Super Smash Bros. Infinite Beyond

[darkvortex]

Another animal crossing character feels like a sensible pick. Honestly another Splatoon character, one of the idols most likey, makes sense. Is Zelda allowed? I think Tetra could work. Prince Sidon is also a good pick, we're overdue for something from the BOTW era gamws. Captain Syrup also works, bit obscure but could be a chance to bring her back to the fire front with the likes of K. Rool.

third party wise. Shantae works. We're due another indie and she is still getting new games. Something from Dead or Alive could work, might be weird to do that before Ryu Hyabusa but I form think it's a big issue. A Falcom rep is something I've been wanting for ages and i feel a lot of their characters could fit here. I actually like the idea of Tidus or Yuna as a non 7 ff rep. Ryza or Neku could also work. Maybe a Genshin character? The new Yakuza has a beach theme and i actually think Ichiban would be really fun. If we wanna be Sly then there's Solare dark souls and his power of the sun. Also if we wanna do a racing game rep a lot of those have summer theming

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

I had my reservations about having a character that is tied to summer to be allowed as I felt the candidate list would be more tighter than say a Halloween event but, despite that, I had plans to do a new character reveal for the one year anniversary event so I balanced itself out.

We didn’t get much of a discussion but that is how things are currently.

Submit a Newcomer Character for our Summer Event​

As mentioned, we will be submitting a character that is highly tied to summer. This can be regarding hot weather, the ocean, tropics, anything that feels summery. This includes games that has summer themes or locations. There are a few rules though.

Due to being within the year timeframe of Infinite Beyond’s release, we will not allow the following series to get included: Sonic, Star Fox, Pokemon, Pikmin, as well as Sin/Punishment and Halo. In addition, currently, content like assist trophies are not allowed. However, Mii Costumes that appeared prior to Infinite Beyond are acceptable. Also, due to being our first “dlc” fighter, we are going for big name series so do try to submit that in mind. For example, while Mario characters like Toad are fine, the crab Sidestepper is too obscure with not much potential for a moveset that we can all participate in. If you have any questions, ping me. First and third party is allowed.

Please Submit the following:

Picture
Name
Series
Why they should be considered

 

[ssbashworld]

Kasumi or Ayane (Dead or Alive)

Not sure this is allowed, remember we did something similar with Scorpion & Subzero when i nominated an MK rep. As mentioned earlier Koei Tecmo feels missing from the roster considering the many games (particularly Warriors) they have made alongside Nintendo.

Ryu Hayabusa is probably the best pick but Kasumi or Ayane shouldnt be slept on either. Dead or Alive is a big series throughout Koei Tecmos history & Kasumi & Ayane are very popular iconic characters (plus they fit with the summer theming with various costumes, stages, and a, for better or worse, very notable sub-series). I feel like both characters could be argued. Where Kasumi is the series protag, Ayane has been used more in crossovers & is more closely tied to Ninja Gaiden, another popular series from Koei Tecmo that takes place in the same universe.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Bub & Bob E-X-T-E-N-D the roster!

The iconic bubble-blowing dragons from Bubble Bobble and Bust-A-Move - a long legacy between arcades, micros, and consoles, spanning 2 equally popular franchises. Beside the obvious bubbles, water slides, and fruit, their sequels feature similarly summer-adjacent abilities such as rainbows and parasols. I think we could have some fun with the bubbles, making them basically into command-grabbing projectiles. Whether we make them alts or a duo is something we'll decide should they get voted in.

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

Character for Summer Event: Shantae

Shantae is the eponymous protagonist from a platformer game series called Shantae, she is an half-genie who fights stopping Risky Boots' plans,she also have friends who are Sky,Rottytops and Bolo.

Why Shantae on Super Smash Bros. Infinite Beyond?

Shantae is a most requested character from Smash,and she have a big history with Nintendo,since her debut was on a Game Boy Color game,Shantae appears in Smash but as spirit and mii costume,and she also need one more chance for being a playable character,and for match more to the festival,Shantae games have beaches and islands levels and pirates on lore of the franchise.

