Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[DarthEnderX]

I do think the series tends to favor the playable characters, but it’s not some unbreakable rule like people make it out to be. Take Elden Ring for example—Sakurai could easily pick Malenia over the main character.

It won't be Malenia. It will be Let Me Solo Her.

I am curious if they’ll ever break the gaming origin rule by including a character from outside media of a gaming IP. Like if they added Captain N, Ash Ketchum, Lucy MacLean, Longclaw, Mel Medarda, or something similar. I think they technically already broke that rule with R.O.B. since it’s a gaming peripheral and not an in-game character.

The rule isn't "nothing that didn't come from a video game". It's "nothing that didn't come from a property that was originally a video game".

Ash Ketchum COULD happen, because Pokemon was originally a video game. Android 21 can't happen, because Dragon Ball was not.

That's why we have Ash Greninja and Advent Children content, but no actual 4P content.

 

[Kirbeh]

For me, it's one of two things

• If blank slate avatar (like Villager), focus on what makes the game special since they'd ultimately represent that
• If not, focus on what makes the character special.

I'm specifying blank slate because Robin and Byleth very much have their own personalities (being stoic is a personality, people, stop calling Byleth a blank slate) and their own tricks... yet while Robin still has some foundation towards his exclusive stuff (his classes being one of the very few in Awakening to wield both swords and tomes, to the point where the only other non-DLC one is a cavalry class), Byleth's moveset feels like something anyone in 3H could do.

And the whipsword, an actual cool, unique thing that only Byleth and one final boss can do, has been given so little emphasis that the number of moves where it does whip stuff can be counter in one hand. So, in an attempt to make Byleth more "distinct", Sakurai only succeeded in making Byleth "generic".

Still a fun moveset but like, it's got a really strong spike, an iteration of a Falcon Punch and generally KOs mad early. How could it NOT be fun?

I pretty much agree the last sentence. Hitting people with Aymr is fun, but on the whole, I found Byleth's moveset to be pretty boring and unsatisfying to play. It's been said a lot but whip-sword + brawling +magic would have been the ideal imo.

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters. For me, it’s a combination of me liking their personality, design, and moveset potential. Liking their game helps too but I’d rather have a character I loved from a game I’m indifferent to than a character I’m indifferent to from a game I loved. For me, avatar characters are missing a crucial piece in what draws me to a character. Since I focus more on the character themselves rather than game representation, it’s harder for me to get excited for them.

For example, Chrono Trigger is in contention for being my favorite game of all time but I’m mostly indifferent to Crono himself. He looks pretty cool but it’s hard for me to connect with silent protagonists. It’s the rest of the cast I loved. If Crono made it into Smash, I’d be happy in the same way I was for Banjo but I wouldn’t be over the moon hyped. More of a “Hey, cool. I’m happy to see the game I love get some representation.” If Magus made it in, I’d probably be even more excited than I was for Sephiroth.

I mean if you're strictly speaking on the why of personal wants, in my case it really as simple as: "Because I like them." Granted not every character that I like is one that i want in smash so to be a little more specific.

I want a character if:

1. I like the character.
2. I can imagine a move set for them.

(This is why I don't really participate in character lists. My criteria are very easy to meet so I have dozens upon dozens of characters that normally wouldn't be entertained.)

Most wanted status is pretty just:

3. I'm particularly attached to that character or their series.

In the case of avatars though, I honestly don't feel too differently about them. Characters like are labeled as "avatars" but they aren't really. They all have established personalities, and stories of their own. They aren't "blank slates" at all.

I would consider the player characters in MH/DS/ER to be actual avatars for example but even then, the move set potential is so high that that alone makes me interested. Plus, I personally do enjoy avatar characters and grow attached to them as well. Coming up with personalities for them is part of the fun imo.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Thanks RetroMesh, I had forgotten it was April Fools Day.

Spoiler: YouTube Video

It will be Let Me Solo Her.

The idea of them adding a naked dude with a cooking pot on his head is absolutely hilarious.

Also the idea them adding not a character, not an avatar, but a specific player is pretty wild. I'd oddly be down for it in this case, especially since as far as I know, the player in question is super chill.

