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

[3DSNinja]

Not Jin
Chance:30%: With the whole ability to reuse clips being proven to have happened, he is definently more likely. And He is a major character in Tekken. But IDK, Jin seems more likely, 'specially since he IS the main protagonist of the Tekken games. And of course, Lloyd seems guarenteed to happen at this point.
Want:50%: I would definently prefer Jin in every way, as he is my main in most of the Tekken games (except 7, because I'm an Akuma main there.). But Heihachi would be cool.
Not Sol Badguy
Chance:0%: Not happening. Tekken is way more popular, and Tales exists. And Soulcalibur would also have to compete with other niche Namco series like Xenosaga and Klonoa.
Want:0%: Heihachi, Lloyd, and Klonoa are far more interesting to me then him. I would want one of those 3 as our next Namco rep. I also have never played a Soulcalibur game.
Nominations: Freddy Fazbear x5

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Heihachi

70% Chance

Very few characters will get above this score. Right now, I am only confident in three that are more likely in my eyes than Heihachi. But I see a strong case.

My greatest worry was that he was going to be retired with his VA. With the fact there are reusing voice lines, I think he is good to go. I saw this as a real hurdle before, but now, now I see him as likely. Circumstantial evidence also makes me lean towards him. The fact we did not get his mii costume w Terry is a boon. Maybe he is comin with another Namco character, but it still is a positive sign.

Sari did a good job of outlining the big circumstances that Heihachi has goin on the ups. Overall, a strong choice.

100% Want

I only want Heihachi due to that rocket cutscene. The idea of tying all the characters to a rocket and sending it to space to KO them is so fun and in line with the smash spirit that I can not say no. Also Tekken is a big deal. Like a big deal of a fighting game franchise.

Nightmare
5% Chance

I feel Soul is outclassed by Tales and Tekken. Both are bigger series in the grand scheme of things at least for Smash in my eyes. Soul Calibur does have a history with Nintendo and it does have a legacy, but I would prioritize the other two.

Abstain on Want

Nominating Travis x 5

 

[GoodGrief741]

Quoting my last Heihachi rating because I have nothing new to say about him.

Rocketman

Chance: 45%
He either happens or he doesn't. He's on Pac-Man's taunt, but I honestly doubt that means anything. He used to be a Mii Costume, but it's also currently AOL and didn't return with fighting game character Terry - I think it's honestly unlikely that we get another fighter before him, and the only Bandai Namco character he could come with is Lloyd. His VA passed away, but as has been stated Heihachi already made his return through reused voice clips. Sakurai stated he had difficulty making a moveset for Heihachi - honestly that's staggeringly shocking considering how easy one is to make, and it's something that should have been worked out by now.

Yeah, anyway, Heihachi Mishima is one of the most iconic fighting game characters and villains, a rare example of a series' mascot and protagonist being the bad guy, and a legend. Tekken used to be the best selling fighting game franchise until Smash beat it, and it's definitely the kind of Japanese success story that Sakurai loves to represent. I've always said it, and despite some momentary shared insanity, now people are coming back around to it: as far as Bandai Namco characters go, it's Heihachi or Lloyd.

Want: 90%

Noms: Atari rep x5
Unsafe Lad prediction: 0%

Oh no, Dedede's broken the Star Rod again!
(alternative pun name: Roy)

Chance: 16%

Now let me preface with this: as far as I'm concerned, if Bandai Namco gets a character, it's either Heihachi Mishima or Lloyd Irving.

However, if for some reason neither of those pan out, I see Soul Calibur getting a character. Like Katamari, I see it as a B-tier in Smash chances (where Tekken and Takes are A-tier and Pac-Man is S-tier). Would be weird to see it picked, but not a "there is literally zero reason for X to be picked over Y" disparity.

Soul Calibur is one of the premier 3D fighting games, unique among its peers for focusing on swordfighting rather than martial arts. It has certainly seen better days as apparently sales have been steadily decreasing for each subsequent game, and so it risks becoming dormant anytime. But that's not now, as Soulcalibur VI came out two years ago, so as it stands it's just your average fighting game series.

Now, if Soul Calibur got a character, would it be Nightmare? He is kind of the franchise's mascot, and one of, if not the most iconic character in it. He's even in the developers' logo. However, Sakurai has been known to rep franchises through the main character. Makes sense, that way nobody can complain about the selection. With Soul Calibur, I guess you could say that the main character is Siegfried, a character that I'd say is one of the less iconic in the series. Thing is, Siegfried is Nightmare, or at the very least, Nightmare starts out as an alter-ego for Siegfried, and then becomes his own entity. While not exactly 1-for-1 with Tekken, where the main villain is the main character, this is pretty close and, paired with Nightmare being the mascot, I could see him gaining an edge (pun intended) on his competition. Honestly, I could also see series mascots Sophitia Alexandra or Ivy Valentine being the franchise reps instead, but that's neither here nor there.

Want: 75%
Sure, why not? I really like Soul Calibur, those games are neat. And it'd be cool to see a villain. But my preferred Soul Calibur rep is Ivy, and I am much more into seeing Lloyd, the Prince of All Cosmos, and Heihachi.

Noms: Kiryu x5
Sol prediction: I predict that I'll quote my old rating for him, and also 19.5%
Ragna prediction: 9.73%

 

[Deleted member]

Boomer Ryu Hey Hot Chee

Chance: 20%

It does help that Tekken 7 is currently 1 of the most popular fighting game titles right now, and Heihachi was a character Sakurai did think about during Smash 4's development. However, Sakurai did also mention Heihachi being too difficult to work on or something along those lines. While I'm no Tekken expert, I did look up a few Tekken 7 videos to imagine why Sakurai would believe this to be the case, and it seems as though Tekken has a lot more fluid movement than Ultimate does. They don't do that thing where each hit pauses for a bit like how Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Killer Instinct, and Power Rangers Battle For the Grid do it, and Ultimate has that kind of mechanic. Perhaps Sakurai does want Fighting Game characters to be as faithful to their games as possible if he were to include them. Ryu, Ken, and Terry are such examples, but Akira as an AT is also an example as well since he moves a lot more fluidly than the rest of the Smash roster. Whether if that was a test to see if 3D fighting game characters could work in Smash or not, the only way I see Heihachi being in Smash is if Sakurai doesn't care about trying to fit Tekken's movements to Ultimate's.

