Queen of the Underworld: Medusa's Secret Hideout

[GoodShepperd]

Looking at this direct again, one thing I've noticed is that Nintendo is very aware of the fan speculation about the game. When Chrom and Dark Samus were revealed the announcer said "You may have seen them coming" so I'm guessing they new that fans had predicted them because of the Ike and Samus costumes in the demo. Then in the K Rool trailer, that fake out with Dedede is another nod to the fact that they clearly know how fans are thinking.

What I'm trying to get at is that Nintendo is being very deliberate with all of the content they put out ahead of the game. They knew that those costumes were a clue. They hid Robin's final smash because it would give away Chrom. I can't imagine that the total lack of Kid Icarus content shown is a coincidence so I feel like there's a good chance that Sakurai is up to something. I sure hope the Medusa head in the castlevania trailer and the whole "here are all the villains" thing before K Rool's reveal are more clues. At least it doesn't seem impossible right now.

 

[Deleted member]

Yeah, I feel very confident about Medusa more than ever. We're getting villains, and it seems like Echo Fighters will have their own quirks and aren't just carbon copies.

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

So let's recap:

-Villains, both playable and unplayable (that Dracula boss!)
-Interesting echos (Dark Samus animations, Chrom having a move from another character)
-Lack of KI content so far, despite being the easiest to get in Smash.

I really hope that this mean at least more content for KI, and hopefully Medusa!

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

So let's recap:

-Villains, both playable and unplayable (that Dracula boss!)
-Interesting echos (Dark Samus animations, Chrom having a move from another character)
-Lack of KI content so far, despite being the easiest to get in Smash.

I really hope that this mean at least more content for KI, and hopefully Medusa!

Yeah, I am now fully on board with Medusa with these reasons. More villains are good to have!

 

[Guybrush20X6]

So let's recap:

-Villains, both playable and unplayable (that Dracula boss!)
-Interesting echos (Dark Samus animations, Chrom having a move from another character)
-Lack of KI content so far, despite being the easiest to get in Smash.

I really hope that this mean at least more content for KI, and hopefully Medusa!

Not to mention, "series people complained about getting too many characters still getting characters" (You got your chance and with it you revamped the echo speculation. Good job, Chrom)

Though KI did get one bit of new content, the Staff item.

Given how all out they're going with Echos, I'd say Medusa's chances are better than ever. If she is in I'm betting 100% there'll be an official screenshot with her standing next to the Castlevania medusa.

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

Not to mention, "series people complained about getting too many characters still getting characters" (You got your chance and with it you revamped the echo speculation. Good job, Chrom)

Though KI did get one bit of new content, the Staff item.

Given how all out they're going with Echos, I'd say Medusa's chances are better than ever. If she is in I'm betting 100% there'll be an official screenshot with her standing next to the Castlevania medusa.

Oh yeah, I forgot the Insight Staff.

And also yeah, Fire Emblem getting content despite Sakurai acknowledged there's too many characters is a good thing for KI.

And final yeah, Medusa with Medusa would be a must. Bonus point if she have her real face alongside the CV Medusa.

 

[Gemini-Gene]

After seeing the direct I'm willing to bet Medusa will be another villain shown off by Sakurai in the future. On the good side of the possibility of Medusa being an Echo Fighter is that we now know that Echoes can also be semi clones, and even have few unique animations. So Medusa could end up as an Echo while still having a few staple moves that make Medusa the mythical character she is.

 

[Scipion3]

Well I dunno, I mean we've had 3 new villains in this Smash.. Is Sakurai really interested to add another one?

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

Well I dunno, I mean we've had 3 new villains in this Smash.. Is Sakurai really interested to add another one?

I really want to think that Sakurai is willing to add more of Kid Icarus, especially after adding more Fire Emblem despite the backlash of SSB4 DLCs.

 

[Luminario]

Well I dunno, I mean we've had 3 new villains in this Smash.. Is Sakurai really interested to add another one?

As an echo? Yeah I think it could happen. Echoes seem to be outside of the regular representation worries, especially with Chrom popping up after 6 FE reps as a pure sword user, so there's a possibility for one of Sakurai's own creations/updates to be easily added. We're not saying it's overly likely, but a possibility, and would round out the rivals in Smash pretty nicely.

 

[zferolie]

I have been wanted Medusa for awhile, and never understood why Hades got more love then her. She's a rare female villain in nintendo, and has a cool design.

While I would love her to be her own character, I think her being an Echo of Palutena is her best bet. Similar build, their attacks can be simular, just dark effect, and we know Sakurai is not against a series getting 2 Echos now. Plus with echos allowing to have 1 different move could help Medusa even more, like maybe she gets one of Palutena's old B moves from the last game, like instead of target reticale she gets Heavenly light, but its called Underworld light or something.

