Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[fogbadge]

But Inklings and Octolings are functionally identical in Splatoon. It also doesn't help that they look way too similar.

which is why my brain is hard wired to think of them as echoes

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Does anyone else feel like Tom Nook might suffer a severe case of Toad-itis, even worse than Toad himself?
On paper he's a no brainer, every Nintendo fan at least knows him and he's actually been fairly requested for a long time (longer than Villager himself, I think).
But on the other hand he's been part of another character's moveset since forever, and it's difficult to envision a way to make him truly unique. A third derivative of Villager doesn't sound all that exciting, and how do you even make him a fully original character?
"Throwing furniture" is often suggested but it's not a particularly strong concept in my opinion.
I think he could get a fun gimmick where Coin Smash comes back just for one character? Like, he gains coins (and strenght) every time he hits you and loses coins every time he gets hit. He'd turn out kinda like a reverse Lucario.
But how do you fill up all his A moves?

It's an issue with all of Animal Crossing, the series is big enough to get more characters but it's hard to figure out how they'd play, and you'd risk diluting Villager too much if they all end up sharing Pocket, the slingshot and Balloon Fight.

If it was up to me, I'd go with KK Slider and pull a Captain Falcon, improvising a moveset centered around music that's mostly independent from Animal Crossing itself.

 

[superprincess]

which is why my brain is hard wired to think of them as echoes

Same, although even thinking of them as echoes is optimistic. They could very well end up as alternate costumes to work around the ink color problem.

 

[fogbadge]

Same, although even thinking of them as echoes is optimistic. They could very well end up as alternate costumes to work around the ink color problem.

While I do think there’s a chance they’ll just be costumes it is worth noting that splatoon has loads of colours of ink so there’s no problem there

 

[Perkilator]

While the Octolings as fighters would obviously use Inkling as a skeleton to make animating them easier, they can still be a unique fighter in their own right. Delzethin's video on the Octolings provides a pretty good take on making them unique.

 

[ninjahmos]

Should the series still have Battlefield and Omega (Final Destination) forms for every stage going forward?

 

[fogbadge]

While the Octolings as fighters would obviously use Inkling as a skeleton to make animating them easier, they can still be a unique fighter in their own right. Delzethin's video on the Octolings provides a pretty good take on making them unique.

I don’t think anyone is saying they can’t be unique more we don’t think they’ll be unique

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

I think the Octolings would get in as an Echo fighter only if Splatoon gets a different newcomer and they're thrown in as as quick extra.
If no one else gets chosen over them, they get in as a unique character (for unique I mean a numbered fighter in Ultimate, including clones).

 

[Noipoi]

Octolings would probably be an echo, let's be real.

Agent 8 on the other hand...

 

[Louie G.]

But Inklings and Octolings are functionally identical in Splatoon. It also doesn't help that they look way too similar.

This is where I'm at too, and why I've been humoring other Splatoon characters on the side. Octolings could easily be unique, using a wider variety of weapons introduced in later games. I mean, you could have made like three different movesets for Inkling in Ultimate just off Splatoon 1 material. If they give us a unique Octoling, I'd be satisfied with that. On the other hand is the precedent Smash has already set for itself. Inklings and Octolings are functionally identical, and visually extremely similar to the point that an alternate costume is a legitimate possibility. You could do a lot of things with them, but will they? I don't personally believe so, or at least if they do they will still remain closely tied to Inkling's core moveset as a derivative semiclone.

It may sound a bit silly, but Smash likes to maintain some clear visual language to its players. It's the same reason someone like Dark Pit or Lucina will probably never break out, even if they have the potential to do so. Octoling is a necessary addition to next game in some form or another, but I personally am not convinced that Sakurai would feel compelled to make them any more than an alternate option for Inkling as an echo or costume. However, I do think Splatoon is ripe for the picking and warrants more than a simple clone job, so I hope his eyes will wander elsewhere too.

