Rate Their Chances - Smash Ultimate Edition! Day 672: Five Most Likely First and Third Parties for Smash 6, and Final Goodbyes

[3DSNinja]

Abstain
Nominations: Shuichi Saihara x5

 

[amageish]

Abstain. I'm generally optimistic about both though. They're not in my toppest top tier of most likely, but certainly aren't too far down. Some may say that secondary/tertiary protagonists are more of a base roster pick, to which I would say they're both popular and would probably sell well. Plus we just got an ARMS rep, something most people would have said wasn't happening until Smash 6 (or 7 depending on how you number 3DS/Wii U). This is the final game of this scope; I don't see them actively withholding characters if they feel they are worth including, especially now that Min Min shows DLC spirits boards can just repeat spirits...

Nominations: Moogle x 5
Predictions: Nightmare = 30% / Badguy = 15%. I'm excited for all the Billie Eilish jokes we'll have in names tomorrow...

 

[DrifloonEmpire]

Bandana Waddle Dee

Chance: 20% - Low rolling here, unfortunately, which is a shame since I'm a HUGE fan of the character. But given Sakurai's negative bias against Kirby content he didn't make (which unfortunately continues to prove true), it creates a big hurdle for him. I have to give him a relatively low score as a result (though, Nintendo is choosing the characters, so this could be overridden).

HOWEVER, if said barrier is finally overcame and Sakurai has a change of heart on the matter, Bandana Dee has A LOT in his favor, and his chance score will shoot up to 50% at LEAST! He benefitted greatly from Min Min's inclusion, and if this is looking to be a first party focused pass, he could very well claim one of the spots! He also is a reoccurring character with a relatively recent game and a LOT of fan demand, especially in Japan. Furthermore, there's a lot of Modern Kirby content that could easily fill up a challenger pack, and his fan demand would make the pack worth it from a monetary standpoint. There's no reason NOT to make a challenger pack for him!

Want: 100% - Huge fan of the modern Kirby games, especially his "debut" game of Kirby's Return to Dreamland! Said games, along with his other games like Kirby 64, bring back a lot of incredible memories for me, and both him and the content he comes with would be a joy to see! Furthermore, we have yet to see a true spear user in Smash, and his playable moveset from Returns/Star Allies ALONE could make up an entire moveset and more. Simple weapon yet tons of in-depth moves that'd make for an incredible character. I'd buy him and his challenger pack in a heartbeat!


Dixie Kong

Chance: 40% - Another heavily requested character, also boosted by Min Min's inclusion! Along with a ton of material to pull from, she's been a star player in Tropical Freeze and has a lot of awesome content she could bring! (though spirits for her challenger pack could prove to be an issue, since most of the ones that would work are already in-game, though Min Min shows that base game spirits can be reused). Alongside her ever growing fan demand, she could also share a reasonable amount of moves with Diddy (while still having a unique moveset, of course!), which could make her appealing from a financial standpoint. Relevance, fan demand, no negotiations needed, she certainly ticks all of the boxes!

However, there are two things that I feel may come back to bite her. First, we already got K. Rool and Banjo in this game for RareWare fans, and the developers may see that as "enough" for this game, along with her series' general lack of popularity in Japan (and yet the TV SHOW of all things was somehow popular there!). So other characters may be prioritized. There's also the matter of her fan demand in the west. While she certainly has a huge amount, it only got started relatively recently. While Bandana Dee and K. Rool had strong support since the ballot days, DK fans were occupied with their support for the latter, and after he got in her support grew, but many DK fans also flocked to Banjo instead (probably a divide between "whole run" Rare fans and N64 Rare fans, and Dixie wasn't really utilized during the N64 days). So as a whole she got a late start compared to a lot of other popular choices. Still, regardless, of these obstacles, she still has a great shot!

Want: 90% - Dixie's ponytail alone makes for a lot of incredibly fun and creative moves! She'd be able to pick up items from a distance, hover, and do all sorts of other cool tricks with her ponytail, all pulled from how she plays in the source material! She's definitely earned her spot as the next DK rep, and she's full of personality! Furthermore, we're VERY lacking in Modern DK content despite how popular it is! Jungle Hijinx was removed due to technical difficulties with Stage Transition, and with it, there's no stage to represent Modern DK. With the resurgence of K. Rool and Banjo, there's been a big Rare celebration, but in terms of stage selection, Rareware DK and 75m are all that's left. Dixie's challenger pack could easily remedy that! Tropical Freeze has several exotic locations and would make for another great non-Jungle DK stage, along with bringing tond of Retro-era music to the table! It is important to represent Retro-era DK, it brought the series back into the limelight!


Nominations:
Prince of All Cosmos x5

Predictions:
Nightmare - 34.22%
Sol Badguy - 21.68%

 

[NintenRob]

I'm not sure how to rate today. Let's just talk and see where that leads.

We'll start with Bandana Dee
First of all, Bandana Dee is my second my most wanted, he's been sitting on my most wanted for a while now in my profile picture. I think he's long overdue and one of the most deserving characters to get ignored. I'll admit, I can understand Why he's not playable yet. In Smash 3DS/WiiU, he's main claim to fame was Adventure Wii, but he didn't have much besides that, and in Ultimate newcomers were limited in general. But anyone who says he's not part of the core Kirby cast now is wrong. Objectively wrong.

Planet Robobot was where this became most obvious

And then you have the spin-offs

In Rainbow Curse, he's the only playable character besides Kirby, the player 2! (and 3 and 4?) He's seen right there hanging out with Kirby in the opening cut scene. Even Meta Knight and King Dedede don't get anything besides a cameo.

In Battle Royale, he's once again Kirby's main sidekick. He's there all throughout the story to help Kirby. He's seen all throughout the game.


In the Team Clash games. He's One of two npcs you can actually talk to. He's the one who guides you when you first boot up the game. He gives you the gem apples, the core gacha mechanic of the game.


And then finally. Star Allies. This is where it was truly cemented that he's a main character. Returning once again with his trusty spear as a dream friend alongside King Dedede and Meta Knight from the very beginning. He was the very first Dream Friend you unlock and was the most unique at launch since he was the only instance of Spear in the game. He's the very first Dream Friend you unlock, and you do so very early on so pretty much everyone will have him in their party at some point, solidifying his player 2 status.

And this is the same game that already has Parasol Waddle Dee playable, they didn't have to have him, but they did. And they did because he's popular. People genuinely love this cute little fella.



And moveset potential. Newsflash. He uses more than a spear. The spear itself is already a unique weapon for Smash, only one character uses it, and that's just part of a multiweapon gimmick. Plus Bandana Dee also brings with him his Parasol which can shoot water balls, and there are many items in recent games that he could use, like that Cannon, the big skull bomb and the trumpet shield. Some fan movesets even take some creative liberties and give him beam moves since Waddle Doos are relatives of Waddle Dees (and Beam is apparently Sakurai's favourite ability)

But then you have the harsh reality.


There's only 5 characters left.

And the last pass did build much hope for many characters like Bandana Dee.


But Min Min did bring back some hope. But Bandana Dee would have to get in before the likes of a New Xenoblade and new Pokemon, countless Third Parties. And of course Dixie and a new Mario character or a new Zelda character.

But Bandana Dee is popular, one of the most popular requests out there, even in this third party centric era of speculation. He still consistently scores in the top ten of polls, and he's supposedly more popular in Japan.

And if it's low budget, Bandana Dee would be an easy low budget character with his simple model. And Kirby supposed to be going to a new era and could use the promotion. And heavens knows we could use the modern content. The only thing from Return to Dreamland onward are ported songs, Final Smashes and pngs.


I think I'll just split the diff
Chance 50%
Want 100%



That was only one character??


Now Dixie Kong

Another character I consider essential. She's in a similar situation to Bandana Dee, except has more seniority but less Popularity. And isn't as consistent (as DKC isn't that consistent) But she has the added boon of starring in her own adventure. Plus Tropical Freeze is woefully unrepresented. And in Ultimate specifically, modern DK doesn't have much representation either. I don't want to repeat myself that much but she should be playable.

