So now that the Mario series is up to 5 again...

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

When you include the secondary Mario characters, even if there are six of them, that would still be less than 25%, while the remaining portion consists of all the other franchises.

 

[ChikoLad]

You guys may say 12% is a small number, but I honestly think it's pushing it. Percentage is a relative figure. Smash Bros could of been made with the only characters being Mario and Link. And then we would have 50% representation from both franchises, yet only 1 character per franchise. Which would be a small number.

In this case, we have 5 Mario characters that take up 12% of a 22 character roster thus far, which is a big number. It's almost a quarter of the current roster. That's only counting the "Mario only" characters, of course.

I'm not judging by percentage, I'm saying we have enough Mario characters because they already have all of the ones that really mean anything now that Rosalina is here. She was an important addition because she represents the Galaxy series, which are some of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Plus she's popular and relevant right now, as she has been showing up in a lot of the recent Mario titles (cameo in Mario Party Island Tour, playable in 3D World, playable in Mario Kart 8, and playable in the new Mario Kart Arcade GP game).

I feel like putting anyone else in at this point is overdoing it. Paper Mario could be a cool addition, but he's still Mario. Different moveset, different art style, same character. Although I liked playing as Dr.Mario for the outfit in Melee, I disliked how he was literally an existing character being given an EXISTING character slot.

This is why I really hope character customisation is brought into this game a la the Tekken games. Or at least alternate skins (we already have one for Wii Fit Trainer, at least). The dev team can avoid having to program and rig whole new characters (even clone characters like Ganondorf in Melee would have to be re-rigged to match their stature), while giving them some representation. It'd be a great way of representing more obscure/less important characters of a series like Mario, without wasting time giving them whole new slots.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Bowser Jr. or bust is my standpoint. He does have the tools to be unique from the other fighters, and has proven to be a major character in the mainstream Mario titles. While Bowser Jr. may not have made it into Brawl, if Sakurai is able to implement a puppet character onto Rosalina's moveset, there shouldn't be a reason why we can't have someone who can spread graffiti all over his competition.

 

[ChikoLad]

You're forgetting about the 3DS, though. Having every character, and the stage be paintable at all times would be a major task. That requires every material be dynamic, which would even be a pain on Wii U. Possible, but a pain. Too much effort for one character, even just to have other characters be painted over.

One other route they could take is have him use mechs and such to attack. In the Galaxy games, he relied on mechanical things to fight.

However, I don't consider Bowser Jr. a major character beyond Sunshine. He was just another boss in the Galaxy games with no real relevance to the actual plot. The NSMB series is plotless and is just a cash cow anyway (NSMBU looks good though), so him appearing in them means little. He ain't in 3D World. And while he appears in the spin-off games, that doesn't mean a lot. Lots of characters do at this point.

I wouldn't mind if he was included but I honestly don't think that there is any particular reason why he deserves it. He seems more like Assist Trophy material, to me.

 

[S_B]

The irony with that statement, however, is that six Mario reps on a 50 character roster is only 12% of the maximum; the other 88% would represent all the other franchises.

12% is way too much.

I would much rather they include any of the great (and sometimes forgotten) franchises that haven't been included than give us so much repeat representation.

Also, is 50 the actual confirmed number or is that speculation?

 

[ChikoLad]

50 is not confirmed.

Sakurai said there will likely be less newcomers than what Brawl added. And of course, certain characters like Ice Climbers and Snake are still up in the air (people are wrong if they think Rosalina and Luma are confirmation Ice Climbers can be done. They misunderstand Sakurai's comment if they think so. It's not the concept of having more than 4 characters on-screen on 3DS being a problem. It's most likely an issue with polygon count and animation complexity. Luma is a much simpler model than any one Ice Climber).

So with 22 characters currently confirmed:
Adding the remaining Smash 64 characters brings us to 26. We know they are re-appearing, they just have not been shown yet.

If we are to assume the Palutena leak is legit, which it seems to be thus far, we're at 27 characters.

Mr. Game & Watch will likely return as well (he was in the last two games, was popular enough, and is the easiest character to implement in terms of modelling and animation. There is no good reason for him not to return). So that's 28.

Ganondorf is also likely to return. Another two-game veteran, plus he's one of the only villains, an iconic one at that. Zelda is in her Twilight Princess form in this game, so Ganondorf will likely follow suit. That's 29. I also think Falco will return with the same logic of "popular two-game veteran", plus he's popular in competitive play and is another Star Fox rep. So we're at 30 now.

