Analysing characters' importance (Part 1)
I said I would do it, and here it is!
The Character Importance List - PART 1
Series covered: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Kirby and Kid Icarus
In this list, I will comment on each characters' importance to their franchise. This may be useful when discussing possible newcomers.
Before reading the list and commenting, take note on these factors:
- The character's importance is rated from 0 to 10, indicating recognizability and popularity within the series' fandom.
- For games with heavier emphasis on storyline, this will also take into account when rating the character's popularity.
- Despite my efforts to keep objectivity, I might slip some personal bias. I apologize for this in advance.
- For each franchise, I will make some personal comments on the franchise's content throughout the Smash games, while also making predictions on what might happen in the next game. These comments are SUBJECTIVE and certainly aren't to be taken as true or false.
Importance ratings:
[COLLAPSE="Super Mario Bros. series"]Mario - 10/10
Not only is the series mascot, as he also is the mascot of Nintendo itself. Widely known by the videogame community and stars in all Mario titles.
Can't really say much, now can I? Everyone knows who he is.
Luigi - 10/10
Mario's brother and originally a player character for a second player. One of the original 12 and almost as recognizable as Mario himself.
Peach - 10/10
Another known character from the series, usually playing the role of the distressed damsel. Had a starring role in one game and appears in both Melee and Brawl.
Bowser - 10/10
The main villain of the series, usually the responsible for Peach's many kidnappings and another recognizable face. Has appeared in Melee and Brawl.
Toad - 8/10
Another recognizable character of the series. Was playable in Super Mario Bros. 2 as well as both New Super Mario Bros. games released for home consoles. Appears as a special move for Peach in all her Smash Bros. appearences.
Bowser Jr. - 6/10
A secondary villain in the Mario series since Sunshine. Popular within the Mario fandom, but not as known as the main five above.
Waluigi - 5/10
While I like Waluigi, I will admit this: he is definitely NOT an important character for the franchise. One factor hurting his importance is precisely the fact that he never appears in main series games, being solely used as a Wario's partner in spin-off games.
Daisy - 5/10
More or less at the same level as Waluigi with the small difference of appearing as the distressed damsel in Super Mario Land. Nowadays, she only appears in spin-offs, usually as Peach's partner.
Koopalings - 6/10
More or less on the same boat as Bowser Jr., being secondary villains in earlier games. The more recent game started featuring them alongside Bowser Jr., giving them back spotlight.
Dr. Mario - 4/10
Nowhere in the same level of importance as the other characters. While the likes of Daisy, Waluigi and Bowser Jr. often feature in the spin-off titles, Dr. Mario only features in very few games. The fact that he's basically Mario in a doctor's outfit doesn't help either. His popularity only extends to the Smash Bros. fandom, thanks to his appearence in Melee.
What can I say for this series? It's Nintendo's flagship franchise. The already most important characters are already in Smash Bros. and it's not like Nintendo's been including new characters in this franchise.
The only characters that I think that have a shot for SSB4 are Toad and Bowser Jr., unless Waluigi proves to be popular enough, I don't see him as a likely newcomer. At least, not yet.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Donkey Kong series"]Donkey Kong - 10/10
Overall, Donkey Kong is on the same boat as Mario. He's a recognizable character in the videogame world. Almost everything I said about Mario can apply to DK as well.
Diddy Kong - 9/10
Donkey Kong's sidekick and also had a protagonist role in DKC2 as well as his own racing game series: Diddy Kong Racing. Started to appear in Mario spin-offs as well, so it's one plus for him.
Dixie Kong - 8/10
Diddy's girlfriend and his sidekick in DKC2. Almost on the same level as Diddy, appearing in Diddy Kong Racing as well. If she had more appearences in the Mario spin-offs, she could get the same level of importance.
King K. Rool - 8/10
Main villain throughout the Country series. A known face for most Nintendo fans and already had few appearences in Mario spin-offs. On the same level as Dixie.
Cranky Kong - 7/10
Appears throughout the series, and is supposed to be the original DK of the arcade games. While known, he doesn't have the same level of popularity as the big four above.
Funky Kong - 6/10
Funky is an odd case. While he usually doesn't get very important roles in the series, he was playable in Jungle Climber, King of Swing and, to many players' surprise, Mario Kart Wii. He certainly has some popularity going for him.
While not as important as the main Mario series, the Donkey Kong series has a great level of recognizability. Possible newcomers: Dixie and K. Rool.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="The Legend of Zelda series"]Link - 10/10
The main character in the entire franchise. Should I say anything more?
Zelda - 10/10
The series' namesake, and (usually) the distressed damsel in the Zelda series. I wouldn't have given a 10/10 rating to her if it wasn't for her role in Skyward Sword.
