Official Smash Ultimate Discussion

[SevenGameSet]

Instead of asking what newcomers you expect, I want to try something different. Look at the list of franchises below.


Super Mario
Donkey Kong
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Kirby
Pokemon
Fire Emblem
Animal Crossing
Xenoblade Chronicles


With these nine franchises, try ordering them from most likely to least likely based on the odds you think they'll get a newcomer in Smash Switch (this includes DLC). As an example, here's mine:

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>

...God I hate how low i gotta place the donkey kong and metroid series.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

When it comes to newcomers expect them to be from a Wii U/3DS game before mid-2016. Or a retro character from the NES era or earlier.

I'm not saying it's impossible for a character from outside those perimeters to make it in. Just less likely.

This. I see a lot of people bring up the argument that sakurai could go to developers and ask for concept art and stuff but I feel like he wouldn't wanna make a whole roster of characters with characters that only have concept art available, greninja and pokemon are a special case because of how quickly pokemon can become outdated.

>>>>>>>>

...God I hate how low i gotta place the donkey kong and metroid series.

I don't get why people are putting DK so low, I'd go as far as to say Dixie is a lock given the time tropical freeze released and K Rool probably did extremely well on the ballot, as well as Dixie too.

 

[92MilesPrower]

Like many people have said, Rex could definitely be a Greninja situtation, or he might've barely missed being on the roster. Either way, we know that Sakurai clearly really liked XC2 and I feel we're very likely to see Rex either on the base roster, or as DLC. I feel Elma or another XCX character is more of a tossup compared to Rex, but we have the whole deal with the mech machine gun that Sakurai's using for reference, hinting at them, Mach Rider, or a Custom Robo rep. Either way, we're probably gonna get at least one Xenoblade newcomer on the base roster because of the popularity and success of the series, I'd be surprised if we didn't.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Like many people have said, Rex could definitely be a Greninja situtation, or he might've barely missed being on the roster. Either way, we know that Sakurai clearly really liked XC2 and I feel we're very likely to see Rex either on the base roster, or as DLC. I feel Elma or another XCX character is more of a tossup compared to Rex, but we have the whole deal with the mech machine gun that Sakurai's using for reference, hinting at them, Mach Rider, or a Custom Robo rep. Either way, we're probably gonna get at least one Xenoblade newcomer on the base roster because of the popularity and success of the series, I'd be surprised if we didn't.

He could be greninja'd but I feel like pokemon are easily outdated so they NEED relevant ones. And they're relatively simple characters which makes them easy to make a moveset for them based on just concepts. I feel like the same wouldn't work for rex & pyra.

Elma could be seen as outdated but she's not outdated in the same way Zoroark or Genesct were for smash 4 y'know.

 

[AlphaSSB]

- A Pokemon from the Generation VII is incredibly likely, most notably Decidueye.
- I think Isabelle is very likely, having become the face of Animal Crossing, and even crossing over into Mario Kart.
- There's a few characters that are reasonably likely, but there's no guarantee.
- Elma is pretty likely for the base roster, and Rex is pretty likely for DLC, but I don't see them both getting in.
- Dixie Kong is decently likely, and surely she, as well as King K. Rool, did well in the ballot.
- Lots of characters to pick from here, but there's no guarantee.
- With the backlash from DLC, clones, and there being too many already, it's possible we'll see cuts with no newcomers.
- Bandanna Dee's best chance is with the ballot, and Marx has a somewhat decent chance, but both unlikely.
- I'd love to see Ridley and Sylux, but each of them are pretty unlikely. Best shot is with Sylux as DLC.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Instead of asking what newcomers you expect, I want to try something different. Look at the list of franchises below.


Super Mario
Donkey Kong
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Kirby
Pokemon
Fire Emblem
Animal Crossing
Xenoblade Chronicles


With these nine franchises, try ordering them from most likely to least likely based on the odds you think they'll get a newcomer in Smash Switch (this includes DLC). As an example, here's mine:

>>>>>>>>

> > > > >>>> >>>>>>>> > >

Noting choices like Isabelle, Rex, Elma, Dixie, Decidueye, and Celica for the ranking. FE newcomer is a huge maybe, and Zelda, Metroid, or Kirby getting playable representation is very unlikely IMO.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Just gonna throw out there that I don't see a new mario rep happening, smash 4 already had 2 completely unique newcomers, adding another seems like overkill. If we did get one though Paper Mario is the best choice by a long shot imo

 

[Tree Gelbman]

In order:

Pokemon has yet to skip a game without a new rep. And I don't think it's ever gonna start doing that.

