Smash Switch Most Wanted Newcomer Bracket Challenge (Third-Party)- Game Over; Results Posted

[Imadethistoseealeak]

Man I really dislike third party choices...

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2:9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 3: 4. Arle Nadja
Game 4: 5. KOS-MOS
Game 5: 2. Phoenix Wright
Game 6: 10. Rabbid
Game 7: 14. Randi (Secret of Mana)
Game 8: 6. Solaire of Astora
Game 9: 16. Jill Valentine
Game 10: 9. Harvest Moon/ Story of Seasons Farmer
Game 11: 4. Klonoa
Game 12: 12. Slime (Dragon Quest)
Game 13: 2. Shantae
Game 14: 7. Quote (Cave Story)
Game 15: 3. Professor Layton
Game 16: 11. Ryu Hayabusa
Game 17: 1. Rayman
Game 18: 9. Agnès Oblige
Game 19: 4. Crono
Game 20: 5. Amaterasu
Game 21: 2. Simon Belmont
Game 22: 7. Jibanyan
Game 23: 3. Sora
Game 24: 6. Joker (Persona 5)
Game 25: 1. Crash Bandicoot
Game 26: 9. Sans
Game 27: 4. Spyro
Game 28: 5. Travis Touchdown
Game 29: 15. Lara Croft
Game 30: 10. Jack Frost
Game 31: 14. Steve
Game 32: 6. Neku Sakuraba

Not gunna say much. I really hate the idea of already represented series like Sonic getting muliple characters (for now at least) so those automatically lost. (Black Mage vs Shadow was hard but Black Mage could replace Cloud...not really).

One decision was tough, and that was Shovel Knight vs. Jill Valentine. I love Jill, but don't think she will get in. Where as I don't care about Shovel Knight but expect him to get in at least as dlc. Jill won with a pity vote at least.

Also no Snake made me sad. Don't care for Metal Gear, but Snake will always be a Smash Bro.

 

[Sheng Long]

Time for this now!

Spoiler: My Picks for Round 1

Game 1:1. Banjo & Kazooie (I don't care much for either of them, but I feel like these guys deserve to be in WAY more than the other two for being more iconic.)
Game 2:9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy) (Although he may be generic as a character, I would find a Black Mage a much more interesting addition than Shadow personally.)
Game 3: 4. Arle Nadja (I think both Arle and Jade would be good additions, but I think that Arle deserves to be in Smash more due to being another great icon. If Sega gets a second non-Sonic rep, it should be Arle.)
Game 4:12. Marina Liteyears (I think a Treasure rep would be cool and while KOS-MOS would be pretty cool, I just feel like Marina fits in better in terms of style.)
Game 5: 2. Phoenix Wright (He's basically a second party Nintendo character at this point, he's a Nintendo icon and deserves to be in.)
Game 6: 7. Zero (Mega Man) (Never cared much for Rabbids and I think Zero would be pretty cool with all of the different attacks he can pull off.)
Game 7: 3. Tails (Tails is Sonic's Luigi.)
Game 8: 11. Doomguy (Doomguy is a MUCH bigger icon and would definitely rile up some more hype.)
Game 9: 1. Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight is one of the biggest indie characters as of now, is on 3 Nintendo consoles, and has an amiibo.)
Game 10: 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts) (I think Metabee is a better Natsume rep, but either way, I choose Maxwell since he is one of my most wanted third-party characters mainly since I really enjoy his franchise.)
Game 11:13. Master Chief (Never thought I'd make such a decision, but I'm only choosing this purely off of the hype factor. He would probably surpass the Cloud hype I think.)
Game 12: 5. Lloyd Irving (ToS is probably my favorite rpg ever and I've been wanted Lloyd in Smash forever. I was really disappointed when he was mii costumed.)
Game 13:2. Shantae (Shantae is another indie character who deserves to be in Smash perhaps even more than Shovel Knight so she obviously wins this.)
Game 14: 10. Dovahkiin (This would be the only other Bethesda rep besides Doomguy and he would generate some hype. I think Quote is another indie character who deserves to be in Smash, but I never really cared for Cave Story soooo yeah.)
Game 15: 14. Earthworm Jim (I already chose Phoenix Wright and as cool as Layton would be in Smash, Earthworm Jim is just a much bigger icon and would have a cool and wacky moveset.)
Game 16:11. Ryu Hayabusa (A classic Nintendo icon and a Koei rep, nice.)
Game 17: 1. Rayman (He should have been in since last game.)
Game 18:8. Conker (I don't care for Bravely Default or Second that much so Conker gets it for being more interesting.)
Game 19:4. Crono (Crono while not as relevant is a really great contender for a SE rep, but not as big.)
Game 20:5. Amaterasu (Okami is one of my favorite games of all time and Ammy is one of my most wanted in Smash. She needs to be the second Capcom rep, Okami keeps getting ported to current consoles so it's clear they care about the series. WE NEED OKAMI 2 CAPCOM like something after Okamiden... or just remaster Okamiden pls.)
Game 21:2. Simon Belmont (Simon Belmont is a far bigger gaming and Nintendo icon than Sephy and plus I like Castlevania so he should be in.)
Game 22:7. Jibanyan (Level 5's rep should be here. While Viewtiful Joe is cool and all, I already voted many Capcom characters already and Yo-Kai Watch is way more relevant.)
Game 23:3. Sora (Sora is another one of my top most wanted in Smash. He should be the second SE character. I am a big KH fan.)
Game 24:6. Joker (Persona 5) (If Atlus chooses someone to be in Smash, it'll probably be this guy and I think he'd be an interesting addition.)
Game 25: 1. Crash Bandicoot (My most wanted 3rd party character for Smash and his chances seem pretty nice compared to last game so yeah.)
Game 26:8. Knuckles (Smash Switch & Knuckles)
Game 27:4. Spyro (Spyro is also one of my top most wanted and I love dragons.)
Game 28: 5. Travis Touchdown (Suda really wants him in Smash WHY ISN'T HE IN YET!?)
Game 29: 2. Bomberman (Should have been in a long time ago already.)
Game 30: 7. Heihachi Mishima (Sakurai wanted him in last game and he's a pretty cool character.)
Game 31:3. Dr. Eggman (Yes please. More villains.)
Game 32:6. Neku Sakuraba (I just don't feel like having another SF rep in Smash.)

