Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Ivander]

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, let's talk about this unhinged ************.

View attachment 400195


I think he'd be neat in Smash and able to work around the whole "ain't no air fighter" thing since he doesn't exactly play boxing straight.

Bringing a whole new meaning to the term "Air Grappler".

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Bringing a whole new meaning to the term "Air Grappler".

This is one of his favorites, Mac.

 

[ninjahmos]

Reposting

This would make a pretty neat moveset for Sans if he gets in:

 

[CosmicEternity44]

I just had a thought.

Final Fantasy is Square Enix's, mostly Square's biggest IP, is it not? I bet it has a lot of characters people want to see in Smash Brothers. The problem is, to me, that there are many characters from many different games, all with different settings, stories and characters that are not the same cast and such throughout the series. However, the bigger problem is, what can characters offer from that series that does not have to do with swordsmanship, magic and other things that can be seen in the series, that many other characters already in Smash Bros. have? I am not doubting that there are characters who are exceptions to this, and I even bet that there are characters that actually are exceptions, but I wonder how many of them are the main characters/villains/etc. We do have Cloud and Sephiroth in Smash Bros. as of Ultimate, but aside from perhaps Black Mage, Laguna Loire from Final Fantasy VIII, Terra from Final Fantasy VI and maybe Clive, well, correct me on why I may be wrong, because I'd like to know what characters can offer from the Final Fantasy series, for even if there are more unique ones, I do not see them getting in over the main characters, or maybe main villains in Sephiroth's case. I do also think Enix's Dragon Quest, aside from monsters like Slime, could be the same case. I am not saying that Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are all about swords and magic. Far from it.

I just want to see where I could be wrong.

EDIT: I mean, they all have the "star power", do they not? Still, they seem to have varying degrees of importance in gaming compared to one another, the characters in Final Fantasy games. Plus, with so much a character can offer with so little in terms of who can get in, I can't say it will be easy for Sakurai to choose who gets in, let alone deciding which characters can offer a lot in terms of gameplay. There are so many Final Fantasy characters, I don't see too many of them getting in as playables in future Smash Bros. games.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I’m not suggesting that we add every single character that’s ever left an impact.

I will.

 

[HyperSomari64]

I will.

Even the ones from the Zelda games on the Phillips CD-?

 

[Ivander]

I will.

Can't wait to play some of the most impactful characters to gaming, like Bubsy Bobcat, the Cheetahmen, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.

 

[Gengar84]

I just had a thought.

Final Fantasy is Square Enix's, mostly Square's biggest IP, is it not? I bet it has a lot of characters people want to see in Smash Brothers. The problem is, to me, that there are many characters from many different games, all with different settings, stories and characters that are not the same cast and such throughout the series. However, the bigger problem is, what can characters offer from that series that does not have to do with swordsmanship, magic and other things that can be seen in the series, that many other characters already in Smash Bros. have? I am not doubting that there are characters who are exceptions to this, and I even bet that there are characters that actually are exceptions, but I wonder how many of them are the main characters/villains/etc. We do have Cloud and Sephiroth in Smash Bros. as of Ultimate, but aside from perhaps Black Mage, Laguna Loire from Final Fantasy VIII, Terra from Final Fantasy VI and maybe Clive, well, correct me on why I may be wrong, because I'd like to know what characters can offer from the Final Fantasy series, for even if there are more unique ones, I do not see them getting in over the main characters, or maybe main villains in Sephiroth's case. I do also think Enix's Dragon Quest, aside from monsters like Slime, could be the same case. I am not saying that Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are all about swords and magic. Far from it.

I just want to see where I could be wrong.

EDIT: I mean, they all have the "star power", do they not? Still, they seem to have varying degrees of importance in gaming compared to one another, the characters in Final Fantasy games. Plus, with so much a character can offer with so little in terms of who can get in, I can't say it will be easy for Sakurai to choose who gets in, let alone deciding which characters can offer a lot in terms of gameplay. There are so many Final Fantasy characters, I don't see too many of them getting in as playables in future Smash Bros. games.

