- People keep saying Sakurai wanted him, but despite that, there have been four different rounds of inclusion since Square got on board, and so far we've received four other SE characters. Sakurai clearly doesn't want him enough to make him a priority.
- Meta-Knight wasn't playing favorites, he was a demanded major character from a big first-party series. Sakurai even had a quote where he worried adding two Kirby characters in the same game would lead to people thinking he was playing favorites. Clearly his fears were founded.
- SMRPG may have been successful, but in the pantheon of Mario games, by comparison, it really wasn't that successful. Certainly not successful enough that over 25 years later, its success is somehow notable.
- Duck Hunt is an old game, not an obscure game. It sold over 25 million copies and everyone knew that stupid dog.
- "Sakurai can make the impossible happen" isn't a point that helps any character, because it can be used for every character. Also, no one is saying Geno is impossible.
- It should be self-evident why Cloud, Kazuya and, yes, Banjo are not in Geno's situation.
- I don't know which rules you're talking about, but all of the points working against Geno aren't "rules", they're just factors that make him much less likely than he's often presented as. So invoking "fanrules" here doesn't really make sense.
1. I am aware of that. I probably should have said that. Still, Geno has fans, whether Super Mario RPG was played by them or not. I am sure that enough fan demand could change Sakurai's mind, especially if they are heard enough.
2. Yeah, I am aware Meta Knight was a bad example, but I still think there are some, if few that Sakurai plays favorites on. Regardless, I did say Sakurai liked Geno for a time. Key word, time, if what people say were true. Regardless, I was not saying playing favorites gets a character in alone, as there are other examples. Even if he does not play favorites, he does seem to like certain characters at the least. Maybe favorites was the wrong word, and wanting a character does change, meaning Sakurai can change his mind, but wheter Sakurai liked Geno or not, I think there is a reason, which I am unsure of, that hype for Geno started in the first place.
3. I am sure I did address that Super Mario RPG was not super successful, which covers what you were talking about.
4. Okay, again, bad example. Maybe I should have said Ice Climbers instead before Melee if that even counts? Still, my point is, there should be obscure games that have made it into Smash in terms of playable characters.
5. I was not really saying Sakurai doing that helped Geno's case. I am just saying that because people have been proven wrong about characters before.
6. I am aware of that, but I don't think Geno's situation is that bad. Plus, I was not talking about the reasons those three characters got in compared to Geno, but rather, again, that people were wrong when they thought they could not get in.
7. Regardless, I don't think those factors would weigh Geno down that much. I mean, he did get a Mii Costume in the fourth Smash game, and I believe it was said he was considered by then before Cloud. Plus, I don't think the "factors" working against Geno hold him down as much as characters like Captain Syrup from Wario Land and Wart from Super Mario USA, characters I both want as playable in a Smash game. I know they are probably in different circumstances than Geno, but fan rules or not, I don't think Geno would be less likely than any other character just because of factors against him. I believe anything is possible, no matter how likely. I don't think it is fair to treat Geno differently from any other character for any reason, regardless of circumstances. I have yet to see Sakurai make it clear that non-starring characters from obscure games can't get into Smash.
Now, I am not directly defending Geno here, so take this as me defending any character that has not get into Smash, with Geno being used as an example. But in regards to Geno, even if I was wrong, I don't think Geno has less of a chance than, say, King K. Rool, despite their differences in terms of reasons for getting in. I am aware that Geno may have fan demand only in terms of helping him get in possibly, but I don't think people are being that fair to him.
Believe me, I am in no hurry to see Geno in Smash as a playable, but I think that there are characters who are treated unfairly just because of "factors".