 

[keleyeemoh]

K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)

KK Slider is the guitar-playing and singing (and sometimes DJing under the name DJ KK) dog from Animal Crossing. KK Slider is a huge part of Animal Crossing, hosting a concert every Saturday night. His music is deeply ingrained in the series, with the character being able to get a song from him every week that they can then play on any music player available in the game. Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's biggest series, especially since the release of New Horizons at the perfect time in 2020, and is absolutely deserving of a new character, and I think KK Slider is the best choice. He has the most potential for a unique moveset revolving around music, while someone like Tom Nook would likely be very similar to Villager and Isabelle. He is also pictured on the covers to all of his songs, imagery which could also potentially be pulled from. Animal Crossing characters also fit the summer theme like a glove, as the aesthetics of the games are heavily tied into whichever season that it is, so there is a lot to pull from there as well.

 

[Justoneguyhere1999]

Can't believe i was late for this. Suppose that's what happen when you have a job at night shift now.

Anyways. I personally think this character could fit well for an summer theme.

Character for Summer Event: Jonsey (Fortnite)

Jonsey is one of the many known characters (or default skins) in Fortnite who might well be considered the main character of Fortnite. Jonsey can represent the game mechanics of the game by not just using an wide range of weapons from the game such as pickaxes but also using the build mechanic from the game into his moveset. Sorta like Steve mixed with Doomguy or Master Chief. Making Jonsey stand out from them as a unique fighter.

Fortnite has become an cultural phenomenon over the years and it really shows.. Not only they had collab with media such as Marvel, DBZ and even Family Guy. But also collabing with well-known real-life celebrities into the mix too. Recently, even Fortnite has a LEGO game nowadays. At this point, I think a Fortnite Rep would earn a spot within Smash Bros with how big it became.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Toad (Mario)

Does he/do they need much of an introduction? Since this little mushroom guy debuted in 1985 in the original Super Mario Bros, Toad has been a mainstay in the Mario series. Appearing in countless spinoffs alongside even having a role in the Super Mario Bros Movie this year, he's (or they are as Toads have confirmed to not have a gender) iconic and he/they has/have been a fan request for a long time.

They have so much moveset potential. Watch this for instance.

Overall, despite our roster being bloated with Mario content, we can squeeze in one of the last Nintendo all-stars onto our roster.

 

[cashregister9]

Gran/Djeeta

Gran/Djeeta is the main character of Granblue Fantasy, (Gran is the Male Avatar, Djeeta is the Female avatar)

Granblue Fantasy is a mobile game that has various spinoffs including a Hack and slash and fighting game. What this has to do with summer is that the series takes place in a series of sky islands and shares a lot of aesthetic and trope similarities with pirate media like One Piece although not as blatant. Granblue also has a large amount of unique summer events. In general this series gives off the vibes of the ocean, summer, and islands.

In terms of Gameplay Gran/Djeeta would be a swordfighter but could use summons from Lyria, Their moveset from GBFVS and The many classes that they can spec into. and for aesthetics they could even draw from the crossovers that have happened with Granblue

 

[GolisoPower]

ASUKA

Who is she?​

Asuka is the main protagonist of Senran Kagura (閃乱カグラ, "Flash War Dance"), a hack-and-slash video game known for its fast-paced action and spicy tongue-in-cheek fanservice. Asuka is a kunoichi-in-training at Hanzo Academy, and one of the most popular girls in the series, second only to Gessen Academy third-year Yumi, who would debut in a later game, Estival Versus, and would even be chosen as the SK representative in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

Why Asuka?​

As I've explained before, Senran Kagura made its debut on the Nintendo 3DS with Senran Kagura: Portrait of Girls, and since then has developed a very niche yet very dedicated fanbase. The series even spawned some anime, various spin-offs (including one important enough to be one of the games shown off at the Nintendo Switch Presentation two months before the console's release), and even a crossover with Hyperdimension Neptunia on two separate occasions.