Does anyone else feel like Tom Nook might suffer a severe case of Toad-itis, even worse than Toad himself?
On paper he's a no brainer, every Nintendo fan at least knows him and he's actually been fairly requested for a long time (longer than Villager himself, I think).
But on the other hand he's been part of another character's moveset since forever, and it's difficult to envision a way to make him truly unique. A third derivative of Villager doesn't sound all that exciting, and how do you even make him a fully original character?

I definitely understand this concern, 100%, although I'm going to give it one more game to decide. If Tom Nook is not playable next game, after the massive success of New Horizons, and especially if he is passed over in favor of another character like KK Slider... yeah, he's Toad-ed. Sakurai would likely just not be interested in the character. But Animal Crossing has been building steadily from game to game and Tom Nook is, on paper, the next place to go. I don't think it'd be that hard to rework the final smash, maybe having townsfolk and Lloid come in to assist with the building instead. For now, that's where my mind is at until I have a good reason to think otherwise.

So then, moveset. At worst, Tom Nook would be about as derivative as Wolf. I see an outlet for him that retools elements of Villager's moveset, like Pocket and the Tree, and gives a spin on it centered around this prospected money gimmick. When he pockets a projectile, it gives him bells. He can invest the bells by planting them and doubling his income with a money tree. That's one way to look at it, and I think that serves as a nice spin on it. And he's a pudgy little guy, he's probably a bit on the slow and heavy side, which may allow him to be more physical than the other two. Nook's greatest strength is that his personality is very defined, and a lot different than what we have represented right now. With how Sakurai valued Isabelle's personality and built her virtually from scratch to accommodate that, I think this is an important priority for Animal Crossing characters in Smash.

At best, there's still plenty of places to go. The bells gimmick is definitely where my mind goes first and I suspect it could be fun to have him swing around some moneybags. Nook is also a bit more stuffy than the likes of Villager and Isabelle, so I don't see him being as carefree or using a slingshot. I'd give him more of a country club or tourist-y element to his moves... a golf club, a camera flash, maybe the vaulting pole from New Horizons?

Speaking of physicality, Nook has something the others don't. He's got a raccoon tail, and perhaps by proxy a good opportunity to make cheeky Mario 3 references. Him being a tanooki allows us to fill a number of his normal attacks up with tail swipes and wiggles, which means he's doing a bit more brawling than his friends - maybe even letting him float a bit if Nintendo allows Sakurai to take some silly liberties. The furniture is not my go-to, but he is often playing the shopkeep role so that's at least an option - I do quite like the idea of him pulling out a statue and plummeting down to the stage, to sort of parody the tanooki ability to turn into stone. And I don't love resorting to summoner-type moves, but the Nooklings are attached to him at the hip and can certainly serve well to come in and grab opponents for him or swing out for some smash attacks. I'd honestly go as far to say that Tom Nook, on his own, has the most distinct potential out of any AC cast member.

That said, again, I understand the concern. And I think KK Slider would rock, no pun intended. I'm content with his current role as a Saturday night cameo appearance, it serves the character really well and is such a cute reference to the series, but god I'm hungry for a musician character by now.

 

[CannonStreak]

Is it wrong that I want K.K. Slider before Tom Nook, even though I know the latter will get in first before the former?

 

[Louie G.]

Is it wrong that I want K.K. Slider before Tom Nook, even though I know the latter will get in first before the former?

It's never wrong to want one character more than another character, that's a matter of personal taste and you're entitled to want anything you like.

I can't blame anyone for wanting KK Slider over Tom Nook, since the former's potential is a lot more easily understood and the latter is a bit more abstract and it's easier to imagine him playing similarly to Villager. As I laid out above, I don't really agree with that judgement of Nook but I understand where it comes from. KK Slider is just cool as hell, he gives us a well needed musical moveset and he'd whack you over the head with a guitar like El Kabong. What's not to like?

 

[fogbadge]

Is it wrong that I want K.K. Slider before Tom Nook, even though I know the latter will get in first before the former?

trust me there's no such thing as one will get in first

 

[CannonStreak]

It's never wrong to want one character more than another character, that's a matter of personal taste and you're entitled to want anything you like.