Isabelle/Tom Nook are some of the most iconic and successful remaining All Stars and bot have facets Villager can't do. Isabelle in particular is the face/mascot of the franchise since her inception. You guys are just mean.

Mario is the mascot of Nintendo and has always has someone that somebody out there is gonna recognize. Everyone clamored for has some merits and probably placed well in the ballot because of the sheer size of this franchise worldwide.

K. Rool probably did fairly well in the ballot. Dixie was considered at one point and cut for some reason, so I assume Sakurai has a moveset in mind with her and it most likely wasn't similar to Diddy at all seeing as she was his tag team partner to represent the old DK swap system.

Fire Emblem is still obnoxiously popular despite being having way too many reps as it is right now. It might see a scale back on reps and get someone new added in.

Ridley is a true dark horse, but one of the most asked for one people in all of Smash history. Sylux is an even a possibility if he truly does have a big role in Prime 4 so it might be advanced promotion to put him in. So maybe here.

Kirby's three most iconic individuals are all already in the game. Sakurai seems to prefer his era on the games and be a bit like Miyamoto when it comes to any games after his vacating the series. Thus I don't see Kirby getting anyone but if it does it'll piss off everyone who likes a certain spear wielder.

Xenoblade is just....well, it's Xenoblade. I think everyone on the internet is overselling how much it means to Nintendo now. It's still very niche, but growing. It's only saving grace is that it remains one of the few Nintendo IPs to be doing so right now. Yet when it comes to people to add? Any of it's possibilities just don't seem as if they'd be very high priority for Sakurai with all the potential he has elsewhere.

Zelda is stuck in it's rut, because either you have Impa who can sit out games or a polarizing figure like Tingle to add. Everyone else is just a really really cool guest person who showed up once or twice and I honestly think Sakurai just isn't in favor of this franchise since he's taken to Ganondorf being a punchy and kicky dude despite being a sorcerer in his games.

 

[Skeeter Mania]

smash 4 already had 2 completely unique newcomers

9 if you count the Koopalings as well.

 

[AEMehr]

But anyway. I don't know, doesn't the size system kinda make that idea kinda moot? Because thats what making a big mii does.

Conceptually I suppose, but a big Mii is barely any heavier than a medium-sized one (ranking a whopping 102 versus 100) and is abysmally slower while still following the existing character archetype. So as far as being built like / / not really.

The theoretical new Mii Fighter would have a playstyle that focuses on that longevity a Tank has. Of course, this is just an idea of what a new Mii Fighter could be themed as, maybe they'd go for something else iunno.

 

[Pacack]

Instead of asking what newcomers you expect, I want to try something different. Look at the list of franchises below.


Super Mario
Donkey Kong
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Kirby
Pokemon
Fire Emblem
Animal Crossing
Xenoblade Chronicles


With these nine franchises, try ordering them from most likely to least likely based on the odds you think they'll get a newcomer in Smash Switch (this includes DLC). As an example, here's mine:

>>>>>>>>

I'll just go ahead and include every series outside of retro/historical characters, which are grouped. I will not include third-parties.

Tier 1 (Most Likely): ***
Tier 2 (More Likely): **
Tier 3 (Less Likely):
Tier 4 (Unlikely): ***
Tier 5 (More Unlikely):
Tier 6 (Most Unlikely):

*Wolf isn't a newcomer, per se, so I'm putting him apart from the Star Fox series at large.

**Ice Climbers represents retro characters at large, Mr. Game and Watch represents Historical/Legacy/Throwback characters at large.

***Specifically, a new Mii class or a rework of the Miis entirely.

With DLC, I would place Xenoblade in Tier 1 and Fire Emblem in Tier 2. Additionally, I would put ARMS in Tier 1 for DLC, but only in Tier 4 for base roster.

 

[Phaazoid]

I don't get why people are putting DK so low, I'd go as far as to say Dixie is a lock given the time tropical freeze released and K Rool probably did extremely well on the ballot, as well as Dixie too.

