada
5. Tom Nook
6. Octoling
7. Ring Fit Adventurer
8. Ayumi Tachibana
9. Excitebiker
10. Shadow the Hedgehog
11. X and Zero (transforming character)
12. Chun-Li
13. Alucard
14. Ryu Hayabusa
15. Geno

Here are the echoes:

1. Funky Kong
2. Galacta Knight
3. Big Boss (based on MGS3 and Peace Walker)

 

[Gengar84]

I'm currently working on a hypothetical roster for if Sakurai's current project is a Smash that releases at the end of the year. How satisfied would you personally be with the following list of newcomers? Alternatively, how satisfied do you think general audiences would be?

1. Waluigi
2. Skull Kid
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Meowscarada
5. Tom Nook
6. Octoling
7. Ring Fit Adventurer
8. Ayumi Tachibana
9. Excitebiker
10. Shadow the Hedgehog
11. X and Zero (transforming character)
12. Chun-Li
13. Alucard
14. Ryu Hayabusa
15. Geno

Here are the echoes:

1. Funky Kong
2. Galacta Knight
3. Big Boss (based on MGS3 and Peace Walker)

I’d be satisfied though the only character that’s on my personal list is X/Zero. Other characters like Skull Kid, Meowscarada, Shadow, and Hyabusa would be cool too. So overall, a pretty solid list even if it’s not exactly what I want. Most characters on my list would likely be DLC anyways.

 

[BrawlX10]

I'm currently working on a hypothetical roster for if Sakurai's current project is a Smash that releases at the end of the year. How satisfied would you personally be with the following list of newcomers? Alternatively, how satisfied do you think general audiences would be?

1. Waluigi
2. Skull Kid
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Meowscarada
5. Tom Nook
6. Octoling
7. Ring Fit Adventurer
8. Ayumi Tachibana
9. Excitebiker
10. Shadow the Hedgehog
11. X and Zero (transforming character)
12. Chun-Li
13. Alucard
14. Ryu Hayabusa
15. Geno

Here are the echoes:

1. Funky Kong
2. Galacta Knight
3. Big Boss (based on MGS3 and Peace Walker)

I'd personally replace Skull Kid, Excitebiker Alucard for Sidon, Astral Chain person and Pearl/Marina, but not a bad list at all.

 

[Perkilator]

I'm currently working on a hypothetical roster for if Sakurai's current project is a Smash that releases at the end of the year. How satisfied would you personally be with the following list of newcomers? Alternatively, how satisfied do you think general audiences would be?

1. Waluigi
2. Skull Kid
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Meowscarada
5. Tom Nook
6. Octoling
7. Ring Fit Adventurer
8. Ayumi Tachibana
9. Excitebiker
10. Shadow the Hedgehog
11. X and Zero (transforming character)
12. Chun-Li
13. Alucard
14. Ryu Hayabusa
15. Geno

Here are the echoes:

1. Funky Kong
2. Galacta Knight
3. Big Boss (based on MGS3 and Peace Walker)

I’d be pretty satisfied, aside from Funky Kong and Galacta Knight as Echoes. Alternatively, how would you guys feel about these characters?

• Unique fighters
  1. Waluigi
  2. Toad or Pauline
  3. Skull Kid
  4. Bandana Waddle Dee
  5. Meowscarada, Tinkaton, or Gholdengo
  6. Tom Nook
  7. Octoling
  8. Takamaru
  9. Ayumi Tachibana
  10. Isaac
  11. Officer Howard
  12. Ring Fit Trainee
  13. Alucard
  14. Ryu Hayabusa
  15. Crash Bandicoot
• Echoes
  1. Dixie Kong
  2. Ninjara
  3. Jeanne

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I'm currently working on a hypothetical roster for if Sakurai's current project is a Smash that releases at the end of the year. How satisfied would you personally be with the following list of newcomers? Alternatively, how satisfied do you think general audiences would be?