From a gameplay perspective, I think a summoner like Yuna or Garnet could be a ton of fun in Smash. Yuna’s definitely iconic enough to get a spot in Smash. Some of my personal favorite Final Fantasy characters are Vincent Valentine, Princess Garnet, Amarant Coral, Lulu, and Auron but I don’t really expect to see any of them since they’re more supporting cast members. They’d be cool though.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

From a gameplay perspective, I think a summoner like Yuna or Garnet could be a ton of fun in Smash. Yuna’s definitely iconic enough to get a spot in Smash. Some of my personal favorite Final Fantasy characters are Vincent Valentine, Princess Garnet, Amarant Coral, Lulu, and Auron but I don’t really expect to see any of them since they’re more supporting cast members. They’d be cool though.

Hmmmm, very nice. I forgot about the Summoner type. Thanks for educating me, Gengar.

Still, aside from summoners like those, my main point is that I think there is not too much competition between Final Fantasy and maybe Dragon Quest characters getting into Smash because aside from Yuna and Garnet, who I admit would be great, I am not sure if the many characters who have swordsmanship, magic, those kind of things, unless they do have some very special abilities, give each other too much competition in getting into Smash. Even then, I can only imagine a handful of characters from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest get in Smash. What I am trying to say is that I think there is not that much competition between characters from Square Enix to get into Smash, not just those like Geno, but those like 2Bif she counts. Noe that those two characters are just example characters, for I know there are others who belong to Square Enix, but probably do not have as much competition within those companies, you know what I mean?

Come to think of it, would Chrono from Chrono Trigger count as another Square Enix character who could get into Smash Bros.?

 

[ninjahmos]

I just had a thought.

Final Fantasy is Square Enix's, mostly Square's biggest IP, is it not? I bet it has a lot of characters people want to see in Smash Brothers. The problem is, to me, that there are many characters from many different games, all with different settings, stories and characters that are not the same cast and such throughout the series. However, the bigger problem is, what can characters offer from that series that does not have to do with swordsmanship, magic and other things that can be seen in the series, that many other characters already in Smash Bros. have? I am not doubting that there are characters who are exceptions to this, and I even bet that there are characters that actually are exceptions, but I wonder how many of them are the main characters/villains/etc. We do have Cloud and Sephiroth in Smash Bros. as of Ultimate, but aside from perhaps Black Mage, Laguna Loire from Final Fantasy VIII, Terra from Final Fantasy VI and maybe Clive, well, correct me on why I may be wrong, because I'd like to know what characters can offer from the Final Fantasy series, for even if there are more unique ones, I do not see them getting in over the main characters, or maybe main villains in Sephiroth's case. I do also think Enix's Dragon Quest, aside from monsters like Slime, could be the same case. I am not saying that Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are all about swords and magic. Far from it.

I just want to see where I could be wrong.

EDIT: I mean, they all have the "star power", do they not? Still, they seem to have varying degrees of importance in gaming compared to one another, the characters in Final Fantasy games. Plus, with so much a character can offer with so little in terms of who can get in, I can't say it will be easy for Sakurai to choose who gets in, let alone deciding which characters can offer a lot in terms of gameplay. There are so many Final Fantasy characters, I don't see too many of them getting in as playables in future Smash Bros. games.

It probably won't happen, but I think Tidus would be an interesting Smash character.

 

[DynamicSmasher]

Come to think of it, would Chrono from Chrono Trigger count as another Square Enix character who could get into Smash Bros.?

Chrono could definitely be a contender. Chrono Trigger has had a real lasting legacy, even if it only got one sequel on the PS2 way back. His main problem is similar to what you said for most FF characters; making sure he's distinct enough. He's a swordsman who can use magic, similar to Hero, Cloud and Sephiroth to varying extents. He does specialize in light/lightning, so he could take some aspects from Pikachu. It would be hard to get in double/triple techs on one character though.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

The nice thing about Final Fantasy is that there's a range of characters and games to pick from and even if you're accounting for the need to reasonably please the US and Japan, you've still got some solid picks. Tidus/Yuna could work, Vivi is beloved by much of the fanbase, and while Terra wouldn't hit as hard with Japan as it would in the States, she's still well-known enough (and the pixel remasters of the first six games still recent enough in both regions) that she would be a notable inclusion.