 

[Bootortle]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 3: Arle Nadja
Game 4: KOS-MOS
Game 5: Phoenix Wright
Game 6: Zero (Mega Man)
Game 7: Tails
Game 8: Doomguy
Game 9: Shovel Knight
Game 10: Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 11: Klonoa
Game 12: Slime (Dragon Quest)
Game 13: Shantae
Game 14: Quote (Cave Story)
Game 15: Professor Layton
Game 16: Agumon
Game 17: Rayman
Game 18: Agnès Oblige
Game 19: Crono
Game 20: Amaterasu
Game 21: Simon Belmont
Game 22: Viewtiful Joe
Game 23: Sora
Game 24: Joker (Persona 5)
Game 25: Crash Bandicoot
Game 26: Knuckles
Game 27: Spyro
Game 28: Travis Touchdown
Game 29: Bomberman
Game 30: Jack Frost
Game 31: Dr. Eggman
Game 32: Neku Sakuraba
game 30 was probably the toughest, since I think they'd both fit well
I don't know much about a lot of these characters

 

[Deleted member]

Game 1:1. Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2:9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 3: Abstain
Game 4:5. KOS-MOS
Game 5: 2. Phoenix Wright
Game 6: 7. Zero (Mega Man)
Game 7: 3. Tails
Game 8: Abstain
Game 9: 1. Shovel Knight
Game 10: 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 11:13. Master Chief
Game 12: 12. Slime (Dragon Quest)
Game 13:2. Shantae
Game 14: Abstain
Game 15: 3. Professor Layton
Game 16: 6. Agumon
Game 17: 1. Rayman
Game 18:9. Agnès Oblige
Game 19:13. Frogger
Game 20:5. Amaterasu
Game 21:Abstain
Game 22:Abstain
Game 23:3. Sora
Game 24:6. Joker (Persona 5)
Game 25: 16. Dante
Game 26:9. Sans
Game 27:4. Spyro
Game 28: 12. Meatboy
Game 29: 2. Bomberman
Game 30:Abstain
Game 31: 14. Steve
Game 32:Abstain

Looking over a lot of these choices I wouldn't have minded if this was only a 32 character bracket.

 

[Bowserlick]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 3: Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)
Game 4: Marina Liteyears
Game 5: Commander Video
Game 6: Rabbid
Game 7: Tails
Game 8: Doomguy
Game 9: Shovel Knight
Game 10: Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 11: Master Chief
Game 12: Lloyd Irving
Game 13: Don-chan
Game 14: Dovahkiin
Game 15: Earthworm Jim
Game 16: Ryu Hayabusa
Game 17: Rayman
Game 18: Conker
Game 19: Frogger
Game 20: Amaterasu
Game 21: Simon Belmont
Game 22: Viewtiful Joe
Game 23: Sora
Game 24: Nightmare (Soulcalibur)
Game 25: Crash Bandicoot
Game 26: Knuckles
Game 27: Spyro
Game 28: Meatboy
Game 29: Bomberman
Game 30: Heihachi Mishima
Game 31: Dr. Eggman
Game 32: Chun-Li

Surprised there was no Mortal Kombat character (Scorpion). But good job in compiling characters.

 

[TheEgilHasLanded]

Game 1:1. Banjo & Kazooie vs 16. Yooka & Laylee

Banjo should be here with us.

Game 2:8. Shadow the Hedgehog vs 9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)

Keep the Sonic cancer character out (Sonic isn’t cancer but some of the characters (esp. this one) are) Also I love Black Mage in Smash Flash 2.

Game 3: 4. Arle Nadja vs 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)

Literally never heard of either of these, but after research, I hate both of their designs but something about Arle’s REALLY annoys me.

Game 4:5. KOS-MOS vs 12. Marina Liteyears

Don’t know who Marina is and I really want KOS-MOS.

Game 5: 2. Phoenix Wright vs 15. CommanderVideo

aaaaaaaaa
I’m a huge fan of both of these series, but I’ve always really wanted the Commander. Phoenix would feel a bit weird too and I wouldn’t buy Sma5h if we got the MvC one.

Game 6: 7. Zero (Mega Man) vs 10. Rabbid

A character over not a character. How hard could this be?


Game 7: 3. Tails vs 14. Randi (Secret of Mana)

Barely started SoM and never played a Sonic game but Tails is more unique?

Game 8: 6. Solaire of Astora vs 11. Doomguy

God I hope no one voted the NPC that’s popular because they have a toy over the protag from the extremely famous (and good) game.

Game 9: 1. Shovel Knight vs 16. Jill Valentine

Makes more sense in every way Smash fanboys argue for their characters except that Jill is a Capcom character.

Game 10: 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts) vs 9. Harvest Moon/ Story of Seasons Farmer

Used to really want Maxwell, never wanted the generic random farmer.

Game 11:4. Klonoa vs 13. Master Chief

oh god
Master Chief would greatly represent a franchise known worldwide at the expense of ruining Smash. Don’t really care about Klonoa though.

Game 12: 5. Lloyd Irving vs 12. Slime (Dragon Quest)

Lloyd is great in Smash Flash 2, from a game that’s meant to be great and already has a Mii Fighter costume. Slime is an enemy in a series with characters.