I can't blame anyone for wanting KK Slider over Tom Nook, since the former's potential is a lot more easily understood and the latter is a bit more abstract and it's easier to imagine him playing similarly to Villager. As I laid out above, I don't really agree with that judgement of Nook but I understand where it comes from. KK Slider is just cool as hell, he gives us a well needed musical moveset and he'd whack you over the head with a guitar like El Kabong. What's not to like?

Thanks for understanding.

Not only is K.K. Slider’s potential more understood, but he just seems cooler in my opinion.

 

[Golden Icarus]

I don't know. Expecting Octolings as an echo feels so Ultimate-brained. Yeah of course they can be an echo, but echoes are almost exclusively reserved for lower priority characters that they wouldn't bother adding any other way. And in specific cases where we would get both an echo and unique character for a series, it was always the less important character who was echoed. Palutena was the break out star of Uprising, Dark Pit was a minor villain and easy echo. Ridley was a huge fan request and central to the Metroid series, while Dark Samus was a smaller fan request, a more minor villain and an easy echo. Octoling is an easy echo, but that's on top of being the next most important character in Splatoon.

Looking at Splatoon, it's really strange to not want to just add a character as a vessel for more costumes and unique weapons. That's what Splatoon is. It's Nintendo's one franchise that focuses less so on unique characters and single player adventures, but instead fixates on online multiplayer where all the cool weapons and costumes are the main draw. The average Splatoon player would be much more excited to play with a new character that utilizes all these different weapons, rather than a boss character that they might have never even seen because of how secondary the single player is.

 

[kirbstr]

I agree with you, but I think the biggest hurdle is simply: how would they work? Do you make them a duo character, or do you choose one, and if so, who do you choose? And if you choose the duo path, how would that even work? Ice climbers style or switch characters style? And if you go with the latter, do they have both similar gameplay like Pya Mythra, or you do double the amount of work Pokémon trainer style?

I think another overlooked Splatoon newcomers is DJ Octavio. I think he's often overlooked because people are so focused on Octoling right now, and I do agree that they're very likely to the point that I would argue they're the closest thing to a "lock" the next Smash have, but DJ Octavio have a lot going for him too. He's very unique design wise, and he's one of the few Splatoon characters to have a pretty big roles in all three game.

I don't see why you couldn't have them be the same character with no switch mechanic, but you still choose which you want to play on the CSS similar to Pythra. Then maybe the one you don't pick can stand in the background and sing or something. Also I don't see Octavio as a possibility considering there are just other more popular and relevant characters to include from the Splatoon single player modes first. The Idols and Octolings mainly.

A third Splatoon character sounds cool, but I'll be hella disappointed if it was at the cost of a half-assed Octoling. You can build an entire moveset out of the dualies or the tri-stinger alone and that still leaves the splat brella, charger and splatling at their disposal. Octoling can still share the ink mechanic and have similar stats to Inkling, but this is easily one of the most important characters Nintendo has left to add. They should absolutely prioritize making Octolings into a fully fledged unique newcomer before just about anything.

They could do all of this for the Squid Sisters and still include Octoling as mostly an echo fighter. Maybe change the down B from the splat bomb to the sticky bomb, the side smash to the Octobrush, and their final smash to the inkjet.

If they were to make Octoling their own unique fighter I'd hope they pulled from stuff in the different modes more than just using different weapons. Rainmaker, Rails, jump pads, ect

If every Splatoon character is going to use the same mechanic and concept, it makes me want them less. This is a character who I feel like you’d need more of a unique gameplay hook in mind for to feel inclined to add in the first place. If you’re adding idol characters, you’d want to take advantage of that identity sooner than you would use them to stack on whatever weapons the Inklings aren’t using. At least in my opinion.

Ink is kind of what makes splatoon... splatoon. You know? I would expect every splatoon character to use ink in SOME way. Similar to how every animal crossing character will probably use pocket in some way, how almost every fire emblem character uses counter in some way. It's just what the series is about. Also, just because they would also use the Ink mechanic doesn't mean they can't have a different take on it. Maybe instead of slowly inking the opponent they get stronger or faster overall as more of the stage is covered in Ink or something.

