Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Oracle Link]

I think I'm most confused by her potentially trying to buy bags of milk; apparently this surreal horror game is set either in elementary school or Canada.

Or in Europe! We Have Tetra Packs which are these things:

 

[Aligo]

Though consider the last Smash game came out four years ago, the base roster to Smash games is usually decided 2/3 years before they actually release, Gen 8 was already skipped, and Gen 10 probably won't be out until 2025.

This one could go either way. If the next Smash starts development this year or next year, it's probably going to be Gen 9. 2024 on, Gen 10. But also, if the next Smash doesn't start development until 2024, it won't be out until at least 2026, if not 2027, which would be quite the gap between titles.

Didn't a lot of the smash dev team on the namco side have to go off to work on the new Tekken? I doubt any serious work will be done until that project is complete.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

New Pokemon games come out at a much faster rate than Smash games, would not be surprised at all if this game is leapfrogged in the playable Mon department like Unova was. (Zoroark is a lock, guys. Trust me.)

It all comes down to timing. I think the next smash will be out within the first two years of Nintendo’s next console. I personally think we will get our next Pokémon game either in 2025 or 2026. If we get say an Ultimate 2/Deluxe/game heavily built off of ultimate and it releases earlier, that’s good for Gen 9. But the later we get a new smash, the less likely it is we get a Gen 9 Pokémon. I think right now, there is a reasonable chance we get a new smash before Gen 10, but it would not shock me at all for Paldea to go the way of Hoenn or Unova.

This is still Smash-related because I get the feeling one of them in particular is going to have a lot of support if Smash 6 happens before Gen 9 is over with...

Spoiler

Yeah, call it a gut hunch but I think Meowscarada is gonna take the lion’s share of support, seems to be the big popular shill starter this time.
]

 

[Staarih]

This is still Smash-related because I get the feeling one of them in particular is going to have a lot of support if Smash 6 happens before Gen 9 is over with...

Hopefully we'll venture out of the starters again. We have a perfectly valid choice in Armarouge/Ceruledge, for example.

Spoiler

Clearly the next Lucario, they have the same BST after all lol.

 

[Ivander]

This is still Smash-related because I get the feeling one of them in particular is going to have a lot of support if Smash 6 happens before Gen 9 is over with...

I'll see what happens...

I still think Gen 10 happening before the next Smash is a possibility. Although Gen 8 and Gen 9 missing out would certainly be something.

Hopefully we'll venture out of the starters again. We have a perfectly valid choice in Armarouge/Ceruledge, for example.

Spoiler

Clearly the next Lucario, they have the same BST after all lol.

They're the ones that people compared to Megaman Battle Network designs, right? I certainly would be good with them as a Battle Network fan myself.

 

[fogbadge]

Hopefully we'll venture out of the starters again. We have a perfectly valid choice in Armarouge/Ceruledge, for example.

Spoiler

Clearly the next Lucario, they have the same BST after all lol.

they’re in British summer time

 

[Goombaic]

I was thinking we'd be on Gen 11 by the time the next Smash comes out. I get that the planning for the next Smash is possibly done by now but I don't see it coming out within Gen 9's lifespan.
That said, if the pick for Gen 9 is not Pepsiman Palafin or Annihilape then we are better off skipping this generation.

 

[dream1ng]

Didn't a lot of the smash dev team on the namco side have to go off to work on the new Tekken? I doubt any serious work will be done until that project is complete.

That's true, though I imagine it's because Namco wasn't going to pay them to do nothing rather than Tekken 8 needing the few remaining members of the Smash team. Having said that, pre-production is mostly just going to be Sakurai and a few designers, it's not going to require the full team either. And that's when most characters are chosen, during the project plan phase.

However if it, hypothetically, began next year, this would be the first time Sakurai would be able to actually use general popularity to help him dictate his choice of new Pokemon, considering all the others since Brawl were chosen prior to the release of their gen.

 

[Arcanir]

I was thinking we'd be on Gen 11 by the time the next Smash comes out. I get that the planning for the next Smash is possibly done by now but I don't see it coming out within Gen 9's lifespan.
That said, if the pick for Gen 9 is not Pepsiman Palafin or Annihilape then we are better off skipping this generation.