1. Waluigi
2. Skull Kid
3. Bandana Waddle Dee
4. Meowscarada
5. Tom Nook
6. Octoling
7. Ring Fit Adventurer
8. Ayumi Tachibana
9. Excitebiker
10. Shadow the Hedgehog
11. X and Zero (transforming character)
12. Chun-Li
13. Alucard
14. Ryu Hayabusa
15. Geno

Here are the echoes:

1. Funky Kong
2. Galacta Knight
3. Big Boss (based on MGS3 and Peace Walker)

It's predictable but I don't consider that a bad thing. There's some popular Nintendo requests and new Nintendo series too.

I will say X and Zero being together isn't likely. And looking at the third-parties as a whole, it's sad that only 1/6 of them actually bring a new series. I understand the idea of saving big names for DLC, but there's so many third-party series out there. I'd like more than one new one in base, especially if there are gonna be so many third-party characters.

As far as what the general public would think, Waluigi, Dee, Meowscarada, Shadow and Geno would definitely be able to excite them. But I also see them echoing my sentiment about the third-parties.

 

[Gengar84]

I’d be pretty satisfied, aside from Funky Kong and Galacta Knight as Echoes. Alternatively, how would you guys feel about these characters?

• Unique fighters
  1. Waluigi
  2. Toad or Pauline
  3. Skull Kid
  4. Bandana Waddle Dee
  5. Meowscarada, Tinkaton, or Gholdengo
  6. Tom Nook
  7. Octoling
  8. Takamaru
  9. Ayumi Tachibana
  10. Isaac
  11. Officer Howard
  12. Ring Fit Trainee
  13. Alucard
  14. Ryu Hayabusa
  15. Crash Bandicoot
• Echoes
  1. Dixie Kong
  2. Ninjara
  3. Jeanne

This one’s pretty solid too but it removes the only character on my most wanted list that was on Gartream’s roster. Howard would be awesome and I really want Dixie but not as a Diddy echo.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I’d be pretty satisfied, aside from Funky Kong and Galacta Knight as Echoes. Alternatively, how would you guys feel about these characters?

• Unique fighters
  1. Waluigi
  2. Toad or Pauline
  3. Skull Kid
  4. Bandana Waddle Dee
  5. Meowscarada, Tinkaton, or Gholdengo
  6. Tom Nook
  7. Octoling
  8. Takamaru
  9. Ayumi Tachibana
  10. Isaac
  11. Officer Howard
  12. Ring Fit Trainee
  13. Alucard
  14. Ryu Hayabusa
  15. Crash Bandicoot
• Echoes
  1. Dixie Kong
  2. Ninjara
  3. Jeanne

My choices would be Pauline, and either Tinkaton or Gholdengo. If they were the ones that got in, I'd find this roster pretty exciting.

 

[Gengar84]

Here’s my shot at the base roster. A lot of my most wanted make way more sense as DLC but I’d be pretty excited for this.

Unique Fighters

1. Waluigi (Super Mario)
2. Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
3. Impa (Legend of Zelda)
4. Zoroark/Hisuian Zoraork (Pokemon)
5. Bandana Dee (Kirby)
6. Lyn (Fire Emblem)
7. E.M.M.I. (Metroid)
8. DJ Octavio (Splatoon)
9. Elma (Xenoblade)
10. Officer Howard (Astral Chain)
11. Isaac (Golden Sun)
12. Dillon (Dillon's Rolling Western)
13. Zero (Mega Man)
14. Alphen and Shionne (Tales of)
15. Ryu Hyabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

Echo/Semiclone Fighters

1. Octoling (Splatoon)
2. Shadow (Sonic the Hedgehog)
3. Medusa (Kid Icarus)

Here’s a more in depth layout for my roster ideas. Some things can be updated like we can add Jigglypuff back instead of Team Rocket and move some of the base roster to extra DLC passes if the roster is too big to be realistic:

Spoiler

Alright, I made a new Smash 6 roster. Like the last one, I tried to balance popular characters the general public really wanted and my own personal choices just to keep things interesting. I tried to make the choices at least semi realistic. For the base roster, I kept it to Ultimate's 84 characters but made a good deal of cuts and additions to keep it fresh even if the total roster isn't larger. I also made three Fighter's Passes to get the roster up to 100 characters by the end of the DLC. I think a slightly more realistic approach is to cut six newcomers from the base game to fill out a fourth fighter's pass so the starting roster is only 78 instead of 84.

