Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Quillion]

Disagree on this one. Rosalina was a definite "relevancy" pick in 4 and was too recent for Brawl, so there was no purposeful "wait-and-see" there.
Jr. I think is just valued less highly by Sakurai and Nintendo than he is the fanbase; after all, he was one of the last newcomers for base 4 even.

Still, Rosalina got in after being playable in 3DW. Also, Jr. was hated by the fans for replacing the Koopalings circa Brawl. It would take NSMBW to mitigate the opposition to Jr.

Disagree that FE is the only one that gets "recent game advertising picks."
Lucario, Greninja, and Incineroar were all added to the project plan prior to their respective games' releases, and were there explicitly to market those new games.
Xeno2 just had funky timing; otherwise it would've been the same sort of look in adding Pyra/Mythra.

I know Greninja was, but Lucario and Incineroar were too?

I too prefer greatly that they take the "wait-and-see" approach with newer and one-off characters. At this point, however, I think BotW's legacy is pretty safe; and especially as I advocate for going back to classic Link, it should be repped in some way (even if they kept BotW Link, the game is so big and well-received that an exclusive rep is not out of the question at all anyway IMO).

Even if the Champions were never to receive any more marketing past this point, I'd still feel comfortable with one on the roster as they are the most logical BotW reps IMO, and did enough in their time to secure a legacy.

BotW is a special game and a special case.

Honestly, Zelda games after the "Wild Saga" seem poised to continue to be just as special. The Zelda team clearly doesn't feel obligated to repeat the "two buttons to assign items" system or the "two acts of dungeons" structure, so they're not going to feel obligated to maintain everything BotW brought.

The series simply weakened after Majora's Mask and fell into a full-on slump with Twilight Princess lasting until Skyward Sword, partly due to technical limitations introducing difficulties making and filling up explorable worlds, and partly because they tried to chase the conventional storytelling that was popular circa the PS3/360/Wii gen despite it objectively gelling poorly with the video game medium. Also, the Zelda team clearly has no talent at conventional storytelling.

The Wild Saga won't be another peak, mark my words. It will be a stepping stone for just as great or greater things.

They are highly recognizable, maybe even iconic in the extreme cases of, like, the Goombas, but that doesn't make them "allstars."

They still don't have any actually important roles for the most part.

I agree that not being mainline or having starring roles is one of the main arguments against the likes of Waluigi and Geno. I still think Waluigi being a more consistently playable and popular character is just enough to justify him (same applies to Daisy). I also lower the bar a bit since it's Mario, but not so low as to include all the mooks.
I don't support Geno, though.

Don't underestimate the importance of being a numerous threat and dying en masse. Would you argue that Stormtroopers in Star Wars aren't iconic?

Sure, they would probably have to make up some moves. But I don't think that's an issue for a character like this who provides a pretty clear idea of how, generally, they would/could fight.

I keep saying this, but Impa is simply too inconsistent to provide a good idea of how she could fight. Giving her pretty much anything, made up or based in canon, is asking for a Ganondorf/Wario situation.

He's pretty maniacal himself, so him pulling out a couple of different tricks in one moveset wouldn't be too far out there IMO.

But the Zelda series isn't quite as random and wacky as DK or any other Mario spin-off franchise. For the most part, each individual game is epic yet logical (whole timeline maybe not so much), and the Zelda characters in Smash should reflect that.

As someone who constantly brings up roster bloat, it is a bit unexpected to see you advocate for having both classic Link and BOTW Link. Though speaking of classic Link, isn't that exactly what Young Link is? Sure, the Deku Shield might allude to his N64 incarnation specifically, but Sakurai did state that he made a young variation because Link actually was a kid in pretty much every Zelda title prior to Ocarina of Time (with I think Adventure of Link being the sole exception, being confirmed 16 in that game).

I'd always been in favor of having BotW Link as the base Link while the old TP and/or OoT Link is classed as an echo.

Young Link isn't good enough because he's too fast, weaker, and doesn't have the Master Sword.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Impa being in a similar situation as Wario / Ganondorf? What do you exactly mean with that? I'm guessing the Sheikah themes won't change too much from BotW forward, and she will forever be one of / leader of the Sheikah tribe in Zelda. That's pretty much solidified. I see no problem basing her around Age of Calamity, semi clone of Sheik or original. If you're actually worried about originality / iconic status, they could easily make her Specials certain Sheikah Slate abilities. Or safe just that for Zelda.