Game 13:2. Shantae vs 15 Don-chan

Don’t really care about Shantae but... eh why not

Game 14: 7. Quote (Cave Story) vs 10. Dovahkiin

Quote is the character who should rep indies, because his game’s existence inspired the creation of many others, and likely some of the ones requested for Smash.

Game 15: 3. Professor Layton vs 14. Earthworm Jim

Sorry Jim, never played your game even if the alternative is weird.

Game 16: 6. Agumon vs 11. Ryu Hayabusa

Why is Agumon higher seeded? Why is Agumon on this list?

Game 17: 1. Rayman vs 16 Adam Jensen

Don’t know who Adam is but Rayman would be great.

Game 18:8. Conker vs 9. Agnès Oblige

I actually don’t know why. Also TC Agnès is a lot more requested btw.

Game 19:4. Crono vs 13. Frogger

why

Game 20:5. Amaterasu vs 12. Goemon (Mystical Ninja / Ganbare Goemon)

Amaterasu is real cool.

Game 21:2. Simon Belmont vs 15. Sephiroth

As much as I love Sephiroth, it would be a crime putting him in over Simon.

Game 22:7. Jibanyan vs 10. Viewtiful Joe

shrugs

Game 23:3. Sora vs 14. Raiden (Metal Gear)

Raider is a PSASBR character from a series that’s been repped, bye.

Game 24:6. Joker (Persona 5) vs 11. Nightmare (Soulcalibur)

Don’t care about either but Joker seems cool.

Game 25: 1. Crash Bandicoot vs 16. Dante

third parties are meant to be really famous hmm I wonder who is more famous

Game 26:8. Knuckles vs 9. Sans

God this is a crime but Knuckles is just one of those Sonic characters I really hate. I wish Frisk was here in Sans’ place but you didn’t put Frisk in so...

Game 27:4. Spyro vs 13. Ezio

Has Ezio even appeared on Nintendo consoles?

Game 28: 5. Travis Touchdown vs 12. Meatboy

Travis would make way more sense based on moves alone, their creators want him in Smash, etc. This is coming from someone who’s beaten Super Meat Boy and knows next to nothing about NMH.

Game 29: 2. Bomberman vs 15. Lara Croft

Lara would actually be interesting based on fame but seriously come on.

Game 30: 7. Heihachi Mishima vs 10. Jack Frost

Don’t know who the latter is but he can’t beat the King of Iron Fist.

Game 31:3. Dr. Eggman vs 14. Steve

Hate both characters but Minecraft I guess kinda deserves to be repped.

Game 32:6. Neku Sakuraba vs. 11. Chun-Li

Street Fighter already repped and TWEWY seems cool.

Enjoyed the first party one more, sorry TC. As above poster said surprised there’s no Mortal Kombat (especially over freaking Frogger) and Terra Branford is quite popular and not here.

 

[Nimbostratus]

Game 16: 6. Agumon vs 11. Ryu Hayabusa

Why is Agumon higher seeded? Why is Agumon on this list?

I don't think many characters above a 4/5 seed are particularly strong candidates, and I admitted off the bat that seeding was a difficult task. Agumon's support thread currently has 255 replies (albeit a lot of that the same person, I know) and 4,154 views while Ryu's has 36 replies and 2,234 views. I predicted that Ryu's more mature design would rub some people wrongly, while people would be more indifferent towards Agumon. I haven't updated the Excel file in the past few votes, but Agumon has led most of the game so...

As above poster said surprised there’s no Mortal Kombat (especially over freaking Frogger) and Terra Branford is quite popular and not here.

Frogger is a pretty iconic character who was nominated. I agree that Mortal Kombat character or Terra are more deserving than some on the list, but I don't believe I got any nominations for them. It's hard to think of every possible character when the scope is limited. Anyone who had a character they really wanted in had their chance.

Enjoyed the first party one more, sorry TC.

I doubt anyone would have expected the third-party bracket to have as many wanted characters as the first-party. There's a reason I did that one first and only committed to this after people showed interest. Saying you don't like it as much is going to be a common sentiment that doesn't add much value to spell out. I actually think this has the potential to be more interesting down the line, as it will be harder to predict after the fat is trimmed in this round.

This post verges on breaking the etiquette rules in the OP; it's certainly not the first to do so, but it is the first one to get a bit under my skin. I don't like being in a bad mood. I hope you continue to play and find some fun in it, but please watch the tone.

 

[Super Flygon]

Any chance we could see a 128 character bracket, containing both first party and third party characters duking it out for the number one spot? Would be cool to see how popular third parties stack up against K. Rool and the others.

Of course, one major problem is that just planning that would take a long time (and we almost certainly be well past E3 by the time that kind of bracket ends).

Either way, I'm excited to see how the third party bracket plays out.

 

[Nimbostratus]

Any chance we could see a 128 character bracket, containing both first party and third party characters duking it out for the number one spot? Would be cool to see how popular third parties stack up against K. Rool and the others.

Of course, one major problem is that just planning that would take a long time (and we almost certainly be well past E3 by the time that kind of bracket ends).

Either way, I'm excited to see how the third party bracket plays out.

I had considered the possibility of doing something like that, though I had imagined it still being 64 characters and just taking the characters that made it to their respective second rounds. My concern is that the first-party candidates would dominate most of the matchups, particularly near the end. I don't know if it would be better to disqualify the first-party Final Four or something to increase competitiveness. I'm open to ideas.
I plan to put up a poll at some point to see what possible brackets people are interested in, if anything. Thanks for your input!

 

[Super Flygon]

I had considered the possibility of doing something like that, though I had imagined it still being 64 characters and just taking the characters that made it to their respective second rounds. My concern is that the first-party candidates would dominate most of the matchups, particularly near the end. I don't know if it would be better to disqualify the first-party Final Four or something to increase competitiveness. I'm open to ideas.
I plan to put up a poll at some point to see what possible brackets people are interested in, if anything. Thanks for your input!

