Maaaan i missed the NO third party day, sucks man.
Well, what do we have today?
Misty the Ninja.
Chance:10%
Okay, im on the camp of "Ryu Hayabusa or no one camp" for this. Let me show you this with a rivalry of another 2 SNK reps. Terry and Kyo.
Terry Bogard is the protagonist of Fatal Fury, a series that was one of the important firsts steps for SNK when it came to their development of fighting games. The series's last installment was Garou: Mark of the Wolves in 1999. The series entered into a hiatus even before Melee's release. Even BANJO & KAOOZIE got more games in the 21st century.
Yeah, he's in Kof.........and that's it. His inclusion in the KOF series only really amounts to his popularity and legacy, like Captain Falcon and Ness, but he's not an important part of the series' lore and story, he's just there because SNK and the fans want them to be there. Im not beign hyperbole when i say that the US Sports Team in a way were more important to KOF 97's story than Terry is in most KoF games.
Kyo, on the other hand, is THE STAR of the KOF series, namely the Orochi saga, but even after that he was still and important figure beyond beign added as playable for seniority sake (K´'s powers are cloned from Kyo, Ash Crimson attacked Chizuru and Iori, both characters who are heavily tied to Kyo) no matter how far the series goes, people and SNK will never forget the original Hero of what now has become THE most popular SNK series of all time. It's far to say that there are SOME people that know SNK JUST because of King of Fighters (well, that and Samurai Showdown and Metal Slug). Hell, Kyo was one of the main faces present in Capcom Vs SNK games being the designated rival of RYU, MR FIGHTING GAME HIMSELF, while Terry settled for Ken.
and yet..........Sakurai choose Terry, agruably because of his seniority and larger presence in the SNK sphere as a whole, Fatal Fury's death nowithstanding.
Ryu Hayabusa is in Terry's position, while Kasumi is in Kyo's. Dead or Alive seels better than Ninja Gaiden, but that's it. Minecraft sells better than BK and Banjo still got in, Monster Hunter and Resident Evil sell better than Mega Man and Street Fighter and yet the former two are represented without playable content while the latter 2 are, etc.
Ryu Hayabusa also appears in Dead or Alive, not as a guest character, but as a full on canon member of the cast. Hell unlike Terry's role in KOF he is far more substantial than just being there for the sake of it, (he was the Champion of Dead or Alive 2's tournament for one) and furthermore unlike Terry, his series actually managed to survive into the 21st century with the Ninja Gaiden Hack and Slash games, and Ninja Gaiden 3 was on the Wii U and there was a spin off game on the DS. From what i have seen, there's no reason for me to believe she would be chosen over Ryu Hayabusa, a character who is very close and recognizable to Nintendo's playerbase due to his outings in the 80's, managed to survive into the 21st century, is also an important character in Kasumi's own franchise, and appears regulary even after Ninja Gaiden's recent hiatus.
Keep in mind, i didn't even touch the whole "good boys and girls" aspect. Which yeah, i don't think will exactly deny her an entry, but it's pretty telling that the one of the few Dead or Alive game on a Nintendo console (the other beign DOA Dimensions on 3DS): The Switch, is not Dead or Alive 6, but...........you know. Just an observation. Hell that game is more talked about than DOA6 nowadays.
Want: 0%
When i rated Alucard, i mentioned that if i rated him before Simon's confirmation i would have rated him a 0%. That principle holds true for Kasumi too.
I want Ryu Hayabusa in Smash. Not as passionately as other characters like Waluigi, but i would be really damn ****ing dissapointed if she makes it first.
Predictions: Terra Branford: 4%
Man, the one female character i actually give a **** about (outside of Dixie) is so damn unlikely.
Megadoomer