Want: 29%

Now onto Heihachi himself; I have very mixed feelings about him. On 1 hand, he's a character that would suit me cause I like characters with a heavy emphasis on close-combat; on the other hand, I don't really feel excited about seeing him in Smash. I'll admit I like that powerbomb he does, but his attacks don't really do anything for me. He gets bonus points for being an antagonist since Smash could use more of them, but I kinda wish I could be as excited as others are about him.
----------------
Nightmare

Chance: 20%

I would rate Nightmare's rating higher than Heihachi since Soulcalibur 2 exists and Soulcalibur 6 doing well for itself right now, but I think Sakurai would also believe Nightmare would be too difficult to work around as well. Although Soulcalibur's combat isn't like Tekken's, it doesn't have movements that would seem closer to Ultimate's combat style. Again, if Sakurai is cool with adding a Fighting Game character without wanting to fit the way they move in the games they come from, then Nightmare is fair game. The problem is that we don't really know if Sakurai is going through with adding a 3D fighting game character until we see it happen.

Want: 100%

When I think about characters that I'd like to see in Smash, design will always be 1 of the first things I look at, and as you can see, Nightmare is my 4th most wanted newcomer for Smash. I played Soulcalibur 2 on both the Gamecube and PS2, and when Soulcalibur 4 was released, I played that game a lot at my cousin's house. There are a great amount of characters in that game that I like like Yoshimitsu, Voldo, and Lizardman, but none of them will look as cool as Nightmare. Everything about him looks sick from the azure armor to Soul Edge itself, and there's so much potential in the kind of alts he could have. He even has a ****ing dropkick that I really like.

There's also something very special about Soulcalibur in Smash to me. While video game crossovers have existed long before Soulcalibur 2 came out, I'd say this was the game that popularized crossovers with their guest characters. Ultimate is, by far, the biggest video game crossover of all time, so to see a franchise like Soulcalibur potentially get left out and possibly never be in Smash would be a huge let down for me because SC 2 was 1 of, if not, the very first games to ever crossover with an Nintendo IP. Speaking of crossovers, Link being in Soulcalibur 2 was why I played the game, and the thought of seeing Link collide with with world of Soulcalibur again but this time in Smash would blossom all that nostalgia I had for the game. Then, we got Cloud: the character who was originally going to be in the PS2 version of SC2 but got scrapped. Seeing Cloud and Nightmare or any other SC character would give us the crossover that we would've gotten had Squaresoft not backed out of it. Heck, I have been interested in seeing Soulcalibur getting a crossover with Fire Emblem at 1 point, and though that won't happen nowadays, I'll certainly accept Nightmare showing Ike who the real heavy swordsman is.

I definitely hope Sakurai will try to get his hands on adding a Soulcalibur character without looking at if the gameplay fits with Smash's. Nightmare just has a presence that I love about him that most SC characters don't, and although I would be slightly disappointed if the SC rep wasn't Nightmare, I'll be glad to see an SC character being added regardless of my bias. Overall, Soulcalibur is the perfect franchise for Smash, and Nightmare is the best option to rep the series: major antagonist, central focus of the lore, and is the sickest ************ I've ever seen in a fighting game.
----------------
Predictions:
Sol: 23.24%
Ragna: 8.12%
----------------
Noms:
Devolver Digital Rep x5

 

[GoodGrief741]

Spoiler: Nominations post-Geno/Sora pre-Heihachi/Nightmare

Freddy Fazbear x160
Kazuma Kiryu x150
The Blob (De Blob) x145
Crypto x130
Carmen Sandiego x130
Mii Costume: Hollow Knight x110
Gex x100

100 - 51

Concept: Octopath Traveler rep x90
Ryo Hazuki x80
Proto Man x75
Papyrus x75
Sackboy x75
Reporter & Wrestler x75
[Rerate] Travis Touchdown x75
Brian (Quest 64) x65
Chun-Li x65
Decidueye x62
Concept: Devolver Digital rep x60
Meowth x58
Concept: Pokéball Pokémon becomes playable x57
Big Daddy (BioShock) x55

50 - 25

Dwight Fairfield (Dead by Daylight) x50
Ring Fit Adventurer x50
Earthworm Jim x45
Echo: Zeraora (41e) x40
Kasumi (Dead or Alive) x35
[Rerate] Paper Mario x35
Boss: Ender Dragon x29
Urbosa x25
Concept: Darksiders rep x25
Giygas x25
Mii Costume: Quote x25
Segata Sanshiro x25

Under 25

Concept: Assist Trophies added in updates x22
Rival Pokémon Trainer x17
Echo: Dark Bowser (14e) x16
Echo: Lord Fredrik (67e) x15
Bubsy x15
Terra Branford x13
[Rerate] Jin Kazama x10
[Rerate] Kratos x10
[Rerate] Agumon x10
[Rerate] Concept: Gen 8 Pokémon x10
Concept: DLC music packs x10
Black Shadow x7
Sparky (Clash Royale) x5
Concept: Overwatch character x5
Gordon Freeman x5
Asha (Wonder Boy) x5
Alucard (Castlevania) x5
Mii Costume: Hat Kid x5
Concept: Portal 2 rep x5
Hornet (Hollow Knight) x5
Concept: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon content x5
Guardian (Destiny) x5
Sirfetch'd x5
Breath of the Wild 2 Ganondorf x5
Concept: Dark Souls rep x5
Chell x3
Magolor x3
[Rerate] Andy x2
3 Mage Sisters x2
Taranza x1

Concept: Devolver Digital rep and Big Daddy evolve past 50 noms.

