Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[UberPyro64]

1. Dash attack: For the first time in Smash, 's dash attack would consist of 2 hits, starting with a bash, followed by a trident swipe attack by pressing the attack button subsequently.
2. Neutral special: It gets a different animation, with holding his trident in his right hand. If the special attack button is pressed normally, he feigns his animation and executes his classic Warlock Punch. But if the button is hold longer, he uses his trident in a similar manner to his Warlock Blade custom special from Smash For.
3. Down special: Wizard's Dropkick from Smash For but reskinned to make thrusting his trident instead of giving a kick.

These are the kind of new moves I had in mind.

I would rather have this:

Alter Ganondorf's moveset to use the sword more and add magic. And add Beast Ganon with the trident as a newcomer.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I hope it makes a comeback. It deserves it. I just hope we don't just get another Star Fox 1/64 remake. Also, bring back the Star Fox 2 characters. Especially Miyu, she has a cool design.

Krystal, Miyu and Fey should form a 2nd StarFox squadron.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Krystal, Miyu and Fey should form a 2nd StarFox squadron.

Yeah, especially with Dash Bowman, Andross' grandchild.
Without him, Star Fox Squadron won't have a Monke.

 

[Opossum]

Guys, If we had a Villain Rep from Nintendo 1st Party, it would be Andross from Star Fox.
Why:

• Because we never had a new Star Fox rep since Brawl.
• Would have unique moveset.
• Has Full body that can turn into Giant Head in some attacks.
• Unique Villain Rep
• First Star Fox character in Smash to have a special Gimmick/mechanic.
• Can be another Scaled Down-character after Ridley.
• His Inclusion in Smash would spice up his popularity.

I...really don't think we'll get another Star Fox character at this point, and even if we did, I doubt it would be Andross. I'd bank far more on Krystal or Slippy, neither of which I think have very good odds to begin with. Between his lack of demand, the pretty sorry current state of his franchise, and the big question of how to even get him working in Smash (since his normal body isn't even close to being his iconic form), he just seems like something the team wouldn't go for.

As for first party villains, there are quite a few I'd see getting in before Andross. I think they'd be more likely to do something like go back for Ghirahim, which is saying something. I think they'd be more likely to go for Magolor, despite the barren status of modern Kirby content in Smash. If you count her as an antagonist, I think they'd be more likely to double up on Three Houses characters and add Edelgard due to her popularity. Neither of those three are remotely likely, but it's saying something when I believe all three of them have much better odds than Andross does.

But that's not even getting into a first party villain who I do think is rather likely, and that's good old Big Bird™ from Metroid Dread. Not only did Dread make a huge mark on the franchise's history upon its release, attaining critical acclaim and high sales, but more importantly, people are already pointing out how cool this character would be in Smash.

He's not a lock by any means, and could end up just getting in as an Assist Trophy like Ghirahim did, but to me he's still by far the most likely first party villain to make it into whatever hypothetical Smash game is next.

 

[Yamat08]

I hope it makes a comeback. It deserves it. I just hope we don't just get another Star Fox 1/64 remake. Also, bring back the Star Fox 2 characters. Especially Miyu, she has a cool design.

What I'd like to know is why we never got any Star Fox 2 Spirits. I mean, considering the game's finally been officially released before Ultimate came out.

 

[Wunderwaft]

I...really don't think we'll get another Star Fox character at this point, and even if we did, I doubt it would be Andross. I'd bank far more on Krystal or Slippy, neither of which I think have very good odds to begin with. Between his lack of demand, the pretty sorry current state of his franchise, and the big question of how to even get him working in Smash (since his normal body isn't even close to being his iconic form), he just seems like something the team wouldn't go for.

As for first party villains, there are quite a few I'd see getting in before Andross. I think they'd be more likely to do something like go back for Ghirahim, which is saying something. I think they'd be more likely to go for Magolor, despite the barren status of modern Kirby content in Smash. If you count her as an antagonist, I think they'd be more likely to double up on Three Houses characters and add Edelgard due to her popularity. Neither of those three are remotely likely, but it's saying something when I believe all three of them have much better odds than Andross does.