Senran Kagura has plenty of summery media (especially the water-gun third-person shooter Peach Beach Splash), and many forms of Japanese media tend to lean into the fanservice-y part of the summer season. If you think Senran Kagura' not known for its fanservice, then my buddy, you've been to church too much. Even too much Jesus can be bad for you. That being said, we could still make minor tweaks to the design to make her on par with the rest of the cast (Hell, even Pyra had a minor tweak to her's). But then again we are giving swimsuit alts to the current roster, so...

Even outside of the series, Nintendo and Marvelous have a great relationship with each other, working together to release Daemon X Machina as a timed Switch exclusive, and they've also worked together on other series such as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and even games like No More Heroes and the Fate/Extra series. They've even collaborated on some Pokémon arcade games!

How would Asuka play?​

Despite its main draw being that the series is the video game equivalent of Kill La Kill, its bigger main draw is its fast-paced combat. Asuka would be a character similar to the two other ninja characters we have in Smash: Sheik and Greninja, being a fast-paced rushdown character with a heavy focus on combos. But unlike those two, she would be more air-focused, as that's a unique mechanic Senran Kagura possesses: Aerial Raves. Basically, if you time your dash after performing an attack that launches an enemy into the air, you basically pursue that launched enemy quickly to continue the combo in the air. This could work similarly in Smash: if Asuka launches an opponent into the air using an attack with high knockback and presses the Jump button during end-lag, she will dash towards them in an attempt to continue the combo. We could balance this by making it so she can only travel so far before she starts falling, as some opponents could be just knocked too far for her to reach.

As for other capabilities, she's a dual wielder with two wakizashi blades, and as such, she would possess swift, multi-hitting attacks. She also has the ability to summon a giant toad that can fight alongside her at the risk of hitting her as collateral. The toad could leap as part of an Up Special.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Hunter
Monster Hunter
​

Yes, we all know Monster Hunter has a large presence in Smash with Mii Costumes in 4, Rathalos and MH music in Ultimate, the boss Diablos in base Infinite, and Kamura Village as a DLC stage. For many, the main aspect of the Monster Hunter series is, well, the monsters and that makes sense. Some of these creatures are downright amazing such as a formiddble glutton Deviljho aka "The Pickle" to the serene and mystic Kirin to the iconic flagship monster, Rathalos. While Monster Hunter did not get its start on a Nintendo system, it has a notable presence with Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) being made available on the Wii (which was my first entry into the series) as well as an enhanced port for the Wii U and 3DS, Monster Hunter 4 for the 3DS, and Monster Hunter Rise for the Switch. In addition, Frontier Z for the Wii, Generations for the 3DS and Switch, Stories for the 3DS, and Stories 2 for the Switch. This comes to a grand total of 7 titles, 3 of which were mainline games. The only downside is that the Switch did not get a World port which is downright one of the most successful if not successful Monster Hunter game to date. In addition, it seems Wilds will not be coming to a Nintendo console but that has yet to be seen.

Now, why should we include a Monster Hunter rep?
While Monsters are indeed the stars of the show, it's the humans who truly do all of the work. Players would play as the Hunter who would have access to a wide assortment of weapons that change how the character plays. This would create an ever-changing playstyle that is flexible yet dependable. In addition, by taking advantage of mechanics found in Rise, we could have more access to other options such as Wirebugs. Moreover, bringing finally a playable fighter from a series that has a deep history in Smash seems like the right move for our first technical DLC fighter. While maybe not the most inspiring, hype-inducing, or even risky inclusion; it makes 100% sense.

Why the Summer Festival?
Monster Hunter has lots of different terrains and habitats but some of the most common ones are jungles and tropics. Plus, we do dinosaurs all lived in dense, steamy jungles right? In addition, some of the armor has a certain tribal look to it which also ties in the series of the topics and summer.

What does Monster Hunter Bring to the Table?
Well, we already have a stage so we probably don't need a second MH stage unless we wanna look toward World. This leaves our stage option for this festival to something else entirely. A huge influx of Spirits in a separate Spirit Event would be called for plus additional Mii Costumes that would run coincide with this festival and be made available afterwards. I would rather see a Monster Hunter Festival with the monsters roaming about randomly personally but I can take this as well.