 

[Gengar84]

I pretty much agree the last sentence. Hitting people with Aymr is fun, but on the whole, I found Byleth's moveset to be pretty boring and unsatisfying to play. It's been said a lot but whip-sword + brawling +magic would have been the ideal imo.


I mean if you're strictly speaking on why of personal wants, in my case it really as simple as: "Because I like them." Granted not every character that I like is one that i want so to be a little more specific.

I want a character if:

1. I like the character.
2. I can imagine a move set for them.

(This is why I don't really participate in character lists. My criteria are very easy to meet so I have dozens upon dozens of characters that normally wouldn't be entertained.)

Most wanted status is pretty just:

3. I'm particularly attached to that character or their series.

In the case of avatars though, I honestly don't feel too differently about them. Characters like are labeled as "avatars" but they aren't really. They all have established personalities, and stories of their own. They aren't "blank slates" at all.

I would consider the player characters in MH/DS/ER to be actual avatars for example but even then, the move set potential is so high that that alone makes me interested. Plus, I personally do enjoy avatar characters and grow attached to them as well. Coming up with personalities for them is part of the fun imo.

I feel like Robin had the most personality of the three and Byleth felt the most like a blank avatar. Robin had fully voiced dialogue and felt just like every other character. Byleth kind of gave me Joker vibes where the characters just talked in front of them and they silently nodded. It’s possible I could be misremembering though. I did complete Dimitri’s story, half of Edlegarde’s and played for over 100 hours but it was also several years ago and my memory sucks.

 

[BrawlX10]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters

My most wanted characters were always Hero and Sora because I played their respective series a lot. Now that they’re in the game, I don’t really have any specific "most wanted" characters anymore, but rather characters that I think would be cool to see. For example, Malenia—I've never played Elden Ring, but after watching videos of her boss battle, I think she'd be an awesome addition to Smash.


I guess the closest thing to a "most wanted" for me now would be Ratchet and Clank, but since it’s likely not happening due to Sony, I don’t really count it as a "MW", it's more on the pipe dream realm to me.

Probably later

I think that’ my guess too. Even if Smash 6 doesn’t have the “Everyone is Here” roster and has around 40 stages at launch, there’s still a ton of work involved. Even with 10 character cuts, that’s still 72 veterans to bring back, which is actually more than Ultimate's base game. I still expect sacrifices, though, even with the cuts—82 veterans is a lot.

The only way I could see them not making too many sacrifices is if they cut 20 or more characters, which seems unlikely. Cutting that many could hurt sales, so I don’t think that big a cut is realistic.

My guess is that they’ll prioritize new modes, Classic Mode, and the game's collectible content, with the rest of the modes (All-Star, Multi-Man, Special Smash, Stamina Mode, Tournament mode, etc.) being added in a later update. Heck, I could even see them skipping Adventure Mode entirely so they can focus on the newcomers for the base game instead, and another heck, i could see them adding 8-player Smash and Battlefield forms begin absent in the base game as well.

On a side note, how many minutes of the Switch 2 presentation you expect to be game reveals vs Switch 2 Hardware show.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Hitting people with Aymr is fun, but on the whole, I found Byleth's moveset to be pretty boring and unsatisfying to play.

I think the single best change that they could make to Byleth in his current state is to change the sound effect on his forward aerial from a slap sound effect to a stab sound effect. I know he's supposed to be slapping people with the flat of the blade, but it feels so bad.

I feel like Robin had the most personality of the three and Byleth felt the most like a blank avatar. Robin had fully voiced dialogue and felt just like every other character. Byleth kind of games me Joker vibes where the characters just talked in front of them and they silently nodded. It’s possible I could be misremembering though. I did complete Dimitri’s story, half of Edlegarde’s and played for over 100 hours but it was also several years ago and my memory sucks.

Byleth is unique among the avatars in which they give you dialogue choices instead of just putting their dialogue into the support conversations, so he is like Joker in that case (though both do have defined personalities). Whenever other characters talk about them though, they mention how they don't emote much, which becomes plot relevant later.

