Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[RodNutTakin]

Really, any pick that's an unconventional shape is most likely cool by me - spaceships from shmups...non- or semi-anthro animals, give me it all

I have pushed this a couple of times previously, but what about a character that fits both of those requirements?

 

[Noipoi]

Since Geno Boost mentioned it, I think Angry Birds is very slept on in Smash speculation. A very major IP that, while having minimal appearances on Nintendo consoles, would be easy to sell to a Nintendo-based fandom due to how pretty much everyone owns a phone or tablet regardless of hardware loyalty, also a zoomer nostalgia pick, which worked out very well for a certain racially-ambigious blockhead. Even without the Sega buyout, AB feels like as much of a no-brainer as someone like Ryu or Pac-Man both in terms of "should it happen?" and "could it happen?" (I will say that, being as side-character-pilled as I am, I'd prefer the Bad Piggies over the birds, driving around in their box cars, but either is fine)

But would they be their movie designs, Y’know with actual limbs they could use for fighting, or their more iconic orb designs?

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Since Geno Boost mentioned it, I think Angry Birds is very slept on in Smash speculation. A very major IP that, while having minimal appearances on Nintendo consoles, would be easy to sell to a Nintendo-based fandom due to how pretty much everyone owns a phone or tablet regardless of hardware loyalty, also a zoomer nostalgia pick, which worked out very well for a certain racially-ambigious blockhead. Even without the Sega buyout, AB feels like as much of a no-brainer as someone like Ryu or Pac-Man both in terms of "should it happen?" and "could it happen?" (I will say that, being as side-character-pilled as I am, I'd prefer the Bad Piggies over the birds, driving around in their box cars, but either is fine)

I also think Flappy Bird would be fun to have in some form - can't imagine a playable Faby, but maybe an item or AT. The controversy didn't stop it from getting a stage in Indie Pogo at least.

I can very easily imagine Angry birds getting an assist trophy, you know the slingshot spawning in the foreground launching some of the birds down on to the battlefield.

 

[Louie G.]

Even without the Sega buyout, AB feels like as much of a no-brainer as someone like Ryu or Pac-Man

I disagree, this is one of those cases where our regional bias comes into play. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Angry Birds hasn't quite found the footing in Japan that it has over here. That's not to say it isn't uniquely influential or important on its own, but I think it's being vastly overstated to put it on the level of Pac-Man or Ryu. I get the mentality behind it, but it's not there.

I think Angry Birds fall in a category more comparable to like... Space Invaders. The significance is inarguable, but I think you'd sooner visualize Space Invaders to play an assist role and get some non-playable content, maybe some fun costumes. This is what I see happening for Angry Birds if anything, because at least personally speaking I don't think a series simply being big and iconic means it would be in heavy roster consideration. It's why I kinda roll my eyes a little when people say the L-Block should be playable, or something. All of these would make killer ATs.

Granted the thought of a "mobile character" is compelling, at least. I don't think Sakurai or Nintendo would consider this to be a big market to capitalize on but I do think there's something to be said about the unique reach of these games. That's something Steve already taps into a bit and I'd say a Fortnite character would be in a similar vein, despite neither being distinctly known for App games.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

One thing I've been advocating for on other threads for a bit is a proper bad game rep - not in the sense of a divisive game like Pythra/Corrin/Modern Sonic over Classic, but a grade-A AVGN-clone-bait pick, chosen for the explicit purpose of celebrating bad games. I think that if this ever happens, it'll probably be an NPC role for Spelunker given its popularity in Japan (even then, very unlikely) but there's a lot of characters from crappy games who would be really fun to give movesets to. One of the Cheetahmen is an archer, Sqij goes back to the whole bird thing from earlier, Ninjabread Man is a dual wielder, Rise of the Robots is a goldmine of unique character designs even if their source materials' movesets are limited, - Bubsy's one of my MWs, but I do think he should wait for after Yorgle/Adventurer/Pong Paddle.

 

[HyperSomari64]

How aobut an "object-mon". Not all Pokés have to be animals or animal-like.

Chandelure and Magneton would be fun to play.

 

[fogbadge]

How aobut an "object-mon". Not all Pokés have to be animals or animal-like.