Now, one issue I often see is a character winning and no one submitting content. Some of the highest number of character content we got was Crazy Dave, Zangreus, Jill, Dr. Eggman, Red, and Ratchet. These were characters that all had a wide number of options in their movesets that allowed for more ideas to be included. With Crazy Dave, it was plants. For Ratchet, it was guns. For Dr. Eggman, it was minions and for Zagreus, it was boons. More straightforward characters don't often get moveset submissions like those that are more gimmicky. I mean, that allows me to craft the moveset for them which is a win-win for me as I enjoy that process and fully embrace it but I also like to see thread involvement and activity.

That is why I believe that the Hunter can bring forth lots of submissions because they would have access to a wide assortment of weapons and that is not even taking into account the ability to "capture" monsters and control via Wirebugs or pals such as the Palicoes and Palamutes. In addition, for alternate costumes, we could just do armors.

I mean, look at the weapons we could include. Each weapon has its own unique mechanics as well which makes the Hunter even more versatile:

1. Sword & Shield​
2. Dual Blades​
3. Great Sword​
4. Long Sword​
5. Hammer​
6. Hunting Horn (this would have awesome applications for a personal or team buffer move)​
7. Lance​
8. Gunlance​
9. Switch Axe​
10. Charge Blade​
11. Insect Glaive​
12. Bow​
13. Light Bowgun​
14. Medium Bowgun​
15. Heavy Bowgun​

Why Vote for Hunter?
We already have some amazing submissions with some of my top wants being up there (Toad, Gran/Djeeta, Bub & Bob, Kasumi, etc) but I feel, while awesome, the moveset creation and character-building session will become stagnant without much activity. I feel that adding the Hunter wouldn't only make sense for both our festival and for Smash as a whole to finally bring a character representative that surely needs one but also to create an engaging and active character creation process.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

I forgot to count the votes for our Assist Trophy submission

Name	2 Points	1 Point	Total
Adventurer	0	4	4
King Rhoam	2 (4)	2	6
Orochi	0	0	0
Diablo	5 (10)	1	11

Diablo will be our Assist Trophy that is purchasable during this festival and available for free later.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Ashley Robbins (Another Code)

Another Code is a point and click adventure puzzle series about Ashley Robbins, a teenage girl raised by her aunt Jessica after her parents mysteriously disappeared. The first game is about her searching for her father Richard, on the mysterious Blood Edward Island with her companion D, and unraveling the mysteries surrounding her parent's research.

The first game in the series was released on the Nintendo DS in America, Europe, and Japan, while the second game in the series was released on the Nintendo Wii in only Europe and Japan. The series has recently been announced to be receiving a remake of both games on the Nintendo Switch, which will also localize the second game in North America for the first time. Because of this remake, which is coming in January 2024, the series has been receiving an large amount of attention from the Nintendo/Gaming community, bringing it an enormous amount of relevance. Ashley would be a great representative for this reason and many others.

The second game takes place at the end of the main character's summer vacation, making it a great fit for the summer festival. The first game takes place on an island and the second on a lake, both water related locations. Ashley would represent the point & click adventure and the visual novel puzzle genres, both of which are relatively underrepresented in Smash Infinite. The rarity of both genres in Smash would give enormous moveset potential for her, using moves that could be specifically tied to point & click adventure and visual novel puzzle games. She would also be another female character, which is also underrepresented in Infinite Beyond (Krystal being the only 100% female newcomer), and not only that, she would be a female character that leads her own franchise, which is even more rare in Smash. The timing of the remake coming out very soon brings excitement for the series at the highest its been for a long time, so it would be great time to add the puzzle solving explorer to Smash.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Dragon Rider Zelda waiting for her egg or knight to show up be like....

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Small question: In future alt colour jobs, could I submit recolours for existing model alts? I might be interested in doing an alt for something like one of the Koopalings or rubberhose Sora.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Small question: In future alt colour jobs, could I submit recolours for existing model alts? I might be interested in doing an alt for something like one of the Koopalings or rubberhose Sora.

