Gonna talk about Dark Pit for a bit, since quite a few people seem riled up about him.
This is the leaked image of him:
http://i.imgur.com/uK8qQX4.jpg
Take a close look at that image. Do you see the yellow, boomerang-like object on his image? It is under his right ear, and above the "DA" of his name. Additionally, take note of the purple coloration below the yellow boomerang-like object. Where am I going with this, you might ask? Well, the object appears to be in 3D, but it is not a part of the character's outfit.
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120508012547/kidicarus/images/f/fb/Darkpit_artnew.png
So if it is not a part of his outfit, it could be his weapon right? For those of you who have played KI:U, you might be aware of the main weapons that Dark Pit uses. The most commonly associated weapons with Dark Pit are the Silver Bow, the Dark Pit Staff, and the Ogre Club. Let's take a look at each of them, shall we?
Silver Bow
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120119205845/kidicarus/images/2/29/Nicw.PNG
http://media.archonia.com/images/samples/72/64/147264_s2.jpg
http://nendoroider.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Figma-Kid-Icarus-Uprising-Black-Pit.jpg
The Silver Bow is Dark Pit's version of Pit's Palutena Bow. This is his most used weapon in KI:U, and the reason why most people speculate the reason for his status of being a clone to Pit. However, there are two problems with this. One, the Silver Bow does not have any
yellow coloring in the design. And two, the
shape of the weapon does not match the boomerang-like object in the leaked picture. So then, the likelyhood of the object in the leaked picture being the Silver Bow is very unlikely. So if it's not the Silver Bow, then what about the next weapon most associated with him? Heck, it even has his name on it.
Dark Pit Staff
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/123/4/9/dark_pit_staff_by_isaac77598-d4yghdn.jpg
http://img.amiami.jp/images/product/review/124//FIG-IPN-5604_02.jpg
https://31.media.tumblr.com/5a2fa58c918c0a3378e7517dbab9aac2/tumblr_inline_mzxpfmbt0U1s9zi46.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2829/12562965194_9dd15d421e_z.jpg
Oddly enough, Dark Pit only used this weapon a single time in KI:U (in chapter 6), in comparison to the multiple times that he has used the Silver Bow. Regardless, this is one of the only two weapons in the game that
directly mentions Dark Pit himself (the other being the Ogre Club). Furthermore, you might notice two things right off the bat. One, the
yellow coloring of the wings and "head" of the weapon. And two, the
purple coloring of the rest of the weapon. Not to mention, the
shape on the wings sort of have a
boomerang-like appearance to them. Meaning that the weapon that Dark Pit is holding in the leaked picture is, most likely, the Dark Pit Staff.
Ogre Club
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120528154435/kidicarus/images/2/23/Ogre_Club.jpg
http://www.kidicaruswiki.org/images/f/f8/Ogre_Club.png
As cool as it looks, nothing about the leaked image looks like it would point towards this weapon. Plus, there aren't really any images online showing Dark Pit with the weapon. So, we'll skip this one. But the images are there for those who are curious.
Anyways, what does this mean in regards to Dark Pit being next to the other "clones" on the CSS? Is he still a clone? How much of he would be cloned from Pit himself, if his weapon isn't similar to the Palutena Bow? Why yes, there are elements in which he could still be a "clone", as I shall go over right now.
1) Walking/Running Speed
2) Weight
3) Amount of jumps/jump height
4) Similar attacks/specials/throws
Number 4 on the list is probably what quite a few people believe, and why they might have problems with Dark Pit. Under the premise of Dark Pit having the Silver Bow, many people would be lead to believe that
his entire moveset would be cloned from Pit. However, I do not believe that this is the case. Why? In the leaked image, Dark Pit is
not holding the Silver Bow, but rather the Dark Pit Staff. Sure, he could very well still have the Silver Bow, but consider this: All characters who have a main weapon (usually sword) are usually
holding that weapon in their picture. DeDeDe with his hammer, Link with his Master Sword and Hylian Shield, Robin with his/her Tomes and Levin Sword, and
Pit with his Palutena Bow. So, wouldn't it also make sense that the weapon that Dark Pit is holding, The Dark Pit Staff,
is his main weapon? Sure, he might have a few moves here and there that might be similar to Pit's (such as his specials), but otherwise I believe that his attacks are
completely different in comparison to Pit's. So he would be more akin to
Wolf in regards to his attacks. Special moves could still be almost identical to Pit's, though I really doubt his regular attacks would be the same with a completely different weapon.
In other words, he is not a clone of Pit in regards to (most) of his attacks. But rather, he is a clone of Pit due to
having similar weight, running speed, and jumping ability in comparison to Pit (And maybe specials as well). At least, that is what I believe, anyways. Having almost the same model also counts too. And that actually matters quite a lot. Why? Because Dark Pit, Dr. Mario, and Lucina are probably the ONLY characters on the roster that were
originally intended to be alternate costumes, hence their placement on the roster. And not DIRECTLY because they are "clones".
One last thing I would like to mention is that while Staffs are slower than Bows in KI:U, I don't think it might be the case here...probably. My reasoning behind this is Ike. Ike is very fast in Radiant Dawn, though he is slow in Brawl (and most likely Smash 4). So, Dark Pit could be slower than Pit, though they could also share the same speed as well. Who knows.
Anyways, I hope my post cleared some things up. Hope you enjoyed.
It's a simple two additions. If Sakurai really wanted his fans to be happy, he would put aside the time to add them.