Probably because that argument was equally valid pre smash 4 and yet DK got no newcomer

 

[Tree Gelbman]

Just gonna throw out there that I don't see a new mario rep happening, smash 4 already had 2 completely unique newcomers, adding another seems like overkill. If we did get one though Paper Mario is the best choice by a long shot imo

Here's the thing. Mario IS Nintendo.

We are at this period where there's not much left that Sakurai can truly cull from. But the well that is Mario is a safe bet for a guaranteed success newcomer because there's always a new star that people have taken too or an oldie but goodie that people are still clamoring for.

Mario could have 4 unique newcomers in one game and it'd be absolutely okay. Like legit Sakurai could say ''And now I add Waluigi, Paper Mario, Geno, and Captain Toad!" to Smash Switch and I dare anyone to complain about the man doing so when it's the Nintendo franchise most synonymous with the word ''Nintendo".

 

[Cosmic77]

When it comes to newcomers expect them to be from a Wii U/3DS game before mid-2016. Or a retro character from the NES era or earlier.

I'm not saying it's impossible for a character from outside those perimeters to make it in. Just less likely.

Don't know if I'm a part of the majority or the minority with this opinion, but I'm still on the boat that assumes Sakurai is putting an emphasis on Switch games too.

I've said this before, but a roster that focuses mainly on 2014 to mid-2016 characters would easily make one of the worst set of newcomers we've ever had. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm just being honest. Not only was Nintendo nearly devoid of hype-inducing games in that timespan, but that was also one of the lowest points in history for Nintendo. Almost everyone had turned away from Nintendo, and very few people picked up the games that had came out around that time.

It's going to be very hard to get casuals excited for this game if late Wii U and 3DS games are the inspiration for the newcomers, and I can honestly see a lot of people being turned away by a roster full of Captain Toad, Elma, and Celica characters (no offense to the supporters. I'd actually like Captain Toad/standard Toad in Smash). The Switch marks a comeback for Nintendo, and if Sakurai was smart, he wouldn't finalize the roster so early. Instead, he work on the other parts of the game while digging around for a few potential characters he could add from the Switch games. Those are going to be the games casuals will be most familiar with, and including characters from BotW, XC2, and ARMS would have a far greater effect than someone from Treasure Tracker, XCX, or SF Zero.

If not that, then Sakurai had better be following that ballot to a T.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Probably because that argument was equally valid pre smash 4 and yet DK got no newcomer

Not really, smash 4 was planned in 2012 and tropical freeze came out in 2014, looking back it never made sense

Here's the thing. Mario IS Nintendo.

We are at this period where there's not much left that Sakurai can truly cull from. But the well that is Mario is a safe bet for a guaranteed success newcomer because there's always a new star that people have taken too or an oldie but goodie that people are still clamoring for.

Mario could have 4 unique newcomers in one game and it'd be absolutely okay. Like legit Sakurai could say ''And now I add Waluigi, Paper Mario, Geno, and Captain Toad!" to Smash Switch and I dare anyone to complain about the man doing so when it's the Nintendo franchise most synonymous with the word ''Nintendo".

true but this is smash bros, Oversaturating one franchise because it's big isn't the best idea. Pokemon doesn't get the same treatment despite being near the same level. Zelda's a huge franchise yet we're stuck with practically the same lineup since melee.

 

[Antimatter042]

Instead of asking what newcomers you expect, I want to try something different. Look at the list of franchises below.


Super Mario
Donkey Kong
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Kirby
Pokemon
Fire Emblem
Animal Crossing
Xenoblade Chronicles


With these nine franchises, try ordering them from most likely to least likely based on the odds you think they'll get a newcomer in Smash Switch (this includes DLC). As an example, here's mine:

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>/

I put Pokemon above so far above anything else because in my opinion it's the only one that's effectively guaranteed. Who they'll choose is way more of a toss-up than other series, as Gen 7 gave a healthy mix of good fighter choices, but nobody seriously spectulates a Smash 5 without any new Pokemon. The next 4 are the ones who have some pretty relevant newcomers with strong moveset potential (less so with AC but Isabelle's popularity makes up for it). The Switch's 2 main 2017 titles may warrant something, but Mario and Zelda are neither here nor there. Zelda is likely going to get a lot of attention though, whether a new character or moveset updates for the veterans. I put Metroid and Fire Emblem at the bottom not because I think chances are really that bad, but Metroid has the same problems as it had around Smash 4 that it needs to circumvent purely by demand that Ridley has (maybe Samus Returns will help but more than a design update may be pushing it), Fire Emblem has Sakurai professing it's overrepresented and only a remake between Smash 4 and now.