Giygas, Mii Costume: Quote, and Segata Sanshiro bravely reach 25 noms.

Today's newcomers are Sirfetch'd, Breath of the Wild 2 Ganondorf, and Dark Souls rep (5 noms each), Magolor (3 noms), and 3 Mage Sisters (2 noms).

 

[axel_]

HEIHACHI

Chance: 30%

Despite how popular and significant Tekken is for the history of fighting games, I really doubt Tekken getting credit in Smash beyond a Mii costume and some cameos.
For one, they already did briefly consider Heihachi for Smash 4, but Sakurai said that "implementing Heihachi’s movement in Smash would be difficult…" which I definitely see as a nail in the coffin for a Tekken character. I wholeheartedly agree, Tekken's grounded, heavier combat as well as its focus on juggles is completely out of Smash's comfort level and just can't happen without making too many changes to Heihachi's playstyle to where he'd barely feel like a Smash character.
And another thing for consideration is if they would really consider Heihachi or any other Tekken character over more highly requested Bandai Namco characters like Lloyd, and frankly I have my doubts.

Want: 75%

Heihachi in Smash would be all kinds of wonderful. For the sake of Smash celebrating video game history, Tekken fits in perfectly for revolutionizing the 3D fighter. Heihachi himself is an iconic character with so much charm. The variety of Tekken content that's possible including some of its fantastic music is incredibly expansive. However I can't say I'm as attached to Tekken as other fighters like King of Fighters, Guilty Gear and Mahvel, so I'll probably be cheering for fighters from those series before Heihachi.



NIGHTMARE

Chance: 55%

The problems I have with Soul Calibur possibly appearing in Smash are somewhat identical to my issues with Heihachi, however Nightmare has more going for him.
First and foremost, Soul Calibur is already well-known for its extensive crossover appearances, so that would already be a great reason for Soul Calibur to get some sort of representation in Smash, one of the biggest gaming crossovers of all time. Many of Soul Calibur's guest stars (even cancelled ones like Cloud) already have ties to Smash by either name or associated company, most notably Link.
As I stated in the beginning, I already said that many problems Heihachi and other Tekken reps faced are less of a problem for Nightmare. While Tekken has such an extreme difference in gameplay from Smash to be properly translated, Soul Calibur is less heavy and also has the added bonus of involving ring-outs atop a platform, an easy translation to Smash.
As far as speculation goes, many absent Mii Costumes (i.e. Lloyd, Gil, and the Monster Hunters) fit the common theme of being either Bandai Namco characters, using swords, or both. These are undeniably perfect conditions to be Mii Costumes that fit with Nightmare.

Want: 100%

Nightmare in Smash would bring so much, as a way to further expand the worlds connected directly to Smash's event horizon as well as a very distinct fighting game character from Ryu and Terry.

You also have to admit his design is ****ing sick.


NOMINATIONS: Quote (Cave Story) and Monokuma (Danganronpa)

 

[Deleted member]

NOMINATIONS: Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)

We're rating Sol after this, so you could put some noms onto another character.

 

[axel_]

We're rating Sol after this, so you could put some noms onto another character.

Aight, just changed it to Quote and Monokuma

 

[Deleted member]

Aight, just changed it to Quote and Monokuma

I probably should've mentioned that you get 5 noms each time we move on to another character rating, which means you could put 5 noms on 1 character or even 1 nom for 5 different characters.

 

[axel_]

Now, if Soul Calibur got a character, would it be Nightmare? He is kind of the franchise's mascot, and one of, if not the most iconic character in it. He's even in the developers' logo. However, Sakurai has been known to rep franchises through the main character. Makes sense, that way nobody can complain about the selection. With Soul Calibur, I guess you could say that the main character is Siegfried, a character that I'd say is one of the less iconic in the series. Thing is, Siegfried is Nightmare, or at the very least, Nightmare starts out as an alter-ego for Siegfried, and then becomes his own entity. While not exactly 1-for-1 with Tekken, where the main villain is the main character, this is pretty close and, paired with Nightmare being the mascot, I could see him gaining an edge (pun intended) on his competition. Honestly, I could also see series mascots Sophitia Alexandra or Ivy Valentine being the franchise reps instead, but that's neither here nor there.

I absolutely think it would be Nightmare. For one, the entire series revolves around Soul Edge, the evil sword that Nightmare uses (which technically is Nightmare)

As far as other characters goes, Siegfried is Nightmare (or is directly tied to Nightmare) so Siegfried could be a very easy alt for Nightmare, corrupted or not.
All the other candidates for a SoulCal character are either too insignificant or too revealing (Taki, Ivy, looking at you too in particular.)

 

[chocolatejr9]

Abstain. I don't know anything about either of them.

Nominations: Freddy Fazbear x5

 

[GoodGrief741]

I absolutely think it would be Nightmare. For one, the entire series revolves around Soul Edge, the evil sword that Nightmare uses (which technically is Nightmare)

As far as other characters goes, Siegfried is Nightmare (or is directly tied to Nightmare) so Siegfried could be a very easy alt for Nightmare, corrupted or not.
All the other candidates for a SoulCal character are either too insignificant or too revealing (Taki, Ivy, looking at you too in particular.)

I get that Ivy might be too revealing, but considering the problem with CERO is upskirts/panty shots, Ivy's safe in that regard.

 

[Louie G.]

HEIHACHI

Chance: 25%
Let me preface by saying I believe this to be a pretty good chance, assuming there's like... an 85% chance that we're getting a Namco character in the first place. And I feel like Heihachi is a frontrunner, but by no means a guarantee. You still have Lloyd, KOSMOS, Nightmare, and a Dark Souls character, the latter which imo is actually Namco's best bet but I suppose we'll save that conversation for another day.

