Smashboards Mini-Recreates: The SSB Series Rosters

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

1. Ridley - Just imagine unlocking this big lug after the boss battle in Subspace Emissary. That would make it even cooler!
2. Krystal - A unique Star Fox character? Count me in!
3. Tetra - Call me crazy, but despite the then-current public opinion of The Wind Waker, I think the success of the Wii has made that game a more viable point of reference.

1. Princess Peach
2. Meowth
3. Yoshi

I think it's time to give some Mario veterans a spotlight now, and Peach and Yoshi should hopefully give a taste of who to expect. As for Meowth, Jessie and James are still relevant.

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Krystal
2. Ridley
3. Midna

1. Luigi
2. Princess Peach
3. King Dedede

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Pokemon Trainer
2. Diddy Kong
3. Ridley

1. Yoshi
2. Wario
3. Peach

 

[darkvortex]

1. Krystal
2. Dixie & Diddy
3. Ridley

I think this is the perfect time for Krystal. Any later and she's missed her chance in my opinion. I'll miss Wolf (I doubt we get both) but he was very much a last minute addition IRL anyway. Dixie and Diddy is a cool twist on an existing smash character that gives us a new gimmick. Ridley fits with our theme of villains we've been doing so far.

I agree it's too early for Ashley, despite submitting her myself earlier. Her star hasn't risen quite yet. I'd be down with her getting in next game. Tetra is a pick I'm proud of but is maybe too soon for a new Zelda rep after . Same with more Pokemon. Love Trainer but I'd actually quite like to do a different take on them with other Pokemon.

1. Peach
2. Wario
3. Dedede
Extending our existing series with Peach and Triple D. Wario is an original 12 vet here and deserves the inclusion. Shout out to Zelda and Marth, who almost made it onto my list.

 

[Pupp135]

Here are the votes

Pokemon Trainer 7
Bowser Jr.
Diddy Kong 11
Ridley 12
Giygas
Midna 1
Kamek
Ashley 5
Krystal 14
Tetra 1
Diddy & Dixie Kong 3

Krystal and Ridley are the next newcomers.

Spoiler: Eligible Veterans

Mr. Game & Watch
Luigi 3
Princess Peach 19
Princess Daisy
Donkey Kong Jr.
Yoshi 4
Wario 8
Princess Zelda 5
Marth 5
Celica
Black Shadow
King Dedede 7
Falco
Ness 1
Meowth 2
Mewtwo
Pichu

Princess Peach and Wario are the next veterans added.

Job 22: Submit a Newcomer (Open-Ended)

Nominating Ice Climbers here as I think the gimmick is cool.

 

[BritishGuy54]

Job 22:

Job 20: Bowser Jr. (Super Mario)
View attachment 389920
At this point in time, Junior would have a radically different moveset compared to when he was introduced in 4.

He would mainly utilise assets from Sunshine and NSMBDS for now, making for an interesting alternative take on a character at a different point in time.

He can use his magic paintbrush, as well as throw projectiles (shells) at his opponents.

I’ll just resubmit Junior. I think the core Mario series could do with a Brawl newcomer.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Job 22: Open-Ended Newcomer
I'm going to submit Muddy Mole just because I can.

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

job 22: Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country)

 

[darkvortex]

Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3)
I mentioned this before so why not go for it? A Gen 3 trainer with Grovile, Blaziken and Mudkip. Gives Gen 3 some representation and adds some really popular Pokemon. Blaziken would be a kung fu brawler, Grovile would be a quick ninja like fighter, Mudip would be small and walk around on all fours. May would be default here since I ink she's more the more iconic of the two trainers.

 

[Mamboo07]

Job 22: Excitebiker
Having a fighter that fights with a vehicle sounds like a fun concept, plus would be another retro rep

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

Job 22: General Sturm(Advance Wars)

 

[TheLastMaverickHunter]

View attachment 390071

Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3)
I mentioned this before so why not go for it? A Gen 3 trainer with Grovile, Blaziken and Mudkip. Gives Gen 3 some representation and adds some really popular Pokemon. Blaziken would be a kung fu brawler, Grovile would be a quick ninja like fighter, Mudip would be small and walk around on all fours. May would be default here since I ink she's more the more iconic of the two trainers.

Okay, I'd be down for this.

Also, my submission for this job is King K. Rool. Hopefully, he or Diddy can make it in.