Specifically, when Mr. Death Flag dies he mentions how its the first time he's ever seen Byleth cry.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Also on a side note, how many minutes in Switch 2 direct you expect to be game reveals vs switch 2 hardware showing stuff?

The original Switch presentation was 15 minutes for hardware, 45 for software I'm pretty sure.

I expect something similar for Switch 2, maybe a bit more in favor of software since the Switch 2 is an iteration rather than a wholly new thing. Potentially with a lot more software too, considering it's a Direct. Like last week's Direct was 30 minutes and had a ton of games in it.

 

[Gengar84]

I think the single best change that they could make to Byleth in his current state is to change the sound effect on his forward aerial from a slap sound effect to a stab sound effect. I know he's supposed to be slapping people with the flat of the blade, but it feels so bad.


Byleth is unique among the avatars in which they give you dialogue choices instead of just putting their dialogue into the support conversations, so he is like Joker in that case (though both do have defined personalities). Whenever other characters talk about them though, they mention how they don't emote much, which becomes plot relevant later.

Specifically, when Mr. Death Flag dies he mentions how its the first time he's ever seen Byleth cry.

I think my issue is that we hear others talk about Byleth’s personality but we don’t actually see much of it ourselves. So yeah, they do have a personality, I just wish they’d do more with it. I personally much preferred Shez from Three Hopes to Byleth.

 

[fogbadge]

The original Switch presentation was 15 minutes for hardware, 45 for software I'm pretty sure.

I expect something similar for Switch 2, maybe a bit more in favor of software since the Switch 2 is an iteration rather than a wholly new thing.

When you put it like that it sounds like we’re in for quite a show

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

When you put it like that it sounds like we’re in for quite a show

I do think we might be, that's why I mentioned feeling completely unprepared when I found out it was gonna be an hour long lol

I mean, the same length as the original Switch presentation but with the snappier Direct format to potentially fit more games in, alongside those old rumors or whatever they were that Nintendo was stockpiling some software for Switch 2's launch window?

Because I mean what does hardware really need to talk about? The C button, the mouse mode if it's real, potentially like OS things... Nintendo has never really been one to go in-depth with specs but I do imagine they'd do some comparison stuff with the original Switch if it is a leap, release date and price...

 

[KingofPhantoms]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters.

It usually boils down to about four factors for me:

-If I like the character or game(s) they're from a lot
-If I believe they have a lot of potential for a fun and creative moveset
-If they're fairly important to their home franchises and they and their games have made a big impact on gaming history and culture, or a big impact in general if they're a newer character from an IP that's only been around for a few years
-To a lesser extent, how much I want some characters also depends on how likely I consider their chances of getting added to Smash to be. I still wanted Ridley in Ultimate and was blown away when he got revealed, but by then Sakurai had already made his comments about believe he couldn't adapt Ridley into a playable character faithfully and no longer considered him likely to join the cast at all, so I wanted to keep my expectations a bit more in check.

 

[ninjahmos]

I think there's a 50/50 chance the Switch 2 Direct will announce or tease Smash 6. Should we count on it?

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I think there's a 50/50 chance the Switch 2 Direct will reveal Smash 6. Should we count on it?

If "reveal" counts them saying "We're making Smash" and nothing else, maybe.

Otherwise, I wouldn't bet on it lol

 

[Gengar84]

Eh, I think there’s a chance we’ll get more than an offhand announcement. It has been quite a while since DLC for Ultimate finished up and we usually get Smash pretty early on in a console’s life. I could see another Inkling style teaser trailer.

 

[fogbadge]

I do think we might be, that's why I mentioned feeling completely unprepared when I found out it was gonna be an hour long lol

I mean, the same length as the original Switch presentation but with the snappier Direct format to potentially fit more games in, alongside those old rumors or whatever they were that Nintendo was stockpiling some software for Switch 2's launch window?

Because I mean what does hardware really need to talk about? The C button, the mouse mode if it's real, potentially like OS things... Nintendo has never really been one to go in-depth with specs but I do imagine they'd do some comparison stuff with the original Switch if it is a leap, release date and price...