Chandelure and Magneton would be fun to play.

YES!

 

[Mamboo07]

But would they be their movie designs, Y’know with actual limbs they could use for fighting, or their more iconic orb designs?

Most likely orbs

 

[RileyXY1]

How aobut an "object-mon". Not all Pokés have to be animals or animal-like.

Chandelure and Magneton would be fun to play.

Especially considering how Pokken Tournament handled Chandelure.

 

[Gorgonzales]

But would they be their movie designs, Y’know with actual limbs they could use for fighting, or their more iconic orb designs?

I'd much prefer their orb look since it's been around longer and is overall a more iconic and unique design. I really don't think the lack of limbs is an issue, they've got extremities like their beaks and tails for basic moves, and they could also easily attack with their whole bodies (which is kind of the point of the game). Anything that involves grabbing like holding items, ledgehangs, and .... grabs, could use their beak.

Although the alternative option could also be funny.

 

[Noipoi]

I'd much prefer their orb look since it's been around longer and is overall a more iconic and unique design. I really don't think the lack of limbs is an issue, they've got extremities like their beaks and tails for basic moves, and they could also easily attack with their whole bodies (which is kind of the point of the game). Anything that involves grabbing like holding items, ledgehangs, and .... grabs, could use their beak.

Although the alternative option could also be funny.

View attachment 381878

Ah yes

Veggie Tales rules

 

[Ivander]

Ah yes

Veggie Tales rules

No hands until they just happen.

 

[Mamboo07]

I'd much prefer their orb look since it's been around longer and is overall a more iconic and unique design. I really don't think the lack of limbs is an issue, they've got extremities like their beaks and tails for basic moves, and they could also easily attack with their whole bodies (which is kind of the point of the game). Anything that involves grabbing like holding items, ledgehangs, and .... grabs, could use their beak.

Although the alternative option could also be funny.

View attachment 381878

I imagine their moveset having stuff from spin-offs like Epic.

 

[Geno Boost]

I think if red from angry birds get in smash it would be like pac-man going from his main design and his classic look
Red can maybe switch between his movie design and orb design by pressing down and during some attack

 

[Perkilator]

Quoting from another thread:

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash, though I left out characters from Pokémon and Fire Emblem for the sake of not making my brain sweat over recency and relevancy.
View attachment 381889

 

[Nabbitfan730]

You can really tell Konami has no idea what to do with Bomberman whatsoever and just keeps him around for merchandising. This title was so cheaply cobbled together, you can tell they only made it so they could say "See, we still give Bomberman games!" https://t.co/ttihdBxD54

— GuyWithThePie (@guywiththepie) December 17, 2023

And Apparently this year was Bomberman's 30th anniversary and with barely anything to show for it. If Bomberman's biggest chances of inclusion even with having a main title at launch commissioned and recommended by Nintendo themselves could only cement an AT, then it's pretty much over him entirely now.

Wouldn't be surprise his presence as series was cut entirely next game in favor for Konami other bigger series that are still getting installments like Castlevania and Metal Gear.

It's really unfortunate of what happen to Bomberman or any mascot-like characters that isn't Mario, Kirby or Sonic these days.

Even look at characters like Pac-Man, a big star but what of any substantial has come from his other these days other that one remake. Rayman, Banjo. Megaman, Spyro, Bubsy etc.

I know they are now demonized and stigmatized these days with the term "scrimblo bimbos", "cereal mascots", "Tony Tigers" etc and being a relic hailed by "Retro Nintendo Youtubers" but they have become some sort of a lost art.

Even with Smash at the beginning with 64, Melee where mascot characters coming together was a major appeal with Link and Marth being the rare, cool surprises. The tides have shift dramatically. Wouldn't say it's necessarily or technically worse but still.

 

[Kirbeh]

Quoting from another thread:

Rolento? Compared to everyone else he kinda sticks out here? I'm guessing he's here to be a Final Fight rep rather than a fourth Street Fighter character. I do have to ask what made him your choice over Guy, Cody or Haggar.

 

[Perkilator]

Rolento? Compared to everyone else he kinda sticks out here? I'm guessing he's here to be a Final Fight rep rather than a fourth Street Fighter character. I do have to ask what made him your choice over Guy, Cody or Haggar.

