Sorry for double-posting but my phone is weird when it comes to tables on this site.
Job #4: Submit a newcomer from a Nintendo series introduced in the previous three games
I guess this might seem at first glance like a bit of an odd choice, but...
Tetra's genuinely in a pretty good spot for both this timeframe, and in terms of potential, to be a fun and somewhat unique pick overall.
First things first: promotions. Now, I don't want to be overly cynical and say that the
Smash series is basically just a glorified advertisement for Nintendo's various products, but the
Smash series is basically just a glorified advertisement for Nintendo's various products (citation: Corrin.) That being said, the 2013 release of
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD as a headlining title for the Wii U's lineup is a pretty important point to consider - and with Tetra being one of the central characters from the game, it only makes sense to consider her (especially considering there's a possibility that Toon Link might well be cut.) Whilst the development cycle for the game has characters being selected a lot earlier than you might expect, Greninja's official debut was in October 2013, so it's not completely unreasonable. (She may also have been considered for
Brawl depending on what you make of the Forbidden 7's code?)
That aside, I think Tetra is also in a really good spot to... actually represent
Wind Waker. One of the problems I personally have with Toon Link is that, what with his design essentially being a modernised take on the Young Link concept, the unique moveset potential that comes about from his source material is pretty much ignored - and bringing him back with a completely different moveset runs the risk of alienating long-time followers of the series. Tetra, on the other hand, is new and fresh - bringing in a whole new moveset that could have a variety of inspirations (and more prominent female characters on the roster also doesn't hurt!) That said, it'd also be nice for her to actually just be Tetra - ideally not bringing over the transformation mechanic that Zelda and Sheik have going on so she can be, well... herself.