They could also just go for the semi-controversial picks of Squall or Lightening just for the reaction alone, but if there are future non VII fighters, my instinct is leaning towards any of those mentioned above.

 

[BrawlX10]

Live service games in smash are unfun to gauge just because the nature of live service encourages everyone who's been playing since the start to just... Keep playing until they're wholely burnt out (and when that happens, they just litter the game with Collab events to keep you invested because now you can stare at Something Else You Like too). Fortnite is a good example of a game I got so burnt out of that a smash rep certainly wouldn't excite me any more. Overwatch, too, though that game's implicit and explicit promises got so sidelined in favor of eSports that mannnnn it getting into smash would be lame for a variety of reasons. I'm still so burnt out from competitive mode that I couldn't play more than 3 games of marvel rivals without feeling the same feeling of "why am I doing this? To raise a comp rank that I know will never go beyond 'slighty above average'?".

Fair enough, i'm not particulary a fan of life service games either. Still i think Genshin, Granblue, League and Fortnite have a non-zero chance to join the battle as DLC despite begin live-service. (Well granblue has a fighting game series and relink now, but the OG game was a live service), not sure how likely they are, but i think they could still show up. Fortnite i could even see getting a item in the base game, peraphs even a boss fight like the Cube Queen or something before it gets a fighter as DLC. Raiden Shogun from Genshin would be an epic boss fight to have in Smash, but honestly i highly doubt we'll get anything Genshin in the base game lol.

As for Ayumi reception, i think she will be.....fine. Plenty of people probably won't care much as they won't know who she is. I don't think there's anything potentially "hateable" about Ayumi herself, so i can't imagine there begin any serious hate unless she's overpowered or something.
There will obviously be people who dislike her for taking their MW "slot" or whatever, but that pretty much happens with almost every character, i can see some Phoenix Wright fans begin mad at her specifically.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

It probably won't happen, but I think Tidus would be an interesting Smash character.

Really? What is his moveset potential?

Chrono could definitely be a contender. Chrono Trigger has had a real lasting legacy, even if it only got one sequel on the PS2 way back. His main problem is similar to what you said for most FF characters; making sure he's distinct enough. He's a swordsman who can use magic, similar to Hero, Cloud and Sephiroth to varying extents. He does specialize in light/lightning, so he could take some aspects from Pikachu. It would be hard to get in double/triple techs on one character though.

That is interesting. Something else I want to say, though; with the more similar fighters from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, that would add to the problem to fans about the "Generic anime swordsmen" as payables in Smash Bros. Don't get me wrong, this is not truly something that bothers me, but it does to a lot of people. In fact, we have quite a few of those, and though characters from Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest could still have their own abilities and have some differences, they could still be magic users and swordsmen at the end of the day. I mean, we have a lot of what we call "Anime swordsmen" from Fire Emblem already. The difference between Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest is quite clear to me; I mean, Fire Emblem is an Nintendo franchise, and a prominent one at that. If Square Enix somehow sold itself or Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest for some reason to Nintendo for some reason, neither would be as prominent as Fire Emblem or even the Mario series itself. I'd like to think that those reasons I said could be another problem in adding too many swordmen (some with magic) from third party games like Final Fantasy. Smash is said to be a celebration of gaming, and I bet it is, but technically, third party series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest just aren't in the same case as first party characters like Nintendo, who pretty much owns Smash Bros. to begin with.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Can't wait to play some of the most impactful characters to gaming, like Bubsy Bobcat, the Cheetahmen, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.

someone from Ballz 3D, Drake of the 99 Dragons, Joe Daikatana and Ninjabread Man

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Can't wait to play some of the most impactful characters to gaming, like Bubsy Bobcat, the Cheetahmen, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.

Bubsy is like the most important gaming character ever that's not in, don't you know?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Given how many potential future live service gaming plans have changed/been canceled because of the game's massive failure, one could argue that the cast of Concord were particularly impactful in their brief existence.

