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

[Teeb147]

I doubt have an ounce of fashion in me and those chairs bother the heck out of me. And I mean, there was the E3 that inexplicably had a barrel, a rope ladder, and a very wood based background that all could have pointed to the DK series, and therefor K.Rool.

I know, and that's what put some fuel in for taking things to mean hints. I think it was coincidence. There was nothing about simon in there eithe. Anyway, people single out what they want to make it fit. I dont think theyre putting hints like that, and if I'm shown wrong I'll say it, but I gotta go with sense for now, lol.
The chairs didn't bother me. Being colorful every once in a while is fine. ;p

 

[Demonfunds]

Can we just take a moment to realize that skull kid wasn’t even talked about during smash 4, let alone the following years? Now all of a sudden the AT not being shown is raising speculation even though there is at least one more assist montage? Imo people need to stop over looking so many things.

I don't understand why you have to bring up skull kid in forums that don't even involve him

 

[loozer2]

And how concrete is our stuff?

Well let's see...

1. Shantae did decent on the ballot, at least in the west. Characters who did about as well or even much worse in some cases still received notice in the form of DLC mii costumes, amiibos, or appearances in Ultimate in the form of an assist trophy. (Shovel Knight, bomberman, geno, ashley) Since from what we know, Shovel Knight was also only really popular in the west, it means you don't need to be popular in Japan to get recognized. The speculation here is that if others with the same popularity got recognized, Shantae should too.

2. Wayforward was very vocal during the 2015 smash ballot but went radio silent about smash after the ballot ended. We now know that the roster was finalized at the end of the ballot so their silence would make sense if an NDA was signed. There is no way to confirm this, however. I'd also like to add that they often respond to questions on Twitter but will not if it's smash related. They responded to a tweet asking about their lack of presence in Indie fighters but stopped responding as soon as smash was brought up. Some also think the fact that Shantae isn't showing up in any of the indie fighters is because she may have signed into a contract preventing her from being in other fighting games as a playable character(assuming she is playable in smash)

3. Matt Bozon recently followed Sakurai on Twitter in the last month. It doesn't mean much on its own but worth noting.

4. The pajama DLC involves you going from level to level gathering people for Shantae's ULTIMATE slumber party that everyone's invited to. During the ending she says she's going to move it to RISKY'S SHIP and Mimic tells her to get rest for tomorrow. When asked why he leaves it on a cliffhanger with, "Who knows, tomorrow is another adventure." This could mean absolutely nothing but in the context of smash is quite curious, especially considering much of the suspicious writing is in bold. I take it as, assuming it's smash related, that she's joining smash and Risky's ship is her stage. Also, the timing of the DLC is weird being a free major content update released almost two years after the game's initial release. If it had released a month earlier before the steam summer sales it would have made more sense.

Everything else is mostly just statements about Shantae's history with Nintendo and popular indie status making her a potential pick for a 3rd party character. So yeah, it's easy to see why she might get into smash but at the end of the day it's still entirely speculation and fan theory. It's not like Geno/Skull Kid who got mii costumes or Shovel Knight/Bomber Man who got amiibos after the ballot. Shantae hasn't received any kind of public acknowledgement from Nintendo which kind of worries me.

 

[SneakyLink]

Well I tried going on Wayforwards own forum to try and see the consensus there (specifically the gaming forum there)

It got taken over by NSFW spam, NONE of it dealing with anything gaming in general.

Guess I tried too late.

 

[AngrySun88]

2. Wayforward was very vocal during the 2015 smash ballot but went radio silent about smash after the ballot ended. We now know that the roster was finalized at the end of the ballot so their silence would make sense if an NDA was signed. There is no way to confirm this, however. I'd also like to add that they often respond to questions on Twitter but will not if it's smash related. They responded to a tweet asking about their lack of presence in Indie fighters but stopped responding as soon as smash was brought up. Some also think the fact that Shantae isn't showing up in any of the indie fighters is because she may have signed into a contract preventing her from being in other fighting games as a playable character(assuming she is playable in smash).

