Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Hadokeyblade]

i dont find chun-li to be likely at all capcom has a lot of competitor there is monster hunter, resident evil rep, dante, phoenix wright why do you think a 3rd street fighter rep would be the most likely choice? i think we are lucky to even get ken due to him being easy clone pretty sure being a female isnt everything for a character to be included

It's mostly because whenever Street fighter does crossovers Chun Li is always included on the roster so it kinda sticks out for Smash to be the exception.

I was expecting her to be the assistbut then we got Guile.

 

[Geno Boost]

Because Chun-Li is one of the most popular characters in video game history? You realize the worth of a character does go beyond "rep" numbers right? It's quite a bit insulting to the deep legacy and influence of this character to boil her down to "3rd street fighter rep".

It has nothing to do with her being "a female". It has to do with her being THE female in video games, the co-protagonist of the most iconic fighting game franchise of all time, a pop culture icon in her own right transcending that of her role in her home series. There are few characters left to add who even come close to the legacy and popularity of Chun-Li, who stands very much on her own and not exclusively on the shoulders of Ryu or Ken.

If Smash continues to be about crossover appeal, what are the big remaining dream matchups left? Certainly Chun-Li fighting the likes of Peach and Samus would be monumental in a way that I don't think people give enough credibility. She is gaming royalty and it's impossible for me to overstate that.

i mean like generally street fighter is well represented compared to other 3rd parties and not lacking content that i dont see them priorities getting another street fighter character (beside akuma who is in similar situation to ken) instead of getting new capcom series with massive fanbase that will bring more players to smash i say it from business perspective

 

[Louie G.]

i mean like generally street fighter is well represented compared to other 3rd parties and not lacking content that i dont see them priorities getting another street fighter character

This is not true. Street Fighter has subpar representation, it is heavily skewed toward SFII content and has a lot of room to grow and represent the other 30 years of untapped history. Chun-Li may also be from SFII, but she would no doubt come with an Alpha costume as well as ideally a stage from another game and a surplus of that sweet, sweet Street Fighter music that we have been so horribly robbed of. The way Street Fighter is handled is equivalent to the Sakurai Kirby thing that everyone complains about but 3x worse.

It is also one of the most popular series in the game, has just recently had a very successful new entry, and it is the foundational title of the very genre that Smash Bros is a part of. Forget the whole other Capcom series thing for a moment - if they wanted to expand on their existing third party universes, Street Fighter is one of the most obvious contenders to get new content.

instead of getting new capcom series with massive fanbase that will bring more players to smash i say it from business perspective

From a "business perspective", Dante and especially Phoenix Wright do not hold a candle to Chun-Li. They just don't, no disrespect but they are not on the same tier of notoriety. I can't deny that Dante would excite the Smash community and more of a "core" group of gamers, but you say "massive fanbase" like Chun-Li doesn't also have that going for her. Don't get hung up on me saying this like I don't think Dante has a shot, I do, but you mention specifically targeting more players and I don't think DMC would be their first choice to do that. Dante would be a FAN pick above anything else.

Monster Hunter and Resident Evil are big enough to contend her, but two things. One, each of these series run into their own unique issues. We know the MH devs have been weird about making their Hunters playable in other games. And Resident Evil would require ample censorship and workarounds to make their content fulfilling. Personally I think both of these are nonissues, but there is absolutely no question of Chun-Li's viability. But most importantly, they can literally just add Chun-Li and then add a new Capcom series. Nobody is stopping them.

I have to ask too, would you apply all of these standards to Sonic the Hedgehog? I'm not sure if you would, but I feel like this is a double standard that is all too common among Smash fans. Chun-Li has too much competition, but it's not so crazy to throw Dr. Eggman on your roster over Puyo, SMT, Yakuza...

pretty sure being a female isnt everything for a character to be included

And on a slightly separate note, I really can't stand when people say things like this because that's never the point being made. A conversation can begin by humoring which female characters, or POC or LGBT identifying characters may be viable for the game and it will always culminate in someone believing this is the only reason anyone would consider those characters in the first place.

With female representation specifically, it's a point that both Sakurai and Nintendo as a whole have directly alluded to. Sakurai seemed pleased to be able to add more female fighters during Smash 4, Nintendo has made much more of a point to give options to players by (most recently) making Peach and Daisy playable characters in Mario Wonder. Additions to Smash will have merit beyond this, but it's not irrelevant. If effort is made to expand on this surely one of the first choices would be the first lady of fighting games.