 

[CannonStreak]

trust me there's no such thing as one will get in first

I know. I just think Tom Nook is more recognized, maybe more popular than KK Slider, so I just think fans will want him more before they ask for KK Slider. It was not a roster picking done by Sakurai thing.

 

[ninjahmos]

Does Sakurai even pick the roster, or is it mostly Nintendo?

 

[Louie G.]

Ink is kind of what makes splatoon... splatoon. You know? I would expect every splatoon character to use ink in SOME way. Similar to how every animal crossing character will probably use pocket in some way, how almost every fire emblem character uses counter in some way. It's just what the series is about. Also, just because they would also use the Ink mechanic doesn't mean they can't have a different take on it. Maybe instead of slowly inking the opponent they get stronger or faster overall as more of the stage is covered in Ink or something.

Yeah, what I meant is that we don't need them to have specifically Inkling's resource and stage coverage gimmick.

Sure, most of these characters will have ink related attacks or visual effects. But with some of them, they can simply splatter and immediately fade away instead of sticking to an opponent and allowing the character to deal more damage. If all of them just do that, and need to refuel etc etc, I feel like there's no point in expanding on the series any further. By extension, it also just makes Inkling a lot less fun and interesting on their own. So what I meant is that I think we'd be limiting the series' potential a bit by giving them all effectively the same gimmick, but certainly the ink effect can manifest in different ways.

Granted, I would expect Octoling to utilize this about the same way. But there's no reason for DJ Octavio, Squid Sisters, Off the Hook to feel chained to it.

Does Sakurai even pick the roster, or is it mostly Nintendo?

Sakurai chooses the base roster, and Nintendo selected Ultimate's DLC passes. Perhaps he is swayed by Nintendo for a few base roster choices, or he is able to convince Nintendo of a few DLC choices, but these two facts have been well documented by now.

 

[CannonStreak]

Does Sakurai even pick the roster, or is it mostly Nintendo?

I think Nintendo did some kind of choosing for Ultimate’s DLC. Dunno about in general, though.

 

[Louie G.]

The average Splatoon player would be much more excited to play with a new character that utilizes all these different weapons, rather than a boss character that they might have never even seen because of how secondary the single player is.

I get what you mean, but on the flipside I believe most Splatoon fans would be over the moon to play as the idols. They're going to be familiar to anyone who has played the game, and all of the idol groups are massively popular. Smash being a vessel to realize these characters in a new way and control them for the first time would probably be very exciting to most people.

Not quite the same thing, but part of the appeal of playing someone like Ridley was because Smash was the first time I was ever given the ability to do so. Not denying the appeal or potential of Octolings, but I think both of these outlets would be exciting for Splatoon fans. I suppose the point about DJ Octavio is valid enough, but I wanted to throw Squid Sisters / Off the Hook into this equation because I think their case, from this angle, is very strong.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

I definitely understand this concern, 100%, although I'm going to give it one more game to decide. If Tom Nook is not playable next game, after the massive success of New Horizons, and especially if he is passed over in favor of another character like KK Slider... yeah, he's Toad-ed. Sakurai would likely just not be interested in the character. But Animal Crossing has been building steadily from game to game and Tom Nook is, on paper, the next place to go. I don't think it'd be that hard to rework the final smash, maybe having townsfolk and Lloid come in to assist with the building instead. For now, that's where my mind is at until I have a good reason to think otherwise.

So then, moveset. At worst, Tom Nook would be about as derivative as Wolf. I see an outlet for him that retools elements of Villager's moveset, like Pocket and the Tree, and gives a spin on it centered around this prospected money gimmick. When he pockets a projectile, it gives him bells. He can invest the bells by planting them and doubling his income with a money tree. That's one way to look at it, and I think that serves as a nice spin on it. And he's a pudgy little guy, he's probably a bit on the slow and heavy side, which may allow him to be more physical than the other two. Nook's greatest strength is that his personality is very defined, and a lot different than what we have represented right now. With how Sakurai valued Isabelle's personality and built her virtually from scratch to accommodate that, I think this is an important priority for Animal Crossing characters in Smash.