Brawl had 14 newcomers in total, including unlockables. If Sakurai's comments about not having as many newcomers hold true, then we can expect no more than 13 newcomers in total. We've already accounted for 5 (assuming the Palutena leak is legit). Adding the remaining 8 brings us to 38 characters in total.

I predict at least 40 characters will make it in the end. There are many Brawl veterans that I have not mentioned that may actually make it. I'm honestly hoping all of them make it, though I'm confident one or two more will at the very least. We could also be surprised with a Melee veteran that wasn't in Brawl like Mewtwo or Roy.

Other points worth noting are:

Sakurai stated back in the day that he developed Brawl as if it were the final Smash Bros installment. Many people misinterpreted this statement and took it as a confirmation that Brawl would be the final installment. However, he did not mean that. He really meant he made it in such a way that it would feel like it was the final game. That's why the main theme is so emotional and inspiring. Compare it to the themes of the other games, including Smash 4, and they are much more tamer and sound like something you would expect from Nintendo. It's also why he went out of his way to make an expansive story mode.

This would also reflect on the character roster. In a parallel universe where Brawl is the final Smash Bros game, it'd need a huge roster expansion to make an impact. It would also be the final opportunity to fulfill the dream of having a third party character or two in the game.

So yeah, Brawl was just a much bigger jump in terms of content, compared to what we will get here. We already know we aren't getting a story mode. There are also two version in development at the same time. And the online play is getting a much bigger emphasis. So while we are getting a lot of new stuff, it's not on the same scope as Brawl, and it's more about having two versions of the same game that work together.

 

[Luigi#1]

So like, 27.5%? That is too much, but the Mario series has lot's of potential reps, only rivaled by Sonic, due to the massive amount of games.
Give me 6 characters from Kid Icuras.
Now name 10 Mario characters (Including sub series)
What one took less time?
Still, that's to many Mario characters.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I guess we just think differently on when enough is enough. I mean, take a look at the Pokemon franchise's reps; six playables in Brawl.

 

[Morbi]

I wouldn't be surprised to see another Mario representative. We had 5 in Melee, a game with fewer characters, by far. So 5 in Smash 4 is hardly over-saturating the roster. I could envision another representative. Dr. Mario, Waluigi, Bowser Jr., Toad, maybe even Paper Mario. There are plenty of important Mario characters not in the game currently and it isn't an over-statement to assert that Mario is Nintendo's biggest franchise. As @ Mario & Sonic Guy has pointed out, Pokemon has 6 playable characters in Brawl, Legend of Zelda also has 5 in Brawl, more than Mario. So it isn't unreasonable to assume we could be getting another.

 

[ChikoLad]

Pokémon literally has hundreds of Pokémon to choose from. It's understandable that they would give that series more.

I don't particularly want any more Zelda characters either. The most iconic characters are already there. Wolf Link & Midna as a pair would be cool, but they are unlikely.

Mario already has the most relevant characters in the franchise represented, including the ones who have their own sub-series. Anyone else is pushing it. When the most popular Mario suggestions are Paper Mario (literally the same character as Mario, just drawn differently and has a different kind of game), Daisy (although popular, she is way too similar too Peach, and she was only really kept beyond Super Mario Land because Peach needed a partner in Mario Tennis), and Waluigi (was literally CREATED because Wario needed a partner in Mario Tennis), I think there is a problem there. In the case of Daisy and Paper Mario, I've already suggested the idea of representing less relevant characters/alternate forms through skin swaps. Daisy and Paper Mario fall under this. Peach already has a Daisy alt, and because Daisy's design is so similar to Peach, it almost passes off as Daisy. If they went the full way with skin swaps, it would be a great way of including extra characters without actually programming whole new characters who may be clones (Daisy falls under this). Here are a few examples off the top of my head, some taken from Project M:

Mario - Doctor Mario
Luigi - Mr. L
Bowser - Dry Bowser
Peach - Daisy
Mega Man - Protoman
Sonic - Metal Sonic
Donkey Kong - Funkey Kong
Pikachu - Pichu/Raichu
Snake - Big Boss
Link - OoT Link
Zelda - Skyward Sword Zelda/OoT Zelda
Ganondorf - OoT Ganondorf

I could go on. But yeah, there is a bunch of extra characters/alternate forms that could be done via skin swaps without too much effort. Wario had his Classic Wario alt in Brawl, and Wii Fit Trainer has the male variant in SSB4. Those are pretty extensive skin swaps. And if the Project M team could create such detailed alternate costumes, then the dev team of SSB4 surely can.