I also do support Ocarina of Time Link as Echo Fighter to regular Link. That's of course if we keep Young and Toon Link around.

Also I don't think Zelda games where too bad afterwards Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess where great games, Skyward Sword was too in my opinion. Did many things well, like the origin story, the story in general, combat mechanics but most of all: dungeons! Easily some of the best in the series, that's including Ocarina of Time.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

That's tough. There are very few characters I don't want, and none of them are particularly likely anyways. The closest that fits is Waluigi: I just can't stand the guy. Like, nobody ACTUALLY likes him, he's just a meme. Yet everybody acts like he's the deepest, most complex character in the series, and ghat Nintendo are straight up evil for not using him more.

Like... really?

 

[Geno Boost]

regarding genshin I don’t see Nintendo or Sakurai going for a small gaming company and even when they do it’s usually for Mii costume just like indies

 

[Dinoman96]

Not because they aren't great picks that tons of people would love if they actually made it, but because they've not been given the wings to let their merits show themselves out fully. The minute any of these would be perceived as likely, I am pretty sure they would take off flying like Skull Kid did for a time. But unlike the rare underdog exceptions such as K. Rool or Banjo, they're also missing those 1-2 little niche things that seem to help a general Smash audience look past the unlikelihood (for K. Rool, being at a triple intersection of villainy, heaviness, and the DK franchise which were all deemed "underrepresented" by a great number of fans; for Banjo, the novelty of being third party, with maybe sometimes an accompanying perception that licensing would be the only thing causing the unlikelihood).

Well yeah, that's what they call "bandwagoning" lol

Honestly to make things fair, I think this also applies to Banjo-Kazooie. Their fanbase had all but scattered to the wind prior to the ballot, which makes sense, because who in their right mind was gonna support a freaking Microsoft owned character in Smash? But then someone asked Phil Spencer on Twitter about it and he said that he'd liked to see it happen and then the support for them reignited and snowballed from there. Same thing with Geno, his fandom had mostly dissipated after Brawl, but nonetheless he was still popular to get the nod as a Mii outfit in Smash 4 and even seemingly had Sakurai's support, claiming in an interview back in early 2016 that he wanted to make him playable back in Brawl, thus making his online popularity/support explode in levels not seen since Brawl. As you just said, Skull Kid suddenly became this super huge popular pick back in 2018 because people were given a reason to believe he had a chance, because of good ol' Loz13 seeming like a reliable leaker at the time...(wah wah waaaaaaah)

So yes, what you say is true: people aren't gonna be fully pushing/bandwagoning behind a character online unless they feel like they actually have a chance, whether that be them appearing in a shiny new game, are backed up by an "insider", or having the vocal support of a important company figure, or even Sakurai himself.

That's actually what makes K. Rool's fandom admirable IMO: they didn't have recent game appearances (complete no-show in both of Retro's DKC games), some faulty leaker claiming he was in, or even Sakurai saying it'd be cool or whatever. All they had was, well, the shear willpower of their fanbase that voted for him to hell and back on the ballot.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

Ring Fit Trainer, Tom Nook and Bandana Dee (tho I want Bandana Dee a little, but he's far from one of my most wanted). Ring Fit Trainer is from one of the more succesful first party additions, if they don't make it in I think another surprise character of the game might suffice. This would follow the trend of certain characters we've been expecting like Chrom, Rex and Spring Man instead we got Robin, Pyra / Mythra and Min Min. Tom Nook would make for an easy clone, Echo or semi clone and Animal Crossing is HUGE at the very moment, there's just no escaping it. Bandana Dee doesn't even need an explanation at this point.

Characters I expect and want: Cranky Kong, and I think we'll get him before Dixie Kong. Mostly cause of the coming Mario Movie, and they both appeared in the latest DKC game Tropical Freeze (even if we can't quite call that a recent title). Cranky might get the upperhand on Dixie because he'd be wholly unique, and Dixie could end up as a semi clone of Diddy even if I'd like to ignore that. He's also the original DK, and the Mario Movie will 99,9999% surely set that in stone.

Also about the Impa discussion of before:

 

[Geno Boost]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

Ring fit trainee, Octolings, New Fire Emblem rep, New Gen Pokemon seems the most likely despite not having any interest in them

Like we know both new Fire Emblem and Pokémon reps early concept gets send to Sakurai just for the sake to make it a playable smash character since sm4sh

Ring fit and Splatoon are the most successful Nintendo’s new IP currently so I would be surprised if it doesn’t get at least extra playable character

 

[Quillion]

Impa being in a similar situation as Wario / Ganondorf? What do you exactly mean with that?