You're probably right that 64 would still be best. Frankly, I don't even know a lot of the third party characters and I imagine the same goes for a lot of people here. I do like the idea of it being anyone who made it past the second round.

In terms of competitiveness, I guess it really depends on who is matched up against whom. For example, I'd definitely vote Sora over Skull Kid (not that I think Sora is likely for Smash Switch, but I'd still love to see him), but would probably vote Skull Kid over a lot of other third parties, like Lloyd Irving. We all could just compare the number of votes cast in the fist party tournament to those in the third party tournament after it concludes to gauge where the interest was across both tournaments and then go from there as far as matchups are concerned.

 

[Al-kīmiyā']

I don't think anyone should put too much work into this, such as making a 128 bracket. It's just kind of fun imagining it as a tournament, not a great way of ranking all these characters in want.

 

[Sean Wheeler]

Geno would have fit the mixed bracket better than the first-party bracket.

 

[TheFritzle]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Black Mage
Game 3: Arle Nadja
Game 4: KOS-MOS
Game 5: Phoenix Wright
Game 6: Zero
Game 7: Randi
Game 8: Doomguy
Game 9: Shovel Knight
Game 10: Harvest Moon/ Story of Seasons Farmer
Game 11: Klonoa
Game 12: Slime
Game 13: Shantae
Game 14: Quote
Game 15: Professor Layton
Game 16: Ryu Hayabusa
Game 17: Rayman
Game 18: Agnès Oblige
Game 19: Crono
Game 20: Amaterasu
Game 21: Simon Belmont
Game 22: Viewtiful Joe
Game 23: Sora
Game 24: Joker
Game 25: Crash Bandicoot
Game 26: Knuckles
Game 27: Spyro
Game 28: Travis Touchdown
Game 29: Bomberman
Game 30: Heihachi Mishima
Game 31: Dr. Eggman
Game 32: Neku Sakuraba

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Black Mage
Game 3: Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)
Game 4: KOS-MOS
Game 5: Phoenix Wright
Game 6: Zero
Game 7: Tails
Game 8: Doomguy
Game 9: Shovel Knight
Game 10: Maxwell
Game 11: Master Chief
Game 12: Lloyd Irving
Game 13: Shantae
Game 14: Quote
Game 15: Professor Layton
Game 16: Agumon
Game 17: Rayman
Game 18: Conker
Game 19: Frogger
Game 20: Amaterasu
Game 21: Simon Belmont
Game 22: Jibanyan
Game 23: Sora
Game 24: Nightmare
Game 25: Crash Bandicoot
Game 26: Knuckles
Game 27: Spyro
Game 28: Travis Touchdown
Game 29: Bomberman
Game 30: Heihachi Mishima
Game 31: Dr. Eggman
Game 32: Chun-Li

Crash to be the K.Rool of this round, also expecting Bomberman, Shovel Knight and Rayman to do really well.

 

[Nimbostratus]

Round 1 Over. No further votes will be counted.

Alright, let's get to those results. I like separating each matchup into its own spoiler tag, but 32 tags would be a little excessive... so let's just do it all at once.

Spoiler: Round 1 Results

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie defeated 16. Yooka & Laylee by a score of 48-1

If anyone was curious as to whether Microsoft owning Banjo-Kazooie would turn some people towards their successor, the answer is... uhh... no. And we were so close to getting our first shutout!

Game 2: 9. Black Mage defeated 8. Shadow by a score of 33-15
I originally seeded Shadow lower and then chickened out. Should have gone with my gut. Based off much of the rationale provided by you all, Shadow isn't a popular choice.

Game 3: 13. Jade defeated 4. Arle Nadja by a score of 24-21
I'm not surprised to see that the extent of Arle's support doesn't match loudness of her fanbase, but to lose to a character without a support thread who only even got considered for this bracket due to a couple requests? Oomf. I believe that's the biggest upset in either bracket.

Game 4: 5. KOS-MOS defeated 12. Marina Liteyears by a score of 29-14
Not much to say. This went just about how the seeding would project. KOS-MOS will get another favorable matchup next Round.

Game 5: 2. Phoenix Wright defeated 15. Commander Video by a score of 42-6
Poor guy didn't stand a chance. Now on to a more formidable foe for the attorney.

Game 6: 7. Zero defeated 10. Rabbid by a score of 42-7
Well, can't say I didn't warn you, @TCT~Phantom haha. It's also possible I underseeded Zero a little. We'll see next time.

Game 7: 3. Tails defeated 14. Randi by a score of 37-12
Well, no one seemed to hate Randi or his game at least.

Game 8: 11. Doomguy defeated 6. Solaire of Astora by a score of 28-18
Yeah, I underseeded Doomguy, I admit it. I overestimated the antagonism against his design and genre, and I couldn't get that RTC Want score out of my head.

Game 9: 1. Shovel Knight defeated 16. Jill Valentine by a score of 37-11
The worst performance for a one seed (not surprising, as Shovel Knight was the last one in), but nothing too bad. Decidueye was the worst performer last time, and he ended up doing perfectly fine.

Game 10: 8. Maxwell defeated 9. Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons Farmer by a score of 35-10
Pretty ugly, but at least it seemed people were genuinely excited for Maxwell's moveset while thinking Jack was redundant with the Villager in the game as opposed to disliking his series, so... silver lining?

Game 11: 4. Klonoa defeated 13. Master Chief by a score of 28-19
I obviously overseeded Klonoa, as even those who voted in his favor seemed to do so just to stop Master Chief. In fact, it looked like it might be a upset blowout at first. Not a good performance, but at least he didn't straight up lose like Arle?

Game 12: 5. Lloyd Irving defeated 12. Slime by a score of 32-14
Played out as expected. Lloyd might be a dark horse candidate to go some distance.

Game 13: 2. Shantae defeated 15. Don-chan by a score of 38-9
And "Who is Don-chan?" the people asked.