But I would hope my previous points have made it clear that Chun-Li simply being a girl is a very small component of what is otherwise an overqualified resume for Smash Bros. Street Fighter "rep" or not.

 

[Kirbeh]

I don't think Chun is guaranteed to be the next Capcom character, but she's definitely one of the top contenders. Even if Street Fighter already has Ryu and Ken, it's Street Fighter. Adding a second unique Street Fighter character is still a great choice and if we do get one it'll be Chun. Outside of being Ms. Street Fighter/Capcom/Fighting Game her place in gaming culture transcends just being another popular SF character as Louie G already pointed out. If anything now that Street Fighter is a part of Smash it feels like it's missing something without her.

 

[Guynamednelson]

(beside akuma who is in similar situation to ken)

...he might not be THAT easy to add anyway. Ryu and Ken in Smash are based off their Super Turbo incarnations, and ST's Akuma is...the ridiculously broken one, not the toned down one who's a glass cannon. Which would be pushing the limits of echoes even more than Ken does.

 

[Kirbeh]

...he might not be THAT easy to add anyway. Ryu and Ken in Smash are based off their Super Turbo incarnations, and ST's Akuma is...the ridiculously broken one, not the toned down one who's a glass cannon. Which would be pushing the limits of echoes even more than Ken does.

I honestly wonder how they would handle a situation like Akuma. Would they add him in as a second Ryu echo or just forego the echo label and treat him like a semi clone?

 

[toonito]

I honestly wonder how they would handle a situation like Akuma. Would they add him in as a second Ryu echo or just forego the echo label and treat him like a semi clone?

probably a semi clone situation similar to Fox & Wolf

 

[Louie G.]

I don't think Chun is guaranteed to be the next Capcom character, but she's definitely one of the top contenders.

Yeah for what it's worth, I don't either. I'm using a lot of big claims here but mostly just to defend her viability as a candidate. Because there is a chance that they are content with one unique character per third party universe, or that priority tips toward implementing a new series like Resident Evil or Monster Hunter. There are a few characters I do consider near guarantees, and then Chun-Li sits a little bit under that. Just in a really, really good spot.

Specifically in the confines of my philosophy of the series moving forward, base roster growth utilizing iconic characters already within the scope of Smash and branching that out toward major third party properties like Street Fighter and Sonic. Sephiroth busted the door wide open and regardless of his own individual chances of returning, it would be strange of them not to explore this a little bit further. I can't imagine Ryu is a character in any particular danger, so letting Street Fighter evolve like many staple first party series did before it is a good idea to keep additions simultaneously exciting and grand but insular to Smash's existing range.

 

[Geno Boost]

I have to ask too, would you apply all of these standards to Sonic the Hedgehog? I'm not sure if you would, but I feel like this is a double standard that is all too common among Smash fans. Chun-Li has too much competition, but it's not so crazy to throw Dr. Eggman on your roster over Puyo, SMT, Yakuza...

no because sonic series isnt well presented and has been like that since brawl which i could understand that sonic was one of the last brawl addition but now it doesnt make sense it doesnt have echo fighter like street fighter does and sonic moveset unlike ryu and ken who does justice to implement what they can do in street fighter sonic instead have his move set really outdated that half of his moveset are just spin dash that i can easily say adding 2nd rep would make sense and revisit what should have been done to sonic franchise in similar manner to how sephiroth was added to bring in proper FF7 content and even give advent children cloud new final smash
street fighter does not suffer with this issue

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I honestly wonder how they would handle a situation like Akuma. Would they add him in as a second Ryu echo or just forego the echo label and treat him like a semi clone?

I think semi clone would be the better moniker for him.

Also put Shin Akuma in the single player as a boss, that just mkaes sense in this scenario.

 

[Louie G.]

no because sonic series isnt well presented and has been like that since brawl which i could understand that sonic was one of the last brawl addition but now it doesnt make sense it doesnt have echo fighter like street fighter does and sonic moveset unlike ryu and ken who does justice to implement what they can do in street fighter sonic instead have his move set is really outdated that half of his moveset are just spin dash that i can easily say adding 2nd rep would make sense and revisit what should have been done to sonic franchise in similar manner to how sephiroth was added to bring in proper FF7 content and even give advent children cloud new final smash
street fighter does not suffer with this issue

Okay, this is hypocritical then.