I mean by Impa having a moveset and/or portrayal that angers fans by conflicting with the way they expect her to play or be portrayed. Ganon may be totally inconsistent ability-wise, but at least even he has his vague "evil king" motif. Impa on the other hand has such wildly varying portrayals that pleasing all of her fans is Sonic-tier impossible.

I also do support Ocarina of Time Link as Echo Fighter to regular Link. That's of course if we keep Young and Toon Link around.

Preferably, Young Link and Toon Link could get different moves while bringing OoT/TP Link back as an echo, but they can still stay the same even then I guess.

Young Link could at least stand to have the Hero's Shield and MM Kokiri Sword.

 

[fogbadge]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

dante or shante

 

[Perkilator]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I'll start by saying that right now, I think Genshin Impact is pretty likely, so the traveler (Aether/Lumine) seems very likely to me. Genshin is huge in Japan, its been a runaway success there. Like, over a third of all its profits come from Japan alone. For a game not made in Japan, it has been having almost a unique level of cultural saturation. That is not to say Genshin is not huge elsewhere. It is a big success worldwide. So long as Genshin is alive by the next game, which given how successful it is I think is pretty much a given, I think it should be very seriously discussed for the next Smash. I could go in much more detail, but I do not have the coffee or energy to do so right now.

Despite this, I have zero interest in Genshin beyond the fact it has some cool character designs. I have never played it and I don't know anything about the story.

The only thing I can really expect nowadays is the following:

• New Mario character
• New Pokémon
• New FE character
• Lesser known character that nobody expects
• Sidelined protagonist due to technical issues

 

[Quillion]

The only thing I can really expect nowadays is the following:

• New Mario character
• New Pokémon
• New FE character
• Lesser known character that nobody expects
• Sidelined protagonist due to technical issues

TBH, every character I have in mind is an expectation. What I actually want are core gameplay changes and additions.

 

[Dinoman96]

Whether for the base game or DLC, the three main absolutes are a new Pokemon, a new Fire Emblem and a new "surprise" character like Duck Hunt or R.O.B or Piranha Plant.

I guess a new Xenoblade rep too.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I mean by Impa having a moveset and/or portrayal that angers fans by conflicting with the way they expect her to play or be portrayed. Ganon may be totally inconsistent ability-wise, but at least even he has his vague "evil king" motif. Impa on the other hand has such wildly varying portrayals that pleasing all of her fans is Sonic-tier impossible.

That's what you'd think. Her most popular and important appearances are quite consistent in terms of what she offers and what role she plays. Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, Hyrule Warriors 1 and HW Age of Calamity all have her as a Sheikah warrior who's protective / protector of princess Zelda. The main differences lie in her abilities in HW1 and AoC, but AoC, OoT and SS all follow a similar enough set of abilities, or implied abilities. So that's honestly quite simple, base her on the one source material with the most to work with and keeps it closest to her most iconic roles: Age of Calamity.

Preferably, Young Link and Toon Link could get different moves while bringing OoT/TP Link back as an echo, but they can still stay the same even then I guess.

Young Link could at least stand to have the Hero's Shield and MM Kokiri Sword.

I would support Toon Link getting reworks done. Young Link is just a cool extra clone I guess. I would suggest giving both BotW and Toon Link a glide mechanic with the Paraglider in BotW's Links case and the Deku Leaf in Toon Link's case, keep the Bow / Bomb / Boomerang / Spin Attack for all versions of Link, but change things around with aerials and Smash attacks.

There's no reason for all these versions of Link to be fully unique honestly.

 

[Opossum]

That's tough. There are very few characters I don't want, and none of them are particularly likely anyways. The closest that fits is Waluigi: I just can't stand the guy. Like, nobody ACTUALLY likes him, he's just a meme. Yet everybody acts like he's the deepest, most complex character in the series, and ghat Nintendo are straight up evil for not using him more.

Like... really?

Pretending to this day that people only like Waluigi "for the meme" is really pathetic and it won't bring Dragalia Lost back from the dead. : )

 

[SPEN18]

As someone who constantly brings up roster bloat, it is a bit unexpected to see you advocate for having both classic Link and BOTW Link. Though speaking of classic Link, isn't that exactly what Young Link is? Sure, the Deku Shield might allude to his N64 incarnation specifically, but Sakurai did state that he made a young variation because Link actually was a kid in pretty much every Zelda title prior to Ocarina of Time (with I think Adventure of Link being the sole exception, being confirmed 16 in that game).