Chance 40%
Want 90%

Nominate content from currently unreleased game x5

Predictions
Nightmare 20%
Sol 20%

 

[Iko MattOrr]

But anyone who says he's not part of the core Kirby cast now is wrong. Objectively wrong.

They would be objectively wrong only when Nintendo and HAL will change these pages to replace the regular Waddle Dee with Bandana Waddle Dee.
Until then, Waddle Dee (regular, no bandana) will be the "4th main character" in a similar way as Toad is to Mario, while Bandana Waddle Dee is just a different version of Waddle Dee used in some specific contexts, but still regular Waddle Dee is the main version.

I'm sorry but saying that Bandana Waddle Dee is the 4th main character is objectively wrong until those official pages get modified.

 

[NintenRob]

They would be objectively wrong only when Nintendo and HAL will change these pages to replace the regular Waddle Dee with Bandana Waddle Dee.
Until then, Waddle Dee (regular, no bandana) will be the "4th main character" in a similar way as Toad is to Mario, while Bandana Waddle Dee is just a different version of Waddle Dee used in some specific contexts, but still regular Waddle Dee is the main version.

I'm sorry but saying that Bandana Waddle Dee is the 4th main character is objectively wrong until those official pages get modified.

The actual games themselves >>>>> a website.


And actually click on the picture, Bandana Dee is front and center. Waddle Dees themselves are still very popular and warrant showing off so Bandana Dee is often bundled with them in certain promotion products.


Don't be obtuse

 

[Iko MattOrr]

The actual games themselves >>>>> a website.


And actually click on the picture, Bandana Dee is front and center. Waddle Dees themselves are still very popular and warrant showing off so Bandana Dee is often bundled with them in certain promotion products.


Don't be obtuse

I'm not being obtuse, I brought in evidence from official material. You can only click on the Japanese site, on the occidental site you can't click on the character and only a regular Waddle Dee is shown.
The point still stands, in order to see Bandana Dee you have to click on regular Waddle Dee and open a different page, he's not listed in the main characters screen.
This is not related to Smash, it's just that I want to point out this very common misconception about the character.

The Amiibos are quite old and may not count, but those websites are constantly updated, so they are a valid source.

 

[NintenRob]

I'm not being obtuse, I brought in evidence from official material. You can only click on the Japanese site, on the occidental site you can't click on the character and only a regular Waddle Dee is shown.
The point still stands, in order to see Bandana Dee you have to click on regular Waddle Dee and open a different page, he's not listed in the main characters screen.
This is not related to Smash, it's just that I want to point out this very common misconception about the character.

The Amiibos are quite old and may not count, but those websites are constantly updated, so they are a valid source.

Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound.


"You can't see Bandana Dee until you click on this so he can't be a main character "


That's so ****ing stupid

 

[JCKirbs]

Bandana Waddle Dee

Chance: 50% - I certainly think that Bandana Dee’s chances have risen over time based on two key components. For starters, Min Min definitely proved that Nintendo and Sakurai don’t care about characters as (base-game) Spirits anymore. Additionally, Byleth proved that Nintendo and Sakurai don’t necessarily care about whether or not a character comes from a franchise already represented in Smash (theoretically, as long as the character is promoting/representing something new).

What’s Bandana Dee’s status in Smash at the moment?
A base-game Spirit from a franchise already represented in Smash.

Now this doesn’t mean that he’s automatically getting a one-way ticket to Smash, but with the right timing something favorable could potentially happen...
To elaborate, i’ve theorized what I think could work well in Bandana Dee’s favor:
- His undeniable popularity, even up to this point
- His status as a main character within the Kirby franchise
- The announcement/release of a new Kirby game conveniently falling within the Smash DLC window
- Nintendo wanting to boost Kirby’s on-growing popularity on the Switch by promoting that game (since it was actually claimed to be the “pinnacle of the series”)
- Bandana Dee having a full-length, significant playable role for that Kirby game

I’d say that some, if not all of these points would need to be established in order for Bandana Dee to have a chance at joining the battle.

Overall though, i’m staying cautiously optimistic about it all.

Want: 100% - He sat as my #1, most wanted character for Smash even before the Smash Ballot existed. While I have gotten some characters who I have wanted in Smash (Bowser Jr & PAC-MAN), I think Bandana Dee significantly captures that particular feeling of really wanting a character in Smash and genuinely rallying for their potential inclusion in the grandest Nintendo fighting game there is. Not to mention that i’m really fond of the little guy since he showed quite a bit of character development and growth in the Kirby series, going from Zero to Hero since 2011. Additionally, it’s just the little things like wanting to see how his abilities could translate into Smash, to realizing how he would finally cover the base in Smash as a representative for a which has been with the Kirby franchise since the very beginning.

Overall, compared to other potential Kirby candidates, I think he would be the most satisfying inclusion at this point for everything that he has worked up to.

Dixie Kong

Chance: 40% - I wish the Donkey Kong franchise would stop being swept under the rug in context of Smash, especially considering that K. Rool’s inclusion was heavily influenced by the Smash Ballot rather than being Sakurai’s personal choice.
However, similarly to BWD, I won’t be so quick to discredit Dixie’s potential inclusion in Smash. She’s clearly next in line, and she has some moves and abilities that are just waiting to enter the battlefield alongside her. I’m not entirely sure where her popularity currently lies within the community, but I have no doubt that she would be welcomed with open arms.
I definitely think that her chances would increase if there was a new DKC game on the horizon, or some form of DKC in which she could promote with ease, given her notability within the franchise.

Want: 90% - I’m still wondering why she isn’t in Smash yet. She’s fun, adorable, and she would clearly make a great addition to the Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. While I don’t have much else to say about her, in comparison to someone like Bandana Dee, I sincerely hope that she gets her time to shine on the battlegrounds someday.


Predictions:

Nightmare 15%
Sol 30%

 

[JCKirbs]

They would be objectively wrong only when Nintendo and HAL will change these pages to replace the regular Waddle Dee with Bandana Waddle Dee.
Until then, Waddle Dee (regular, no bandana) will be the "4th main character" in a similar way as Toad is to Mario, while Bandana Waddle Dee is just a different version of Waddle Dee used in some specific contexts, but still regular Waddle Dee is the main version.

I'm sorry but saying that Bandana Waddle Dee is the 4th main character is objectively wrong until those official pages get modified.

I actually think that introducing Waddle Dee first is a good way to recognize the species as a whole before diving into certain members among the species, like Bandana Dee, who are more significant.

Also, I would consider Waddle Dees to be a reoccurring species rather than a main character, or else that would open the floodgates for other species like Bronto Burt to be a “main character” if we’re judging by appearances in the actual games.

There’s only one Kirby, one Meta Knight, and one King Dedede so they need no clarification or elaboration.

However, using all of this as a basis for determining main characters in the first place is pretty silly to me anyway.

Not to mention that... weren’t you the same person who made the claim about the Dream Friends (aside from B. Dee) all being the 4th main character just because of Star Allies and unnecessarily taking what Mr. Yabuki said about the ARMS characters and applying it to the Kirby franchise? Because in this case, they’re definitely not front and center based on the links you’ve shown.

So, in other words, I feel like you’re just trying to needlessly discredit Bandana Dee yet again.

 

[fogbadge]

ah time for some good old fashioned pessimism

dixie kong
chances: 20% it took extreme fan demand to get a 3rd dk character i cant help but feel odds arent great for a fourth. we all know she nearly made it into brawl, as part of diddy's thing, but she was rejected and it looks like she has never even been thought of for an individual fighter. sure shes very popular but shes not as popular as k.rool was and as ive said before fan demand doesnt work for everyone, look at isaac.

want: 85% i'd actually quite like to see her in smash, id want cranky more but ive no objections to her in smash. be she a semi clone of diddy or some one vastly different and it would be fun to smash with a ponytail. she is one of the few missing nintendo all stars in what started out as a nintendo all stars series (not the biggest missing all star mind you) so it sort of feels like she should be in.

bandana dee
chances: 5% yeah i dont see it. sure he has the popularity and the major spot in kirby's cast but those two things arent always enough. sakurai has shown an extreme reluctance to add in morden kirby and in many ways bandana is the embodiment of modern kirby. the biggest modern kirby thing we have is kirbys final smash, sure theres some spirits and music but theyre both out numbered by sak's stuff and the one time he nearly put in a modern kirby stage he turned it into a stage based on one of his own and we ended up with a stage thats too big even for ridley. sakurai may have created bandana but it was kirby's adventure wii where he truly began to come into his own and sakurai does not seem to want to break his trio even if theyre now a, wait whats the word for when theres four?

want: 100% i love the little guy. like toad and chibi he a character i would love to have in smash even though im convinced itll never happen. sure he'll have unique move sets and has many things to pull from but that is not as important as just having him. by far my most wanted kirby newcomer (sorry gooey) and i would love to whack bowser with our beloved little spear master.

nominate nate adams x5

 

[Iko MattOrr]

Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound.