Ganondorf - 10/10
Main antangonist in most games, considering he's the humanoid form of Ganon. Despite not appearing in Skyward Sword, some of his origins are fleshed out in that same game. One of the most recognized villains in video game story.
Tingle - 6/10
While Tingle is a recurring character in the Zelda franchise, and sometimes necessary to progress through the story, he's not as important to the plot as the other characters. He's popular in Japan and also has his own series.
Impa - 7/10
Zelda's caretaker throughout the whole franchise, her appearence varies from the many titles. Her most important role is in Skyward Sword... by far. She also contributes to the story of Ocarina of Time, being one of the Seven Sages and teaching Link an important ocarina song.
Dark Link - 5/10
Another recurring character and Zelda II's final boss. Is popular among the Zelda fans and has already appeared in Brawl as a color swap for Link.
Besides these characters, many of the characters of this franchise are one-shot characters that don't have an overall impact throughout the whole series. Some examples fitting this bill: Vaati, Midna, Zant, Ghirahim and Sheik.
Seeing the main three are in the SSB games since Melee, with Link also appearing in the original, there isn't much to add to the roster. Sheik will likely stay, since she's part of Zelda's moveset and the return of Young/Toon Link is also likely. The likeliest newcomers we might see are Impa or Tingle.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Metroid series"]Samus Aran - 10/10
Besides Ridley and the Metroids, she is the only character to make an appearence throughout the series. A recognizable icon of the videogame world, notably being one of the first female protagonists.
Ridley - 10/10
Samus's archenemy. The responsible for Samus's parents' murder, and the big reason Samus fights the Space Pirates. A very important character much like Ganon in the Zelda series. One of the West's most popular characters.
I am not listing any other Metroid characters, because they pale in terms of importance when compared to Samus and Ridley. If there's a newcomer for the Metroid series, expect him to be none other than Ridley himself.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Yoshi's Island series"]Yoshi - 10/10
Another well-known Mario character, also having his own series. Don't need to say much, do I?
Kamek - 7/10
The only other character people think when discussing the Yoshi series. Being the antagonsist alongside Baby Bowser, he's one of the few character to have major recognition.
Don't have much to say, this series is small and most of its characters are also featured in the main Mario series. The baby characters also wouldn't fit in Smash Bros. at all, thus I don't think we're getting a newcomer in the first place. If we do get a newcomer, though, I think it will be Kamek.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Kirby series"]Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede - 10/10
These three are pretty much the only immediatly recognized characters when thinking on the Kirby series. They have co-starred many titles together, so it's fair to think they are equally important within the franchise.
Bandanna Dee - 7/10
A fourth main character in recent titles, co-starring with the main trio.
While there are many diverse characters in the Kirby universe, few have the same importance as Kirby, Meta and Dedede. Rick, Gooey, Nightmare, Dark Matter, Marx, Dyna Blade, Magolor and Galacta Knight certainly don't have the same level of importance as the four characters above, due to their fewer apparences and lesser recognizability.
I wouldn't expect a newcomer, but if there's one, it will be Bandanna Dee.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Kid Icarus series"]Pit - 10/10
Protagonist in all three games. Despite having a hiatus lasting for over 20 years, the character remained popular among old-school games. With Uprising's lauch, his popularity skyrocketed.
Palutena - 10/10
Being the second character to appear in all three games, Palutena is as important as Pit himself. Her most important role is in Uprising, being Pit's advisor, guiding him throughout his many battles. She's also the most requested Kid Icarus character for SSB4.
Medusa - 7/10
The original villainess of the franchise. Would have a 10/10 if she wasn't overshadowed by Hades in Uprising.
Hades - 8/10
The main villain of the third game of the franchise, being the primary cause to all that happens during Uprising's story.
Viridi - 8/10
Also has a big role in Uprising's story, first as an antagonist, then as one of Pit's allies.
Dark Pit - 7/10
A copy of Pit, much like other Nintendo's dark counterparts. First appearing as Pit's rival, ending up to become Pit's allies, going as far to save Pit after Pit nearly died saving him. He's also inspired by Pit's black costume in Brawl.
Magnus - 6/10
A powerful human character in Uprising. Has very few appearences in Uprising compared to the other characters above, one of them as a playable character. Has an important contribution to the story during the Ring of Chaos chapter. Other than that, he hasn't very much going for him.
With 2 games with simple stories, and the third game introducing many characters, it could be said that Uprising overshadows the original two games. The series has proven to be popular both in Japan and outside, mainly thanks to the 2012 revival.
When discussing SSB4, Palutena is the likeliest character to appear as playable. Much like Dark Link already mentioned, Dark Pit will likely appear as a costume for Pit.[/COLLAPSE]
That's it for the first part. The next part will cover the following franchises: Star Fox, Pokémon, F-Zero, EarthBound, Fire Emblem, Wario and Pikmin.
