Smashchu's Roster Analysis

[SmashChu]

This has been a long time coming, so I hope you all enjoy! Due to its size, I will post it in parts.
(NOTE: please wait a bit before posting. Gotta make sure I have enough

Smash games are always greeted with a lot of speculation on the roster. While all of us have dream rosters, some of us what to guess who will happen. However, I feel we end up running in circles and many try to be the smartest guy in the room rather than to understand what will happen. Of course, the end result is that many of us turn out wrong. Rather than step back for a second, people continue on the same flawed crusade. Instead of that, I want to try and forge a new path and learn from the past.

Looking Beyond the Norm

One of the issues that comes up in this art of roster analysis is trying to understand the roster selection. From what I saw in Brawl, most people were very wrong on who got in and who didn't. With SSB4, many of us try to correct this mistake. However, to do this, we must change our point of view.

The current roster analysis environment (if you want to call it that) is based on “what.” It is base on arbitrary facts on why one character will get in and why another wont. With Brawl, many look at it and see “what” got characters in. For instance, one character didn't into Brawl, so everyone applies that context onto other characters. They look at what happened. What needs to happen is looking at “why” something happened. Understand what only works in that instance of what happened. Consider this: You take a test and fail is. That is what happened. You don't want to fail, so you would try to find out “why” you failed. See, what is only half of the story. Why something happened is the full story. What only tells us what was or is. Why tries to understand it in hopes of applying.

What I have learned from roster analysis is that what doesn't get you anywhere. It is only a recount of history. What needs to happen is “why”. In this analysis, I will say what happened but also why it happened. If I know why something happened, then I can start applying it in today’s context. Then, he can make more accurate predictions.

Lastly, you have to be wary of the norms. Somewhere along the lines, new rules are made up which may or may matter. In all of this, you can't be afraid to question an idea. You have to ask yourself “does that make sense.” I feel that a lot of us cling to an old idea. We have this set context of how this all works and ideas become stale. We don't sit back and ask ourselves if an idea is right or not. Question everything. In this article, I plan to try and question ideas that come up. I call these Sacred Cows and I plan to knock them out.

I hope you all enjoy!

Sakurai's Criteria

At GDC 2008, Sakurai mentioned his criteria for new characters in the Super Smash Brothers games. If the idea is to understand what characters got it, it would make sense to understand these first. I'll list off each criteria and give a brief interpretation of it.

# 1: The character's inclusion must make people want to play the game.

This means that the characters added have to make people excited. They have to make people interested and want to play the game just by looking at them. They have to be an easy sell. At first glance, this means just characters people want the most or the popular ones. But it also includes characters who would make people interested despite knowing little about them. Think of it as characters that are easy to sell. They have a certain charm that attracts people and makes them want to find out more. A good example is Pokemon Trainer. He was not asked for a lot before he was shown. Afterward, he became a big hit. A lot of people wanted to play as him. They were quickly won over. This is a very hard quality to find in a character and not easy to pin down except for the really popular ones.

As I go though this, you'll see me point to a lot of different characters and note that popularity helped them get in. So why do I put this here then? I point this out that popularity alone can not make a characters. It may be better to ask what makes a character popular. I don't think the character starts popular, but a character is really cool or interesting and that makes them popular. So a lot of these popular characters are really interesting and become popular as a result. Generally, I see them as likable. They are importaint int heir game, they are unique and are just flat out cool. There is something endering about them. The hard part of this is it is an art. There is no formula you can apply to figure out who fits the bill. But when you see them....

One last note on popularity.

Sacred Cow # 1: Popularity is all that matters

As I go though this, I'll point out some things I hear and try to stamp them out. This is one I use to think and I'm sure others still do. Popularity is important, but not the only factor. Mr. Game and Watch was not popular. ROB wasn't. Most people didn't like the Pokemon Trainer until they saw it. Popularity alone does not drive characters. Like I said above, why is a character popular. That is what you need to ask.

The first criteria is one of the most important, but it is also one of the hardest to nail down. I say this includes characters who are likable. What does this mean? I will explain as I go.

# 2: The character must be unique.

The character should have abilities and traits that only they can do. People will say “But that's not true at all. Look at Lucas. Look at Wolf.” While those two have a lot in common to other characters, they also look and act different, which is part about being unique. They also have some abilities the other can't do, so while their special moves are similar, their other attacks are not (and for good reason). A good example of a character that violates this is Ninten. He is really just Ness and there is nothing that sets him apart. Dark Pit is another example. And as I said before, looks matter too. Moves are not the only thing that is taken into account here. Generally, they should stand out from the rest of the cast.

# 3: The character must fit into the style of Super Smash Bros.

This can mean a lot. For one, it means they should be able to fight. L Block would be a good example of this. The other thing which is ignored is that the game shouldn't have to work around them to work. Kraid is a good example, or even Doshin the Giant. They are huge characters. They wouldn't be able to be smashed out. Taking this concept even further, I can apply it Slime from Dragon Quest. Some think he will be added since Nintendo has supported the series more. But he can't work in the game space. He has no limbs. He can't hold items, or grab the ledge. “But wait a minute” they say “He can hold the ball in Mario Sports Mix.” This isn't Mario Sports Mix. They'd add big Kraid if he needed to be in. Smash is not as liberal in these regards and will not make items float next to the character. If it's not practical, than it wont work. If the game has to work around the character, it means it violates this rule.

Generally, most characters will work, so I will assume every character I'm talking about fits this.

# 4: They must contribute to the series balance.

This means that when a character is added, they have to round out the series. There can't be too many characters from one series, and not to few. Most people will apply this to just the smaller series, but it works for the bigger ones too. When looking at characters, we have to run the gambit. The series should blend well so the new characters feel like they come from all over. In others words, you cant add a bunch of characters from a larger series, but you cant add a bunch to a lot of smaller series, ignoring the major series. This is easier to see when you look at the roster as a whole, so keep this in mind.

While this seems simple, it is much hard to point out. I'm sure a lot of people here can apply it (loosly) to any character. The thing is that some will fit these better than others. And still, it may be hard to interpret them at times. Though my analysis and my roster, I will try to apply it to the characters in each game.

So now we have an understanding of what Sakurai is looking for, we can move onto the games. I'll be coming back to this towards the end.

 

[SmashChu]

Super Smash Brothers

So it's 1999 and Nintendo releases a game no one though would exist and, hey, it's pretty fun.

So this is the one that started it all. Looking at this game will be different than the other two since this the starting point of the series. Up until this point, there wasn't a Smash game. Everything had to be established here, and it branched out from this point. Thus, our discussion will expand as we got though the games. Remember that this is 1999, so stuff has changed since then and now. This will be a short one since this game had the least about of stuff of the three games released so far. Smash Brothers started with 10 series, and this is what we'll be focusing on. A common theme with these series is they were rather big in terms of size. None of them were particularly obscure and they tended to be Nintendo bigger series. They were:

Mario
Donkey Kong
Ledgend of Zelda
Metroid
Yoshi
Kirby
Starfox
Pokemon
Earthbound
F-Zero


Each games tries it's best to add the cream of the crop of characters and we'll see this as we go on. Since this is the first game, Super Smash Bros (to be further called “64”) adds the most important characters in the Nintendo universe. Of course, these are the Nintendo All-star series, and, as such, they are pretty big. Mother, for instance, still sold over a million units for it's second game worldwide. Yes, Earthbound was a little obscure for most people, but it had 2 games and the second one having decent success. 1 million units worldwide is a big feat in the early 90s, a time when Nintendo didn't have a foothold in Europe thanks to litigation in the US and competition with Sega... Also, interestingly to note is that all of them were made by Nintendo first party studios. All of them came from inside Nintendo except Kirby, Pokemon, and Earthbound. Kirby and Earthbound were made by HAL and HAL/Creature respectively who are both are owned by Nintendo. Pokemon is the only series that really isn't, but ownership is split between three parties. Game Freak, Nintendo and Creature Inc (which Nintendo owns). Why is this importaint? Well, you'll see at the end.

At that time, most of these series were rather current. While F-Zero and Starfox may not seem important now, they were in 1999. F-Zero X and Starfox 64 had both come out recently. Yoshi is the same. There were two Yoshi games with Yoshi Story on the N64. At this point, no one knew the series would halt though it seems to be turning the other way again. On the flip side, Metroid and Earthbound were the the only MIA but still had games on the SNES. Earthbound was also suppose to get a game for the N64 as well than never happened. It had been 5 years since the last Metroid title. Mother was about 5 years since the Japan release. This should tell you that.......

Sacred Cow #2: Only current series matter

Many people think that if a series isn't current, it should loss status in Smash, including removing specific characters. Metroid and Mother give show us that that is not the case. Sakurai does not have any problem going back though the Nintendo library. While people want to believe it only applies to specific “classic” characters, it applies to everyone. During Brawl, Sheik wasn't in a game for about 9 years.

To no surprise, Mario and Pokemon got a second character. They are Nintendo's two biggest series then and now. As we'll seem, these series tend to get more characters (especially Pokemon). Luigi is obvious. Jigglypuff is really the odd one out. There are two reasons she was in. First, many people note that she was (and still is) popular over in Japan. Consider her roll in the anime. She constantly appeared throughout the Jhoto saga and still shows up from time to time. She also has a decent roll in the manga being one of the character's first Pokemon. Some will consider her roll to be based on Smash and not her; however, it is the other way around. The first episode with Jigglypuff, titled “The Song of Jigglypuff” came out in May 21, 1998 in Japan and February 20, 1999 in the US. These are both before Super Smash Brothers released in there respective countries. This adds credence to the theory that the character was popular first which is why it was added in Smash. Another theory is that she uses Kirby's model and for a game this size (which wasn't very big), it made sense to use her. Also, an interesting thing to note is that she was a joke character in this game and was made to be somewhat bad. Sakurai mentioned he wanted a joke character, and here it is. This would change as the series went on.

Why do I spend so much time on Jigglypuff? Well, she is one of those characters that people say should be removed for whatever reason. Jigglypuff is really a victim of the second Sacred Cow. As many people have noted, she was important in 1999. Is she as important in 2008? Or 2013? No, but why should that matter. A character like Sheik is not as important as she was in 2001 as in 2013. the issue I'm bringing up is that what is going on currently doesn't always matter now. Series come and go. F-Zero isn't as important in 2013 as it was in 1999. The same is true for Starfox. Smash is timeless. It doesn't care how old characters are or when the last time they were seen. “But Smashchu, didn't you just talk about looking in the context of 1999? Why shouldn't we do that today.” Looking at 1999 is important because some characters were more important then. This is also the first game, so it holds more weight here than other games. But we can not base our reason for character inclusion/exclusion on what is going on today. As I noted above, Sakurai has no issue going back though the Nintendo archives. The important part is don't look solely to today to judge characters of yesteryear.