Individual alts, like the Koopalings, probably not. This one was chosen by me as the user never specified and I felt that the Dragon Rider color was more suitable for BotW/TotK Zelda. It would have to be a case-by-case basis. This is to ensure a balance between characters with multiple alts or with a single alt.

 

[darkvortex]

Prince Sidon
I think a new Zelda rep is long over due, as our last ones in base game where an echo and a controversial newcomer choice. I think with three games now, the BOTW era of the franchise has proven itself long lasting and deserves a rep of its own. Sidon has been in all three games and is a super popular character. I think a water user and a duel staff used could be very fun. I know the champions themselves as a four in one character is a popular idea but that seems like a lot so I think it's best to pick just one, and Sidon is one who I've seen requested a l ot.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

These are all wonderful submissions! I just want to get them listed out so we can see them here:

Bub & Bob (Bubble Bobble)
Kasumi or Ayane (Dead or Alive)
Tom nook (Animal Crossing)
Shantae (Shantae)
Hunter (Monster Hunter)
Gran/Djeeta (Gran Blue)
Toad (Super Mario Bros)
Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda)
Ashley Robbins (Another Code)
Asuka (Senran Kagura)
Jonesy (Fortnite)

I will be perfectly honest but all of these submissions are top tier. They are really amazing and truly show that this event has tons of potential for characters and this "live festival" model is far more flexible than the DLC Passes of Ultimate and Infinite. Granted, we do have a blank slate right now but we don't have to fully commit to a crapton of related content to that series/company as this submission is joined with a non-game related festival. That being said, additional content relevant to the representative series will be included and, unlike the Summer festival content, will be made available later down the road.

Which reminds me, we have one more event until our one-year anniversary festival which I have a lot of plans for. That being said, any game-related content such as the Mii update as well the content that will come with this update MINUS our newcomers will be available again for reduced pricing in our year anniversary with some of them being featured as even more discounts or even free. Newcomers are generally available with a discount during the event and then purchasable afterwards for full price.

 

[keleyeemoh]

These are all wonderful submissions! I just want to get them listed out so we can see them here:

Bub & Bob (Bubble Bobble)
Kasumi or Ayane (Dead or Alive)
Tom nook (Animal Crossing)
Shantae (Shantae)
Hunter (Monster Hunter)
Gran/Djeeta (Gran Blue)
Toad (Super Mario Bros)
Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda)
Ashley Robbins (Another Code)
Asuka (Senran Kagura)
Jonesy (Fortnite)

I will be perfectly honest but all of these submissions are top tier. They are really amazing and truly show that this event has tons of potential for characters and this "live festival" model is far more flexible than the DLC Passes of Ultimate and Infinite. Granted, we do have a blank slate right now but we don't have to fully commit to a crapton of related content to that series/company as this submission is joined with a non-game related festival. That being said, additional content relevant to the representative series will be included and, unlike the Summer festival content, will be made available later down the road.

Which reminds me, we have one more event until our one-year anniversary festival which I have a lot of plans for. That being said, any game-related content such as the Mii update as well the content that will come with this update MINUS our newcomers will be available again for reduced pricing in our year anniversary with some of them being featured as even more discounts or even free. Newcomers are generally available with a discount during the event and then purchasable afterwards for full price.

Just a small correction, I submitted KK Slider, not Tom Nook.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Alright, we are going to start our voting process!

Here are our entire submissions in quoted form:

These are all wonderful submissions! I just want to get them listed out so we can see them here:
Bub & Bob (Bubble Bobble)
Kasumi or Ayane (Dead or Alive)
K. K. Slider (Animal Crossing)
Shantae (Shantae)
Hunter (Monster Hunter)
Gran/Djeeta (Gran Blue)
Toad (Super Mario Bros)
Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda)
Ashley Robbins (Another Code)
Asuka (Senran Kagura)
Jonesy (Fortnite)

Kasumi or Ayane (Dead or Alive)

Not sure this is allowed, remember we did something similar with Scorpion & Subzero when i nominated an MK rep. As mentioned earlier Koei Tecmo feels missing from the roster considering the many games (particularly Warriors) they have made alongside Nintendo.