Game 14: 7. Quote defeated 10. Dovahkiin by a score 33-11
Being cute goes a long ways in this game. I feel bad for Dovahkiin, but I don't think there's much I could have done to help if he couldn't even beat Quote.

Game 15: 3. Professor Layton defeated 14. Earthworm Jim by a score of 29-17
Closer than expected. Guess we'll determine the reason for that based on what happens this round.

Game 16: 6. Agumon defeated 11. Ryu Hayabusa by a score of 23-22
Great matchup! Given the mentions of the One Steve Limit, Ryu probably would have won if he just wasn't named Ryu.

Game 17: 1. Rayman defeated 16 Adam Jensen by a score of 44-2
Having to go against Rayman in the first round? He never asked for this.

Game 18: 8. Conker defeated 9. Agnès Oblige by a score of 29-17
Conker doesn't have much active support, but I correctly predict Rare goodwill to help him out.

Game 19: 4. Crono defeated 13. Frogger by a score of 35-13
Frogger's famous, but even I'm not sure what would make him a good character.

Game 20: 5. Amaterasu defeated 12. Goemon by a score of 39-5
Goemon got a couple recommendations; unfortunately he didn't get many more votes than that.

Game 21: 2. Simon Belmont defeated 15. Sephiroth by a score of 40-6
Poor Sephy. This would have been a tough matchup to win.

Game 22: 10. Viewtiful Joe defeated 7. Jibanyan by a score of 30-17
Felt obligated to put Jibanyan up here for some reason, but Yo-Kai Watch is not loved in these parts. I had Jibanyan seeded higher, but I had a feeling it would end this way when I saw the matchup.

Game 23: 3. Sora defeated 14. Raiden by a score of 34-11
I promise this wasn't intentional, Runic_SSB . Raiden deserved a better fate than this, I agree.

Game 24: 6. Joker (Persona 5) defeated 11. Nightmare by a score of 25-20
Good, close matchup.

Game 25: 1. Crash Bandicoot defeated 16. Dante by a score of 42-4
Apparently, we prefer our Smash not Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry™ series.

Game 26: 8. Knuckles defeated 9. Sans by a score of 32-15
Sans was always going to be a controversial pick. Not surprised by this outcome.

Game 27: 4. Spyro defeated 13. Ezio by a score of 42-4
Spyro will have a much tougher opponent next time. Better not get too comfy.

Game 28: 5. Travis Touchdown defeated 12. Meatboy by a score of 36-10
Nothing to report here.

Game 29: 2. Bomberman defeated 15. Lara Croft by a score of 38-10
Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Ms. Croft? Honestly, though, I think there are some higher seeds Lara would have beat like Arle and Klonoa.

Game 30: 7. Heihachi Mishima defeated 10. Jack Frost by a score of 25-20
Close matchup for most of the round. I wasn't sure how this one would end.

Game 31: 3. Dr. Eggman defeated 14. Steve
Steve is not wanted.

Game 32: 6. Neku Sakuraba defeated 11. Chun-Li by a score of 28-17
Neku definitely benefited for going against a series already in Smash, but beating someone as iconic as Chun-Li is still noteworthy.

Now that the fat is trimmed, we can start getting to meatier matchups (well, maybe not the right choice of words given Meatboy's fate). Well, anyways, here they are:

Spoiler: Round 2 Games

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie vs 9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 2: 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil) vs 5. KOS-MOS
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright vs 7. Zero (Mega Man)
Game 4: 3. Tails vs 11. Doomguy
Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight vs 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 6: 4. Klonoa vs 5. Lloyd Irving
Game 7: 2. Shantae vs 7. Quote (Cave Story)
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton vs 6. Agumon
Game 9: 1. Rayman vs 8. Conker
Game 10: 4. Crono vs 5. Amaterasu
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont vs 10. Viewtiful Joe
Game 12: 3. Sora vs 6. Joker (Persona 5)
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot vs 8. Knuckles
Game 14: 4. Spyro vs 5. Travis Touchdown
Game 15: 2. Bomberman vs 7. Heihachi Mishima
Game 16: 3. Dr. Eggman vs 6. Neku Sakuraba

Begin Round 2 Voting. Voting will last until at least 17:00 EDT on Sunday, May 13.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

...well, there go most of my most wanted third parties.

Then again, not a fan of third parties in general, and a lot of these are "Literally who?"s

1. BK is definitely iconic and would fit with everyone else at least.
2. no preference
3. no preference
4. Tails is pretty much the only one still around I actually would prefer seeing versus not.
5. Shovel Knight
6. no preference
7. Quote becuase the only Gerudo I want in Smash is Urbosa
8. Agumon
9. Rayman
10. Amaterasu
11. no preference
12. Sora
13. Knuckles
14. no preference. There's only one purple dragon I'm going for, and I don't know Travis
15. Heihachi
16. Robotnik, who I still refuse to call Eggman

 

[SethTheMage]

Game 1: Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Zero (Mega Man)
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Lloyd Irving
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Professor Layton
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Crono
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Joker (Persona 5)
Game 13: Knuckles
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba

Looks pretty rough for a lot of my picks. RIP

 

[Smasher 101]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Abstain
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Lloyd Irving
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Professor Layton
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Crono
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Abstain
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba

Still a few I didn't care about either way. Otherwise none of these were as difficult as some of the matchups last time.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Difficult choices:
Banjo Vs. Black Mage: Nearly picked the Mage. I like both but I'm not really a big fan of Final Fantasy as a whole, but I love BM's design and skills. Banjo meanwhile I appreciate but Nuts and Bolts left a nasty taste in my mouth.

