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

[P.Kat]

Fire Emblem Spear User

Chance 10%

As much as I would love to have a spear user in the base roster, I sadly don't think it's very likely, but there's always DLC. However if we did get a spear user, my bet would be on Fjorm from Fire Emblem Heroes. That mobile game is making Intelligent Systems a ton of money, and Fire Emblem Heroes music is already in the game, (which could allude to her being in later on, but is not definite), so it's not out of the realm of possibility for her to be our new Fire Emblem spear user.

Want 100%

Have a spear user, let alone one from Fire Emblem would be great. I would want Fjorm to be our Fire Emblem spear user, since she has the added bonus of manipulating ice, and I think we could use more characters with ice based moves. Plus the only Fire Emblem character I want more than her is Lyn, and well... (so not to sound pessimistic) her fate is... uncertain.

Nomination - Fjorm x5

 

[UtopianPoyzin]

Just an inquiry, how many more days are planned for RTC? Smash Ultimate is coming out in just about two months, and wanted to see quantitatively how much longer we'll be doing this.


And not to be a pain, but when can we see an updated main page(s)?

 

[Tew]

Fire Emblem "Spear" User:

Chance: 10%
Before I start a small question. Why spear, I thought lance was the main/general term. Well, regardless:
Pros…and Cons (Idk I wrote a bit of a chaos down there, sorry in advance ^^”):

I think if we get another Fe character, axe and lance users have a good chance. Sakurai likely knows about the memes and roughly what the fans want (Ridley “Hits the big time”). The weapon triangle is one of the most important concepts in Fire Emblem, comparable to the water/fire/grass triangle in Pokémon (and in that case we have Charizard, Greninja and Ivysaur). With Chrom an Echo and Lyn an AT, there aren´t that many important/popular Sword Users left, at best maybe Black Knight, who would likely end up as an Echo as well (which would mean 3 out of 8 Fe characters would be Echos…). Aside from Black Knight as a possible Echo and whatever the Prota from Fe Three Houses is, I am pretty sure the next Fe character will either be an axe or lance user. But that could also be in the next Smash and not in this one. I don´t see much hope for the base roster, but DLC is also an option. For DLC obviously Three houses would likely be a big topic, though that´s hard to predict. We don´t really know what the Protagonist will be and which characters will be important to the story and become popular amongst the fandom. Though it could be, that we get a Fe DLC character before Three houses even releases. Right now I think the most likely lance users are Fjorm, Ephraim, Azura and maybe Cordelia. Cordelia is pretty popular as well as Ephraim, who is also a protagonist, but I think both just aren´t relevant or popular enough. Azura too is pretty popular (those 3 actually placed very close to each other in the first FEH CYL poll) and more relevant. Aside from Corrin, who is already in Smash, I would say she is the most important character in Fates, kinda like Lucina to Robin/Chrom. But Fates didn´t sell as good as Awakening (still 2nd best in Fe history I think) and also isn´t the turning point/as important to the series as Awakening. Meaning I doubt Fates would get 2 unique characters while the more successful, popular and important Awakening only gets 1 unique Character (and 2 Echos). And for Fjorm I don´t want to go into detail, since she will likely be rated in a few days anyway.

Tl;dr: I think and hope we will sooner or later (likely not in the base game, maybe in DLC depending on Three houses, but likely imo at least in the next Smash, if there will be one) see a lance and/or axe user. Right now I´d say Fjorm and Azura have the best chances, though who knows how it will look like in a few month.

Btw incase anyone is interested. A while ago I made a small "Analysis" on the first FEH Choose your legends poll. Removing charatcers already in Smash,combining the votes for characters like Tiki, Anna or Ike that had multiple versions/appearances and putting them in Groups like lance users, axe users etc. The poll happened early 2017 so it would be too late for the base roster but Maybe it has influence on possible DLC. (https://possible-smash-chas.hpage.com/cylanalysis.html) (https://possible-smash-chas.hpage.com/lance.html)

Want: 100%
Well since Fjorm is one, I gotta give it a 100% (Again, more details once it´s her turn). Though even without her, it would be a solid 100%. I love the Fe series but the number of swordfighters saddens me a bit. Fe has so much more to offer, so many interesting and unique characters and weapons, lance users (Fjorm with ice abilities or Azura with water abilities), axe users (Hector, Edelgard, Camilla), pure Dragons/Manaketes (Tiki, Nowi) or pure Magicians (Tharja, Micaiah), Bow users (Takumi), Ninjas (Gaius, Felicia), Staff users (Elise, Lissa), Beasts (Selkie, Keaton), Laguz (Ranulf), mounted units (Cordelia, Camilla, Leo), Dancer (Azura), armoured units (Hector) or Anna as someone who appeared multiple times with various different weapons.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Nomination:
Fjorm: 5x
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[CaptainAmerica]

An Actual Spearman

Let's face it, there aren't many people up for this role, and since Heroes prefer Swords, they're all side characters. I'll quote from one we've done before...

Goddess of Dusk and Dawn

...wait

Chance: 5%
Want: 90%

Azura was definitely pushed in the marketing of Fates. I remember around the time of Sm4sh DLC speculation right when it released that Azura was practically the only character in all of the trailers.

Then they released Corrin to an insane amount of backlash. Also, I hear Fates wasn't well received, so why would they bother?

Still, I did like her aesthetic, and I'd love a spearman in the games. I never really saw BDee as a spearman since he doesn't have the 'man' bodyshape, and really wouldn't be able to pull off anything more interesting than poking - which makes him a ball with a stick. And Mipha...never does anything more than hold the spear in the first place in her game - and you only see her holding it in a statue and a DLC-only cutscene. Azura's the one character we've actually seen using it as a spear. And I'd love more water/grass moves since that would give more hope to getting Pokémon Trainer back too (Shut up, I can dream, can't I?)

Also won't stop the legions of "Ew, no more Fire Emblems!" Granted, I'd prefer removing some of the older ones (like keep Lucy and alt and possibly get rid of Corrin since not many liked him) to fit Azura in.

And of course, it helps that she shares a name with a goddess from The Elder Scrolls.

If we got a spearman in the game, I'd prefer Azura. Ephraim and Fjorm are okay, but nothing special to me. Still, with Sakurai's comments on Fire Emblem oversaturation and Chrom getting in on top of that, I don't know if he'd put in another Fire Emblem to avoid bias claims.

And as a note: A 'spearman' moveset involves more than just having a pointy stick - it should be humanoid as well. I can't see BDee pulling off any spear moves more impressive that 'poke in front' and 'poke above,' which makes his spear as interesting as another sword disjoint. I'd love to see some of the more dance-y acrobatics with a spear. Also, I'd much favor Urbosa if any of the BotW Champions got in over the others since Mipha's personality (and voice) grates on me, but the best option there would be all of them being playable in Hyrule Warriors.