Just as a general metric I think we'll roughly get:

• A new Pokemon
• 2-3 reps between Kirby, DK, Xenoblade and AC
• 1 out of the other 4, maybe 2 at a stretch (excluding revamps like for the Triforce wielders)

 

[TimidKitsune129]

I’m not so sure about Switch era characters being likely for DLC.

Based on how Smash 4 DLC played out we got three popular veterans, a character used for advertisement, and three third parties. Granted, the DLC could be different this time, but I’m not confident in saying Rex or Springman or even a Gen 8 Pokemon is getting in through DLC if they aren’t on the base roster.

Reminds me of when people claimed Inklings and Wolf were a lock for DLC during Smash 4 DLC speculation. Talk of the former stopped once the Mii costume was revealed and the latter never happened.

 

[Tree Gelbman]

Pokemon and Mario are the Mickey Mouse and Disney Princess lines for Nintendo. These are the two franchise everyone in the world thinks of when they hear or think about the Nintendo brand.

So I think it's okay for Sakurai to over saturate those franchises and I think or hope most of you would agree.

It's when you saturate something like Fire Emblem that people start looking at him weird because well while it's nifty. In the end of the day? It just hasn't done for Nintendo what Mario and Pokemon have done and I doubt there ever will be a day that it does.

 

[Skeeter Mania]

Regarding those considering adding Decidueye into Smash, why over Incineroar and Primarina?

 

[Troykv]

Instead of asking what newcomers you expect, I want to try something different. Look at the list of franchises below.


Super Mario
Donkey Kong
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Kirby
Pokemon
Fire Emblem
Animal Crossing
Xenoblade Chronicles


With these nine franchises, try ordering them from most likely to least likely based on the odds you think they'll get a newcomer in Smash Switch (this includes DLC). As an example, here's mine:

>>>>>>>>

> > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>>

Pokemon always has a newcomer; not matter the cost.

Xenoblade has timing and some strange coincindences in their side.

Mario, DK and Kirby have the biggest fan support in their side for several of their options; specially people like Waluigi.

AC is a weird case; because it depends of how Sakurai feels about the franchise; but in their own merits would have a second character (most likely Isabelle).

Fire Emblem and Zelda are the wild cards this time; lacking and obvious choice; but they are far from impossible; is just hard to predict.

Metroid needs Ridley; any other option is ignored, hated or needs more time in the Spotlight.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Pokemon and Mario are the Mickey Mouse and Disney Princess lines for Nintendo. These are the two franchise everyone in the world thinks of when they hear or think about the Nintendo brand.

So I think it's okay for Sakurai to over saturate those franchises and I think or hope most of you would agree.

It's when you saturate something like Fire Emblem that people start looking at him weird because well while it's nifty. In the end of the day? It just hasn't done for Nintendo what Mario and Pokemon have done and I doubt there ever will be a day that it does.

Obviously they should have more but I think it's a little unfair to prioritise their newcomers over other franchises too just because it's mario. Mario already got 2 newcomers, I think most of us are good when it comes to mario.

Regarding those considering adding Decidueye into Smash, why over Incineroar and Primarina?

2 types that aren't in smash. Fills out the grass, fire, water trio. Archer archetype is unique. Pokken. That's most of the reasons.

 

[Imadethistoseealeak]

Don't know if I'm a part of the majority or the minority with this opinion, but I'm still on the boat that assumes Sakurai is putting an emphasis on Switch games too.

I've said this before, but a roster that focuses mainly on 2014 to mid-2016 characters would easily make one of the worst set of newcomers we've ever had. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm just being honest. Not only was Nintendo nearly devoid of hype-inducing games in that timespan, but that was also one of the lowest points in history for Nintendo. Almost everyone had turned away from Nintendo, and very few people picked up the games that had came out around that time.