 

[Northsouthmap]

Isaac (Golden Sun)
He became an assist trophy in the real game, but since we're not focusing on that part, he could be playable instead.
It helps that he is highly requested and has potential moves just waiting to be opened.

 

[ssbashworld]

Resetti

Feel like series should have been on the roster by now. Perhaps this wont age the best as character faded later on but would argue him as super iconic to series at this point alongside Tom Nook & KK (was chosen as series 1st assist for a reason). Would use a mix of villager & pickaxe attacks. Think his pickaxe & attitude in general would help flesh out a good moveset & push past the conflicting tone of the series in a fighting game.

 

[Louie G.]

Wanted to break something down for a bit of a status check.

1980s - Ridley, Pit
1990s - Ganondorf, Sonic, Snake
2000s - Krystal, Ike, Olimar, Lucario

So far, pretty good variety among our newcomers! I think we've been doing well by contemporary Nintendo characters, and there are definitely a handful of others that I want to see tackled in the next few rounds. I think I'm going to throw another bone to the pre-2000s for this one and re-nominate Little Mac.

We're already sorta covered on "retro" type characters with Pit, but I consider Punch-Out in a special category of games that received multiple entries, were quite popular into the 90s and saw a fair bit of referencing in other Nintendo material. He's a character who could have even been a justified addition in the very first game. Once Mac is here I think we're maybe set on NES icons, but he's the last one whose absence feels glaring. As a matter of fact, he's technically an arcade icon, of which the crop is fairly limited as is.

Besides, I think it's natural for us to gravitate toward characters with flashy powers or weapons, but a more traditional fighter like Little Mac stands out in his own right. I suppose we kinda have a martial artist thing going on with Lucario, but there's a vast difference between a Ryu-type aura energy type character and a fully traditional boxer like Little Mac anyway. I still think there's a place for him here. I want to continue pushing the envelope further on fighters who may not have gotten the chance to join Smash yet otherwise, but from another perspective... characters like Little Mac or Ridley being here in Brawl would at least open up the door for more creative liberties in the near future.

 

[Pupp135]

Here are the nominations
Pupp135 Ice Climbers
BritishGuy54 Bowser Jr.
M Master Hero Sock-on-Rye Muddy Mole
D darkvortex Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3)
DragonRobotKing26 Diddy Kong
Mamboo07 Excitebiker
Qwerty UIOP General Sturm
TheLastMaverickHunter King K. Rool
Northsouthmap Isaac
ssbashworld Mr. Resetti
Louie G. Little Mac

Vote for your three most wanted, where yours is not first.

1. Pokemon Trainer
2. Icies
3. Isaac

Job 23: Vote for three veterans to return.

Spoiler: Eligible Veterans

Mr. Game & Watch
Luigi
Princess Daisy
Donkey Kong Jr.
Yoshi
Princess Zelda
Marth
Celica
Black Shadow
King Dedede
Falco
Ness
Meowth
Mewtwo
Pichu

1. Princess Zelda
2. Ness
3. Mars

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Bowser Jr.
2. Diddy Kong
3. Isaac

1. Luigi
2. Marth
3. Mr. G&W

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

1. Bowser Jr. - I think a Mario newcomer might be deserved in Brawl.
2. Isaac - It's a new franchise in more ways than one. Isaac might need the representation.
3. Little Mac - Yeah, I agree that the NES era might need another newcomer.

1. Luigi - It's about time he got back in!
2. Marth - I feel like enough time has passed since Ike's reveal.
3. Meowth - We need another Pokemon veteran from 64 and Melee. Meowth might be the easiest one to do.

 

[BritishGuy54]

1. Little Mac
2. Bowser Jr.
3. Isaac

Maybe it’s a bit early for Mac, but I think he could come in at this point.

Looking back, with Wario joining in 64, the Mario universe shouldn’t get the short end of the stick here in Brawl. Bowser Jr has potential and was a rising star at this point in time.

Isaac is pretty popular here, so I can see him joining soon.

Note: If Pokémon Trainer wins, our slot count should technically be decreased to 37, right?