At best, there's still plenty of places to go. The bells gimmick is definitely where my mind goes first and I suspect it could be fun to have him swing around some moneybags. Nook is also a bit more stuffy than the likes of Villager and Isabelle, so I don't see him being as carefree or using a slingshot. I'd give him more of a country club or tourist-y element to his moves... a golf club, a camera flash, maybe the vaulting pole from New Horizons?

Speaking of physicality, Nook has something the others don't. He's got a raccoon tail, and perhaps by proxy a good opportunity to make cheeky Mario 3 references. Him being a tanooki allows us to fill a number of his normal attacks up with tail swipes and wiggles, which means he's doing a bit more brawling than his friends - maybe even letting him float a bit if Nintendo allows Sakurai to take some silly liberties. The furniture is not my go-to, but he is often playing the shopkeep role so that's at least an option - I do quite like the idea of him pulling out a statue and plummeting down to the stage, to sort of parody the tanooki ability to turn into stone. And I don't love resorting to summoner-type moves, but the Nooklings are attached to him at the hip and can certainly serve well to come in and grab opponents for him or swing out for some smash attacks. I'd honestly go as far to say that Tom Nook, on his own, has the most distinct potential out of any AC cast member.

Those are some cool ideas, especially the investing money thing. There's not much stuff quite like that in the game.
I was also thinking about giving him some stuff from Mario 3, his up B in particular could be the fully powered jump + float complete with the iconic pose, since Villager already references a different series for his up B anyways...

Welp. He could be fun, if Sakurai is on a similar wavelenght.

 

[fogbadge]

I know. I just think Tom Nook is more recognized, maybe more popular than KK Slider, so I just think fans will want him more before they ask for KK Slider. It was not a roster picking done by Sakurai thing.

well K.K. is still pretty big so you never know

 

[CannonStreak]

well K.K. is still pretty big so you never know

Thanks, man.

I just would love to play as him. I can imagine he’d be fun!

 

[Golden Icarus]

I definitely understand this concern, 100%, although I'm going to give it one more game to decide. If Tom Nook is not playable next game, after the massive success of New Horizons, and especially if he is passed over in favor of another character like KK Slider... yeah, he's Toad-ed. Sakurai would likely just not be interested in the character. But Animal Crossing has been building steadily from game to game and Tom Nook is, on paper, the next place to go. I don't think it'd be that hard to rework the final smash, maybe having townsfolk and Lloid come in to assist with the building instead. For now, that's where my mind is at until I have a good reason to think otherwise.

So then, moveset. At worst, Tom Nook would be about as derivative as Wolf. I see an outlet for him that retools elements of Villager's moveset, like Pocket and the Tree, and gives a spin on it centered around this prospected money gimmick. When he pockets a projectile, it gives him bells. He can invest the bells by planting them and doubling his income with a money tree. That's one way to look at it, and I think that serves as a nice spin on it. And he's a pudgy little guy, he's probably a bit on the slow and heavy side, which may allow him to be more physical than the other two. Nook's greatest strength is that his personality is very defined, and a lot different than what we have represented right now. With how Sakurai valued Isabelle's personality and built her virtually from scratch to accommodate that, I think this is an important priority for Animal Crossing characters in Smash.

At best, there's still plenty of places to go. The bells gimmick is definitely where my mind goes first and I suspect it could be fun to have him swing around some moneybags. Nook is also a bit more stuffy than the likes of Villager and Isabelle, so I don't see him being as carefree or using a slingshot. I'd give him more of a country club or tourist-y element to his moves... a golf club, a camera flash, maybe the vaulting pole from New Horizons?

