The Directory has been updated.
King K. Rool
Chance: 15%
By far one of the most wanted characters in Smash, if not he is the most wanted newcomer. He has garnered so much popularity from his appearances in the original Country trilogy and DK64, along with the cartoon (which I heard is popular in Japan). He also has a lot of potential to boot, making it a bit easier for Sakurai to create a moveset for him.
While these are all helpful things, the main detriment comes from the fact that he hasn't had a major role in years. His last appearance was in Mario Super Sluggers in the late 2000s and Retro has been making new villains for the franchise. Furthermore, while the fans view him as an important Nintendo character, Sakurai most likely thought differently from us, as evidenced by the fact that he has a Mii Fighter costume; he might have considered K. Rool and didn't deem him worthy.
Overall, the chances are a bit steep.
Dixie Kong
Chance: 30%
She has a higher chance rating than King K. Rool because not only does she have popularity and demand (granted it's not as big as K. Rool's, it's still very significant), but she has two distinct advantages:
1. She had a major role in a recent game, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. As a result, she would be more marketable as a character than King K. Rool, especially with some of the casual fanbase.
2. Due to her similarities with Diddy Kong in terms of design, they can easily take animations from Diddy Kong, change some attacks, and create Dixie Kong. This has been done before with Lucas sharing a few attacks and animations with Ness and even Little Mac having vastly different moves while also sharing animations with Captain Falcon.
So, I think that she is in a better position than K. Rool.
Bandana Dee
Chance: 20%
I think that I will copy and paste:
Bandana Dee
Chance: 20%
Now this is a very tricky rating for me to do...
First, the positives. Bandana Dee is the rising star of the Kirby series. He was playable in Returns to Dream Land, was placed alongside Meta Knight and King Dedede for the 20th anniversary game and was featured with them in promotional material, helped Kirby in Kirby Triple Deluxe (where Meta Knight was MIA), and was playable in Rainbow Curse when King Dedede and Meta Knight were both MIA; it's important to note this as Hal seems to be wanting to promote the little guy. Second, he would be a unique fighter with his spear ability; the ability basically writes a majority of his moveset and we never had a spear user before. Third, Bandana Dee has some requests, though he isn't as requested as King K. Rool. Fourth, Kirby is a pretty popular series and is justifiable for another character.
Now, the negatives. First, he's a newcomer, meaning that more time will be spent on creating his moveset. Second, while Bandana Dee is greatly requested, he is still a pretty polarizing newcomer choice; you either love him or hate him to get in the game. Lastly, and the thing that hurts Bandana Dee the most, recent Kirby games barely have any representation in Smash currently. The most the new Kirby games received were some trophies, music, and Kirby gaining a new Final Smash and Bandana Dee himself is MIA. Sakurai seems to favor his older games rather than any of the recent ones...
Ultimately, I do think that Bandana Dee is among the most likely for this game, but he still has obstacles to overcome.
Want For All: 100%
For King K. Rool, I admittedly don't have a massive connection with him. I've played the original DKC and that's it (I also have DK64, but other games are getting in the way). However, I have a friend and his most wanted newcomer is King K. Rool; he was devastated when the full roster was leaked without King K. Rool and when his costume was shown. So, I really want K. Rool in for his sake. That and he could be fun to play as.
For Dixie Kong, I played Tropical Freeze and I loved it. It's by far one of the most creative games on the Wii U and the game was just fun all-around. As a result, Dixie grew on me and I used her the most out of all the characters in the game. I would be pretty happy if she got in.
For Bandana Dee, I love the Kirby franchise and I am heavily disappointed by how poorly represented it is in Smash (no stages from the new games and we get stages from Sakurai-made games? really?). He's been one of my most wanted characters since the beginning of speculation and I think that he would be one of the most unique characters with his spear. Honestly, the only character that I want more than him is Phoenix Wright.