Lastly, what more important is what didn't get in. We know Bowser, Dedede and Mewtwo were defiantly planned. Given the character's importance in their series, this makes sense. Also consider that these guys come from Mario, Kirby and Pokemon. These series are generally the main ones as they are the ones shown off. Mario, Link, Pikachu and Kirby were all in the beginning of Melee's opening and were some of the first Brawl characters shown off. It tells us that these series may have a higher consideration for characters (along with Zelda, as we'll see with Melee). Even in the first game, these three series were going to get more characters. With that in mind, it would bee wise to look at these series first for characters as, even here, they were considered before other Smash series. I will talk more about it when I get to those characters. What is important to note is that 64's theme, in terms of characters, were the best of the best. Those three characters are probably the most recognizable Nintendo villains. So it's not surprising they were considered here.

Overall, 64 doesn't really have much to talk about. For one, it's not very big. It has 12 characters and Melee and Brawl added more than that. The game was a very small project and it was thought it wouldn't leave Japan. Also, it was the first, so everything is established here. The other two games flow from what was started in this game. Other than that, it's hard to get much from it since it has so little compared to the other two.

The 4 Criteria

It should be safe to say that every character fits this pretty well. As I mentioned above, even Jigglypuff would make sense here as she was pretty popular during this time. The character are diverse overall (which isn't hard since most of the cast comes from completely different series).

 

[SmashChu]

Super Smash Brothers Melee

Now, we get to the more relevant parts of our discussion. Each Smash Brothers game after the first one continues to expend the established series. Why? See, with 64, the game established the characters and series. This game expanded those series. As we'll see, most of the new characters came from series that were in 64. Remember, the point of this is to ask why, not what. So I will look at why specific characters got in. This is where we will really see our criteria in action.

As I said before, Melee was the first game in the series to focus on expanding the series already in Smash, and it will be a trend going forward. Anyway, onto the characters. I'll let them speak for themselves.

I'm going to split up the clones and regular newcomers. You'll see why in a bit.

Peach
Bowser
Zelda/Sheik
Ice Climbers
Mewtwo
Marth
Mr. Game and Watch

There are only 7 characters here. There is an 8th character I'll mention later on, but for now, we'll look at these guys. Do you notice anything special about the characters added? Or at least, what series they are all from. Outside of the new series characters, the only series to get new ones from here were Zelda, Mario and Pokemon. These are also some of Nintendo biggest series. As I mentioned before, Mario, Zelda, Pokemon and Kirby are likely going to have more characters given there overall importance. We can see that here as the first series to get new characters were Zelda, Mario and Pokemon. Much like Mario, Pokemon and Kirby were to get new characters in 64.

To go deeper, let's look at some noticeable additions. Bowser was planned for 64 as we saw earlier. Mewtwo was planned too. Both have found their way into Melee. It seems that Sakurai is not one to forget his progress (or attempts) from past games as seen here. Why did these guys come back when they could not have been added in 64? The obvious answer is their importance. It is unarguable they are important and well known characters. This is not the last time Sakurai will do this. He mentioned with Brawl that there were ideas that he couldn't add but wanted too. Consider this: He mentioned in the Iwata Ask for Brawl that he planned Final Smashes since 64. There is even voice samples for PK Starstorm in Super Smash Bros. This is why we think characters who couldn't make it into one game did make it into another. He keeps a tight lid on this information, so we wont know all the details. So the point I'm making is that, first, Sakurai adds content from past games he couldn't add. Second, there are some characters who might miss the boat in one game but get added in another game. I'll talk about this in our Brawl discussion, so we'll leave this topic for then. One last thing. It should go without saying why Peach was added. What is interesting is that she, too, is from Mario. Right now, this bring the character count for this series at 4 which is more than the others (without including the clones).

Now let's look at Sheik. Remember that this game came out in 2001. The last Zelda was Majora's Mask which Sheik wasn't in. It should be obvious why Zelda is her (the series is even named after her). But why is Sheik here? While her and Zelda are one in the same, Sheik is a popular character. When Melee was revealed, Sheik, not Zelda, was shown off. Like I said before, she was not current when this game came out and was not in the most recent Zelda game. Yet, she is in Melee. Considering our criteria, we can see why Sheik works so well. First, she looks really cool and basass . This looks like a character we want to try (remember the first criteria). She also adds a unique feature being able to change between her and Zelda. It is because of this that she returns in Brawl and will likely return in SSB4. This should tell us that who is the most current, or not, doesn't matter much. It is the strength of the character.

Now on to Ice Climbers. These characters exist because Sakurai wanted a character from the Famicom games. For those who don't know, the Famicom is the NES in Japan. It had two iterations. The Famicom and the Disk System (which had Zelda, Kid Icarus and Metroid). The former had a lot of smaller games that never got a sequel. A lot of them were re-released on the failed E-Reader. Sakurai wanted to add a character from those games and looked at Urban Champion, Clu Clu Land, Ice Climbers and Balloon Fighter. He went with Ice Climbers because they were unique and ditched the others for various reasons. This tells us two things. First, Sakurai likes classic characters who have a history with Nintendo and this tread continues on with Brawl. Second, is that Ice Climbers was chosen over the others as he fits the 4 criteria better. The character is unique as they offer something no other character in Smash has. They are also not something you would expect which adds to the balance of series. Series balance, I believe, means going outside of what is expected. I'm sure Sakurai could have either added a more well known character, yet he adds Ice Climbers instead. This is defiantly more interesting than a lot of the characters who could be here. Even among the classic characters he looked at, Ice Climbers were chosen based on what they brought to the game being a duo. So the issue with the criteria is not “does a character meet it,” but “Who meets it the best.” Among his choices, the answer is Ice Climbers meet all 4 the best.

There isn't much to say on Marth. Marth was added as the face of the Fire Emblem series and had a lot of request. The series, while obscure in the west, but was a big series in Japan and had 5 titles up to this point with a 6th on the way. Interestingly, this is the first time a character was added into Smash who was not international. Fire Emblem characters are popular in Smash, so this tells us that being known doesn't always matter. In comparison to some of the other series, some titles have sold over a half a million. It still has done worse than other bigger Nintendo series, including Metroid, F-Zero and Star Fox. However, it has been a long running series and has a lot of fans. In a lot of ways, Fire Emblem's fame pushed Marth. I guess I'll do this now:

Sacred Cow #3: Sales Matter
Yes and no. Like I pointed out, it helps, but not always. Obviously, it gets the series out there, but it may not be the main factor or the only one. Fire Emblem has done well, but not as well as other Nintendo series. Bigger series will be more likely to get looked at, but this does not mean poor selling series get ignored. Here is a post that details this, but I'll summarize it here. Series like Donkey Kong have sold better than others yet it has two characters. Yoshi and Wario have also sold better than Starfox and Mother but the former series have fewer characters. Series get characters for the wealth of strong characters the series has. And as we know, those strong characters are those who get in.

I'll end with Mr. Game and Watch. The Game and Watch was Nintendo first handhelds and they made a lot of them. It has a lot of history. You see, Game and Watch is something that has a historical backing to Nintendo. His inclusion, and the series with it, has a lot to do with representing a part of Nintendo's past. Much like the decision to add Ice Climbers, Mr Game and Watch was added to add another part of the series history. He fits the criteria much in the same way Ice Climbers do. He has a unique look to him as he is 2D. He also adds a series outside of the norm at the time. Does he make people want to play the game? Maybe. What he does is add someone different which is going to help people get excited. Variety is the spice of life they say. Would people want to see another Pokemon or Mario character over Mr. Game and Watch or a different kind of character.

I think I've discussed about everyone except the clones. Here is the deal: during development of Melee, there was a thinking to add more characters. The original plan was 20. But they could have made one new character or 6 model swaps. They went with the later, and today we have what was know to Smashers as the clones. I will come back to them, but note we really don't know who the 8th character was. It might have been King Dedede. It would make sense since while Bowser and Mewtwo got in, he did not. All the characters from a pre-established series were from the major ones: Mario, Pokemon and Zelda. If Dedede being planned was true, than Kirby would have had a character as well. Though we may never know. Though we can see that these series get a better deal then others due to their size and reception with fans.

Why the clones were added

Dr. Mario-He was added for the series history and music
Young Link- Sakurai mentioned that it was important to have both Links.
Ganondorf- Sakurai mentioned that if he didn't share Falcon's body type, he wouldn't have gotten in
Falco- People liked him. 'nuff said.
Pichu- Added as a joke character and because he was the face of Pokemon Gold/Silver
Roy-Sakurai mentioned that if he could promote Fire Emblem it would be a good thing (this is from a bad translation, so it may not be accurate). This explains why Roy may have been chosen and it may explain future choices as far as new characters go. Ike was the newer character during Brawl's development, so it may be a pattern. Or not.

Generally, the characters added were because of them being similar to another character (Ganondorf especially). Still, they were chosen based on our criteria above. We can see this with Falco and Ganondorf, but take Roy. While many consider him added for promotion, Sakurai though he was cool with his flaming sword. He was right. Roy was one of the most popular characters in Melee. His sword differentiated him and made him stand out. Pichu is another example as he is still used by the Pokemon Company for promotions. Young Link was well liked and, as Zelda fans know, Link has many iterations. For fansYoung Link (and later, Toon Link) was not an issue for fans.“But what about Doc?” they say. Dr .Mario (or Doc) does bring at least one new ability, his pills. In fact, it was one reason he was chosen. But he also gives a different look to Mario (and the rest of the cast) and a different feel from Mario. You can even say Dr. Mario was added for his history. Dr. Mario was one of the first spin offs and was is a series that is still made today. Overall, these characters also run the gambit which adds to series balance.

The clones are will liked as people even want Dr. Mario to return. This shows that the 4 criteria are applied well to them. While they were very similar, they added something more to the game. One thing to note is that Sakurai may not be as liberal as he was here. Still, it is important to note that his definition of a character is different than ours. He can look beyond the notion of what a character is. See, we have this set notion of what Smash Brothers is, but Sakurai is not bounded by that. In fact, he is the one who gets to write the rules. I'm only trying to interpret them. I mentioned in the beginning that we have to look beyond the norm. This is because Sakurai will not go with the most obvious. He goes with what will be the most “fun.” This can include normal, popular, characters like Falco or Peach, but it can extend to the out-of-the-ordinary characters like Young Link or Dr. Mario. This is why Sakurai says...

“Asking only for popular characters to appear in Smash...doesn't get me excited”

In closing, Melee took 64 and ran with it. Only three series were added. The rest came from series established from 64. More so, they mostly came from the larger series. Assuming Dedede and not the clones made it in, then we would have only see the main series get expanded. So the expansion from Melee was from the largest series. This should make sense as it has some of the strongest characters like Bowser and Peach (which is why I didn't touch on them). Brawl will follow suit and expand more. The trend for Melee and Brawl is further expansion and it will likely be repeated in SSB4. We'll get to that, but first....