"You can't see Bandana Dee until you click on this so he can't be a main character "


That's so ****ing stupid

However, using all of this as a basis for determining main characters in the first place is pretty silly to me anyway.

Yet, that page is the main official site of the franchise, and it shows off a list of the main characters: Bandana Dee is not in the list, he only appears in a sub-page as a variation of another character (regular Dee).
Denying this is like denying that Kirby's height is 8 inches, despite it being occasionally mentioned in several official sources, only because the actual games never said it explicitly.

Not liking something does not make it false.

You can think that Bandana Dee is part of the core cast, though you can't say that it's objective because there's official material that says otherwise, and I prefer to trust the official material more than a random fan.

The next game may change the things, but so far it seems that he's still not fully treated as the 4th main character...

As I said this is not related to his chances in Smash or anything, it's just a misconception that many of his supporters take advantage of in order to make Bandana Waddle Dee look more "important" than he actually is, and I find it annoying, because it's based on misleading informations.

Not to mention that... weren’t you the same person who made the claim about the Dream Friends (aside from B. Dee) all being the 4th main character just because of Star Allies and unnecessarily taking what Mr. Yabuki said about the ARMS characters and applying it to the Kirby franchise? Because in this case, they’re definitely not front and center based on the links you’ve shown.

I never said aside from B. Dee, in fact in a post I said B. Dee too. Well, it would be more appropriate to say the Dream Friends are the 5th main character if we consider regular WD as the 4th. I used 4th specifically because people call BWD the 4th.

"Unnecessarily" is subjective, I think it does fit perfectly. All the Dream Friends are treated equally in Star Allies; the little difference in content does not prove one being more important than the other, unlike some people say.

Imo the Dream Friends (yes, including BWD) have a better chance of joining Smash compared to regular Waddle Dee (despite it being the real "4th main character" according to official sources), for several reasons but mostly for the simple fact that Toad is still not in Smash while Piranha Plant, Rosalina and Bowser Jr are.

So, in other words, I feel like you’re just trying to needlessly discredit Bandana Dee yet again.

Yeah, saying that all the characters are equally important is discrediting the fan favorite, ok.

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

I wanted to point something out: isn't this the third time we've rated Bandana Dee? Probably not in the same year, although I do get the feeling we've rated him twice in that span.

 

[NintenRob]

There is no character called "regular waddle Dee" aside from maybe the one from Kirby 64. It's a species. A species is not a character. Bandana Dee is the character.


You introduce the species, then introduce the character. Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede are not part of a large scale species so there's no need.

 

[Iko MattOrr]

There is no character called "regular waddle Dee" aside from maybe the one from Kirby 64. It's a species. A species is not a character. Bandana Dee is the character.


You introduce the species, then introduce the character. Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede are not part of a large scale species so there's no need.

I would agree with this but in case of Waddle Dee there's a big difference. Bandana Waddle Dee is shown as a warrior who fights with mostly a spear (but also a parasol); the normal Waddle Dees that you meet in every game are instead clumsy and do several different jobs. Some of them also have spears and parasols, but their personality is completely different most of the times: they don't really fight, they do stuff and occasionally get in the way of Kirby.

In Smash this would change the moveset completely.

This comes from a Miiverse post made by the developers about Triple Deluxe

This time we have a message about Waddle Dees, from the lead designer:
"Hi everyone. Today I'd like to talk to you about Waddle Dees, who appear in numerous places throughout the game. These cute little characters have appeared in every game in the Kirby series, and I have a real soft spot for them!

This game is (I think!) the first time ever in the series that the Waddle Dees have actually attacked Kirby, through such methods as chopping down trees as he passes, or rolling boulders at him. I say "attack", but it's not that Waddle Dees are malicious in any way - it's just that whatever they do, they end up causing problems for Kirby. You can't really hold a grudge against them for that!

The idea for this approach came when we were designing the rolling boulders in Fine Fields. Initially, we planned to have completely automated boulder-launching machines, but this would have been a bit too menacing for the overall atmosphere of the level. To avoid this, we decided to have a character just sort of happening to launch the boulders without any evil intent, in a slapstick sort of way. We tried using Waddle Dees, and they were perfect for the role. The way that they're indirectly causing these attacks on Kirby from places where he can't attack them back is just SO Waddle Dee!

They're so popular with the team we ended up putting them in similar roles in other parts of the game too - for example, manning the Lollipop Tank or building the giant bonfire that you extinguish using the water bowl.

But my favorites are the lumberjack Waddle Dees, industriously chopping down those big trees!"

I hope you'll all check out the Waddle Dees and their antics in game!

This is why I make such a distinction between Bandana and regular Waddle Dees.

And I wouldn't mind the clumsy waddle dee indirectly attacking you with wacky stuff, I would be ok with that. It's a spear moveset that I don't like.
(I'm not sure if it matters or not, but the Animal Crossing characters already kinda have this style of fighting).

 

[YoshiandToad]

Bandana Waddle Dee
Chance: 30%
I'm going to err on the side of caution here. He's in with a shot, but with Sakurai leaning heavily into gimmicks for the DLC characters thus far I have to wonder if Dee has enough to catch Sakurai's eyes.

He's popular for sure, and one of those characters I'd place in the top 10 most needed Nintendo characters(probably even top five) for Smash but Sakurai and modern Kirby have traditionally not gelled and Bandana Waddle Dee isn't in that much better a position than he was in Sm4sh.

Want: 100%
That said, my pessimism isn't indictive of my want. I think Bandana Waddle Dee would translate very easily into Smash, and I am absolutely sick to death of gimmick characters all the time. A small target with a large reach could be really fun to play as without the need for things like super gauges, super moves or remapping all the buttons. Just a more traditional fighter that reminds me of simpler times in Smash Bros.

Bandana Waddle Dee sits in third place on my most wanted list overall right behind Dixie and Toad/Captain Toad. Once these three, Tom Nook and Waluigi get in I'll probably feel like we have every notable Nintendo character finally added and everyone else is a bonus.

Dee isn't even my favourite Kirby character not currently in(It's Gooey, the original Luigi to Kirby's Mario) but I feel like he's a much more glaring omission and it'd be fantastic to see some of those 'upgraded generic species' characters prove their worth on the battlefield. It's hard to deny his popularity, importance to modern Kirby and overall recognisability as the Waddle Dee species is massively popular in Japan to the point they get more merchandise than Metaknight or Dedede. Bandana Waddle Dee is the modern day face of the Waddle Dee species, so it just makes sense to me.

Dixie Kong
Chance: 34%
Still erring on the side of caution. Dixie, much like Dee doesn't really have a ton of gimmicks. I don't think K. Rool getting in on base lowers her chances unless we're going to suggest there's no chance we're getting a Gen 8 Pokemon because Incineroar exists or deny Byleth, Roy and Corrin happened because Chrom, Lucina and Robin were all on their respective base games.

Dixie has a few other things in her favour such as Sakurai at least once publically mentioning he had been considering her for Smash and Tropical Freeze was a big seller with her front and center on the box.

Want: 100%
Dixie's my second most wanted after Toad. She's my favourite Kong overall(Sorry Diddy, you're just not as useful in TF) and I'm overjoyed to see her get into Mario Kart...if only it wasn't Tour...