This one stands out to me. SK is an assist trophy, but he's appeared in indie fighting games. Surely if his developer had a similar contract that we think WayForward has, then why is he appearing in those games? Why wouldn't they let Shantae in those games if she's only an assist trophy like SK? Seems like an odd decision if Shantae is only an assist trophy.

WayForward's out of character behavior this year just seems so strange to me and it makes me think that something is up.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

This one stands out to me. SK is an assist trophy, but he's appeared in indie fighting games. Surely if his developer had a similar contract that we think WayForward has, then why is he appearing in those games? Why wouldn't they let Shantae in those games if she's only an assist trophy like SK? Seems like an odd decision if Shantae is only an assist trophy.

WayForward's out of character behavior this year just seems so strange to me and it makes me think that something is up.

My hunch is, Sakurai and co. are trying to cover up character reveal leaks so desperately and thoroughly that they won't have WF say a peep. If so, it seems to be working so far, given that people don't bother to put her in their fake leaks.

 

[EarlTamm]

My hunch is, Sakurai and co. are trying to cover up character reveal leaks so desperately and thoroughly that they won't have WF say a peep. If so, it seems to be working so far, given that people don't bother to put her in their fake leaks.

That would make sense. While people who know the company very well will start to notice(And clearly have) those outside the fan base(Likely including many of the "leakers") put no mind to it. If it was less subtle and Wayforward did respond and give non answers to the Smash questions specifically, then that might catch attention if someone on the social team slips up in one of those responses. It's better to just get rid of that risk all together.

 

[MoveMan1]

Well let's see...

1. Shantae did decent on the ballot, at least in the west. Characters who did about as well or even much worse in some cases still received notice in the form of DLC mii costumes, amiibos, or appearances in Ultimate in the form of an assist trophy. (Shovel Knight, bomberman, geno, ashley) Since from what we know, Shovel Knight was also only really popular in the west, it means you don't need to be popular in Japan to get recognized. The speculation here is that if others with the same popularity got recognized, Shantae should too.

2. Wayforward was very vocal during the 2015 smash ballot but went radio silent about smash after the ballot ended. We now know that the roster was finalized at the end of the ballot so their silence would make sense if an NDA was signed. There is no way to confirm this, however. I'd also like to add that they often respond to questions on Twitter but will not if it's smash related. They responded to a tweet asking about their lack of presence in Indie fighters but stopped responding as soon as smash was brought up. Some also think the fact that Shantae isn't showing up in any of the indie fighters is because she may have signed into a contract preventing her from being in other fighting games as a playable character(assuming she is playable in smash)

3. Matt Bozon recently followed Sakurai on Twitter in the last month. It doesn't mean much on its own but worth noting.

4. The pajama DLC involves you going from level to level gathering people for Shantae's ULTIMATE slumber party that everyone's invited to. During the ending she says she's going to move it to RISKY'S SHIP and Mimic tells her to get rest for tomorrow. When asked why he leaves it on a cliffhanger with, "Who knows, tomorrow is another adventure." This could mean absolutely nothing but in the context of smash is quite curious, especially considering much of the suspicious writing is in bold. I take it as, assuming it's smash related, that she's joining smash and Risky's ship is her stage. Also, the timing of the DLC is weird being a free major content update released almost two years after the game's initial release. If it had released a month earlier before the steam summer sales it would have made more sense.

Everything else is mostly just statements about Shantae's history with Nintendo and popular indie status making her a potential pick for a 3rd party character. So yeah, it's easy to see why she might get into smash but at the end of the day it's still entirely speculation and fan theory. It's not like Geno/Skull Kid who got mii costumes or Shovel Knight/Bomber Man who got amiibos after the ballot. Shantae hasn't received any kind of public acknowledgement from Nintendo which kind of worries me.

You forgot to mention that while neither of them really hit it of when it comes to votes in Japan, Shantae is WAY more popular in Japan than Shovel Knight.

Anyway, does anyone think the "unannounced AAA title" on their Wikipedia page could be Nintendo related? Like, "we'd like you to be one of our second party companies" Nintendo related?

 

[AngrySun88]

My hunch is, Sakurai and co. are trying to cover up character reveal leaks so desperately and thoroughly that they won't have WF say a peep. If so, it seems to be working so far, given that people don't bother to put her in their fake leaks.