Heihachi is one of those characters with some Smash history already. Sakurai discussed having considered him for Smash 4 but being unsure how Tekken could be translated over to Smash... nowadays, I don't think this is much of an issue anymore. We have characters whose gimmicks are far more ambitious than before and then characters like Ridley who Sakurai once had similar things to say about. Hehiachi also had a Mii costume in Smash 4, one which is still glaringly absent from the current lineup. Terry would have been the perfect time to reveal his costume too, but he's nowhere to be seen.

As I mentioned with Geno, I personally believe that Heihachi Lloyd and Geno costumes were held back for FP2 consideration, those three having always been notable frontrunners for fighter promotion. The question then becomes, out of the two Namco characters, who would have got picked? Well honestly I don't think either of them did, but I think their chances are fairly even. Despite my gut feeling telling me that neither of them will be playable it would be silly for me to dismiss them as nonviable because I still acknowledge that they are the two most obvious Namco characters for inclusion.

Then of course Tekken is a popular and important franchise in its own right but outside of what I discussed here there isn't that much more to say. There will inevitably be many more big franchises that can't be playable in Smash, so while significance is worth acknowledging it's never going to be the be all end all. I would imagine (it's practically confirmed by Sakurai's previous statements) that Heihachi is one of the first characters they would think of if suggesting Namco get another character though, for what that's worth.

Want: 60%
I'm overall pretty neutral on Heihachi, leaning positive because I know a lot of my friends love Tekken and the soundtracks are often really great. I have no real attachment or hype behind the character but if he joined Smash I would be happy enough.

NIGHTMARE

Chance: 12.5%
Nightmare is worth mentioning. I don't believe he has quite the edge over his contemporaries that he would need to be heavily considered over them, but at the very least SoulCalibur is another pretty big fighting game series, and has a relatively recent success through SC6. I'd say he's a sleeper pick for sure, although I think there are several Namco characters who will be considered before him. That's about all I can say about Nightmare, I think he's rad though and if they want to add someone who would feel really distinct and different among the cast no doubt Nightmare could provide this.

Want: 75%
This dude has a sick ****ing design, I may have played a SoulCal game like once n my life but damn. Not much attachment to this character either but I'm sure he would be a blast to play.

Yeah no attachment to Tekken or SoulCal, I do play fighting games though. Just more of a 2D guy.

Predictions
Sol: 21.75%
Ragna: 7.5%

Nomination
Dark Souls Rep x5

 

[GoodGrief741]

HEIHACHI

Chance: 25%
Let me preface by saying I believe this to be a pretty good chance, assuming there's like... an 85% chance that we're getting a Namco character in the first place. And I feel like Heihachi is a frontrunner, but by no means a guarantee. You still have Lloyd, KOSMOS, Nightmare, and a Dark Souls character, the latter which imo is actually Namco's best bet but I suppose we'll save that conversation for another day.

Heihachi is one of those characters with some Smash history already. Sakurai discussed having considered him for Smash 4 but being unsure how Tekken could be translated over to Smash... nowadays, I don't think this is much of an issue anymore. We have characters whose gimmicks are far more ambitious than before and then characters like Ridley who Sakurai once had similar things to say about. Hehiachi also had a Mii costume in Smash 4, one which is still glaringly absent from the current lineup. Terry would have been the perfect time to reveal his costume too, but he's nowhere to be seen.

As I mentioned with Geno, I personally believe that Heihachi Lloyd and Geno costumes were held back for FP2 consideration, those three having always been notable frontrunners for fighter promotion. The question then becomes, out of the two Namco characters, who would have got picked? Well honestly I don't think either of them did, but I think their chances are fairly even. Despite my gut feeling telling me that neither of them will be playable it would be silly for me to dismiss them as nonviable because I still acknowledge that they are the two most obvious Namco characters for inclusion.

Then of course Tekken is a popular and important franchise in its own right but outside of what I discussed here there isn't that much more to say. There will inevitably be many more big franchises that can't be playable in Smash, so while significance is worth acknowledging it's never going to be the be all end all. I would imagine (it's practically confirmed by Sakurai's previous statements) that Heihachi is one of the first characters they would think of if suggesting Namco get another character though, for what that's worth.

Want: 60%
I'm overall pretty neutral on Heihachi, leaning positive because I know a lot of my friends love Tekken and the soundtracks are often really great. I have no real attachment or hype behind the character but if he joined Smash I would be happy enough.

NIGHTMARE

Chance: 12.5%
Nightmare is worth mentioning. I don't believe he has quite the edge over his contemporaries that he would need to be heavily considered over them, but at the very least SoulCalibur is another pretty big fighting game series, and has a relatively recent success through SC6. I'd say he's a sleeper pick for sure, although I think there are several Namco characters who will be considered before him. That's about all I can say about Nightmare, I think he's rad though and if they want to add someone who would feel really distinct and different among the cast no doubt Nightmare could provide this.

Want: 75%
This dude has a sick ****ing design, I may have played a SoulCal game like once n my life but damn. Not much attachment to this character either but I'm sure he would be a blast to play.

Yeah no attachment to Tekken or SoulCal, I do play fighting games though. Just more of a 2D guy.

Predictions
Sol: 21.75%
Ragna: 7.5%

Nomination
Dark Souls Rep x5

Wait, you think Geno, Heihachi and Lloyd were saved for FP2 but neither Heihachi not Lloyd are getting in? How's that make sense?

 

[Jomosensual]

Wait, you think Geno, Heihachi and Lloyd were saved for FP2 but neither Heihachi not Lloyd are getting in? How's that make sense?

I'm guessing he's saying both their mii costumes got pushed to season 2 to go with a Dark Souls character getting in the FP. If that isn't it then I have no clue

 

[warpenguin55]

Heihachi
Chance: 10%
This could be higher if it wasn't for Sakurai saying that Heihachi's movements were difficult to make work in Smash. There's nothing else keeping him out from what I can tell. Fighting game characters work pretty well in Smash and his creators work on this game. If it wasn't for that movement issue, I think he would be here already. Heihachi gets a low score because I don't know if they would have the resources to work on that issue available. I also have no idea as to how you would make a Tekken stage.