#TrashCanConcordRobotForSmash

 

[CosmicEternity44]

The nice thing about Final Fantasy is that there's a range of characters and games to pick from and even if you're accounting for the need to reasonably please the US and Japan, you've still got some solid picks. Tidus/Yuna could work, Vivi is beloved by much of the fanbase, and while Terra wouldn't hit as hard with Japan as it would in the States, she's still well-known enough (and the pixel remasters of the first six games still recent enough in both regions) that she would be a notable inclusion.

They could also just go for the semi-controversial picks of Squall or Lightening just for the reaction alone, but if there are future non VII fighters, my instinct is leaning towards any of those mentioned above.

Ooh, those sound good! I would personally like to see those characters get into Smash!

One thing though; they do have star power, and I don't doubt that they have gaming importance, but how likely could they be to get in Smash? I mean, I bet some of them could, but it would depend on how big they are or how close they are to being big or the next best thing from those games compared to Cloud and Sephiroth. Plus, while I would not rule out Sakurai choosing such characters specifically, based on past observation, he seems to be more into making fighters have swords deponing on the franchise they may be from. Of course, not all of them need swords, and I bet Sakurai sees that too, but I have a gut feeling based on observation so far that the next Final Fantasy character, if there is one, could have a sword, and maybe magic, too. I could be wrong, though, I admit.

 

[Gengar84]

I think Chrono Trigger actually has a better chance than it ever has, even if it’s still a bit of a long shot. Square-Enix is celebrating its 30th anniversary and announced that they have some plans for the series. We can only speculate what that might be. It could be something as simple as a straight port to modern consoles or it could be more. I think it could be a great opportunity to promote any future plans for the series by having a character in Smash. Crono is the most obvious choice but I don’t think it necessarily has to be him. He does have a lot in common both visually and mechanically to Hero that might make him harder to stand out.

I’d personally go with Magus over Crono for several reasons. The first is just personal preference since he’s among my favorite characters ever but that doesn’t really factor into anything. More importantly, he’s more visually distinct than Crono and would have a very unique gameplay style. I’d argue he actually has a more important role to the series as a whole than Crono does. While Crono was the protagonist of the first game, Magus was a central part of the story. He was the only character from the game to appear in Radical Dreamers alongside Serge and Kid. He even had a huge planned role in Crono Cross that was scrapped for time constraints and what was left was given to Guile. Even though he couldn’t physically appear in the game, his sister Scala was a big part of the final battle. Later releases hinted at the fact that Guile and Magus may have been the same person.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Given how many potential future live service gaming plans have changed/been canceled because of the game's massive failure, one could argue that the cast of Concord were particularly impactful in their brief existence.

#TrashCanConcordRobotForSmash

His gimmick is that you can only play as him for the first two weeks of Smash 6's life, then he's cut forever.

 

[Wario Bros.]

I honestly want Amy Rose but I have no reason to see Nintendo or SEGA choose her to be the next Sonic rep.

Doesn't look like any modders are making her either.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

I think Chrono Trigger actually has a better chance than it ever has, even if it’s still a bit of a long shot. Square-Enix is celebrating its 30th anniversary and announced that they have some plans for the series. We can only speculate what that might be. It could be something as simple as a straight port to modern consoles or it could be more. I think it could be a great opportunity to promote any future plans for the series by having a character in Smash. Crono is the most obvious choice but I don’t think it necessarily has to be him. He does have a lot in common both visually and mechanically to Hero that might make him harder to stand out.

I’d personally go with Magus over Crono for several reasons. The first is just personal preference since he’s among my favorite characters ever but that doesn’t really factor into anything. More importantly, he’s more visually distinct than Crono and would have a very unique gameplay style. I’d argue he actually has a more important role to the series as a whole than Crono does. While Crono was the protagonist of the first game, Magus was a central part of the story. He was the only character from the game to appear in Radical Dreamers alongside Serge and Kid. He even had a huge planned role in Crono Cross that was scrapped for time constraints and what was left was given to Guile. Even though he couldn’t physically appear in the game, his sister Scala was a big part of the final battle. Later releases hinted at the fact that Guile and Magus may have been the same person.