Ryu Hayabusa is probably the best pick but Kasumi or Ayane shouldnt be slept on either. Dead or Alive is a big series throughout Koei Tecmos history & Kasumi & Ayane are very popular iconic characters (plus they fit with the summer theming with various costumes, stages, and a, for better or worse, very notable sub-series). I feel like both characters could be argued. Where Kasumi is the series protag, Ayane has been used more in crossovers & is more closely tied to Ninja Gaiden, another popular series from Koei Tecmo that takes place in the same universe.

Bub & Bob E-X-T-E-N-D the roster!
View attachment 381997
The iconic bubble-blowing dragons from Bubble Bobble and Bust-A-Move - a long legacy between arcades, micros, and consoles, spanning 2 equally popular franchises. Beside the obvious bubbles, water slides, and fruit, their sequels feature similarly summer-adjacent abilities such as rainbows and parasols. I think we could have some fun with the bubbles, making them basically into command-grabbing projectiles. Whether we make them alts or a duo is something we'll decide should they get voted in.

Character for Summer Event: Shantae

View attachment 381998

Shantae is the eponymous protagonist from a platformer game series called Shantae, she is an half-genie who fights stopping Risky Boots' plans,she also have friends who are Sky,Rottytops and Bolo.

Why Shantae on Super Smash Bros. Infinite Beyond?

Shantae is a most requested character from Smash,and she have a big history with Nintendo,since her debut was on a Game Boy Color game,Shantae appears in Smash but as spirit and mii costume,and she also need one more chance for being a playable character,and for match more to the festival,Shantae games have beaches and islands levels and pirates on lore of the franchise.

K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)

KK Slider is the guitar-playing and singing (and sometimes DJing under the name DJ KK) dog from Animal Crossing. KK Slider is a huge part of Animal Crossing, hosting a concert every Saturday night. His music is deeply ingrained in the series, with the character being able to get a song from him every week that they can then play on any music player available in the game. Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's biggest series, especially since the release of New Horizons at the perfect time in 2020, and is absolutely deserving of a new character, and I think KK Slider is the best choice. He has the most potential for a unique moveset revolving around music, while someone like Tom Nook would likely be very similar to Villager and Isabelle. He is also pictured on the covers to all of his songs, imagery which could also potentially be pulled from. Animal Crossing characters also fit the summer theme like a glove, as the aesthetics of the games are heavily tied into whichever season that it is, so there is a lot to pull from there as well.

Can't believe i was late for this. Suppose that's what happen when you have a job at night shift now.

Anyways. I personally think this character could fit well for an summer theme.

Character for Summer Event: Jonsey (Fortnite)

Jonsey is one of the many known characters (or default skins) in Fortnite who might well be considered the main character of Fortnite. Jonsey can represent the game mechanics of the game by not just using an wide range of weapons from the game such as pickaxes but also using the build mechanic from the game into his moveset. Sorta like Steve mixed with Doomguy or Master Chief. Making Jonsey stand out from them as a unique fighter.

Fortnite has become an cultural phenomenon over the years and it really shows.. Not only they had collab with media such as Marvel, DBZ and even Family Guy. But also collabing with well-known real-life celebrities into the mix too. Recently, even Fortnite has a LEGO game nowadays. At this point, I think a Fortnite Rep would earn a spot within Smash Bros with how big it became.

Toad (Mario)

View attachment 382002

Does he/do they need much of an introduction? Since this little mushroom guy debuted in 1985 in the original Super Mario Bros, Toad has been a mainstay in the Mario series. Appearing in countless spinoffs alongside even having a role in the Super Mario Bros Movie this year, he's (or they are as Toads have confirmed to not have a gender) iconic and he/they has/have been a fan request for a long time.

They have so much moveset potential. Watch this for instance.

Overall, despite our roster being bloated with Mario content, we can squeeze in one of the last Nintendo all-stars onto our roster.

