Ugh... SO MUCH LOWBALLING. It makes a man sad, seeing his favorite character's chances underrated so much by the haters...
Anyway, let's get this out of the way: I'm abstaining on want and chance on Dillon. In my eyes, this is Geno's day, and besides, I know basically nothing about Dillon and his games other than that the man himself was an Assist Trophy back in Smash 4. I know that's not really enough to peg a confident chance on, so I'm not gonna bother on that front.
Now, let's start by addressing the elephant in the room that's been brought up in this thread several times just today: "if Sakurai really wants Geno in so bad, why isn't he in already??" And to that, I say... seriously? Did you forget the massive falling out between Square Enix and Nintendo that basically forced them into separate corners of the gaming sphere for all of 10-15 years? Yeah, let's just say there's a reason it took until Smash 4 DLC for them to get into Smash at all. In reality, Geno wasn't "rejected" twice like some people here are saying out of their asses, it's more like he was sort of a pipe dream of Sakurai's that simply couldn't pan out because Square Enix wasn't on board yet. Indeed, it's reasonable to assume that Geno
would be in Smash already
if Sakurai already had the means to put him in. And, well, now he does. And to answer the even stupider question of, "then why did he spring for Cloud instead of Geno???" ...are you seriously trying to tell me that Sakurai would realistically have chosen a fan-favorite from a cult-classic RPG who hasn't gotten to do much since due to office politics over the closest thing Square Enix has to a mascot just because he's a Geno fanboy? We're talking about
a literal video game hall of famer here. To put Geno in despite Cloud, or at least
someone from Square Enix's flagship franchise, would be akin to putting Bayonetta in before Sonic, or Heihachi in before PAC-MAN. These characters have their fans, but when you get right down to it, putting them in Smash before the mascots of their respective companies would just be downright stupid on a multitude of levels. The truth is, Cloud didn't "steal Geno's spot" or "hog Geno's spotlight", he paved the way for Geno by smoothing negotiations between Sakurai and Square Enix and getting the latter's golden boy squared away (heh). No matter how much Sakurai may like him personally, Geno was never going to be the first Square Enix rep in Smash; it was always going to be Cloud. So no, Geno's chances have not hit rock bottom just because he didn't make it in the first time, and to assume otherwise is simply laughable, childish, and stupid. Look at the big picture, and you'll see how things
really pan out on the business end of things.
So, now that we've gotten that stupid argument out of the way, what chance does Geno actually have? Well, he's basically the longest-standing common character request bar Ridley, for one. For a simple one-off who "nobody will recognize", Geno's popularity is not to be understated. We're talking about a character who has been so popularly requested, that he's essentially taken on a life of his own as an emblem of
the Smash speculation scene itself to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of Smash fans did know who he is. And we mustn't forget the historical importance of his game as well, which was essentially the Mario series' foray into RPGs. Even if it never received a sequel (which it rightfully should with Square Enix and Nintendo having a workable business relationship again, fingers crossed), its legacy went on to directly inspire the Paper Mario series, which, in turn, would inspire the Mario & Luigi line of RPGs, both highly successful series that are still going to this day. Even if he may not produce the most dollar signs (which is a ****ty reason to add any character over another, but I digress), to say Geno and his game are a footnote in gaming history is disingenuous at best.
But alas, popularity alone does not a fighter make, and if that were indeed all Geno had going for him, I'd probably peg his chances down at something like 15%. But there's one major thing that I believe puts Geno a cut above every single one of his competitors: favor with the creator. I needn't link the article that so many others in this thread have already cited wherein Sakurai stated that he wanted Geno in as far back as Brawl, citing specifically his moveset potential and how he would "fit perfectly in Smash." Just how many times has Sakurai said
that about a character? Hell, the fact that he got a Mii Costume at all is proof positive that Sakurai, and likely Square Enix as well, knows how popular Geno is, and now that he finally has the means to add Geno as a fighter, he has no reason not to add him at this point, unless he suddenly decides someone like Captain Toad would be a better choice for some reason. Now, I don't know about anybody else, but
when a character already has mass fan pull, approval from the man who calls the shots, and the proverbial green light from his parent company, then frankly, I question how much better their chances can get.
So, all in all, where do I think that leaves Geno? Well, I'm not gonna lie, I think his chances are looking pretty fantastic. We already know this Smash game is essentially a love letter to long-time Smash fans, and anyone who thinks it isn't simply hasn't been paying attention - even from what little we've seen of the game so far, we've already seen every single veteran come back to please the fans, Ridley be added specifically at western fans' behest, Daisy, Inkling to a lesser extent, a stage hazard toggle, Battlefield forms, Ganon's sword, nigh every stage come back, Krystal as an Assist Trophy, the return of directional airdodging, and literally so much else that fans have been pulling for for years, if not decades at this point. Right out of the gate, we've got basically everything short of a statement from Sakurai himself that fanservice is this Smash's modus operandi, and we've already seen one of the "Speculative Triforce" of Ridley, K. Rool, and Geno confirmed. As I said before, Geno has evolved beyond his admittedly modest character into being emblematic within the Smash fanbase, and unlike Ridley and K. Rool, he doesn't have much of a legacy to speak of outside of Smash, so I believe he would truly be the ultimate fanservice pick for Smash fans and the reaction would be massive, possibly even greater than Ridley's reception. Of course, there's always the slim chance that Square Enix won't approve of Geno as a fighter for whatever reason (which makes absolutely no sense considering they already approved him for a costume, but whatever), but I just can't see Sakurai passing up the chance to add Geno at this point, even if we "already have enough Mario characters". (I call BS, considering Mario is Nintendo's flagship franchise and the face of gaming, so I believe he should be entitled to as many roster slots as he damn well pleases, but I digress.) The circumstances surrounding this game are just lining up too perfectly for him, which is why I'll peg his chances, DLC and all, at...
Chance: 80% (60% for base game, 20% for DLC)
And yeah, maybe I'm biased. Geno is the only character I've ever really wanted in Smash, after all, and the strangest part is, I couldn't really tell you why. The character just has this mysterious allure about him that this doofus just can't explain; maybe it's his design, maybe it's his personality, maybe it's how damn OP he is in Super Mario RPG, I don't know. All I know is, if Geno gets in Smash this time, DLC or otherwise, I will never ask Sakurai for anything ever again.
Want: 100%