I imagine there’ll be one or two tricks we aren’t expecting but I think you’re on the money

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Eh, I think there’s a chance we’ll get more than an offhand announcement. It has been quite a while since DLC for Ultimate finished up and we usually get Smash pretty early on in a console’s life. I could see another Inkling style teaser trailer.

I mean the main reason it's been quite a while is, like I mentioned to someone else last night, because the Switch lasted 8 years, which no other Nintendo console has ever done before.

By the same merit of patterns, Smash also usually starts development the year before its console comes out, so it wouldn't even have a year of dev time behind it yet tomorrow if that's still the case for next Smash lol

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I think my issue is that we hear others talk about Byleth’s personality but we don’t actually see much of it ourselves. So yeah, they do have a personality, I just wish they’d do more with it. I personally much preferred Shez from Three Hopes to Byleth.

Honestly I think the problem with Byleth being stoic is that it has more of an impact on other characters' thoughts about them than any conversations they may have. You could have played around with poeple not knowing what they're thinking most of the time, but that would require giving them dialogue, which they didn't seem to want to do this go around.

 

[ShuffleLobo]

We know Sakurai began development on his latest project in April 2022. If that project is indeed the next Smash Bros., I think there's a decent chance we get something tomorrow, even if it's just a teaser. But if that project isn't Smash Bros. but instead a new Kid Icarus or something else entirely, then we probably won't get anything for Smash Bros. quite yet.

 

[Gengar84]

I mean the main reason it's been quite a while is, like I mentioned to someone else last night, because the Switch lasted 8 years, which no other Nintendo console has ever done before.

By the same merit of patterns, Smash also usually starts development the year before its console comes out, so it wouldn't even have a year of dev time behind it yet tomorrow if that's still the case for next Smash lol

Just saying I think there’s a chance. I’m not sure what Sakurai would have been doing for the period between Smash finishing DLC and last year. It will be interesting to see whether Sakurai’s unannounced project is Smash or not.

 

[BrawlX10]

I think there's a 50/50 chance the Switch 2 Direct will announce or tease Smash 6. Should we count on it?

It's possible. I wouldn't bet on it, but it's completely possible.
I think a teaser trailer like the Inkling's Eye one for Ultimate is possible, tease one newcomer (Waluigi, Ring Fit, Bandana Dee, Tom Nook or someone else that seems fit for a first reveal) and then the logo of the game "Super Smash Bros. Kerfuffle" or whatever they call it.
If this game is a fresh start and not a Deluxe port or EiH2 i think it's fine if they reveal the game a year earlier or so, but that's just my pov.

We know Sakurai began development on his latest project in April 2022. If that project is indeed the next Smash Bros., I think there's a decent chance we get something tomorrow, even if it's just a teaser. But if that project isn't Smash Bros. but instead a new Kid Icarus or something else entirely, then we probably won't get anything for Smash Bros. quite yet.

Even then, there's possibly Namco and that new team (Team S or something it was?) that could've beeen working in the game while Sakurai was working on this new game of his if it's not Smash, Sakurai could just supervise Smash 6, it's something i could see the man doing, he's ambitious.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

If "reveal" counts them saying "We're making Smash" and nothing else, maybe.

Otherwise, I wouldn't bet on it lol

This reminds me of how Miyamoto or his team's answer to Pikmin 4's status for a while was just "We're making Pikmin".

So if the same comment gets made about Smash, clearly that means another Smash game won't be released for a decade.

Be prepared to be in the speculation scene for the long haul, folks.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Just out of curiocity, I looked up Emblem Byleth's support conversations. There, he's extremely kind, compassionate, and practical, which seems pretty consistent with how he acts in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Most of his conversations are him offering kind words and insight to others while having the most stone faced expression you could ever have, which is really funny.