The 4 criteria

This is self explanatory for most characters as Melee just took the next most popular characters from the main series (Mewtwo, Peach, ect). So it would be no surprise they would make people want to play the game, and add something unique. We even get characters who you don't expect, like Ice Climbers, who help add some variety. Furthermore, we say above how even a character like Dr. Mario can fit this context. One thing to remember is that you have to think different;y about characters sometimes. Dr. Mario works when you consider the importance of the Dr. Mario games and what a character like this can add. The balance of the series were weak, though Sakurai kept the larger series in check. Considering the clones, we can see Fire Emblem and Star Fox are expanded. It's clear to see we fill in the criteria.

 

[SmashChu]

Super Smash Brother Brawl

This is most recent game of the ones were are talking about, and in many ways we are more talking about the one on the 64 and Gamecube. The series has built up to this point. The original games on the Nintendo 64 laid the ground work. It set the series up as far as characters and series go. Melee expanded on that. Melee was the first game to take what 64 had made and add more depth in each series's character line up. So, with Melee, we saw most the characters added were from per-established series. Many of the added series made sense for both history and just what are the major Nintendo series (at the time). Brawl expands it one step further by going outside of the big series (Mario, Pokemon, Zelda) and expanding the series that got ignored in Melee. The roster is as follows.

Meta-Knight
Pit
Zero Suit Samus
Wario
Ike
Pokemon Trainer
Diddy Kong
Lucas
King Dedede
Olimar
Lucario
ROB
Wolf

(Ignoring third parties for now, and not going to mention Toon Link since he's Young Link).

Before moving on, I want to consider this. Brawl follows a pattern. With each game, we went out a bit farther. 64 added the main series. Melee added the next most important Nintendo characters who were mostly from the major series. Brawl goes the next step, adding in characters who were under the Melee guys. This would include characters like Dedede, or Wario. Basically, “the rest of us.” If each game expands outward, we can expect the same thing with SSB4. It will add characters who could not make in into Brawl.

The last thing to keep in mind is the time gap. Brawl came out over 6 years after Melee. Since then, a lot has changed and new things have been added to these Nintendo worlds. So Brawl covers some of the happening from the Gamecube and early DS days. Olimar would be an example of this. It is important to consider because, unlike the others, these guys could not have been in the previous game as they were not conceived yet. If this is the case, we can split the majority of the characters into two groups.

1)Characters who could not make it into the previous games as other characters took priority
2)Characters who were created between games.

Given this, we can see where the bulk of the characters fall into. Dedede, Meta-Knight, Diddy, Wolf and Wario are the “missed the boat” crew. They were not important for the last game but they are now. Would you say Meta-Knight is more important than Bowser or Zelda? Probably not. The same will be true for SSB4. The characters I present will be less important than these guys here. The other group is characters who did not exist since the last Smash game. This would include Olimar, Ike and Lucas and maybe even Zero Suit Samus. These guys are strong characters but didn't exist until after Melee. The discussion going forward will talk more about the second group. It is clear why Meta-Knight and Diddy are in. Like Bowser and Zelda before, they are well known characters are were popular overall. So there is little wonder why they are here. Likewise, SSB4 will have characters like those. But what about the rest of the crew who don’t fit these categories? They are in for different reasons (or categories as I see them) and I'll touch on those as well.

There isn't much to say about those characters that didn't get into Melee. These include (for your codification) are Wario, Diddy, Meta-Knight, King Dedede, and Wolf. They were well liked and could have gotten in Melee, but there were other characters in their way. So characters like Mewtwo and Zelda were given higher priority than, say, King Dedede and Wolf. So they had to sit out until the next game. One thing I want to point out about Wolf. During Pre-Brawl, it was believed that Krystal would get in over Wolf. While both were popular, Wolf was liked worlwide where Krystal was reserved to just the US. He also has been in the series longer than Krystal which I'm sure helped. This is something to keep in mind when looking for characters in the next game. To go back to the purpose of this, why was Wolf added over Krystal. Well, he was more popular worldwide and had been around longer (so more people would know him). So, consider the first criteria: The character's inclusion must make people want to play the game. Who would do a better job: Krystal or Wolf. Krystal is popular, but so is Wolf. Japan likes Wolf more than Krystal, so Wolf makes more sense to try and please everyone. Also, Wolf has been around longer. This means that you were more likely to know Wolf over Krystal. If you didn't play any of the Gamecube Star Fox games, you wouldn't know Krystal. So Wolf makes more sense. Why we could have two Star Fox characters, we should consider criteria number 4: They must contribute to the series balance. Again, it's not if the characters meets the criteria or not but who meets it the best.

Sacred Cow #4: Villains and Females

There is this silly notion that a character must be added because they are either female or a villain. They clamor “We need more women. X character should be added.” As we saw with Krystal, being female is NEVER a criteria. The same goes for villains. Characters are added for meeting the 4 criteria. The most important once is the first one: that the addition must make people want to play the game. While these characters add more variety, they may not be the most interesting. Were they the most interesting, we would see people rally more behind these female characters. Instead, the more popular characters are almost all male and they may not be primarily villains. The strength of a character does not come from whether they are evil or a woman.

Again, among most of the cast are those who were not put in the last game due to other characters taking priority and those who were introduced between the two games. Of the latter, the most notable is Olimar. While Pikmin and Super Smash Brothers Melee came out around the same time, they were also in development side by side. At the making of Melee, there was no Olimar. So Olimar really couldn't be in Super Smash Brothers Melee. So, as one of Nintendo's biggest new series, it would make sense he would be added in the next game: Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

I want to make a special note of Lucario. A big reason he is in is because is is both a heavily promoted Pokemon and he is one a lot of people liked in the time leading up to Brawl. The reason we have a Pokemon like Zoroark is because of this guy. I say this because people look at ONLY the fact that he is a heavily promoted Pokemon. Which brings me to these

Sacred Cow #5: Promotion is very important

This matters most to Pokemon, but can apply to any series. Just because a character is promoted in another series does not mean that they will be in Smash. It helps, but it does not guarantee anything. Think Pichu, who was removed from Smash and is the only characters to be cut and have no plans of being brought back. Lucario is in because he is promoted and liked. In tandem, he makes a good addition.

Lucas is an interesting pick, and he is a big reason I refer to “event driven.” In 2006, Nintendo released Mother 3, the long awaited sequel to the series before it died on the N64. Lucas was a very new character as Mother 3 only came out in 2006 and was announced only shortly before it's release ( a few months). The world of Mother got expanded and a new character was added as a result. On top of this, he was an interesting character and had a unique style different from Ness and some new weapons to boot. He is a character that was important enough to get in and was added since the last game. He is the star of the newest Mother game which gives him some qualifications for this game.

Ike is interesting as well. In an interview after the release of the game (in Japan, by the way) Sakurai mentioned he went to Intelligent Systems to ask about adding a new Fire Emblem character and they suggested Ike. What is interesting is in Melee they did the same thing with Roy. They added the newest Fire Emblem character. In both situations, they could have taken anyone, but they went for the most recent. We aren't sure what all went down with those talks, but remember that Sakurai is perfectly cool with promoting Fire Emblem if he can. Another interpretation is he thought these characters were cool. Like Roy, Ike is a pretty popular character so this may be evident of the latter.

One thing off interest is Zero Suit Samus and Pokemon Trainer. What some people may not remember is that before Brawl was even announced people were talking about these characters and bringing up these ideas. Given, they were very different in the actual game, it is still important to note that these were not as unique as people make them seem. A lot of people had these ideas and so did Sakurai it seems. Nothing is new under the sun. Furthermore, these characters prove that Sakurai does not follow the conventional wisdom in terms of adding characters and it also breaks the illusion of his magic. Like Doc or Ice Climber, Sakurai is willing to add a different kind of character because it may be more interesting. Keep your eyes peeled as someone might be saying the next big idea. One last thing to note on this point is that Zero Suit Samus was driven by the release of Metroid: Zero Mission. It likely drove the idea to put her in.

As I said before, a lot of the characters are characters are either important and new or are important but were not strong enough for the previous game. Zero Suit Samus and Pokemon Trainer are neither. They are the “Other” category. They are here for a different reasons than most of the cast. Pokemon Trainer is a character that is important but doesn't have the same presence as the Pokemon steal the spot light. Zero Suit Samus is a new thing (from Zero Mission) but it adds a new mechanic to Smash. So these aren't are as popular nor do they seem as important, but they add something else to the game. It would be hard to predict these characters, but they are far fewer.

Other characters to consider are the Retro guys, like Pit. He, at the time, wasn't a highly requested character though his game was very much revered. And here he is in Brawl. Why? I think the answer is in the history. One thing Sakurai does a lot is to look back at characters long in Nintendo's history. He did it with Ice Climbers and with Mr. Game and Watch. Now we see it in action with Pit. Kid Icarus was a popular game in it's day but has not received a sequel in some time (until recently, that is). For a long time, fans asked for a sequel to the game which show how revered it is. So if the characters wasn't added by being highly requested, then it must be that he was historic. As Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch showed us, Sakurai does consider adding characters for their history. These are what are refereed to the “Retro” choices. This goes back to criteria 4: They must contribute to the series balance. It's not about adding another Mario characters that people would know but a characters that adds something different. Pit does a good job of it as his game was well liked in it's day, fans wanted a sequel, and he has not been around in a while. The combination of all of these is why we have Pit.

Like Pit, ROB follows the same pattern. And much like Mr. Game and Watch, he goes beyond a single game. He is a character who has a lot of history with the company and is one of those interesting part of their history. He was a toy to help sell the system in the west and had two games. Since then, he has made a lot of appearances as cameos and references. He was even a character in Mario Kart DS. He's in for a lot of the same reason Mr. Game and Watch is in. Where Pit and Ice Climbers are actual characters, Mr. Game and Watch and ROB are not. They are part of some historical piece of Nintendo though they are not specific characters from a game. Mr. Game and Watch represents the Game and Watch line and has moves from the game. ROB represents himself, a toy that became a character. It goes beyond a normal addition and harkens back to Nintendo's past as well as makes an interesting character. History mixed with unconventional. It is another way to add balance in the series (criteria 4). Before I leave ROB, I want to make a special case for him

Sacred Cow #6: X can be in because ROB is in

ROB is an unique case where he supposedly breaks all of the rules. He doesn't; it's people not understanding the rules. Let's look at Sakurai's criteria and try and place him in. Please refer to the beginning of this essay for the criteria.
#1:ROB was one that made a lot of people excited. Thinkman at Smash Boards (who I got these criteria from) said he was a popular choice in matches at GDC 08. A lot of people liked ROB and warmed up to him. You hear people not like him because they didn't get their character (and felt ROB was the reason).
#2: Pretty clear from the fact he uses jet boosters, laser eyes, and his arms (just like the real ROB) that he's unique
#3: Arms help. Seeing how he is in game, it doesn't look like Smash has to work around him
#4: Like I mentioned with Pit, he is not just another characters from the main series. He is also not a character you would expect. So he helps to diversify the game. That is what Criteria 4 really deals with.

Still, some will say it doesn't matter. ROB never used boosters or lasers. Why would <insert character here> fight. It's more that ROB is a Robot (his Japanese name as such) and does still that would be expect of him. He also take abilities from the ROB enemies in the Subspace (and his emblem is a mix between the gyro and the Subspace emblem.)