I just don't want to see franchises get representation that they don't need. Like if they included Daisy and Waluigi as playable, what are they supposed to represent? Mario Tennis?

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Bowser Jr. would've represented Super Mario Sunshine to some extent if he was in Brawl. And unlike Daisy and Waluigi, he's actually become very relevant in the mainstream Mario titles, often antagonizing the Mario Bros. in one way or another.

Also, one major attribute that Bowser Jr. apparently has nowadays is his heavy reliance on technological equipment to fight the Mario Bros., which includes stuff like the Megahammer, the Boomsday Machine, his personal Koopa Clown Car, and even Professor E. Gadd's Magic Paintbrush.

The Magic Paintbrush would define Bowser Jr.'s character the best, thanks to his scribbling tendencies, and since the paintbrush has destructive properties, Bowser Jr. can use it to leave his opponents splattered with damaging graffiti.

 

[ChikoLad]

I don't consider him relevant because beyond Sunshine his role has been very generic. As you said, he's just antagonist #010 or something like that at this point. You could literally of replaced Bowser .Jr with one of the Koopa Kids in Galaxy, and it would not make a difference, because his role was so generic and honestly, out of the blue. In Sunshine, he had a very specific purpose that he was designed for. In Galaxy and every other game he's been in, he filled a very generic role that could have been filled by anyone. They could of had a Goomba pilot those mechs in Galaxy, and it really would not of changed a thing. Where as in Sunshine, his role was unique.

I agree that Bowser .Jr would of been a nice addition in Brawl. However, Smash usually focuses on the the previous generation of a franchise. In this case, the Galaxy games. And Rosalina & Luma, as well as the Mario Galaxy stage already represent this. Exceptions are made, of course. We have a stage based on the very latest Sonic game, after all. However, Mario usually follows this trend better than any other represented franchise.

I'm not going to mind if Bowser .Jr does get in. That just means that there will be people who will be happy as I was when Rosalina was revealed, and that's awesome. I just don't think the "he's relevant" argument works. I also think that, while the paintbrush idea is cool in a cosmetic sense, it would only be cool if the focus of his playstyle was similar to Sackboy in PS All-Stars - creating objects that he can use to trap and outsmart foes. It would fit his character well. Just swiping paint on characters would effectively make him another sword character, except he has a paintbrush.

 

[Foxy K]

I definitely stand by my "Mario has enough reps" stance, but if Geno got in I would lose my ****.

 

[ChikoLad]

Although he was made for and featured in a Mario game, Geno would technically be a third party guest if he made it, as he belongs to Square-Enix. Unless Nintendo permanently bought the rights to the character. He's very different to the normal Mario characters, so I wouldn't mind him being included. He'd stand as his own character.

 

[Foxy K]

I see where you're coming from, and I'll accept anything that helps me believe, but he also has only ever appeared in (a) Mario titles. He had a cameo in another one, but meh. On the subject of RPGs, Golden Sun SERIOUSLY needs some representation. That's a realistic inclusion I'd lose my **** over.

 

[Princess Toady]

I don't even think Mario getting ten characters would be very shocking to me (including Yoshi / D.K / Wario or not), it is Nintendo's most popular series by a wide margin.

But in an installment in which it has been said not to expect too many newcomers, I find myself doubtful that we'll get another one, unfortunately (I really would love Toad though. Even Daisy / Waluigi who are often viewed as clones would be great in my mind, though I'd honestly prefer characters like Birdo / Petey, etc...). We know that many Mario characters would work, some of them kind of already have their movesets / special attributes already, but we don't know what's the priority of the developing team.

They could want to expand the representated series, although at this point, I don't really see obvious choice in that respect (Yes, once again, Golden Sun and Advance Wars would be nice, but I wouldn't particularly feel like I was missing something if they weren't represented, you know ?) or maybe they could prefer to work with the series they already have, in which case we might have a better chance.