I'd be surprised if we're on Gen 11 by the time the next Smash comes out. Generations last about three years now and I doubt we'll see another generation on the Switch as I'd think they'd have the successor out by 2025. If Smash works like it has the past few entries it should be out within the first couple years of that system's release, which would mean we'd be in the middle of Gen 10 at the most. I could see us skipping out on Gen 9, but I don't think the next Smash is so far out it'd miss three different generations of Pokemon.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Happy 15th Birthday to Super Mario Galaxy! (in North America)

 

[Arcanir]

Also:

Spoiler: SV Pokemon leaks

Baxcalibur should be the Gen 9 rep aas I want to see this as a recovery.

 

[Ivander]

Also:

Spoiler: SV Pokemon leaks

Baxcalibur should be the Gen 9 rep aas I want to see this as a recovery.

Spoiler: SV Pokemon leaks

The moment I looked closer and saw exactly what they did, I realized they are doing this, except with a giant sword on their back and upside-down.

 

[Sucumbio]

Smash games and Pokemon reps:

SSB Pikachu gen 1 and Jigglypuff gen 1
SSBM add Pichu gen 2 and Mewtwo gen 1
SSBB add Trainer gen 1 (squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Lucario gen 4
SSB4 add Greninja Gen 6
SSBU add Incinerorar Gen 7

Release dates:

Gen 1 1996 6 reps
SSB 1999
Gen 2 1999 1 rep
SSBM 2001
Gen 3 2003 no rep
Gen 4 2007 1 rep
SSBB 2008
Gen 5 2011 not repped
Gen 6 2013 1 rep
SSB4 2014
Gen 7 2016 1 rep
SSBU 2018
Gen 8 2019 ?
Gen 9 2022 ?

So basically it stands to reason that unless there's some fundamental change in design window or communication between Smash and Pokemon dev teams, they'll skip gen 8, we'll get a rep from gen 9, and gen 10 will launch after the next Smash game.

 

[silenthunder]

Smash games and Pokemon reps:

SSB Pikachu gen 1 and Jigglypuff gen 1
SSBM add Pichu gen 2 and Mewtwo gen 1
SSBB add Trainer gen 1 (squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Lucario gen 4
SSB4 add Greninja Gen 6
SSBU add Incinerorar Gen 7

Release dates:

Gen 1 1996 6 reps
SSB 1999
Gen 2 1999 1 rep
SSBM 2001
Gen 3 2003 no rep
Gen 4 2007 1 rep
SSBB 2008
Gen 5 2011 not repped
Gen 6 2013 1 rep
SSB4 2014
Gen 7 2016 1 rep
SSBU 2018
Gen 8 2019 ?
Gen 9 2022 ?

So basically it stands to reason that unless there's some fundamental change in design window or communication between Smash and Pokemon dev teams, they'll skip gen 8, we'll get a rep from gen 9, and gen 10 will launch after the next Smash game.

They might work on gen 10 and the next smash game at the same time. Do you think there is any hope for an older gen Pokémon to get in smash down the line? Sceptile, Meowth, Lycanroc?

 

[Sucumbio]

They might work on gen 10 and the next smash game at the same time. Do you think there is any hope for an older gen Pokémon to get in smash down the line? Sceptile, Meowth, Lycanroc?

Yes I think they'll probably work on gen 10 and the next Smash around the same time. Looking back over the dates it's clear that dev times for each franchises overlap and it's these overlapping time frames that results in which gens get a new rep in the upcoming Smash around that time. This said, no I don't see any indication that they've considered adding any more gen reps from previous gens though it's not impossible especially if you consider how some mons have changed over the years.

 

[SPEN18]

Do you think there is any hope for an older gen Pokémon to get in smash down the line?

I certainly hope so, though the precedents set for this series don't look the best for the prospects. Frankly, I find it unnecessarily restrictive, exclusive, reductionist, closed-minded, and really just much less exciting for Pokemon speculation and roster selection to be so heavily dictated by the painfully arbitrary matter of how the series' release timeline aligns with Smash's.