So for the base roster, here's what I was thinking:

Base Roster:

Cuts:

Piranha Plant
Dr. Mario
Toon Link
Young Link
Jigglypuff
Pichu
Incineroar
Roy
Corrin
Chrom
Zero Suit Samus
Lucas
Duck Hunt
Wii Fit Trainer
Mii
Bayonetta
Steve
Snake

Newcomers:

Waluigi (Super Mario)
Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
Impa (Legend of Zelda)
Zoroark/Hisuian Zoraork (Pokemon)
Team Rocket (Pokemon)
Bandana Dee (Kirby)
Elfilis (Kirby)
Lyn (Fire Emblem)
E.M.M.I. (Metroid)
Octoling (Splatoon)
DJ Octavio (Splatoon)
Elma (Xenoblade)
Officer Howard (Astral Chain)
Isaac (Golden Sun)
Dillon (Dillon's Rolling Western)
Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic)
Zero (Mega Man)
Alphen and Shionne (Tales of)
Ryu Hyabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

For the Fighter's passes, I leaned a bit more towards my personal preferences but wanted to keep the choices at least somewhat realistic and be able to make a solid argument for each inclusion.

So here's the breakdown for the first pass:

Fighter's Pass 1:

Jinx (League of Legends)
Chun-Li (Street Fighter)
Rash (Battletoads) with Zitz and Pimple as alts
Lu Bu (Dynasty Warriors)
Midna (Legend of Zelda)
Bill Rizer (Contra) with Lance Bean as an alt

For Fighter's Pass 2, I wanted to lead with a first party character, so I went with an iconic Pokemon and one of my most wanted characters:

Fighter's Pass 2:

Gengar (Pokemon)
Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
Magus (Chrono Trigger)
Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
Etna (Disgaea)
Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft)

I wanted to start off the last Fighter's Pass with a popular character and end with a big surprise that's both very popular and one that not many expect like Sora:

Fighter's Pass 3:

Yuna (Final Fantasy)
Tails (Sonic)
Kunio (River City) with Riki as an alt
Illidan (WarCraft)
Bomberman (Bomberman)
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat) with Sub-Zero as a semiclone with unique specials, taunts, and final smash

I like to mix in a good amount of unexpected choices because I feel like it would be boring to only include the most speculated characters with no surprises. I think this final roster does a good job at bringing in a lot of expected fan favorites with characters that no one really saw coming. The final roster size of just over 100 characters post DLC might be a bit too ambitious but I don't think it's impossible, especially if you cut some characters from the base roster for one or two more fighter's passes. Ideally, we'd get cut veterans back periodically separate from the Fighter's Passes at a reduced price.

Other ideas:

I had a few ideas for game modes and other content as well. First, every character will be playable from the start without the need to unlock them but using each character in various modes will unlock alternate outfits, trophies, and other things for them. Each character will have at least one unique model alternate outfit unlocked through completing their classic mode. There will also be a color editor for outfits with limitations for third party characters that don't want certain colors edited.

New side mode: Playable bosses

This mode will allow players to control the game's bosses but they aren't balanced for competitive play. The bosses and trophies don't have any additional moves but the players can control what they do have. I loved being able to play as Master Hand in World of Light so this would be a cool expansion to that. For those wondering why Eggman wasn't on the roster, I think a new playable boss is the perfect spot for him since he wouldn't have to sacrifice the size of his huge mechs to be a normal character.

New side mode: Boss rush mode

Upgrade to Stage Builder:

In addition to adding many more parts and backgrounds for normal stages, you'll also have the option from the start to select whether you want the stage to be a normal stage, Break the Targets, Board the Platforms, or Race to the Finish. This way players can create their own character specific mini game stages and upload them online without Sakurai having to spend too much development time on it. You'll also be able to select spawn points for each option.