 

[andimidna]

If you're going to consider Sheik, Squitle, Ivysaur, and Charizard all as their own characters, then why not consider Luma the 6th rep?
What I think will happen:
Mario: 5 (all confirmed)
Zelda: 5 (not sure who, but I know who I want it to be)
Pokemon: 5 (you know who)
Bowser Jr isn't impossible, but I'm not counting on it.
I wish Fire Emblem could reach 5. I'd want Marth, Ike, Chrom and Lucina (team), Robin, and Anna and Tiki (team).
Although that's pretty much just not going to happen. :/
Pokemon and Fire Emblem are centered around having a bunch of characters on your team. So, I could see them receiving more than they deserve. For the characters, and not equality. However there is an obvious top 5 for Pokemon, so I think it should stay like that, but I'd like Pokemon Trainer to have 6 Pokemon this time around, because, that's how many you actually have. Starters from Gen 1 need to return, they even returned in X and Y, however, X and Y still added 3. Greninja is the most popular Pokemon added in X and Y. Blastoise and Venusaur got mega evolutions, I think it makes more sense for a good Pokemon Trainer to have all of their Pokemon evolved, so they could take over Squirtle and Ivysaur's movesets, that's the closest thing to a removal I see happening.
Then with 4, I'd hope DK and Starfox.

 

[Foxy K]

There's some more of that special brand of character predicting lunacy. Idiocy? Either way. First of all, Luma isn't an entire moveset like Sheik or one of the pokemon. Second, a team of six? Pokemon Trainer was already a waste of three characters since they're all one move short and are held back by being bound to a dumb stamina mechanic. If you're going to model and animate all those characters, they may as well be their own characters. But six? You're insane, dude.

 

[andimidna]

There's some more of that special brand of character predicting lunacy. Idiocy? Either way. First of all, Luma isn't an entire moveset like Sheik or one of the pokemon. Second, a team of six? Pokemon Trainer was already a waste of three characters since they're all one move short and are held back by being bound to a dumb stamina mechanic. If you're going to model and animate all those characters, they may as well be their own characters. But six? You're insane, dude.

Character predicting lunacy? Why are you such an asshole? I didn't direct my reply towards you, or anybody. I just gave more of what I want to happen, a wish. You don't have to be a **** about it.
They have 6 in the games. It represents the Trainer better, and actually represents Gen 6, whereas Mega Evolutions don't as a character, but as a move. They were far from useless in Brawl. One of the better characters. If I told you back before Brawl I wanted Olimar running around with a total of 6 pikmin trailing behind him, you'd have called me insane.

Not every character added works exactly like how you think they would. Or what's easiest. Or what makes more/less sense.

 

[SmashShadow]

I can see Zelda or Pokemon getting another roster slot with the latter being much more likely. I can still see Mario getting a 6th rep as well. The real thing that needs to happen though is bumping DK up to 4. His series deserves it the most considering history, as well as sales, and size of the Donkey Kong franchise. I don't see FE getting more than 3 reps nor Kid Icarus getting more than 2. Earthbound, Star Fox and F-Zero probably are not getting a newcomer due to being in a franchise coma. Metroid should get 1 more rep totaling to 3. Yoshi is fine as is because his series is so closely tied in with the Mario series that he doesn't really need another rep. Wario isn't really tied in with the Mario series so it could get a rep but I'm very doubtful since it's most likely newcomer was just branded assist trophy status and there's no one stand out character from his series. Pikmin doesn't need a 2nd rep with only 3 games. And lastly, none of the 3rd parties need a second rep as they are guest characters.

 

[fbs397]

Some people here seem to be basing the roster on numbers of representives from each series. I don't think Sakurai sees it like that at all. I think he chooses characters based on what they can add to the gameplay, not based on which series they come from or how they look. I've never played as Peach, but Rosalina isn't a Peach clone, is she? Her Toad doesn't work the same way as Luma, correct?

 

[Sonicguy726]

I say we should have Paper Mario representing his own series like DK, Yoshi and Wario. He would be completely different from mario using his hammer, stickers, badges, pixls and even partners

 

[ChikoLad]

Why not just have a Paper Mario character besides Mario represent that series? Dimentio, anyone? He'd be a new villain too.

 

[Sonicguy726]

Why not just have a Paper Mario character besides Mario represent that series? Dimentio, anyone? He'd be a new villain too.

Nowhere near important enough

 

[ChikoLad]

Nowhere near important enough

He's only the main villain of Super Paper Mario. Totally not relevant within the series at all. :I

 

[Sonicguy726]

He's only the main villain of Super Paper Mario. Totally not relevant within the series at all. :I

yeah but thats one game out of 4, thats like adding ghirahim or zant

 

[ChikoLad]

Ice Climbers have also only been in one game outside of Smash (NES Remix doesn't count).