But that's not even getting into a first party villain who I do think is rather likely, and that's good old Big Bird™ from Metroid Dread. Not only did Dread make a huge mark on the franchise's history upon its release, attaining critical acclaim and high sales, but more importantly, people are already pointing out how cool this character would be in Smash.

He's not a lock by any means, and could end up just getting in as an Assist Trophy like Ghirahim did, but to me he's still by far the most likely first party villain to make it into whatever hypothetical Smash game is next.

Ayy thanks for bringing up Big Bird. Dread is less than a month old but I think as more people finish the game the more this character will attract a fanbase that wants him in Smash.

Like come on this move would straight up fit as an F-Smash!

Spoiler: Metroid Dread Spoilers

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

I...really don't think we'll get another Star Fox character at this point, and even if we did, I doubt it would be Andross. I'd bank far more on Krystal or Slippy, neither of which I think have very good odds to begin with. Between his lack of demand, the pretty sorry current state of his franchise, and the big question of how to even get him working in Smash (since his normal body isn't even close to being his iconic form), he just seems like something the team wouldn't go for.

As for first party villains, there are quite a few I'd see getting in before Andross. I think they'd be more likely to do something like go back for Ghirahim, which is saying something. I think they'd be more likely to go for Magolor, despite the barren status of modern Kirby content in Smash. If you count her as an antagonist, I think they'd be more likely to double up on Three Houses characters and add Edelgard due to her popularity. Neither of those three are remotely likely, but it's saying something when I believe all three of them have much better odds than Andross does.

But that's not even getting into a first party villain who I do think is rather likely, and that's good old Big Bird™ from Metroid Dread. Not only did Dread make a huge mark on the franchise's history upon its release, attaining critical acclaim and high sales, but more importantly, people are already pointing out how cool this character would be in Smash.

He's not a lock by any means, and could end up just getting in as an Assist Trophy like Ghirahim did, but to me he's still by far the most likely first party villain to make it into whatever hypothetical Smash game is next.

Dude, he has a Chance like DJ Ocatvio for Smash.
Although, if Miyamoto ran Smash Bros (Despite he is old), he could count his Andross' SF Zero Body as Canon cfr Smash, since Andross wouldn't be such a Bad Idea.

First, he would be unique Addition for Roster from Star Fox side;
Second, he could be unorthodox Character along with Virtual Boy in Smash 6 roster;
Third reason, he will be Real Star Fox villain rep, since Wolf is just mockery of Nefarious roles of Star Fox franchise.

 

[AlphaSSB]

Did somebody say... Star Fox?

I...really don't think we'll get another Star Fox character at this point, and even if we did, I doubt it would be Andross. I'd bank far more on Krystal or Slippy, neither of which I think have very good odds to begin with. Between his lack of demand, the pretty sorry current state of his franchise, and the big question of how to even get him working in Smash (since his normal body isn't even close to being his iconic form), he just seems like something the team wouldn't go for.

Depends on the state of the series. Krystal did well enough in the Ballot to warrant inclusion as an Assist Trophy, so if the next Smash comes around and they start looking at the old ballot results and current Smash NPCs (In addition to actual new characters of course), I can see her having a decent shot. But if she finds herself in a new and successful Star Fox game by then, I'll go as far as to call her a front runner. Again, I think N3ON put it best:

If Krystal ever shows up in a proper Star Fox game again your heads are gonna spin at how fast her popularity skyrockets back to Brawl levels.

Of course that'd require actually getting a proper Star Fox game.

But like I said, it all depends on the state of Star Fox at the time. With the Switch being the console to bring back old series on (Metroid, Advance Wars, etc.), I really hope Star Fox gets its turn soon. Sure, Starlink was great, but it wasn't an actual new Star Fox game. My fear is that Nintendo just sees Starlink as the surrogate Star Fox title for Switch, which would be a tremendous shame if true.
-

Star Fox is also kind of dead, unfortunately, but Andross could definitely be a cool boss at least.

I hope it makes a comeback. It deserves it. I just hope we don't just get another Star Fox 1/64 remake. Also, bring back the Star Fox 2 characters. Especially Miyu, she has a cool design.

Star Fox is not dead. It's actually gotten a decent bit of attention since Star Fox Zero happened. I'm confident we'll see a new game eventually, but when we do is going to hold a lot of weight. Star Fox has been cursed with being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it needs to break that cycle. The Switch is the time and the place for it. Whatever comes next may not be.