Heck, I could see them doing a funny Palutenia's guidance with them trying to call out Medusa as an echo and she argues back about her differences.

 

[GoodShepperd]

Ok I'm gonna post this here cuz this is the only thread I really post on and it has to do with Medusa at least partially:

I think there are hints at upcoming characters in the cinematics for Simon and K Rool. Yesterday Game explain posted this video on their youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9YPJ7dB2zY
It shows that in the beginning of the K Rool trailer cinematic there is a reference to rhythm heaven, here is a quick picture: https://imgur.com/3PVdt93

That got me thinking. Are there other hints in the cinematics? I head to the end of the K Rool trailer and....https://imgur.com/jtgGgNk
a big fat Golden Sun

Then I went over to the Simon Belmont trailer and found some more hints. We all saw the statue of Medusa but there is more, there is a large number of mummies and then there is Death. Might we think of this as the Underworld Army of which Medusa is the leader? The greek god of death is Thanatos. In Kid Icarus Thanatos is Medusa's second in command. Even more interesting is that Death/Thanatos rips out Luigi's soul.
https://imgur.com/8G7Z5sR

He seems pretty excited to have stolen a soul, what is he going to do with it? Well I went over to the Kid Icarus wiki and found this:
https://imgur.com/Pc1VxCO

and this: https://imgur.com/d55yz4I

So this little cinematic seems to be chock full of references to Medusa and specifically of references to her resurrection which hopefully points to her being a playable character.

Lastly I looked at the cinematic at the end of the Simon Belmont trailer and there are clues here as well. Luigi is dead and his ghost is spooked by this creepy mask: https://imgur.com/5at4IQg
immediately after Luigi screams the trailer cuts to this shot of a giant moon: https://imgur.com/LDHYSOo

Creepy Mask + Giant Moon absolutely screams Skull Kid, not only that but there is a big fan theory the Majora's mask is a game in which Link is actually dead the whole time. So it's even more of a hint that the mask and the moon haunt Luigi after he dies.

Now you could argue that all of this is a bunch of coincidences but I highly doubt it. I've written earlier on this thread about how Nintendo seems to be fully aware of all of the hype and speculation and they seem to be managing it well. Presumably they knew that Simon Belmont had been leaked and they still managed to surprise us with Richter, they had to know that Ike and Samus' costumes in the E3 demo and hiding Robin's final smash would hint at Dark Samus and Chrom and in the recent direct they said "You might have seen these two coming" and finally King Dedede's prank at the beginning of K Rool's trailer is basically outright telling us that Sakurai is aware of the fans and their anticipation of Smash (Sakurai voices Dedede in the smash games, I didn't know that until recently). All this is to say that I think it's highly unlikely that Sakurai would put out trailers with such blatant references to these other characters for no reason or by coincidence. I think this has real potential so I'd like to hear other peoples thoughts, if you notice any other hints let us all know!


Note: I can't seem to post the actual pictures so I had to just post the links to where I uploaded them on imgur, if someone knows how to fix this let me know

 

[Seanp12]

I think those are much more references to Castlevania and showing off its stage hazards than any reference to newcomers. Let's not start trying to find silhouettes in clouds.

 

[Jovian the Conqueror]

I have been wanted Medusa for awhile, and never understood why Hades got more love then her.

Most likely because Hades was much more prominent in KI:U than she was.

 

[zferolie]

Most likely because Hades was much more prominent in KI:U than she was.

Thats true. Plus he was 4th wall breaking and jokey, while Medusa seem pretty serious all the time.

 

[Jovian the Conqueror]

Thats true. Plus he was 4th wall breaking and jokey, while Medusa seem pretty serious all the time.

I think Hades also has the 'lovable rogue' quality to him. Although Dark Pit and the Chariot Master were probably just as equally serious as Medusa was, they don't get singled out for it as much as her.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

And honestly with the heroes vs villains/antagonists theme, while Dark Pit could be used as Pit's rival, he is mostly connected to Pit and not so much to Palutena. However, Medusa can be one for both Pit and Palutena like how Ganondorf is a personal enemy to both Link and Zelda.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

And honestly with the heroes vs villains/antagonists theme, while Dark Pit could be used as Pit's rival, he is mostly connected to Pit and not so much to Palutena. However, Medusa can be one for both Pit and Palutena like how Ganondorf is a personal enemy to both Link and Zelda.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think Pit and Dark Pit fought on DK's TV set.

May be a stretch but if you've added Dark Samus, why stop there?

In my mind, Medusa could use some of Palutena's more offensive custom moves like angelic missile (different name of course) Lightweight and Superspeed.

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

Dark Pit is a rival but not really a villain. But Metaknight was in the K.Rool trailer as a rival, so he counts.

But yes, no Kid Icarus in that segment of the trailer.