Now, there are two more characters I didn't mention: Sonic and Snake. This is the first game in the series to add characters from outside Nintendo. The thing to remember is Sakurai had put limits on these characters. He would only accept 2 or 3 characters, he would only let in characters who have been on a Nintendo console and they had to originate from a video game. That is a lot of limitations. In the end, Sakurai only took 2 despite everyone else thought he'd take more. The thing to note is that Sakurai is not keep on adding third parties and only does it in specific circumstances. The context of the series is “Nintendo,” so this has to be considered, Sonic was added for being the most requested character overall. But even he got in rather late. Sakurai said he made the entire roster early on (2005/2006 depending on your source) and Sonic in 2007. This means he wasn't a must have in Sakurai's eyes. Snake was special and, from the looks of it, was always meant to be the one third party character in the game. They put a lot more effort into his content and he was in right from the start. He even had a role in the Subspace Emissary. He was added out of a request from Kojima that was even back during Melee. Brawl was when they got around to adding the guest, which opened a lot of doors.

How the roster is divided

I mention two big factors on how characters are divided, but if you paid attention you would noticed I split the characters into 4 different categories. They are:

1)Characters who could not make it into the previous games as other characters took priority
2)Characters who were created between games.
3)Characters that represent Nintendo's past
4)Other characters, added for another reason

I discussed the 1st and 2nd category earlier, so lets take a look at 3 and 4. Some characters are chosen because they come from Nitnendo past. Characters in category 1, 2 and 4 (to a degree) are from the company's present. However, criteria 3 tells us that this is not in the game's best interest and we should consider adding some variety. Also, this is a Nintendo fighting game,so it would make sense to take a holistic approach with adding content to the game. Thus, it would make sense to add content from the company's past as well as from it's present. The 4th category is harder to pin down. It is kind of a catch-all. This category includes Pokemon Trainer, Zero Suit Samus, Snake and Sonic. These characters have a good reason to be in but it does not conform to the above. Take Pokemon Trainer: he is an important characters but one that would be forgotten amongst all the Pokemon. Or, Snake. Snake was added at the request of Kojima, but he expands the game by adding something a little different (even still, Sakurai took precautions on limiting third party characters). We can put each of the characters in one of these categories. If we do that, this is what we get

Category 1 - Characters who could not make it into the previous games as other characters took priority

• Wario
• Meta-Knight
• King Dedede
• Diddy Kong
• Wolf

Category 2 - Characters who were created between games.

• Olimar
• Ike
• Lucas
• Lucario

Category 3 - Characters that represent Nintendo's past

• Pit
• R.O.B.

Category 4 - Other characters, added for another reason

• Pokemon Trainer
• Zero Suit Samus
• Snake
• Sonic

We see category 1 is the biggest followed by 2 and 4. However, remember that the third party characters are in category 4 by default (they could not fit in the others). If we removed them, it would be the smallest with 3. Why do I bring all of this up? It is to give you an idea where the characters some from. You can see the greatest number comes from the first two categories which are those characters that are important and well known. Category 3 and 4 house those characters who are in for other reasons and may not be as well known.

Now, I've mentioned Criteria 4 a lot: They must contribute to the series balance. However, I want to hedge that.

Sacred Cow #7: “Representatives”

I'm sure you've heard this one often. X can't be in because Y Series wont get Z # of reps.” First, this isn't the House of Representatives with a bunch of stuffy politicians; Smash is a video game where Nintendo characters fight. “Reps” are dumb. Sakurai picks characters, not reps. The problem is people see a series and say “Hey, it X series needs a characters. That is why lame character X should be in.” Criteria 4 says that the character should contribute to series balance, but it is not the only reason. They must fill ALL 4. Being added just because they add series balance doesn't work and makes a bland roster. Having worthless characters from different series would be just as bad as having all Mario and Pokemon characters.

It also works in the sense that “This series shouldn't get anyone as they already go over X.” Look at all three Smash games and you'll see that in each one two series get two characters. In Melee, Fire Emblem got two and in Brawl Pokemon got another two. You can also look at how Starfox has 3 characters while Donkey Kong has 2. All the while, Donkey Kong has more sales and games. There are more examples I'm sure, but this should be enough to kill the idea that each series must maintain a certain number of characters. It all comes down to how many characters the series has that will work in Smash.

This is one of the longest running Sacred Cows and it's never been true.

Before closing the book on Brawl, I want to discuss the forbidden seven. In the data for Brawl, there are seven unused character files. They are: Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, Roy, Toon Zelda/Toon Sheik, Dixie Kong and Pra-Mia. The last one has two theories too it; it is either Plusle and Minun or the random box (standing for “every player”) Given some inconsistencies, I believe the latter is what it is meant to be. We'll ignore this and discuss the others. The first three are returning characters which shows Sakurai intended them to return. Dixie Kong is an interesting case. Sakurai planned for her and Diddy to be a tag team. However, it didn't work out so Dixie was removed and Diddy stayed. Why Dixie wasn't included could be for numerous reasons. I believe that she, at that point, was not important enough at that point in time (being category 1). Lastly, we have Toon Zelda/Toon Sheik. Why is this here? Consider this: If all of these characters were added, Mario, Pokemon and Zelda would have 5 selectable character each. Even in Melee, they each had 4. I believe Sakurai intended to keep these series balanced. The problem was that there wasn't a Zelda character who could fill the void very well (remember criteria 1). So, the next best thing was Toon Zelda. One last thing: I mentioned with Melee that Sakurai adds content he couldn't add in a previous game. It means we could see these characters pop up in the next game.

Summary

Let me finish our discussion of Brawl by going back to the beginning. When I started, I mentioned everything led up to this point. 64 set the stages, Melee expanded it, and than came Brawl. Brawl defined the new rules going forward much like Melee defined the rules for the series as a whole. The next game will write some new rules, although they will be minor to the ones Melee and Brawl made. Reaching Brawl, it is a great stopping point for the roster analysis. I have gone over the last three games in the series and looked at their progression from 12 characters to 35 (and transformations).

The flow of character additions is kind of a continuous decreasing scale. As I've said, 64 set the stage, but Melee made the flow. Melee expended the main series and added some new ones. Melee hit the big points, but there were a lot of other characters people still liked but were left behind. Brawl tried to capture more of the characters people wanted and liked as well as new ones that came about after Melee. SSB4 will do the same to a lesser extent. I've heard that the Japanese are more or less satisfied with Brawl's roster, so you see that Brawl was pulling more of the characters people liked but were less important or relevant to the Melee choices (remember the categories?). SSB4 is going to do to the same thing for those characters left behind with Brawl. Melee's additions were focused around the core series (Mario, Pokemon, Zelda) and Brawl branched out (Kirby, DK, Mother). SSB4 will branch out one space further and to series not yet touched in Smash.

So let's move on to the second part of this long essay. But before that.

The Four Criteria

The thing to remember in all of this is that the first criteria, The character's inclusion must make people want to play the game, is the most important. So do these characters fit it? I'd say yes. The categories are spiting the different way you fulfill the first criteria. Category 1 is filling it in a standard way. These are characters that are well known and well liked. The second category is like one but those characters didn't exist until after the last game came out. The next two are a little odd. 3 is adding those characters that are forgotten. These characters bring different abilities and personalities than what the others. Also, some of them are popular in their own right. Pit and Kid Icarus was popular in it's own time and the only mark against it is time. Category 4 are characters that would make people like them based on why they were included. Someone like Pokemon Trainer was added because he was important in the series and unique. So, by fulfilling that, he meets the first criteria. Snake was added at Kojima's request and was made to be a special guest. So this makes him very interesting and people want to play with him. You can see how these all work together.

Criteria 2 is meet by everyone. Consider Lucas who has similar special moves to Ness. Wouldn't this mean that he does not meet this criteria. On the contrary, Lucas brings some unique weapons (rope snake and stick) and some PSI attacks with him. He also has a distinct look. Wolf, who is similar to the other Star Fox characters, brings a very feral fighting style with him. I has discussed criteria 4 to death, but note that, other the series in the previous games, 6 series got a new character (7 if you count Zero Suit Samus). There were also 6 new series previously not in Smash. So it should show you there is balance in these series. And, of course, Brawl added characters to series that didn't get a character in Melee (DK, Kirby, Mother) which would meet the 4th criteria.

 

[SmashChu]

Lessons Learned

It's now time to discuss my roster. But first, I want to point out something important. Despite all of this, I am only guessing. I'm going to try and look at what the rosters have shown us, but at the end of the day, I'll likely be wrong. This is because I'm not psychic and only Sakurai knows how the roster will be. This is all guess work, but that's also part of the fun.

Part of this analysis was to understand the roster and apply it to making one myself. The goal is to see how close I can get. This is why I tried to focus on why and go from there. So, I want to take a minute and look at a few lessons I've learned about the roster. And yes, they are all cleverly named.

# 1: A Mix between popularity and uniqueness

Remember the two categories. There was those characters who could not make it into the previous games as other characters took priority and those who were created between games. The similarity in both is that they are (usually) very popular. In Melee and Brawl (probably 64 too), Sakurai added in the in crowd as well as those characters who were not that important but either were interesting enough (category 4) or who had some special history (category 3). In Melee, we had the popular characters such as Peach, Bowser, Mewtwo, Marth, Ganondorf and Falco. Others who were not as wanted were Ice Climbers, Zelda, Mr. Game and Watch and many of the other clones (like Dr. Mario or Roy). I mentioned Brawl before, but this game had the popular characters including Wario, Meta-Knight, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario and Wolf while the less popular characters had Pit, Lucas, Ike, ROB, Pokemon Trainer and even Snake. These unpopular characters do not have to be ones that are totally unknown just everyone isn't going gaga over them. They get forgotten. As Sakurai has said himself. “Asking only for popular characters to appear in Smash...doesn't get me excited.” Generally, most of the cast will be those popular well known characters, but don't be surprised to see people you did not expect.

# 2: A bit of History

Ever since Melee, Sakurai has given a nod to old forgotten characters and specific icons from the company's history. Above, I called these category 3 characters. In each game, he has added at least two characters which could be called historic. In Melee, there was Ice Climbers (who were added to represent the Famicom games) and Mr. Game and Watch. Brawl had Pit and ROB. These characters are ones that are not current and not from a current series (although Pit is only now). In interviews for Kid Icarus Uprising, Saklurai has said that if he were to revive another character, it would be though Smash. This tells intends to do it again. Given the trend, it would not be unreasonable to expect a classic character.

# 3: All things included

Criteria 4 is rather important but may be forgotten amount criteria 1 and 2 which are easier to apply. Again, this criteria talks about series balance. In practice, this means two things. The first is that character selection should be expended among the whole the series in the game. So we wouldn't be piling characters on top of mains series like Mario. In the same vein, we have to consider we can not just add characters from the smaller series for the sake of spreading characters (this is a pit fall of most people). So there has to be sense of balance and Sakurai has done this well. As I mentioned above, 6 series got a new character in Brawl and they range from Pokemon to Mother.