It's going to be very hard to get casuals excited for this game if late Wii U and 3DS games are the inspiration for the newcomers, and I can honestly see a lot of people being turned away by a roster full of Captain Toad, Elma, and Celica characters (no offense to the supporters. I'd actually like Captain Toad/standard Toad in Smash). The Switch marks a comeback for Nintendo, and if Sakurai was smart, he wouldn't finalize the roster so early. Instead, he work on the other parts of the game while digging around for a few potential characters he could add from the Switch games. Those are going to be the games casuals will be most familiar with, and including characters from BotW, XC2, and ARMS would have a far greater effect than someone from Treasure Tracker, XCX, or SF Zero.

If not that, then Sakurai had better be following that ballot to a T.

I agree so much with this. Representing characters from Wii U and the decline of the 3DS would be awful. Smash Switch is meant to sell the Switch and what better way than to advertise what's on the system. My current conspiracy is it started as a direct port launch title for the Switch, but Nintendo was confident in the first years line up (rightly so) and decided to push it back, telling Sakurai to add much more switch related content such as upcoming titles Arms and Xenoblade 2. The biggest thing against this is that this isn't how Sakurai has worked in the past, but this is a new Nintendo.

Elma could be seen as outdated but she's not outdated in the same way Zoroark or Genesct were for smash 4 y'know.

I disagree with this entirely. X feels like years ago and didn't create a significant splash at all. Not only that but Elma feels dated and never even felt like the face of that game. It would feel weird to have her on a roster with more recent and relevant characters. I have nothing against her supporters and she could be fun to play, I just don't think she represent the Xenoblade series well especially today.

 

[92MilesPrower]

Regarding those considering adding Decidueye into Smash, why over Incineroar and Primarina?

Decidueye has been notably much more popular than the other two, plus we already have a fire type with Charizard, and a water type with Greninja. Its playability in Pokken DX also helps.

 

[Staarih]

Yeah, we’re talking about max two ”too new” characters (from ARMS and XC2), so I don’t think it’s too farfetched to assume that at least one could make it, either decided pre-emptively or heck, even later in development after witnessing success (if Smash 4 is used as a base, the development cycle could be different with more spare time for changing plans). And I feel like the Wii U/3DS era alone doesn’t have too many known, standout characters, especially with how non-existent Wii U’s userbase was? So using recent, big Switch names would definitely give a boost - we know BotW is in already (but sure, it’s also a Wii U title and was in development for a longer period).

But I dunno, I guess it also depends on how many newcomers we get. We could only get a few which then would easily cover 2014-2016 (non-Switch) and/or fan favorite picks from the ballot. And rest could be DLC. But still, I agree on emphasizing early-Switch era in Smash as well, to cater to the current players of the system.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

I disagree with this entirely. X feels like years ago and didn't create a significant splash at all. Not only that but Elma feels dated and never even felt like the face of that game. It would feel weird to have her on a roster with more recent and relevant characters. I have nothing against her supporters and she could be fun to play, I just don't think she represent the Xenoblade series well especially today.

I don't know about that, X is still a standout title from that era, the era this smash is likely to represent. The game sold decently especially for being on that flop of a console lol. When it comes to representing the series she represents a different part of the franchise which is probably going to be revisited down the line, you have the xenoblade chronicles games which 2 stays fairly closely to in style and Xenoblade X which is completely different

 

[Antimatter042]

I’m not so sure about Switch era characters being likely for DLC.

Based on how Smash 4 DLC played out we got three popular veterans, a character used for advertisement, and three third parties. Granted, things could be different this time, but I’m not confident in saying Rex or Springman or even a Gen 8 Pokemon getting in through DLC if they aren’t on the base roster.

Reminds me of when people claimed Inklings and Wolf were a lock for DLC during Smash 4 DLC speculation. Talk of the former stopped once the Mii costume was revealed and the latter never happened.

I think that logic is questionable as Smash 4 DLC and a Smash 5 of 2014-2016 newcomers have the same problem, both drawing from a creative sinkhole in Nintendo history.