Of course who makes the game will also hold a big impact. At this point I no longer trust Miyamoto with the series, as even though he's helping keep it alive, he's also the one holding it back. Star Fox needs to be handed to a dev team with vision, and be given both the freedom and funding to make that vision happen.
-

Dude, he has a Chance like DJ Ocatvio for Smash.
Although, if Miyamoto ran Smash Bros (Despite he is old), he could count his Andross' SF Zero Body as Canon cfr Smash, since Andross wouldn't be such a Bad Idea.

First, he would be unique Addition for Roster from Star Fox side;
Second, he could be unorthodox Character along with Virtual Boy in Smash 6 roster;
Third reason, he will be Real Star Fox villain rep, since Wolf is just mockery of Nefarious roles of Star Fox franchise.

Although I'd love to see a roster full of Star Fox fighters, I only see Krystal being added at most. Other characters with moveset potential like Slippy, Peppy, and even Leon I think could all work as Assist Trophies. Andross I'd love to see promoted into a Boss, and I think there's enough you can do with him to make him stand out from Master Hand & Crazy Hand. Classic SNES Andross could even stay as an Assist Trophy, too.

 

[Opossum]

Dude, he has a Chance like DJ Ocatvio for Smash.
Although, if Miyamoto ran Smash Bros (Despite he is old), he could count his Andross' SF Zero Body as Canon cfr Smash, since Andross wouldn't be such a Bad Idea.

First, he would be unique Addition for Roster from Star Fox side;
Second, he could be unorthodox Character along with Virtual Boy in Smash 6 roster;
Third reason, he will be Real Star Fox villain rep, since Wolf is just mockery of Nefarious roles of Star Fox franchise.

This post is making quite a lot of assumptions.

If you're hinging Andross's odds on Miyamoto developing the next title, that's already a bad sign for Andross. Miyamoto stepping in as director for a massive series after four or five successful games is unprecedented, especially considering both Miyamoto's age and that he has no real experience developing something like Smash. I could go into other reasons why Miyamoto being the next director could be a literal Worst Case Scenario, especially for the roster as a whole, but it's such a borderline nonsensical idea that it's not really worth harping on. The point is that if something that out of left field is required to even have Andross be considered, he's far, far from being likely...to say nothing of being "the most likely first party villain."

As for the "he would be a unique Star Fox addition" point, I really don't think that's relevant. Pretty much the only time Sakurai went in with the mindset of "I want another character from [x]" was with Zero Suit Samus in Brawl, and Metroid was really big at the time but only had Samus on the Melee roster. Not only would Star Fox's currently near-dead status make this unlikely, but the fact that it already has three characters makes this even less of a concern. Usually, the process starts with "what Nintendo games are big right now," "who are the big fan requests," or "who could fit this concept I've been wanting." Andross doesn't fit neatly into any of those three.

There's also the false absolutism that comes from acting like Andross is the only unique choice possible. Even if they wanted a Star Fox character that's incredibly different from Fox, Falco, and Wolf (despite the latter two being incredibly distinct by this point), there are also Krystal (who's also the most popular Star Fox pick) and Slippy (who is iconic and could use his drones and other machines). Andross does not hold a monopoly on being the only potentially unique Star Fox character.

You then go on to say the fact that he'd be unorthodox is a boon for him. I don't really see how that's the case. With someone like Wii Fit Trainer, while she was unorthodox, she still had a very clear style to pull from just from looking at her: the use of yoga moves as attacks. Andross is unorthodox in a different way: his actual body type and playstyle are an incoherent mishmash. Confusion over how a potential fighter would fight has historically not been a boon, but rather a bane. Not only was Pac-Man initially ruled out for Brawl due to Sakurai not seeing how his flat pizza form could fight, but Excite Biker being eternally bikebound and the confusion surrounding it was exactly why Sakurai skipped out on them and opted for the Ice Climbers instead.

For your third point, while Wolf is more morally ambiguous than an outright villain, due to his status as a mercenary, it ultimately doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Star Fox lacking a "true villain" isn't something that makes Andross more likely. Again, that's not how characters tend to be picked. The best chance Andross has at getting in is somehow getting Ridley or K. Rool-level fan demand, which at this point he absolutely does not have.