# 4: First to the Party

(I'm bad with these names). One thing to note is that Sakurai tends to favor first party series. First, for those of you who don't know, I'll explain first party. A first party title is one where the company has complete control over it. So, Mario is first party as Nintendo.. Some series are made by outside developers and published by Nintendo. These would be second party (might not be a real name, but it's one that is used often). Here is a quick list of the series with characters in Smash and their ownership.

Mario-Nintendo/ in house
Donkey Kong-Nintendo
Legend of Zelda-Nintendo
Metroid-Nintendo
Yoshi-Nintendo
Kirby-HAL Labs, a subsidiary of Nintendo
Star Fox-Nintendo
Pokemon-66% owned by Nintendo (33% by Nintendo, and 33% by Nintendo owned Creature Inc.)
F-Zero-Nintendo
Earthbound-Creature Inc.
Fire Emblem-Intelligent Systems
Ice Climbers-Nintendo
Game and Watch-Nintendo
Wario-Nintendo
Kid Icarus-Nintendo
Pikmin-Nintendo
ROB-Nintendo

As you can see, all of the companies involved are owned by Nintendo. The only X factor here is Pokemon. Nintendo does not own Game Freak, but they own 66% of the series. So, they have control over it. I'm not sure why exactly the reason, but here are two explanations. First, it may be this way to make sure the characters will come back in future games. If Nintendo controls all the series, than the characters can come back. Another is to avoid dealing with a lot of outside companies regarding their characters. It may also be coincidence as most of the big series are owned by Nintendo. Most of Nintendo's major series are wholly owned by Nintendo. Either way, Just keep in mind that this could change in the future and is only us looking back.

# 5: A Sakurai never forgets

This applies not only to characters but to other things as well. Sakurai tends to add things in new games he couldn't or didn't add before. The best example of this is Mewtwo, Bowser, and King Dedede. They were characters who didn't get in 64, but made it in Melee and Brawl. In both Melee and Brawl, there were characters who didn't make the cut. It would be no surprise if some of them got in again.

# 6 Natural Selectiveness

The last point I want to make is Sakurai is very selective. I mean VERY. Part of the criteria is to weed out some of the characters who might be bad or just OK. The man does not try to add just anyone but adds the best in their series. This why we have yet to see a Koppa Troopa. In all of this, there are 1000 characters that could be made into playable characters. There are characters that I could add but would not have a big impact. When making my roster, as Sakurai made his, I tried to be selective and only add the characters who feel right and have a place with Smash Brothers.

 

[SmashChu]

The roster

The moment of truth! When making this, my focus has been on why something happens rather than saying what happens. So by looking at why a character was included, we can get a set of principals that guides us on who gets added. So now I will apply this to the next set of characters and develop a roster.

Before going to the characters, I have one last thing. The criteria. If you forgot.

#1: The character's inclusion must make people want to play the game.
# 2: The character must be unique.
# 3: The character must fit into the style of Super Smash Bros.
#4: They must contribute to the game balance.

As I mentioned above, criteria 3 will apply to almost any character. Additionally, criteria 4 is better viewed when looking at the entire roster. So my discussion with each characters will focus on criteria 1 and 2. I will save 4 for the end.


Little Mac
Why?: Since Brawl, Little Mac has appeared in Punch Out on the Wii, giving him a second wind. Little Mac is a category 1 character, but his recent appears gives him qualities of category 2 characters. He is also a classic character (up until a recent release) so we can look at him as a category 3 as well. Any way we slice it, Mac is an importaint enough characters to make him worthy of being included in Smash. His newest game has put him on the radar in a big way, and he is one of the most popular characters in the west. His assist trophy appears should help him with some exposure. Punch-Out is a very memorable series, so it reasons that Mac is a perfect choice for the next game.

Criteria: There is only one word you need for all 4. Boxing. Mac is a boxer which is something that hasn't been done yet. Some people may say punching alone is not enough, but Mac brings a new flavor. His fighting style is unlike no one else. It's also pretty clear he can fight with being a boxer. Lastly, he's a character that people really like, so it should be no problem for him to be likable.

Shulk
Why?: Shulk is a decently popular character worldwide and his popularity has been growing over time. His game, Xenoblade, has received a lot of praise. In Famitsu, a Japanese publication, Nintendo fans rated it the 6th best Nintendo game ever. It's lack of a localization in the US created Operation Rainfall to try and get it over here. The operation hit hard and got attention quickly. In Europe and the US, Xenoblade blew though it's stock and blew though expectations. It even did well in the US despite a limited release though only Gamestop. His series has become well liked and it has put him as a forerunner for the next game. Though all of this, interest in Shulk has grown and he has seen himself as a strong contender for the next game.

Criteria: Shulk has a much different flavor than many of the other characters in Smash in terms of his design and moveset potential. While he uses a sword, he has some new abilities, visions, and of course, a crazy laser sword. It's hard not to like that. One benefit he has for being unique is his look. The Monado and Shulk have a different style than most of the Nintendo cast, which adds something new. All in all, he is a characters that will make people ant to play the game for what he brings to the table.

Takamaru
Why?: The question should be “who?” Takamaru is the main character of the game Mysterious Murasame Castle. In this game, the Samurai Takamaru must go to different castles and defeat the lord. It should tell you right away what the game can bring to Smash. The reason he is here is history. You might have seen him in Captain Rainbow or in Nintendo Land and there is good reason for that. He game is well remembered in Japan. It's much to Zelda as Kid Icarus is to Metroid. It shares it's heritage with these games to the long gone Famicom Disk System. It's also a character Sakurai has acknowledged. Generally, he is similar to Pit in Brawl and this game is his chance to make a comeback. It should also help that it looks like his game will get localized in Australia and other places.

Criteria: Samurai sums this character up much like boxer does for Mac. Despite players not knowing who he is, his looks instantly tells you who he is and what he can do. He also looks rather cool and I suspect players will warm up to him. While there are a lot of swordsmen in Smash, he uses a katana and brings in new abilities.

Karate Joe
Why?: A weird pick huh? Not unlike what we have seen in the other three rosters though. Karate Joe is the psudo main character of the series Rhythm Heaven. The series is actually big, selling over 2 million with the second titles (on the DS) and having been done in a few live performances. It even got it's own arcade machine. It's not a big series here in the English speaking world, but it is a big new series from Nintendo. The reason for Karate Joe is here is that he has been in all 3 games. He was the first game in the GBA title and since then he has made a guest appearance in every game since. He is always the last game you play in the DS and Wii versions. He even got a 2 player mode. While not a true main character, it's may be good enough for Smash.

Criteria: The biggest thing that sets him apart is his look. He has a very distinct look being black and white monochromatic (and bald). He can also bring a rhythm style as this is how he fights in game. A big reason, I believe, people would like his is how different and unexpected he is and a unique style he brings.

Dillon
Why? He is the star of the eShop title “Dillon's Rolling Western.” While his title is an eShop title, I think Sakurai will look at these games for characters as this is the first time Nintendo has done downloadable titles (they didn't exist before Brawl). While he is not as popular as other characters, people have come to like him despite not playing his game.

Criteria: As I mentioned above, people like him having never played his game. This is very important because, in Smash, most people wont know a lot of the characters in it. This gives him an edge over most of the characters we could add. His roll attacks can further distinguish him from the cast. Also, he's a cowboy armadillo. How is that not going to go over well?

King K. Rool
Why?: King K Rool is much like Diddy and Wario after Melee. He is a character who missed the boat for Brawl and will likely get back in the next game. He is like the other category 1 characters who was just looked over due to other choices. Since Brawl, he has become one of the most requested characters worldwide. This enough makes him a good candidate for the next game.

Criteria: His popularity is enough to tell you that a lot of people would be happy to see him in. As for what he brings to Smash, he is another heavyweight character like Bowser and DK which has been rare in the series.

Dixie Kong
Why?: First, Dixie Kong is a long time character for the series much like King K. Rool is. The two things that make her stand out, and why I put her here, is her popularity and (near) inclusion in Brawl. First, she is a decently popular character, especially in Japan where she rivals K. Rool (though that seems to be changing). Secondly, she was actually planned to be in Brawl. She was planned to be along side Diddy Kong and had an empty file left over on the Brawl disc. Given this, Sakurai may already have moves and ideas for her. It might be she returns in SSB4. So, she would be a character who missed the boat (category 1). She has been in the series for quite a while and it would not be a surprise to see her included.

Criteria:Dixie is one of those characters that not super popular, but has enough coolness and history to be liked by all. She is a character that doesn't get a ton of request, but no one would be upset to see her in. She can defiantly fight, but the real question is what will she do. Her ponytail brings some unique qualities, but there isn't a lot to go on. However, there is enough to set her apart from the rest of the cast.

Ghirahim
Why? Remember my talk of Toon Zelda. A big reason I believe she was there was because Sakurai wanted a Zelda character but didn't have a good one. In Brawl, there was no one character everyone liked. Since then, Ghirahim has become more popular and even rivals some of the more popular characters. Zelda and Smash fans have rallied behind him and he seems to be the sole pick for the next Smash. This puts him in a good spot and a good candidate for the game.

Criteria: He is very different from the cast in his look. Also, he is a very “emotional” character which gives him a distinct personality. While he, too, wields a sword, he has other abilities that set him apart like teleporting and sending out his little crystal things. Despite being a weird chose, he could become a character that people really enjoy and he sets himself apart from the cast.

Palutena
Why?: While she has been around a while, I still consider her like Lucas or Lucario. That is because Palutena wouldn't have been considered until the release of the new Kid Icarus game. But now with this game, Kid Icarus's content has been refreshed including the characters. Palutena is up her for being the most prominent character in the game besides Pit himself. People are warming up to her and she has become one of the most popular characters which should be enough to warrant her inclusion.

Criteria: “How is she likable?” Well, for one, she is a woman in a game dying for more females. She is also pretty which will help warm up folks who don't know her. Not to mention fans have already begun to warm up to her character. To those that do, they know she has a lot of personality. She also has a lot of unique attacks. I believe Sakurai made her a boss to give her some battle presence.

Chrom
Why?: While a lot of people will think I'm putting him here because he's the newest lord, but that is not the case. Turns out, he is rather popular in both Japan and the western regions. Additionally, Fire Emblem Awakening is one of the best selling Fire Emblem titles to date. Given these factors, it makes sense to add him.

Criteria: It's never hard for Fire Emblem characters to be liked. While some may complain I have too many of them up here, the Fire Emblem characters always go over well. People liked Marth, Roy and Ike so Chrom should have no problem. The issue is making him stand out among the other Fire Emblem characters. He is considered to look a lot like Ike and fight like him too. Despite this, he has enough in his repituar to separate himself out such as his lance and pair ups.

Samurai Gohor
Why?: With high demand for F-Zero characters, why not have Captain Falcon's rival. Category 1 characters are those who were not suitable for the previous game but are good for the next one. Goroh fits that build well. He is the most well known character in the series besides Falcon and they are known to be rivals. Those who aren't fans of F-Zero will instantly recognize him. With more demand for an F-Zero character, his longevity with the series and recognition, his assist trophy status in Brawl, it may be time for Goroh to be in Smash.