When I think Nintendo Heroines, Dixie Kong is legit the first one that comes to mind.
Sorry Samus, but Dixie's the first heroic individual to openly be feminine without any confusion.
She's a female star who refreshingly isn't part of the frankly annoying 'waifu' culture that the net is obsessed with and can stand on her own merits as a popular character. Much like Bandana Waddle Dee, I am perfectly happy to have a character who isn't overly reliant on gimmicks and Dixie seems absolutely perfect for that being popular, a glaring omission and having a solid obvious recovery move.

Ideally Dixie would also have an ability to summon Rambi be it a Final Smash or a special move. I find his omission as at least an Assist Trophy almost as bizzare as Dixie's absence at this point.

 

[MarioDDR755]

Bandana Dee - 15% (want: 35%)
I'd love to see another Kirby character and Return to Dream Land basically solidified Bandee as the fourth main character of the series. He'd be a good alternate-Kirby and being in Smash would help to solidify his status. I think he's a good fit. I think it's interesting to consider what Sakurai must think - since Bandana Dee has been made into an important character long after he stopped being involved with Kirby. I think it's possible but less likely as DLC, sadly.

Dixie - 10% (want: 20%)
Not that I dislike Dixie, but I guess I was always one more for DK64 than the DKC games. I think more DK representation would be good, and another Rare character is always fun. The main obstacle she has is that she wouldn't generate much hype for DLC, as Bandee also wouldn't. Who knows though?

 

[WeirdChillFever]

Anyway.

Bandana Dee
Chance: 20%
Not that he’s unlikely per se, just that there’s five slots and a bazillion candidates. Out of the first parties, he’s probably one of the likelier ones because of reasons I’m sure others have mentioned. As for the discussion raging above that pertains to chance: I don’t think a website undoes the in-game importance placed on Bandana Dee with recurring roles in the modern Kirby games, but I do agree that certain things are murky when it comes to distinguishing Waddle Dee and Bandana Waddle Dee. It’s a bit like Yellow Toad being “the third playable character after Mario and Luigi” in the NSMB-saga. Still, Bandana Dee might not be able to claim the appearances and importance of his slightly more peach-colored brethren, but even the appearances he does have in Return to Dream Land, Robobot, Rainbow Curse and the slew of spin-offs in my opinion cement him as the next most important Kirby character. (Although a good question can be raised on whether these appearances in the same breath as Dedede and Meta Knight makes the current Kirby line-up incomplete, or even if it does make him “the fourth” in a way beyond “the first after the current three”.

In my opinion, he is the next in line for a Kirby character importance-wise, and the appearances he has put him well-above one-time villains that live off of cameos or Everyone Is Here scenarios. Looking at the other Dream Friends, I don’t see one of them really being close enough to make a tradeoff of importance for moveset potential worth it. Not to mention Bandana Dee is the most popular too, with the gap between “most requested first party according to Source Gaming” and “Extreme Dark Horse requests” being another gap that seperates Bandana Dee from the likes of Marx and Magolor (And chance-wise, Marx being a boss does not bode well, leaving Magolor to represent the “Icky Kirby Villain”. But even moreso than Bandana Dee, his hayday is left in the Wii era)

Want: 40%
Not my pick per se and I doubt his moveset would be all that unique. Like, full-stop, between Simon, Byleth, Min-Min, ”Distance Demon” is not an amazing hook anymore (that I’m kind of getting sick of) and while a parasol patches things up visual-wise, there’s still no moveset core that’s gonna last long in either “well you see bandana dee is short” or one-shot waterballs. That said, there is still great delight to be found in a set that takes Byleth’s Areadbahr, gives it to this super cute Kirby mook and says “well yeah go ham thats all of the moves now.” Up Air? Areadbhar ranged stab. Forward Air? You guessed it.
Unique? Probably not. Groundbreaking visual design? No. But so funny. It would be oh so funny. Beyond that, Bandana Dee’s moveset in Kirby is mostly that anyway, aside from things like the spearcopter or a pole vault dash attack.
Do I think he has no option whatsoever for a flashy set? Of course not. Byleth’s Smash appearance is a whole AU with all the relics in tow, so I’m sure Sakurai could make him work with some type of spear-and-shield moveset. And maybe Bandana Dee doesn’t need a flashy moveset. But if your visual design is already eliciting comments like “Generic” and “Hat Goomba”, toting a spear isn’t gonna cut you a seat at the big boys table anymore.

Dixie Kong
Chance: 15%
Same as Bandana Dee really. Nothing against her, but there’s just so much competition. K. Rool being base game might not help either, though it shouldn’t hurt her cause she should be in Smash already

Want: 70%
As I said, she should’ve been there already. She is the fourth of the DK series and it’s not like she doesn’t have a moveset when her hair is a limb. Go monkey business with that, or whatever.

 

[fogbadge]

You can think that Bandana Dee is part of the core cast, though you can't say that it's objective because there's official material that says otherwise, and I prefer to trust the official material more than a random fan.

so you dont think the games are an official material?

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Bandana Dee -

Chance: 50%

I think Dee is in between likely and not likely now that the Spirit fan rule is broken. He is literally the most popular Nintendo request if not Waluigi. I don't think Nintendo is blind to this fact, but they just might not find Dee as one of their priorities for the DLC right now.

Want: 90%

He isn't one my most wanted characters, but I truly believe he deserves to be in the roster and is one of the biggest omissions in the game. Dee is a Nintendo All Star.

Dixie Kong -

Chance: 40%

I think it could go either way for Dixie. I think Dixie's only chance of getting in is if Nintendo wants to promote her for a upcoming DKC title because even with the Spirit fan rule broken, I just don't see her happening unless the rumors about Nintendo wanting to push the DKC franchise to greater heights similar to how it was in the 90s is true.

Want: 100%

Dixie Kong is my 3rd most wanted character and my favorite Kong out of the DK crew. And just Dee, I feel like she is one of the biggest omissions from the roster and deserves to be in. Like Dee, she is a Nintendo All Star.

 

[Lyncario]

BanDee the cutie
Chance: 20%
Bandana Dee, a character that is very known in Smash speclations, being very requested ever since Sm4sh. He has some things going for him, such as being the last member of the core cast of Kirby who is not in Smash, despite the fact that he's often player 2, is only player 4 apearance being in Return to Dreamland. Being first party, he would not cost additional money to get ,and his moveset potential was already seen many times. Kirby should also get a new game pretty soon, and it's supposedly a big step forward for the series according to interviews, meaning that a bit of shilling would be apreciated. ANd finaly, BanDee has one of the biggest fan request for a first party character, by far number 1 in Japan, and arguably number 1 globaly. So, why only 20% for his chances? Well, I prefer to not rate too high, but also it feels like he won't be hapening. Sure, he could shill a new Kirby game, but why not jus thavnig him in base game, especialy since he had no timing problem, unlike Min Min or Rex. I just feel like there's something we don't know about him that's just holdnig him back.
Want: 95%
While he's not my number 1 most wanted Kirby newcomer, that title belongs to Marx, BanDee is still right behind him. He's so cute and adorable, I see no reason as to why anyone wouldn't like him. And his moveset in Kirby is really cool too. He would also bring stuff fro mmodern Kirby, an era that is very underepresented in Smash. And I just like BanDee a lot, like many other Kirby fans.

Dixie, the last Kong
Chance: 10%
Mostly the same stuff as BanDee but in lesser quantity, coupled with the fact that we had K.Rool in base game. And also because I don't think that we will have a new Donkey Kong Country for at least a while. But hey, at least she's in Mario Kart now, even if it's Tour.
Want: 65%
Neutral +, I don't really want her, but I see why others would. Also she's one of the most wanted of one of my friend, so that's a plus to her in my book. And also because like BanDee would, she would bring new stuff for the DK series.


Predictions:
"I am the bone of my sword": 12.4%
STILL MY HEART IS BLAZING!: 42.1%

 

[waddledeeonredyoshi]

Fez Bulborb
Chance: 45%
Bandana Dee does seem to be taken more seriously again as a contender after Min Min. That's great, but even before her I didn't imagine the Spirit being some major roadblock. The Spirit board on the other hand was something that would but the chances of BanDee or any Kirby character into doubt but fortunately, the ARMS board having base game Spirits on there remedies that too. And with Nintendo still at the helm with the DLC choices, Bandana Dee's chances are the biggest they've been in a while. All that matters now is the question if Nintendo would go for him.