I explained why Street Fighter does in fact have this content issue - there is a great deal more to the series than SFII, but Smash doesn't reflect this - and your neglect of that makes me feel like you just don't care about Street Fighter very much. Which is fine, but at least be consistent. You seem to believe Street Fighter is okay as is just because Ryu and Ken are functional characters and because there are two of them.

Why does FF7 get "proper" content and Street Fighter has to remain 30 years behind? Why does Sonic get music spanning his entire series history? For as flawed as these two series were / are, Street Fighter has a great amount of room to grow and Ken being here is not enough evidence of the contrary. And if you believe SF needs to take a seat and let another series get their turn, there's plenty of great potential within Sega that you should be championing as well.

 

[Opossum]

Well, it did happen with the Ice Climber E*****s

Not for nothing but it's so messed up that a literal racial slur isn't autocensored on this site all while people need to tiptoe around naming "the cat from Shrek" or "the identity of Batman's first Robin."

 

[Laniv]

we’ve got characters who’ve dressed as cowboys

But I want a character that actually is a cowboy. I want a real yeehaw guy. Do people still like Dillon?

 

[Geno Boost]

Okay, this is hypocritical then.

I explained why Street Fighter does in fact have this content issue - there is a great deal more to the series than SFII, but Smash doesn't reflect this - and your neglect of that makes me feel like you just don't care about Street Fighter very much. Which is fine, but at least be consistent. You seem to believe Street Fighter is okay as is just because Ryu and Ken are functional characters and because there are two of them.

Why does FF7 get "proper" content and Street Fighter has to remain 30 years behind? Why does Sonic get music spanning his entire series history? For as flawed as these two series were / are, Street Fighter has a great amount of room to grow and Ken being here is not enough evidence of the contrary. And if you believe SF needs to take a seat and let another series get their turn, there's plenty of great potential within Sega that you should be championing as well.

not hypocritic but i dont see street fighter fans being disappointed with the current content that are presented in smash same could not be said about when cloud was added there was 2 song and basically nothing else or sonic after brawl where his move set has barely even been touched and also became less expressive after brawl
if you think i dont care about street fighter well... i am more of a tekken player lol but i wouldnt say that street fighter content is that terrible in smash and personally i would love another street fighter character specifically gill which i know isnt a likely choice but he is the most fun character for me
but i will admit that there should be more than street fighter 2 content at least in terms of music but do you think chun-li would fix this? remember this is a street fighter 2 character

 

[Soy_Man]

i mean like generally street fighter is well represented compared to other 3rd parties

Hard disagree. What's even the point in having sf in smash if they're not gonna have Jazzy NYC '99 in the music list (I'm like half-joking).

 

[fogbadge]

But I want a character that actually is a cowboy. I want a real yeehaw guy. Do people still like Dillon?

no idea

 

[Speed Weed]

not hypocritic but i dont see street fighter fans being disappointed with the current content that are presented in smash same could not be said about when cloud was added there was 2 song and basically nothing else or sonic after brawl where his move set has barely even been touched and also became less expressive after brawl
if you think i dont care about street fighter well... i am more of a tekken player lol but i wouldnt say that street fighter content is that terrible in smash and personally i would love another street fighter character specifically gill which i know isnt a likely choice but he is the most fun character for me
but i will admit that there should be more than street fighter 2 content at least in terms of music but do you think chun-li would fix this? remember this is a street fighter 2 character

Hi, am Street Fighter fan. I am very much dissatisfied with the current state of SF representation. Please don't try to speak on the behalf of fanbases you're not a part of

 

[Louie G.]

not hypocritic but i dont see street fighter fans being disappointed with the current content that are presented in smash

Well I am, and I assume the people who liked my posts claiming that SF is poorly represented may be as well.

personally i would love another street fighter character specifically gill which i know isnt a likely choice but he is the most fun character for me

Sure, Gill is awesome.

do you think chun-li would fix this? remember this is a street fighter 2 character

Well again, adding Chun-Li is not exclusively about adding more Street Fighter content. I just brought that up because you said Street Fighter is sufficiently represented as is. The main reason is because Chun-Li is individually popular.

But in the context of adding another SF character, first of all Chun-Li is the only option. Adding someone else before her would feel very arbitrary and just weird. Second, Chun-Li appears in pretty much every game and can certainly bring along a stage from a different game, music from a different game, her outfits spanning throughout the series... maybe an EX gauge as introduced in a later title? There are plenty of ways she can continue to expand on SF's current representation despite originating from the only game being granted meaningful content.

 

[Sucumbio]

But I want a character that actually is a cowboy. I want a real yeehaw guy. Do people still like Dillon?