Want: 50%
Heihachi getting in doesn't really impact me much. I don't have any experience with him or his games.


Nightmare
Chance: 5%
After watching a bit of Nightmare's gameplay, he looks like he would work fine in Smash. His character model looks to be 3rd though, so he might have some similar issues to Heihachi. Apparently Bandai-Namco doesn't like Soul Calibur as much as their other series either, so that's not a good look for him.

Want: 50%
Much like Heihachi, I don't have any attachment to the Nightmare. I don't really care if he gets in or doesn't.

Noms:
Octopath Rep x5

 

[Louie G.]

Wait, you think Geno, Heihachi and Lloyd were saved for FP2 but neither Heihachi not Lloyd are getting in? How's that make sense?

To be considered wouldn’t guarantee a spot above their competition. I’m sure plenty of characters will have been thought about but ultimately passed on. Those three are just obvious choices to hold off on as “well we might do something with them, we’ll see”.

I’m expecting a Namco character in some capacity and believe that Dark Souls has an edge right now. It would make sense for these costumes to be released alongside a Namco character in general whether it’s Heihachi, Lloyd or someone different.

As I mentioned I believe that they both have a fair shot but I can’t really rationalize a gut feeling. I’m sure Heihachi and Lloyd were touched upon even if briefly and will show up next pass whether it’s alongside another Namco character or as the characters themselves. Same goes for Geno. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Icedragonadam]

Heihachi

Chance: 15%

Same as it always been. His biggest hinderance is implementing Tekken's gameplay into Smash faithfully which is pretty difficult. And Sakurai is someone now a days who won't cut corners with 3rd parties. And even then, a franchise's popularity doesn't always factor into getting a character. Look at Resident Evil right now.

Want: 20%

I don't find him to be interesting compared to other Tekken characters. King would my choice for a Tekken character instead since he's among my favorites.

Nightmare

Chance: 5%

It could be possible but the series almost died.... twice, once after Soul Calibur IV and the much worse situation after V. Which makes Soul Calibur more on the lesser end of Namco franchises. It's a miracle Soul Calibur VI saved the series.

Want: 60%

Nightmare does have a cool design, I'll give him that.

Sol Prediction: 31.44%
Ragna Prediction: 16.55%

Nominate Darksiders Rep x5

 

[shinhed-echi]

Heihachi:

Chance 60%
If we consider all Namco reps right now, I think he has a fairly big chance.
He’s the face of Tekken, the most popular 3D fighting game on the market.
Legacy is huge, for Tekken is always open for crossovers.
I don’t believe Sakurai would have too many complications bringing him to Smash. He’s said about the same things for other characters such as Villager.
If he could make it to PSASBR, I don’t see how Smash is an issue.

Want: 25%
I’m not that into Tekken tbh. But he was fun in PSASBR, so he’d be cool.


Nightmare:

Chance: 45%
Soul Calibur is still pretty relevant, luckily, but I feel it’s always 2nd fiddle to Tekken.
Soul Calibur did the whole crossover thing before even Smash did.
Same problems Sakurai would have making Heihachi work, he would encounter with Nightmare most likely.
And Nightmare is yet another user, so there’s always that factor (Although to be fair, he’s a swordsman-Fighter, where and Heihachi is another brawler-fighter like Ken and Terry that we got in this same game).

Chances are Nightmare and SC fall behind Tekken and Tales as far as requests go.

Want: 90%

Oh yes, I AM, or at least was into Soul Calibur. I even witnessed Nightmare’s origins by beating Soul Blade on arcade.
Him and Sophitia are my favorite characters. I would love to have him in Smash. He’d be another heavy sword user from which we have very few to choose from.


Gotta say, Sakurai usually goes for protagonists, but Heihachi and Nightmare both feel like Villain protagonists, so it would be pretty interesting.

 

[Sid-cada]

I'm just gonna copy-paste what I said about Heihachi...

Heihachi Mishima

Chance - 20% - I suppose that he is one of the few characters that Namco could use that could get in. That said, most of us are treating Namco like an inevitability, while I'm not certain about that. While it is suspicious that his costume didn't appear with the Terry Fighter costumes, there's a chance that it could also mean nothing. Terry may also contain the token fighting game representative for this part of DLC; fighting game movesets like his take more effort and admittedly appeal to a niche audience. Still, he's probably only competing with Tales of for a Namco part, so he's in the running.

Want - 50% - Before I was hesitant because I thought he would come with Command Inputs, which I dislike. I have sense learned he does not have them. As such, I reserve the jugement on him until I see him.

As for Nightmare...

Chance - 2.5% - Soul Caliber is a Fighting game of some renown. If Sakurai still could not manage to get a Heihachi moveset to work, if Sakurai still wants to work with Namco for a 3D fighter, he might be chosen for this. Still, that's a big if. Considering how perfectionistic Sakurai can be, Tekken not getting in might mean no 3D fighters at all. If it wasn't for Heihachi, I think he would be a frontrunner.

Want - 50% - Not invested in him. Maybe he might be cool from how I've seen him fight. I just hope that he doesn't have command inputs as well...


Nominaitons

De Blob X5

 

[Ninjaed]

Heihachi

Chance: 80%
Tekken is big. Very big. Its influence is nothing to scoff at. I'm a bit tired so I won't write a wall of text this time, but there are more than sufficient reasons for which Heihachi deserves to be considered for Smash. Whether he'd be, that's the question. Either company must approach the other to negotiate and suffice to say there are no issues there. However, Heihachi got shafted once and the reason given is in the same vein as Ridley's "too big". Given how tight their lips have been to prevent leaks, we've no clue as to whether the initial concerns have now been addressed... but I don't see why Isabelle could be made into a smash fighter and not Heihachi. With 6 fighters, I'm now confident in giving him a very high score.