New co-op adventure platforming mode similar to Sub-Space Emissary

Final Thoughts:

I admit that this is probably all a little ambitious and possibly not completely realistic but this would be what I'd consider to be my dream Smash game. It will be interesting to see how much if any of this actually becomes a reality in the next Smash. So what do you think? Would you be happy with this roster and the modes, even if they might be slightly too ambitious? I don't expect everyone to agree with my choices and I admit that a good part of this is personal bias, but that's just part of the fun for me. It would be boring if we didn't each bring our own ideas and flare to the game.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

A bit of a weird question, but it's one that's been on my mind a lot as of late. What does the next game need to have for you to be satisfied? There's often a lot of talk of what we think is likely or what unlikely addition we'd want included, but I wanna gauge a little just what the bar is for people to be happy with the game.

For me, moveset redesigns are the main thing I'd want over anything else. I'm fine with new characters and stages, but I'd hope for a 50-60 overall roster in regards to base game, since they kinda play second fiddle if the returning vets are using the same moves as in Ultimate. I really wanna see what updates can be made now that there isn't an incentive to rush through development. Of the 15-20 characters that are solidly in my want pile, I'd be pretty satisfied with just one or hopefully two of em, be they kinda a side want or one of my never evers.

Keep Sora or Joker on the roster.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

It's occurred to me that my wanted newcomer list, by itself, wouldn't really make a good newcomer roster. So ideally, I should support each character individually while expecting other characters. And I can celebrate if any of my wanted characters do make it in.

 

[Gengar84]

It's occurred to me that my wanted newcomer list, by itself, wouldn't really make a good newcomer roster. So ideally, I should support each character individually while expecting other characters. And I can celebrate if any of my wanted characters do make it in.

That’s a good way to look at it. With my roster, I aimed for a mix of general fan favorites with my own personal most wanted characters. If my list was purely off my own preferences, it would look a lot different. Not including any of mine and just going with what’s popular would be pretty safe and boring though so adding my own touch makes it more fun for me. I’m not really expecting many of my most wanted but that just makes things more exciting if I actually do get any of them.

 

[BuckleyTim]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

 

[Gengar84]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

I guess mine would be Conker. First, despite loving RARE as a company, I just never liked Conker and didn’t think the game’s attempts at humor were particularly funny. Second, him getting in would basically kill the chances of the RARE characters I actually do really want like the Battletoads, Fulgore, and Joanna Dark. Smash would have to severely tone down his adult humor which would make him just another N64 3D platforming mascot character like Banjo and the company had so much more variety than just that.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

I just dont like Pauline that much

 

[Stratos]

I guess mine would be Conker. First, despite loving RARE as a company, I just never liked Conker and didn’t think the game’s attempts at humor were particularly funny. Second, him getting in would basically kill the chances of the RARE characters I actually do really want like the Battletoads, Fulgore, and Joanna Dark. Smash would have to severely tone down his adult humor which would make him just another N64 3D platforming mascot character like Banjo and the company had so much more variety than just that.

Although Conker is one of the characters on my list, I didn't like his games, although Conker's Pocket Tales was the only one that was family friendly. I would have preferred if they had released Twelve Tales: Conker 64 and continued to make the Conker series family friendly, maybe that would have made me want him more in the Super Smash Bros. series. But overall the only reason I want Conker in the Super Smash Bros. series is so he can meet Diddy Kong and Banjo again because as you know, Conker and Banjo made their debut in Diddy Kong Racing.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

I don't want Ring Fit Trainer because Wii Fit Trainer is already in. I understand that RFT can do a bunch that WFT can't, but that wouldn't change the fact we already have a nameless exercise character from a well-selling game.

But, my reason goes deeper than that. WFT is a character that doesn't fight canonically, so Sakurai had to turn exercises into attacks. RFT is a character that does fight canonically, using exercises as attacks. So if RFT was added to Smash, WFT would just feel...redundant. And significantly less cool. In my eyes, at least. If WFT was cut, I'd probably more open to RFT.