1. Marth
2. Luigi
3. Zelda

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Diddy Kong
2. Bowser Jr.
3. Little Mac

1. Luigi
2. Zelda
3. Marth

 

[Mamboo07]

Newcomers

• Diddy Kong
• Bowser Jr
• Isaac

Veterans

• Luigi
• Marth
• Zelda

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

Newcomers:
1. Pokemon Trainer
2. Issac
3. Diddy Kong
HMs - Ice Climbers, Bowser Jr, King K. Rool

Veterans:
1. Luigi
2. Zelda
3. Marth

 

[ssbashworld]

Sturm
Resetti
Isaac

Zelda
Yoshi
Meowth

 

[darkvortex]

1. Pokemon Trainer
2. Issac
3. Little Mac

1. Luigi
2. Zelda
3. Marth

 

[TORNADO BUS DRIVER]

1. Pokemon Trainer
2. Bowser. JR
3. Issac

1. Luigi
2. Zelda
3. Mewtwo

 

[Louie G.]

1. Isaac - Another notable new IP put out between Melee and Brawl. They were kinda going nuts pumping those out! It would be unfortunate if we made the same mistake as IRL Brawl and neglected several of the most promising ones, only to never make it into Smash past that. If Nintendo introduced all these cool new series, I think we should make it a priority to reflect that. And Brawl was the perfect time to introduce Isaac - he had two games under his belt now which put him at least on par with the likes of Pikmin, which we already have on here. His Djinn abilities make for a welcome mage archetype on a roster that doesn't have very many of those, as well as earth bending, plant summoning abilities and big floating hands. He's just cool man.

2. Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3) - Alright, I think I'm ready to bite the bullet on this one. I agree, Pokemon Trainer is a cool concept. But committing to three characters is a lot when we have fairly limited space. I really love Squirtle and Ivysaur, and Charizard is pretty essential, but seeing the Gen 3 focus here convinced me that we can do something fresh. Granted, I am not fully convinced that these Pokemon will be that much more unique or compelling than the ones we already have... so I have a slight hangup about it, since one is just kind of a "ninja" archetype and the other is a martial artist like Lucario. But without Sheik, we don't have a ninja archetype. And Lucario has all his aura junk, so Blaziken can probably stand out right? Mudkip is an easy sell, I love that little guy.

So yeah, let's make it happen. The presence of Gen 3 would do a lot to diversify this roster beyond what our real version of Brawl had been able to achieve, and I think these three are all fairly popular and have the potential to be fun. Mudkip could be kind of a zoner splashing around mud, Grovyle with speedy rushdown and Blaziken with hard punishes and finishing moves. The team dynamic is there. And to be honest, May is my favorite trainer anyway.

3. Little Mac - Putting him at a bit lower priority because it doesn't look like the enthusiasm is there right now, and I'd rather ride the momentum of some of these other characters. Both Isaac and the Gen 3 'Mon would be new to the series as well, so it's an exciting new face whereas Little Mac will have another shot next game on the heels of his new game. I may still nominate him one more time a bit later, but at least we have Pit for a throwback character and it feels like we're tapping into a few more traditional fighters and/or rushdown characters here and there.

Honorable Mention to Mr. Resetti, but I don’t think he should be the first Animal Crossing character. Nook is the central figure in the series at this point and Villager is the playable character, so I still believe either of them are a bit more practical. But I do like Resetti and would like to see him playable anyway, I may have thrown him a vote if I had another.

Bowser Jr. is still a good idea, but I’m in no rush. He could even be added later on akin to Toon Link or Wolf as a smaller, faster take on Bowser. Or he’ll just make it next game, probably. But I am still curious what a Brawl version of this character would have looked like with the material available at the time.

And yeah, Diddy Kong. We should obviously add him. Although I’m kinda into revisiting the Diddy / Dixie team still.

Job 23:

For Zelda and Dedede, it feels like it's time to round out those casts respectively. Ness should be here by now if we're not planning to add another Mother character. He's the only representative from an O12 series not to have made it back yet. I'm still content waiting on Marth just a bit longer since Ike is here, and I think at least one of the Pokemon should return but it may or may not be getting three new characters this round.

 

[Pupp135]

Here are the votes:

Here are the nominations
Ice Climbers 2
Bowser Jr. 14
Muddy Mole
Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3) 14
Diddy Kong 9
Excitebiker
General Sturm 3
King K. Rool
Isaac 15
Mr. Resetti 2
Little Mac 7

Isaac is our next newcomer, and here is a poll to decide whether Bowser Jr. or Pokemon Trainer should join.