Want: 50%
I've said it before, I care little about Tekken. Still, not only is Heihachi iconic, he's also a beloved ******* and I must admit that he'd make a fine addition.

Nightmare

Chance: 40%
At first I didn't see Nightmare getting in currently. Perhaps in the next instalment. But after giving it more thought... Soul Calibur is developed by a dedicated studio, Project Soul. Not only that, the one depicted on their logo is Nightmare. If there ever is a Soul Calibur rep, it can only be Nightmare. As for iconic enough etc, I think I'm shocking nobody by saying it's one biggest fighting game franchises out there. Still, Namco has other series to pick from. There's Tekken and Tales of obviously, but you also have Super Robot Wars, Idolmaster, .hack or God Eater. They also have a hand in Dark Souls (and AT would be a better fit for Ace Combat). You have to remember that while iconic status means you'll be considered, Sakurai puts a huge emphasis on gameplay and fun. He may not have as much power as he used to, but he can still reject some concepts in favour of others.

Want: 50%
Never cared much for Nightmare. Kilik and Raphael are awesome though. Oh well, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with Nightmare to rep Soul Calibur, huh? I am a bit curious to see how Sakurai would implement his kit in Smash, especially the "magic burst"-like move.

Predictions:
Sol - 26%
Ragna - 14%

Nominations: Segata Sanshiro x5 (or x10, I forgot if I still have extras)

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Heihachi:

Chance 10% - While still a candidate to be the potential Namco rep, I kind of feel like Heihachi is out of the DLC game with him being a part of one of Pac-Man's taunts and his actor dying sometime ago last year.

Want 20% - I never played a Tekken game, but I know how iconic and successful of a franchise it is. I think Tekken deserves a rep in Smash and I would be happy for Tekken fans if Heihachi got in.

Nightmare:

Chance 50% - I think among potential Namco characters to be the Namco rep, a Soul Calibur rep specifically Nightmare is a prime top tier contender along with Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphony to be the Namco rep. Soul Calibur while not as big of a franchise as Tekken, is Namco's biggest crossover franchise bringing in guest such as Link, Heihachi, Spawn, Darth Vader, Yoda, Ezio, 2B, and ect into it's halls at one point or the other. Either Nightmare or Lloyd Irving I believe is going to take the Namco slot.

Want 100% - I grew up with the Soul Calibur games thus having a strong attachment and bond with the franchise. I would absolutely love any Soul Calibur character to get into Smash as a playable character most specifically Yoshimitsu or Nightmare among everyone else. I believe Soul Calibur as well deserve a slot in the Smash roster at some point in time. After all, Nintendo allowed Namco to bring in Link as a guest in Soul Calibur 2 so it's only fair that Nintendo gives back by allowing Namco to have a Soul Calibur rep in Smash. How else is Nightmare and Link going to have a rematch with each other? Settle it in Smash!

 

[Flyboy]

Heihachi Mishima
Not much has changed...can I just repost my reasoning from December? I love Heihachi and he's one of the ones I'm hoping for most in Vol. 2.

Heihachi Mishima
Chance: 25%
Finally, we're rating the old man! Fantastic. His chances are in a very weird spot right now. I was fully prepared to take him as deconfirmed when Terry dropped, and yet his Mii costume didn't actually return or get remade! How strange... That said, I don't think it's an indicator of his likelihood. There are plenty of costumes (like MegaMan.EXE) that have yet to return from Sm4sh and even then we might be getting a different Bandai-Namco character and his costume could return with that instead...

There's also the factor of other Mishima clan members like Jin or Kazuya being chosen over him, as they have both enjoyed time in the spotlight, or even a different Tekken character as unlikely as that is. Either way, to me Tekken is a franchise that should be in Smash and definitely has a shot, but not one I'm willing to say is a definite lock or anything.

Want: 100%
Yes!!!

While playing Tekken 7's story mode, I came to realize just how much I love this old *******. This guy is Tekken's crossover king, and more than that he is one of the coolest villains in fighting game history. He's been around all series, filling in all kinds of roles, and what I love about him is the fighting style he could bring. Heihachi is about rushing in and hitting you hard, an embodiment of strength and clever martial arts and rushdown tactics. Plus he has electric fists! The guy oozes cool, and he would be a third-party villain (who sometimes has bouts of heroism) that'd really add depth to the roster with his reliance on close-quarters combat.

On top of that, you have a character with boat loads of personality. He is a humorous character who trained a bear, likes to go bowling, and has campy non-canonical moments of tying his family to a rocket ship and blasting them into space. He's a successful businessman, a cutthroat schemer, a vicious fighter, and a wackjob all in one and I love him for it.

Plus of course, the music he could bring? Mwa. Chef's kiss. Perfection. Hell, Sakurai could add only the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 soundtrack and I'd be happy.

If he got in, I'd want his old man look to be the default. I'd really love his Tekken 7 look to be the one, honestly, because that's when I truly feel the character came together to create one of the most memorable presences in the gaming world. Plus that scarf is stylin'.

I'm just saying, getting Heihachi in this game would lead to the greatest fighting game crossover in history. Maybe Tekken did Capcom vs. SNK vs. Bandai-Namco first with Akuma vs. Heihachi vs. Geese, but Ultimate could be the first game to give us Ryu vs. Ken vs. Terry vs. Heihachi, a true iconic battle. Plus seeing Heihachi take on other characters like Ganondorf or Chrom is so exciting to me!

In conclusion, I want to quote this post from JudgeHeihachi in the Heihachi support thread (which is a very fun place - if my post has convinced you in any way, feel free to join us!). This post to me shows why fans of Heihachi are such big fans and why we want to see him in Smash.