I just figured Rolento's agility would make him the best Final Fight character to translate to a platform fighter.

 

[Kirbeh]

I just figured Rolento's agility would make him the best Final Fight character to translate to a platform fighter.

I guess he's pretty agile, but aren't Guy (as well as Maki and even Lucia) even moreso? Moreover I don't really think translating Cody or Haggar would be all that difficult either. Cody has plenty to work with between FF, SFA3, SF4 and V. And Haggar (despite being the slow one) is the one that got into the hyper, fast and over the top Marvel vs Capcom.

That said, representing Final Fight with an enemy/boss character does seem like it could be interesting. I'd personally give that role to Poison or Hugo though, never found Rolento to be very interesting tbh.

 

[osby]

I guess he's pretty agile, but aren't Guy (as well as Maki and even Lucia) even moreso? Moreover I don't really think translating Cody or Haggar would be all that difficult either. Cody has plenty to work with between FF, SFA3, SF4 and V. And Haggar (despite being the slow one) is the one that got into the hyper, fast and over the top Marvel vs Capcom.

That said, representing Final Fight with an enemy/boss character does seem like it could be interesting. I'd personally give that role to Poison or Hugo though, never found Rolento to be very interesting tbh.

Poison getting in Smash feels like one of those things that "too cool to be true."

I'd love to play as her, though

 

[Oracle Link]

Ive decided not to talk about "Them" for a while!
Anyways! Chu chus are a cool enemy Right?
THEY SHOULD BE IN SMASH!

 

[DarthEnderX]

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash

1. Ryu Hayabusa [Ninja Gaiden]
2. Bill Rizer/Lance Bean [Contra]
3. Arthur [Ghosts ‘n Goblins]
4. Kunio/Riki [River City]
5. SV-001 Metal Slug [Metal Slug]
6. Bub/Bob [Bubble Bobble]
7. Jill Valentine [Resident Evil]
8. Morrigan [Darkstalkers]
9. Nightmare [Soulcalibur]
10. Kazuma Kiryu [Yakuza]
11. Nakoruru [Samurai Shodown]
12. Dante [Devil May Cry]
13. Phoenix Wright [Ace Attorney]
14. Amaterasu [Okami]
15. Goemon/Ebisumaru [Legend of the Mystical Ninja]
16. Crono [Chrono Trigger]
17. Rash/Zitz [Battletoads]
18. Bomberman [Bomberman]
19. Estelle Bright [Legend of Heroes]
20. Captain Toad/Toadette [Treasure Tracker]
21. King Hippo [Punch-Out]
22. Firebrand [Gargoyle’s Quest]
23. Zero [Mega Man X]
24. Alucard [Castlevania]
25. Raiden [Metal Gear]

 

[Oracle Link]

1. Ryu Hayabusa [Ninja Gaiden]
2. Bill Rizer/Lance Bean [Contra]
3. Arthur [Ghosts ‘n Goblins]
4. Kunio/Riki [River City]
5. SV-001 Metal Slug [Metal Slug]
6. Bub/Bob [Bubble Bobble]
7. Jill Valentine [Resident Evil]
8. Morrigan [Darkstalkers]
9. Nightmare [Soulcalibur]
10. Kazuma Kiryu [Yakuza]
11. Nakoruru [Samurai Shodown]
12. Dante [Devil May Cry]
13. Phoenix Wright [Ace Attorney]
14. Amaterasu [Okami]
15. Goemon/Ebisumaru [Legend of the Mystical Ninja]
16. Crono [Chrono Trigger]
17. Rash/Zitz [Battletoads]
18. Bomberman [Bomberman]
19. Estelle Bright [Legend of Heroes]
20. Captain Toad/Toadette [Treasure Tracker]
21. King Hippo [Punch-Out]
22. Firebrand [Gargoyle’s Quest]
23. Zero [Mega Man X]
24. Alucard [Castlevania]
25. Raiden [Metal Gear]

I cant join in otherwise i would have to mention "THEM"
But i guess i would personally like to see:
Toad
Bandana Dee
Magolor
Dark Matter (ORB)
Maybe Kracko or Whispy?
Porky Minch
Giyig
Any Impa
The Newest goron Main Char
Skull Kid
Midna
The Human
Phoernix Wright
And Jibanynan

 

[Gorgonzales]

Ive decided not to talk about "Them" for a while!
Anyways! Chu chus are a cool enemy Right?
THEY SHOULD BE IN SMASH!