Who should be added? - StrawPoll

What is your opinion? Vote now: Bowser Jr., Pokemon Trainer (Gen 3)

strawpoll.com

Job 23: Vote for three veterans to return.

Spoiler: Eligible Veterans

Mr. Game & Watch 1
Luigi 23
Princess Daisy
Donkey Kong Jr.
Yoshi 2
Princess Zelda 19
Marth 13
Celica
Black Shadow
King Dedede 1
Falco
Ness 4
Meowth 2
Mewtwo 1
Pichu

Because newcomer counts are getting low, I’ll add three veterans, who end up being Luigi, Princess Zelda, and Marth.

Job 24: Submit a Semi-Clone

The Metroid Prime games were relevant during Brawl, so I’ll nominate Dark Samus, and she helps add more women to the roster.

 

[BritishGuy54]

Job 24: Plusle and Minun (Pokémon)

My alternate proposal for a Gen 3 Pokémon representative, and possibly considered in our own timeline’s Brawl. A successor to Pichu, but a semi-clone of Pikachu. Likely an afterthought in development.

While there are two of them at once, like how Ice Climbers were in our world, it’s a neat concept explored differently.

And on that note, while a Gen 3 trainer is a neat idea… I don’t know. I’d rather open more slots to more fighters in this Brawl scenario. And I don’t really want the core Mario series to get the short end of the stick here.

 

[Northsouthmap]

Black Knight (Fire Emblem)
Would be a heavier and slower semi of Ike. He also represents the hero vs villain theme going on for this entry.

 

[Louie G.]

Job 24: Lyn (Fire Emblem)

So I realize that Lyn is someone who could very well be their own fully original character, and that it may be disappointing to see her without say... a bow and arrow, outside of maybe a Final Smash or something. But keep in mind that Brawl's definition of semiclone is a pretty loose one. Someone like Lucas or Wolf are easier to build off an existing base, and share the fundamental idea behind their specials, but operate in very different ways with almost entirely new normals. That's what I'd expect to happen here, with Lyn going very much her own way with some of Marth's existing tools to become a blitzing fast rushdown swordie in contrast with Ike's brute force and Marth's more patient gameplay.

She could easily adopt Dolphin Slash, and Counter is a given. Maybe her shield break is something akin to the action she performs in her AT, a powerful unsheathing of her sword with substantial startup? Not as sold on this one, but it can't be too hard to deviate on this in a more satisfying way. And her Dancing Blade ought to be faster and maybe something further resembling the move Mythra would eventually posses as her Side B. Presumably this one can be used more like a recovery tool, somewhere between Marth and Ike's side specials.

Lyn is a character who remains popular to this very day, and it's no coincidence she was chosen as an AT. Her game was the first localized to western shores, making her a choice that would resonate strongly with that audience. These are pretty big steps for Fire Emblem to have made in the jump from Melee to Brawl, and while I think it would still technically just be fine with Marth and Ike... it wouldn't be such a bad idea to throw them a bone with Lyn either. For many she was likely the first Fire Emblem protagonist they ever commanded. I'm trying to detach myself from the mentality of what would "age well", but I think this trio is a really strong one and Brawl was really the best and only time that she could have been added without serious competition from new games in the series.

Side note, I know we’re not voting on veterans this time, but are the absences that feel especially glaring right now. I hope we’ll hurry up on those three next time we get the chance.

 

[darkvortex]

Toon Link
I think a second Link is something we could use. Toon Link would have his own moves here based on things from the Wind Waker and the DS games, mixed with normal Link things.

 

[Pupp135]

From the poll, Pokemon Trainer is our next fighter.

Here are the nominations

Pupp135 Dark Samus
BritishGuy54 Plusle & Minun
Northsouthmap Black Knight
Louie G. Lyn
D darkvortex Toon Link

Vote for your three most wanted, where yours is not first.

1. Lyndis
2. Dark Samus
3. Toon Link

Job 25: Vote for your three most wanted veterans to return.

Spoiler: Eligible Veterans

Mr. Game & Watch
Princess Daisy
Donkey Kong Jr.
Yoshi
Celica
Black Shadow
King Dedede
Falco
Ness
Meowth
Mewtwo
Pichu

1. Ness
2. Yoshi
3. Mewtwo

Ness is favoritism, and Yoshi is probably the most prominent veteran not currently on the roster. For the last one, Mewtwo just grabs my interest over Dedede, Game & Watch, and Meowth.