Nominations: Carmen Sandiego x5

Nightmare
Chance: 5%
I just don't see it. Maybe that's weak, but I feel like there are other Bandai-Namco series' that would come before Soulcalibur, though I do think that now's his best chance due to SC6's continuing popularity. but even in SC itself there are plenty of viable "protagonist" options. Siegfried/Nightmare, of course, but also Mitsurugi or Sophitia or...any number of characters. Even Yoshimitsu has a shot. I think his status as series mascot definitely helps him overall, considering he's in the logo and all, and he's a super unique character as a heavy swordsman with strong grab moves and unblockables.

Want: 40%
I love the Soulcalibur series. Soulcalibur 3 is still one of my favorite games. Nightmare is awesome! But would I put it above Tekken, or over other Bamco series' I love? I'm not sure. I'd definitely be hyped, though. Since Black Knight became an assist trophy we really don't have a big armor user in Smash, let alone an evil one, and it'd be cool to have Nightmare since it wouldn't be unreasonable to have a Siegfriend alt as well as alts from his different series incarnations. Also, of course, that gorgeous music he'd bring. Gimme the Lost Cathedral as a stage!

Nominations: Kazuma Kiryu x5

 

[3BitSaurus]

Heihachi
I'm just going to quote the last time I rated a Tekken rep, with a few corrections, because the scores are still the same:

Chance: 70%
I think that, right now, Tekken is the strongest series for a possible Bamco character. While Tales is still very much a contender and Dark Souls is a dark soul horse pick, Tekken would bring a genre that so far only has three other series in Smash as a whole. And considering Tekken's popularity and how it's arguably bigger than even Street Fighter at this point in time, I think there's actually only one thing against the Mishima boys: whether or not Sakurai has thought of a way to implement them in Smash in a manner that satisfies him. And even then, if other games managed to do it, I think Sakurai can.

In fact, we need to remember that Sakurai namedropped Heihachi when asked about other Namco characters that were strong contenders for Smash besides Pac-Man. This is incredibly rare especially for third parties and, in most cases, Sakurai ended up reconsidering and finding a way to make that character work in a future installment.

Want: 50%
I'll be perfectly honest and say that I'm not big on Tekken. At the same time... it's Tekken. Second best selling fighting game series, only behind Smash itself, pretty much a trendsetter for 3D fighters and one of the biggest competitive games right now. I feel like if Pac represents old-school Namco, then Tekken is the perfect franchise to give modern Namco a nod.

The only things I'll add are that Heihachi appeared in a mobile game after his VA died, so I don't think that will be a problem. Neither do I think Pac-Man's taunt matters in the slightest.

Nightmare
Chance: 15%
A series with a relatively strong showing, but there are a few things against Nightmare specifically: for one, we don't know if he would be chosen, as there are other options (Siegfried, Sophitia, etc) and there's also the fact that SC is a 3D fighting game. Adapting a 3D fighting game moveset to Smash is precisely what prevented Heihachi from joining the fight last time around, so if an exception is made this time, I think it would be made for Tekken, not Soulcalibur.

To put this into perspective: imo, Soulcalibur making it before Tekken is like Frank West making it before a Resident Evil character. Two series from the same company and genre, but one is clearly bigger and has more demand than the other.

That said, I still wouldn't count the Soul crew out.

Want: 30%
Tekken already can't be rated any higher as far as I'm concerned, so SC, a series that wouldn't make a bigger splash, gets a lower want score. However, I will add that after watching a few moveset videos, I am convinced that Nightmare would be a really unique swordfighter archetype for Smash with his heavy hits and playstyle focused on opressive agression and thus my personal choice if we were ever to get a SC rep.

Predictions
Sol: 21.4%
Ragna: 12.7%

Nominations
[Rerate] Travis Touchdown x 5

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Day will end on Saturday btw. Giving ~24 hour notice.

 

[GoodGrief741]

his actor dying sometime ago last year

He's already shown up in games after his VA's passing, using reused audio.

 

[Calamitas]

Double abstain. Don't wanna redo my ratings when they were done so recently.

Nominating Octopath Traveler rep x5.

Predicting Sol to get 12.34% and Ragna to get 11.11%.

 

[3DSNinja]

Well, Sora got deconfirmed.
As I said.
Disney won't let him in the game.
I called it.

 

[Jomosensual]

Well, Sora got deconfirmed.
As I said.
Disney won't let him in the game.
I called it.

What's this about?

EDIT: Is this it? I have no idea who this guy is but if it's the same dude from that clip that was going around wasn't that mostly just him speculating?

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[chocolatejr9]

What's this about?

EDIT: Is this it? I have no idea who this guy is but if it's the same dude from that clip that was going around wasn't that mostly just him speculating?

There was a problem fetching the tweet

That's the one. I can tell because it's all over my Twitter. Still, this is the first time I'm hearing about this guy, so I can't give my two cents on it.

 

[Sari]

Imran Khan, a gaming journalist who isn't a part of Nintendo/Square Enix/Disney just offering his two cents on a question brought up:

"I really think that the conversations happened for Sora... I think [Disney Japan rejecting Sora for Smash] is gonna happen, I think both..."

-----

Nintendo Enthusiast article covering what he said:

"BOMB SHELL DROPPED! NINTENDO DID IN FACT WANT SORA IN SMASH BUT DISNEY SAID NO!"

-----

Talk about a garbage clickbait article. I seriously doubt Sora is deconfirmed by this and I say this as someone who doesn't give a crap about Kingdom Hearts.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Day over

rate sol Badguy and Ragna, predict Crash and Spyro

 

[Sari]

Music Post

Here are some songs for today's characters:

Sol Badguy

Spoiler: Guilty Gear Songs

Ragna

Spoiler: BlazBlue Music

 

[Icedragonadam]

Sol Badguy, but he isn't bad though.....

Chance: 45%

IMO, the next most likely Fighting Game character to be added and one of the six characters I'm predicting. Both of his main competition have glaring issues. Tekken has it's main gameplay issues that's very difficult to faithfully implement into Smash. While Mortal Kombat is incredibly unpopular in Japan to the point that most of the games were never ported there. Guilty Gear is a flashy 2D fighting game with a significant cult following. And it's strange that ARc Sys's debut for Smash would be the Kunio spirits.