Crash vs. Knuckles: I like both, but Knuckles is a few pegs lower than Tails and Eggman for me, so I'll side with the Bandicoot

Spyro Vs. Travis Touchdown: Much like the previous one, but I like both more than Crash and Knuckles even. No More Heroes is a console seller for me, but Spyro was my favourite PS game growing up.

 

[SonicMario]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: Abstain
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 6: Lloyd Irving
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Professor Layton
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Crono
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Dr. Eggman

 

[chemo]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: No Vote
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Doomguy
Game 5: Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 6: No Vote
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Agumon
Game 9: Conker
Game 10: Crono
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Travis Touchdown
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba

 

[Organization XIII]

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie
I love FF but I need Banjo in Smash

Game 2: 5. KOS-MOS
Xenosaga is far better than Beyond Good and Evil

Game 3: 7. Zero (Mega Man)
Well crap. This is seriously hard um I guess Zero because Nick isn't really a fighter

Game 4: 3. Tails
Gross, why did Doomguy advance?

Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight
Never played Scribblenauts

Game 6:5. Lloyd Irving
Tales Of are such great games I would far enjoy it getting a rep in Smash than Klonoa

Game 7: 2. Shantae
Haven't played Cave Story

Game 8: 3. Professor Layton
Sorry Agumon I'm not a digimon fan

Game 9:8. Conker
Conker is a pretty great game and I enjoy it over Rayman

Game 10: 4. Crono
Can't choose something over Chrono Trigger even for my favorite Not Zelda

Game 11: 10. Viewtiful Joe
Where's my next Joe game Capcom?

Game 12: 3. Sora
Another tough one but I still love KH2 more than Persona

Game 13:8. Knuckles
The memes man

Game 14:5. Travis Touchdown
Never played Spyro and NMH is fun

Game 15: 2. Bomberman
He's more iconic I guess

Game 16:6. Neku Sakuraba
Would certainly prefer TWEWY in Smash than another Sonic characer.

 

[Super Flygon]

Most of my main picks made it to the second round!

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Llyod Irving
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Professor Layton
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Amaterasu
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Dr. Eggman

 

[Nimbostratus]

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie
Yep.

Game 2: 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)
Sure, why not? We're probably already going to be getting a newcomer with Xeno in its title. KOS-MOS is fine, though.

Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright
Would rather represent a new series, and Phoenix Wright is iconic.

Game 4: 3. Tails
Tails would fit much better.

Game 5: 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Would rather go with the character from a series, not one popular game (SK has multiple campaigns, but still). Maxwell might be interesting to play as, while I'd rather have Cranky if I wanted a pogo stick move.

Game 6: 5. Lloyd Irving
Lloyd would probably be more interesting.

Game 7: 2. Shantae
Popular character from a full series.

Game 8: 6. Agumon
Hard choice. Going to stick with Pokemon vs Digimon.

Game 9: 1. Rayman
Conker wouldn't get to be Conker.

Game 10: 4. Crono
Amaterasu is cool, but I personally think Chrono Trigger is the best made game I've ever played. Forget relevancy, any Chrono representation would be massive hype for me. This is the Akira Toriyama designed character we should want.

Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont
Just seems more deserving.

Game 12: 6. Joker (Persona 5)
I oppose Sora.

Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot
The more I think about Crash, the better I feel about his inclusion.

Game 14: 4. Spyro
Have more personal connection to Spyro

Game 15: 2. Bomberman
Have more personal connection to Bomberman

Game 16: 6. Neku Sakuraba
I feel strange picking this, as I would probably give Eggman better scores on RTC. But Tails and Knuckles are still in, so I'd rather have another series move on. TWEWY representation would bring a new aesthetic that I like. Going with my gut on this one.

 

[Sean Wheeler]

Game 1: Banjo-Kazooie. Why a generic Black Mage instead of Vivi?
Game 2: Jade. I don't know either of these characters but I voted for Jade last round and against KOS-MOS
Game 3: Phoenix Wright. We already got Mega Man so let's put the lawyer in. Wow, a fight that can be reenacted in UMvC3!
Game 4: Tails. Duh. Tails is my most wanted character. And Doomguy makes me think of Halo for some reason.
Game 5: Maxwell. A guy from Scribblenauts would be more creative than hitting people in the face with a shovel.
Game 6: Klonoa. Maybe a mascot fighter could have more animals than humans?
Game 7: Shantae. Know nothing about Quote or Cave Story. But at least I remember Shantae as a requested character.
Game 8: Professor Layton. Even though I'm a bigger fan of Digimon, I'm more exposed to the Digimon anime than the games.
Game 9: Rayman. He got a trophy in Smash 4 and do we want another censored M-rated character in Smash?
Game 10: Amaterasu. Maybe I want a Nintendo vs. Capcom?
Game 11: Simon Belmont. Trying to get the Captain N cast in.
Game 12: Sora. Kingdom Hearts is my favorite Disney game while "Joker" makes me think of the DC villain.
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot. My childhood icon would trump a supporting Sonic character.
Game 14: Spyro. I got his game on the same day as Crash Warped. The beam katana may be cool but can it slay a dragon?
Game 15: Bomberman. I feel like a Tekken character would be using the Street Fighter gimmick.
Game 16: Neku. He seemed cool in Kingdom Hearts 3D and Eggman doesn't do much outside a vehicle.

 

[JamesDNaux]

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie (No contest)
Game 2: 13. Jade (May as well carry this gem further)
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright (There was no wright answer here)
Game 4: 11. Doomguy (As was said before)
Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight (There are no winners here)
Game 6: 5. Lloyd Irving (Flipped a coin)
Game 7: 2. Shantae (Indie vs indie, meh.)
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton (Still no winners)
Game 9: 1. Rayman (Sorry Conker, you're no Rayman)
Game 10: 5. Amaterasu (Another flip)
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont (Get outta here)
Game 12: 3. Sora (Far from a lock)
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot (Seriously)
Game 14: 4. Spyro (Not a chance)
Game 15: 2. Bomberman (Sure, why not)
Game 16: 6. Neku Sakuraba (I have no idea who this guy is, but whatever)

 

[FamicomDisk]

Aw man, sucks to see Arle gone first round. Thankfully, my most-wanted third-party character, Joker, is still in the running, so I'm hoping he continues to do so. Though he's against Sora this round, so...