I'm thinking the same thing, though I have seen a couple fake leaks with Shantae in them. One has already been debunked and the other was an anonymous 4Chan text leak, so I didn't bother sharing it because those are so obviously fake. This is why I don't trust any leaker - including ones that the Smash community has raised to god-like status because he made a couple lucky guesses.

 

[DeltaSceptile]

Here’s my thoughts on WayForward’s choice to remain quiet on twitter and all that: I can completely understand why they would be quiet, so as to not slip up. This is (possibly) a once in a lifetime chance, so being quiet is way better than risking it to give people the same vibes and possibly end up breaking a potential nda. (Just realized that this is basically rewording what EarlTamm said above)

 

[Veodok]

This is why I don't trust any leaker - including ones that the Smash community has raised to god-like status because he made a couple lucky guesses.

Those 'leakers' are the worst thing about smash hype-cycles. People put them on a pedestal and practically believe every word out of their mouth until they get proven fake 4 months later.

 

[DeltaSceptile]

Those 'leakers' are the worst thing about smash hype-cycles. People put them on a pedestal and practically believe every word out of their mouth until they get proven fake 4 months later.

Who exactly has Vergeben stated is in so far? Haven’t really been keeping up with leaks.

 

[loozer2]

You forgot to mention that while neither of them really hit it of when it comes to votes in Japan, Shantae is WAY more popular in Japan than Shovel Knight.

Anyway, does anyone think the "unannounced AAA title" on their Wikipedia page could be Nintendo related? Like, "we'd like you to be one of our second party companies" Nintendo related?

This wasn't true at the time of the ballot in 2015. Shantae is a lot more popular and known in Japan NOW, but she didn't become popular until after the release of Pirate's Curse which came out one year after its western release and after the ballot was already over meaning it would have no impact since the roster was already finalized.
https://nintendoeverything.com/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse-seeing-physical-release-in-japan/

 

[MoveMan1]

This wasn't true at the time of the ballot in 2015. Shantae is a lot more popular and known in Japan NOW, but she didn't become popular until after the release of Pirate's Curse which came out one year after its western release and after the ballot was already over meaning it would have no impact since the roster was already finalized.
https://nintendoeverything.com/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse-seeing-physical-release-in-japan/

True, but that doesn't mean she didn't have fans, desperately requesting she come over the border. Shantae has a real knack for getting an fanbase abroad before she's even arrived.

 

[EarlTamm]

True, but that doesn't mean she didn't have fans, desperately requesting she come over the border. Shantae has a real knack for getting an fanbase abroad before she's even arrived.

True. Heck, the main character designer of Pokemon got an American 3DS just so he could play Pirate's Curse, or at least that's what I recall. But still, she was still pretty niche and she was not making any sweeping waves over there.

 

[Veodok]

Who exactly has Vergeben stated is in so far? Haven’t really been keeping up with leaks.

https://www.ssbwiki.com/list_of_rumors#Vergeben_leaks

 

[Teeb147]

This wasn't true at the time of the ballot in 2015. Shantae is a lot more popular and known in Japan NOW, but she didn't become popular until after the release of Pirate's Curse which came out one year after its western release and after the ballot was already over meaning it would have no impact since the roster was already finalized.
https://nintendoeverything.com/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse-seeing-physical-release-in-japan/

They had mobile versions in japan before that,
and I don't know specifics of other releases but probably known for quite a while as a niche game they still could've played other ways.

It's hard to tell how popular she was, but I do think that if she didn't outpast shovel knight,(worldwide, I mean) that it would've been at least around even in the ballot. Just guessing though.

 

[IGuessItsOver]

Pretty sure this has already been discussed to death but, do you guys think that Shantae not being in other crossover fighting games like Blade Strangers or Brawlout because of a NDA or something means that she's more likely to be in the game as a playable character?

 

[loozer2]

Pretty sure this has already been discussed to death but, do you guys think that Shantae not being in other crossover fighting games like Blade Strangers or Brawlout because of a NDA or something means that she's more likely to be in the game as a playable character?