 

[silenthunder]

I don’t think it would be too far farfetch’d to expect 2 Pokémon rep one current one older. It doesn’t get as much backlash as Fire Emblem and it has a large fan base among the smash community.
Edit: future current gen Pokémon Fire Emblem are the easiest picks to see coming.

 

[Ivander]

I don’t think it would be too far farfetch’d to expect 2 Pokémon rep one current one older. It doesn’t get as much backlash as Fire Emblem and it has a large fan base among the smash community.

It likely doesn't get as much backlash because:

• It makes sense why it would get alot of attention due to being one of Nintendo's biggest series, whereas Fire Emblem has only lately been getting alot more attention, what with Three Houses being Fire Emblem's most successful console title after Awakening and Heroes reaching around 1 billion in revenue.
• Alot of Pokemon are quite different from each other, meaning you are going to get a rather unique newcomer almost guarantee. Even if most of them are bipedal/semi-bipedal, they still really differ in moveset, design, aesthetic and sometimes gimmick. Unsurprisingly, alot of Fire Emblem characters, especially the protagonists they tend to prioritise, don't look that much different or differ much. Especially due to most protagonists having Swords as their favoured weapon. Like even now, alot are looking at the new FE protagonist Alear and if they got in, they would be the 4th Fire Emblem Avatar character after Robin, Corrin and Byleth.

It's honestly not Fire Emblem's fault for sticking to what is working for them, but it's not surprising that it somewhat detriments them due to them sticking to the similar templates for their characters, including their protagonists.
Whereas with Pokemon, for the most part, the Pokemon they advertise are often very different from the ones they previously advertise. Like whether it was Decideye or Incineroar, both of them would've offered something unique, with Decidueye being both a dedicated Archer and trapper while Incineroar is dedicated to the Wrestler theme and archetype many fighting games had, but Smash Bros. didn't(and is also our first Cat character in Smash Bros.). So it's understandable why most don't tend to hassle on Pokemon whereas it tends to be very easy to complain about Fire Emblem.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

It likely doesn't get as much backlash because:

• It makes sense why it would get alot of attention due to being one of Nintendo's biggest series, whereas Fire Emblem has only lately been getting alot more attention, what with Three Houses being Fire Emblem's most successful console title after Awakening and Heroes reaching around 1 billion in revenue.
• Alot of Pokemon are quite different from each other, meaning you are going to get a rather unique newcomer almost guarantee. Even if most of them are bipedal/semi-bipedal, they still really differ in moveset, design, aesthetic and sometimes gimmick. Unsurprisingly, alot of Fire Emblem characters, especially the protagonists they tend to prioritise, don't look that much different or differ much. Especially due to most protagonists having Swords as their favoured weapon. Like even now, alot are looking at the new FE protagonist Alear and if they got in, they would be the 4th Fire Emblem Avatar character after Robin, Corrin and Byleth.

It's honestly not Fire Emblem's fault for sticking to what is working for them, but it's not surprising that it somewhat detriments them due to them sticking to the similar templates for their characters, including their protagonists.
Whereas with Pokemon, for the most part, the Pokemon they advertise are often very different from the ones they previously advertise. Like whether it was Decideye or Incineroar, both of them would've offered something unique, with Decidueye being both a dedicated Archer and trapper while Incineroar is dedicated to the Wrestler theme and archetype many fighting games had, but Smash Bros. didn't(and is also our first Cat character in Smash Bros.). So it's understandable why most don't tend to hassle on Pokemon whereas it tends to be very easy to complain about Fire Emblem.

...I mean, Mewtwo came first, and it has feline features for a reason. Ironically Mew was created second(which doesn't actually speak of why it's 151), but it also is far more closer to a regular cat than Mewtwo is. So it's our second cat Pokemon, but Incineroar is also specifically a tiger while Mewtwo's feline features are based upon a domestic cat. So ironically Mewtwo is a "regular cat" moreso than Incineroar by intended desgin.