 

[Geno Boost]

I think Miyamoto isn’t the type of person who would look at fan demands and making him smash director means forget about supporting a character you would love to have in smash for a long time

 

[SharkLord]

Sylux's popularity all but vanished after we got Ridley and Dark Samus, and people already moved on to the next Metroid characters with Dread.

I feel like people are satisfied with the amount of Metroid characters we have now. If next Smash cuts one of them, fans will probably root for them rather than Sylux, who, let's be honest was mostly saw any support because people thought he was the next best thing if they couldn't get Ridley.

Just like Black Shadow, there's very little genuine support for him, so it's really up in the air what his popularity will be like in the future. It's hard to say because he was always a character that depended on maybes. Maybe he'll finally become an interesting character in Prime 4. Maybe he'll not have much competition. Maybe he'll be a request that has anything going for him other than being a potentially relevant character.

Until then, I wouldn't call him a safe bet.

Really, Sylux spec boils down to "Will Metroid Prime 4 release?" as it has for the past couple years and will continue to do so until probably the end of the Switch's lifespan

 

[DarthEnderX]

Between his lack of demand, the pretty sorry current state of his franchise, and the big question of how to even get him working in Smash (since his normal body isn't even close to being his iconic form), he just seems like something the team wouldn't go for.

Conversely, making him work as a Boss would be super easy.

Just take his N64 version...and give him Master Hand+Crazy Hand's moveset.

I think Miyamoto isn’t the type of person who would look at fan demands and making him smash director means forget about supporting a character you would love to have in smash for a long time

Yeah, isn't Miyamoto the reason why more recent Paper Mario games stopped having unique characters?

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

This post is making quite a lot of assumptions.

If you're hinging Andross's odds on Miyamoto developing the next title, that's already a bad sign for Andross. Miyamoto stepping in as director for a massive series after four or five successful games is unprecedented, especially considering both Miyamoto's age and that he has no real experience developing something like Smash. I could go into other reasons why Miyamoto being the next director could be a literal Worst Case Scenario, especially for the roster as a whole, but it's such a borderline nonsensical idea that it's not really worth harping on. The point is that if something that out of left field is required to even have Andross be considered, he's far, far from being likely...to say nothing of being "the most likely first party villain."

As for the "he would be a unique Star Fox addition" point, I really don't think that's relevant. Pretty much the only time Sakurai went in with the mindset of "I want another character from [x]" was with Zero Suit Samus in Brawl, and Metroid was really big at the time but only had Samus on the Melee roster. Not only would Star Fox's currently near-dead status make this unlikely, but the fact that it already has three characters makes this even less of a concern. Usually, the process starts with "what Nintendo games are big right now," "who are the big fan requests," or "who could fit this concept I've been wanting." Andross doesn't fit neatly into any of those three.

There's also the false absolutism that comes from acting like Andross is the only unique choice possible. Even if they wanted a Star Fox character that's incredibly different from Fox, Falco, and Wolf (despite the latter two being incredibly distinct by this point), there are also Krystal (who's also the most popular Star Fox pick) and Slippy (who is iconic and could use his drones and other machines). Andross does not hold a monopoly on being the only potentially unique Star Fox character.

You then go on to say the fact that he'd be unorthodox is a boon for him. I don't really see how that's the case. With someone like Wii Fit Trainer, while she was unorthodox, she still had a very clear style to pull from just from looking at her: the use of yoga moves as attacks. Andross is unorthodox in a different way: his actual body type and playstyle are an incoherent mishmash. Confusion over how a potential fighter would fight has historically not been a boon, but rather a bane. Not only was Pac-Man initially ruled out for Brawl due to Sakurai not seeing how his flat pizza form could fight, but Excite Biker being eternally bikebound and the confusion surrounding it was exactly why Sakurai skipped out on them and opted for the Ice Climbers instead.

For your third point, while Wolf is more morally ambiguous than an outright villain, due to his status as a mercenary, it ultimately doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Star Fox lacking a "true villain" isn't something that makes Andross more likely. Again, that's not how characters tend to be picked. The best chance Andross has at getting in is somehow getting Ridley or K. Rool-level fan demand, which at this point he absolutely does not have.

