Yes, but Meloetta not only had a recurring role in the show, but was also used in promotion more than Dragonite (recently ofc) and had more Smash popularity than Dragonite, which in total kinda outweighs the points Dragonite has in its favour. I don't really think either should be on the chart, and I'm not trying to promote Meloetta, but we might as well add like... Axew, that's Iris's main Pokemon in the show, isn't it? And it's appeared more frequently in promotion as of late also. Either way, I don't think Dragonite would be a bad character for Smash, just a random one. More random than Darkrai, Plusle & Minun, Gardevoir, or Scizor tbh.
But yeah, I wasn't following the thread when the Pokemon were being suggested, so I guess I've missed my chance.
Meloetta's Smash popularity was near non-existant.
Quite frankly, the
only reason it had any at all was because it was the "newest" and "most recent" rep 5th Gen had to offer. Yet unlike Victini, it never really caught on (and Victini still has some Smash popularity, though it's behind Genesect and juggernaut Zoroark). And since Genesect was revealed much earlier than expected, Genesect pretty much
killed any meager support Meloetta had. If anything, Meloetta is just like Keldeo. Sure, they both had
some Smash support, but it was near nonexistent and didn't last long.
As for Dragonite, as you're going to inevitably counter with "but Dragonite doesn't have ANY known support", bear in mind that Dragonite is not a 5th Gen nor Mewtwo. If I was going to be completely honest with who has a shot, it's down to a 5th Gen (mainly Zoroark, Genesect, and a straggling Victini), a currently unrevealed 6th Gen if there is one that would be popular and feasible and Sakurai knows about it already, and Mewtwo. They are also the only ones with clear support.
So not even
Meowth, who has been a part of the anime since the 2nd episode is likely or has a good amount of support. Yet he's on the chart and no one is complaining.
As for promotion, Dragonite has been going steady for quite some time around the time since Iris caught it, and still gets promotion. In fact, it gets more promotion than Axew at this point, given that the initial hint that Mewtwo would be returning (as well as Charizard's return and Eevee playing a major role in the movie short) was promotional styluses for a 3DS, which featured Pikachu, Eevee, Charizard, "Iris' Dragonite" (the only one that was given a trainer label, given that the Dragonite had the pissed look on its face), Genesect, and Mewtwo.
Other promotional material marketed Charizard and Dragonite together, hinting at a connection between the two (and sure enough, there was; they became instant rivals).
The last time Axew got actual promotion in comparison was long ago.
Aside from that, to say Gardevoir and Scizor are less random than Dragonite makes no sense whatsoever.
I think Rayquaza would probably be pretty impossible.
If they put their best efforts into it, they may be able to do it. But he might be a little slow.
Even if size and proportions somehow aren't an issue, you didn't really touch the rest of what I said about it, which I still stand by. Just because he was a boss isn't a good reason to think he has any kind of chance at being playable. You should've included characters you said you would, like Blaziken, over a character never brought up during the suggestion period.
Rayquaza has more than being a boss going for it.
It's currently the most popular Version Mascot, was one of the Top 10 Pokémon in Japan (pre-Unova; there hasn't been a new poll since), a shiny one served as
Nobunaga Oda's Perfect Linked Legendary in Pokémon Conquest (alongside Zekrom), had two special events last year (one of which being a 15th Anniversary of Pokémon Center where the Rayquaza was given Victini's signature move of V-Create, and a shiny one to celebrate the release of Pokémon Conquest), etc.
In comparison, what does
Petey Piranha have going for him that warrants being on the chart other than being a boss?
Also, two corrections need to be made.
1) I never said I would include Blaziken on the chart itself, only that Blaziken would be on the Consideration List. Going through considerations, I chose to exclude Blaziken.
2) I've mentioned
repeatedly that all Assists and Bosses that are feasible will be included on the chart (which meant excluding the likes of Andross and Metroid). This includes Rayquaza, despite your personal belief on its feasibility.
3) I didn't say Pichu was coming back either, yet Pichu is there. And this is after Pichu wasn't even
planned for Brawl. So why you aren't going after Pichu and just Rayquaza seems a bit biased and hypocritical.