Shantae, the Half Genie Protector of Scuttle Town! (A Switch To A New WayForward)

[Schonberg]

I apologize about the small feud, but I remember some sources (can't remember where). For the Monster Hunter character was used for another crossover during FP2 development.

Do you mean MVCI? Because Monster Hunter came out as a DLC character before Smash Ultimate was even publicly announced.

 

[Dukefire]

I guess my mind wasn't clear due to thinking for a while. I need to stop on listening to theories.

 

[MattX20]

With less than 3 months to go before E3, it's going to be an interesting few months

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Another day, another, yeah, I don't even know anymore...

Misako from River City Girls wishes you a stunning 3-16! pic.twitter.com/gaZWZehbuH

— WayForward (@WayForward) March 16, 2021

Well, I didn't dig it up. Dukefire did.

I didn't quote you though.

 

[Dukefire]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

 

[SoupCanMafia]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

I do not believe that to be the case. Mostly because it's major wishlist stuffs, like how Geno and Doomguy were both major wishlist stuffs with consideration to the Cacodemon Hat and the Mallow Hat. It's not to knock against Crash and Hayabusa (especially Crash), but it seems with this DLC packet, Sakurai is taking into consideration how he can expand from Base Game, unlike the "fill with almost entirely new franchises" outlook of DLC 1. It's not impossible for either of them to come in, but the both of them? I highly doubt it. Out of all the Fighters in DLC 2, however, Steve was the only one to really go the same way most of DLC 1 came in, coming from an entirely new franchise without anything in Base Smash. Min-min's got a Spirit, Sephiroth got Cloud to help his case, and Pyra got Rex and Sakurai wanting her in as a Base Character (if not for XBC 2 releasing too late into Smash's Dev Cycle) to help her out.

However, I also know it'd be too cocky and foolish of me to say "oh that means Shantae has all the chips going to her", because for all I know, she could not be in this round at all.

 

[ZelDan]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

I could maybe see one of them happening.

Both? Probably not.

 

[Schonberg]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

Of the two, I can maybe see Crash, but I really can’t see Ryu Hayabusa at all. His spotlight in the speculation scene really only sprung up because of that one fake leak that got several other fake leaks to copy it, and now every speculation channel thinks he’s a shoo-in. I think I saw maybe one person mention Hayabusa back in the Smash Ballot days and probably less in the buildup to base Ultimate. I just don’t think he’s as big of a name as some people think, or as high priority to get in the game.

Crash can go either way. On the one hand yes, I can’t deny the biggest point people bring up with Crash is that he’s a very big name with a very successful franchise to back him up. But size really isn’t the end-all-be-all in Smash - otherwise we would’ve had Assassin’s Creed (155 million copies) and Resident Evil (107 million copies) be playable long before Crash (50 million copies), and certainly would’ve seen him before Mega Man (36 million) and SMT/Persona (22 million). It’s the biggest point for him, but it’s also kind of irrelevant to speculate over just that as I just showed. Definitely more likely than Hayabusa in my opinion thanks to his modern resurgence appearing on Switch, but people are treating him like a lock the same way they treated Banjo and Geno like locks in Smash 4’s DLC. Just getting on the Switch isn’t a guarantee of anything, sometimes another company can just be pushing their franchise’s success without it tying into Smash.

And yes I know I can get the same degree of skepticism for Shantae. The biggest thing in her favor the more I think about it is that at least one of the next two characters will have only new Mii costumes, and the lack of indie-with-music Miis this pass despite how positive their reception was (seriously, watch ANY English or japanese reaction to Sans showing up) just makes me think we’ll get a bunch of them with a playable indie rep. But I’m not gonna act like my theory is any less baseless as saying “Crash will get in because he’s big” or “Hayabusa will get in because everyone is saying he is”.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

Honestly, that's an unlikely pairing in my opinion.

Also, some people bring up the Activision leak (aka the 5 year plan), but given all the disproven leaks and rumours recently, I don't think this one can be trusted either. The leak, like an overwhelming majority of 4chan leaks, doesn't even have evidence to back it up, like a screenshot of such an agreement. Still though, Crash has better chances than Ryu Hayabusa.