Gran/Djeeta

Gran/Djeeta is the main character of Granblue Fantasy, (Gran is the Male Avatar, Djeeta is the Female avatar)

Granblue Fantasy is a mobile game that has various spinoffs including a Hack and slash and fighting game. What this has to do with summer is that the series takes place in a series of sky islands and shares a lot of aesthetic and trope similarities with pirate media like One Piece although not as blatant. Granblue also has a large amount of unique summer events. In general this series gives off the vibes of the ocean, summer, and islands.

In terms of Gameplay Gran/Djeeta would be a swordfighter but could use summons from Lyria, Their moveset from GBFVS and The many classes that they can spec into. and for aesthetics they could even draw from the crossovers that have happened with Granblue

ASUKA

Who is she?​

Asuka is the main protagonist of Senran Kagura (閃乱カグラ, "Flash War Dance"), a hack-and-slash video game known for its fast-paced action and spicy tongue-in-cheek fanservice. Asuka is a kunoichi-in-training at Hanzo Academy, and one of the most popular girls in the series, second only to Gessen Academy third-year Yumi, who would debut in a later game, Estival Versus, and would even be chosen as the SK representative in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

Why Asuka?​

As I've explained before, Senran Kagura made its debut on the Nintendo 3DS with Senran Kagura: Portrait of Girls, and since then has developed a very niche yet very dedicated fanbase. The series even spawned some anime, various spin-offs (including one important enough to be one of the games shown off at the Nintendo Switch Presentation two months before the console's release), and even a crossover with Hyperdimension Neptunia on two separate occasions.

Senran Kagura has plenty of summery media (especially the water-gun third-person shooter Peach Beach Splash), and many forms of Japanese media tend to lean into the fanservice-y part of the summer season. If you think Senran Kagura' not known for its fanservice, then my buddy, you've been to church too much. Even too much Jesus can be bad for you. That being said, we could still make minor tweaks to the design to make her on par with the rest of the cast (Hell, even Pyra had a minor tweak to her's). But then again we are giving swimsuit alts to the current roster, so...

Even outside of the series, Nintendo and Marvelous have a great relationship with each other, working together to release Daemon X Machina as a timed Switch exclusive, and they've also worked together on other series such as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and even games like No More Heroes and the Fate/Extra series. They've even collaborated on some Pokémon arcade games!

How would Asuka play?​

Despite its main draw being that the series is the video game equivalent of Kill La Kill, its bigger main draw is its fast-paced combat. Asuka would be a character similar to the two other ninja characters we have in Smash: Sheik and Greninja, being a fast-paced rushdown character with a heavy focus on combos. But unlike those two, she would be more air-focused, as that's a unique mechanic Senran Kagura possesses: Aerial Raves. Basically, if you time your dash after performing an attack that launches an enemy into the air, you basically pursue that launched enemy quickly to continue the combo in the air. This could work similarly in Smash: if Asuka launches an opponent into the air using an attack with high knockback and presses the Jump button during end-lag, she will dash towards them in an attempt to continue the combo. We could balance this by making it so she can only travel so far before she starts falling, as some opponents could be just knocked too far for her to reach.

As for other capabilities, she's a dual wielder with two wakizashi blades, and as such, she would possess swift, multi-hitting attacks. She also has the ability to summon a giant toad that can fight alongside her at the risk of hitting her as collateral. The toad could leap as part of an Up Special.

Hunter
Monster Hunter
​

Yes, we all know Monster Hunter has a large presence in Smash with Mii Costumes in 4, Rathalos and MH music in Ultimate, the boss Diablos in base Infinite, and Kamura Village as a DLC stage. For many, the main aspect of the Monster Hunter series is, well, the monsters and that makes sense. Some of these creatures are downright amazing such as a formiddble glutton Deviljho aka "The Pickle" to the serene and mystic Kirin to the iconic flagship monster, Rathalos. While Monster Hunter did not get its start on a Nintendo system, it has a notable presence with Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) being made available on the Wii (which was my first entry into the series) as well as an enhanced port for the Wii U and 3DS, Monster Hunter 4 for the 3DS, and Monster Hunter Rise for the Switch. In addition, Frontier Z for the Wii, Generations for the 3DS and Switch, Stories for the 3DS, and Stories 2 for the Switch. This comes to a grand total of 7 titles, 3 of which were mainline games. The only downside is that the Switch did not get a World port which is downright one of the most successful if not successful Monster Hunter game to date. In addition, it seems Wilds will not be coming to a Nintendo console but that has yet to be seen.