Criteria: I think Goroh is one of those characters people will like rather quickly. He looks like he means business. He's got a sword. He looks tough, which is enough to sell him to a new generation of Nintendo gamers who might not know him. The moves are the hard part, as it will be for any F-Zero character. But having a sword and with a touch of making up moves (like Falcon's) it wont be hard to make him fight and to give him something unique.

Ridley
Why?: A character that is truly larger than life. Ridley has been one of the most requested characters even during the pre-Brawl days. Additionally, Metroid, like F-Zero, is a series that is considered in need of characters. Ridley is one of the most prominent villains in the series and fits the bill well as a new addition. Let's also not forget he was a boss twice in the Subspace Emissary.

Criteria: Ridley is one of the few times where rules 3 comes into question “The character must fit into the style of Super Smash Bros.” The argument is that he is too big and can't work. As many have pointed out, there is no problem resizing him. Unlike Kraid, his character is not about being huge. It should not be a problem bringing him down to a normal size. Still, this can lend him to some unique attributes. Being a larger than normal character could bring now ways to play if done right. Otherwise, he has enough with his abilities from the Metroid games and flying. And of course, there is little reason why people wouldn't like him.

Sheriff
Why?: The last character I have made it to is none of than Sheriff. For those that don't know, this was a very old game. It was an arcade game made in 1979. Since than, it has made a few references in Melee and in Warioware. This pick is based on history. Sheriff is a characters that delves WAY back into the pages of Nintendo where the company first jumped into videogames. Sheriff is an old game and pre dates Donkey Kong. Seeing as it comes up now and again, I can say Nintendo has not forgotten even if other have. This makes him a perfect character to add and give the roster some kick.

Criteria: Being unique is not just what the character does but how they shape up to other characters. Sheriff is very different from the rest of the cast and can vary more so based on how he is rendered in the game (I wont address that right now). This is a character I think will become well liked when he's seen. He is someone no would expect. A big surprise. ROB was a character a lot of people liked after seeing him. It's something that catches you eyes and they really add something to the game. They don't seem like your usual character which makes them fun. That's the reason I think Sheriff could be very well liked.

Other factors
Number of new characters

Each game has added more characters than the previous. 64 had 12. Melee added 13. Brawl added 15. In my roster, I added 13 characters. 15-16 characters is still possible using this pattern, but I went this way to be somewhat selective. There are fewer characters to chose from now than in Brawl. So I stuck with a more conservative 13, but it is possible to see more than that. For now, I'm play it safe at 13 new charcaters.

Roy, Mewtwo, and Dr. Mario return

Right now, Roy and Mewtwo are the most popular characters for the next game. They are requested over new additions. People have always liked these characters and it's clear they want them back. I would be surprised if they didn't. So, I'm going to say for this roster, they will return. But what of Dr. Mario? There are two things at play. First, the Brawl data showed us Dr. Mario was planned to return. This means Sakurai had intended for him to return. Second is the number of characters for Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. Had Sakurai added all of the clones from Melee, there would have been 5 characters from Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. Toon Zelda shows us Sakurai wants to keep them at the same number of characters. While Mario has a ton of characters to chose from, Sakurai may feel that Doc would work better as he's been in the game before. SSB4, I believe, will try to bring back old characters as a result of the outcry from Roy and Mewtwo's removal. So, I feel Sakurai would add back all three.

Cuts

As far as removing characters, I don't think that will be a problem this time. Most fans are opposed to cuts and, besides Roy and Mewtwo, Sakurai kepts every characters people really wanted. Melee's clones were hit or miss in some regards, so some not coming back is expected. The same is not true for Brawl and I expect all of the Nintendo characters will return.

No Third Party characters

While this may seem bonkers to a lot of people, I believe it will happen. Sakurai has defined the content of this game as a Nintendo Fighting game. In numerous interviews, he has stated that he has to be care of which third party characters he adds. I believe Snake was meant as a special guest and not a permanent character though it did open the flood gates. This is backed by the fact Sakurai refereed to them as guest characters on the DOJO. Something of note is that Sonic was not added until 2007, late into the game's development. If it took this long to add Sonic, what does that say of Megaman, the next most popular third party character. While he is very popular, he is no where near Sonic in his heyday. We can not apply the same rules to third party characters. Despite his popularity, it may not be enough to warrant his inclusion.

The thing to remember is that this is a Nintendo fighting game, and the feeling from Nintendo and Sakurai is they indent to keep it that way. Guest characters are nothing new to fighting games; you can look at Soul Caliber to see that. The thing is that they never return in a sequel. Why? The thing is they are not part of the main cast. They are a guest. It's like a celebrate appearing on the Muppet Show or Saturday Night Live. They come in, do some skits, and then bail. The same principle applies here. These characters are not part of the main cast, but are guest coming along for the ride. They then roll pout the next game. This is to maintain integrity in the series (preventing it from becoming like MUGAN or some other fan game) but to give it a little spice. I figure Sakurai will remove Sonic and Snake. They were liked, but lighting doesn't strike twice. At this point, they are stale. The other issue is that while Megaman is VERY popular, he may not be strong enough to put him into the roster. Like I said, Sonic wasn't added easily and he was asked for before Snake was ever announced. Given this, Sakurai may easily pass on him as the outcry is not loud enough.

Criteria 4:
Again, this is that characters must contribute to series balance. It is hard to see it without taking a step back and looking at the big picture. So, of this, I have:
6 New series
2 Donkey Kong Characters
1 Zelda character
1 Metroid character
1 F-Zero character
1 Fire Emblem character
1 Kid Icarus character

7 series got a new character on top of 6 others being added. Also, in this roster, there are only 3 series with 5 characters (Mario, Zelda and Pokemon). There are two with 4 characters (Donkey Kong and Fire Emblem). All other series have 3 characters or less.

The Big Picture

Remember in the Brawl section I made 4 categories that all characters fit into. Why did I do this? The idea was to see how the characters fit. We saw that the majority of characters are very important and most will be quite popular. I say the word “prominent” but what do I mean by that? I mean these characters have both presence in their own series but also with Nintendo as a whole. Super Smash Brothers is a celebration of Nintendo content. Consider some of the characters I added. Dixie Kong is a well known Nintendo character. I can talk to most Nintendo fans and they'd know her. I can say the same about Ridley. The same can be said about lesser known characters because they have presence in their own series. Take Palutena. I would not expect most people to know who she is, but if they knew only a little about the Kid Icarus series they'd get a good sense of who she is. The same can be said for other characters like Samurai Goroh and Chrom. You see, there is not a problem adding a character that is unknown to most people. In fact, Sakurai actively does this. The issue is making sure the characters who are added aren't added for no apparent reasons. Take someone like Karate Joe who is going to be more obscure. Rhythm Heaven is a new series for Nintendo and they have shown they plan to keep it going. If I know a little about Rhythm Heaven, I'd know who Karate Joe is. But even still, someone who never heard about him would be intrigued and likely look him up. By him having a presence in the series, fans will react well to him and understand why he's there. The issue is adding characters people don't know and can't understand why they are there. Criteria 2 says the character must be unique. So someone may say a character should be added because they are unique. For ease of use, we'll call this character Mr. X. So Mr. X is unique and has a lot of moveset potential. But what if Mr. X isn't very important in his own series. What if a lot of people don't like him or simply don't care for him. He would likely fail criteria 1 which is the character must be likable. Then the character shouldn't be added as he wont bring up the game. To better the game, a character must embody ALL 4 criteria. If they can not meet all 4, then they should not be added. As an example, take the Mario series. It has a tone of potential characters who are likable, can fight and are unique. But there are already a ton of Mario characters in the game. Characters from this series are not very likely to embody all 4 criteria.

So why are some characters popular and others not? It usually is because they meet the 4 criteria better than most characters. Take someone like King K Rool who is very popular. He is another addition to the DK series (criteria 4). He also has a unique personality and abilities from three different persona (criteria 2). He is also someone who has been around a while and is well known (likely filling criteria 1). I believe characters become popular because they fulfill the 4 criteria the best. And what is important is not that a character fits it, but who fit's it the best. This is harder to point out, but to do this, you must look at Nintendo as a whole. You'll see the series and characters people gravitate to and get a sense of the whole picture. The roster analysis was trying to find principals but also to get a sense of where we've been. The roster is to try and figure out where we are going. To do the former, I had to get the big picture of Nintendo from the characters already added. Then, we can look at who isn't added.

So what does this have to do with the categories. Well, first, it gives a running trend. Category 1 characters are those who could not meet the criteria the best in the previous game but do now. More importantly, each category is how the character fills the criteria. Category 1 and 2 are conventional and are like our King K Rool example above, Category 3 characters are those who could fill it but have a problem due to time. Pit met the criteria but has not be around recently (that is, until Kid Icarus: Uprising). Even more, they are there to add variety (criteria 2) and balance out the game (criteria 4). Category 4 are those character who meet the criteria in a way that is different from others. They are not asked for, but have a strong enough presence somewhere to warrant their inclusion. Pokemon Trainer was the player character. Karate Joe is the star of Rhythm Heaven. I could even say Dr. Mario fits the bill as Dr. Mario has been a long running and popular series. Each of the categories is a way to organize the criteria above.

Category 1

• Little Mac
• King K Rool
• Ridley
• Samurai Goroh
• Dixie Kong

Category 2

• Shulk
• Chrom
• Ghirahim

Category 3

• Takamaru
• Sheriff

Category 4

• Dillon
• Karate Joe

My list is similar to the one in Brawl. I would like to note that some of the characters in category 1 could be moved to category 2. For instance, I would not bring up Plautena if not her Kid Icarus Uprising. Regardless, you see that the bulk of the characters come from the first category. These are your conventional picks where the last two categories are unconventional. But they all meet the criteria well.

I would like to remind everyone that this is only a tool. Do not base your analysis on the categories. I only used them to understand how characters are grouped. In truth, the criteria should be the back bone for any character. The categories try to organize who fulfills the criteria in what way. Consider using this tool with the criteria.

Closing

The theme of this essay was asking “why.” When trying to understand something, we must ask this first. Too often, people ask the wrong questions (if they ask at all) and this leads to a wrong conclusions. Will this roster be right? Maybe not. Hindsight is 20/20 and it is easier to say what happened rather than what will happen. The point is to try and learn. Coming out of Brawl and to here I wanted to try and be right about the roster. To do that, I had to learn about the roster.

This is not a topic I expect others will be interested in. Many of you wont care to speculate like I do, and that is fine. In all of this, regardless of where you stand, I hope you enjoyed reading this. We have been waiting for the next Smash Brothers game for quite some time, so I'm hoping that, amongst the wait, that this is something interesting to read while you wait. I, too, hope for the day we can stop guessing and start playing. So until then, enjoy yourself and don't take this all too seriously. Make friends and have a good time.

Thank you for reading!