Chance: 1%
Want: 50%

Nom: Dovahkiin x5

 

[Jomosensual]

FE spear user

Chance: 5
Is there anyone out there that makes sense to add to smash that's a spear user? All the FE characters in the game right now are either the user character or significant characters next to them, and I think that Chrom is our only FE newcomer this time around.

Want: 5
Not that interested in a spear user. Feels like the moveset is fairly limited once you get past jabs and throws. More interested in seeing a mage in the game first if we're going to get a new class added

Nominations:
Joker x3
Blog Theory x2

 

[TCT~Phantom]

FE Spear User

10% Chance

Fjorm or bust here. The only characters from non relevant FE games that have a chance would be echoes. Lyn would have in my eyes but her assist. Fjorm would be the best choice for this, plenty of moveset potential, unique design, and FE Heroes is a big game. However timing hurts her.

Abstain want

Yeah I need to play heroes but gatchapon games are not my style. She seems cool and would be a good choice, but timing hurts her. Also I know I will want someone from Three Houses when that comes out and that bias would hurt me on this.

Nominating Sora Rerate x 5

 

[Opossum]

Fire Emblem Lance User

Chance: 5%
I am factoring in DLC for this one.

Regardless of likelihood, here are the ones I feel would, at the very least, make sense for Smash:

- Caeda
- Ephraim
- Azura
- Fjorm
- Dimitri

Of these, Dimitri could easily be DLC in theory, should Sakurai see something in him over Edelgard, Claude, or Byleth. They're pretty much on equal ground as of now, though that's subject to change.

Want: 100%
Give me Caeda over Waddle Dee any day of the week, no questions asked. Please, Sakurai.


Merric x5

 

[Deleted member]

Abstaining on FE spear user


Noms:
Metroidvania-like adventure mode x5

 

[ProfPeanut]

It should go without saying that I'm rating these characters as both possible DLC and/or possible base roster inclusions. Also, can we please get the score ratings back already, if not have someone else do them if TCT-Phantom won't? There's a lot of good topics that aren't going to make it to the next Smash Direct without boosts, if not game launch, especially when constant double days effectively halve our nominations.


Fire Emblem Spear User

Chance: 30%
A spear user added for the sole sake of adding a spear user would directly compete with Bandana Waddle Dee, a character with no other attacks besides jumping at people and using a spear. Combine that with the current oversaturation of Fire Emblem characters, and an FE character is going to need much more than just a different weapon and a plea for representation to squeeze into the roster.

Just like trying to represent Pokemon types, representing Fire Emblem weapons has pretty much never been on Sakurai's mind. They don't add swordsmen into Smash because they still think the roster lacks swords, they add them because they're Shulk, and Cloud, and Chrom. In that regard, the only popular choices are Azura and Fjorm, who both have good moveset potential but lack the overwhelming favor that other characters get. They have some favor, but only really enough to get them to the B-list of nominees.

That said, I do think Fjorm has the strongest chance amongst all the FE spear-wielders of getting into Smash, but the explanation to that will have to wait for her rating day.


Want: 20%
We don't need weapon completionism. The history of generating iconic and worthy characters has never paid heed to whether different weapon variety was being shown, let alone whether there were too many swordsmen. And in regards to it being a Fire Emblem character specifically, Smash happens to have an alternative choice that'd work just as fine while padding out an underrepresented franchise.

If it's Fjorm, I'd be happy with the choice. If it's someone else like Ephraim or Azura, I'd be much more ambivalent. If it's beyond those three, then I can only suggest that they probably shouldn't bother.


Predictions
Hanafuda cahracter: 24%

Nominations
Sans (boss) x5

 

[AirMac1]

Abstrain

Since exitebiker has already been rated, let’s all nominate Conker!

Noms: Conker x5

 

[Fire Tactician]

Fire Emblem Spear User

Chance- 5%

We already got Chrom, who was a massive fan request, and if the roster is going to be notably smaller with newcomers, I think FE missed their shot for a newcomer. Azura would have been great, but Corrin killed her shot.

Want- 100%

I've always loved using the Fire Emblem characters, and I'm sure a spear user would be greatly fun. Azura would be amazing, but Fjørm has some insane moveset potential. I know that others would be pissed at us seeing another Fire Emblem rep, but I'd be thrilled myself.

 

[DaUsername]

Fire Emblem with a spear
Chance: 0.1%
It's very unlikely that we're getting any more FE characters at this point. Even if we do, it would probably be another echo and therefore some guy with a sword.
Want: 0%
As I've said before, FE doesn't need any more characters. Plus, there's already a much better choice for a spear user that isn't from the FE series.

Hanafuda prediction: 4%
Noms: Steve x5

 

[Makai Wars]

Double zeros.

Nomination: Cross series echoes

 

[Icedragonadam]

Chance: 0.5%
Want: 75%(if it's Ephraim)

It'd be nice to see another type of FE character represented instead of another sword Fighter. Mainly if it's Ephraim. I don't think we're getting another unique FE character until DLC. At least there's a chance of an axe user with Edelgard for DLC.

Nominate Concept: Yoshi's Crafted World stage x5

 

[Opossum]

Double zeros.

Nomination: Cross series echoes

Your nominations won't count, just saying.

 

[letsgetsmashing]

Chance: 3%- I really just don't see this happening at this point, in the base game or DLC. It seems as if there is not many character reveals left, yet there is still many highly wanted characters that are not in Smash. A Fire Emblem spear user is not one of them. I think the fact that nobody can even think of a prominent spear uses shows how unlikely it is. It's not that Fire Emblem doesn't have characters that use spears, it's that all of the popular and relevant Fire Emblem characters do use swords. Plus, Sakurai himself admitted there was too many Fire Emblem characters in Smash Bros and I don't think he'll add anymore because he knows the backlash that will occur. Chrom only got in because he was an echo, and I don't think any other Fire Emblem characters stand a chance, echo or not. Plus I feel DLC characters will be big name reveals, like iconic 3rd parties or popular 1st parties.

Want: 1%- Sorry but there's nothing appealing to me about having a Fire Emblem spear user in the game. I would take Krystal or Bandana Dee ahs spear wielders over any FE character. While I get Fire Emblem is a big series, I think it's represented fine and is not in need of additional newcomers.

 

[PeridotGX]

Spear user.

Chance: 5%. It doesn't look that likely, for base game anyways. Let's look at all the notable spear users.

Sigurd: Horse-Locked
Eliwood: Horse Locked and looks like Roy
Eriphiram: Admittedly possible, but still rather unlikely
Azura: Would've been the DLC character instead of Corrin.
Chrom/Lucina: Already in the game without a spear.