It makes sense that Sakurai would have little choice but to bring back vets and go all out on 3rd Parties in Smash 4 DLC, because relevant Nintendo options at the time were severely limited and the one we did get got severe backlash. Now it's the reverse: the 3rd Parties worth letting in are drying up but Nintendo is in a positive boon, so it follows that Switch characters who miss the boat for Smash 5 are pretty obvious DLC candidates. It does also follow that there will be at least someone from the Switch's first year in the base roster aside from just using BotW Link.

 

[Blargg888]

Regarding those considering adding Decidueye into Smash, why over Incineroar and Primarina?

I don't speak for everyone, but personally, it's because I really enjoy the idea of a ghost archer grass owl in Smash. I also have an attachment to Decidueye due to using it in two of my Gen VII teams.

 

[Imadethistoseealeak]

I don't know about that, X is still a standout title from that era, the era this smash is likely to represent. The game sold decently especially for being on that flop of a console lol. When it comes to representing the series she represents a different part of the franchise which is probably going to be revisited down the line, you have the xenoblade chronicles games which 2 stays fairly closely to in style and Xenoblade X which is completely different

I defintely think she is likely if there was no consideration of Switch games. But if there was I can't see her getting in over a 2 character. Maybe both? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

I mean if we look at major games from 2014-2016 we have:
- DKC: TF
- Paper Mario: Colour Splash (Paper Jam too)
- Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Pokemon Sun and Moon
- Star Fox Zero
- Kirby Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse and Planet Robobot
- Splatoon
- Animal Crossing (multiple spin-offs)
- Code Name Steam (not happening let's be real)
- Fates (Already done)
- Breath of the Wild can also be considered since it was supposed to come out in 2015 and then 2016

These provide decent options for newcomers, throw in some ballot picks and you have a roster.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Obviously they should have more but I think it's a little unfair to prioritise their newcomers over other franchises too just because it's mario. Mario already got 2 newcomers, I think most of us are good when it comes to mario.

Not even close judging by the strong fan support for four-six Mario characters.

Nothing stopping them all being unique and fun newcomers either since Mario has so many spinoffs and different types of games under his name.

 

[DraginHikari]

I defintely think she is likely if there was no consideration of Switch games. But if there was I can't see her getting in over a 2 character. Maybe both? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It sort of comes down when Sakurai's 'game plan' was put in place and how strictly he is sticking to that plan. Traditionally Smash Bros has almost always been forced to take the vast majority of its new additions to prior generation rather then the current due to Sakurai sticking strictly to his game plan that is completed before development begins with only a few later additions to speak of.

 

[TheLastJinjo]

Regarding those considering adding Decidueye into Smash, why over Incineroar and Primarina?

• More popular
• More notable appearances
• Not a Fire or Water type
• Unique archery fight style
• Incineroar's design is terrible and Primarina's design is too beautiful and fabulous.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

Don't know if I'm a part of the majority or the minority with this opinion, but I'm still on the boat that assumes Sakurai is putting an emphasis on Switch games too.

I've said this before, but a roster that focuses mainly on 2014 to mid-2016 characters would easily make one of the worst set of newcomers we've ever had. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm just being honest. Not only was Nintendo nearly devoid of hype-inducing games in that timespan, but that was also one of the lowest points in history for Nintendo. Almost everyone had turned away from Nintendo, and very few people picked up the games that had came out around that time.

It's going to be very hard to get casuals excited for this game if late Wii U and 3DS games are the inspiration for the newcomers, and I can honestly see a lot of people being turned away by a roster full of Captain Toad, Elma, and Celica characters (no offense to the supporters. I'd actually like Captain Toad/standard Toad in Smash). The Switch marks a comeback for Nintendo, and if Sakurai was smart, he wouldn't finalize the roster so early. Instead, he work on the other parts of the game while digging around for a few potential characters he could add from the Switch games. Those are going to be the games casuals will be most familiar with, and including characters from BotW, XC2, and ARMS would have a far greater effect than someone from Treasure Tracker, XCX, or SF Zero.

If not that, then Sakurai had better be following that ballot to a T.

That's where ballot choices come in. Also, you're overestimating how many people would actually care about Rex seeing as XC2 is nowhere near as big as BotW ,especially given that back in 2016 there would have been no real reason to assume that XC2 would have been anything more than decently successful at best compared to BotW. Even given that, Rex is less popular among the Xenoblade fanbase than Shulk so he wouldn't have that much "casual appeal." Heck, if anything, "casuals" are the ones most likely to complain about him being another "generic anime swordsman."