To be clear, I'd like one and only one Link. And I vastly prefer that this single Link is the "adult" (really teenage), classic Link, which I think is the best singular representation of "Link" as a character (mainly due to the chain of mainline 3D console appearances like OoT, TP, and SS, with even BotW portraying its Link as older). Yes, several of the early or toonsy depictions of Link look more kiddish, but I don't think the variance in age or artstyle is enough to make it worth splitting into two characters. In any case, he is pretty much always said to be about 12-17 years old, so a roughly teenage depiction I think is about as well as you can do. Maybe make him young-looking enough in the face to be interpreted as the player likes, if that's possible. Regardless, it's not so bad an age range to make the single-character ideal into a real problem, especially when a lot of the early sprite work is sufficiently ambiguous and most of the age variance is more the result of changing artstyles than the canon age being actually important in any way.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Pretending to this day that people only like Waluigi "for the meme" is really pathetic and it won't bring Dragalia Lost back from the dead. : )

The heck's that supposed to mean?

 

[fogbadge]

The heck's that supposed to mean?

i believe it’s a cheap shot

 

[chocolatejr9]

i believe it’s a cheap shot

Oh, I was worried he was trying to bait me.

 

[Opossum]

Oh, I was worried he was trying to bait me.

I mean, if you're going to actively lie about something I like, of course I'm going to be happy the thing you like failed. It's only fair.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I mean, if you're going to actively lie about something I like, of course I'm going to be happy the thing you like failed. It's only fair.

But... I didn't lie about anything?

 

[Opossum]

But... I didn't lie about anything?

You literally said "nobody actually likes him, he's just a meme."

That's a lie.

 

[chocolatejr9]

You literally said "nobody actually likes him, he's just a meme."

That's a lie.

Okay, you know what? I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking my words through. I know there are people who genuinely like him (I'm a Smash fan, of COURSE I know), but... I don't know, I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'm just in a bad mood. Again, sorry I made you upset.

 

[Opossum]

Okay, you know what? I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking my words through. I know there are people who genuinely like him (I'm a Smash fan, of COURSE I know), but... I don't know, I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'm just in a bad mood. Again, sorry I made you upset.

It's okay. I hope you feel better, for what it's worth.

 

[chocolatejr9]

It's okay. I hope you feel better, for what it's worth.

Thanks. It's just that somebody said something that made me VERY upset. I won't elaborate, since it's off-topic, but if you're a Sonic fan, you might be able to figure it out...

 

[dream1ng]

Well yeah, that's what they call "bandwagoning" lol

Honestly to make things fair, I think this also applies to Banjo-Kazooie. Their fanbase had all but scattered to the wind prior to the ballot, which makes sense, because who in their right mind was gonna support a freaking Microsoft owned character in Smash? But then someone asked Phil Spencer on Twitter about it and he said that he'd liked to see it happen and then the support for them reignited and snowballed from there. Same thing with Geno, his fandom had mostly dissipated after Brawl, but nonetheless he was still popular to get the nod as a Mii outfit in Smash 4 and even seemingly had Sakurai's support, claiming in an interview back in early 2016 that he wanted to make him playable back in Brawl, thus making his online popularity/support explode in levels not seen since Brawl. As you just said, Skull Kid suddenly became this super huge popular pick back in 2018 because people were given a reason to believe he had a chance, because of good ol' Loz13 seeming like a reliable leaker at the time...(wah wah waaaaaaah)

So yes, what you say is true: people aren't gonna be fully pushing/bandwagoning behind a character online unless they feel like they actually have a chance, whether that be them appearing in a shiny new game, are backed up by an "insider", or having the vocal support of a important company figure, or even Sakurai himself.

That's actually what makes K. Rool's fandom admirable IMO: they didn't have recent game appearances (complete no-show in both of Retro's DKC games), some faulty leaker claiming he was in, or even Sakurai saying it'd be cool or whatever. All they had was, well, the shear willpower of their fanbase that voted for him to hell and back on the ballot.

Many fanbase favorites get bandwagoned because there aren't enough people picking up games like Banjo-Kazooie, Golden Sun, or SMRPG this many years after they've released without the influence of Smash. K. Rool isn't exempt either.