As you can see, not any good choices. DLC boosts this up dramatically though, with both Fjorm and the 3 Houses Spear Guy.

Want: 25%. I've been playing some FE recently, so a Spear user would be neat, especially a mounted one like Cordelia. Ultimately however, there are other character's I'd rather see so it can't be too high.

Nominations: Cross Series Echoes x5.

 

[Opossum]

Spear user.

Chance: 5%. It doesn't look that likely, for base game anyways. Let's look at all the notable spear users.

Sigurd: Horse-Locked
Eliwood: Horse Locked and looks like Roy
Eriphiram: Admittedly possible, but still rather unlikely
Azura: Would've been the DLC character instead of Corrin.
Chrom/Lucina: Already in the game without a spear.

As you can see, not any good choices. DLC boosts this up dramatically though, with both Fjorm and the 3 Houses Spear Guy.

Want: 25%. I've been playing some FE recently, so a Spear user would be neat, especially a mounted one like Cordelia. Ultimately however, there are other character's I'd rather see so it can't be too high.

Nominations: Cross Series Echoes x5.

Even then, Sigurd and Eliwood's main weapons are swords, with their signatures being Tyrfing and Durandal, respectively.

 

[Sid-cada]

FE Spear User

Chance - 0.5% - As I count DLC separately from the main game, I don't see one coming base game. We're already getting to a point where people are tired of FE characters, and the most recent ones are typically pushed, preventing old favorites. I don't expect one until Three Houses comes out, and even then...

Want - 35% - I would prefer Bandanna Dee as a spear user. I would prefer Anna as a Fire Emblem Character. I guess I can enjoy it, but there are way better options for me on both fronts.


Nominations

Reimu Hakurei X5

 

[Kotor]

Fire Emblem Lance user

Chance: 10%
Want: 50%

Well there's a bunch to pick from Fire Emblem that use a lance. Azura, Fjorm, Sharena, Caeda, Ephraim, Dimitri Rascalov you name it. Three Houses is on the way and we still don't know much about it. There's Dimitri who uses a lance, but there's also Edelgard's Axe (she also uses swords and apparently magic, but her preference seems to be with axes), Claude with bows, and whatever Byleth is suppose to be. Not a big fan of "quota-fulfilling characters." Of the characters I listed, the ones I see standing out beyond just being a lance user are Azura, Fjorm, and Caeda.

My overall interests depends on who gets in. My preference is with Azura. She's both a singer and a dancer, and a waterbender. You got more to work with then someone like Ephraim who just fights with a lance. I would welcome Azura and Bandana Dee with open arms. No one or the other with me in this circumstance.

Black Knight as a boss character x5

 

[Smasher 101]

Spear User from Fire Emblem

Chance: 1%

Ephraim's game is older, and he doesn't have big fan demand. Azura's time has passed at this point, Fates has someone and it's unlikely to pull an Awakening. And then Fjorm and Three Houses just came too late for base game, and as of now no one else strikes me as a contender at this point honestly. I'm not counting DLC for this, it's a possibility there for sure, but I don't see one happening right now. Plus if there's another Fire Emblem newcomer in base game it's probably another echo fighter.

Want: 60%

Pretty indifferent to most of them, but I'd actually be down for Ephraim. I do like him and he feels like a character I would enjoy playing as. I'm ok with more Fire Emblem.

 

[Rayleigh]

Lancer User (Fire Emblem)

(DLC potential is ignored for this thought process)

Chance: 0-15% (all)

It depends on the character, but none of them have good chances. Ephraim is from an older game from before Fire Emblem's descent into the modern era, but his no nonsense attitude mixed with great usability made him a series favorite alongside characters like Hector. Azura has move potential, but Fates was a more controversial game (this is the part I erase any potential mini-rant I might make) in comparison to Awakening (which lacks any notable spear users within the main cast). Fjorm, while a good representative of the success of Fire Emblem Heroes, originates from after the Smash Ballot, which looks to be taken quite seriously when it comes to some of the fighter picks. Then there are the new characters we know nothing about, and the old characters that are mostly unimportant and ignored in favor of the main cast. There is market tie-in potential for the Switch Game...but not right now, given how little we know of the game and the mixed reception of Corrin. Tie all this in with the popular joke of 'Too much Fire Emblem', and the chances for any of these characters goes down in terms of community want...but Sakurai is a madman, who knows what'll happen?

Want: 0% (Not-Ephraim), 60% (Ephraim)

This is the part where I hate on Post-Awakening (and, to far lesser extent, Awakening) Fire Emblem...which I won't do here. But even ignoring that bias, I'm just indifferent to the notion of a Fire Emblem Lance User. While Ephraim might stir up some interest in me, I would be more interested in seeing a character like Hector (Heavily Armored Axe User). What's more, I feel like there is potential for a Hero-Summoning item in Smash Bros when it comes to adding more Fire Emblem characters. Think of it as 'Fire Emblem-Specific Assist Trophies'. More characters would have a chance to shine here versus throwing every conceiveable Lord or Protagonist at Smash as playable fighters.

 

[Glaciacott]

FE Spear User

Chance - 0% with current knowledge
Reason I want to clarify that is that we don't know enough about Three Houses. If Three Houses protagonists show weapon diversity it could theoretically be possible we have another Corrin situation, and I'd be interested to see a character who could wield Axe, Lance or Bow as stances to balance out FE weapon representation a bit.

But outside of this, I don't see it happening

Want - 100%
I want Lyn more than any other FE character, but would also really like to see more of FE that's not just Marth clones or sword lords. It's why I love Robin's inclusion, and why I would love to see other weapons like spears or axes.

Also, everyone talking about Azura and Ephraim and all these characters, but deep down you know which impossible character would make me lose my mind in infinite hype? Nephenee. That alone makes me see this as an easy 100% in want. Despite it being impossible lol

 

[Erureido]

Fire Emblem Spear User

Chance: 1%

I think the chances of us getting a new Fire Emblem character for the base roster are looking pretty low. To me, Chrom seems like he'll be our only FE newcomer for now (though Black Knight as an Ike could work too, but I've been thinking lately Black Knight could be a boss in this potential Spirits mode), especially since Sakurai seems aware of FE's overrepresentation on the roster.

Narrowing it to the specific spear users, the best choices are a toss up between Ephraim, Azura, Fjorm, Sharena, and Caeda. Fjorm and Sharena are mascots of Fire Emblem Heroes, but the game came out in 2017, which was quite late following when Smash Ultimate's roster was decided. Azura is one of the poster characters of Fire Emblem Fates who also had a decent following for Smash, but that game has been losing relevancy. Ephraim is one of the main characters of Sacred Stones, but that game hasn't had any major relevancy in the past few years, nor was Ephraim ever a popular pick for Smash. Caeda is one of the main characters of the first Fire Emblem game, so perhaps she could get in on the legacy appeal, but there's very little demand for her to be in Smash.