I just talked about it in one of my points if you scroll up a bit further. I think it's certainly possible but it's also possible Wayforward is just being more selective over what games she gets into.

 

[Teeb147]

Pretty sure this has already been discussed to death but, do you guys think that Shantae not being in other crossover fighting games like Blade Strangers or Brawlout because of a NDA or something means that she's more likely to be in the game as a playable character?

Yes, we've gone over this but not everyone was there. Me and others think it makes little sense for them to be exclusive about it, and it's likely a non-compete clause that's part of the contract. And Shovel Knight didn't have one, which would make it different, anc could mean Shantae is playable. It's a very strong theory but not full proof at all.

 

[Deleted member]

One of the things that's been starting to stand out to me regarding WF's potential NDA is how they've recently been replying to more and more tweets with their non-answers (at least two in this past week,) almost as if the time is drawing nearer for the conclusion, and maybe WF is beginning to get more antsy. It could always not mean anything, but just thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

I'm inclined to agree. Skull Kid has a huge bandwagon going for him right now simply because he wasn't shown as an assist yet. Notice how no leak had him before the direct and now all of them do? Don't get me wrong, I want him playable, but there is a lot of hype.

And I think the purple and yellow chairs resemble Shantae's colors more than the fairies if you want to look more into that.

There's more evidence for Shantae than Skull Kid.

Well, if Shantae shows up in the next direct and Geno doesn't, well unless NiGHTS gets in, that may just end being the hint after all.

 

[LunarLiv]

Part of me hopes she's a playable character just because I wanna see WayForward and Matt's reactions after keeping the silence for this long. They'd finally be able to talk about it and that'd make me so dang happy

Also when it comes to leaks, a lot of them seem to be "Multiple 'Safe' picks + one or two more 'out there' picks". Part of me is hoping Vergeben just got lucky, but generally I don't take leaks to be true, 'cause it would be a bummer if some were. It kinda ruins the surprise of things, and I'd prefer something to really amaze me than just know beforehand. But leaks seem pretty prevalent in Smash this time and... yeah. I dunno if that's good or bad, seeing as there's so many supposed "leaks" that all of them might as well be fake.

 

[IGuessItsOver]

On an unrelated note, how would everyone feel if any of these turned out to be real?
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429612081
and
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429617452

unless NiGHTS gets in.

Damn, i'd love that to happen

 

[SneakyLink]

On an unrelated note, how would everyone feel if any of these turned out to be real?
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429612081
and
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429617452

Damn, i'd love that to happen

First one is eh

Second one is ridiculous

 

[Teeb147]

One of the things that's been starting to stand out to me regarding WF's potential NDA is how they've recently been replying to more and more tweets with their non-answers (at least two in this past week,) almost as if the time is drawing nearer for the conclusion, and maybe WF is beginning to get more antsy. It could always not mean anything, but just thought I'd throw it out there.

What's interesting is that they say they have nothing to announce for a lot of things, including someone that asked about if she could be in Rivals of Aether, but there are no responses at all when someone asks about Smash. Up to now anyway, it's been silence for that.

On an unrelated note, how would everyone feel if any of these turned out to be real?
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429612081
and
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429617452

Damn, i'd love that to happen

Makes me glad that I'm not on 4chan.

 

[Shadowknight1]

Even though I do like the Pirate’s Curse artwork, I’m gonna be the odd man out and say I’m personally hoping the HGH portrait art is used as the basis for her design in Smash.

There seems to be some characters are designed with their in-game sprites in mind (most notably Mega Man) and while her artwork has drastically changed with each game, her in-game sprites have had a more or less consistency to their design and proportions and I feel like her HGH portrait art reflects it better (another thought that crossed my mind about her Pirate’s Curse design is depending on how they scale her, it might be too tall for her hair whip to be effective). Also, if they incorporate her pirate outfit as a costume, since her PC design has the vest already, it would feel more like an actual costume on the HGH design since it would put on the vest as well the bandana and belt/gun.

You're not the only "odd man out" here. I love Pirate's Curse, but unless it's specifically Pirate's Curse Shantae without any of her magic, then I think HGH's design is just fine.