Want: 100%

Oh yes please! Sorry but I prefer Sol over Heihachi and Scorpion. And over Ragna as well.

Ragna Ow The Edge

Chance: 10%

The other Arc Sys fighting game series. A viable candidate, but Sol overshadows him due to Guilty Gear having more popularity and legacy compared to Blaz Blue.

Want: 30%

Ehh. Like I said I'm a Sol guy myself, but Arc Sys in general is a welcome addition to Smash.

Crash Predictions: 55.66%
Spyro: 9.44%

Nominate Darksiders repx5

 

[DanganZilla5]

Abstaining altogether. I don't know anything about Guilty Gear or Blazblue.

Predictions:
Crash: 54%
Spyro: 13%

Noms: Crypto x5

 

[Ridrool64]

Singular Antagonist

Chance: 50%. Everything really depends on if ArcSys is getting major content or not. On one hand, the Kunio Spirit event proves that ArcSys is now on board with Sakurai's Wild Ride. Sol, while by no means a Fighting Game icon, is more or less the king of Anime Fighters in general. He'd have a lot of unique abilities to show off in Smash as well. And I think he is the main standout for an ArcSys rep if we get one of the anime fighter reps. On the other hand, the fact that Kunio spirits were the first we saw of ArcSys may be a sign that they are not getting a Fighter. At least, it means that Sol won't be the Pac-Man/Terry of ArcSys, but at its most impactful it's the most recurring form of representation we're going to get out of ArcSys in general. Still, I dunno where to put him. I think he could go either way.

Want: 50%. Firstly, if my experience with BlazBlue and P4AU can tell me anything, it's that ArcSys knows what they're doing when it comes to Fighting Games. Combined with the fact that I've seen a moveset concept video for the guy, I don't need to play his game to know how awesome he'd be in the context of Smash. Bonus points if he came with this song in particular, but that's only because of a certain other game.

Ends up Crossing fate again.

Chance: 15%. More or less in the same boat as Sol, so most of the points apply. Except for the part where Ragna has to show his stuff against Sol, where he gets brutally crushed due to not having the seniority nor the popularity, from what I can tell, without the help of a crossover. Speaking of, the crossover COULD be considered competition to Smash because it's also a crossover game with lots of other franchises, but its relatively lacking scale combined with the difference in genre probably makes that not the case.

Want: 55%. I gave him literally five extra points for actually having played his game, but from what I can tell it's entirely possible that either of them could get in (though I think Sol is way likelier). Both of them would honestly be awesome, considering the level of difference their abilities have by virtue of being swordies who are also fighting game characters. As a result, I could see them playing very differently from anybody else, while still being fun to use!

Paper Mario x 5. Crash is looking really good if he doesn't get offed Tuesday, 38.57%. Spyro is looking nowhere near as good, even if he doesn't get offed. 6.30%.

 

[3DSNinja]

Abstaining. Never played either of these games.
Nominations: Freddy Fazbear x5

 

[jamesster445]

Sol Badguy
Chance: 40%
Want: 80%

Ragna the Bloodedge
Chance: 30%
Want: 40%

I doubt were getting an ArcSys fighting game character, (They own Double Dragon and I honestly see them more as classic beat em up). That said I like Sol way more than Ragna. But in either case were getting an amazing OST to go with them. Blessed Daisuke

Nominations: Ring Fit Adventurer x5

 

[shinhed-echi]

Don’t know much about them, other than fighting them casually.

Sol
Chance: 70%
ArcSys supporting smash through spirits boded well for him, especially because the spirits weren’t from GG. Sure he’s another Fighting game character like Ryu, Ken, and Terry. But how does that stop Sakurai? We got 3 jRPG characters on the first pass. And fighting game characters are still underrepresented.

Want: 40%

Ragna: 50%
Even though BB has some really hardcore mechanics, Ragna is yet another sword character (from a fighting game, but a swordie none the less). And Sakurai has recently expressed his disdain about adding more sword characters. If HE had to choose between Sol and Ragna, I’m betting on Sol.

Want: 0%

TBH i want neither.
From ArcSys I rather have Kunio (Although recently spirited away), Double Dragon characters, or even Misako/Kyoko.

 

[Jomosensual]

Sol Badguy
Chance 25 - I think it's a lock that we're getting one more fighting game character in. The genre is just too easy to make characters from. While there's others who I think are more likely than Sol right now, I also think he's not too far back for fighting reps either. He's not super requested but that might not matter if the Kunio spirits are hinting at a rep from there. If that's the case then Sol is the leader of that camp, but I'm not sure if it means anything yet or not. Leaning towards Sol being the more likely rep since he's more requested.

Want 40 - Wouldn't hate the pick. Dont really know much about Sol or GG so I can't go super high and there's others I'd rather get both from the genre and in general. Would be my pick for an Arc character to get in though. Remember thinking he could be fun when I looked into a possible moveset recently too.

Ragna
Chance 10 - Looked up the character and found a picture. Yep, that's one that would piss off the anime swordfighter people. Sol looks a little close to the trope on first glance but Ragna, oh boy. This is actually pretty interesting because Blazblue may be a spiritual successor to GG, so would Nintendo pick the older series or the newer one? I'm going with Sol because he's at least had some Smash buzz and seems to be the more popular character in the Smash fanbase. Not sure by how much since I never heard of either character or series before I joined the site.

Want 20 - More interested in Sol personally. Don't have much else to say on it really. Probably wouldn't be disappointed if Ragna got in. There's a whole host of characters I'd rather see in first and IDK if Ragna would crack a top 30 list for characters I'm interested in seeing in the game.

Predictions(This might be my most hyped day until we reach Lara and Chief)
Crash 60%
Spyro 25%

Noms
Big Daddy x5