Dude, Andross has Potential.
Aparoid Queen should be a Boss than Andross himself. If Andross was a Boss, then it would become weird, unoriginal and trippy concept. It will steal Master Hand's and Crazy Hand's shtick, which it would cause controversy.
If won't join Smash, then he will become Assist Forever.

And Andross could use moveset based on himself and other Star Fox Bosses like Gorgon. Think Bro think!

And speaking of unorthodox Fighters, Virtual Boy could be our Retro Rep for Smash.

 

[MBRedboy31]

Personally, I think Andross would work fine functionally. Scale him down a lot, and keep his hands pulled in close to the bottom corners of his face, except when he does long range attacks. It doesn’t mean he’s likely, but he could definitely work if the devs really wanted him.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Can we at least have the Power Glove as an item?

 

[Arcanir]

Sylux's popularity all but vanished after we got Ridley and Dark Samus, and people already moved on to the next Metroid characters with Dread.

I feel like people are satisfied with the amount of Metroid characters we have now. If next Smash cuts one of them, fans will probably root for them rather than Sylux, who, let's be honest was mostly saw any support because people thought he was the next best thing if they couldn't get Ridley.

Just like Black Shadow, there's very little genuine support for him, so it's really up in the air what his popularity will be like in the future. It's hard to say because he was always a character that depended on maybes. Maybe he'll finally become an interesting character in Prime 4. Maybe he'll not have much competition. Maybe he'll be a request that has anything going for him other than being a potentially relevant character.

Until then, I wouldn't call him a safe bet.

Pretty much, it also doesn't help that, as Opossum pointed out, Metroid just got another villain people are really excited about and want to see in Smash which is stealing even more of that thunder. If Sylux wants to recoup he needs Prime 4 to finally come out and show off what the character can do as sticking to promises that haven't been fulfilled will not cut it anymore, especially when Metroid is already in a great spot in terms of its present characters.

 

[Geno Boost]

Conversely, making him work as a Boss would be super easy.

Just take his N64 version...and give him Master Hand+Crazy Hand's moveset.

Yeah, isn't Miyamoto the reason why more recent Paper Mario games stopped having unique characters?

Yeah not only that he is one of the people responsible for holding F-Zero a hostage for almost 20 years due to controller interface as he states which make no sense to completely stop them from making any new F-zero game and that’s way before the Nintendo switch was even announced
He probably doesn’t want to see F-Zero competing with his love child Mario Kart. You can expect another 10 Mario Kart games but no F-zero we can’t even have Captain Falcon in Mario Kart we would all love to see him race again

 

[PeridotGX]

Ayy thanks for bringing up Big Bird. Dread is less than a month old but I think as more people finish the game the more this character will attract a fanbase that wants him in Smash.

Like come on this move would straight up fit as an F-Smash!

The year is 2028. Smash 6 is being developed, and the Main Antagonist of Metroid Dread, Raven Beak, is being added. Nintendo still hasen't officially revealed his name, and Sakurai has to put it in spoiler tags on the Character Select Screen.

 

[Wunderwaft]

The year is 2028. Smash 6 is being developed, and the Main Antagonist of Metroid Dread, Raven Beak is being added. Nintendo still hasen't officially revealed his name, and Sakurai has to put it in spoiler tags on the Character Select Screen.

The funniest part is that his name isn't even a big spoiler XD

 

[Guynamednelson]

The year is 2028. Smash 6 is being developed, and the Main Antagonist of Metroid Dread, Raven Beak, is being added. Nintendo still hasen't officially revealed his name, and Sakurai has to put it in spoiler tags on the Character Select Screen.

"The winner is...BLEEEEEP!"

 

[SharkLord]

The year is 2028. Smash 6 is being developed, and the Main Antagonist of Metroid Dread, Raven Beak, is being added. Nintendo still hasen't officially revealed his name, and Sakurai has to put it in spoiler tags on the Character Select Screen.

Just say his name in another language so you're technically not revealing it because people can't speak that language. Specifically, his name in the Chozo language, Ashkar Behek. Remember, if you can't understand it you can't register the spoiler and you're still going in clean

 

[SPEN18]

Idk, making a successful Star Fox game at this point in time seems rather difficult given the current state of the rail shooter genre, especially among Nintendo fans, and the shortcomings of SF Zero. If anything, I'd peg the Star Fox series for a cut veteran or two rather than an addition in the next Smash.