Smash unironically could benefit from more mook characters. Piranha Plant is one of my favorite designed fighters in Ultimate, they shouldn't stop at him. Bokoblin and Lakitu come to mind for me for new enemy fighters.

 

[Perkilator]

Smash unironically could benefit from more mook characters. Piranha Plant is one of my favorite designed fighters in Ultimate, they shouldn't stop at him. Bokoblin and Lakitu come to mind for me for new enemy fighters.

Weirdly enough, a Yiga Footsoldier was my idea for a Sheik Echo.

 

[fogbadge]

Smash unironically could benefit from more mook characters. Piranha Plant is one of my favorite designed fighters in Ultimate, they shouldn't stop at him. Bokoblin and Lakitu come to mind for me for new enemy fighters.

i'm all for bulborb and chum

 

[AlRex]

Off the top of my head, since there’s wishlists again:

• ExciteBike and Rhythm Heaven seem like the biggest, long-running Nintendo series without playable characters, and which don’t involve a realistic puppy
• In general, dipping into Nintendo obscurity again, I’d prefer more new series over most of the series already represented.
• That said, Meowth & Team Rocket would be cool.
• Various abstract/weirdly shaped characters, similar to what Wario Wario Wario was saying earlier.
• All those major NES third party ones left (Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon/River City, Bomberman, Blaster Master, Battletoads, Bubble Bobble perhaps)
• Space Invaders
• Master Chief (Halo) and/or DOOM Guy (DOOM)
• Kratos (God of War)
• An Atari character of some kind
• Carmen Sandiego
• Metal Slug (either the gunners, tank, or both)
• An indie character
• A horror character (though not any indie horror besides Freddy, maybe)
• A puzzle game character
• Grand Theft Auto maybe
• A character who bends the eligibility requirements a bit (various examples: Captain N, Nester, Wreck-It Ralph, Hatsune Miku, Clippy, Chuck E. Cheese, Game Genie, Segata Sanshiro, etc.)

 

[Wonder Smash]

A character like Segata Sanshiro is the type of character I want to see in the company's own crossover fighter rather than in Smash.

Yeah...that's where SEGA needs to come in.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

A mook who'd be cool is Skulltula. Should wait for a non-triforce-wielder or two IMO, but I'd love to see how Smash pulls off a spider. I don't really think they count, but the Ghost Gang are very underrated, and you'd think they'd be brought up more given how iconic they are and how much Smash speculation loves its main-villains

Commercial rep would be good, but I can't say I can really see the most popular picks of Non-Specific Action Figure or Segata Sanshiro being that interesting - I think Dashing Super Guy would be rad, he'd work as either a composite of references to 80s/90s Nintendo ads, or you could give him his own moveset independent of the other ads - "Captain Falcon but he's a rubberhose cartoon" is a really fun idea.

 

[HyperSomari64]

a type of character i want for Smash is another crossover OC rep, as in like Kingdom Hearts' Sora
Such as Kyo (The King of Fighters), Reiji and Xiaomu (Cross) or Amingo (Marvel vs. Capcom)

 

[Sucumbio]

I still vote for a Skeleton from Castlevania.

 

[SPEN18]

I still vote for a Skeleton from Castlevania.

We would obviously get a Bonewalker from Fire Emblem first /j

 

[Hadokeyblade]

a type of character i want for Smash is another crossover OC rep, as in like Kingdom Hearts' Sora
Such as Kyo (The King of Fighters), Reiji and Xiaomu (Cross) or Amingo (Marvel vs. Capcom)

Masaki and Cybuster (Super robot wars)

The amount of franchises you'd be reaping by proxy (including Project X zone itself) is wild since that series has the world record for most series crossing over, it's the reason it took so long for the franchise to be localized.