And Captain Toad is just a Toad with different costumes and people definitely recognize Toad so the argument that captain Toad wouldn't appeal to a wider Nintendo gaming audience makes no sense.

I disagree with this entirely. X feels like years ago and didn't create a significant splash at all. Not only that but Elma feels dated and never even felt like the face of that game. It would feel weird to have her on a roster with more recent and relevant characters. I have nothing against her supporters and she could be fun to play, I just don't think she represent the Xenoblade series well especially today.

No more weirder than having Ike based off Path of Radiance (a game that sold very little on the far less popular Gamecube) despite FE10 designs already being finalised before E3 2006.

 

[Imadethistoseealeak]

No more weirder than having Ike based off Path of Radiance (a game that sold very little on the far less popular Gamecube) despite FE10 designs already being finalised before E3 2006.

That was atleast the same character. Pokemon from two different game as well as characters from basically two different universes (atleast that's what I got from the little I played of X, that's it's completely unrelated to the Chronicles series) are not the same as two different designs for a character.

 

[TheLastJinjo]

One character that should be on everyone's rosters as a likely character is Excitebike or "Excite Rider"

• 9th best selling Famicom game
• Variety of installments (Excitebike 64, Excite Truck, Excite Bots, Excitebike: World Rally)
• A variety of vehicles and robots at his disposal (Excite Bots)
• The unique appeal of a character who rides a motorcycle and is all about vehicles in general (not just one like Bowser Jr). The overheating system could also bring something unique.

 

[Tree Gelbman]

One character that should be on everyone's rosters as a likely character is Excitebike or "Excite Rider"

• 9th best selling Famicom game
• Variety of installments (Excitebike 64, Excite Truck, Excite Bots, Excitebike: World Rally)
• A variety of vehicles and robots at his disposal (Excitebike, Excite Truck, Excite Bots)
• The unique appeal of a character who rides a motorcycle and is all about vehicles in general (not just one like Bowser Jr). The overheating system could also bring something unique.

I mean I'd be for him, but he's just one of those people who a lot of people don't know how his gameplay would work so people don't think of him.

And I say that as someone who played the **** out of every Excite installment Nintendo throws at me.

 

[92MilesPrower]

Here's an idea that I've had for some time that I wanna get out there: What if we could have an option, just like in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, that lets the player decide what language they want specific character voices in? In MvC3 you could have them all English, all Japanese, set to how they're voiced in their respective series (Japanese Ryu, English Chris, etc.), or set however you want them. We could have basically the same options, which can satisfy everyone (people that find Marth still speaking Japanese in Smash weird, those who hate English dubs, and series purists that are fine with the way the voices have been). Obviously it would only be for characters from Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus, Star Fox, Sonic, etc. that have fully spoken lines and have been voiced in different languages in their original games.

 

[Mega Bidoof]

I don’t get why people are saying XC2 is too new for Smash. It was in development since 2014, ad the story and characters were definitely finished by mid to late 2016, since there were multiple cutscenes that were in the trailer by January 2017. Most of 2017 was probably spent putting the finishing touches on stuff and adding in side things like quests.

Sakurai just needed to know the character existed and have a general idea about him by the time of him making the roster in mid to late 2016, at least 2/3 through XC2’s dev cycle. Sakurai could still make adjustments with any new information during 2017.

 

[Chron]

I just realized how much I want a FF6 character.
Any of them would be great but my top choices are Celes and Edgar.

 

[Camc10]

I think that logic is questionable as Smash 4 DLC and a Smash 5 of 2014-2016 newcomers have the same problem, both drawing from a creative sinkhole in Nintendo history.

It makes sense that Sakurai would have little choice but to bring back vets and go all out on 3rd Parties in Smash 4 DLC, because relevant Nintendo options at the time were severely limited and the one we did get got severe backlash. Now it's the reverse: the 3rd Parties worth letting in are drying up but Nintendo is in a positive boon, so it follows that Switch characters who miss the boat for Smash 5 are pretty obvious DLC candidates. It does also follow that there will be at least someone from the Switch's first year in the base roster aside from just using BotW Link.

Honestly, ARMS and XC2 are the only Switch titles i can see getting a character, Base or DLC atm.