Anyway, yeah, that's what I honestly like. We have tons of variety. Fire Emblem isn't exactly lacking variety either on its own, of course, it's just stuck in protagonist mode(due to having a massive amount of characters and most being added due to timing or clone situations, not simply because it's a fan favorite or mascot in general). Pokemon does kind of have that "right timing" too, but it's happened 3 out of 10 times, being Lucario, Greninja, and Incineroar. Will it happen again? Maybe. That said, at least we're starting to get some really cool concepts like Byleth's weapon triangle(loose) representation, Corrin's cool dragon features, and Robin's tome gameplay. I wonder what they'll do next overall. Maybe if we get a Lord in the next game with, say, horseback riding?

 

[Lenidem]

...I mean, Mewtwo came first, and it has feline features for a reason. Ironically Mew was created second(which doesn't actually speak of why it's 151), but it also is far more closer to a regular cat than Mewtwo is. So it's our second cat Pokemon, but Incineroar is also specifically a tiger while Mewtwo's feline features are based upon a domestic cat. So ironically Mewtwo is a "regular cat" moreso than Incineroar by intended desgin.

Anyway, yeah, that's what I honestly like. We have tons of variety. Fire Emblem isn't exactly lacking variety either on its own, of course, it's just stuck in protagonist mode(due to having a massive amount of characters and most being added due to timing or clone situations, not simply because it's a fan favorite or mascot in general). Pokemon does kind of have that "right timing" too, but it's happened 3 out of 10 times, being Lucario, Greninja, and Incineroar. Will it happen again? Maybe. That said, at least we're starting to get some really cool concepts like Byleth's weapon triangle(loose) representation, Corrin's cool dragon features, and Robin's tome gameplay. I wonder what they'll do next overall. Maybe if we get a Lord in the next game with, say, horseback riding?

I never thought of Mew or Mewtwo as cats.

 

[dream1ng]

I never thought of Mew or Mewtwo as cats.

I think they're supposed to be a mix of a cat, an alien and a fetus.

True JRPG ****.

 

[osby]

I think only this thread could look at the question "do you think we could get Pokemon from older generations in the next Smash game?" and make it about Fire Emblem.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

I think they're supposed to be a mix of a cat, an alien and a fetus.

True JRPG ****.

They are. Mew is heavily based upon a domestic cat(and its design is even basically a smaller take on Mewtwo, which is what I meant by the smaller one being designed second) with Mewtwo given outright feline features, but focuses on other design pieces too. Of course, the name Mewtwo is pretty clearly only created after Mew was confirmed. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense for the naming scheme(which is consistent in English and Japan too. It's not some dubbed oddity like tons of franchises love to do). That said, Mewtwo I can get why it's hard to tell the cat features... but Mew is pretty clearly designed around a cat quite blatantly. Not the only basis, of course. Alien, Fetus, various other mammalian features...

"Several of Mew's features, such as a short muzzle and large hind feet, are commonly found in cats" isn't exactly a coincidence. The word Mew is literally a word referring to a cat vocalizing as is, so a lot of this starts to be pretty obvious after a while. "Morimoto designed it as a pale pink feliform creature with somewhat large eyes and a long, thin tail that broadens at the end" also drives it home more. Another monster named Mew also appears in Monster Rancher, with the same cat-based concept in itself, though being a stuffed cat toy instead. Mew is Myu is Japanese(the same exact word being pronounced) in Pokemon, and is called Nya(the Japanese word for Meowing basically) in Monster Rancher(though later on called Mew in the English version too. Nya came first for the series).

That said, Mewtwo is clearly not to the same degree, though is still overall a bipedal alien-like creature with feline features intentionally. "It appears as a bipedal feline that is 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm) tall". It's obviously not all there is to it, and unlike Mew, who is much more cat-like, the point with Mewtwo's focus is more on its traumatic backstory of gene splicing.

Besides that, Mewtwo's own design can be considered something of a call back to Giegue from Mother 1, as the same company did eventually become one of the ones who work on Pokemon. Not the only time, as the name Dragonite is reused from the Mother series too.

 

[Oracle Link]

Speaking of Cats smash needs a Cute Kitty we only have two Mean Looking Pokemon Cats we need a Cute Small Cat how about Yokai Watch 1-3 Jibanyan?
Jibanyan is older in Yokai Watch 4 BTW!