 

[MasterCheef]

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash

.
1 Noah & Mio = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6nNa5GZlDw
2 Master Chief
3 Ahri
4 Iron Valiant = pokemon
5 Officer Howard – Astral Chain
6 Impa
7 , & , 8 Blue Protocol , reps = 2 = Bandai Namco
9 New Monolith Soft Game rep
10 Trails of = Falcom
11 , & , 12 Resna ( Ryza & Marie = Alts ) , & , Izana
13 Tabuu
14 , & , 15 = Y’s / ( Legend of Heroes ) reps = Falcom
16 Armarouge = pokemon
17 , & , 18 = Marx & Nightmare = Kirby
19 , & , 20 = ( Tales of ) reps = Bandai Namco
21 , & , 22 Koraidon , & , Miraidon
23 & 24 ( Phantasy Star ) Reps = Sega

 

[chinkuru]

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash

1. Tingle (Zelda)
2. Agumon (Digimon)
3. Marco Rossi (Metal Slug)
4. Takamaru (Mysterious Murasame Castle)
5. Isaac (Golden Sun)
6. Skull Kid (Zelda)
7. Meowth (Pokemon)
8. Toad (Mario)
9. Dixie (Donkey Kong)
10. Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)
11. Crash
12. Profesor Layton
13. Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)
14. Tommy Vercetti (GTA)
15. Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat)
16. Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)
17. Bomberman
18. Bub & Bob (Bubble Bobble)
19. Sir Arthur (Ghost & Goblins)
20. Chrono (Chrono Trigger)
21. Chun Li (Street Fighter)
22. Conker (Conker Bad Fur Day)
23. Dante (Devil May Cry)
24. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
25. Mametchi (Tamagotchi)

 

[Garteam]

I'm not sure if Mega Man would be the next in line to receive another character, particularly over Sonic or Street Fighter, but if we do get another Mega Man character it's pretty much guaranteed to be one of those two. I'd wager Zero is in pretty great shape in particular getting that AT billing, a Mii Costume and being upgradable to a 4-star spirit.

Capcom has so much internal competition and I'm banking pretty hard on Chun-Li where I'm not fully convinced yet but I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if it panned out. I do generally believe, especially after Sephiroth, next game will start to humor those supplemental third party characters since some are among the most notably recognizable and popular characters absent right now. And certain parties, particularly Sega / Capcom are pretty much throwing their IPs at anyone who asks for them at this point. Street Fighter is in like, everything and Mega Man is practically treated like first party in Smash.

I'd agree with you about Sonic or Street Fighter outprioritizing Mega Man for a second fighter if it wasn't for Sephiroth and the way that these three franchises were represented in Ultimate. Very few people thought that Final Fantasy (let alone FF7 in particular) would be the first series to obtain a second fighter precisely because Sonic's major supporting cast was more requested and Chun-Li was such a massive female gaming icon. So, while these factors would help support another Sonic character or Chun-Li for Smash generally, it doesn't seem like this is determinative that we'll get at least one of these characters before any characters from other third-party franchises in Smash join.

Likewise, Mega Man surprisingly got a lot in the jump from Smash for Wii U to Ultimate. The series got two new assist trophies, 17 new remixes (the most of any franchise in the game), and approximately 60 spirits, Proto Man and Bass were added to Mega Man's final smash, and even Wily's Castle had its 3DS and Wii U elements combined. Sonic, by contrast, seems to have stricter licensing requirements than Mega Man. The series hasn't received a new remix since Brawl, the number of Sonic spirits is weirdly low (approximately 30), and Sonic is stuck as some shade of blue and has a perpetual smirk on his face (which lines up with Ian Flynn's experience working with the Sonic license, where Sega has become increasingly become more controlling over how Sonic himself is depicted). Street Fighter is similar, with most of the series' supporting content being lifted straight from SFII. I'm assuming this disparity is because Capcom USA is just a lot more protective when it comes to Smash than Capcom Japan.