 

[SmashChu]

Appendix A
Elaborating on Characters Chosen

There was some confusion with some of the characters I picked for my roster. So I wanted to go over some of the more controversial picks.

Ghirahim – Zelda in Super Smash Brothers is an interesting topic, but it is also filled with a lot of misconception. Let me tackle the first issue: Ghirahim is a one-shot character which is why he wont be in Super Smash Bros. There is no real basis for this line of thinking. Sheik is a one-shot character. So are Lucas and Ness. Roy was a one shot when he was added (heck, his game wasn't even out yet). Ice Climbers are a one shot. Pit was in Japan until the Gameboy game came out on the 3DS Virtual Console. There are a lot of one-shot characters in the game. Some of them became more prevalent after Smash. If it is not true, where did it come from?

During Brawl, the Zelda series had a large number of request. From recollection, we had Skull Kid, Tingle, Midna, Vatti and Zant. Among all of these, there was no consensus on the character everyone wanted. There was also a lot of character fans wanted. Considering these two factors, there was no way to get a Zelda character. Furthermore, the data of the game shows Toon Zelda/Sheik was planned. This shows there was interest in adding a Zelda character. However, the results were misinterpreted. Fans assumed that because a Zelda character didn't get in, and all those characters were in one game (or a few), that they could not get in. However, this does not consider the other factors that there was no popular characters and more relevant characters were chosen for Brawl (the latter is the basis of category 1:Characters who could not make it into the previous games as other characters took priority).

The reason I chose Ghirahim was two fold. First, Toon Zelda shows us Sakurai had the intent to add a Zelda character. As I mentioned in my analysis, Sakurai has tried to keep Mario, Pokemon and Zelda at the same number of characters. Secondly, unlike Brawl, Zelda fans have rallied around Ghirahim and he has become a more popular choice. Given this, it gives Ghirahim a better chance. Ghirahim is a character I'm bullish on where others are not.

Samurai Goroh – Most everyone was fine with this, but some users questioned him. One issue was that he has not been in a game for a while. I have yet to see a character excluded who was older. In fact, it's business as usual in Smash. The reason I'm pulling for him more is his longevity with the series and roster balance. There is demand for another F-Zero character (though it is more latent). This goes with criteria 4 that characters should add balance to the series. While Goroh has weak popularity, he is well liked and known by fans outside of F-Zero. What is interesting about this character is that he has been well known for quite some time and has still not gotten in. The reason, I feel, he wasn't in Brawl was due to far more important character for Brawl that he got left behind. He made the most sense as an assist trophy as he was important enough to be in Brawl, but not strong enough to be playable. SSB4 has fewer relevant candidates, so this is a perfect opportunity for Goroh. Remember, popularity isn't as important as likability is. Goroh is a character fans recognize and is important enough to justify being playable.

Karate Joe – My goal with this project was to make a likely roster. My roster was trying to mirror what the real roster of the game was. A roster with vanilla choices, ones that everyone expects, will not be a likely roster. So why did I add him? He was added more for his series. Let's look at Animal Crossing real quick. This series didn't get a character, though Sakurai had mentioned they had considered it at one point in time (though he may have been joking). The reason I put him up here is that Rhythm Heaven is important enough to get a character and the series does have a character who can fight. VGChartz estimates that the DS version sold over 3 million copies world wide. Furthermore, based on Japanese market reports, the game was the 6th best selling game in Japan in 2008. As of January 11 2009, the DS version sold 1,568,000. The Wii version sold over 100,000 copies in it's first week in Japan. Given this, Rhythm Heaven seems important enough to justify a character. The problem is who. The series doesn't have a main character per say. However, Karate Joe has been a reoccurring character. In the original Rhythm Heaven (Rhythm Tengoku), Karate Man was the first game players played. Since then, he has been in every game and Karate Man adds something new every time. His game also always has a vocal track and he appears in numerous remixes (in the game). So while he is not a main character, he is present enough in the series to make him a recognizable character. While he is still an odd choice, Smash is made of those. No one expected Pokemon Trainer or Zero Suit Samus until they happened. While it is a long shot, you have to remember there is going to be some element of randomness in the roster.

Sheriff – Melee and Brawl both added a character from Nintendo's deep past. These character were not conventional stars of a game. Why has both games added a character like this and why will it happen again? Consider context. Each work of fiction has a setting, per say. When you look at a sci-fi, you have an idea of what to expect. In a zombie movie, you know what to expect. This is what defines the work, the world of the work. The world of Super Smash Brothers is Nintendo. So to make a better Smash Brothers would be to expand the Nintendo. This one goal the roster and other content tries to do. As a result, characters run the gambit of Nintendo. This is why series balance is so important. When you buy Smash, you are not buying a Mario fighter. You are buying a Nintendo fighter. Just like when you buy a fantasy novel, you expect warriors, wizards, castles and dragons. In Smash, you expect that side of Nintendo's worlds you don't see. This is an area Smash has excelled at.

So, part of the role of the roster is to expand the Nintendo world Smash Brothers has created. Part of doing that is to expand the roster across all time periods. This is why a character being current doesn't matter. But why Sheriff? See, here is where things get hard. ROB was easy to see coming and many fans did see him coming. The problem is who else are you gonna do? Mr. Game and Watch and ROB are both a part of the hardware part of Nintendo. But there isn't much else like that. The reason I picked Sheriff was that this was one of Nintendo first arcade games which is a very historical part of the company and may be more obvious than other ideas for a historical character. So, to some degree, Sheriff is a wild guess. But the idea is why Sheriff was picked. The idea is expanding the Nintendo world though adding a classic character.

Appendix B
Characters not chosen

I am pretty confident with most of the characters I put on this roster; however, nothing is perfect. There is one character I was a bit iffy one: Dillon. With the other 12 characters, I had a good sense that they'd be in. But Dillon was more the “better choice.” There were other characters I looked at, but I felt I could make a stronger case for Dillon than the other characters. Dillon was from a new series (which got a sequel) and everyone seems to generally like him without playing his game. Still, his game didn't sell too well and he doesn't have a lot of exposure. These were some of the other characters I looked at, but ultimately rejected. So I kept Dillon because he had a stronger case and his negative attributes are not detrimental, but noticeable. Here are some of the other characters I considered, but left off.

Krystal – Kystal is a fairly popular character overall. She does decent on polls in the US and Star Fox characters are generally well liked. Much like Fire Emblem, fans will likely not oppose more Star Fox. She was very popular leading up to Brawl though this has some what changed. What held me back on Kystal was she wasn't popular at all in Japan. Characters need to be popular the world over. If not, they need enough popularity to where it's hard to be ignored (I'd say this is the case with Ridley and Little Mac now). Krystal is strong here, but weak in Japan. There are also a lot more characters who are more requested than she is. This is what held me back on her.

Bandanna Dee – This character has grown more popular in Japan and is one of the most requested characters there. He is building here in the west as well. The problem was that, even in Japan, he is the bottom of the top. Similar to Krystal, he isn't very popular over here (the western fanbase really doesn't seem keen on more Kirby characters). As such, I held back on him. The other issue is he is a generic enemy in a bandana (his name is Waddle Dee in game). Smash Brothers picks characters who are important, so this character is somewhat in contradiction to that. So far, he has only made an appearance in two games (Kirby Superstar Ultra and Return to Dream Land). So while he may become an established character as the series goes on, I feel he isn't important enough in his own right yet.

Alph – There is some potential in a character like Alph. He does bring some new Pikmin types which separate him from Olimar and it would give Pikmin another character (rather than Starfox and Kirby which have a good deal of characters already). The issue is making him look different. Characters like Lucas, Wolf, and even Chrom are(will) be recognizable in a heated battle. It's hard to make Alph look different than Olimar. Compared to Ness and Lucas (who do look a good deal similar) there is very little to differentiate himself. Also, anything with Pikmin 3 is a shot in the dark. The game was announced just after SSB4 started development and the characters names were only shown off recently. There isn't much to taake from Pikemin 3 yet and it may be to late by the time we get it. There is potential here, but I wasn't very bullish on him, so I left him out. I think there is a stronger case for him than some of the other characters I left out.

Kid Icarus characters – Each Smash Brothers game has at least two series which get two characters each. In Melee, Mario, Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Zelda got two new characters (no more, in Mario's case). In Brawl, Kirby and Pokemon got two new characters. In my roster, only Donkey Kong got two new characters. When SSB4 was first announced, I was more bullish on more Kid Icarus characters for this reason. One character I looked at was Medusa. I figured Pit, Palutena and Medusa would have some kind of triangle like Kirby, Dedede and Meta-Knight. She is an important character in the series having be the main villain in the first game and being a major villain in Kid Icarus Uprising. She was fairly popular when the game first came out but she has since fallen. This makes me less sure of her, so In left her off. There is also Magnus. I wouldn't be surprised if Sakurai made him to put a character in Smash Bros. Though this is just a silly theory. As such, it would be a shot in the dark with no backing.

Appendix C
Third Party Characters

As a general rule, fans expectations for third party characters are very much far beyond what will happen. In Brawl, it was expected that there would be three third party characters. In the end, there were only two. There are a few issues with third party characters that needs to be addressed.
1)Legal
2)Monetary
3)Context

Nintendo does not own these characters, so they are at the mercy of the other companies if they want to use their character. The certainty of the characters returning is always in question as Nintendo has little control over that. It is the third party company's who have the final say in that areas. Who is to say that in 6 years, relations go south? There is also the issue of money. IPs are very important in the video game industry and are the primary source of revenue (just look at how many Sonic games are made). Nintendo isn't going to be able to use other company's characters and worlds for free. There is likely some money changing hands in order to use them. Combine legal issues and financial and you can have a mess trying to get a character. I think this is pretty easy to understand.

The real issue is context. This is something that is not well understood. Take a fantasy medieval novel. You'd expect to see dragons, knights, wizards, elves, ect. But what happens if the knight pull out pistols? Or if aliens come from outer space? Things might get weird. You see, proper context is important in any work of fiction. The same is true of Smash Brothers, but it is harder to see. The context of Smash Brothers is Nintendo. As I said before, to expand the context, the world, you expand Nintendo. So adding third party characters becomes an issue. In small doses, this is OK. A steam punk like gun can work in a fantasy novel. But it becomes an issue when you have lots of technological weapons. “Can this really be an issue in a cross over game?” Yes, because a sense of focus is lost. If you start adding so many characters from different worlds, you get a lot of mixed looks and feelings. Nintendo games are different from Sega games and Namco games and so on. When you begin to add more and more different characters, it starts to feel unfocused an uncoordinated. By focusing on Nintendo as the context, you can give a unique feel and can explore the company's history in exciting ways. But when you start adding conflicting worlds, the game loses that feel and the cohesion is broken. This, I believe, is one issue that plagues Playstation All-Star's Battle Royal's roster. Sony's IPs are not very focused anyway, but then you add characters like Raiden, Big Daddy and Heihachi and things start to get sloppy. No longer are you exploring Sony. You're just playing a cross over. Also, look at other games like Soul Caliber. Guest characters are common, but why do they only happen once? The reason is the same. The world of Soul Caliber is unique. When you add characters who are out of place, this get weird. So it is kept in moderation and blended into the story (that they come from another world and then return to it). Let say you keep Link, Heihachi, Spawn, and Yoda in the same game. All of them being side by side is weird because they have conflicting looks, with each other and the rest of the game. In small doses, this can work. All together, it feels unprofessional and focus is lost. Before I leave this part, let me discuss the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. It says that the more you do/consume something, the less you like it. Take Ice Cream. Everyone loves ice cream. You eat some and you love it. You have another and, while good, it's not as good as the first. You like it less and less each time and, eventually, you get sick (negative utility). These characters are the same way. Snake was awesome. Sonic was awesome. But Megaman will not be as awesome as Sonic or Snake. And if you keep going, people will begin to hate it as it will feel forced. Even adding Sonic and Snake will not give the same result the second time. They will lose their luster.