 

[Gengar84]

Although Conker is one of the characters on my list, I didn't like his games, although Conker's Pocket Tales was the only one that was family friendly. I would have preferred if they had released Twelve Tales: Conker 64 and continued to make the Conker series family friendly, maybe that would have made me want him more in the Super Smash Bros. series. But overall the only reason I want Conker in the Super Smash Bros. series is so he can meet Diddy Kong and Banjo again because as you know, Conker and Banjo made their debut in Diddy Kong Racing.

That’s a perfectly fine reason. I admit, that would be cool to see them all reunite but that’s not really enough for me to want him. The same is true for Crash Bandicoot for me. It would be cool to see the platforming console mascots in the same game but he’s competing with other Microsoft ones characters I’d much rather see. I do really appreciate that RARE tried to do something unique with Conker rather than just another cutesy and family friendly mascot character since they already had Banjo for that. It just didn’t really work for me personally.

 

[Perkilator]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone?

I initially didn't want Hero because I thought it would've meant no Sora. Then they both came out.

 

[Shinuto]

Heres my personal list of 15 unique newcomers and 5 new echo fighters
1. Tinkaton
2. Shantae
3. Dr. Eggman
4. Shadow
5. Waluigi
6.Geno
7.Mio
8.Sans
9.Reimu
10. Impa
11. Bandanna Dee
12.Ayumi Tachibana
13. Akira Howard
14. Ring Fit Trainee
15. Takamaru

1. Octoling
2. Funky Kong
3. Proto Man
4. Metal Sonic
5. Marisa

 

[Gengar84]

There’s not very many characters I outright don’t want in Smash. The only other one I can think of is Freddy Fazbear but there’s no real reason for him beyond the fact that I just don’t really like him. Steve was previously my least wanted character and we got him and I’m okay with it. I know Smash isn’t made to cater specifically to my tastes. As far as first party goes, I really didn’t like Spring Man or Rex and didn’t care to see either of them in Smash. I do still feel bad for fans of those characters who were hoping to see them. If they had made it in, I’d have still been happy for their fans like I was with Steve.

 

[Guynamednelson]

What does the next game need to have for you to be satisfied?

At least 10 first-party newcomers, half of which aren't just characters who were too new for Ultimate.

And much better netcode.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I'll go with this:

1. King Boo (Super Mario)
2. Koraidon (Pokémon)
   • 2024 pick: Gen 10 Pokémon replaces it.
3. Miraidon (Pokémon)
   • 2024 pick: Mio replaces it.
4. Bandanna Waddle Dee (Kirby)
5. Skull Kid (The Legend of Zelda)
6. Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)
7. Lyn (Fire Emblem)
8. D. J. Octavio (Splatoon)
9. Ring & Ring Fit Trainee (Ring Fit Adventure)
10. Officer Howard (Astral Chain)
    • 2024 pick: Oatchi replaces them.
11. Excitebiker (Excite)
12. Isaac (Golden Sun)
13. Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
14. Dante (Devil May Cry)
15. Chun-Li (Street Fighter)

Echoes

• Funky Kong (Donkey Kong)
• Octoling (Inkling)

Why no idols? Same reason why no Noah: Didn't want to remove anyone to make room for the extra slot.

 

[Shinuto]

I'll go with this:

1. King Boo (Super Mario)
2. Koraidon (Pokémon)
   • 2024 pick: Gen 10 Pokémon replaces it.
3. Miraidon (Pokémon)
   • 2024 pick: Mio replaces it.
4. Bandanna Waddle Dee (Kirby)
5. Skull Kid (The Legend of Zelda)
6. Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)
7. Lyn (Fire Emblem)
8. D. J. Octavio (Splatoon)
9. Ring & Ring Fit Trainee (Ring Fit Adventure)
10. Officer Howard (Astral Chain)
    • 2024 pick: Oatchi replaces them.
11. Excitebiker (Excite)
12. Isaac (Golden Sun)
13. Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
14. Dante (Devil May Cry)
15. Chun-Li (Street Fighter)

Echoes

• Funky Kong (Donkey Kong)
• Octoling (Inkling)

Why no idols? Same reason why no Noah: Didn't want to remove anyone to make room for the extra slot.