The biggest thing in BanDee's way at this point is general competition, specifically from other franchises rather than his own. I'm not gonna bother with the debate about if he's really the 4th main character since he obviously is. Being a fan favorite worldwide even around the time FP2 was being put together, Kirby being hugely popular and marketable in Japan especially and the next big game likely being in the works (with Dee having some role in it no doubt in my mind) should give him what it takes what it takes to be up there with the big guys in speculation. Now the question comes: Would Nintendo choose Bandana Dee or let HAL choose a general Kirby character (still being him) over Rex from XB2? Or another Mario character? Would they rather take the opportunity to promote an upcoming release like BotW2 or would TPC want Sw/Sh to be shilled? What if none of these happen and FP2 resembles the pass preceding it and third-parties keep staying dominant, leaving no room for Dee? I simply do not know that. They're not that easy to predict and that's why I'm remaining just cautiously optimistic. I've been overly confident in Bandana Dee multiple times before and I wouldn't want to get burned again.

Want: 100%
What can I say? I just like em. I've been supporting this little guy now for more years than Master hand has fingers and I'd just like for it to be over and done with at this point. Also, Modern Kirby in Smash has been done dirty and I'd love for a Bandana Dee challenger pack to fix that.

Dixie Lily
Chance: 5%
Recently, she's been acknowledged again by getting into Mario Kart Tour. Should've been some other Mario Kart game imo but sure, neat. Still, despite being even longer overdue for Smash than BWD, I'm not nearly as confident in her. For starters, the Kirby franchise has been blooming and shows no signs of stopping but DKC on the other hand has been sorta dormant as of late. Ignoring the Switch port, it's been 6 years since Tropical Freeze yet it's still the latest instalment in the series. With Retro Studios being busy with MP4 and the studio in general being a bit... let's say unstable from what I've heard, the future of DKC and Dixie Kong is looking very uncertain to me. K.Rool also getting in the base game might also be enough DKC representationin their eyes.
Finally, not to downplay her support but I just feel she's not popular enough, atleast not compared to other first-parties. I feel like Dixie just really has to hinge on her fan demand specifically, whereas with other characters I feel like Nintendo would consider them even if they didn't as many fans backing them.

Want: 65%
I haven't had the opportunity to get my hands on DKC2/3 and I'm a bigger fan of Kirby than DKC but I agree she's quite overdue. Her challenger pack would also potentially bring some TF representation to Smash and that game really deserves it. The music especially.

Nightmare: 22.15%
Sol: 37.26%
Magolor x3
Deltarune content x7

 

[BowserKing]

Bandanna Dee

Chance: 25%. Since spirits can be promoted, Bandanna Dee's chance of getting in has increased quite a bit. Bandanna Dee's popularity also helps with that matter. Another thing to point out is that Bandanna Dee is one of the easiest non echoes to get in, mainly because there are Waddle Dee models already in the game. You can simply give that Waddle Dee a moveset with a few altered changes and you have an instant fighter.

Want: 100%. I'm totally up for Bandanna Dee being playable. He would be fun to play as, and a character that uses a spear as a weapon sounds like a lot of fun as well. Plus if Bandanna Dee gets in, we can get more representation of Kirby, including more soundtracks. Overall, Bandanna Dee is my most Wanted Kirby rep and he would be a great choice for Smash.

Dixie Kong

Chance: 25%. Just like Bandanna Dee, Dixie Kong's chance has increased quite a bit, due to spirits being promoted. Since Donkey Kong has gotten a boost in Smash, Dixie Kong's inclusion would totally help as well. But if Dixie Kong would get in, it's likely that she would be an echo of Diddy Kong. Also Dixie Kong was considered for Brawl.

Want: 100%. Dixie Kong would totally be a fun character to play as, and she would be a fun echo of Diddy Kong. Her potential moveset changes would include Bubblegum Popgun for her neutral special, hair spin for her up special, guitar attack for her Down Special and animal partners for her final smash. Overall, Dixie Kong has lots of potential to be in Smash, and she would be a great addition to the roaster.

Prediction: Nightmare (10%) and Sol 15%

Noms: 5 for Returning Stages

 

[DanganZilla5]

Dixie Kong and Bandana Dee

Chance: 60% for both

These two are highly requested Nintendo all-stars. They are the clear next reps for their respective series and with Min Min paving the way for spirits and first parties, their chances are better than ever.

As for concern with Bandana Dee's moveset, that wouldn't be a big issue. Look up fan movesets for him and you will see how creative Sakurai could use his spear and umbrella and Bandana Dee can always use other elements from the series like different items and getting help from other Dees. Admittedly it's not a lot to work with but Sakurai has made more with less before and not every character has to be super unique like with Terry or Min Min.

I will also bring up people saying that Dixie Kong has a lower chance because the DK series got a rep in the base roster. But honestly Dixie is one of the biggest first parties left and she is on the top of my head the biggest female Nintendo character not playable yet. I'd argue that the DK series is big enough to get another rep in the same game and if the budget did get cut, that only helps her case even more as the team could also use some aspects from Diddy in her moveset. But of course she is unique enough to get a very different moveset.

Overall, these two are very likely and if the pass is going to be mostly first party, I would even push their scores up to 70%. They should have really been playable characters already and I would be shocked if neither of them are in this pass.

_____________

Want for Bandana Dee: 65%

I'm still not much of a Kirby fan but I've warmed up to him and I would welcome him. He is cute and having a spear user would add some variety to the roster and spears are cool.

____________

Want for Dixie Kong: Abstain

Last time I gave her a really low score like a 10%. But I don't want to do that again. My feelings on Dixie are mixed. While she is a Nintendo all-star and she would certainly have a unique moveset, I honestly don't care for her that much and I'm not a fan of the Donkey Kong games. I've played a little bit of them but just couldn't get into them. So I will abstain on this score as I don't want to tank her want average and I can't quite translate my feelings into a score this time.

Predictions:
Nightmare - 25% (Heihachi is dead so his his chances are looking good, but he still has rough competition from other Bamco characters, mostly from Lloyd in my opinion)
Sol Badguy - 30%

Noms: Ezio x10

 

[jamesster445]

Hat Goomba
Chance: 50%
Want: 70%

I don't mind another Kirby character. I think there are more interesting characters in the Kirby universe but I won't deny BWD's role in the series. I'm just not too sure how likely it will be. I also believe that goal for season 2 is to bring new worlds and ideas/mechanics. I also wonder about how many supplemental content would be offered (Spirits, Costumes etc)

Hey Dix
Chance: 30%
Want: 100%

Dixie is probably my most wanted female character. In addition to having more Donkey Kong content, I see no problems here. There is an opportunity to include a successor to the missing DKC Returns stage from the previous game and sooo much music from Tropical Freeze. Unfortunately given the current trend of DK additions, were probably not going to see her until Smash 7. And like with BWD, I'd also like to point out that there may not be a whole lot of supplemental content alongside her.

Nominations: Jin Kazama x5

 

[Jomosensual]

Bandana Dee

Chance 10 - Could happen I suppose since they're gonna do spirit upgrades. IDK if we'll actually get another now but it's on the table. I don't find him likely for DLC though because it feels like, based on Sakurai's comments at the end of the Byleth presentation and what we saw with Min Min, the focus might be less hype characters but make up with that by being more unique and fun to play. And that's my issue with BWD. He most likely wouldn't be fun to play. A spear user would be unique, but would it be fun? No. No it wouldn't be. And that kinda does him in for me. Fan demand keeps him alive for me but if we see him in the game with a super fun and standout moveset then Sakurai is a god.

Want 0 - Just gonna be blunt and say this character bores the hell out of me. With a spear you can jab, throw, spin, and......? I don't play Kirby much so I don't have any attachment to him and just on the surface Marx comes off as a significantly more interesting option. I'd be more interested in seeing fun movesets from less requested characters than boring characters who just get in on fan demand right now.