Some interesting results in the first round!

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: 5. KOS-MOS
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright
Game 4: 3. Tails
Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight
Game 6: 4. Klonoa
Game 7: 7. Quote (Cave Story)
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton
Game 9: 1. Rayman
Game 10: 4. Crono
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont
Game 12: 6. Joker (Persona 5)
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: 4. Spyro
Game 15: 2. Bomberman
Game 16: 6. Neku Sakuraba

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: 13. Jade
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright
Game 4: 3. Tails
Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight
Game 6: 4. Lloyd Irving
Game 7: 2. Shantae
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton
Game 9: 1. Rayman
Game 10: 4. Crono
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont
Game 12: 3. Sora
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: 4. Spyro
Game 15: 2. Bomberman
Game 16: 3. Dr. Eggman

 

[Yokta]

1: Banjo-Kazooie
2: Jade
3: Phoenix Wright
4: Doomguy
5: Shovel Knight
6: Lloyd
7: Shantae
8: Layton
9: Rayman
10: Crono
11: Simon
12: Sora
13: Crash
14: Spyro
15: Bomberman
16: Switching my vote to Dr. Eggman just to troll Al-kīmiyā'

 

[Bootortle]

Game 1: Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Klonoa
Game 7: Quote (Cave Story)
Game 8: Agumon
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Amaterasu
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba
Black Mage vs Banjo & Kazooie was tough
Went with BM thanks to SSF2
That's also why I voted against Lloyd
Crono vs. Amaterasu was also tough
I think Amaterasu would be a bit more unique

 

[Al-kīmiyā']

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie vs 9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Game 2: 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil) vs 5. KOS-MOS
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright vs 7. Zero (Mega Man)
Game 4: 3. Tails vs 11. Doomguy
Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight vs 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
Game 6: 4. Klonoa vs 5. Lloyd Irving
Game 7: 2. Shantae vs 7. Quote (Cave Story)
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton vs 6. Agumon
No vote
Game 9: 1. Rayman vs 8. Conker
Game 10: 4. Crono vs 5. Amaterasu
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont vs 10. Viewtiful Joe
Game 12: 3. Sora vs 6. Joker (Persona 5)
No vote
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot vs 8. Knuckles
No vote
Game 14: 4. Spyro vs 5. Travis Touchdown
No vote
Game 15: 2. Bomberman vs 7. Heihachi Mishima
Game 16: 3. Dr. Eggman vs 6. Neku Sakuraba

 

[Runic_SSB]

Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright vs 7. Zero (Mega Man)
X is the only Mega Man series I like gameplay wise, so I'm all for Zero.

Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont vs 10. Viewtiful Joe

Game 12: 3. Sora vs 6. Joker (Persona 5)
Kingdom Hearts is my favorite series after Smash Bros. and Sora is my absolute #1 most-wanted newcomer.

Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot vs 8. Knuckles

Game 14: 4. Spyro vs 5. Travis Touchdown

Game 16: 3. Dr. Eggman vs 6. Neku Sakuraba

 

[Sheng Long]

Game 1: 9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy) (May be generic, but I don't care.)
Game 2: 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil) (I was going to choose KOS-MOS, but eh why not Jade? She seems like a pretty cool character to put in.)
Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright (He deserves to be in Smash way more than Zero I think.)
Game 4:11. Doomguy (Yes, like I said before, hype factor.)
Game 5: 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts) (Oh poor Maxwell, he might lose to Shovel Knight, but he's one of my most wanted in Smash so he gets my vote.)
Game 6: 5. Lloyd Irving (Lloyd MUST be the next Namco character in Smash.)
Game 7: 2. Shantae (Shantae is the better indie in my opinion.)
Game 8: 3. Professor Layton (Layton would be a great Level 5 rep perhaps more than a Yokai Watch character and I'm not too into Digimon so yeah.)
Game 9: 1. Rayman (Like I said before, he should have been in already.)
Game 10: 5. Amaterasu (Crono is no longer relevant while Ammy still is to some extent and she's also one of my top most wanted as well.)
Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont (A classic Nintendo icon that should really be in Smash.)
Game 12: 3. Sora (I like both, but I only recently touched the Persona series while I have been a KH fan for a long time.)
Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot (Most wanted third-party character.)
Game 14: 5. Travis Touchdown (This one was so difficult, but I think that Travis deserves to be in Smash more than Spyro. I'm actually expecting Travis to be revealed like how Bayonetta was.)
Game 15: 2. Bomberman (Should have been in already.)
Game 16: 3. 6. Neku Sakuraba (Eh why not? I think he'd be pretty cool. This was a bit difficult as well, but in the end I chose Neku just because I think he'd be better to implement than Robotnik.)

 

[GolisoPower]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Zero (Mega Man)
Game 4: Doomguy
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Klonoa
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Agumon
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Amaterasu
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Travis Touchdown
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba

 

[FunAtParties]

Game 1: 1. Banjo & Kazooie vs 9. Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
still a dream of mine

Game 2: 13. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil) vs 5. KOS-MOS
Great character from one of my favorite games

Game 3: 2. Phoenix Wright vs 7. Zero (Mega Man)
Not really big on either to get into Smash, but really enjoyed playing Zero is UMVC3

Game 4: 3. Tails vs 11. Doomguy
Just not big on Doomguy

Game 5: 1. Shovel Knight vs 8. Maxwell (Scribblenauts)
I like SK. Maxwell is better suited for an AT role

Game 6: 4. Klonoa vs 5. Lloyd Irving
Close one

Game 7: 2. Shantae vs 7. Quote (Cave Story)
Shantae is cool, but Quote is Quote

Game 8: 3. Professor Layton vs 6. Agumon
Never really was all that big on Layton. Not really big on Agumon either, but he does have that rivalry angle that interests me.