 

[Luigi#1]

Ice Climbers have also only been in one game outside of Smash (NES Remix doesn't count).

I'm pretty sure 1/1 is moe than 1/4.

 

[Sonicguy726]

Ice Climbers have also only been in one game outside of Smash (NES Remix doesn't count).

Because they have 1 game and were added as classic random characters, you can't do that for dimentio, she's nowhere not even close to being the main villain of the paper mario games

 

[Arcadenik]

12% is way too much.

I would much rather they include any of the great (and sometimes forgotten) franchises that haven't been included than give us so much repeat representation.

Also, is 50 the actual confirmed number or is that speculation?

Smash had 2 Mario characters out of 12 characters... 16%
Melee had 5 Mario characters out of 25 characters... 20%
Brawl had 4 Mario characters out of 35 characters... 11%

Currently, SSB4 has 5 Mario characters out of 22 confirmed characters... 23%

If/when SSB4 gets 5 Mario characters out of 45 characters... 11%
If/when SSB4 gets 5 Mario characters out of 50 characters... 10%
If/when SSB4 gets 6 Mario characters out of 45 characters... 13%
If/when SSB4 gets 6 Mario characters out of 50 characters... 12%

Face it, Mario (and Pokemon) will always have more. It is better to accept that fact than to challenge it and end up disappointed/angry when it happens again.

 

[ChikoLad]

Because they have 1 game and were added as classic random characters, you can't do that for dimentio, she's nowhere not even close to being the main villain of the paper mario games

He's the main villain of Super Paper Mario.

And I don't see why being in 1 game in a series of 4 is somehow considered "less relevant" or "less memorable" than being in one game of a series of one. Shouldn't a character's place in Smash be chosen by how well they were portrayed in their appearances, how memorable they were, and how well received they were, rather than how many they have had?

Of course, this is going for characters that aren't really in a yearly franchise or anything, or are more obscure. Characters like Mario just get in by virtue of being so recogniseable. Mario isn't exactly much of a character himself.

 

[Sonicguy726]

He's the main villain of Super Paper Mario.

And I don't see why being in 1 game in a series of 4 is somehow considered "less relevant" or "less memorable" than being in one game of a series of one. Shouldn't a character's place in Smash be chosen by how well they were portrayed in their appearances, how memorable they were, and how well received they were, rather than how many they have had?

Of course, this is going for characters that aren't really in a yearly franchise or anything, or are more obscure. Characters like Mario just get in by virtue of being so recogniseable. Mario isn't exactly much of a character himself.

Sorry I meant he and if we get another mario villain it'll be bowser jr, this guy isn't even close

 

[ChikoLad]

I wasn't suggesting Dimentio as a "Mario" representative, but as a "Paper Mario" representative, as people keep saying Paper Mario should be a character. But that's silly, because having duplicate characters is just generally a bit of a mood killer. It's like how the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games claim the roster has over 70 characters, then when you play the game, most of them are just duplicates of the same character with slightly different movesets. I've never seen Doctor Mario as a legit extra character in Melee, even if he takes a place on the roster. He's still Mario, both in "character" and in moveset. And while Paper Mario COULD be different from Mario, I don't think there is enough to work with that Mario doesn't already do. You'd get different specials, but that's about it. And even his specials would likely end up similar to other characters (his hammer is a common suggestion, but we already have Dedede and possibly Ice Climbers as hammer-based characters, and Kirby's side special uses a hammer).

I'm generally pretty leniant with accepting a character suggestion, but I do not agree with clone characters or duplicate characters (one character taking two separate slots, like Mario/Dr.Mario). It's just very uninspired. I know Sakurai won't do it though, as he said he wants to keep clones to a minimum and has said so since Brawl. Brawl was pretty good with this, and didn't really have any full on clones IMO.

I don't think Dimentio will get in, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. I think he's worthy. A lot of people like him, he was a memorable villain, and he would have much potential for a unique moveset centered around manipulating his surroundings. Him being in one game is not a solid enough argument to say he doesn't deserve a place at all.