Obviously Nate would be part of Jibanyan as hes the original Main Char of the Franchise!

 

[fogbadge]

Speaking of Cats smash needs a Cute Kitty we only have two Mean Looking Pokemon Cats we need a Cute Small Cat how about Yokai Watch 1-3 Jibanyan?
Jibanyan is older in Yokai Watch 4 BTW!

Obviously Nate would be part of Jibanyan as hes the original Main Char of the Franchise!

ah a good idea

 

[toonito]

Smash games and Pokemon reps:

SSB Pikachu gen 1 and Jigglypuff gen 1
SSBM add Pichu gen 2 and Mewtwo gen 1
SSBB add Trainer gen 1 (squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Lucario gen 4
SSB4 add Greninja Gen 6
SSBU add Incinerorar Gen 7

Release dates:

Gen 1 1996 6 reps
SSB 1999
Gen 2 1999 1 rep
SSBM 2001
Gen 3 2003 no rep
Gen 4 2007 1 rep
SSBB 2008
Gen 5 2011 not repped
Gen 6 2013 1 rep
SSB4 2014
Gen 7 2016 1 rep
SSBU 2018
Gen 8 2019 ?
Gen 9 2022 ?

So basically it stands to reason that unless there's some fundamental change in design window or communication between Smash and Pokemon dev teams, they'll skip gen 8, we'll get a rep from gen 9, and gen 10 will launch after the next Smash game.

I agree with your main point.

my rambling speculation on Pokemon and Smash below:

Smash has more leeway in terms of release windows ranging between 2 (64-Melee) and 7 years (Melee-Brawl) while Pokemon has become fairly consistent with release windows. Smash has stuck to the 1 game per console so its likely it'll stay the same for Smash 6.

N64: 1996
SSB: 1999
GC: 2001
SSBM: 2001
Wii: 2006
SSBB: 2008
Wii-U: 2012
SSB4: 2014
Switch: 2017
SSBU: 2018

With the exception of Melee, Smash games tend to come out at least a year after a new console is released. Since the N64 consoles tend to come out every 5-6 years so if this holds a new console should be out by next year (this year was the earliest a new console could've debuted) and Smash 6 would be out by 2024 at the earliest.

For Pokemon, since Gen 5 a mainline new gen Pokemon game has released every 3 years. However, their anniversaries were in 2006 and 2016. Both of those years had mainline games released as well. If Pokemon sticks to the 3 year schedule then the next gen should be in 2025. If Pokemon is to align Gen 10 with the 30th anniversary then it will release in 2026. one of these "guidelines" is bound to break.

So if Smash 6 can't come out no earlier than 2024 and Gen 10 can't come out no earlier than 2025-2026 then if Smash 6 = 2024, Gen 9 gets the Smash slot. any later then Gen 10 is likely to get the slot.

If it's Gen 9, which Pokemon might make it in Smash 6?
Based on the current Pokemon roster in Smash:

6 have been starters
1 baby
1 legendary
2 which aren't a starter, baby, or legendary.

since Brawl a starter pokemon has made it in Smash. Brawl was also the last time multiple Pokemon made a Smash game. Also Ivysaur is the only non-bipedal pokemon on the roster.

it seems likely that a bipedal starter would be the most likely pick so Meowscarada or Quaquaval could be added.

 

[Sucumbio]

I agree with your main point.

my rambling speculation on Pokemon and Smash below:

Smash has more leeway in terms of release windows ranging between 2 (64-Melee) and 7 years (Melee-Brawl) while Pokemon has become fairly consistent with release windows. Smash has stuck to the 1 game per console so its likely it'll stay the same for Smash 6.

N64: 1996
SSB: 1999
GC: 2001
SSBM: 2001
Wii: 2006
SSBB: 2008
Wii-U: 2012
SSB4: 2014
Switch: 2017
SSBU: 2018

With the exception of Melee, Smash games tend to come out at least a year after a new console is released. Since the N64 consoles tend to come out every 5-6 years so if this holds a new console should be out by next year (this year was the earliest a new console could've debuted) and Smash 6 would be out by 2024 at the earliest.