Dmitri from Three Houses is another possible candidate, seeing how he is one of the lords of the game. However, I think he'll be more likely for DLC, and even he has to compete with Klaude and Edelgard for TH rep too.

Want: 85%

This was the want score I gave to Azura when we rated, her so I'll give this concept the same rating. Azura would be quite cool in Smash, with one of the ways she'd stand out is her ability to use spears.

As for the other characters I mentioned, I think they'd be quite interesting in Smash because of their Smash. After all, Smash could use some spear users. However, I don't particularly care for most of them, so I can't cap this at 100%.

------

Nominations

Susie (Kirby): x5

 

[RealPokeFan11]

Is it time to rate the next character yet?

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Day over new day

 

[BluePikmin11]

In every Smash Bros. game since Melee, there has been a “surprise” character that gets added in the game. Those characters are Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B, and Duck Hunt. All of them share one thing in common, representing an older, but significant part of Nintendo’s history. Mr. Game & Watch represents one of Nintendo’s first big successes in the video game market with the line of LCD handheld game devices they made in the 1980s. R.O.B. represents the rise of the video games in the U.S. thanks to Nintendo marketing the Robotic Operating Buddy along the NES as a “novel, advanced” toy. Duck Hunt represents the big success of the NES Zapper, whose game was widely known for the iconic laughing dog and being an pack-in alongside Super Mario Bros. for NES bundles. I like to call these types of newcomers as “historical surprises”. These kinds of characters were confirmed to exist with bits of the project plan publicly shown in Sakurai's book.

With these three characters representing a major portion of NIntendo’s older history, what else is there left to add for historical surprises? After Duck Hunt’s addition in Smash 4, it might be very difficult for Sakurai to find historical candidates that would match and represent the same calibur of impact as Duck Hunt, R.O.B., and Game & Watch. There are choices that many Smash fans previously brought up in pre-Smash 4 speculation such as Sheriff, Virtual Boy character, and Nester. But, there are problems with them.

Sheriff does represent Nintendo’s first video game character, but his game never had the same degree of impact in the video game industry as R.O.B. and Duck Hunt. A Virtual Boy character represents Nintendo’s biggest failure in history, which I highly doubt Sakurai would want to add. Nester, while having the same impact as Duck Hunt and R.O.B. with the magazine of Nintendo Power, is not as globally recognized in Japan/Europe for Sakurai to consider it. In a process of elimination, the only newcomer choice left that I think Sakurai would fill in for the historical surprise role would be a character representing Nintendo’s beginning, Hanafuda.

Hanafuda (Translated as “flower cards”) are Japanese playing cards used to play a multitude of games like Koi Koi and Go-Stop. This was the very first product manufactured by Nintendo way back in 1889. Before the debut of Hanafuda, many kinds of playing cards were banned in Japan due to the Western influences of Japanese card games and the surge of Christian missionaries from Europe.

For the person that resurged Hanafuda back into popularity, Fusajiro Yamauchi, to get around the card problem, he would have to replace the numbers in his cards with Japanese painted art that represented the twelve months of the year. The Japanese government banned Hanafuda eventually. But around the late 1800s, playing cards were no longer banned. Yamauchi could finally create a legal business to sell his Hanafuda products, creating a new company, Nintendo Koppai (The original name of Nintendo before it was simplified decades later.)

The Hanafuda cards by Nintendo grew to become a huge hit again in Japan, which led to partnerships with Disney and developing other classic Japanese/Western card games for their business. The experience Nintendo had with selling Hanafuda eventually led them forming a VERY successful business in toys, and eventually producing a business for video games that Nintendo is globally known for today.

With Hanafuda playing a MAJOR key role in Nintendo’s history, Sakurai might consider the idea of creating an original character heavily influenced by Hanafuda for the next historical surprise newcomer. Hanafuda might not be very video game related as G&W, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt, but I feel that its significant importance to Nintendo would be enough for Sakurai to be comfortable with the idea. With Sakurai going all in many extents of Nintendo history in all sorts of content to represent even the most obscure Nintendo franchises, it would not surprise me if Sakurai thought of a Hanafuda character for Ultimate. I do not think it would be difficult for Sakurai to come up with the idea. I think he will go an extra mile, thinking outside the box, going beyond Nintendo's video game history to find the appropriate "surprise" addition for this game.

So, how can you form a character out of playing cards? There are MANY possible solutions to this:

1. Using Napoleon from Nintendo’s most famous Hanafuda deck.

With the Daitouryou deck featuring Napoleon being the most popular Hanafuda variant, Sakurai could use this historical figure as the basis for the Hanafuda character.

2. Using the tengu from Nintendo's second most popular Hanafuda's deck.

Although this variant of the Hanafuda deck is not as popular as the Napoleon one, the tengu has one advantage that Napoleon does not have. One, tengus being more significant to the origin of Nintendo and Hanafuda in general. Two, the tengu’s Japanese cultural relations that would fit in more than a French emperor using Japanese cards for battle.

3. Going more out-there and giving the Hanafuda deck limbs for movement.

This solution is a very unlikely scenario, but giving a Hanafuda deck arms and legs would better fit in Smash with the Hanafuda character having a crazy wacky design.

What would be the moveset theme and playstyle for a Hanafuda character be? To get a general grasp of the idea I will explain it in a Smash 4 project proposal way:

A Hanafuda character would be a very unique fighter with it utilizing hanafuda cards to summon environmental objects, tools, and animals from the card art as the primary form of attacking. Its play-style would involve long-range summoning attacks to keep opponents at bay. The kind of fighter a Hanafuda character could become with his card abilities and the unique Japanese cultural influence that gives Hanafuda distinction would be enough for Sakurai to craft up a fighter based on the oldest Nintendo product in same way he crafted up a character and moveset for Mr. Game and Watch in Melee.

Spoiler: Moveset for Hanafuda

(Major credit and props to Pacack for creating this moveset)

Entrance Animation: General outline of character appears first, followed by the outline of the details, ending with Hanafuda being painted in. (Referencing that all of the hanafuda cards were originally handcrafted by painting onto mulberry tree bark) OR A hanafuda card box drops from the sky and opens to release a Hanafuda character.

Properties: Height is roughly between Charizard’s and Samus’ heights. About as wide as Snake or Link at the widest point. Is somewhat lighter than Robin.