Speaking of physicality, Nook has something the others don't. He's got a raccoon tail, and perhaps by proxy a good opportunity to make cheeky Mario 3 references. Him being a tanooki allows us to fill a number of his normal attacks up with tail swipes and wiggles, which means he's doing a bit more brawling than his friends - maybe even letting him float a bit if Nintendo allows Sakurai to take some silly liberties. The furniture is not my go-to, but he is often playing the shopkeep role so that's at least an option - I do quite like the idea of him pulling out a statue and plummeting down to the stage, to sort of parody the tanooki ability to turn into stone. And I don't love resorting to summoner-type moves, but the Nooklings are attached to him at the hip and can certainly serve well to come in and grab opponents for him or swing out for some smash attacks. I'd honestly go as far to say that Tom Nook, on his own, has the most distinct potential out of any AC cast member.

That said, again, I understand the concern. And I think KK Slider would rock, no pun intended. I'm content with his current role as a Saturday night cameo appearance, it serves the character really well and is such a cute reference to the series, but god I'm hungry for a musician character by now.

Okay okay I hear you. I'm getting closer and closer to being a Tom Nook believer.

Not quite the same thing, but part of the appeal of playing someone like Ridley was because Smash was the first time I was ever given the ability to do so.

Yeah exactly that's why we need more villains...like Raven Beak.

But I see your point about the idols. That seems like a decently smart direction to go and I'm sure Splatoon fans would eat it up, but I just can't get behind the idea of getting them before Octolings. There's still so many places to go with Splatoon's different weapons and I'd rather them just explore that route for now.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I don't know. Expecting Octolings as an echo feels so Ultimate-brained. Yeah of course they can be an echo, but echoes are almost exclusively reserved for lower priority characters that they wouldn't bother adding any other way. And in specific cases where we would get both an echo and unique character for a series, it was always the less important character who was echoed. Palutena was the break out star of Uprising, Dark Pit was a minor villain and easy echo. Ridley was a huge fan request and central to the Metroid series, while Dark Samus was a smaller fan request, a more minor villain and an easy echo. Octoling is an easy echo, but that's on top of being the next most important character in Splatoon.

Looking at Splatoon, it's really strange to not want to just add a character as a vessel for more costumes and unique weapons. That's what Splatoon is. It's Nintendo's one franchise that focuses less so on unique characters and single player adventures, but instead fixates on online multiplayer where all the cool weapons and costumes are the main draw. The average Splatoon player would be much more excited to play with a new character that utilizes all these different weapons, rather than a boss character that they might have never even seen because of how secondary the single player is.

But Ken is also Street Fighter's second most iconic character, and he's an Echo. With the most uniqueness going on however. So does that hold water? I think with Echoes, the more the merrier. Especially if the next Smash game is gonna have a drastic decrease in characters.

I mean clones have been a thing since forever. Melee had them, Brawl had lots of semi clones which where overall very well received, Smash 4 had the concept of Echo Fighters set out already with Lucina and Dark Pit, and of course Ultimate.

There's a lot of cool potential characters with them. And I actually hope they can get more unique. Say to a Dr.Mario level at the very least. Or the other Melee clones. Would make things way more interesting.

I mean, take Dixie and Funky Kong for example. Few pages ago it was a big deal about whether they should be unique or not. And I think they should be. But if they'd have their own "feel" and personality to them as Echoes, am for it. Dixie with a different Up B, dash attack, unique grab mechanic with her hair (possibly borrowed from DK even) , more floaty, little slower and other small stat changes like the Melee clones comes a lot closer to the real deal. And I'd take a "Echo" Dixie Kong like that over no Dixie. Funky has way more in common with DK , so just change around his animations and make him groove and have a surfing Up B and he's solid. Almost.

Now Octolings have more in common with Inklings than the above mentioned Kongs with their Kong counter parts. Thinking Echoes or clones will function exactly the same as Ultimate is kinda Ultimate-brained to me in this case.

Also again I wanna mention, clone versions of Dixie are only allowed if we get another DKC newcomer along with her. And I can picture that. I want Cranky, Dixie AND Funky in. And I'll make this compromise if I have to cause in the end I already love playing as Diddy and DK so that's a win still.

 

[CannonStreak]

But Ken is also Street Fighter's second most iconic character, and he's an Echo. With the most uniqueness going on however. So does that hold water? I think with Echoes, the more the merrier. Especially if the next Smash game is gonna have a drastic decrease in characters.