For Pokemon, since Gen 5 a mainline new gen Pokemon game has released every 3 years. However, their anniversaries were in 2006 and 2016. Both of those years had mainline games released as well. If Pokemon sticks to the 3 year schedule then the next gen should be in 2025. If Pokemon is to align Gen 10 with the 30th anniversary then it will release in 2026. one of these "guidelines" is bound to break.

So if Smash 6 can't come out no earlier than 2024 and Gen 10 can't come out no earlier than 2025-2026 then if Smash 6 = 2024, Gen 9 gets the Smash slot. any later then Gen 10 is likely to get the slot.

If it's Gen 9, which Pokemon might make it in Smash 6?
Based on the current Pokemon roster in Smash:

6 have been starters
1 baby
1 legendary
2 which aren't a starter, baby, or legendary.

since Brawl a starter pokemon has made it in Smash. Brawl was also the last time multiple Pokemon made a Smash game. Also Ivysaur is the only non-bipedal pokemon on the roster.

it seems likely that a bipedal starter would be the most likely pick so Meowscarada or Quaquaval could be added.

Agreed. Yeah it seems to me that the next console is poised to release in 2024 which means a new Smash game in 24 or 25. So if it's 24 I'd put my wager on a gen 9 rep and if it's 25, could be 9 but could also be 10.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Speaking of Cats smash needs a Cute Kitty we only have two Mean Looking Pokemon Cats we need a Cute Small Cat how about Yokai Watch 1-3 Jibanyan?
Jibanyan is older in Yokai Watch 4 BTW!

Obviously Nate would be part of Jibanyan as hes the original Main Char of the Franchise!

Monster taming games are in short supply in smash.
We got Pokemon and Persona. Technically Kingdom hearts since 3D is a monster tamer game.

It would be good to have more representation from this subgenre.

 

[fogbadge]

Monster taming games are in short supply in smash.
We got Pokemon and Persona. Technically Kingdom hearts since 3D is a monster tamer game.

It would be good to have more representation from this subgenre.

don’t forget kingdom hearts dream drop distance

 

[WeirdChillFever]

Monster taming games are in short supply in smash.
We got Pokemon and Persona. Technically Kingdom hearts since 3D is a monster tamer game.

It would be good to have more representation from this subgenre.

Is Fire Emblem a monster taming game?

 

[fogbadge]

Is Fire Emblem a monster taming game?

i don’t see how

 

[silenthunder]

Final Fantasy 13 is kind of a monster taming game. You take Odin and in 13 2 you tame all kinds of mobs.

 

[fogbadge]

Final Fantasy 13 is kind of a monster taming game. You take Odin and in 13 2 you tame all kinds of mobs.

yeah but it’s not repped in smash

 

[Ivander]

Is Fire Emblem a monster taming game?

It's not, although in Fire Emblem Fates, you had two characters who could capture regular enemies(most of them) as well as some notable enemies and you could get them to join your army. Also in "My Castle", you could choose 4 characters or a character class to be your castle's adviser, but if you did a certain achievement or something, you could have an actual monster, a Faceless, be your adviser.

That said, it's not a monster taming game in the literal sense, as it is 100% purely optional, you don't even get any achievement stuff for doing it and there are no other Fire Emblem games that focus on the Capture mechanic. Only Thracia 776 had the Capture mechanic besides Fates and it functions much differently from Fates' Capture mechanic.

 

[chocolatejr9]

It's not, although in Fire Emblem Fates, you had two characters who could capture regular enemies(most of them) as well as some notable enemies and you could get them to join your army. Also in "My Castle", you could choose 4 characters or a character class to be your castle's adviser, but if you did a certain achievement or something, you could have an actual monster, a Faceless, be your adviser.

That said, it's not a monster taming game in the literal sense, as it is 100% purely optional, you don't even get any achievement stuff for doing it and there are no other Fire Emblem games that focus on the Capture mechanic. Only Thracia 776 had the Capture mechanic besides Fates and it functions much differently from Fates' Capture mechanic.

If we ever get a Thracia 776 remake, I hope they rework the Capture mechanic to be more like Fates'. I'm a sucker for these types of mechanics in games (for example, my favorite Skylanders game is Trap Team because it had that as the main gimmick).