 

[Luminario]

And, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think Pit and Dark Pit fought on DK's TV set.

May be a stretch but if you've added Dark Samus, why stop there?

In my mind, Medusa could use some of Palutena's more offensive custom moves like angelic missile (different name of course) Lightweight and Superspeed.

I'm not sure how I feel about Lightweight potentially returning, but you're definitely on to something with the more offensive specials. There's also plenty of Goddess Powers that weren't used in Smash at all that might fit Medusa: Meteor Shower, Poison, Virus, simply reusing Palutena's unused custom special animations could work for these as well

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Well now there's a rumor going around that there's another Kid Icarus character going to be added.

If true, things are looking good for Medusa.

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

Ooh, link of that rumor?

I supposed it's tied to having more FE somehow.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Ooh, link of that rumor?

I supposed it's tied to having more FE somehow.

Apparently it came from Emily Rogers but I'm having a hard time finding the original source.

 

[zferolie]

Whos Emily rogers? the name sounds familiar

 

[MoveMan1]

Regardless of rumours, I think we better get a real recruitment drive on. People have been sleeping on Medusa for far too long thanks to Uprising's treatment of her, and there's never been a better time to strike than now. Medusa is one of the biggest contenders for a new villain, and her moveset has a lot more concrete possibilities than the H-boy, whether you consider her to be an echo or not.

Sign me on as a supporter, cause Hade's a hack!

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Honestly too many people sleep on Medusa because Hades is the bigger villain and a funnier character.

Shame too

 

[Jovian the Conqueror]

Regardless of rumours, I think we better get a real recruitment drive on. People have been sleeping on Medusa for far too long thanks to Uprising's treatment of her, and there's never been a better time to strike than now. Medusa is one of the biggest contenders for a new villain, and her moveset has a lot more concrete possibilities than the H-boy, whether you consider her to be an echo or not.

Sign me on as a supporter, cause Hade's a hack!

Yes, I agree Medusa has much more potential as a KI rep than Hades does. Unfortunately, whilst Hades is a fan favourite, Medusa has been relegated to relative obscurity. However, I think the biggest threat to Medusa is not Hades, but Viridi.

Viridi is very popular in Japan and is Sakurai's personal favourite, which is not surprising since he pushed her and Hades heavily in Uprising. And conventional wisdom from the Uprising fandom was that Medusa was a bit of a disappointment. So, Medusa could get shafted a second time.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Yes, I agree Medusa has much more potential as a KI rep than Hades does. Unfortunately, whilst Hades is a fan favourite, Medusa has been relegated to relative obscurity. However, I think the biggest threat to Medusa is not Hades, but Viridi.

Viridi is very popular in Japan and is Sakurai's personal favourite, which is not surprising since he pushed her and Hades heavily in Uprising. And conventional wisdom from the Uprising fandom was that Medusa was a bit of a disappointment. So, Medusa could get shafted a second time.

Isn't Viridi an astral projection on the Reset Bomb Forest stage already?

Who would replace her if she plays on that stage? Not Phosphora since I doubt her other commanders can have access to her reset bombs.

 

[Farbeitfromme]

I'd certainly be interested in seeing Medusa playable. I like seeing new villains (yes, I want MOOOORE), female characters, and by extension, female villains. I don't think the Medusa bust in the Simon trailer hurts her chances much (it might even help them), but I do acknowledge that there are other characters that might be more likely than her when it comes to Kid Icarus, notably Viridi, for the reasons Jovian the Conqueror mentioned. Still, Medusa would make a pretty good echo of Palutena, and could even use some the unique moves that Palutena won't have now that custom moves are most likely gone. It would be a shame if her signature petrification ability were not used, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker.

As for Hades, I understand the appeal, but I would be more interested in seeing him represented elsewhere, perhaps as a boss. Now that we have Dracula in that role, it would be kind of cool to have another character who borrows directly from literature represented somehow (come to think of it that goes for Medusa as well). That might be the book buff in me talking, though. Still, Hades just screams boss fight to me, given his usual size, power level, and abilities in the game. Perhaps we could even go inside him and fight his uncannily stylish heart again.

As for the poll, I'm going to go with Twinbellows. He may technically be the weakest and least characterized of them all, but I love his design, name, and the fact that he stays so close to Cerberus from Classical mythology (minus a head). Come to think of it, he would make a pretty cool AT or boss as well.

 

[Seanp12]

I don't get why the Castlevania Medusa would affect KI Medusa's chances at all. They're completely different characters from completely different universes owned by completely different companies that just happen to be loosely based on the same mythological character.

 

[Farbeitfromme]

I don't get why the Castlevania Medusa would affect KI Medusa's chances at all. They're completely different characters from completely different universes owned by completely different companies that just happen to be loosely based on the same mythological character.