Yes I do!
I also like think of Gun Fight, Stampede, and Red Dead Redemption for classic Cowboy action.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Hard disagree. What's even the point in having sf in smash if they're not gonna have Jazzy NYC '99 in the music list (I'm like half-joking).

They really should have put Rashid's theme on there

My favorite middle eastern character in anything.

 

[BritishGuy54]

Well I am, and I assume the people who liked my posts claiming that SF is poorly represented may be as well.



Sure, Gill is awesome.



Well again, adding Chun-Li is not exclusively about adding more Street Fighter content. I just brought that up because you said Street Fighter is sufficiently represented as is. The main reason is because Chun-Li is individually popular.

But in the context of adding another SF character, first of all Chun-Li is the only option. Adding someone else before her would feel very arbitrary and just weird. Second, Chun-Li appears in pretty much every game and can certainly bring along a stage from a different game, music from a different game, her outfits spanning throughout the series... maybe an EX gauge as introduced in a later title? There are plenty of ways she can continue to expand on SF's current representation despite originating from the only game being granted meaningful content.

Yeah. I already thought adding Ken before Chun-Li was already kind of weird, though I guess the echo fighter excuse could validate that.

 

[Geno Boost]

tbh i dont find chun-li the only mandatory 2nd street fighter pick
like a villain or ryu clone works perfectly fine for a 2nd pick as well beside just chun-li

 

[Louie G.]

Yeah. I already thought adding Ken before Chun-Li was already kind of weird, though I guess the echo fighter excuse could validate that.

It definitely comes down to that, and really if it had to be anyone else Ken is a perfectly viable option. His long standing dynamic with Ryu as well as being the only other playable character in the first game makes him a strong choice and his ease of development is definitely a major plus. If they had the time to develop a whole new character I'm sure it would have been Chun-Li, but I'm glad that Ken is here anyway.

tbh i dont find chun-li mandatory 2nd street fighter pick

Yknow, if anything Smash is kind of the glaring exception to Ryu and Chun-Li receiving equal billing in nearly every crossover they are invited to.

 

[Schnee117]

tbh i dont find chun-li the only mandatory 2nd street fighter pick
like a villain or ryu clone works perfectly fine for a 2nd pick as well beside just chun-li

Nah, Chun-Li's the only character with 100% attendance since her debut outside of Ryu and Ken, is insanely popular and adding another Shoto when we currently only have the main two is boring. Like I'm all for Akuma but he shouldn't be getting added to Smash before Chun-Li.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I struggle to think of a time where Chun Li wasnt playable alongside Ryu in a crossover game.

She's basically seen as the face of SF alongside him, so i wouldnt really be surprised if she joined next game.

It definitely comes down to that, and really if it had to be anyone else Ken is a perfectly viable option. His long standing dynamic with Ryu as well as being the only other playable character in the first game makes him a strong choice and his ease of development is definitely a major plus. If they had the time to develop a whole new character I'm sure it would have been Chun-Li, but I'm glad that Ken is here anyway.

Yknow, if anything Smash is kind of the glaring exception to Ryu and Chun-Li receiving equal billing in nearly every crossover they are invited to.

Another example i can think of is that in the second and third games in the project X Zone trilogy Chun Li joins the party WAY before Ryu does, hell she's the first character to join the team in the second game.

 

[Geno Boost]

It definitely comes down to that, and really if it had to be anyone else Ken is a perfectly viable option. His long standing dynamic with Ryu as well as being the only other playable character in the first game makes him a strong choice and his ease of development is definitely a major plus. If they had the time to develop a whole new character I'm sure it would have been Chun-Li, but I'm glad that Ken is here anyway.

Yknow, if anything Smash is kind of the glaring exception to Ryu and Chun-Li receiving equal billing in nearly every crossover they are invited to.

sometimes it could be just akuma like in tekken 7 or like asura's wrath when he came with ryu and there was no chun-li
also monster hunter rise

Hi, am Street Fighter fan. I am very much dissatisfied with the current state of SF representation. Please don't try to speak on the behalf of fanbases you're not a part of

well thats rare i usually hear mostly from ff, sonic, pac-man, dq fans being dissatisfied with their current smash content

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Ive never seen a Dragon quest fan dissatisfied with the smash content, it was about as much as you could expect.