EDIT: Stopped right before Goldmary and Rosado, and his responses to them scream "I don't understand you so I'm just going to say something polite." lol

 

[fogbadge]

If smash does show up I wonder how many of us will be glued to the treehouse presentations in case it turns up

I mean I’ll be watching them anyway

 

[Arcanir]

For me, it's one of two things

• If blank slate avatar (like Villager), focus on what makes the game special since they'd ultimately represent that
• If not, focus on what makes the character special.

I'm specifying blank slate because Robin and Byleth very much have their own personalities (being stoic is a personality, people, stop calling Byleth a blank slate) and their own tricks... yet while Robin still has some foundation towards his exclusive stuff (his classes being one of the very few in Awakening to wield both swords and tomes, to the point where the only other non-DLC one is a cavalry class), Byleth's moveset feels like something anyone in 3H could do.

And the whipsword, an actual cool, unique thing that only Byleth and one final boss can do, has been given so little emphasis that the number of moves where it does whip stuff can be counter in one hand. So, in an attempt to make Byleth more "distinct", Sakurai only succeeded in making Byleth "generic".

Still a fun moveset but like, it's got a really strong spike, an iteration of a Falcon Punch and generally KOs mad early. How could it NOT be fun?

Byleth feels like they listened too much to the 'too many swordsman' complaints. The moveset is still fun as you said so I can't fault it too much, but it felt like they took away a lot of potential in trying to get ahead of the backlash they expected the character to get.

 

[BrawlX10]

Honestly, it feels surreal that tomorrow marks the start of a new era for Nintendo. (Well, kind of—since the console isn't released yet.) I feel like April 2, 2025, is going to be a nostalgic day for some of us in the future... well, unless the Direct ends up being a total letdown, haha.

We might even enter a new era of Smash speculation if Smash 6 gets revealed tomorrow. There’s so much potential for tomorrow to be an interesting day, of course, with the key word being potential. I'm keeping my expectations in check just in case, though. At very least, if we don't get a Smash 6 reveal i hope for new characters we can speculate on.

As for me, I'll probably be checking the Direct a bit later than most people, since I'll likely wake up after it ends. Honestly, I’m okay with that, because I’ll be able to skip or speed up parts of it, haha. There's a good chance I’ll be on "Internet Explorer status" tomorrow! xD

 

[CosmicEternity44]

I am personally not sure if a new Smash will be announced tomorrow, even with it being around 4 years since the last DLC and if there is a new development team and Director to make Smash Bros. when Sakurai is working on his other game, if it is not Smash. I do not think a new Smash Bros. being a the Direct tomorrow is going to be that simple, as it could be next year or later this year or something. That is why I asked about the original Switch's presentation and what its duration was compared to the Switch 2's Direct would be to kind of get an idea on if Smash could be included tomorrow or not. I am just not certain on this.

 

[Dukefire]

Eh, I think there’s a chance we’ll get more than an offhand announcement. It has been quite a while since DLC for Ultimate finished up and we usually get Smash pretty early on in a console’s life. I could see another Inkling style teaser trailer.

Who else couldn't forget that day. Everyone was ecstatic for that teaser alone after so much Splatoon 2 content.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

Honestly, it feels surreal that tomorrow marks the start of a new era for Nintendo. (Well, kind of—since the console isn't released yet.) I feel like April 2, 2025, is going to be a nostalgic day for some of us in the future... well, unless the Direct ends up being a total letdown, haha.

We might even enter a new era of Smash speculation if Smash 6 gets revealed tomorrow. There’s so much potential for tomorrow to be an interesting day, of course, with the key word being potential. I'm keeping my expectations in check just in case, though. At very least, if we don't get a Smash 6 reveal i hope for new characters we can speculate on.

As for me, I'll probably be checking the Direct a bit later than most people, since I'll likely wake up after it ends. Honestly, I’m okay with that, because I’ll be able to skip or speed up parts of it, haha. There's a good chance I’ll be on "Internet Explorer status" tomorrow! xD

It's funny, I don't quite have nostalgia for "EVERYONE IS HERE!" yet (partly because Ultimate is still the latest game in the series and is still active, and partly because it's a few years off from being a decade old) but I do have nostalgia for Smash 4 and the speculation scene back then, along with several other games that were new around that time like Shovel Knight and Undertale.