 

[SPEN18]

On Nintendo platforms at least, Pokemon has such a monopoly on the monster taming gig that there just isn't much else. Next things I can think of would be like Yo-kai Watch and Fossil Fighters.

Actually, ngl Fossil Fighters was pretty fun on the DS back in the day. Don't really want it playable in Smash, but it would be entertaining at the least to see the T-Rex as an AT or something.

 

[Arcanir]

For Monster Taming franchises, the big ones that come to mind that are currently on the Switch are Digimon, Yokai Watch, and Monster Rancher if you include ports. There's a few more if you include spinoffs like Monster Hunter Stories, but those three are the ones that mainly dabble in the Monster Taming genre alongside Pokemon. I could see Digimon as it's successful in its own sphere, and while Yokai Watch is struggling, there is no denying the influence it had considering it contested Pokemon for a time in Japan so if it can get its footing again I think it could have a chance as well.

As for Fossil Fighters, I would like to see some representation for that one. I doubt it'd be a playable character since its last game was on the 3DS eight years ago, but something like the aforementioned T-Rex would be fun in some capacity.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

On Nintendo platforms at least, Pokemon has such a monopoly on the monster taming gig that there just isn't much else. Next things I can think of would be like Yo-kai Watch and Fossil Fighters.

Actually, ngl Fossil Fighters was pretty fun on the DS back in the day. Don't really want it playable in Smash, but it would be entertaining at the least to see the T-Rex as an AT or something.

Well there's also Digimon who's gotten a resurgance in recent years. Due to Switch ports of Cyber sleuth, Hackers memory and next order as well as Survive which came out a few months ago.
As well as the TCG and two anime series that came out in 2020 and 2021.

Thought i think there might be some licensing issues with Digimon sinc it's never really crossed over with anything outside of Tekken.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

A notable thing is that new Digimon, not just games, keep coming out every year. Whether it's v-pets, manga, anime, or otherwise. The series was never actually dormant overall due to getting new characters over and over again. That's not to say it got popularity jumps or sales either. It just means it keep active overall since it first started.

Some are simply just created with nothing more than a reference book entry and... that's kind of it(very common with new X-Antibody Digimon). Not all even get used beyond existing as is. But the point is they never let the franchise lay legitimately dormant in the end. Since 1997 it's been consistently active per year(all the way till 2022), and there's still more to come.

It's too bad Smash has yet to get any Digimon stuff, since it never fails to remain relevant either way. Besides, you don't need to even worry about new Nintendo games. If you still subscribe to the idea that a Nintendo appearance is "needed"(instead of a nice thing to have licensing-wise), then it was already a thing since the GameCube alone, along with the GBA. It's just that Nintendo systems tend to be a bit weaker, and the tons of Digimon require actual data to include, so sometimes games just don't get ported over due to a lack of Nintendo's space. Though most have, at least.

 

[fogbadge]

On Nintendo platforms at least, Pokemon has such a monopoly on the monster taming gig that there just isn't much else. Next things I can think of would be like Yo-kai Watch and Fossil Fighters.

Actually, ngl Fossil Fighters was pretty fun on the DS back in the day. Don't really want it playable in Smash, but it would be entertaining at the least to see the T-Rex as an AT or something.

monster collecting games on nintendo consoles apart from pokemon include: digimon, yokai watch, monster rancher, world of FF, KH dream drop distance, monster hunter stories, persona, i presume shin megamui tensai, ni no kuni, DQ monsters and about an absurd amount more

A notable thing is that new Digimon, not just games, keep coming out every year. Whether it's v-pets, manga, anime, or otherwise. The series was never actually dormant overall due to getting new characters over and over again. That's not to say it got popularity jumps or sales either. It just means it keep active overall since it first started.

Some are simply just created with nothing more than a reference book entry and... that's kind of it(very common with new X-Antibody Digimon). Not all even get used beyond existing as is. But the point is they never let the franchise lay legitimately dormant in the end. Since 1997 it's been consistently active per year(all the way till 2022), and there's still more to come.

it's great isn't it?