 

[Geno Boost]

Ive never seen a Dragon quest fan dissatisfied with the smash content, it was about as much as you could expect.

they were scammed with the midi version of the music but i guess square-enix being square-enix

 

[Louie G.]

well thats rare i usually hear mostly from ff, sonic, pac-man, dq fans being dissatisfied with their current smash content

Not for nothing, but I feel like Street Fighter fans within the Smash community are pretty humble. When you compare to Sonic, or an extreme situation like FF, you get very vocal fans and it also just happens to be from some of the more popular series within the community. Everyone has some attachment to Sonic, he's tangential to Mario and other platformers which alongside RPGs is one of the most frequently discussed genres.

Traditional fighting games, up until recently, were met with a certain amount of indifference or ignorance. I was there during Smash 4 - Ryu, one of the most important video game characters of all time, did not have a support thread until I made one. Street Fighter is tremendously iconic, inarguably significant and deserving of being in Smash, but tragically underspoken within the community.

And I think part of that in present day is because it's... just kind of there? There isn't a whole lot exciting about the way it is represented in Smash. This is a big reason why I'm personally dissatisfied with the way it's represented, because Street Fighter is COOL! But it's at its coolest when it is truly "street" fighter. Smash's current representation of this universe is not a bustling marketplace, or a back alley... it's an empty castle. The liveliness, character and slight urban edge that the series has built up over the years is nonexistent, and that means so much of what I love about the series is just not here.

So I'd like the next game to make Street Fighter's presence known, and demand that attention it deserves. When looking at the outpouring of love and detail put into SNK and Tekken's representation since, I can't help but feel like Street Fighter got the short end of the stick.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

they were scammed with the midi version of the music but i guess square-enix being square-enix

That wasn't SE's issue.

That was the issue of DQ's now dead composer.

 

[chinkuru]

If Smash continues to be about crossover appeal, what are the big remaining dream matchups left? Certainly Chun-Li fighting the likes of Peach and Samus would be monumental in a way that I don't think people give enough credibility. She is gaming royalty and it's impossible for me to overstate that.

Speaking of dream matchups, which ones would you like to see?
Mine:
-Pikachu vs Agumon
-Mario vs Sonic vs Crash
-Link vs Samus vs Pit vs Takamaru
-Wario vs Tingle
-Snake vs Marco Rossi

 

[Lionfranky]

Smash has to cater to both the CERO A rating and ESRB E10-T rating. I doubt they will let the literal succubus into the game, and censorship won’t do much.

I'm pretty sure Morrigan has been in tame rating. It's about skin exposure, not theme.

Both Tifa and 2B struggle with being part of Square Enix, who was already notoriously stingy with Cloud, Hero, and Sephiroth. Add the fact that people still want Geno in Smash, and it’s a tough competition. 2B may have a better shot though, even if censorship is required, and her time may have passed…

This is false. Did you miss Sephiroth presentation? Smash tries to get more contents than other crossover. Square Enix lended its properties to many others without issues. The issue is the way SE works with its employee. Music and illustration copyright from their series belong to composers and illustrators. Sakurai explained how they had to negotiate with oversea right holders. This is why Goku can't join Smash.

Lara has pretty lopsided regional recognition. Ryza too, I guess. Arle might be lucky enough to get a spirit.

https://twitter.com/SmashLara/status/1293551186763812864?s=19

Tomb Raider movies have far reaching reputation. You can say that's only for her movie status, but Tomb Raider's noterity in Asia shouldn't be underestimated. People keep saying "it's unknown in Japan" all the time without actually looking into it.
Ryza has similar level of popularity in west as in Japan iirc.

 

[RodNutTakin]

Looking at this last page and I think everyone is overlooking the possibility of Zero being the next Capcom character. He's already halfway there towards being a fighter in Ultimate.

Also that quote above with "lopsided regional recognition"...did Terry Bogard teach you guys nothing?

 

[Gorgonzales]

Speaking of dream matchups, which ones would you like to see?
Mine:
-Pikachu vs Agumon
-Mario vs Sonic vs Crash
-Link vs Samus vs Pit vs Takamaru
-Wario vs Tingle
-Snake vs Marco Rossi

-King Dedede vs. Bandana Waddle Dee
-Snake vs. Boggy B.
-King K. Rool vs. Gruntilda
-Ice Climbers vs. Balloon Fighter

 

[Hadokeyblade]

So I'd like the next game to make Street Fighter's presence known, and demand that attention it deserves. When looking at the outpouring of love and detail put into SNK and Tekken's representation since, I can't help but feel like Street Fighter got the short end of the stick.