Jab Combo: Hits with pine branch for small damage. Only an AA combo, rather than an AAA combo. Does approximately 4% damage for the first hit and 6% for the second. (Based off of basic pine cards from the December suit, only a double combo because there are only two commons in said suit)

Side-Tilt: Kicks the ground and sends a flurry of maple leaves forward. Has good range and may trip the opponent. Does only 1% damage per leaf, but there are several leaves. Does not have the best knockback. (Based off of the October Maple leaf commons)

Up-Tilt: Waves some bush clover branches in a sweeping motion over his head (from front to back). Decen knockback that can be used for combos. Does about 9% damage. (Based off of the July bush clover commons)

Down-Tilt: Causes a small peony bush to sprout directly in front of Hanafuda (butterflies fly out from it as well, but do not do damage or interact with the opponent). Sends opponents almost directly upwards. Does approximately 11% damage and good knockback, but has some frame lag. (Based off of the June peony commons)

Dash Attack: Pulls out a chrysanthemum bouquet and swings it as he dashes (Based off of the September chrysanthemums)

Up Smash: Thrusts an umbrella into the air and opens it (as it opens, a frog comes out for purely for humor’s sake). Does good damage and knockback, but has some beginning lag. (Based off of Rain Man’s umbrella and frog)

Side Smash: Swings a fairly bulky paulownia branch forward at the opponent. Heavy damage and knockback. (Based off of the January paulownias)

Down Smash: Makes tall susuki grass sprout from the ground on one side of him and a small willow tree on the other. The grass sends opponents diagonally up and away from Hanafuda, while the willow simply hits them upwards. (Based off of the susuki grass and willow common cards)

Neutral Aerial: Hanafuda spins around (somewhat like Zelda's or Ness' nairs) in the air and irises fly out of his sleeves. Poor knockback and decent damage, but good range. (Based off of the May irises)

Forward Aerial: Swings a large plain ribbon in front of him in an arch shape. It can hit easily, but is not very powerful. (Based off of the ribbon cards)

Back Aerial: Snaps a large plain ribbon behind him like a whip. Hits very hard and with good range, but is extremely difficult to sweetspot. (Based off of the ribbon cards)

Up Aerial: Butterflies fly out from out of Hanafuda’s sleeves and go straight upwards. They are hard to sweetspot, but they provide a decent killing move. Does only 3% damage and minimal knockback when not sweetspotted, but does good damage with great knockback when they do.

Down Aerial: Hits whatever is in front of him with a plank from an eight plank bridge. Has spiking properties. (Based off of the May “animal” card)

Neutral Special: Throws poetry sake cup at the opponent. Does surprisingly high damage, but is very small and difficult to hit opponents with. (Based off of the September poetry sake cup “animal” wildcard)

Side Special: Summons a boar, deer, and butterflies that run quickly as a herd across the stage until they disappears. High damage and knockback, but can be easily avoided, as they will only run straight. (Based off of the July, October, and June animal cards and Ino-Shika-Cho group.)

Up Special: Summons multiple types of birds that fly sporadically upwards and grabs onto a crane that lifts Hanafuda about as efficiently as Pit’s up special. Damage done to opponents depends on the birds that hit them. (Based off of the various animal cards of January, February, April, August, and November.)

Down Special: Holds up the jinmaku (camp curtain) to absorb enemy projectiles. Does not deflect or heal the user. (based off of the March “bright” card)

Grab: Wisteria vines shoot out from Hanafuda's sleeves and ensnare the opponent. (based off of the wisteria cards)

Grab-Pummel: The vines repeatedly hit the opponent.

Forward Throw: Hanafuda throws the opponent with the vines and whips them quickly.

Back Throw: Hanafuda throws the opponent over his shoulder.

Up Throw: Hanafuda throws his opponent directly over his head and smacks him with the blue ribbon. (Reference to the blue ribbons)

Down Throw: Hanafuda releases his opponent and slaps them into the ground with the poetry ribbon. (Reference to the red poetry ribbons)

Final Smash: Summons Chinese Phoenix which attacks the entire stage with fire. The stage’s background becomes red with a completely white circle as the moon as this is happening. (Reference to the August and December Bright cards)

The only competition a Hanafuda character would have to face for a historical surprise addition would be a character based on Nintendo toys made in the 1960s. Of all the potential candidates that represent an integral part of Nintendo’s long history, a 1960s toy character makes the most sense after Hanafuda’s addition. Although, without a definitive mascot or character to represent these toys, creating a character out of 1960s toys might be harder for Sakurai to imagine and he might go with Hanafuda instead. Ultimately, who he chooses as the historical surprise for Smash will depend on what Sakurai sees as having more playful gameplay potential. Both have great potential to me, but Sakurai might have a different perspective otherwise.

With a 1960’s toys character being potential competition, I say a Hanafuda character’s chances are 50/50. I believe there will be a “historical surprise” in this Smash, and the odds of Sakurai creating a character out of Hanafuda are way better now with G&W, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt no longer being major competition. The Hanafuda cards Nintendo made way back are an integral part of the company’s history. I feel such historical importance will be represented via character by Sakurai. With Hanafuda being distinct culturally and providing gameplay potential as a card summoner, I feel confident in banking on a Hanafuda character for Smash Ultimate. I do not believe the potential possibility of Smash Ultimate having a smaller newcomer pool than Smash 4's base newcomers will prevent his inclusion. It is hard for me to imagine Sakurai getting rid of historical surprises at this point with the distinct gameplay potential these kinds of additions bring to Smash's roster. I boldly state this, even in the current extremely pessimistic state of Smash speculation.

 

[RealPokeFan11]

What Hanafuda character?
Chance: 0%
Want: 0%
I just did a little research and Hanafuda is LITERALLY a card game with no real characters to be found. Then I saw a made up image of a deck of Hanafuda cards with arms and legs. (I am so confused right now) Hanafuda isn't even a video game, so it's chances of appearing in Smash is just as high as Goku and Shrek. There was one exception with R.O.B, but he was made to connect with a video game. Hanafuda wasn't. Double zeroes.

2019 Edit: Jesus... looking back at this day, it was a total ****show. Glad we're not rating non video game characters anymore. (We were never supposed to in the first place...)

Nominations: Xurkitree x5

Predictions: Rowlet (Playable) 0%
Rowlet (Pokeball) 50%

 

[Dee Dude]

Hanafuda
Chance: 0% Sorry Blue, but it ain’t happening.

Even by Smash standards, a set of cards with noodle arms and legs is just too ridiculous and this is the same game where doctors, fitness trainers, and black 2D sprites duke it out. The moveset seems too implausible for even Sakurai to think of and while you have one, I doubt he would think of one no matter how creative he is. Plus, I doubt anyone would really be advocating or wanting him that bad, he feels like a character that’s added purely for the sake of being Retro/WTF, he lacks an appealing design as well so nobody would want to play as Hanafuda, better off as an Assist Trophy.

Want: 0% No thanks, would much prefer Stanley The Bugman or Muddy Mole for the Retro obsure pick.

