At long last... I've been waiting for this!
Adeleine!!!
Chance: 4.5%. Here's the problem: Adeleine's ship has probably sailed... or to be more accurate, it's never arrived at port. For some reason, she has not appeared in Smash in any form. No sticker, no trophy, no spirit. In fact, she has not been present in any of Sakurai's works, which is why the assumption that he doesn't like her is so common. And frankly... there might be some truth to it. Sakurai seems to not use anything that isn't in his vision, and I fear he might not have envisioned humans being plausible characters in Kirby. After all, he's the one who seems insistent Kirby was eight inches tall and negated the usage of humans in the Kirby anime. But even if this SOMEHOW wasn't the case whatsoever... 18 years of absence has taken a toll on her priority. She's one of the more popular female Kirby characters and possibly the most popular Kirby painter... but is not a frontrunner in anything else. Again, she doesn't have a spirit, but we don't know if that'll change or mean anything. And of course, that isn't counting Kirby's representation, the presumed DLC approach, and any other problems she might face.
Want: 100%. It's so frustrating.
I've been waiting for Adeleine to appear in Smash in some format for over a decade, and haven't gotten anything. Although I initially wanted Bandana Dee as a fighter prioritized, this very site made me realize that there's a demand for Adeleine that should be acknowledged. At the time, she desperately needed it. 64 has been my favorite Kirby game for years, and as a result, I've wanted the 64 cast to be recurring characters for a very long time. But while Dedede and Waddle Dee became constants, everyone else vanished. For Adeleine, this was problematic, because she had an interesting take on Paint Roller's gimmick and a lot of potential, but hadn't shown up in any Kirby game between 64 and July 5, 2018, apart from the extremely rare collectible. In 2015 I began fearing that HAL no longer had use for her and would replace her with a similar character either from Rainbow Curse or in future. In part, this was why I pursued a voice in trying to bring her back. And despite almost losing hope in the cause, last year it paid off. Star Allies, a game I was dreading that could've seal her retired fate, actually took a chance and brought her in the limelight, complete with acknowledged legacy and popularity. It was a touching moment.
Of course, this is about Smash. In terms of Smash, I feel very little has changed. There doesn't seem to be any room for a new Kirby rep, and chances are if there is one, it'll be from the "sacred" four. I've grown fed up with this pattern and I'd like it to stop, but there isn't an easy way for it to. Unless... Adeleine could have access to a potential summoning moveset that may allow her to tap into drawings that depict Kirby's history.
I realize that in the slim possibility she gets in, it may cause a LOT of confusion, but at the end of the day, I just want a direct reference. Although it would be kind of poetic of her to get a fighter role, due to how much of a turnaround it would be. After Star Allies almost killed her chances of ever coming back, and then suddenly did a 180 move that put her in the game (in a playable format, no less), it would be such a fitting finale to have her appear in Smash. I don't know if she would exactly solve all my problems, but I suspect that much like Star Allies, I can find peace with an aspect of her in the game. But unless that happens, I don't know... I may be forced to be at odds with Smash's direction.
Abstaining on the rest, I'm content for now.