The thing though is that the IP is still very popular and recognizable to many Nintendo fans, largely due to Smash but also due to the iconic status of the early Star Fox games. It seems probable that Nintendo would make an effort to do something with the IP at some point, although I think that a full new game would probably require a genre shift and a completely new direction for the IP. Idk, maybe they could try an on-foot action/adventure again, but give it a compelling narrative/lore and polished, modernized mechanics. I could see such a game combining stealth, exploration, and shoot-em-up segments on foot, with potentially some Arwing/Landmaster operation mixed in here and there.

This series definitely appears to be on the clock, though, as its popularity could really decline in the next few years if there is no new game, especially as we're probably not seeing another new Smash game for a while to keep Fox and co. in the limelight.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Andross isn't a likely choice for a newcomer. Like at all. But any new Star Fox character isn't exactly likely. If there's going to be a new Star Fox game, it will most likely be Star Fox 64 again, and you know it. Hence I think if there's gonna be one new Star Fox character ever, it's Slippy. He could function as a shorter Falco Echo even.

Though, the thing said about Krystal is true! If she's ever brought back, she will instantly become insanely popular. This popularity lead to her Assist Trophy status in Ultimate, despite not appearing since Star Fox Command. Which was a good game I felt, maybe they could do a remake of that ??

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Andross isn't a likely choice for a newcomer. Like at all. But any new Star Fox character isn't exactly likely. If there's going to be a new Star Fox game, it will most likely be Star Fox 64 again, and you know it. Hence I think if there's gonna be one new Star Fox character ever, it's Slippy. He could function as a shorter Falco Echo even.

Though, the thing said about Krystal is true! If she's ever brought back, she will instantly become insanely popular. This popularity lead to her Assist Trophy status in Ultimate, despite not appearing since Star Fox Command. Which was a good game I felt, maybe they could do a remake of that ??

Bro, Andross can join Smash Roster without Problems. We don't know who will join in Smash 6.
Andross can fight as Fighter. He could have moveset based on Star Fox bosses like Attack Carrier or even Granga's Mech. He could even Work and he won't feel that he is extremely out of Place.
We have Venom as Stage, which it isn't for Falco in reality; so why not Andross can join Smash?
Even tho, we never had Playable Andross, so we can get one in Smash 6.

And speaking of Boss in Smash based on Star Fox, I'll prefer General Scales or Aparoid Queen as Boss in Story Mode due to their limited status.

 

[HYRULESHERO42]

They should remake/remaster Star Fox 2 to cement it in canon and offer more exposure to the new characters. Then we can start debating new Star Fox characters for Smash. As things stand now, not looking good for the franchise as a whole

 

[osby]

Bro, Andross can join Smash Roster without Problems. We don't know who will join in Smash 6.
Andross can fight as Fighter. He could have moveset based on Star Fox bosses like Attack Carrier or even Granga's Mech. He could even Work and he won't feel that he is extremely out of Place.
We have Venom as Stage, which it isn't for Falco in reality; so why not Andross can join Smash?
Even tho, we never had Playable Andross, so we can get one in Smash 6.

And speaking of Boss in Smash based on Star Fox, I'll prefer General Scales or Aparoid Queen as Boss in Story Mode due to their limited status.

If you bother to read the posts that reply to you, you'll see that nobody is disagreeing you on the subject that Andross can possibly become a playable fighter.

It's just the common consensus is that he's highly unlikely to become playable. People aren't questioning his logistics but rather how his popularity or lack thereof compared to other Star Fox characters makes him rather unfavorable of a pick among the series' cast.

Also, I have zero idea what Falco's home stage factors into all of this.

 

[Delzethin]

One thing worth remembering far as hopefuls from Star Fox goes: Krystal was this close to getting into Brawl. According to a Nintendo Dream article published shortly after Brawl's release that flew under the radar even after it got translated, it came down to either her or Wolf. The latter was chosen because the dev team was already strained and he was the easier of the two to make.

