WARNING! WALL OF TEXT APPROACHING!!
This is a long read, I'm sorry, but it is a REALISTIC ROSTER based on my research of Smash Bros., Sakurai, and Nintendo game franchises. PLEASE at least read the two paragraphs below and the Roster, then further direction will be given.
I've managed to piss off a lot of people here with my realistic thinking and my "What would Sakurai do?" theory. So now, I'm going to post that Roster and explain some elements of it to help you understand why I chose these people.
This IS NOT MY ROSTER, it is a Roster that I have come up with that seems most likely to be in an SSB4 game. You may disagree with a few elements, and thats fine. Go ahead and debate it but please don't be a [insert derogatory word here] about it. I've done plenty of research and I'm pretty confident with this roster, but I know many here will criticize it and be disappointed with it. Again, try to BE NICE please. Thank you.
SSB4 REALISTIC ROSTER
MARIO
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Bowser
Bowser Jr.
DONKEY KONG
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
Dixie Kong
LEGEND OF ZELDA
Link
Zelda/Shiek
Toon Link
Ganondorf
(New Legend of Zelda rep)
METROID
Samus/Zero Suit Samus
YOSHI
Yoshi
KIRBY
Kirby
Meta Knight
King Dedede
STARFOX
Fox
Falco
Wolf
Krystal
POKEMON
Pikachu
Jigglypuff
Pokemon Trainer
Lucario
(Next-generation Pokemon)
F-ZERO
Captain Falcon
EARTHBOUND (MOTHER)
Ness
Lucas
(New EarthBound/Mother rep)
FIRE EMBLEM
Marth
Ike
(New/Next-generation Fire Emblem rep)
WARIOWARE
Wario
PIKMIN
Olimar
RETRO/THIRD PARTY/OTHER
Ice Climbers (Ice Climber)
Pit (Kid Icarus)
R.O.B. (Gyromite)
Mr. Game & Watch (Game & Watch)
Sonic (Sonic)
Snake (Metal Gear)
(New Series rep)
*The following list is a list of characters that have a good chance of making it into the game, but are also very debatable. These characters are the ones that will most likely be scrapped or cut if not playable.
POSSIBLE SCRAPPED CHARACTERS
Toad
(New Metroid rep)
Samurai Goroh
(New EarthBound/Mother rep)
(New series rep)
(New series rep)
Megaman
YOU CAN SKIP THE NEXT PART, BUT IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE OR WANT TO DEBATE ANY OF THE NEWCOMERS, LOOK FOR THEIR NAMES BELOW FOR EXPLANATIONS!
BOWSER JR.
Why Bowser Jr.? Bowser Jr. is constantly appearing in every Mario Title since Super Mario Sunshine, and he has been seen fighting in each, an attribute of Smash Bros. Plus, he is popular and a very recurring character with vital in-game roles. Some may argue Toad is more deserving; read below in the Toad section.
DIXIE KONG
I am extremely positive that Dixie Kong is the next DK rep to make an appearance. Sakurai has shown interest in adding her, he has considered her for two game so far. She didn't get in because there were more deserving characters to fill the roster, but I'm sure there will be room in the next game.
(NEW LEGEND OF ZELDA REP)
This is difficult and very debatable, as there are quite a few deserving characters. The first on my list is Toon Zelda, because, like Dixie, Sakurai has had his eye on her and has obviously wanted here playable. The other candidates include Vaati (a popular Toon rep), Tingle (I honestly don't agree), and Skull Kid (although he is a bit out of date). Also, Wolf Link and Midna just doesn't seem like a realistic possibility. Sorry guys.
KRYSTAL
Krystal is the perfect choice for a new Starfox rep. You really can't debate that much, she is the most popular of the Starfox characters not represented in Smash and she is very deserving as well. I was acually a bit surprised she didn't appear in Brawl, same for Bowser Jr.
(NEXT-GENERATION POKEMON)
Pretty obvious and self explanatory. It is almost certain that there will be a next-gen Pokemon in SSB4, obviously a rare or legendary Pokemon. This is another one you really can't debate much.
(NEW EARTHBOUND/MOTHER REP)
The reason I say Earthbound/Mother is because this character could be from either Mother, EarthBound (Mother 2), or Mother 3. Anyway, the series may be dead, but it has a dedicated fanbase, the most dedicated I've ever seen in fact. Plus the games were big hits back in the day. Mother deserves another rep. I would go with the first choice as Jeff, because he is known around the world for Earthbound rather than Japan only Mother and Mother 3. Plus, he represents the non-PSI players. Then, if Sakurai decided to give more rep to the original Mother, Ninten would obviusly take this spot. And finally, either Claus, Kumatora, or Flint from Mother 3.
(NEW/NEXT-GENERATION FIRE EMBLEM REP)
Fire Emblem s a diverse game, and is gaining popularity around the world. The series obviously won't stop soon, so by the time SSB4 might be out, there will probably be a new generation of Fire Emblem reps. If Sakurai decides to stay with the present, we'll get a popular, worthy character from Ike's generation, like Lyn, or maybe a magic person. But I'm almost positive we'll see a new Fire Emblem rep.