I have heard Magus get pointed out as a possible character before, and he does seem unique. That is not a bad choice, I'd say.

Bubsy is like the most important gaming character ever that's not in, don't you know?

Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? (Sorry, I had to jinx it)

 

[HyperSomari64]

thanks for reminding me that even the worst games needs a lot more representation in future Smash games.

 

[Gengar84]

I have heard Magus get pointed out as a possible character before, and he does seem unique. That is not a bad choice, I'd say.



Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? (Sorry, I had to jinx it)

Magus would also fill a cool spot of being able to serve as both a hero and a villain depending on the needs of the plot. I imagine his role would likely play out similarly to it did in Chrono Trigger where he’s a major antagonist in the early part of the game and then joins your side as the story progresses (assuming there is a story). He’s one of the first examples I’m aware of as a major antagonist that can be recruited as a party member. Kain from Final Fantasy IV predated him but his situation was a bit different.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

Magus would also fill a cool spot of being able to serve as both a hero and a villain depending on the needs of the plot. I imagine his role would likely play out similarly to it did in Chrono Trigger where he’s a major antagonist in the early part of the game and then joins your side as the story progresses (assuming there is a story). He’s one of the first examples I’m aware of as a major antagonist that can be recruited as a party member. Kain from Final Fantasy IV predated him but his situation was a bit different.

I have read about it. That does sound cool, and that makes him cool enough to be in Smash Bros. to me!

 

[ninjahmos]

Really? What is his moveset potential?

Hopefully this is a good example:

 

[Gengar84]

I have read about it. That does sound cool, and that makes him cool enough to be in Smash Bros. to me!

Yeah, Crono is more of a pure hero and another silent protagonist so he’s not quite as interesting to me. Not to mention he’s yet another swordsman. All things we already have with Hero. Magus actually has a really great and emotional backstory that makes you care about the character and he has a lot of personality. I’d still gladly take Crono over nothing but I find Magus to be a much more interesting choice and I think there’s a solid argument for his inclusion.

 

[Pupp135]

I honestly want Amy Rose but I have no reason to see Nintendo or SEGA choose her to be the next Sonic rep.

Doesn't look like any modders are making her either.

I’m also a huge Amy supporter, and these are some fun mods in Crusade and SSF2.

Amy Rose (0.9.4a/0.9.5/CMC+) [Super Smash Bros. Crusade] [Mods]

She Rose back up! (Again)... A Super Smash Bros. Crusade (SSBC) Mod in the Sonic Series category, submitted by MegaModder492

gamebanana.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

My local arcade bar has a modded Switch where Ice Climbers have a Classic Amy/Sonic alt.

On another note, it’s cool to see two of my most wanted (Amy and Tidus) being brought up right now

 

[CosmicEternity44]

Hopefully this is a good example:

Very cool! That comes off as being not just another swordsman to me!

 

[Gengar84]

Very cool! That comes off as being not just another swordsman to me!

Yeah, he’s also got buff spells like Shulk. One of his major roles is to cast haste on himself and allies, which is really useful. One of his first abilities is cheer, which boosts your party’s attack and defense by a small amount so I can see them going in a similar direction to Shulk’s Monado arts.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

Yeah, he’s also got buff spells like Shulk. One of his major roles is to cast haste on himself and allies, which is really useful. One of his first abilities is cheer, which boosts your party’s attack and defense by a small amount so I can see them going in a similar direction to Shulk’s Monado arts.

That would be great! I'd say we need more characters like that!

Yeah, Crono is more of a pure hero and another silent protagonist so he’s not quite as interesting to me. Not to mention he’s yet another swordsman. All things we already have with Hero. Magus actually has a really great and emotional backstory that makes you care about the character and he has a lot of personality. I’d still gladly take Crono over nothing but I find Magus to be a much more interesting choice and I think there’s a solid argument for his inclusion.

I can see that as well. Plus, didn't Chrono just appear in one game, not counting any possible remakes?

 

[Ivander]

Bubsy is like the most important gaming character ever that's not in, don't you know?

Of course he is. I mean, what would a platform game be without platforms? Or how the game developers were wonderful enough to include arrows for directions on where to go?