She has the moveset potential, she has the support base even now, she has a unique angle with being able to use magic and sci-fi weaponry, and she was a narrow miss for a past title. All she lacks is relevance...which could change between now and Smash 6. If a new Star Fox game happens that she features in, her chances skyrocket.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Second, he could be unorthodox Character along with Virtual Boy

You want...

A failed console...

as a character?

R.O.B. was at least a character in other games, financially successful, and was remembered fondly.

Nobody likes the Virtual Boy.

 

[Guynamednelson]

he was the easier of the two to make.

Funny thing is, now Krystal can be made with reused assets, thanks to her AT's moves. Only time will tell if Smash 6 decides it'd be worth it to do that.

 

[Megadoomer]

You want...

A failed console...

as a character?

R.O.B. was at least a character in other games, financially successful, and was remembered fondly.

Nobody likes the Virtual Boy.

I beg to differ on that last part:

(Looking at its design, I could see it working like an unorthodox joke character like Piranha Plant - maybe like an AT-ST from Star Wars, with the controller wire acting as an arm for picking up items or throwing)

 

[Ivander]

You want...

A failed console...

as a character?

R.O.B. was at least a character in other games, financially successful, and was remembered fondly.

Nobody likes the Virtual Boy.

I mean, considering Nintendo still makes jokes about it...that aside, while I wouldn't want a character, I think a Virtual Boy stage that works similar to stages like Kirby's Dream Land GB or Flat Zone, using some of the games as stages like Wario Land VB and Teleboxer could be cool.

 

[SharkLord]

Y'know, I wonder if we'll look back during Smash 6 and find some of our current frontrunners won't be relevant to the speculation scene anymore. Smash 4 seems to have a distinct feel of characters who were A: Close to Nintendo, and B: Had a major release at the time, and while I wasn't present for Brawl, it seems like it was mainly focused on 2000's Nintendo characters. Ultimate's speculation cycles feels like it was dominated by what's perceived as the really big third-parties, like Crash, Master Chief, Dante, Hayabusa, etc. I have a hunch that at least some of those guys will drop off a little come Smash 6, and we'll end up with a completely different focus for that cycle.

 

[RileyXY1]

As for Mii Fighter costumes based on the fact that all the 3rd party Mii Fighter costumes from Smash 4 returned for Ultimate I think that being a Mii Fighter costume is a permanent death sentence for a character's chances unless they are first party.

 

[Ivander]

As for Mii Fighter costumes based on the fact that all the 3rd party Mii Fighter costumes from Smash 4 returned for Ultimate I think that being a Mii Fighter costume is a permanent death sentence for a character's chances unless they are first party.

Considering Sakurai clearly stated that Lloyd, Dragonborn, Dante and Shantae were greatly requested fighters, I'm positive that is not the case.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Y'know, I wonder if we'll look back during Smash 6 and find some of our current frontrunners won't be relevant to the speculation scene anymore. Smash 4 seems to have a distinct feel of characters who were A: Close to Nintendo, and B: Had a major release at the time, and while I wasn't present for Brawl, it seems like it was mainly focused on 2000's Nintendo characters. Ultimate's speculation cycles feels like it was dominated by what's perceived as the really big third-parties, like Crash, Master Chief, Dante, Hayabusa, etc. I have a hunch that at least some of those guys will drop off a little come Smash 6, and we'll end up with a completely different focus for that cycle.

What seems to be the frontrunners is usually based on what newcomers we've been getting. With Inkling being the only newcomer for SSBU announced at the time, the focus was still on modern Nintendo, and that shifted with the announcement of Ridley and the 8/8 Direct. Then once Joker was announced, that was when things started to shift towards all sorts of third-parties, slowly phasing towards focusing more on a smaller group like those aforementioned 4.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I think Miyamoto isn’t the type of person who would look at fan demands and making him smash director means forget about supporting a character you would love to have in smash for a long time

Wow! It's that bad when it comes to Miyamoto?

Though I do remember some people saying that he seems out of touch with gaming. It's a shame, though.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Okay, I saw everyone's reaction for Androsss in Smash.

Then why not the Space Harrier, heh?
Space Harrier could be cool SEGA rep for Smash, based how iconic he is. He was Influence for Star Fox, Panzer Dragoon and other Rail Shooters. He could be Unique pick rather than Yakuza Kiryu or Opa-Opa (You know, Opa-Opa can be Assist Trophy character).