(NEW SERIES REP)
SSB4 should have at least ONE new series represented with a character. The most popular, diverse, and familiar series not represented in Brawl by a character include some like these: Custom Robo, Advanced Wars, Golden Sun, and Chibi-Robo. But there is one more, and it would also represent a new Retro character for the series: Balloon Fighter. I'm gonna branch off a bit to talk about the Balloon Fighter:
When Melee was being made, there was a debate between three retro characters and which one should be represented in the game. They were Ice Climbers, Pit, and Balloon Fighter. Ice Climber won and got in Melee, the runner up was put in Brawl (Pit), so guess who would be the Retro character for SSB4?That's why I think the Balloon fighter would be a good choice for a new series rep.
*Now I'm going to discuss the Possible Cut characters and why they are deserving, but what holds them back.
TOAD
Some may argue that Toad is more deserving than Bowser Jr., and they may be right. After all, Toad has been with Mario since the beginning, constantly appears with vital roles in Mario spinoff titles, and is being represented in slightly bigger roles in the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2. But, Toad and Bowser Jr. and both tied in terms of worthiness, Bowser Jr. just seems a bit more popular and is seen actually fighting more. Plus, those who don't like Toad really hate him, and that kind of weighs down the popularity factor.
(NEW METROID REP)
This is one of the most debated probably due to Ridley, and thats why I left it out. Sakurai could do anything with this one. However (don't freak out please) I'm pretty sure Sakurai will keep Ridley in his famous and fitting "Boss" position. The next candidate being Dark Samus, but some argue that Dark Samus is already dead and therefore, can't appear playable. That leaves a tough knot in the Metroid series, so I don't know what Sakurai will do with this one.
SAMURAI GOROH
F-Zero hasn't had a new rep since SSB64 (I know, neither has Yoshi, but F-Zero is far more diverse than Yoshi). It is very deserving, despite it being near dead. It was very popular back in the day and still is quite popular. The only tough spot is movesets. The movesets usually have nothing to do with the game. Why I chose Samurai is because he is popular and familar, Sakurai has obviously been paying attention to him. He appears in the Melee intro and he is an Assist Trophy, he seems most likely in Sakurai's mind. But with the "dead series" factor and the lack of moveset, I don't know what to think.
(NEW EARTHBOUND/MOTHER REP)
Once again, this could happen. Two new EarthBound/Mother reps seem likely to balance things out. For example: Ness and Jeff = Earthbound reps, Lucas and Claus/Kumatora/Flint = Mother 3 reps. With Ness, Lucas, Jeff, and Flint, there would be a PSI and non PSI Earthbound rep, and same with Lucas and Flint but for Mother 3. However, being a dead series, it doesn't seem likely that Mother would get 2 more reps while more popular ones would only recieve one.
(NEW SERIES REP)
I stated the four most likely series above. Any of these series, most likely Custom Robo or Advanced Wars, could make an appearance. The others would probably be represented in stages or something.
MEGA MAN
Oh no! Third Party! Sakurai obviously wants to focus on mainstream titles more than Third Party titles, in fact he considers them "guest appearances", so don't expect more than 1 rep per Third Party franchise. It is very likely that another Third Party rep will appear in the next SSB. That is, without a doubt, Mega Man. Sakurai has to have noticed the extreme popularity of Mega Man, and he is deserving too, with his vast majority of popular and familiar games. The creator of Mega Man also stated he would be very willing to alow Mega Man in he game if Sakurai only asked. Seeing all the hype, Sakurai may have to do just that for SSB4. But, we know Sakurai isn't too fond of going overboard with Third Party, so he may want to draw the line at Sonic and Snake, but you never know.
*Now I will make a few points that may concern some people...
WHY NOT TOAD AND BOWSER JR.?
I didn't include them both, because, if you haven't noticed, Sakurai tries to limit the size of each franchise. In Brawl the limit was four, which was what caused much of the cuts.
For example: Dr. Mario = cut to reduce the size of the Mario franchise to four, and most unpopular Mario character.
Pichu and Mewtwo = Cut to allow room for the Pokemon Trainer (more deserving than Pichu) and to amke room for a next-generation rep (Lucario rplacing Mewtwo).
Young Link = cut to allow room for Toon Link, who is slowly gaining popularity, while Young Link is out of date.
Anyway, the next game will most likely increase the size to 5 per series, so you can't have both Toad and Bowser Jr.
WHY NO NEW WARIOWARE OR PIKMIN REPS?
First of all, Pikmin honestly doesn't need another rep. Its not that popluar, its fine with one. WarioWare is a newer series, and although it is very popular, it isn't as popular as most of the other franchises in the game. Metroid, Kirby, and Donkey Kong are WAY more popular than WarioWare and they didn't receive more reps until Brawl (counting ZSS). F-Zero and Yoshi still remain without a new rep. WarioWare doesn't need a new rep for a while.
This means that there would be around 8 newcomers (not so great, I know, but its realistic), not including the scrapped ones. But Sakurai said himself that in a sequel to Brawl, he doesn't think that adding much characters will do much, so we shouldn't expect to much. But, if you add the scrapped characters, we'll have 8-15.
I guess that wraps it up, sorry for the long read! Remember, PLEASE DON"T BE MEAN ABOUT IT, but feel free to debate. I may change something up there, but the chances of that are slim. I've been working on this roster for a while. Anyway, DISCUSS!