Old fans fall away and new ones come to the characters to keep them popular, and then maybe go back to retroactively actually play the title(s). But because the fanbases have existed for a while, and began when the games were actually more recent, they generally get exempted from the label. It's usually those who show up suddenly who get derided, but most of the most popular characters have some aspect of bandwagoning to aid their support.

 

[Diddy Kong]

So another roster question, in this case, it's a question regarding roster size in case of a reboot. Now cuts are controversial, but let's just keep it simpler and focus only on the four franchises in Smash with the most playable characters; Mario, Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Zelda.

With Mario, I'd keep the roster more or less the same, and replace Piranha Plant with (Captain) Toad and say farewell to Dr.Mario. Maybe do without Daisy too, but since she's and Echo she could stay. In case of drastical cuts, I'd throw out Bowser Jr. first too.

Pokemon I'd throw out Incineroar, Squirtle, Ivysaur and Pichu, and add Garchomp. I'd reserve a spot for any newcomer Pokemon that's deemend popular / iconic.

Fire Emblem's roster is a difficult one, and one I expect most to disagree with. But I would honestly keep the Marth family as is, so Marth, Lucina, Chrom and Roy will stay. I also keep Ike around of course as he's my favorite as well as one of the most popular main characters in the series. I keep Byleth but change them around to more accurately represent them, thus fight mainly with the Creator Sword, magic and brawling. I'd throw out Robin and Corrin. As potential newcomers I have Lyn and Dimitri on my mind.

Zelda's roster I'd throw around completely. I'll only keep Link, Zelda and Ganondorf, out goes Sheik, Young Link and even Toon Link. I'll add Impa as a newcomer, as well as Ganon and Urbosa.

 

[fogbadge]

Question. How many of my fellow British gamers want geno in smash?

 

[Stratos]

I'm one of those people who wants Waluigi in the Super Smash Bros. series as a newcomer, but to do that he has to get his own video games series to have moves based on that. I really want a series of video games starring Waluigi, although this is probably impossible. How much more there his baby version.

 

[HyperSomari64]

• New Mario character
• New Pokémon
• New FE character
• Lesser known character that nobody expects
• Sidelined protagonist due to technical issues

• Mark from NES Open Tournament Golf
• Bruxish
• Tsurigi Yashiro
• Blanc from Neptunia (Both the last pointers, Neptune's the sidelined protagonist)

 

[Quillion]

I'm one of those people who wants Waluigi in the Super Smash Bros. series as a newcomer, but to do that he has to get his own video games series to have moves based on that. I really want a series of video games starring Waluigi, although this is probably impossible. How much more there his baby version.

I honestly, unironically like Waluigi as "Mr. Spin-off" though. That's his thing, and giving him his own series will undermine that. Him being an AT is fitting of being Mr. Spin-off, as it makes him a different class from the main series Mario characters who are playable.

 

[dream1ng]

I'm one of those people who wants Waluigi in the Super Smash Bros. series as a newcomer, but to do that he has to get his own video games series to have moves based on that. I really want a series of video games starring Waluigi, although this is probably impossible. How much more there his baby version.

Characters have been culled together with less. A number of characters have completely original moves. The issue people seem to have is that the spin-off stuff, for the most part, is not unique to Waluigi. But it certainly would be in Smash. Who else is going to show up with that stuff? There's more than enough to mine for a moveset.

And if you think about it, almost everything the Pokemon do can be done by another Pokemon.

 

[Quillion]

Characters have been culled together with less. A number of characters have completely original moves. The issue people seem to have is that the spin-off stuff, for the most part, is not unique to Waluigi. But it certainly would be in Smash. Who else is going to show up with that stuff? There's more than enough to mine for a moveset.

And if you think about it, almost everything the Pokemon do can be done by another Pokemon.

Toad, Birdo, and Shy Guy alike could also be "the spin-off character", and they're all main series characters on top of that.

Still want Cap. Toad doing his own things though.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I honestly, unironically like Waluigi as "Mr. Spin-off" though. That's his thing, and giving him his own series will undermine that. Him being an AT is fitting of being Mr. Spin-off, as it makes him a different class from the main series Mario characters who are playable.

Yes.

And if they look for a new playable Mario character, Toad, Captain Toad or Pauline would be ideal anyway

 

[Quillion]

Yes.

And if they look for a new playable Mario character, Toad, Captain Toad or Pauline would be ideal anyway

Oh yeah, Pauline can be "Ms. Spin-off" too.