Dixie Kong

Chance 10 - Gave her a 0 last time and that was a bit harsh. Even though I still don't expect her to make it into the game if I kept that same energy the whole time I'd be handing out way too many 0s. Spirit upgrades being on the table help her out. Still concerned about a good an interesting pass being based around her. Just more Donkey Kong content isn't enough for me to be sold on that. For our 1st party fighters pass reps(so not Plant who was a stand alone) we got one from a game that had nothing in 3 Houses and one from a series that had basically nothing outside of a few spirits, mii costumes, and ATs. DK already has multiple songs, characters, and stages in the game. Will they feel she's a worth while addition when there's nothing of any real hype coming with her? I don't know. I didn't even notice the lack of Tropical Freeze content in the game until someone brought it up in here.

Want 0 - Pass for 2 reasons. First, I'd rather get Cranky as the next DK rep since he's the original DK and would be more fun to play. The 2nd being that I don't think she'd be that fun to play either. I've never really cared that much about Dixie either so her not being in the game doesn't bother me. If she got in as a Diddy echo that would be fine since I can only care so much people being echo fighters but as a fully unique I just don't really want it that much.


Predictions
Nightamare 20 %
Sol - 15%

Noms
Riptor x5

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Hat Goomba
Chance: 50%
Want: 70%

I don't mind another Kirby character. I think there are more interesting characters in the Kirby universe but I won't deny BWD's role in the series. I'm just not too sure how likely it will be.

Hey Dix
Chance: 30%
Want: 100%

Dixie is probably my most wanted female character. In addition to having more Donkey Kong content, I see no problems here. Unfortunately given the current trend of DK additions, were not going to see her until Smash 7.

Nominations: Jin Kazama x5

I'd recommend adding one more sentence for each character to ensure the rating gets counted. (It's two for each want and chance score, so four for each character.)

 

[Phoenix Douchebag]

NOOOOOOOOO BANDANNA DEE IS NOT A MAIN CHARACTER HE'S BORING HE CAN'T BE IN NOOOO NOOOOOOO.

Ha Ha Bandanna Dee go poke.

Chance: 50%

This is probably the highest i will give to any character that is from a Nintendo franchise. Sad i know. But still Bandanna Dee is everything i look for a potential Smash candidate. A high profile Nintendo character who has managed to become a consistent member of the franchise since 2011. I see him as the fourth Member of the Kirby crew. It's a trio anymore, it's a Quartet. Just about every modern Kirby game after RTDL has him filling some role, wheter be replacing Adeleline's role in Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot as giving you healing items mid-stage or as the only Spear User that's playable in Star Allies. His moveset what lacks in Visual Spectacle makes up in practicality and makes it easy to develop as a character, which is crucial in DLC since no matter how much gimmicks they give to the characters, you can tell they were cutting corners when they could (notable examples include Hero's Sword Attacks like the Dash Attack, or Joker's Up Aerial and Foward Smash) and he simply has NO competition regarding Kirby's other characters outside of MAYBE Magolor (even then he's in the shadow of BDee's popularity in Japan, America, and the rest of the major countries where Kirby is popular)

However while he does have merit, the circumstances of the series creator is what bothers me here. We know First Party DLC can be part of the Fighter Pass and that Spirits in the base game mean JACK****, but Sakurai is a notorious person due to his undeniable bias towards Kirby games he worked on- (Dream Land, Adventure/Nightmare in Dreamland, Super Star, and Air Ride) It's said to be common among japanese developers to not use stuff they didn't make, but this is a crossover where Sakurai includes franchises he never worked on like Mario Bros, Pokémon, Mega Man, Fatal Fury, Punch Out, etc so i found this excuse really damn stupid.

Just to put things into perspective, It's been 20 years since the series's inception and we haven't gotten a Stage from Kirby 64, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, Squeak Squad, Return to Dreamland, Triple Deluxe, Planet Robobot and Star Allies during this franchise's entire ****ing lifetime. What has Sakurai been adding when it comes to Kirby stages instead? ****ING SUPER STAR STAGES. Halberd in Brawl, Great Cave Offensive in Smash Wii U, ****ing Game Boy Dreamland in 3DS, and im pretty sure that if Ultimate had a Kirby stage in the base game, it would have been some Air Ride stuff. Hell, Kirby got a boss
in Ultimate, and that was ****ing MARX FROM SUPERSTAR. "b-b-ybuy SAKURAI WATED TO PUT A EPIC YARN STAGE IN WII U!!!!!!1!!11" yeah and he didn't, and that was just a deflect of critcism because he couldn't simply admit it (and the fact that he went out of his way to change the stage as soon as Wolly World was made public, it actually only furthers proves the point) this wouldn't be so bad if the last Kirby game by Sakurai WANS'T FROM OVER A DECADE AGO which means all the major content from Kirby games has been from those 4 alone. Maybe some spirits and trophies and songs are from other Kirby games, but those are the exception, not the norm.

So why im rating him so high if any Kirby game that isn't the major 4 (Dream Land, Super Star, Adventure, Air Ride) is neglected by Sakurai (inlcuding more "recent" ones like Return to Dream Land and Star Allies). Simply put, Min Min. No, im not talking about the spirit debacle, im talking about the fact that Sakurai approached ARMS's team to see what ARMS character was best for Smash. This actually changed my view on how would Sakurai approach a character. It's clear he prefers to add content from his own games, but at this point, he's running out of content to add. The only notable-Sakurai made character, Marx, is a boss, and there doesn't seem to be any major interest in making him playable from the fanbase and gaming public nor Sakurai (and even i think his "bias" has a limit, he isn't gonna add him as a playable character just because he made him, not at this point at least)

Should Nintendo ever request a character from the Kirby series, Sakurai would probably talk with someone who is close to modern Kirby, Mr. Shinya Kumazaki, and he has worked as early as Air Ride, and has basically become Sakurai's Successor. Hell he is even Original Game Supervisor in Ultimate, so i don't think it would be too hard to ask him, and while i don't want to put words in his mouth, i will not be surprised if he says "Bandanna Dee" in the same way Kosuke Yabuki said "Put Min Min in".

Want: 90%

Yes please. I love the little guy, and he's the only Kirby rep aside from Gooey (who is more because i find him cool, but im not gonna lose sleep if he never gets in) that i have any interest in seeing in Smash. Before Return to Dreamland, Kirby was in the same place as Zelda: Tons of characters, not a clear choice for the next in line, which hurts their chances in the long run in my opinion. But Bandanna Dee changed that. HE's the NEXT Kirby character in line, HE'S the the one i want the most, HE's the most likely first party for this Pass.

I could go on but look, i already wrote enough.

Blondes have more fun.

Chances: 15%
Yeah im not feeling confient on this one. On Paper, Dixie sound like a great choice for Smash, but there's a problem. You see, everybody is on a "Vicious Cycle" with Dixie, which is basically this: Dixie is seen as unlikely because *insert reason here* Dixie's fanbase becomes pessimistic and don't show much support for her, which makes her seem unpopular, which makes it a reason as to why Dixie is seen as unlikely, and the cycle repeats.

Because of this, no matter how much merit Dixie has on her own (Actually appearing in recent installments like Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart Tour, starring in a title of her own, and beign just pretty much the most important Kong after Donkey and Diddy) the circumstances around her put her down.

Never mind the issue of the EVIL Third Parties who want to take over Smash and turn it into an inaccurate Gaming Museum (yeah i can take a piss at myself)

and yeah i don't see Echoes beign DLC. I don't consider Dixie echo material though so i don't worry too much about that.

Want:100%

Im gonna be blunt here, this is the ONLY Female character i actually want. Forget Saber, Forget Pyra and Mythra, Forget Elma and forget whatever weekly waifu FE has, THIS is the on i actually care about. Why? Because of her playstyle. I played DKC2 and 3 and i can tell you that gliding across the stage while hitting and grabbing enemies with your Hair is bloody fun, more fun than talking about waifu war ****. This is why i hate the idea of Dixie beign an echo BTW. A Lucas-style semiclone can work for me as long as her Hair is a MAJOR part of her moveset , but a full on echo? **** NO. I was actually quite happy she wasn't added as an echo. "BUT THAT IS THE ONLY WAY OF ADDING HER YOU HAVE TO COMPROMI-**** you then and add a character that you actually will actual effort on that i care like Bandanna Dee above. The only echo i wanted wasn' even added anyway so i found the concept worthless in the long run.