Yeah, you're probably right. The only reason I mentioned it was because it was fresh in my mind. It'll likely have no effect at all.

Still, we haven't seen much about how the bust will act. It'll probably act like it did in the original Castlevania, if it moves at all. If Medusa does get in, having them on the same stage will be entertaining.

Come to think of it, Death is also very similar to a KI villain, the Reaper. Pit and Simon have some similarities in the kinds of enemies they fight, it seems, based on what I've seen. I could definitely see them partnering up. Then again, maybe not. Their personalities might clash. I'm sure Palutena would appreciate Simon's opposition to the forces of evil though.

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

Actually, I'm thinking that the Medusa Head could help our Medusa. We don't know the effect yet, and I in fact suppose that it will just fly, like in Castlevania.
But what if it does a stone transformation to fighters? Simon's trailer with Luigi suggest that it doesn't move.

If we ever see a character transformed in stone, I'll be REALLY suspicious about Medusa's potential.

 

[zferolie]

Well I remember hearing in past MVC games why Ryu from BoF was never included because he shared the same name as SF ryu and they wanted to avoid confusionion, but thats besides the point.

Honestly I think, if medusa gets the Echo fighter treatment, she'll take 2 of Palutena's past custom moves for herself: Heavenly light and Celestial firework, renamed to be more underworld-y and given a different set of colors. I always thought heavenly light was one of the more fun and unique custom moves of her, same with firework, and seeing them on Medusa could fit. Dark light surounds medusa a lot for the boss fight, and explosions are fitting of her. Replace auto reticle and counter/reflect, as those 2 moves don't fit Medusa at all. A teleport fits fine, as does explosive flame.

Final smash could be her growing big like Bowser, and blasting a part of the stage with her Medusa glare, doing massive damage and petrifying them. if under 100% they stay frozen with a delayed launch after 5 seconds, otherwise they die.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I feel like Medusa as an echo for Palutena is extremely plausible. I mean, just look at the similarities in their character designs alone. Both are staff users with long robes and could even be made the exact same height and make sense. By design, they're practically inverted versions of each other. Honestly, to make it work, all they would have to do is change the properties of Palutena's attacks to fire/darkness, swap out fsmash and dsmash, and different taunts and idle animations and it would be a great fit.

 

[zferolie]

View attachment 156880

I feel like Medusa as an echo for Palutena is extremely plausible. I mean, just look at the similarities in their character designs alone. Both are staff users with long robes and could even be made the exact same height and make sense. By design, they're practically inverted versions of each other. Honestly, to make it work, all they would have to do is change the properties of Palutena's attacks to fire/darkness, swap out fsmash and dsmash, and different taunts and idle animations and it would be a great fit.

Yeah, I think that is on purpose in lore as well. Medusa and Palutena were goddess that both ran heaven, so I can see them being closly related somehow.

As for changed Fsmash, I could see it that the snakes on her hair lash out instead of Palutena's wings.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I like that idea too. Some other things would work too like changing dtilt to her snakes lashing out and autoreticle to something that turns people to stone for a certain duration based on their damage (like getting buried, it can be mashed out of).

 

[SvartWolf]

I honestly have 0 idea about medusa... but i admit i want her as an echo for selfish personal reasons (Fake Castlevania rep XD)

That being said, her design is pretty cool...her smash attacks could have hordes of snakes instead of wings, and her auto reticle could also shoot snakes instead.

 

[KMDP]

Following the August Direct and the subsequent expansion of what it means to be an Echo Fighter. I wouldn't mind seeing Medusa as Palutena's Echo (or, hell, a unique fighter). I figure she could have Mewtwo's Disable to reflect her Mythological roots.

Wolfie557 , feel free to add me to the Support List.

 

[MoveMan1]

I don't get why the Castlevania Medusa would affect KI Medusa's chances at all. They're completely different characters from completely different universes owned by completely different companies that just happen to be loosely based on the same mythological character.

Heck, that could be part of the trailer. Simon and Richter fighting a horde of Medusa heads... Then they encounter one head that won't go down so easily.

 

[jamesster445]

Yes, I agree Medusa has much more potential as a KI rep than Hades does. Unfortunately, whilst Hades is a fan favourite, Medusa has been relegated to relative obscurity. However, I think the biggest threat to Medusa is not Hades, but Viridi.

Viridi is very popular in Japan and is Sakurai's personal favourite, which is not surprising since he pushed her and Hades heavily in Uprising. And conventional wisdom from the Uprising fandom was that Medusa was a bit of a disappointment. So, Medusa could get shafted a second time.

I never understood people's desire for Viridi. She never did anything within her one game. She doesn't even make a physical appearance. I've seen some people make up the idea that since she's a goddess of nature she can have plant powers. You know who also can do that? Every grass Pokémon ever.