It's been over a full decade since then, the Wii U was still relatively new and the Switch didn't even exist yet, and I joined this website just to find other people to play Brawl with for real battles instead of just random taunt parties again. I've ended up staying here for over a decade for future Smash games and have fond memories of several games from the Wii and Wii U eras now lmao.

Whether there's a lot of game reveals or not, I'm sure the Switch 2 and it's games in general are going to be nostalgic for everyone here in the future, but I'm willing to bet that they're going to leave a bigger impact on newer generations, like Nintendo's past consoles did for me when I was considerably younger. The magic of games tends to hit you differently when you're younger, when you haven't played quite as many video games yet and before the challenges of adulthood begin to show up,

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Who else couldn't forget that day. Everyone was ecstatic for that teaser alone after so much Splatoon 2 content.

I think some people even thought it was a Splatoon 1 port or something before it cut to black.

 

[cashregister9]

I think some people even thought it was a Splatoon 1 port or something before it cut to black.

I remember my thoughts were some combination of
Splatoon 1 Port
Splatoon 1 Campaign in Splatoon 2
Splatoon TV Show

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

Something I felt bringing in from Unpopular Smash Opinions:

I feel it'd be a good time for Assists Trophies to get reworked to Marvel/Fraymakers-esque "partner" mechanic to help them make them more integral part of Smash's gameplay. I feel it'd help them be more notable to Smash's community and help draw in new blood on their dormant franchises with much less effort and time spent on them, at least with likes of Isaac, Starfy and more. Could be a toggle similar to Final Smashes but more involved.

 

[CapitaineCrash]

When you put it like that it sounds like we’re in for quite a show

I defintely think it's going to be huge, especially because we got 7 hours of treehouse gameplay for the next 2 days starting right after the direct. This means that they have a lot to show and I can't wait.

----

Also on the topic of Byleth, he does have a personnality and a have a very interesting story arc, with him growing emotionnally and growing as a leader. The problem is that his story is tell from the others reaction because the game is written in a way that characters talk around Byleth and he doesn't talk aside from in combat.

 

[fogbadge]

Who else couldn't forget that day. Everyone was ecstatic for that teaser alone after so much Splatoon 2 content.

watching those inklings fight and I knew it was smash

I defintely think it's going to be huge, especially because we got 7 hours of treehouse gameplay for the next 2 days starting right after the direct. This means that they have a lot to show and I can't wait.

exactly. sounds like there'll be plenty to see.

 

[RileyXY1]

I defintely think it's going to be huge, especially because we got 7 hours of treehouse gameplay for the next 2 days starting right after the direct. This means that they have a lot to show and I can't wait.

----

Also on the topic of Byleth, he does have a personnality and a have a very interesting story arc, with him growing emotionnally and growing as a leader. The problem is that his story is tell from the others reaction because the game is written in a way that characters talk around Byleth and he doesn't talk aside from in combat.

I think that a significant amount of time will be spent on the new Mario Kart and new 3D Mario game.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

I think that a significant amount of time will be spent on the new Mario Kart and new 3D Mario game.

Although probably still enough for other games.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I think that a significant amount of time will be spent on the new Mario Kart and new 3D Mario game.

Define significant

 

[Laniv]

10 years ago, the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot was announced (alongside the return of Lucas, my booboo bear, as DLC)

Who did you vote for? And do you feel old yet?

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I think that a significant amount of time will be spent on the new Mario Kart and new 3D Mario game.

I mean there's definitely more than that if they're doing Treehouse stuff on the 3rd AND 4th, but Mario Kart will probably get a decent amount of time.

 

[Wario Bros.]

10 years ago, the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot was announced (alongside the return of Lucas, my booboo bear, as DLC)

View attachment 400840

Who did you vote for? And do you feel old yet?

I voted Shantae and Balloon Fighter

Still hoping

 

[Perkilator]

10 years ago, the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot was announced (alongside the return of Lucas, my booboo bear, as DLC)

View attachment 400840

Who did you vote for? And do you feel old yet?

Wild Dog from Time Crisis.