Smash Fan Favorites Debate

[Terry Bogard]

I've seen requests for several characters to appear in Smash. I often find myself asking the same question with some of these requests:
Why them?
I don't want to say anyone is wrong for simply having a dream pick. I just want to debate the viability of characters I personally don't think would fit Smash. Of course, the characters I want to debate are all popular picks amongst other Smash fans. For each character, I'll make a comment about them and my complaints. I look forward to debating you.

 

[Terry Bogard]

Shantae
The most common reason I've heard people say they want Shantae is because her creators said they want her in the game. You do realize TONS of people want their characters in Smash, right? Others bring up how her game was "one of the best indie games," but if characters got in just because of "good games," the roster would be much bigger than it is now.
There's also a small amount of people that want Shantae because they find her attractive, but that's the last reason she should be in.
What do you think? Why should Shantae be in Smash?

 

[silenthunder]

The fan base really knows how to band together. They won my smash bros poll despite not having the sales number of the other characters. I always respect the more neiche characters with numbers over the larger selling games like Dante. I know people say smash is a celebration of gaming but I feel it should moreso be a celebration of the fanbase. That makes more sense to me at least. Also check out this art I commissioned. It cost me $40 but I can't tag anyone from the poll. Hope you like it.

 

[Terry Bogard]

Travis Touchdown
The most common reason I've heard people say they want Travis is due to his prominence on the Wii and the Switch. Admittedly, that's a valid reason, and we know Sakurai knows about him due to the costume. The reason why I don't think he would fit Smash is the whole "good boys and girls" mentality that Sakurai has. Travis is a VERY violent character. If he gets toned down, some fans might hate that. If he gets included as he is, expect a ratings change and complaints from parents whose kids are into Nintendo.
What do you think? Why should Travis Touchdown be in Smash?

 

[Janx_uwu]

Travis Touchdown
The most common reason I've heard people say they want Travis is due to his prominence on the Wii and the Switch. Admittedly, that's a valid reason, and we know Sakurai knows about him due to the costume. The reason why I don't think he would fit Smash is the whole "good boys and girls" mentality that Sakurai has. Travis is a VERY violent character. If he gets toned down, some fans might hate that. If he gets included as he is, expect a ratings change and complaints from parents whose kids are into Nintendo.
What do you think? Why should Travis Touchdown be in Smash?

Nothing that can't be censored, i.e. blood and the like. Smash has no issue with implied violence, given say, the Ridley, Belmonts and Sephiroth trailers. There's no reason to tone him down, same with like Scorpion or something. A character where "toning down" would actually be an issue would be like, GTA Trevor or something.

 

[Terry Bogard]

Nothing that can't be censored, i.e. blood and the like. Smash has no issue with implied violence, given say, the Ridley, Belmonts and Sephiroth trailers. There's no reason to tone him down, same with like Scorpion or something. A character where "toning down" would actually be an issue would be like, GTA Trevor or something.

When I meant "toned down," I was talking about one of the most well known aspects of Travis: his foul mouth. Travis is not a nice person, and his speech reflects that. I think some fans would be disappointed that he wouldn't say stuff like f**k, s**t, and d**k.
Speaking of not being a nice person, would Sakurai and Nintendo even allow a character like Travis in?

 

[Terry Bogard]

The fan base really knows how to band together. They won my smash bros poll despite not having the sales number of the other characters. I always respect the more neiche characters with numbers over the larger selling games like Dante. I know people say smash is a celebration of gaming but I feel it should moreso be a celebration of the fanbase. That makes more sense to me at least. Also check out this art I commissioned. It cost me $40 but I can't tag anyone from the poll. Hope you like it.

I said popularity shouldn't be the only factor. Legacy matters too. Nice art BTW.

 

[Janx_uwu]

You can keep the character intact without having him swear. I think if some fans are dissappointed, well, they can go over with the people who are upset Bayonetta's full nudity isn't revealed after her Smash attacks. There are none of those fans btw, because that's just silly. We all know this is a E10+ game and you can't have that stuff in it. As for Sakurai allowing it, I mean that's purely a hypothetical dependent on one man's own feelings and thoughts so I don't see much point in debating it tbh.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

I know this is off-topic, but there's a perfectly plausible reason why "Character A" is a fan favorite by "Gamer B".

Because the gamers, believe it or not, are allowed to like what they like.

You like Fortnite? That's fine.
You like Overwatch? That's fine.
You love Minecraft? There's a billion Youtubers dedicated to the game.
You foam at the mouth while playing Smash? That's why we're all here. Some of us are better at hiding it.

And if these gamers don't even have a reason to love a character, game, hubworld, or whatnot? Other than sex appeal, nostalgia, or whatever? That's also fine.

My point is, let people like things for their own sake.

But as a counterpoint, it's nice that other members of this site can admit legitimate reasons for why a character should be in Smash. Without getting needlessly flustered, of course.

 

[StrangeKitten]

It really is as simple as, people like the characters and the games they're from. They tend to be from either beloved games of the past, or series that are currently going strong. Which is in line with how the developers pick characters - a mix of retro picks, and modern picks so that the current iteration of Smash doesn't feel too dated. I also think just about any character can work. Even for violent and/or sexual characters, there's usually plenty from their arsenal of moves or stuff in their games that is PG, and thus can be worked into a moveset. Skimpy outfits also aren't too big of an issue imo; you can add tights or even make them a Smash original outfit that would suit them, if they don't already also have a more modest outfit in their source games.