 

[dream1ng]

Toad, Birdo, and Shy Guy alike could also be "the spin-off character", and they're all main series characters on top of that.

Still want Cap. Toad doing his own things though.

You have to reconcile characters that could serve that purpose against ones we'd actually get. And get, doing the spin-off stuff.

If Toad was going to happen, I think it would've happened by now. I don't think Sakurai sees him as a combatant. Birdo... like she's feasible, but she's not going to get in over Waluigi. More over, she'd probably lean closer to an egg-oriented moveset, not so much a spin-off one. And Shy Guy... I think getting any more Mario mooks is very much a long shot, and I would imagine he'd bring stuff from the Mario/Yoshi games, not the spin-offs.

Oh yeah, Pauline can be "Ms. Spin-off" too.

But she'd probably be doing either DK, Mario vs. DK, or Odyssey-based stuff. You have to consider who would actually end up being given the spin-off moveset.

 

[Yamat08]

Here is a fun discussion prompt.

What is a character that you expect for the next smash rather than want? I know that in this thread especially, a lot of people conflate those two things a lot, but being objective who is someone you think is super likely for the next game but you have very little to no interest in?

I don't particularly have anything against Waluigi or Crash (bandwagoning and self-assured fandoms aside), but I'm not especially rooting for them, either. That said, though, they seem like a strong possibility simply due to the uproar they've caused over Ultimate's cycle. I also wonder if Bomberman could have a chance, now that the Assist Trophies have a clean slate.

As an aside, is anyone else thinking it's possible that Rex could end up getting the Chrom treatment? I mean, much like Chrom, Pyra/Mythra's trailer poked fun at how Rex was seeming like such a sure thing. However, what if he still made it in as an Echo of someone else? I mean, it could probably work if his sword abilities are kept basic enough (or, in a further allusion to Chrom, he could be a semi-clone that very loosely fits into what counts as an Echo).

Many fanbase favorites get bandwagoned because there aren't enough people picking up games like Banjo-Kazooie, Golden Sun, or SMRPG this many years after they've released without the influence of Smash. K. Rool isn't exempt either.

Old fans fall away and new ones come to the characters to keep them popular, and then maybe go back to retroactively actually play the title(s). But because the fanbases have existed for a while, and began when the games were actually more recent, they generally get exempted from the label. It's usually those who show up suddenly who get derided, but most of the most popular characters have some aspect of bandwagoning to aid their support.

I've honestly never played Xenosaga, though I have long been interested, and might track down the PS2 games if a Switch (or later Nintendo console) port never ends up happening. That said, I started pushing for KOS-MOS around the end of Smash4's DLC cycle, when it was brought up that Bandai Namco are lacking in their own characters as well as the fact that Xenosaga is a predecessor of sorts to Xenoblade (I honestly didn't notice the connection and thought the title was just a coincidence at the time). KOS-MOS gained a lot of traction during Fighter5 speculation, but while a lot of people seem to have dropped off after that, I've only been even further convinced that she should get in after learning more and more about how relevant she is to Monolith Soft (who have, themselves, proven to be a major asset to Nintendo).

 

[fogbadge]

If Toad was going to happen, I think it would've happened by now. I don't think Sakurai sees him as a combatant

try not to rub it in

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Pretending to this day that people only like Waluigi "for the meme" is really pathetic and it won't bring Dragalia Lost back from the dead. : )

I mean, if you're going to actively lie about something I like, of course I'm going to be happy the thing you like failed. It's only fair.

As wrong as the idea of Waluigi only being liked for the meme is...

This was one hell of a cheap shot and just nasty. This isn't cool.

 

[chocolatejr9]

As an aside, is anyone else thinking it's possible that Rex could end up getting the Chrom treatment? I mean, much like Chrom, Pyra/Mythra's trailer poked fun at how Rex was seeming like such a sure thing. However, what if he still made it in as an Echo of someone else? I mean, it could probably work if his sword abilities are kept basic enough (or, in a further allusion to Chrom, he could be a semi-clone that very loosely fits into what counts as an Echo).

I wouldn't be TOO surprised. Despite popular belief, there ARE people who genuinely want Rex in Smash, and not just because they thought it was the only way to get Pyra. That being said, I think it really depends on whether or not Sakurai is willing to try again with his gimmick come next Smash: it was the only reason he didn't make it to Ultimate, after all.

Still, like I said before, never say never: weirder things have happened.