Do i sound sound entitled? A little, but after Sakurai has shown he can be competent and add Simon, K.Rool, and Banjo in the way i actually wanted them, i expect the same for Dixie, shallow superficial similarties to Diddy be ****ing damned.

Im not gonna lose sleep if she doesn't make it in though. As much as i like her im also guilty on putting her in the back burner of Smash desires like a good chunk of the speculation scene, which is why she is seen as unlikely since people barely bring her up compared to Bandanna Dee.

If she makes it in though, it would be amazing. Better than Cranky Kong who stole Scrooge Mc Duck's cane abilities and is the least fun of the Kongs or.......ugh....... Funky Kong, go back to beign a shopkeeper you and take your ****ty recycled & Knuckles meme with you, you overhyped piece of 90's junk leftovers.

NOMS:
RHYTHM HEAVEN REP X5

 

[Sari]

Abstaining on Dee since I'm not to familiar with the Kirby games. However I will say this: claiming that Dee isn't an important character in the Kirby series is just ridiculous. Even I know he's basically the most prominent character in the Kirby series apart from the ones in Smash already and a few bosses.

-----

Dixie Kong

Chance: 25%
She's a popular Nintendo character and spirits are back in the running. However I'm leaning on spirit picks being promotional characters from recent games. There hasn't been a new DKC in years (not counting the TF Switch port) so she mainly has to rely on her past and current popularity to get in. If a new DKC game gets announced at the rumored Direct next week then expect this score to go up a bit.

Want: 95%
One of my most wanted first party characters and easily my favorite DK character. She's who I'd consider to be a Nintendo all-star and quite possibly one of their biggest faces not playable in Smash yet.

-----

Nightmare chance prediction: 12.00%
Sol Badguy chance prediction: 20.00%

-----

Nominations:
Concept: A non-videogame character gets a Mii Costume x15 (using my 10 extra noms)

 

[RouffWestie]

Bandanna Dee
Chance: 5%
Bandanna Dee is one of the few remaining Nintendo characters with undeniable huge support, the best factor in his favor. I don't think Nintendo is going to choose any of their series that already have several playable characters, save for Pokemon and FE (and even that is just a result of the way they handle new characters in consecutive titles.) I could easily see him being a contender if he stars in his own side game like Captain Toad.
Want: 60%
I am a fan of Kirby overall and would be content with anyone. I like others a little more than him though. He would be much better than nothing so I'll take him.

Dixie Kong
Chance: 3%
She's a fairly common request, which would help her. DK is another franchise with multiple playable characters that isn't Pokemon nor Fire Emblem, so I don't think she's very likely. I would give her a higher rating if more echoes or semi clones were happening.
Want: 100%
I've been waiting for Dixie Kong since the Brawl days. Dkc2 is my favorite 2d platformer of all time in part because of her. Wpuld be amazing to have her and K. Rool added in the same game.

Nominations: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon content ×5

 

[SharkLord]

Bandana Waddle Dee
Chance - 30%
30% and not lower only because he's a popular request.

If he was not added in Smash 4 when he was more relevant, why should they add him now? I mean, if they skipped him for base roster and first wave of DLC despite being one of the most requested characters there must be a reason.
Unless he is treated as an actual main character in the next Kirby game, I don't see him happening, unless they choose characters only by fan requests, something that so far doesn't seem to be the case (Min Min was popular compared to the others ARMS characters but ARMS in general was not a popular request for Smash).

I can actually see the reason for that. Ultimate's roster was finalized at the end of 2015. Back then, his portfolio consisted of an important NPC, a playable character with the main trio, the guy who gives you food, and a playable role with only Kirby. Pretty decent by Kirby standards, but in the grand scheme of things it's not much.
Skip to now. He was the food man again, managed the Gem Apple tree, became playable with the main trio in a fighting game, and was part of base game Star Allies with the main trio-The first Dream Friend you got, in fact! He's the fourth main character now, but he wasn't back then. It's a "Dangit, I was too late" type of thing, like Rex and Spring Man.

 

[Deleted member]

Been a hot minute since I've participated in one of these.

Both
Chance: 10%

These two characters are in very similar situations. Popular first party characters looking to be the 4th rep of legacy franchises, but have been set aside for one reason or another. Unfortunately for the both of them, I can't see them getting added. Their series are well represented already and don't bring much to the table for Nintendo. Dixie would likely be a Diddy semi-clone, something that would've been welcome in the base game, but unfortunately isn't worth a spot on FP2. Whereas Bandana Dee was popularized in the modern era of Kirby, which Sakurai just doesn't seem to care about all that much. They aren't the kind of characters that would be promoting something Nintendo would want to boost and aren't special enough to warrant a closer look for DLC when compared to more obvious promotional picks or 3rd parties.

Want: 100%

That being said, I'd love both of these characters. Dixie has been a favorite of mine since Tropical Freeze, and Bandana Dee is just too cute to not like.

Predictions: 20.4% for Sol Badguy, 12.6% for Nightmare

Nominating PMD Content x5 because idk where the new noms and past scores are kept now that the OP is dead.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Bandana Waddle Dee

Chance: 50%
Honestly, I'm split on this. On the one hand, it makes too much sense, given he is in fact the fourth main character of Kirby. On the other hand, it took a fan poll to get Sakurai to add Ridley and King K. Rool, also characters that made too much sense. It could go either way.
Want: 100%
This is one of the first characters I began petitioning to get into Smash. Naturally, I'd be ecstatic if he got in. Plus... look at him. How could you tell that cute little borb he doesn't deserve to be in Smash?

Abstain on Dixie Kong. I have no opinion on her.

Nominations: Billy Hatcher x5

 

[GoodGrief741]

I wanted to point something out: isn't this the third time we've rated Bandana Dee? Probably not in the same year, although I do get the feeling we've rated him twice in that span.

Yeah, we've rated Dee several times already. Usually when we get a new character, we rerate the top dogs to see what's changed wth their chances.

so you dont think the games are an official material?

No, you see, the order in which you click **** on the website is more important than some stupid kid's game.

idk where the new noms and past scores are kept now that the OP is dead.

Yeah, OP hasn't been updated in a while, but I post the noms list daily. I think the latest one is in the last page.

 

[fogbadge]

. With a spear you can jab, throw, spin, and......?

fly

No, you see, the order in which you click **** on the website is more important than some stupid kid's game.

isnt that just typical?

 

[Royalty1702]

They would be objectively wrong only when Nintendo and HAL will change these pages to replace the regular Waddle Dee with Bandana Waddle Dee.
Until then, Waddle Dee (regular, no bandana) will be the "4th main character" in a similar way as Toad is to Mario, while Bandana Waddle Dee is just a different version of Waddle Dee used in some specific contexts, but still regular Waddle Dee is the main version.

I'm sorry but saying that Bandana Waddle Dee is the 4th main character is objectively wrong until those official pages get modified.

If you are going to exclude BWD from the "4th main character spot", there is no 2nd or 3rd main characters either, as Meta Knight and Dedede have never been portrayed in a group with Kirby pre-RTDL.

Anyway going by Kumazaki's Star Allies interview, BWD's main purpose in the series is to be the part of the main group that started with RTDL and increase the recognition of Waddle Dees as a whole. Given that BWD was originally going to be given a sub-game similar to Meta Knightmare and Dedede's Drum Dash before Dream Friends were even thought of, I think it's safe to say BWD is apart of the main cast.
Source: https://www.ndw.jp/kirby_02/

 

[Dukemon102]

My thoughts haven't changed at all from March, since I already rated their chances based on spirits not meaning anything.
So I think I'll mostly copy paste my last Bandana Dee / Dixie rates while adding some things.

Start of Copy Paste

Dixie Kong

Spoiler: Dixie Kong's History

One thing to start: She would NOT be an echo fighter. And she was not made one for a reason. Moving on.