Game 9: 1. Rayman vs 8. Conker
This one hurts, because I really like Conker, but c'mon.

Game 10: 4. Crono vs 5. Amaterasu

Game 11: 2. Simon Belmont vs 10. Viewtiful Joe
Always been silently pulling for Joe

Game 12: 3. Sora vs 6. Joker (Persona 5)
Would rather get Mickey tbh

Game 13: 1. Crash Bandicoot vs 8. Knuckles
Close one. I really like Knuckles. Gave Crash the edge because he's got his own series.

Game 14: 4. Spyro vs 5. Travis Touchdown
Not big on either

Game 15: 2. Bomberman vs 7. Heihachi Mishima
Easiest choice. Love Bomberman, hate Heihachi.

Game 16: 3. Dr. Eggman vs 6. Neku Sakuraba
Dude is kinda slept on. He's an icon for sure.

 

[Pizza Robo]

Game 1: Banjo Kazooie
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Zero
Game 4: Tails
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Klonoa
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Agumon
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Amaterasu
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Joker
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba

 

[GoodGrief741]

I was pretty surprised (and honestly dismayed) to see so many people not know who Crono is. C’mon man, one of the greatest RPGs ever made? Ring a bell?

Anyway, votes.

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
These two are basically Nintendo icons.
Game 2: Jade
KOS-MOS just doesn’t appeal to me.
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
We don’t need Zero. We need the ace.
Game 4: Tails
Tough choice but I guess Tails has a better moveset.
Game 5: Maxwell
He’s about to get destroyed, but I’m a hardcore fan of Scribblenauts and I’m sticking with him til the end.
Game 6: Lloyd Irving
Just because his game is better.
Game 7: Shantae
More relevant and about the same level of iconic.
Game 8: Professor Layton
A) Really don’t want Agumon in.
B) Really want Layton in, games are great, he’s iconic and exclusive to Nintendo.
C) We deserve the Layton vs. Wright fight.
Game 9: Rayman
Would like Conker more but they wouldn’t do him justice.
Game 10: 4. Crono vs 5. Amaterasu
I can’t pick. I just can’t. They both deserve it so much.
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Sorry Joe, you didn’t deserve this matchup.
Game 12: Sora
Love Joker, but Sora’s actually been on a Nintendo console. (But people really need to stop saying Joker shouldn’t be in because of Batman’s Joker, that’s just stupid)
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Spyro
Those two would be the final if they weren’t so close together.
Game 15: Bomberman
They’re on two different levels.
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba
Will stick with my love for TWEWY.

 

[VexTheHex]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie - I did enjoy that game way back when, they're a solid duo.
Game 2: Jade (Beyond Good & Evil) - Meh. And wait Kos-Mos is 3rd party? Isn't that Shulk's series? I thought he was 2nd party or whatnot. I'm confused since Rex & Pyra and Elma were on the other bracket? Whatever, i'll just go Jade, don't really care either way on these ladies.
Game 3: Phoenix Wright - New series over already represented series in this case.
Game 4: Tails - More connection.
Game 5: Maxwell (Scribblenauts) - Why not.
Game 6: Lloyd Irving - Seems interesting.
Game 7: Shantae - Meh.
Game 8: Professor Layton - Okay.
Game 9: Rayman - Someone I actually played his game.
Game 10: Amaterasu - Meh.
Game 11: Simon Belmont - Seems more worthy.
Game 12: Sora - Bigger icon.
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot - Probably one of my top picks for 3rd party.
Game 14: Spyro - Aging gaming icon v Teen's Edgy Dream Boy Self Insert For Boobs and Violence. Travis is one that I really don't care for, especially in this type of match up.
Game 15: Bomberman - Memories!
Game 16: Dr. Eggman - Obviously more iconic overall.

 

[Nimbostratus]

And wait Kos-Mos is 3rd party? Isn't that Shulk's series? I thought he was 2nd party or whatnot. I'm confused since Rex & Pyra and Elma were on the other bracket?

This has come up a couple times now, so someone should probably address it.
I'm a little fuzzy on the details myself, but I'm pretty sure the placement is correct. KOS-MOS is from Xenosaga which was developed by Monolith Soft, but published by Namco. Publishers usually retain rights to the intellectual property as well. I'm pretty sure a lot of the characters on the first-party bracket are technically developed by independent studios but published by Nintendo.
Rex, Pyra, and Elma are all from Xenoblade, also developed by Monolith Soft; now, though, Nintendo is the publisher. This line is blurred by

Spoiler: XC2 Spoilers

KOS-MOS's appearance as a Rare Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2

which I think we have to currently treat as an outside cameo.
Monolith was once owned by Namco but is now a subsidiary of Nintendo. That might (?) give Nintendo some amount of claim to KOS-MOS, but at the very least Nintendo would have to negotiation with Bandai Namco on the rights to Xenosaga property in Smash unless there has already been a transfer of intellectual property behind the scenes. At least that's how I understand it; there might be someone more informed on the subject.

 

[TheFritzle]

Game 1: Banjo & Kazooie
Game 2: KOS-MOS
Game 3: Phoenix Wright
Game 4: Doomguy
Game 5: Shovel Knight
Game 6: Lloyd Irving
Game 7: Shantae
Game 8: Professor Layton
Game 9: Rayman
Game 10: Crono
Game 11: Simon Belmont
Game 12: Sora
Game 13: Crash Bandicoot
Game 14: Travis Touchdown
Game 15: Bomberman
Game 16: Neku Sakuraba