Now, I wanna disclose my thoughts on Rayman entering Smash. While he is likely, and while Ubisoft advocated him for Smash and talked about it a lot, I feel like behind the scenes they don't care anymore. They might have withdrawn Rayman from Smash discussion behind the scenes. The biggest offender to why I think Ubisoft no longer cares about Rayman in Smash is what they did on his 25th anniversary last year. Instead of celebrating it, they released a Rabbids runner game.

So, I feel like Rayman isn't coming to Smash unless he is a Mii Brawler or just remains a Spirit. If anyone wants to make the case for Rayman in Smash, hit me with your best shot.

 

[TDDolphin]

I think you're all underestimating Ryu Hayabusa's chances a little too much. I'd check out the Hayabusa forum's last few pages for info on the stuff in his favor that we've seen/researched.

 

[Megadoomer]

Just asking, do you truly think that Crash and Ryu Hayabusa are the last two fighters?

I'm thinking that we'll get one of them, but I'm not too sure about both making it in. I figure one of the last two characters is going to be from a company that's already in Smash, like Nintendo or one of the third party companies. (though that's just a guess on my part)

Both of them making it in would be great (they seem long overdue - I'd honestly be surprised if Ryu Hayabusa didn't make it into Smash, and Crash getting into Smash makes a ton of sense), but with only two characters left, I have my doubts.

 

[Shinuto]

Woo! Shantae is headling the current new spirit event.

Shantae is headlining the latest spirit event for #SmashBrosUltimate (as Pyra & Mythra did before her) ! Risky Boots is also in there ! Thank you @NintendoAmerica !#シャンティ の #スマブラSP ! よし ! ありがとうございます @Nintendo !#NintendoSwitch #Wayforward #Indie #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/Qi3tLcvvBj

— Ayoungspirit (@Ayoungspirit1) March 17, 2021

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Woo! Shantae is headling the current new spirit event.

Shantae is headlining the latest spirit event for #SmashBrosUltimate (as Pyra & Mythra did before her) ! Risky Boots is also in there ! Thank you @NintendoAmerica !#シャンティ の #スマブラSP ! よし ! ありがとうございます @Nintendo !#NintendoSwitch #Wayforward #Indie #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/Qi3tLcvvBj

— Ayoungspirit (@Ayoungspirit1) March 17, 2021

This is the first time they've put her as the headlining spirit!

 

[dlewis53]

Woo! Shantae is headling the current new spirit event.

Shantae is headlining the latest spirit event for #SmashBrosUltimate (as Pyra & Mythra did before her) ! Risky Boots is also in there ! Thank you @NintendoAmerica !#シャンティ の #スマブラSP ! よし ! ありがとうございます @Nintendo !#NintendoSwitch #Wayforward #Indie #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/Qi3tLcvvBj

— Ayoungspirit (@Ayoungspirit1) March 17, 2021

Considering the other two headliners are Legend-class Spirits and her competition included the likes of Waluigi and Lunala, that's pretty impressive and interesting that they chose Shantae as the third headliner for this event!

 

[Dukefire]

I can safely say that Shantae has been gaining more attention overtime.

 

[Schonberg]

Woo! Shantae is headling the current new spirit event.

Shantae is headlining the latest spirit event for #SmashBrosUltimate (as Pyra & Mythra did before her) ! Risky Boots is also in there ! Thank you @NintendoAmerica !#シャンティ の #スマブラSP ! よし ! ありがとうございます @Nintendo !#NintendoSwitch #Wayforward #Indie #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/Qi3tLcvvBj

— Ayoungspirit (@Ayoungspirit1) March 17, 2021

Hey! Congrats to Shantae for getting a headliner spot in a spirit event! Especially one with such a broad topic, the list of purple spirits in the event is huge so having Shantae be one of the top there is a big deal!

 

[Chaosmaster8753]

Is there a chance for a collection of all 5 games and a potential 120fps mode for the latter two someday?

 

[Dukefire]

Is there a chance for a collection of all 5 games and a potential 120fps mode for the latter two someday?

I could see Wayforward doing that for Shantae's 20th anniversity.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Like I said in the Rayman thread, unless new spirits are involved, I don't think spirit events are likely to mean anything.

That being said, here's WF posting about Marble Knights' soundtrack.