But let's look at something no one has ever considered. In actuality, Snake was always suppose to be something special and not business as usual. Snake had a lot of flair added from his announcement and special video. But consider how he plays in Smash. He was designed to be a very different character (because he isn't from Nintendo). For one, his smash moves behave differently. All character's Up Smashes are an upward attack that gets stronger as you charge. Snake's is actually a projectile that always does the same damage, but it goes higher when you charge it. His down smash isn't a sweep, but instead, he lays a mine. This is very different from other character's down smashes. His strong moves are also a lot stronger. His first jump is also shorter than his second which is the opposite for every other character. He also has boxes as his taunt and no other taunt spawns items. There are also his codecs. These are Snake reacting to the happy-go-lucky Nintendo world, and were liked made in the fact that Snake is foreign to this world. Even in the Subspace Emissary, he was given a special role and was even teased. They really gave Snake the star treatment as he was always made to be an outsider who was along for the ride. This is also why third party characters are hidden. It is also important to note that Sonic was added far later in development. His inclusion was an result of his outstanding popularity. While Sakurai left the door open for more characters, he likely felt this was suppose to be a one time deal. He even calls these guys “guest” on the Dojo.

But what does Sakurai think. I can speculate all I want, but it's his call.

"I think Snake and Sonic joining were fantastic. It made many fans happy, and it broadened the Smash Bros arena. However, introducing more non-Nintendo characters willy-nilly will lose the focus of the game, so I also recognize the need to narrow it down.”

What Sakurai has said what I reflected. Adding third party characters will lose focus and there is a need to tone in down. To close, I recommend pessimism in the area of third party characters

 

[FlareHabanero]

Will one of the "Sacred Cows" involve smashing the argument about "being recent = character" and "we need to rep this mundane thing with a character".

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I don't see any character exciting people that aren't already smash fans into playing smash.

Unless they try to target XBOX or Playstation fans by putting in a popular character from their system.

Maybe Cloud should be in Smash then

 

[SmashChu]

Will one of the "Sacred Cows" involve smashing the argument about "being recent = character" and "we need to rep this mundane thing with a character".

Yes or something to that extent.

I'm going to do a BIT more editing. The margins are far different here so the paragraphs seems a lot smaller than they are. Need to fix that.

 

[Big-Cat]

I think #4 can also apply to things from a gameplay perspective. You want to have as many play styles as you can within reason. To have an entire game of projectile spammers isn't likely to be a diverse game. This can easily be an argument for why Pac-Man wouldn't be all that great in Smash while someone like Lyn or Palutena can bring more to the table. Of course, you can easily say 2 and 4 overlap in this regard.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I don't see what Lyn or Palutena would really add to Smash more than any other character

 

[FlareHabanero]

I don't see any character exciting people that aren't already smash fans into playing smash.

It's more like a certain characteristic or "charm" that would get people attracted to the game, you know a reason to try him/her/it out. Whether it's simple cosmetics or a unique gimmick, a character must have something going for them. Keep in mind that most casuals aren't even familiar with most of the characters implemented in the franchise by a canon standpoint, so when they are playing Super Smash Bros. they need to be interested by the first impressions.

 

[Big-Cat]

I'm not saying that they would add more than every other "candidate". It was just a comparison to Pac-Man who really doesn't seem like he'd bring anything new and would likely be a mish-mash of playstyles that probably wouldn't work out. I could've used other characters like Little Mac or Takamaru as examples, but they were the ones that first came to mind.

But Habanero definitely explains the other half well. You've got a Greek-esque goddess and a girl Fire Emblem character with KATANAS (or at least how casuals will see them).

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Who's Takamaru or Little Mac going to appeal too other than hardcore Nintendo fans? Who probably already have smash.

I can see Ridley appealing to outsiders because of his gimmick of being a viscous dragon monster

 

[SmashChu]

Who's Takamaru or Little Mac going to appeal too other than hardcore Nintendo fans? Who probably already have smash.

It's an important point and one I address in my analysis.

 

[D3monicWolv3s]

Well Ninten isn't really the same as ness they look alike... but ninten doesn't have a single offensive psi ability in his game.

Ness takes most of his moveset from other characters, yes, but he still has pkflash, and the unused rocking psi. (which when I played through the game that's basically all I used Ness for besides physical attacks)

Ninten is just physical attacks and assist psi in his game, he has no offensive psi abilities whatsoever. So he could be more about items and physical attacks. Or take the only unique psi attack from the game from his team mate being psi beam. But should he be in compared to porky, claus and well the majority of the Earthbound/mother 3 cast? No.

 

[---]

Good stuff SmashChu, definitely am surprised you're doing a 6 part-er, but I guess that's just apart of hype.

I really only noticed 2 things:

1. I would mention how the Melee clones were handled in development with Sacred Cow #1. It's dumb, but they do lie at the heart of the clone-a-phobia. Would the many versions of Ryu in Street Fighter be a good example as well?

2. Your comments about Slime will make Starphoenix cry.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Your comments about Slime will make Starphoenix cry.

He's just going to suck it up and accept the truth.

 

[SmashChu]

Good stuff SmashChu, definitely am surprised you're doing a 6 part-er, but I guess that's just apart of hype.

It's a pretty long essay, so I did it in parts to make it easier to read. It also gives me time to edit it in stages rather than doing it all at once.

I will also address the Melee issue you speak of.

 

[Dark Phazon]

No matter how cool/unique a char is in there canon they can be stale/boring/under-powered...In smash

this is a very good thread but no offense ''ShashChu'' but its pretty pointless...

its all about how the chars are ''interpretted into smash''

This thread - TL:DR = Trying to guess what Sakurai is thinking...

Its whats a real bummer and sour about smash...you might say that

''Oww then Ganondorf & Mewtwo would demolish everyone if they were canon like...''

We need balance!!

Ofc we do...im sick to death of Fox/Falco/Marth..some one needs to spoon feed them chars a dose
''Balance medicine'' and see how they ****ing like it!

Its meant to be about being your fav chars from your most fav series to play as...not really..because the most popular chars that have been in the game suck ass...instead everyone just looks up tiers & or notices who is most used and jumps on the bandwagon..

Just because Ganondorf/Mewtwo are most proberly ''The''Strongest chars canon wise imo to be in Smash im not even Biased to say that they deserve to be overpowered because it would suit them...

if anything **** all the new chars...just balance the ****ing game for **** sakes...its what trully matters...

Everything else..chars is just for marketing & promotion to increase says and yh to revolutionise the game and add something new...

Yh but Fox/Falco will remain on top reguardless..

But hey...its just a party game right? So who the **** cares about balance? Its all about glits, glamour cool looking moves....its all a Facade ****ing Bull*

Enough said...

 

[Frostwraith]

Dr. Mario, Ninten and Dark Pit are better off as EX versions of Mario, Ness and Pit respectively. They are too similar to be separate characters, but possess some tweaks that distinguish from the characters they're clones of.

Anyway, I'll keep checking this thread to see what other subjects will Chu talk about. I'm looking forward to that.

 

[FalKoopa]

Hmm, another analysis thread. I'm looking forward to SmashChu's analysis, and also would like to compare it with Chrono's.

 

[SmashChu]

Hmm, another analysis thread. I'm looking forward to SmashChu's analysis, and also would like to compare it with Chrono's.

Good. I plan to post something tonight, though it will have to wait. If not, early tomorrow. Just have to edit.

 

[SmashChu]

Part 2 is up. It's going to get longer as we go on. I will try to have the next part up by the end of the day.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I see you mentoined Sheik as an example. Many people do this.

But what will happen if Sheik will actually get replaced?

Will the world crumble in rage and dispear?

You will see it here, only at SmashBoards!

 

[Robert of Normandy]

Nitpicky correction: you keep talking about Jigglypuff's "roll", but I think you mean her "role."

 

[SmashChu]

Nitpicky correction: you keep talking about Jigglypuff's "roll", but I think you mean her "role."

I would say it was a clever pun. Sadly, it wasn't.

 

[Robert of Normandy]

I would say it was a clever pun. Sadly, it wasn't.

Also, it's "Johto", not "Jhoto."

 

[Diddy Kong]

Roll-Out is a pretty nice move however.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this. You should do a section on the character that everyone thought were certain in Brawl but didn't make it like Krystal and Bowser Jr. but also how that doesn't mean they won't make it this time.

 

[SmashChu]

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this. You should do a section on the character that everyone thought were certain in Brawl but didn't make it like Krystal and Bowser Jr. but also how that doesn't mean they won't make it this time.

I'll consider it. I do want to add some stuff. There also isn't a lot of talk, but I'm moving kind of slow. I may try to knock it out faster to get some more discussion and more content. I wanted to do an FAQ too.

 

[FlareHabanero]

There should really be a jab at the "female" argument. It's beaten to death, but it wouldn't hurt to explain in detail.

Also I have a feeling that most of the Melee discussion will be regarding to the little clone situation.

 

[SmashChu]

Not sure how much people are looking at this, but I added the rest of the game analysis. The next part is my roster. which will be up tomorrow or so. Enjoy.

There should really be a jab at the "female" argument. It's beaten to death, but it wouldn't hurt to explain in detail.

Done and done.

 

[DakotaBonez]

I cant believe anyone would write the equivalent of a thesis about something so pointless as this, and yet, I respect how much work was put into it and anxiously await the conclusion.

 

[Deleted member]

The next part is my roster. which will be up tomorrow or so. Enjoy.

Looking forward to discussing that, especially on third-parties.

 

[FlareHabanero]

The next part is my roster. which will be up tomorrow or so. Enjoy.

Something tells me that people are not exactly going to enjoy what they see, but oh well.

 

[Deleted member]

Something tells me that people are not exactly going to enjoy what they see, but oh well.

It's really only newcomers that will dislike quite a few of the options. Granted I don't agree with quite a few things SmashChu has on his roster, but considering that he's proven himself to be a more than a competent speculator and he really does know his stuff about Smash, it's at least something I'll definitely respect.

 

[FalKoopa]

Interesting read, Smash Chu. Carry on.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I'm guessing when you post your Smash 4 roster you'll show what categories they fit in.