Professor Layton
Chances: 10%
Ah, the good professor himself, and yet another honorary Nintendo character that would've been in Smash by now under the right company name. Professor Layton stands for something tangibly unique in the world of video games - the gamification of a brainteaser book - and thanks to that niche saw a notable amount of success and fame as far as modern video game characters go. And given Level 5 and Nintendo's symbiotic relationship, Level-5 is certainly a forerunner as far as potential third-party sources go, substituting a long history with its modern-day successes.
Unfortunately, Professor Layton has one critical shortcoming: a distinguishably lacking amount of moveset potential.
As it turns out, when your entire game series involves you being uncompromisingly pacifist unless it's an anime action sequence, there's very little that's going to actually make sense for you to do in a fighting game. Not only is Layton's range of attacks limited to normal human things, but that range is also subtracted by the things that he wouldn't do because he's goddamn gentleman. And gentlemen do not punch people, or kick them into an infinite abyss, or swing at them with a metal pipe.
Want: 45%
I've loved the series enough to play every game that's starred the good man. Yet I can't really want Layton to be in Smash, because I don't like the idea of him turning away from his characteristics because he's in a fighting game of all places. In a situation where Layton must beat people up, his moveset would have to take concessions and do away with some of his gentleman personality to make that happen. You could do it, and no one could stop you, but there's almost no way you could do it without detracting from what makes Layton himself. Do it recklessly, and you'll take out a lot more of that than anymore means to see gone.
Of course, if Sakurai actually has enough of a crazy idea that he puts Layton into Smash, I'd main him in a heartbeat, no matter what the moveset was. I'd just avoid having to do that to Layton if it was up to me, unless I knew exactly how to make it work. (And I don't.)
Predictions
Waluigi: 33%
Nominations
Arle Nadja (Puyo Puyo) 5x