Chance: 25%
After getting and I feel I can be more optimistic about her chances. Since she's also a Rare character and they would want to include another one for the next pass since both of them have had a bombastic positive reception. But also, that makes me worry that they think we have enough.
Also, there's the sad record Nintendo holds treating the DK Franchise very poorly, practically killing its popularity in the 2000s because they never did anything decent with it until Retro came to the rescue. Also the extremes we have even had to reach to get Sakurai and Nintendo to even consider another DK rep are absurd, we would have never ever gotten if it wasn't for the massive ballot campaign, even with him in, DK's representation in terms of stages and music selection still feels lacking, almost everything in Ultimate is from DKC1 or made-up besides a few songs. It has 7 versions of the same song instead of the actual themes that made David Wise a legend like Aquatic Ambience, Fear Factory or Forest Interlude, and no Tropical Freeze's anything outside of the first level theme. Basically everything I said could be fixed with a Dixie challenger pack. But will Nintendo even consider her when they are always ignoring DK franchise's existence besides , and Jungle Level theme? They already took a step forward with Mario Kart Tour at least sigh. We will have to wait and see.

Want: 100%
My most wanted character since Melee (Yes, I wanted her to join Brawl so badly along with , sadly how things turned out). DKC2 is my favorite game of all time, I can't stop playing it over and over again. TF comes close, and I love DKC3 as well, I think it's extremely underrated.
I have played those games countless of times and there is always a common playable character there, Dixie. She's the most fun character to use in all those games because she's always broken, her animations and attitude are the best of the DK gang, if you have played DK64 and you think is the member that has always played the guitar and loved rock and metal music, you are very wrong.

Also she has plenty of moveset potential, she could use her ponytail to attack with a huge disjoint, grab opponents and cargo throw them, float in the air, has different type of gun from Diddy ( is heavily based on DK64 and Dixie does nothing similar to DK64 Diddy). Or even bring back the scrapped Tag Team mechanic from Brawl and pair her with Kiddy Kong (To the dismay of many fans, which would make it gloriously funny).

I love Dixie and I'm sad that 20 years after, Smash still has the last one of the main DK protagonists left out. Please join as soon as possible Dixie.


Bandana Waddle Dee

Spoiler: Bandana Waddle Dee's History

Chance: 75%

With the little guy I am more optimistic, because of how huge the demand for him has become in the entire world. I always see him scoring high on every fan poll, when and were dominating 1st, he was always close in 2nd to 5th place. The Kirby series hasn't had anything since Brawl. It's about time they give the franchise something new besides more retro content from Sakurai's games. Which like DK, is very easily corrected with a Fighter Pack based on the modern games from the Kumazaki era. If a first party gets added, I think it's very likely for Nintendo to propose him. Otherwise they would be intentionally ignoring the wishes of the fans (Specially japanese fans, Dee is very huge there too).

Want: 100%
The Kirby games I like the most are the ones that were directed by Kumazaki (Director of Superstar Ultra until Star Allies). What those games have in common? Yeah, Bandana Dee is always there. He proved to be a courageous and loyal servent in Revenge of the King, challenging Kirby even when he knew he would lose just to protect his king, that made me appreciate and remember him, so when he became playable in Return to Dreamland. I was very surprised and glad to see him. He has had a perfect attendance record in all the games since then and his moveset is so easy to make, it's almost a joke he hasn't been included into Smash yet.
And no, he wouldn't just "stab" people boringly, he does a lot with that spear, waddlecoptering, throwing multiple spears that come out of nowhere, he could use the parasol too and some Waddle Dee jokes moves cause why not? ( and use a lot of borrowed and made up moves if you are not aware).
DLC pass 2 is his perfect and last chance to be there with the rest of the Kirby quartet fighting most of this videogame icons, please make it happen.


End of Copy Paste

So in the end.

What we currently have is:

The lacking DKC1 vs Sakurai Kirby Games


What I would be happy with:

The glorious whole Donkey Kong Country series vs Classic and Modern Kirby

 

[Iko MattOrr]

People just post troll gifs at you and you report them, their post don't get any warning.
Yeah, I said it in the other thread but I will repeat, discussing of Kirby in the Smash community is disgusting.
Thank you Smashboards.

If you are going to exclude BWD from the "4th main character spot", there is no 2nd or 3rd main characters either, as Meta Knight and Dedede have never been portrayed in a group with Kirby pre-RTDL.

In most games of the series you fight Dedede as one of the final bosses and he plays a major role in the story. Metaknight since Amazing Mirror became a main character with story arcs dedicated to him and involvement with the main plot. Before Amazing Mirror he was just one of the many supporting characters, I agree, but after that game things have changed.
Bandana Dee appeared a lot, but he still lacks this type of involvement... he didn't make the jump yet; he's... playable at best? He's not even called "Bandana" most of the times, in some games he doesn't appear in the cutscenes when he should (waddle dees defending Dedede from Taranza, the waddle dee playing chess with Dedede, etc... why it's never Bandana?) In Battle Royale when you play as him, you can't wear a bandana, making him in fact not playable (it's not Bandana if he doesn't wear it).

He appeared in a lot of games, but he's been lucky in that regard, he existed in a time when countless spin-offs and downloadable small games were released, and he had a chance to appear in all of them. Magolor is the same... he appeared a bit less, but a lot of those spin-offs and subgames feature him, not as a cameo but as an active character. Bandana Waddle Dee gives you Gem Apples in the Clash series, but look at who got the Gem Apples in his moveset in Star Allies? Magolor, because he owns the shop in that game, he became the Gem Apples guy.

So far, until he actually gets a deeper involvement in the series, I won't consider him more important than Magolor, the animals, Gooey and others just because he appeared more often. As I said last time, Rick Kine and Coo appeared in almost as many games as him and got a major role in 2 main series games as opposed to just 1 of Bandana Dee, so what makes them less important than him? Being less recent? I'm sorry but unless the next game features Bandana Waddle Dee with a bigger involvement like what happend with Metaknight from since Amazing Mirror/the anime onward, I won't consider him any more important than the other side characters.

A collectable sticker set in a game as a proof of it being a main character is even more ridicolous as a proof than the official site of the series having a page dedicated to the main characters where he doesn't appear.

 

[Calamitas]

Fedora Mechon

Chance: 50%
This one's honestly a very tough call. On the one hand, BWD has overwhelming fan support, an increasingly great deal of relevance in his home series recent years, and now, thanks to Min Min, no Smash technicalities standing in his way. But one obstacle still remains, and that is Sakurai himself. While it's debatable whether or not he has an actual bias against Kirby games that he had no hand in, the fact still remains that the Kirby series hasn't gotten a new character since Brawl, and (if I remember that correctly) no stage from a game that Sakurai didn't work on. Hence the score: I could very easily see this going either way.

Want: 75%
I'm not really a fan of the Kirby series by any means - I just could never really get into it. I played Dream Land back in the day, got myself Triple Deluxe a few years ago and liked it well enough, and played some bits and piece of Amazing Mirror because I got it from the 3DS ambassador thingy. But even so, I'd still like to see the series get a new character, and based on all I've seen, BWD is probably the best choice.

She's the excluded member of the DK crew rap!

Chance: 70%
Much of what I said about BWD also applies to Dixie Kong: Popularity, relevance, and having less technicalities in her way with Min Min. What she has over him however are two distinct points: A lack of potential negative "Sakurai bias", and the fact that she very nearly happened in Brawl (which honestly is just a huge tragedy: Very heavily considered once, and then ignored twice). In this current situation, I feel like she's one of the most likely first-party characters.

Want: 85%
I'm in a somewhat similar situation with the Donkey Kong series as I am with Kirby, though I had an easier time getting into Returns (3D) and Tropical Freeze, the only ones I did play. So, still not much of a personal connection there. However, out of all the first-party characters that fall into that category to me, Dixie Kong is probably the one I personally want the most.

Predictions:
Sol Badguy - 15.64%
Nightmare 12.36%

Nominating Concept: A person of colour x5

 

[NintenRob]

Yeah, I said it in the other thread but I will repeat, discussing of Kirby in the Smash community is disgusting.
Thank you Smashboards.

You're the one who came to this thread, first time in months, to dunk on a character. You have no one to blame but yourself.