Mind if you guys check my new prediction roster? I think it is a bit too ambitious and somewhat too hopeful, but what do you think?
It's honestly hard to imagine that we wouldn't lose anyone (and I don't just mean things that would barely affect development like the 3 clones) while getting 13 new additions and 4 returning fighters from pre-Smash 4.
It just doesn't seem reasonable considering how development works.
Sheik getting re-tied to Zelda and Pokémon Trainer coming back to re-tie Charizard to his lineup while Zero Suit Samus remains her own character also seems rather iffy. Assuming that any of the separated characters would be put together again in the first place as that's questionable in itself, why would
one of them remain separate if the other unit they were tied to is present while the others are grouped together again?
Two new characters for Animal Crossing is also a bit excessive. Not going to really get into how people over-estimate Isabelle's odds here, but I'm just going to leave it at this: Either Nook or Isabelle, not both at the same time. And honestly, despite how I feel Isabelle isn't so likely, she
would be the one considered at this point over Nook.
Daitoryou is always going to be that iffy idea to me that doesn't seem realistic. I get that each game has it's "surprise" character, but the idea seems too far out there even
for that. I think there would need to at least be someone to represent things like the Ultra Hand and Ultra Machine first before going to Hanafuda. Though interesting that you put him at the END of the single-character franchises to reference that the deck isn't a video game like what the other characters are from.
Three additional guests in addition to each one currently present in Smash 4 also seems a bit excessive. And since the roster was likely decided on in early 2016, it is unlikely that Doomguy/Doom Slayer would have been in consideration at the time.
Other than that, it's decent of a roster in itself. Just, as you said, too ambitious and hopeful to really be a serious "prediction".