I wrote this is in the Dixie Kong support topic a month ago. I am very surprised there is not more support for this
legendary character. She was one of Nintendo's original heroines, and maybe the first heroine for a major hit game outside of the
I feel exactly the same way. I was not even planning on following this Smash Bros. game that much. I had basically retired from speculation after the June 2015 Smash 4 DLC update (where Lucas, Roy, and Ryu got released). I thought Ridley was likely never going to happen at that point (due to Sakurai's own statements in November 2014), and I thought Roy's return was a good ending point for me. I only made two posts on this site after June 2015 (one in the second half of 2015 and only one post in the entirety of 2016). I considered myself done with speculation and I said during the Smash 4 speculation period that I felt that game would be the last game in the series I would follow, regardless of whether the end was satisfactory or not.
When I returned in April 2018, I said I would not be as active this time around, and that my goals would just to be throw my two-cents in for various support topics and to do another iteration of "Ultimate Newcomer Analysis Topic", which has been a tradition since 2007. Really, Ultimate being unveiled only two years after the conclusion of Smash 4 DLC is a big reason why I came back at all.
My expectations were exceeded beyond my wildest expectations with the proper Ultimate unveil at E3 2018. Not only were there no cuts, but every single veteran ever in the history of the series managed to return, even the likes of Pichu and Young Link. We had nearly every stage from Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4 coming back too. And to top it all off, my single most wanted character for the history of the franchise since I started following it, Ridley, was finally confirmed as a newcomer. Ridley! The character whom I thought was possibly de-confirmed forever only three years ago.
While I did not become as active with speculation as I was with the prior periods, my interest was now on par with what it was for prior games in the series. Getting every single veteran to returns plus Ridley was a dream come true. Even though we were told by Sakurai there were only a few more newcomers left, I did not care. I got much more than what I was hoping for. The 8/8 Nintendo Direct further solidified this by giving the Belmonts (Castlevania is among my top 3 favorite non-Nintendo franchises), K. Rool, and Dark Samus (who would have thought this would ever happen six months ago?).
Ultimate truly looks to be living up to its name. However, as pepiux said, there is only a single character left that is dear to me that I feel is still missing. Dixie Kong. She was among my favorite gaming heroes during the 90's (especially the mid 90's). She has always been by far my favorite character for the Donkey Kong series and its a shame she had to wait behind Diddy Kong and K. Rool for so long. Such a shame she had to face such bad luck (she was even planned for Brawl, but never retooled as her own separate character).
Back in 2010, I had written an essay entitled, "Ridley: The Last Nintendo All-Star". Perhaps it was hubris to make such a claim back then (afterall Little Mac certainly had great credentials back then, and you could argue the same for the likes of K. Rool, Dixie Kong, Toad, and possibly Bowser Jr. back then as well). However, with all of those characters now in, the only other ones left that I think could have that moniker is Toad, Waddle Dee (maybe), and of course, the monkey girl with the whirl, Dixie Kong herself.
I am not optimistic on Dixie Kong's prospects right now. I personally believe (I know a lot of you will be very upset at this) that there are only two more fighters on the base roster (Ken and Incineroar), of which a screenshot of the former has already been leaked. What Dixie Kong's fate or role in Ultimate's base game I honestly cannot say. Assist Trophy or an appearance in Diddy Kong's Final Smash are possibilities. However, it could be a case as was in Smash 4, where she has no important NPC role at all in the game.
If that is the case, it could be that she might be a prospect for DLC. However, even becoming DLC would be an uphill battle. Unlike the base roster, Dixie Kong would have to compete with many contemporary characters for slots (ARMS, Rex & Pyrra, Fire Emblem Three Houses Character, Generation 8 Pokemon) as well as the fact that third-party newcomers tend to dominate Smash DLC. Unless Sakurai views Dixie Kong as a cut above the rest, her prospects are looking cloudy for DLC. However, even with clouds, sometimes it does not rain.