Both Koraidon and Miraidon make me want to puke.

 

[Gengar84]

I know Lloyd is more likely for a Takes rep but how would people feel about Alphen and Shionne from Tales of Arise as a tag duo? According to what I found (which might be wrong), it seems like Tales of Arise is the best selling Tales game ever and pushed the series into the mainstream as far as JRPGs go. I think the story was great and I loved Shionne’s character progression. As far as gameplay goes, Alphen is a hard hitting close range fighter while Shionne is a gunner with magic and healing artes. I think they’d compliment each other’s playstyles really well and there’s a strong story reason to pair them. They’re my top picks for a Tales rep but I’d also love to see Velvet.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Both Koraidon and Miraidon make me want to puke.

You can't dd just one since they're a duo, and they can't be Echo Fighters of each other because their battle forms have different proportions. Their bike forms aren't, but I don't think they'd add them. They are clones though.

As for why them given this, it's one of the few times that the mascots make sense to add, and my bias doesn't want them to add another starter, and especially not Meowscarada.

I know Lloyd is more likely for a Takes rep but how would people feel about Alphen and Shionne from Tales of Arise as a tag duo?

A bit sad they're not Lloyd, but otherwise I don't care.

 

[Shinuto]

You can't dd just one since they're a duo, and they can't be Echo Fighters of each other because their battle forms have different proportions. Their bike forms aren't, but I don't think they'd add them. They are clones though.

As for why them given this, it's one of the few times that the mascots make sense to add, and my bias doesn't want them to add another starter, and especially not Meowscarada.


A bit sad they're not Lloyd, but otherwise I don't care.

Well obviously you add neither.

 

[Gengar84]

You can't dd just one since they're a duo, and they can't be Echo Fighters of each other because their battle forms have different proportions. Their bike forms aren't, but I don't think they'd add them. They are clones though.

As for why them given this, it's one of the few times that the mascots make sense to add, and my bias doesn't want them to add another starter, and especially not Meowscarada.


A bit sad they're not Lloyd, but otherwise I don't care.

That’s fair. I do think Lloyd is the more likely option because he’s a long time fan favorite, especially for Smash fans. I personally enjoyed Alphen and Shionne more than Lloyd as characters (particularly Shionne) and I feel like they’d have a little more to offer from a gameplay perspective though they all have potential. Symphonia was my first Tales game and it’s why I became a fan of the series but I’ve enjoyed their more recent characters and stories more. I do get why that nostalgia makes Lloyd such a popular choice though.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Well obviously you add neither.

I'm not gonna not add a Pokémon tho.

 

[Opossum]

You can't dd just one since they're a duo.

Yeah, it'd be absurd to only add one out of a group.

Oops I dropped something.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Might as well throw my hat into the ring.

These picks assume the June 2021 project draft is Smash which I personally don’t believe but enough people here do that I have to consider it. Any potential replacements for a 2024 draft that lines up with Bamco’s activities will be noted.

