I suspect we won't get that many newcomers. It seems more likely to be closer to a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe type thing than an entirely new iteration of Smash.
Should have most of the content from the Wii U and 3DS versions combined, including the DLC, and potentially some characters getting cut (most likely being some of the 3rd-party characters and clones, and the Miis since they weren't maybe that well-received). Obviously we're getting at least one new character, and I wouldn't be surprised if we got as many as 5 or 6 along with maybe the return of a couple cut characters (Ice Climbers and Wolf being the most likely, followed by Snake, then Ivysaur, Squirtle, Pichu and finally with no chance is Young Link).
The roster is already very large as it is, and has pretty good coverage of the major series and their characters, and so some characters probably need to be cut if we're going to get many more, or the game might be a bit overstuffed and very difficult to balance. I highly doubt we're getting 18-21 characters like we got in SSB4 and Brawl. Or at least, if we did, we'd also see a fair number of characters cut, which wouldn't exactly be a fan pleaser either. I can certainly see some characters getting cut. They like to promote new Fire Emblem, I'd be worried if I were a Lucina or Roy main.
Either way...
As much as I would like to see K Rool, I don't think he's getting in. He hasn't appeared in a game in about a decade, and there's no indication that he'll be making a return. If a new DK game were announced and it would feature the Kremlings, I would bump up the chances significantly. As it is... I think the most likely newcomers aren't going to be the ones I want. A new character from Fire Emblem and a new Pokemon. Maybe a Xenogears character. Maybe a Mario character. Quite possibly another 3rd party or two (maybe a Rabbid... and while I did enjoy Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle I'm not that interested in that).
Anyway...
K Rool chance: 6%
K Rool want: 85%
The original DKC games are great classics, there's plenty of move set potential, and he's a fun character. He'd add another villain and another heavyweight, which is also perhaps desirable. The DK series is big enough to merit another character as well, although it's true that its heyday was in the 90s. He's one of my most wanted.
I'd also reevaluate my ratings when we see a full trailer and get a better idea of what they're doing. If the full trailer features three newcomers beyond the Inklings, for example, I'd think more newcomers. We don't even know what Sakurai's involvement is or whether they're just tweaking SSB4 or redoing the game engine again, etc.
Nominate:
Are we allowed to nominate characters that appeared in SSB4?
If so, I nominate:
1x Miis
1x Lucina
1x Roy
1x Cloud
1x Simon Belmont
Otherwise make them all Simon Belmont, I guess.
(Those first four are some of the characters I think are most likely to be cut, if you can't tell.)