I mean clones have been a thing since forever. Melee had them, Brawl had lots of semi clones which where overall very well received, Smash 4 had the concept of Echo Fighters set out already with Lucina and Dark Pit, and of course Ultimate.

There's a lot of cool potential characters with them. And I actually hope they can get more unique. Say to a Dr.Mario level at the very least. Or the other Melee clones. Would make things way more interesting.

I mean, take Dixie and Funky Kong for example. Few pages ago it was a big deal about whether they should be unique or not. And I think they should be. But if they'd have their own "feel" and personality to them as Echoes, am for it. Dixie with a different Up B, dash attack, unique grab mechanic with her hair (possibly borrowed from DK even) , more floaty, little slower and other small stat changes like the Melee clones comes a lot closer to the real deal. And I'd take a "Echo" Dixie Kong like that over no Dixie. Funky has way more in common with DK , so just change around his animations and make him groove and have a surfing Up B and he's solid. Almost.

Now Octolings have more in common with Inklings than the above mentioned Kongs with their Kong counter parts. Thinking Echoes or clones will function exactly the same as Ultimate is kinda Ultimate-brained to me in this case.

Also again I wanna mention, clone versions of Dixie are only allowed if we get another DKC newcomer along with her. And I can picture that. I want Cranky, Dixie AND Funky in. And I'll make this compromise if I have to cause in the end I already love playing as Diddy and DK so that's a win still.

Just had a thought based on this: Why not make Octoling a Ken-like Inkling echo with some differences?

…What? It’s the best of both words for the echo and unique fighter camp, is it not?

 

[Schnee117]

Depending on the base newcomer count, Splatoon could feasibly get two unique additions or a semi clone and a fully unique fighter, I'd say it's that big of a franchise for Nintendo that it certainly warrants that idea being entertained. You can have your cake and eat it with getting Octolings that show off more of Splatoon's arsenal and getting someone else without being bottlenecked by the former.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Bringing up an older villain... Skull Kid.
There's not much that hasn't been already said about this character, but I've noticed something interesting in the main Zelda subreddit, which is: Botw and TotK are the most talked about games, of course, but Majora's Mask is a not so distant third. From what I've seen, it gets as much talk as the other older Zeldas combined. Theories, advices, fan art and easter eggs are still shared like the game isn't more than 20 years old and even relatively small. WTF.
I know the Zelda subreddit is a relatively niche audience, but this speaks to the game's staying power.

I'm sure that Nintendo would prioritize a character from the newer Zeldas, but I feel like Skull Kid/Majora would also kinda be a slam dunk.

 

[TheQuester]

Should the series still have Battlefield and Omega (Final Destination) forms for every stage going forward?

Yeah, i think it's going to be a staple of the series going foward, no real reason to remove the feature, i'm not sure about Stage Morphs, though.

Also, not really related, but i think Smash 6 will have mostly new stages and will have plenty of new items and new assist trophies and pokeballs.

Depending on the base newcomer count, Splatoon could feasibly get two unique additions or a semi clone and a fully unique fighter, I'd say it's that big of a franchise for Nintendo that it certainly warrants that idea being entertained. You can have your cake and eat it with getting Octolings that show off more of Splatoon's arsenal and getting someone else without being bottlenecked by the former.

This, also.
If Smash 6 has around 10-14 newcomers base game, i could see Splatoon getting two characters.
Also, I think i read somewhere that devolopment time equals to the amount of new characters added?
Brawl: 18 newcomers (3 of them semi-clones/derivative)
Smash 4: 17 newcomers base game (2 of them echoes)
Smash Ultimate: 10 newcomers base game (4 of them echoes) + 7 removed fighters returning
So i think it's not that unlikely we get around 13 newcomers next time around.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Majora's Mask rep?

Say no more.

 

[Noipoi]

Depending on the base newcomer count, Splatoon could feasibly get two unique additions or a semi clone and a fully unique fighter, I'd say it's that big of a franchise for Nintendo that it certainly warrants that idea being entertained. You can have your cake and eat it with getting Octolings that show off more of Splatoon's arsenal and getting someone else without being bottlenecked by the former.