Rock and roll to the soundtrack of Marble Knights, now available digitally from @scarletmoon_! Featuring more than 25 tracks from @DaleNorth (with contributions by @_R23X_), this soundtrack is epic, whether you've played the game or not! https://t.co/WgrX3yBcAB pic.twitter.com/iYJWeBJDZ3

— WayForward (@WayForward) March 17, 2021

 

[Schonberg]

Like I said in the Rayman thread, unless new spirits are involved, I don't think spirit events are likely to mean anything.

Oh absolutely. Even if it did, Shantae’s spirit wouldn’t matter since the other spirits-to-fighters don’t appear on their DLC Spirit Board anyway. Min Min’s fight isn’t in the ARMS board and neither Pyra nor Mythra’s spirits are on the XBC2 board.

 

[SebTheGamer]

Woo! Shantae is headling the current new spirit event.

Shantae is headlining the latest spirit event for #SmashBrosUltimate (as Pyra & Mythra did before her) ! Risky Boots is also in there ! Thank you @NintendoAmerica !#シャンティ の #スマブラSP ! よし ! ありがとうございます @Nintendo !#NintendoSwitch #Wayforward #Indie #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/Qi3tLcvvBj

— Ayoungspirit (@Ayoungspirit1) March 17, 2021

Yo! Another spirit event and Shantae is a headliner?! Wow this is pretty unexpected! I wonder how this could equal to Shantae being in Smash as DLC since this is getting more attention by Nintendo Then again spirit events mean nothing.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Actually I haven’t seen evidence that they do; I’d think they only take up one slot since the game loads them in at the same time a la Pokemon trainer. Zelda and Sheik need two WoL slots since they have to be loaded independently due to being completely separate characters now, same as Samus and ZSS. The character numbers are just a detail, actual in game coding recognizes transforming characters as single entities.

I'm no expert on this nor do I know what I'm really talking about here, but I imagine these dual/switch and swap characters would take up more than one slot since they have completely different movesets aside from their Down Special.

 

[Dukefire]

if there are more dummy slots available, then another swap mechanic for a character is possible. Just that we don't exactly know (or we do, just forgot.) how much are left and there could always be more added as long Ultimate is kept going for DLC

 

[Schonberg]

I'm no expert on this nor do I know what I'm really talking about here, but I imagine these dual/switch and swap characters would take up more than one slot since they have completely different movesets aside from their Down Special.

See that’s where the confusion comes in. A slot isn’t determined by how MUCH information has to be loaded in, but rather what set of information has to be loaded in.

I mean, Kirby’s data has about 86 more moves than the average character, does he take up more than one slot? Most likely not.

If the game has to load all 3 Pokemon or both Pyra and Mythra every time the character is selected anyway, I imagine they only take up a single one of these dummy slots.

 

[logicandreason]

Hello guys, its been a while. what I miss?

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Man, I wish PokéfreakofBACON was still here, they're the expert on this topic.

if there are more dummy slots available, then another swap mechanic for a character is possible. Just that we don't exactly know (or we do, just forgot.) how much are left and there could always be more added as long Ultimate is kept going for DLC

According to some people, the game would reach maximum capacity after the remaining space for characters and stages is filled up. As it stands right now:

Six unoccupied dummy slots for characters.
Five unoccupied slots for stages.

Last I heard, Pyra and Mythra actually took up two slots before this, probably because their data works differently than Pokemon Trainer? I dunno.

That said...I think WayForward are really starting to run out of Shantae characters to showcase.

The Ammo Soldiers are the countless members of Ammo Baron's Ammonium Army, charging fearlessly into battle in the Shantae series. Though well-armed with bayonets, grenades, and other gear, their low defense typically makes them easy to defeat. #WayForwardSpotlight pic.twitter.com/uP2NOuglLL

— WayForward (@WayForward) March 18, 2021

 

[Schonberg]

That said...I think WayForward are really starting to run out of Shantae characters to showcase.

Not until we hit Spanky Joe. Then we’ve dug past the bottom of the barrel.

 

[Dukefire]

6 dummy slots and 5 open stage slots. I know speculation isn't going to help as Sakurai holds all the cards remaining in the deck, but I can guess this.