 

[Guynamednelson]

Hot take: Without the same element of surprise as Wii Fit Trainer, Ring Fit Trainer/any other RFA rep isn't exactly the biggest lock for Smash 6. RFA might still get a fighter regardless, but Sakurai's gonna have to choose them for reasons other than "nobody expects them".

 

[Trevenant]

I always read that Krystal interview as Sakurai just responding to a question that was asked. I guess it could be argued that it seemed like that was a response cultivated over time, but it seems like common sense that Krystal couldn't really work as a Fox semi-clone. IIRC she did appear a few times in other Star Fox games in which she wore the purple jumpsuit and was designed to be more in line with the other SF characters and therefore could have all the weaponry Fox and Falco etc use in their kits, but her debut role was probably a lot more significant in Adventures so she'd have to use the staff, which obviously would be kinda impossible to base a moveset around whilst still keeping it based on the other spacies.

Just for reference, later on in that Brawl question page which included the stuff for Krystal, Sakurai made a comment about Baby Peach, Dry Bones and a Waddle Dee, which was in relation to Krystal ironically enough. This shows every character Sakurai mentions in relation to a roster spot specifically aren't necessarily considered that strongly to a degree that they may as well be ignored. They should probably be considered more acknowledgement. This is how the stuff like James Bond in Melee started, which was based on Sakurai acknowledging a fan question. Obviously some level of thought went into the questions response, but it doesn't necessarily mean they were in contention to a point where they had a legitimate shot of being planned in the planning stages of whatever game, which is the only real way you can say they were considered or planned etc. TBH Sakurai also making said response including those absurd choices probably also illustrates a similar point. Just seems more so like Krystal being acknowledged there doesn't really indicate whether she was considered or not, and seems more so just Sakurai responding to a question.

This is more so a general post towards all those instances of certain being planned based on Sakurai acknowledging them in relation to the roster, so off the top of my head, James Bond and BK in Melee, Krystal in Brawl etc. If we acknowledge every case of Sakurai acknowledging a character like this, then there are bound to be way more instances than the select few the community like to home in on, which also includes Mach Rider off the top of my head. Being even considered for a game in the same way people say means they were actually in contention during the planning stages requires it to at least be momentarily thought of. That's why we can't really say James Bond etc were considered at their respective times to the point where they could have been playable based on responses which are just Sakurai applying his own thoughts rather than actual reasoning as to why they didn't make it into a game. The logic used for bond as an example was pretty obvious stuff, so it's not like it would have required much thought, so much so Sakurai had to look back on some old planning docs for Melee or even 64 to see what got them out of consideration then, it was just apparent logic that would likely even seem logical to your everyday product consumer, not necessarily making them in contention.

 

[Wunderwaft]

Y'know, I wonder if we'll look back during Smash 6 and find some of our current frontrunners won't be relevant to the speculation scene anymore. Smash 4 seems to have a distinct feel of characters who were A: Close to Nintendo, and B: Had a major release at the time, and while I wasn't present for Brawl, it seems like it was mainly focused on 2000's Nintendo characters. Ultimate's speculation cycles feels like it was dominated by what's perceived as the really big third-parties, like Crash, Master Chief, Dante, Hayabusa, etc. I have a hunch that at least some of those guys will drop off a little come Smash 6, and we'll end up with a completely different focus for that cycle.

The frontrunners change for each Smash game. Not sure about the third parties you specifically mentioned as I don't see them drastically dropping from discussion, especially Hayabusa as I don't see the discussion for him ever changing unless Koei Tecmo implodes or something. Also like Nelson said, the Ultimate frontrunners that we perceived changed dramatically due to the latest newcomers that got revealed.

Skull Kid for example? He had a very short burst of popularity in the base game after the 8/8 direct thanks to a fake leaker, but I doubt he'll be treated as a frontrunner again once Smash 6 speculation kicks off unless some shenanigans happen.

There are some characters that were popular during Ultimate's speculation that I can realistically see being in the spotlight of discussion once again in the future, but most definitely there will also be brand new characters and characters that didn't have a shot previously. Advance Wars for example didn't get to be realistically discussed for Smash since Brawl, but if the upcoming revival is a success then we'll have a different attitude towards this franchise for the next Smash game.