You know regarding that arrow bit, considering the whole "gamers are too dumb to look up, down and read instructions" that some developers mention like the whole Dead Space thing with shooting the limbs and the whole "yellow paint to show where to go" deal that gamers are complaining about recently, Bubsy 3D really got the last laugh at gamers, didn't they? They said my arrows were stupid! Look at where gamers are now!

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

My favorite (possibly apocryphal) story relating to Bubsy is that Richard Ham, a designer on Bubsy 3D (as well as Syphon Filter and other works) was at CES 96 where the game was being shown off. Mario 64 was also being demonstrated with a playable version not too far away, so Ham went over to try it himself. After playing it a bit, he then came back to the Bubsy booth and reportedly said to the others:

"We're f***ed."

 

[BrawlX10]

I just had a thought.

Final Fantasy is Square Enix's, mostly Square's biggest IP, is it not? I bet it has a lot of characters people want to see in Smash Brothers.

That's what ATs are for imo, not every potential character will be playable, especially not every possible reps from 3rdparty series and specially not one with so many characters as Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy would benefit greatly from ATs, you could have Kefka causing chaos in the stage, Kain using various dragoon moves, Vivi using black magic, Tidus using aerial/floaty attacks and launch blitzballs...etc.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

That's what ATs are for imo, not every potential character will be playable, especially not every possible reps from 3rdparty series and specially not one with so many characters as Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy would benefit greatly from ATs, you could have Kefka causing chaos in the stage, Kain using various dragoon moves, Vivi using black magic, Tidus using aerial/floaty attacks and launch blitzballs...etc.

Ah, thanks for bringing that up. It also is a great idea, if you ask me.

 

[Gengar84]

That would be great! I'd say we need more characters like that!



I can see that as well. Plus, didn't Chrono just appear in one game, not counting any possible remakes?

Yeah, pretty much. Crono has a very minor role towards the very end of Chrono Cross but nothing really compared to what they had planned for Magus. Without getting too much into spoilers, Crono’s minor appearance in Chrono Cross actually upset a lot of fans and they claimed that it kind of made the first adventure feel kind of pointless.

Getting into spoilers:

Spoiler

Crono, Marle and Lucca were actually killed in between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. You see their spirits in the background in one of the final dungeons where you find out what happened. Lucca’s orphanage was burned down as well by Chrono Cross’s main antagonist, Lynx.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

Yeah, pretty much. Crono has a very minor role towards the very end of Chrono Cross but nothing really compared to what they had planned for Magus. Without getting too much into spoilers, Crono’s minor appearance in Chrono Cross actually upset a lot of fans and they claimed that it kind of made the first adventure feel kind of pointless.

Getting into spoilers:

Spoiler

Crono, Marle and Lucca were actually killed in between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. You see their spirits in the background in one of the final dungeons where you find out what happened. Lucca’s orphanage was burned down as well by Chrono Cros’s main antagonist.

Oh, that really sucks. I can see why that upset fans.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Reposting

I have no doubts Sans could pull off some sick **** if he makes it in, but I'm still of the mindset that it would be very much in character if he didn't actually participate in the fight and instead let Papyrus fight while he chills in the background, only helping out with Gaster Blasters when his bro is in a pinch.

 

[Gengar84]

I haven’t talked a ton about Chrono here despite it being one of my favorite franchises and Magus being one of my favorite gaming characters. I think I didn’t have a lot of hope that there was much a chance but the 30th anniversary announcement is giving me a bit of hope. There’s still a ton of competition even within Square-Enix itself but I think there’s a real shot for DLC now. I’d much prefer Magus to Crono for the reasons I stated above but I’ll take what I can get. Hopefully I’ll have more to talk about as they share more information.

 

[cashregister9]

I have no doubts Sans could pull off some sick **** if he makes it in, but I'm still of the mindset that it would be very much in character if he didn't actually participate in the fight and instead let Papyrus fight while he chills in the background, only helping out with Gaster Blasters when his bro is in a pinch.

Hell, I still maintain that you could do a whole sans moveset without Sans ever using a single gaster blaster or anything he actually uses in his boss fight.