 

[TORNADO BUS DRIVER]

1. Toon Link
2. Dark Samus
3. Plusle & Minun

1. Ness
2. Dedede
3. Mewtwo

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Lyndis
2. Plusle and Minun
3. Dark Samus

1. Yoshi
2. Dedede
3. Mewtwo

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Lyn
2. Toon Link
3. Dark Samus

1. Yoshi
2. Ness
3. Mr. G&W

 

[BritishGuy54]

1. Lyn
2. Toon Link
3. Dark Samus

With the poll out of the way, and a Gen 3 Trainer taking priority, I can’t back Plusle & Minun here.

Lyn has been heavily requested since Brawl despite the reputation that FE as a series has had since Smash 4. Impressive.

Toon Link makes sense, with having a more cartoony Link is warranted.

Dark Samus is fine.

1. King Dedede
2. Yoshi
3. Ness

Dedede and Yoshi make sense to bring back. And with likely no Mother 3 rep on its way, Ness is the best bet for a character in Smash.

 

[Louie G.]

1. Dark Samus
2. Lyn
3. Toon Link

Dark Samus is a pretty exciting choice, and while Prime 3 probably came too late to have any real influence it would have been an especially fresh game at the time too. Metroid was kinda kicking ass from Melee to Brawl, to be honest - it can warrant a third character if they wanted. Lyn I’ve already spoken about, and Toon Link is a sensible choice from our own real roster. I think I’d sooner bring these other two series up to speed before we spring on a fourth Zelda guy though, bumping several major series to three characters is kinda nice.

Black Knight would be cool if I didn’t nominate Lyn, and Plusle-Minun would be cool if Pokemon Trainer wasn’t added. But really good picks across the board.

1. Ness
2. King Dedede
3. Yoshi

These three are pretty clearly the biggest absences right now. Mother remains the one returning 64 series absent from the roster altogether, King Dedede rounds out the Kirby series with its last essential member and Yoshi is Yoshi. The last totally essential veteran outside this bunch is, IMO, Mr. Game & Watch.
____

With the roster closing in, I'd just like to remind us what we're missing.

are absent newcomers from our universe's Brawl roster. Out of these, Diddy Kong is the obvious standout and we should waste no time adding him back next chance we get - with the main question simply being if Dixie arrives in tow. Lucas and ROB would be nice supplemental choices if we have space. I'm kinda bummed that my pitch for Duster didn't work out, but other choices quickly took priority. I think we could have innovated a bit here, but I'm perfectly happy just bringing in Lucas if we have the opportunity. I love Wolf, but we added Krystal and will probably add Falco back? So for now I don't mind him taking a backseat for the sake of something new. Zero Suit Samus... I don't care, honestly.

As far as newcomers who were not in our version of Brawl, we could probably get away with one more new series if the space allows. Either that, or a second Zelda character might be a welcome addition. I prefer that we spread the love but any of Midna, Tetra, Skull Kid etc feels valuable enough. I probably wouldn't mind throwing Bowser Jr in there either, maybe even as a Toon Link esque speedier Bowser semiclone.

In regards to returning vets... I'm going to pretend the three I voted for are in, and like I mentioned Mr. Game & Watch seems like a must. Where does everyone else stand? I will say, first things first, this process has made me understand why hard decisions had to be made with Pokemon in Brawl. I went into this anticipating we'd bring Mewtwo back, but with the number of "cool" humanoid Pokemon we opted for this game I almost feel like he becomes more redundant than another cute mascot oriented pick like Meowth. I'm undecided. One of them will probably return, but I see the value in both.

And then we're down to clones. If it's anything like our Brawl, two will make it back and four will be cut. The choice seems pretty obvious to me, personally. Falco should return alongside Black Shadow. Shadow is a welcome inclusion in a game that has already given several heroes their foils, after F-Zero GX gave him another prominent story role to boot. Daisy isn't a bad choice either, and has substantially grown as a character between these two games, but feels a little bit predictable. DK Jr, Celica and Pichu have (once Diddy is here) all been effectively replaced and are no-brainer cuts.