I think it'd be cool if Street fighter got more songs and a similar treatment to KOF, where said songs are from games that take place in the same universe as SF, like Rival schools, Strider and Final fight.

Looking at this last page and I think everyone is overlooking the possibility of Zero being the next Capcom character. He's already halfway there towards being a fighter in Ultimate.

Also that quote above with "lopsided regional recognition"...did Terry Bogard teach you guys nothing?

I'm personally ignoring the inevitable because i prefer the other Megaman series over Megaman X.

I feel like Terry is going to raised some false expectations in some people over the lopsided popularity in different regions thing.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Chun Li is a much needed addition, but so is a second Sonic character. I have a huge personal preference for Knuckles in that regard. Overall I think he has the most to offer too.

However there are big name first party franchises who need their new additions too. Donkey Kong, Zelda, and Kirby. And we've arrived at that precious point that most of the fanbase doesn't even care too much about which character it has to be.

 

[Geno Boost]

Speaking of dream matchups, which ones would you like to see?
Mine:
-Pikachu vs Agumon
-Mario vs Sonic vs Crash
-Link vs Samus vs Pit vs Takamaru
-Wario vs Tingle
-Snake vs Marco Rossi

- vs Agumon vs Jack Frost vs suezo vs jibanyan vs metabee
-(jump man) vsvsvs Bomberman vs Rayman vs Vectorman
-vsvsvs scorpion vs sol badguy vs akira yuki
- vs Giygas
-vsvsvs Pauline vs Captain syrup vs princess shokora
- vs athena (snk)
- vs peashooter
-vsand Boshi
-vsvs Ninten
-vs Ms. pac-man vs smiley (minesweeper)

 

[Noipoi]

Speaking of dream matchups, which ones would you like to see?
Mine:
-Pikachu vs Agumon
-Mario vs Sonic vs Crash
-Link vs Samus vs Pit vs Takamaru
-Wario vs Tingle
-Snake vs Marco Rossi

Vibri from Vibribbon VS CJ from GTA

 

[Wonder Smash]

Speaking of dream matchups, which ones would you like to see?
Mine:
-Pikachu vs Agumon
-Mario vs Sonic vs Crash
-Link vs Samus vs Pit vs Takamaru
-Wario vs Tingle
-Snake vs Marco Rossi

• Mega Man vs Simon vs Erdrick vs Hayabusa vs Kunio (honorary Nintendo characters from the NES era)
• Mario vs Ryu vs Cloud vs Snake vs Billy vs Doom Slayer (icons from each genre)
• Kunio/Riki vs Little Mac (my personal favorites bruisers)
• Nintendo vs SEGA (assuming another SEGA character gets added, this'll add more to that legendary rivalry)

 

[Nabbitfan730]

THE female in video games

Pretty sure that's Princess Peach and she's in the game

I really can't stand when people say things like this because that's never the point being made. A conversation can begin by humoring which female characters, or POC or LGBT identifying characters may be viable for the game and it will always culminate in someone believing this is the only reason anyone would consider those characters in the first place.

That's because usually the reason why do so. Doesn't do you favors when one of main reason for wanting Chun-Li is because she's the "THE female in video games" when even then is arguable

I have to ask too, would you apply all of these standards to Sonic the Hedgehog?

I would if Sonic's representation wasn't in the gutter. Look, say what you want about Street Fighter's current rep but since their inclusion Street Fighter at least got 2 characters that didn't aesthetically get worse overtime, a good stage and decent to good music selections with quality remixes.

Definitely can't say the same for Sonic. Not even an echo. Heck one of his unique music from Rush got removed from Brawl. Nothing.

Traditional fighting games, up until recently, were met with a certain amount of indifference or ignorance. I was there during Smash 4 - Ryu, one of the most important video game characters of all time, did not have a support thread until I made one. Street Fighter is tremendously iconic, inarguably significant and deserving of being in Smash, but tragically underspoken within the community.

Traditional fighting games, up until recently, were met with a certain amount of indifference or ignorance. I was there during Smash 4 - Ryu, one of the most important video game characters of all time, did not have a support thread until I made one. Street Fighter is tremendously iconic, inarguably significant and deserving of being in Smash, but tragically underspoken within the community.

You say that as if the feeling isn't mutual. Ask a FGC member what they think about Smash and generally there won't exactly anything good to be said. I mean what do you expect of from audiences from different games from different genres( yes, i mean that last part). It isn't necessarily a bad thing.