• Paper Mario: Technically a Mario character but I could see Sakurai split him off into his own universe like with Yoshi, DK and Wario. Orgiami King being the most notable release for the Mario series between Ultimate and April 2022 helps too.
• Master Kohga: Honestly, yeah, Kohga is a big silly but we need sillies in there.
  • If 2024, replace with Rauru due to TotK.
• E.M.M.I.: I mean, Dread was the only major release for Metroid (or perhaps the only release, period :V) between Ultimate and April 2022. Makes sense. 2021/2022 is way too early for Sylux.
  • If 2024, replace with either Raven Beak (he barely can't make the 2021 draft imo) or Sylux because at that point, Sakurai would probably know enough about Prime 4 to at least think of the latter.
• Magolor: A decently popular character who already has a good moveset basis thanks to Kirby Fighters 2. The Magalor Epilogue would not affect Sakurai's decision on picking him since it'd be too soon for him to know but perhaps it would influence his moveset so it's not just a copy-paste of KF2?
  • If 2024, Magolor Epilogue is definitely a major inspiration for the moveset
  • You could also replace him with Bandana Waddle Dee if you’re so upset with him not being there. I just prefer Magolor.
• Veronica: The idea of her being in Smash grew on me, honestly. I'd prefer Alear but given the time period, Veronica feels more likely even though Engage was likely far enough in development by 2022 to at least be considered. She’d also be a representative of Nintendo’s mobile endeavors.
  • If 2024, replace with Alear because no way Sakurai sees the Emblem mechanic and doesn’t imagine anything saucy.
• Gen 9 Pokemon: Either Ceruledge (ideal timeline) or a Gen 9 starter (most likely timeline).
  • If 2024, replace with a Gen 10 Pokemon.
• Andy: Highly depends on how Sakurai considers the Advance Wars reboot while it suffered delays due to real-world reasons.
• Octoling: Purely biased pick but still, Splatoon is huge and the Octo Expansion DLC was relatively recent in 2021.
  • If 2024, Splatoon 3 is in the cards for what to bring to the moveset.
• Ring Fit Trainee: One of the token "gotta have someone from a recent franchise" characters.
• Officer Howard: See above.
• Ayumi: Was initially considered for Melee but turned down due to a lack of international presence iirc. Not anymore with the remakes and, if it’s a 2024 draft, Emio only helps her.
• Mr. Labo: The token surprise character. An OC like G&W but based entirely on Labo stuff. He's made of cardboard and wields a giant Joy-Con as a club. His moveset references the various Toy-Cons and the games that can be played with them.
• Ryu Hayabusa: Could be replaced with any third-party associated with the NES, honestly. Hayabusa is just the first that came to mind because I think we’re very much due for Koei Tecmo to get a character with all the good partnership they have with Ninrendo.
• Shadow: Could be any third-party not necessarily associated with the NES. I just think Shadow would be cool.

 

[Kirbeh]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

I don't really campaign against characters so idk? Not my type of petty.

I can go the opposite way though. I personally do like characters like Alear and Meowscarada so seeing people whine about them just makes me want them more. If they actually get in it's a genuine want plus the spite bonus.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

You can't dd just one since they're a duo, and they can't be Echo Fighters of each other because their battle forms have different proportions. Their bike forms aren't, but I don't think they'd add them. They are clones though.

This made me imagine them as a duo character where one is in their battle form, riding the other in their bike form. And you can switch who the rider is. It'd be silly but it might actually work.

 

[Ivander]

Yeah, it'd be absurd to only add one out of a group.

Oops I dropped something.

I see 3 Starter Pokemon. Like what you almost always see at the beginning of a Pokemon game.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Yeah, it'd be absurd to only add one out of a group.

Oops I dropped something.

Koraidon and Miraidon are hot-swapped counterparts of each other though. I think adding only one in this case makes less sense than the starters, who often operate outside of their trio in external media anyway.

This made me imagine them as a duo character where one is in their battle form, riding the other in their bike form. And you can switch who the rider is. It'd be silly but it might actually work.

I think that would be a little too silly to work, especially since Miraidon's battle form floats. If we weren't doing conventional clones, then vehicle form Echo Fighters with battle form Final Smashes would make more sense.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Yeah, it'd be absurd to only add one out of a group.

Oops I dropped something.

Hey pal, you dropped some more things.

 

[BrawlX10]

So what's your pettiest, most inane reason for not wanting someone? I don't want ayumi specifically because i don't want to pay the money required to buy the games and understand what her deal is. Note, this is not me disliking VN or anything related to the games, it's just me not having the time to go through it and figure out why i'd want to see her in smash whereas with other characters from games I haven't played (like i guess Dante) I can easily see stuff from them and go "it'd be cool to have that in smash someday."

....honestly....i don't dislike any character or actively want them to NOT get in.
I'd much rather have Marina/Pearl over Octoling if i had to choose one splatoon rep for example, but i don't dislike Octoling at all, i just prefer other Splatoon characters over them if i have to choose.
Like they could add the crewmate from Among Us, Peely from Fortnite or any other videogame character and i would be okay with it.