Judd Time

 

[Golden Icarus]

Skull Kid has aged like fine wine in my opinion. The fact that we’re over two decades past the release of Majora’s Mask and he’s still one of the most iconic and popular characters in the fandom says a lot. If we’re getting another Zelda character in Ultimate, which ****ing please holy ****, then I actually might bet on him. No doubt he had a good showing on the ballot and while there’s much newer characters like Rauru and more “essential” ones like Impa, the sheer popularity and recognizability of Skull Kid is pretty nuts.

Also helps that the mask is probably the most iconic object in the entire series after the triforce.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

Tetra and Skull Kid have been my most wanted Zelda newcomers for years.

I wouldn't complain if we got one of the Champions/Sages from either BotW or TotK, either.

 

[Laniv]

Okay okay I hear you. I'm getting closer and closer to being a Tom Nook believer.

Yes, good... Join us. Refreshments are on the left.

Skull Kid has aged like fine wine in my opinion. The fact that we’re over two decades past the release of Majora’s Mask and he’s still one of the most iconic and popular characters in the fandom says a lot. If we’re getting another Zelda character in Ultimate, which *ing please holy *, then I actually might bet on him. No doubt he had a good showing on the ballot and while there’s much newer characters like Rauru and more “essential” ones like Impa, the sheer popularity and recognizability of Skull Kid is pretty nuts.

Also helps that the mask is probably the most iconic object in the entire series after the triforce.

On a related note, I am slowly being swayed to wanting Skull Kid

 

[DarthEnderX]

But they're all terrible recreations of what they're supposed to be and don't make good use of any of Mario Kart 8's native mechanics and have actively broken elements like half-pipes and horrible camera spots!

That's...not true at all? Tons of courses in the later waves have functioning half-pipes and newly added anti-grav and underwater sections. But, nice try I guess.

If Smash Ultimate got three Fighters Passes with six Challenger Packs each, which characters would you pick and why? For me:

You get to go back and redo the first 2 passes, and you'd keep Byleth?

I have a question - what is the weirdest reason you have for wanting a character in Smash?

OCDness over this image.

 

[Godzillathewonderdog]

My take when it comes to deciding if a character should be clone or not is that there should be a focus on adding unique characters who can’t realistically be a clone, and characters who can be a clone probably should. It would be cool if every fighter was unique, but that’s not realistic.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Skull Kid has aged like fine wine in my opinion. The fact that we’re over two decades past the release of Majora’s Mask and he’s still one of the most iconic and popular characters in the fandom says a lot. If we’re getting another Zelda character in Ultimate, which *ing please holy *, then I actually might bet on him. No doubt he had a good showing on the ballot and while there’s much newer characters like Rauru and more “essential” ones like Impa, the sheer popularity and recognizability of Skull Kid is pretty nuts.

Also helps that the mask is probably the most iconic object in the entire series after the triforce.

Now that I think about it, the Moon AT might have been influenced by the Ballot. It has to have been the most commonly requested final smash in that little suggestion box. I can't think of many other characters with such a no-brainer final smash.
But it's not the same thing without the HYYYAAAAAHAAAAHHHHAHHH :'(

 

[DarthEnderX]

Should the series still have Battlefield and Omega (Final Destination) forms for every stage going forward?

Sure. Why not?

Does Sakurai even pick the roster, or is it mostly Nintendo?

Sakurai walks into the Nintendo offices and lays a bunch of pictures out on their desk and asks them to pick the next Smash character. And when Nintendo reaches for a character, Sakurai narrows his eyes and goes "Are you SURE about that?" And then they move on to the next picture until they finally start reaching for the FE character. At which point Sakurai smiles and nods slightly.

 

[Noipoi]

Does Sakurai even pick the roster, or is it mostly Nintendo?

I think it’s somewhere on the middle?

There are characters like Terry who I think the man picked himself, but there are other characters like Corrin where the company made the suggestion. And he even was apprehensive about it.

If I ever find the guys who convinced him that Corrin was a good idea, words will be exchanged…