This makes me sad, because for every inch of me that would love to see either of these characters get in, there's a mile of reasons why I find it rather unlikely.
Bandanna Waddle Dee
Chance - 15%
There are indeed a lot of positives on this one, and to me it's nearly 100% certain with no room for doubt that if we get another Kirby character it should be this boy.
Not only that, but I'm definitely expecting a new Kirby game coming soon, just probably delayed in announcement and maybe work by the whole current events.
BUT, I'm more pessimistic because of a couple of factors. The first is that I wonder how making this DLC character as unique as possible would go, since, all things considered, Dee's moveset is essentially done already. And while different it still doesn't open up to a lot of super diverse crazy movesets like most DLC we've gotten. That said, I'm not super familiar with star allies so I don't know if there's something they could pull from there to make it a more interesting character... perhaps having allies from common kirby enemies than you can toggle like Min Min's arms? Or change from being made or clay or yarn to reference kirby side games?
The other thing I put against him, and will against Dixie too, is that their series are decently represented AND unlike every other DLC character so far outside of plant, they don't really introduce new worlds to Smash. And while to most of us here it's not a drawback whatsoever, from a DLC sales perspective it's a slight drawback, as well as from the perspective of a Sakurai who seems hungry to add really out there stuff to Smash as a last hurrah.
One thing I will say though, is that the fanbase for Dee is very out there, visible, and obvious and should be known to Nintendo, and in that sense I see him around the level of Geno or Waluigi as a character they could add in strictly to please a known fanbase.
Want - 50%
I don't particularly feel super invested in Dee, and like others I think other characters from Kirby would be much more interesting. Adeline in particular would be such a hype moveset to me. Within Kirby games though he probably is my favorite to use and the character itself is super appealing.
I also had my moments of disliking the comparison between Dee and Dixie, mostly because it really takes away from Dixie having actually been the main protagonist of her game with her name on the box and everything. I'll adamantly stick to my opinion that Dee is in a similar boat as Toad as a deserving rep of its property due to such consistent and evident showing, but where you can somehow rationalize why it hasn't happened. Dixie I would put into the level of Tails of how is this character still not in this game?
All that aside though, I do respect the Dee fanbase for keeping things going and also respect the fact the character has actually grown more visible and significant since the days you first heard the desire for him. If he gets in it will definitely be an earned victory and he will fit perfectly in this cast.
Dixie
Chance - 5%
I have sunk to extreme pessimism with this character. For one, like with Dee, the focus on new "worlds" and crazy movesets hurts her to a degree since, like Dee, she's a more honest character that doesn't add worlds as much as she just expands the DK core.
Not only that, but the other problem for Dixie is that while her significance in her series went down after Rare and then plateau'd after Tropical Freeze, the significance of other DK characters shot up. Cranky being playable was a huge deal, then Funky Kong being OP in Mario Kart AND then being the selling point for switch Tropical Freeze AND appearing along with Dixie in Mario Kart Tour... you can tell that there is a strong investment in Funky Kong as a character and my heart fears that it is at the expense of Dixie. So, even if we DO get more DK representation, I am not even sure it would be Dixie Kong.
Lastly, while I love the community still fighting for Dixie, it just failed to reach the heights of K. Rool, and in general it feels like after K. Rool got in most people just fell into contentment with that. It also lacks the visibility of interest in Dee, Waluigi, Geno, Isaac and several others that are clawing for a chance at a spot, and when you're talking about DLC needing to sell, this puts Dixie in a rough spot. I don't doubt people would love her inclusion in general, but the hype level just doesn't seem as intense. The most alive it felt was when she got added to Mario Kart Tour, but unfortunately by that point DLC was already decided on, so I don't expect much.
Want - 100%
After Ridley got sorted, Dixie was the main big character that I wanted in Ultimate. There was zero chance for Min Min to get in at the time, borderline disconfirmation for my other beloved Nintendo characters (Lyn, Kumatora), so for me it was all in on Dixie.
K. Rool happening was an extremely hype moment for an extremely hype character, and instead of seeing instant drop in chances I seriously, seriously hoped it meant Dixie could also get her shot. To me she's still an all-star character from one of my favorite platformers of all time and like others say, her not being in this roster is a really, really weird gap. Particularly since Nintendo clearly struggles to add cool female protagonists and here is one who is a fantastic example of one. And yet... why does it feel more likely we'll get a third zelda? It's so bizarre to me. This character should have already been in this game. That she didn't get into Smash 4 was shocking. That she hasn't gotten into Ultimate and may never do so is just disappointing.
I am currently still floored about Min Min being in and it makes me insanely happy... and at the same time I cannot believe we exist in a timeline where she got into Smash before Dixie Kong. Not because she's not deserving, but because the path here looked so different. I would not have believed in 2018 that Dixie Kong would feel so unlikely to ever get into Smash, while a character I loved who had ZERO CHANCE somehow got there.
Lol but then again, back then I would also never have believed we'd get a piranha plant before her, or waluigi or... lmao, anybody. It's been nuts. What a crazy roster.