Nominate: Assist Trophy promotion DLC x5

 

[Mrs.Milky]

In every Smash Bros. game since Melee, there has been a “surprise” character that gets added in the game. Those characters are Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B, and Duck Hunt. All of them share one thing in common, representing an older, but significant part of Nintendo’s history. Mr. Game & Watch represents one of Nintendo’s first big successes in the video game market with the line of LCD handheld game devices they made in the 1980s. R.O.B. represents the rise of the video games in the U.S. thanks to Nintendo marketing the Robotic Operating Buddy along the NES as a “novel, advanced” toy. Duck Hunt represents the big success of the NES Zapper, whose game was widely known for the iconic laughing dog and being an pack-in alongside Super Mario Bros. for NES bundles. I like to call these types of newcomers as “historical surprises”. These kinds of characters were confirmed to exist with bits of the project plan publicly shown in Sakurai's book.

With these three characters representing a major portion of NIntendo’s older history, what else is there left to add for historical surprises? After Duck Hunt’s addition in Smash 4, it might be very difficult for Sakurai to find historical candidates that would match and represent the same calibur of impact as Duck Hunt, R.O.B., and Game & Watch. There are choices that many Smash fans previously brought up in pre-Smash 4 speculation such as Sheriff, Virtual Boy character, and Nester. But, there are problems with them.

Sheriff does represent Nintendo’s first video game character, but his game never had the same degree of impact in the video game industry as R.O.B. and Duck Hunt. A Virtual Boy character represents Nintendo’s biggest failure in history, which I highly doubt Sakurai would want to add. Nester, while having the same impact as Duck Hunt and R.O.B. with the magazine of Nintendo Power, is not as globally recognized in Japan/Europe for Sakurai to consider it. In a process of elimination, the only newcomer choice left that I think Sakurai would fill in for the historical surprise role would be a character representing Nintendo’s beginning, Hanafuda.

Hanafuda (Translated as “flower cards”) are Japanese playing cards used to play a multitude of games like Koi Koi and Go-Stop. This was the very first product manufactured by Nintendo way back in 1889. Before the debut of Hanafuda, many kinds of playing cards were banned in Japan due to the Western influences of Japanese card games and the surge of Christian missionaries from Europe.

For the Hanafuda creator, Fusajiro Yamauchi, to get around the card problem, he would have to replace the numbers in his cards with Japanese painted art that represented the twelve months of the year. The Japanese government banned Hanafuda eventually. But around the late 1800s, playing cards were no longer banned. Yamauchi could finally create a legal business to sell his Hanafuda products, creating a new company, Nintendo Koppai (The original name of Nintendo before it was simplified decades later.)

The Hanafuda cards by Nintendo grew to become a huge hit in Japan, which led to partnerships with Disney and developing other classic Japanese/Western card games for their business. The experience Nintendo had with selling Hanafuda eventually led them forming a VERY successful business in toys, and eventually producing a business for video games that Nintendo is globally known for today.

With Hanafuda playing a MAJOR key role in Nintendo’s history, Sakurai might consider the idea of creating an original character heavily influenced by Hanafuda for the next historical surprise newcomer. Hanafuda might not be very video game related as G&W, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt, but I feel that its significant importance to Nintendo would be enough for Sakurai to be comfortable with the idea. With Sakurai going all in many extents of Nintendo history in all sorts of content to represent even the most obscure Nintendo franchises, it would not surprise me if Sakurai thought of a Hanafuda character for Ultimate. I do not think it would be difficult for Sakurai to come up with the idea. I think he will go an extra mile, thinking outside the box, going beyond Nintendo's video game history to find the appropriate "surprise" addition for this game.

So, how can you form a character out of playing cards? There are MANY possible solutions to this:

1. Using Napoleon from Nintendo’s most famous Hanafuda deck.

With the Daitouryou deck featuring Napoleon being the most popular Hanafuda variant, Sakurai could use this historical figure as the basis for the Hanafuda character.

2. Using the tengu from Nintendo's second most popular Hanafuda's deck.

Although this variant of the Hanafuda deck is not as popular as the Napoleon one, the tengu has one advantage that Napoleon does not have. One, tengus being more significant to the origin of Nintendo and Hanafuda in general. Two, the tengu’s Japanese cultural relations that would fit in more than a French emperor using Japanese cards for battle.

3. Going more out-there and giving the Hanafuda deck limbs for movement.

This solution is a very unlikely scenario, but giving a Hanafuda deck arms and legs would better fit in Smash with the Hanafuda character having a crazy wacky design.

What would be the moveset theme and playstyle for a Hanafuda character be? To get a general grasp of the idea I will explain it in a Smash 4 project proposal way:

A Hanafuda character would be a very unique fighter with it utilizing hanafuda cards to summon environmental objects, tools, and animals from the card art as the primary form of attacking. Its play-style would involve long-range summoning attacks to keep opponents at bay. The kind of fighter a Hanafuda character could become with his card abilities and the unique Japanese cultural influence that gives Hanafuda distinction would be enough for Sakurai to craft up a fighter based on the oldest Nintendo product in same way he crafted up a character and moveset for Mr. Game and Watch in Melee.

Spoiler: Moveset for Hanafuda

(Major credit and props to Pacack for creating this moveset)

Entrance Animation: General outline of character appears first, followed by the outline of the details, ending with Hanafuda being painted in. (Referencing that all of the hanafuda cards were originally handcrafted by painting onto mulberry tree bark) OR A hanafuda card box drops from the sky and opens to release a Hanafuda character.

Properties: Height is roughly between Charizard’s and Samus’ heights. About as wide as Snake or Link at the widest point. Is somewhat lighter than Robin.

Jab Combo: Hits with pine branch for small damage. Only an AA combo, rather than an AAA combo. Does approximately 4% damage for the first hit and 6% for the second. (Based off of basic pine cards from the December suit, only a double combo because there are only two commons in said suit)

Side-Tilt: Kicks the ground and sends a flurry of maple leaves forward. Has good range and may trip the opponent. Does only 1% damage per leaf, but there are several leaves. Does not have the best knockback. (Based off of the October Maple leaf commons)

Up-Tilt: Waves some bush clover branches in a sweeping motion over his head (from front to back). Decen knockback that can be used for combos. Does about 9% damage. (Based off of the July bush clover commons)

Down-Tilt: Causes a small peony bush to sprout directly in front of Hanafuda (butterflies fly out from it as well, but do not do damage or interact with the opponent). Sends opponents almost directly upwards. Does approximately 11% damage and good knockback, but has some frame lag. (Based off of the June peony commons)

Dash Attack: Pulls out a chrysanthemum bouquet and swings it as he dashes (Based off of the September chrysanthemums)