Imagine her with that as a taunt. It'd be cute!!! The design for the artwork from Blaster Master Zero would also be acceptable.

 

[IGuessItsOver]

Makes me glad that I'm not on 4chan.

They still somehow got the E3 one correct

 

[AngrySun88]

On an unrelated note, how would everyone feel if any of these turned out to be real?
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429612081
and
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/429617452

Damn, i'd love that to happen

Fake and even more fake.

Anonymous 4Chan leaks are so easy to make and I don't know why anyone puts stock in them.

 

[Teeb147]

They still somehow got the E3 one correct

I think it can be cool if there's people willing to go through all that and find some interesting ones. I just don't like the environment it creates, where tons of people are making stories to get attention. Some other people are better suited for that. I'll stick to smashboards for now

On that note, I'm gonna let up a bit like I wanted to and go cool off. catch ya laters.

 

[DOTBHDD]

Gamefaqs is literally worse than 4chan. That place is garbage to the highest extent. They hate literally everyone and everything. It's so bizarre.

Stay clear of that place. No one should visit that place unless they're asking for a bad day.

 

[AngrySun88]

Gamefaqs is literally worse than 4chan. That place is garbage to the highest extent. They hate literally everyone and everything. It's so bizarre.

Stay clear of that place. No one should visit that place unless they're asking for a bad day.

I avoid both like the plague, but I agree that GameFAQs is a toxic cesspool that should be avoided at all costs.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Gamefaqs is literally worse than 4chan. That place is garbage to the highest extent. They hate literally everyone and everything. It's so bizarre.

Stay clear of that place. No one should visit that place unless they're asking for a bad day.

More accurately, come for the FAQs, stay away from everything else.

 

[DOTBHDD]

I avoid both like the plague, but I agree that GameFAQs is a toxic cesspool that should be avoided at all costs.

If you're not a Geno fan, then you're basically not welcome.

 

[meleebrawler]

Someone mentioned Rottytops teasing Pit, and while I could see that happening due to her personality being somehat similar to Phosphora's, chances are she'd find it far easier to get under Luigi's skin if she wanted to.

When you think about it, Shantae kind of embodies the entire Captain N crew. She jumps like Megaman, whips like Simon and dungeon-crawls like Pit. (Also, am I the only one to not notice the Castlevania references in Cackle Tower until now? Skeletons that lob bones and vampires(?) with morning-star whips as their weapon of choice?)

 

[EarlTamm]

If you're not a Geno fan, then you're basically not welcome.

Why would Geno fans be the exception?

 

[DOTBHDD]

Why would Geno fans be the exception?

They love Geno. Bandana Dee, Shantae, and Isaac are not welcome there. If you're not supporting Geno or an echo then they won't like you.

 

[EarlTamm]

They love Geno. Bandana Dee, Shantae, and Isaac are not welcome there. If you're not supporting Geno or an echo then they won't like you.

Huh. I have never heard of that, and Geno is my number 1 character. I would assume that the Geno thread would have brought it up, but I guess not. Are you sure that's not a generalization? It's usually never so black and white. Well either way, at least I know the Geno fans on Smashboards are nice.

Edit: Well, at least from what I have seen. I should practice what I preach, making generalizations like that.

 

[IGuessItsOver]

They love Geno. Bandana Dee, Shantae, and Isaac are not welcome there. If you're not supporting Geno or an echo then they won't like you.

Hmmmm i kinda agree with them disliking Bandana Dee, i personally dislike him too, it's just a regular enemy with a hat, kind of like a goomba (sorry if i offended any Dee fans in this thread) but Shantae and Isaac? Come on, almost everyone wants them in!

 

[DOTBHDD]

Huh. I have never heard of that, and Geno is my number 1 character. I would assume that the Geno thread would have brought it up, but I guess not. Are you sure that's not a generalization? It's usually never so black and white. Well either way, at least I know the Geno fans on Smashboards are nice.

Not everyone's bad. But yeah. You're basically going to be called desperate if you like Isaac, annoying if you like Skull Kid, delusional if you like Banjo-Kazooie, lame if you like Bandana Dee, or horny if you like Shantae.

But Geno and an echo is fine.