 

[Pupp135]

With the roster closing in, I'd just like to remind us what we're missing.

are absent newcomers from our universe's Brawl roster. Out of these, Diddy Kong is the obvious standout and we should waste no time adding him back next chance we get - with the main question simply being if Dixie arrives in tow. Lucas and ROB would be nice supplemental choices if we have space. I'm kinda bummed that my pitch for Duster didn't work out, but other choices quickly took priority. I think we could have innovated a bit here, but I'm perfectly happy just bringing in Lucas if we have the opportunity. I love Wolf, but we added Krystal and will probably add Falco back? So for now I don't mind him taking a backseat for the sake of something new. Zero Suit Samus... I don't care, honestly.

As far as newcomers who were not in our version of Brawl, we could probably get away with one more new series if the space allows. Either that, or a second Zelda character might be a welcome addition. I prefer that we spread the love but any of Midna, Tetra, Skull Kid etc feels valuable enough. I probably wouldn't mind throwing Bowser Jr in there either, maybe even as a Toon Link esque speedier Bowser semiclone.

In regards to returning vets... I'm going to pretend the three I voted for are in, and like I mentioned Mr. Game & Watch seems like a must. Where does everyone else stand? I will say, first things first, this process has made me understand why hard decisions had to be made with Pokemon in Brawl. I went into this anticipating we'd bring Mewtwo back, but with the number of "cool" humanoid Pokemon we opted for this game I almost feel like he becomes more redundant than another cute mascot oriented pick like Meowth. I'm undecided. One of them will probably return, but I see the value in both.

And then we're down to clones. If it's anything like our Brawl, two will make it back and four will be cut. The choice seems pretty obvious to me, personally. Falco should return alongside Black Shadow. Shadow is a welcome inclusion in a game that has already given several heroes their foils, after F-Zero GX gave him another prominent story role to boot. Daisy isn't a bad choice either, and has substantially grown as a character between these two games, but feels a little bit predictable. DK Jr, Celica and Pichu have (once Diddy is here) all been effectively replaced and are no-brainer cuts.

To elaborate on this, we only have room for five more fighters once semi-clone newcomers and the three next veterans are accounted for. From these five fighters, at least four are veterans, and at least two of these veterans are semi-clones. One thing that we’ll need to consider is if more or less we’d want to complete Melee’s unique lineup or add one last unique newcomer, which I’d assume is Diddy Kong. If Diddy Kong is added, one thing that I think is important to consider is how would we approach his character in SSBFor if we end up going with an Ice Climbers type of character with him as the 3DS wouldn’t support this feature.

Because I was going to split off the remaining four/five veterans into two more batches, I’m only adding one semi-clone this round.

 

[TheLastMaverickHunter]

Lyn
Dark Samus
Toon Link

 

[LoZ00]

Job # 24
1. Toon Link: I have never been opposed to a secondary Link to join Smash, and Toon Link especially is, in my opinion, a great addition. He represents a branch of the Zelda series that was very popular during Brawl's development and lifespan. And the series is big enough to warrant a 4th representative, in my opinion.
2. Lyn: by the time Brawl was released, Fire Emblem had already been released overseas and Lyn will forever go down in history as the first Lord that western fans have met. I think that this fact alone is big enough to warrant her a spot in the roster. And her moveset, while taking from Marth's, could definitely use her iconic bow, making her an early stand-out among Fire Emblem characters.
3. Black Knight: another villain, fitting the overarching theme we have with Brawl. And Tellius was a very important saga for Fire Emblem, especially with all the interest it created in the West.


Job #25
1. Yoshi: HE HAS TO COME BACK! Yoshi is such an iconic and important Nintendo character that having a Smash game without him after he has already debuted feels so wrong. He should be a no contest addition imo.
2. King Dedede: another character that we desperately need back. The triad Kirby-Dedede-MK shall finally be reunited. And it makes little sense to have Meta Knight in without the more relevant King Dedede.
3. Ness: oof, this was hard. It was almost a three-way tie between Ness, Falco, and Meowth (who I hope will all come back), but in the end I went with Ness. He feels like the least disposable character out of these three.

I sincerely hope that the next five fighters (after this round) are Meowth, Falco, Princess Daisy (we need at least two semi-clones, correct?), G&W, and a newcomer. I'd ditch Mewtwo in no time if this meant having another new face around (ideally Diddy Kong).