Up Smash: Thrusts an umbrella into the air and opens it (as it opens, a frog comes out for purely for humor’s sake). Does good damage and knockback, but has some beginning lag. (Based off of Rain Man’s umbrella and frog)

Side Smash: Swings a fairly bulky paulownia branch forward at the opponent. Heavy damage and knockback. (Based off of the January paulownias)

Down Smash: Makes tall susuki grass sprout from the ground on one side of him and a small willow tree on the other. The grass sends opponents diagonally up and away from Hanafuda, while the willow simply hits them upwards. (Based off of the susuki grass and willow common cards)

Neutral Aerial: Hanafuda spins around (somewhat like Zelda's or Ness' nairs) in the air and irises fly out of his sleeves. Poor knockback and decent damage, but good range. (Based off of the May irises)

Forward Aerial: Swings a large plain ribbon in front of him in an arch shape. It can hit easily, but is not very powerful. (Based off of the ribbon cards)

Back Aerial: Snaps a large plain ribbon behind him like a whip. Hits very hard and with good range, but is extremely difficult to sweetspot. (Based off of the ribbon cards)

Up Aerial: Butterflies fly out from out of Hanafuda’s sleeves and go straight upwards. They are hard to sweetspot, but they provide a decent killing move. Does only 3% damage and minimal knockback when not sweetspotted, but does good damage with great knockback when they do.

Down Aerial: Hits whatever is in front of him with a plank from an eight plank bridge. Has spiking properties. (Based off of the May “animal” card)

Neutral Special: Throws poetry sake cup at the opponent. Does surprisingly high damage, but is very small and difficult to hit opponents with. (Based off of the September poetry sake cup “animal” wildcard)

Side Special: Summons a boar, deer, and butterflies that run quickly as a herd across the stage until they disappears. High damage and knockback, but can be easily avoided, as they will only run straight. (Based off of the July, October, and June animal cards and Ino-Shika-Cho group.)

Up Special: Summons multiple types of birds that fly sporadically upwards and grabs onto a crane that lifts Hanafuda about as efficiently as Pit’s up special. Damage done to opponents depends on the birds that hit them. (Based off of the various animal cards of January, February, April, August, and November.)

Down Special: Holds up the jinmaku (camp curtain) to absorb enemy projectiles. Does not deflect or heal the user. (based off of the March “bright” card)

Grab: Wisteria vines shoot out from Hanafuda's sleeves and ensnare the opponent. (based off of the wisteria cards)

Grab-Pummel: The vines repeatedly hit the opponent.

Forward Throw: Hanafuda throws the opponent with the vines and whips them quickly.

Back Throw: Hanafuda throws the opponent over his shoulder.

Up Throw: Hanafuda throws his opponent directly over his head and smacks him with the blue ribbon. (Reference to the blue ribbons)

Down Throw: Hanafuda releases his opponent and slaps them into the ground with the poetry ribbon. (Reference to the red poetry ribbons)

Final Smash: Summons Chinese Phoenix which attacks the entire stage with fire. The stage’s background becomes red with a completely white circle as the moon as this is happening. (Reference to the August and December Bright cards)

The only competition a Hanafuda character would have to face for a historical surprise addition would be a character based on Nintendo toys made in the 1960s. Of all the potential candidates that represent an integral part of Nintendo’s long history, a 1960s toy character makes the most sense after Hanafuda’s addition. Although, without a definitive mascot or character to represent these toys, creating a character out of 1960s toys might be harder for Sakurai to imagine and he might go with Hanafuda instead. Ultimately, who he chooses as the historical surprise for Smash will depend on what Sakurai sees as having more playful gameplay potential. Both have great potential to me, but Sakurai might have a different perspective otherwise.

With a 1960’s toys character being potential competition, I say a Hanafuda character’s chances are 50/50. I believe there will be a “historical surprise” in this Smash, and the odds of Sakurai creating a character out of Hanafuda are way better now with G&W, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt no longer being major competition. The Hanafuda cards Nintendo made way back are an integral part of the company’s history. I feel such historical importance will be represented via character by Sakurai. With Hanafuda being distinct culturally and providing gameplay potential as a card summoner, I feel confident in banking on a Hanafuda character for Smash Ultimate. I do not believe the potential possibility of Smash Ultimate having a smaller newcomer pool than Smash 4's base newcomers will prevent his inclusion. It is hard for me to imagine Sakurai getting rid of historical surprises at this point with the distinct gameplay potential these kinds of additions bring to Smash's roster. I boldly state this, even in the current extremely pessimistic state of Smash speculation.

Can I just say that this is so well thought out? This should be used to make a thread for this character/card

 

[PeridotGX]

Hanefuda

Chance: 5%. I don't find it too likely, but it isn't a zero. Sakurai might find it an intresting choice, and being what created Nintendo it could get around the no non-videogame rule. But I don't even know if we'll be getting a weird retro pick like usual.

Want: Abstain.

Nominations: Cross Series Echoes x5 (If anyone would like to help in nominating this it'd be appriciated)

 

[Opossum]

Double Zeroes from me today.

Sakurai has been on record about his love of video games, not Nintendo specifically. Quite frankly, Hanafuda is completely and totally irrelevant to what Smash Bros. is all about: video games. The era of Nintendo before video games isn't an era of Nintendo worth representing in Smash.

As for want, please no. You'd need to create an OC for the purpose of representing an irrelevant era of Nintendo that no one really cares about. Smash has broadened its scope from Nintendo video games to video game history in general...Hanafuda goes against both. I hate the "waste of a character" argument, but I see this as the one case where it would fit. Too many resources poured into a "character" too few people would care about, which represents something totally irrelevant to Smash's focus. Please stay away, "Mr. Hanafuda."

Merric x5

 

[waddledeeonredyoshi]

Hanafuda
Chance: 0.5
I guess with them being an important part of Nintendo's history it might not totally be impossible, however it seems Smash is going from a game that's celebrating Nintendo to a game that's celebrating video games as a whole, hosted by Nintendo. Sakurai might have put some wtf characters in Smash before but a sentient deck of cards might be too bizarre, even for him. Lastly, I'm not sure if the "new wtf/retro character" tradition will be kept this time around. If it does, I'd expect Exitebiker/Mach Rider.

Want: 20%
Would be interesting but it would also give major ammunition to the people who want their favorite anime characters in the game.

The prince x5

 

[BluePikmin11]

If you want my opinion on the "Nintendo video game history" matter, I think Sakurai would still consider Smash Bros to be a collection of Nintendo all-stars, not Nintendo video game characters specifically:

https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/0...ters-receive-no-priority-for-super-smash-bros

Sakurai: "Smash Bros. can still be considered as an all-star collection of Nintendo characters."