1 character for each spot and 2 characters for 1 stage. I can't see where shantae may fit with her animal transformations if they count as one in the same or separate spots. It is up to the developers and the negotiations while FP2 was still developing to uncover the truth. E3 will give us the next official update.

Repeating it again, don't follow speculation deep as it does smell after sometime and deconfirmation.

Spoiler: my leak is a fried boot

Now WayForward, I think they may have another project soon as the pandemic is loosening the restriction grip around of the world (not shantae as she has her recent title). Shantae's 20th Anniversary won't happen until next year, so she may not get another game until 2022 rolls over as Seven Sirens is still relevant since 2020.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

I'm gonna throw this theory out here.

What if the indie and Ubisoft Miis are setups for characters that represent both the indie industry and Ubisoft? It could be both Shantae and Rayman. While this means Crash won't get his time to shine in Smash, at least this counts as a way to end the pass with a bang.

 

[SebTheGamer]

I'm gonna throw this theory out here.

What if the indie and Ubisoft Miis are setups for characters that represent both the indie industry and Ubisoft? It could be both Shantae and Rayman. While this means Crash won't get his time to shine in Smash, at least this counts as a way to end the pass with a bang.

It’s been a theory back in 2019 or 2020 and not many fans talked about it so we don’t know. Doesn’t mean too much

 

[TDDolphin]

I'm gonna throw this theory out here.

What if the indie and Ubisoft Miis are setups for characters that represent both the indie industry and Ubisoft? It could be both Shantae and Rayman. While this means Crash won't get his time to shine in Smash, at least this counts as a way to end the pass with a bang.

I'm gonna push D to Doubt. There's only 2 fighters left, and there's not gonna be a Fighter Pass Vol. 3. We need to brace ourselves for the chance that characters like Crash, Shantae, Rayman and all these other western characters don't make it into Ultimate, especially since Sakurai has an easier time negotiating with Japanese 3rd Party companies for characters.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Some "leaker" who relayed word of Sephiroth before TGA 2020 has claimed that Dante and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 are joining Smash. I am gonna give this a big no especially since Arthur Morgan wouldn't make any sense for Smash whatsoever.

 

[Schonberg]

Some "leaker" who relayed word of Sephiroth before TGA 2020 has claimed that Dante and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 are joining Smash. I am gonna give this a big no especially since Arthur Morgan wouldn't make any sense for Smash whatsoever.

Yeah absolutely that sounds like an absolute crock. Red Dead has absolutely zero tie to Nintendo, and a guy randomly saying Sephiroth with no other history of ‘smash leaks’ sounds like just a guy with a lucky guess riding the tiny surge of popularity while he can.

 

[LaBeteNoire]

Yeah, I can't see anyone from such a reality based game like Red Dead Redemption coming to smash. I mean he would just be a regular guy with a gun.

 

[FemMain26]

Agreed i don`t see anyone especially from Red Dead Redemption coming to Smash. It sounds too far-fetched.

 

[Dukefire]

There are always those that are trying to use the hype while the fuel is still present. Everyone wants their character to be in smash in anyway possible. Even if that hope is a false truth in reality.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Some "leaker" who relayed word of Sephiroth before TGA 2020 has claimed that Dante and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 are joining Smash. I am gonna give this a big no especially since Arthur Morgan wouldn't make any sense for Smash whatsoever.

I could see Arthur Morgan working in Smash, but I have doubts regarding Dante and the credence of this leaker more than anything. Definitely taking this one with a grain of salt.

 

[SoupCanMafia]

There are always those that are trying to use the hype while the fuel is still present. Everyone wants their character to be in smash in anyway possible. Even if that hope is a false truth in reality.
View attachment 307914

I feel saddened I could never get that. It looks so cool!

 

[Lamperouge]

Some "leaker" who relayed word of Sephiroth before TGA 2020 has claimed that Dante and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 are joining Smash. I am gonna give this a big no especially since Arthur Morgan wouldn't make any sense for Smash whatsoever.

I don't believe this at all but both would be pretty rad choices, NGL.

 

[Chaosmaster8753]

Yeah, I can't see anyone from such a reality based game like Red Dead Redemption coming to smash. I mean he would just be a regular guy with a gun.

I guess there's a problem with gunplay that comes off as too realistic to maintain an A rating from CERO or something?