If Dixie Kong fails to get in as DLC for Ultimate, I will still be extremely happy with the roster. With the exception of her, I got everything I wanted for the Smash Bros. series. I do not think following the next Smash Bros. game just for Dixie Kong alone would be worth it in my eyes, especially considering the next game is likely to strip much of the content I currently love in Ultimate.
The main theme of Ultimate seems triumphant, but at the same time has a sort of melancholy undertone to it. As though its going to be curtain call for many of the characters that are part of its roster. Sakurai himself that stated that this most likely will be the only opportunity to bring back the entire cast.
Super Smash Bros. has been a franchise extremely dear to me since I first learned of its existence back in January 1999. In many ways, it was a celebration of my love of video games in general. However, like with pepiux, I have been losing interest in video games over the course of this decade. I have a lot less time for them than I did when I was younger and I simply do not have the patience for a lot of different types of games like I used to.
Even though K. Rool has been confirmed, it does not seem like Dixie Kong has exploded in popularity like I expected her. However, even though she does not seem to have legions of passionate supporters, she does seem to have a ton of people like her and thinks she deserves to be in. This topic has more actual supporters than any other character with the exceptions of Isaac and maybe Bandanna Dee.
This was a similar phenomenon back during when I was supporting Roy's return to Smash Bros. There were not many loud and passionate Roy supporters, but he definitely had a ton of people that liked and supported him.
Although the Roy fanbase did not have the screaming legions that many other fanbases had during pre-Smash 4, we were tight knit and determined to see our boy finally make his return.
With the original Smash Bros., I really wanted Metroid to get more recognition and be revived. Samus in particular was one of my favorite gaming heroes. However, unlike all the other gaming heroes I cherished, very few knew about her and Metroid in general. Samus was an underdog. I was always grateful for whatever Samus cameos happened in games (Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star, and Kirby's Dream Land 3). However, learning that Samus, would be among seven other characters to represent the very best of Nintendo was extraordinary. Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu were all icons who all had major appearances recently, with only Samus having her last game all the way back in 1994. I learned of Smash Bros.'s existence from a Metroid fansite (Metroid Database) either in December 1998 or January 1999. It was from then on that Smash Bros. became one of my favorite gaming franchises.
Now. Nearly 20 years later. There is another gaming heroine that I wish to see in. Dixie Kong, like Samus in the mid 90's, is facing an uphill battle and does not quite get the recognition she deserves. It would be fitting if Dixie Kong were added in as a newcomer for Ultimate. Samus and Dixie Kong will be bookends for me, Nintendo's first two all-star female heroes.
I am not sure how this is going to end, and as with Roy and his army in the manga scans above, we are facing an uphill battle. Dixie Kong is a character I cherished from childhood, and many others here feel the same. Heck, I even had that large Dixie Kong figurine seen in the screenshot on the last page, and it was among my favorite toys during my childhood (there was very few gaming merchandise during the mid 90's).
In 2.5 months the journey either ends (though either a confirmation or de-confirmation), or we will find ourselves going forward another year and a half (DLC for for Ultimate will probably go on for another year and a half, maybe even two years).
Regardless, Dixie Kong for many is the last character that comes up as a major desire, especially among Smash Bros. fans who grew up during the 90's. She was a pioneer and to this day probably among the most iconic female gaming characters of all time. She was the only main Kong to never have been kidnapped by K. Rool, whereas both DK and Diddy have been captured twice by K. Rool), and for many children, regardless of gender, most wanted to play as her despite her girly girl design. She was just a fun character to play as with a lot of subtle personality.
Dixie Kong is a fantastic character and long overdue for her playable debut in Smash Bros. I hope Sakurai refurbishes his notes on Dixie Kong back during Brawl to at least make developing Dixie Kong easier on him and his team.
Dixie Kong is more than just the last character I would really like to see in Smash Bros., she represents a possible closing chapter for my interest in the Smash Bros. series. Even if she does not become playable in the end, I am still very happy with how Ultimate is appearing to be, and as I said earlier, I am not going to follow another game in the series just for Dixie Kong alone. It is my personal hope that she finally is added in this time around, whether on the base game or as DLC.
Keep it up Dixie Kong fans.
.jpg)