That being said, I do think we could get a whole smorgasbord supporting characters from third-party franchises next Smash. Sephiroth has already opened this door, a lot of these characters are incredibly iconic to Japanese gaming and would translate easily to Smash, and Nintendo is going out of their way to license these characters for non-playable roles in Smash anyway, so I really wouldn't be surprised if we got Tails, Zero, Chun-Li, and Alucard all as base game newcomers. Likewise, I think the limit of one character per company per wave is going the way of the dodo. Sora isn't owned by Square and was not initially planned to be in Fighter's Pass 2, but I think getting Sephiroth and Sora within the same pass was close enough in spirit to getting multiple reps from the same company in a single wave that I don't think Sakurai would stop himself if he devised a roster that contained, say, two newcomers from Capcom.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

If Megaman got a second character I wish it would be one from the RPG's.

Those never get attention when it comes to crossovers.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash.

here's mine, including some echos
1. Noah
2. Raven Beak
3. A Pokemon (Cinderace, Eevee, Urshifu, Meowscarada, Gholdengo)
4. Shiver
5. Glee Club
6. Ayumi Tachitana
7. Geno
8. Ryu Hayabusa
9. Crash Bandicoot
10. Krystal
11. Bandana Dee
12. Doom Slayer
13. Akira
14. Ashley
15. Dr. Eggman
16. Rayman
17. Spyro
18. Reimu
19. Oatchi
20. Professor Layton
21. Mii Mage
22. Black Shadow (echo of Captain Falcon)
23. Impa (echo of Sheik)
24. Octoling (Echo of Inkling)
25. Mio (echo of Noah)

 

[HyperSomari64]

Decided to whip up 25 newcomers I'd like to see for the next Smash

1. Rash (Battletoads) (Microsoft/RARE)
2. Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango) (Disney/LucasArts)
3. Zeke/Julie (Zombies Ate My Neighbours!) (Disney7LucasArts)
4. Atomic Guy (War of the Monsters9 (SNK)
5. Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden) (Koei Tecmo)
6. Bub and Bob (Bubble Bobble) (Square Enix/Taito)
7. Jason/SOPHIA (Blaster Master) (SunSoft)
8. Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat) (Warner Bros.)
9. Crash Bandicoot (Microsoft/Activision)
10. Doom Slayer (DOOM) (Microsoft/Bethesda)
11. Hyperdimension Neptunia rep. (Idea Factory)
12. Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes) (Grasshopper Manufacturer/Marvelous)
13. Hatterene (Pokémon) (Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures)
14. Grimmsnarl (Pokémon) (Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures)
15. Gholdengo (Pokémon) (Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures)
16. Shez (Fire Emblem) (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)
17. Alear (Fire Emblem) (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)
18. Big the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Sega/Sonic Team) {I'm not joking}
19. Moto-Bug (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Sega/Sonic Team) {I'm not joking}
20. Morshu (The Legend of Zelda) (Nintendo/Phillips) {I'm not joking}
21. Susie (Kirby) (Nintendo/HAL Laboratory)
22. Quote (Cave Story) (Nicalis)
23. Saber (Fate) (Type Moon)
24. Woody (Neighbours from Hell) (JoWooD)
25. Tora and Poppi (Xenoblade) (Nintendo/MonolithSoft)

and here's a mini Top 10 for Non-Gaming characters/4th party, just because i'm bored

Spoiler

• Wallace & Gromit
• Mr. Potato Head
• Po (Kung Fu Panda)
• Stan Pines (Gravity Falls)
• A Balrog (Dungeons & Dragons)
• Mickey Mouse
• Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
• Mortadelo & Filémon
• Cebolinha (Turma da Mônica)
• Ben 10 (Omniverse design)

 

[BritishGuy54]

Quoting from another thread:

I don’t have enough choices for 25 characters, so I’ll just keep this short.

If Xenoblade needed another fighter alongside Noah, and Mio wasn’t possible, the best options would either be Rex (in his XC3 design), or N (an echo of Noah).
The prior got shafted due to technical constraints, but still lives on in Pyra/Mythra, and the latter would be a villain, but would just be a simple clone.

Paper Mario is my premiere pick for a new Mario character. He has more versatility than the common picks that fans choose, such as Geno, Toad, or Waluigi, and another 2D fighter besides Game & Watch would be interesting to see.

Dr Eggman is easy to pick as a Sonic character, considering his mechanical vehicles could be similar to Bowser Jr’s. Tails has potential, but could also just be relegated to a new recovery for Sonic. Shadow, Metal Sonic, or even Classic Sonic could be an easy echo to create though.