 

[Sonicguy726]

I wasn't suggesting Dimentio as a "Mario" representative, but as a "Paper Mario" representative, as people keep saying Paper Mario should be a character. But that's silly, because having duplicate characters is just generally a bit of a mood killer. It's like how the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games claim the roster has over 70 characters, then when you play the game, most of them are just duplicates of the same character with slightly different movesets. I've never seen Doctor Mario as a legit extra character in Melee, even if he takes a place on the roster. He's still Mario, both in "character" and in moveset. And while Paper Mario COULD be different from Mario, I don't think there is enough to work with that Mario doesn't already do. You'd get different specials, but that's about it. And even his specials would likely end up similar to other characters (his hammer is a common suggestion, but we already have Dedede and possibly Ice Climbers as hammer-based characters, and Kirby's side special uses a hammer).

I'm generally pretty leniant with accepting a character suggestion, but I do not agree with clone characters or duplicate characters (one character taking two separate slots, like Mario/Dr.Mario). It's just very uninspired. I know Sakurai won't do it though, as he said he wants to keep clones to a minimum and has said so since Brawl. Brawl was pretty good with this, and didn't really have any full on clones IMO.

I don't think Dimentio will get in, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. I think he's worthy. A lot of people like him, he was a memorable villain, and he would have much potential for a unique moveset centered around manipulating his surroundings. Him being in one game is not a solid enough argument to say he doesn't deserve a place at all.

He could eaily be very different, I imagine a combination of mario, mr game & watch and Ice climbers/dedede, his A moves could revolve around his hammer, His specials could include Pixls, Partners, Stickers, Badges etc

 

[ChikoLad]

Pixls were mostly for movement rather than combat, IIRC.
Trying to implement his partners is kinda pushing it for the dev team.
Badges were basically RPG-equipment of the Paper Mario games. I don't think they could really be used for interesting moves.

The stickers may be something, but it's not enough.

 

[Sonicguy726]

Pixls were mostly for movement rather than combat, IIRC.
Trying to implement his partners is kinda pushing it for the dev team.
Badges were basically RPG-equipment of the Paper Mario games. I don't think they could really be used for interesting moves.

The stickers may be something, but it's not enough.

Pixls could still be used, Partners could work you know since you know when you select one this just kind of appear and then when you get out another it just disappears and the other one pops out

 

[ChikoLad]

You seem to be forgetting that video games require programming. Switching out partners with different abilities just for one character would be a programming nightmare. I don't want them wasting their time programming one character who is technically already on the roster, and who's franchise is not falling short when it comes to representation.

 

[Sonicguy726]

You seem to be forgetting that video games require programming. Switching out partners with different abilities just for one character would be a programming nightmare. I don't want them wasting their time programming one character who is technically already on the roster, and who's franchise is not falling short when it comes to representation.

He would bring something actually unique to the table and it can't be that much harder to program than the ice climbers or the pokemon trainer

 

[Foxy K]

Character predicting lunacy? Why are you such an *******? I didn't direct my reply towards you, or anybody. I just gave more of what I want to happen, a wish. You don't have to be a **** about it.
They have 6 in the games. It represents the Trainer better, and actually represents Gen 6, whereas Mega Evolutions don't as a character, but as a move. They were far from useless in Brawl. One of the better characters. If I told you back before Brawl I wanted Olimar running around with a total of 6 pikmin trailing behind him, you'd have called me insane.

Not every character added works exactly like how you think they would. Or what's easiest. Or what makes more/less sense.

They carry six in the games. A standard wifi or battle tower (or whatever it is now) battle uses 3. You're saying they should model and animate SIX characters.... to all just be one character. And I don't know who brought up how good PKMN Trainer is in Brawl (it wasn't me), but he's sitting at E tier. Because playing three characters is actually a hindrance if you can't just pick which one you want to use and stick with it for an entire match.

Olimar having six pikmin behind him makes perfect sense. They're simple models and really easy to animate since they each don't have an entire moveset like your crazy pokemon idea. But in Olimar's game he has, what? 100? By your logic, he would have 100 trailing behind him in Smash. And then I would have called you insane, yes.

And you can wish for whatever you want, I'm just providing a reality check.

 

[Oblivion129]

Some people here seem to be basing the roster on numbers of representives from each series. I don't think Sakurai sees it like that at all. I think he chooses characters based on what they can add to the gameplay, not based on which series they come from or how they look. I've never played as Peach, but Rosalina isn't a Peach clone, is she? Her Toad doesn't work the same way as Luma, correct?

Exactly. Star Fox had more reps than Metroid and DK, but it doesn't mean Star Fox is more important. We're trying to find logic in something that doesn't have it. Sakurai adds a character he thinks will fit in, or a really popular character. That's all there is to it.