I personally think it is not a stretch that he could have this Nintendo all-star mindset when deciding Nintendo newcomers and think of a Hanafuda character idea as a natural "surprise" fit to the roster for Ultimate's project plan.

It also would not surprise me if he grew to have both this mindset and another mindset of representing the best of Japanese gaming history with the third party additions like Snake, Simon, Mega Man, Pac-Man, etc to make Smash Ultimate a fighting game that represents the both the history of Japanese video games and Nintendo in general with the roster, giving this iteration the most ambitious roster in history.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Sorry, Blue.

Double zeroes here.

We can talk all we want about Sakurai's logic, but nothing is guaranteed. The fanrule of 'we need a retro since we've always had one!' is just that - a fanrule. Just like the fanrules of 'Smash is for Nintendo characters only!' 'No third party company will get more than one character!' 'No third party franchise will get more than one character!'

I think there's a difference between having a surprise character for smash that references Nintendo's gaming history (GnW, ROB, WFT), versus a surprise character for the sake of a surprise. Looking at your examples: Game and Watch were some of the earliest video games made by Nintendo. ROB helped pull out of the video game crash of the 80s. So there's still a common theme of 'video games' here. Hanafuda...is a random set of cards that barely anyone under the age of 100 remembers? Adding that would literally be tantamount to Sakurai going "!!!!11!!1one!" to all speculation. Besides, I can't see too many people liking that addition in the first place outside of the "I like it because it's uncool" crowd.

If we want to represent Nintendo history instead of Gaming history (which Sakurai has already decided against when he decided to go heavy on 3rd parties, including Snake and Cloud who have little connection to Ninty), then maybe it'd be higher up there. Still, what makes Hanafuda better than Mini-kangaroo for that slot?

I can see Goku making it way before this.

Nom: Dovahkiin x5

 

[Jomosensual]

Never heard of Hanafuda so abstaining

Noms:
Joker x3
Blog Theory x 2

 

[Pacack]

I figure it's only right that I post today, since I'm the owner of the Daitoryo thread.

Chance: 10%
Blue is spot on about the historical character trend, and it's something I've agreed with him on for some time. It does exist as a trend, and ignoring it entirely would be shortsighted as a speculator. Similarly, though, it would be shortsighted to claim that the trend is absolute.

The idea of a new historical character faces a huge hurdle; there is likely a very limited number of newcomers left, and Sakurai may opt for a pool of newcomers that doesn't include a controversial pick like R.O.B. was in Brawl. This alone makes a historical character's inclusion a toss up in my eyes.

Further, note that the historical character for Smash 4 was also an infamous, recognized video game icon. I don't think it's a coincidence that we got a more recognizable surprise than Mr. Game and Watch or R.O.B. following the backlash surrounding R.O.B.'s Brawl inclusion.

Hanafuda, while unarguably a critical part of Nintendo's past, is not recognized like the Duck Hunt dog and duck. One can make a compelling case for Donkey Kong Jr., Ossan (the Mario-esque golfer from NES Golf who inherited his name from the earliest concepts of the plumber), or even Popeye. (Diskun too if we're not sticking to internationally recognized characters.) All of them have close historical ties to Nintendo while also being more known to the public.

Even if we ignore recognizability as a factor, other obscure choices - say, a toy character like the Mini Kangaroo or a western card character like Nintendo's Joker - also give a hanafuda character real competition.

In summary: a historical character may not happen this time; if a historical character is included, there is reason to suspect that obscure characters are less favored than recognizable ones; and even if an obscure historical character is included, it will not necessarily be a hanafuda character.

Want: 100%
I love the historical characters that we've gotten so far, and I hope to see another one, regardless of what it is.

If it's a hanafuda character, though, then I'll be especially happy, since I brought up the idea during Smash 4 speculation and helped to propel the idea into the limelight of Smashboards discussion with my thread. It would be a nice vindication to guess Sakurai right for once.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Why do we resort to assuming that a surprise character gets chosen purely for the sake of a surprise when I gave multiple valid reasons that could lead to a Hanafuda character’s inclusion? Why do we resort to talking down on Hanafuda as if it was just a minor pebble on the beach, as if it did not matter to Nintendo history?

These are just plain bad arguments to me when the process of Sakurai choosing a “surprise” character likely goes far more than the “sake of it”. It is nothing but short-sighted logic to me.

 

[Deleted member]

Abstaining on Hanafuda character idea.


Noms:
Metroidvania-like adventure mode x5

 

[Pacack]

Figured I should post the FAQ from my Daitoryo thread here:

Who?

Daitōryō is a character based off of Napoleon Bonaparte that has appeared on Nintendo's highest quality "President" hanafuda cards since the company's inception in September 23, 1889. While never given an official name, the moniker Daitōryō (大統領) will be used to refer to the character in this thread.

Wait, you're supporting Napoleon Bonaparte for Smash Bros.?

Well, yes and no. The character on the front of the cards was modeled after Napoleon, but acts merely as a representation of luxury. His appearance demonstrates absolute top-of-the-line quality. No further comparisons to Napoleon can really be made.

Why should I care?

The previous three (four counting SSB3DS as a separate title) Super Smash Bros. games have included characters that personify a part of Nintendo's long-running history.

Mr. Game & Watch was inspired by the characters found in Nintendo's Game & Watch games, which became Nintendo's first major financial success (selling 43.4 million units) and first handheld, cementing their place in the video game industry.

R.O.B. was an accessory for the NES which was used to market the console as a novel toy to retailers and consumers in a market which had reservations about home video game consoles following the North American Video Game Crash of 1983. The inclusion of R.O.B. with the system convinced major retailers to sell the console, ultimately leading to the success of the NES and the revival of the entire Western video game industry. (Source)

Duck Hunt is a character which is a little less obvious about its historical ties. However, I would argue that the character represents not only the extremely well-selling Duck Hunt video game, but also the light gun as a whole. This included much earlier points in Nintendo's history, including the Beam Gun, Laser Clay Shooting System, Wild Gunman, and Duck Hunt products released in the 1970s. These products, while technically not "video games" are an early example of electro-mechanical games, which greatly contributed to the rise of the early arcade industry.

Nintendo was the predominant producer of light guns for the home in Japan at this time, and they had obtained a contract with Magnavox to produce the light gun peripheral for the first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey. Nintendo's involvement in the project gave them direct insight into the North American video game market, which likely influenced them to bundle a Light Gun (alongside R.O.B.) with the NES in North America. If it were not for the Light Gun, Nintendo may have not entered the home video game market at all.

If this pattern continues, it's reasonable to conclude that another character will be added as a nod to Nintendo's history. Who better to represent the history of Nintendo than the first character Nintendo ever made? Representing Nintendo's roots as a maker of hand-painted hanafuda cards, Daitōryō could be the quirkiest character in Smash Bros. yet.