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Now, why should we include a Monster Hunter rep?
While Monsters are indeed the stars of the show, it's the humans who truly do all of the work. Players would play as the Hunter who would have access to a wide assortment of weapons that change how the character plays. This would create an ever-changing playstyle that is flexible yet dependable. In addition, by taking advantage of mechanics found in Rise, we could have more access to other options such as Wirebugs. Moreover, bringing finally a playable fighter from a series that has a deep history in Smash seems like the right move for our first technical DLC fighter. While maybe not the most inspiring, hype-inducing, or even risky inclusion; it makes 100% sense.

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Why the Summer Festival?
Monster Hunter has lots of different terrains and habitats but some of the most common ones are jungles and tropics. Plus, we do dinosaurs all lived in dense, steamy jungles right? In addition, some of the armor has a certain tribal look to it which also ties in the series of the topics and summer.

What does Monster Hunter Bring to the Table?
Well, we already have a stage so we probably don't need a second MH stage unless we wanna look toward World. This leaves our stage option for this festival to something else entirely. A huge influx of Spirits in a separate Spirit Event would be called for plus additional Mii Costumes that would run coincide with this festival and be made available afterwards. I would rather see a Monster Hunter Festival with the monsters roaming about randomly personally but I can take this as well.

Now, one issue I often see is a character winning and no one submitting content. Some of the highest number of character content we got was Crazy Dave, Zangreus, Jill, Dr. Eggman, Red, and Ratchet. These were characters that all had a wide number of options in their movesets that allowed for more ideas to be included. With Crazy Dave, it was plants. For Ratchet, it was guns. For Dr. Eggman, it was minions and for Zagreus, it was boons. More straightforward characters don't often get moveset submissions like those that are more gimmicky. I mean, that allows me to craft the moveset for them which is a win-win for me as I enjoy that process and fully embrace it but I also like to see thread involvement and activity.

That is why I believe that the Hunter can bring forth lots of submissions because they would have access to a wide assortment of weapons and that is not even taking into account the ability to "capture" monsters and control via Wirebugs or pals such as the Palicoes and Palamutes. In addition, for alternate costumes, we could just do armors.

I mean, look at the weapons we could include. Each weapon has its own unique mechanics as well which makes the Hunter even more versatile:

1. Sword & Shield​
2. Dual Blades​
3. Great Sword​
4. Long Sword​
5. Hammer​
6. Hunting Horn (this would have awesome applications for a personal or team buffer move)​
7. Lance​
8. Gunlance​
9. Switch Axe​
10. Charge Blade​
11. Insect Glaive​
12. Bow​
13. Light Bowgun​
14. Medium Bowgun​
15. Heavy Bowgun​

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Why Vote for Hunter?
We already have some amazing submissions with some of my top wants being up there (Toad, Gran/Djeeta, Bub & Bob, Kasumi, etc) but I feel, while awesome, the moveset creation and character-building session will become stagnant without much activity. I feel that adding the Hunter wouldn't only make sense for both our festival and for Smash as a whole to finally bring a character representative that surely needs one but also to create an engaging and active character creation process.

Ashley Robbins (Another Code)

Another Code is a point and click adventure puzzle series about Ashley Robbins, a teenage girl raised by her aunt Jessica after her parents mysteriously disappeared. The first game is about her searching for her father Richard, on the mysterious Blood Edward Island with her companion D, and unraveling the mysteries surrounding her parent's research.

The first game in the series was released on the Nintendo DS in America, Europe, and Japan, while the second game in the series was released on the Nintendo Wii in only Europe and Japan. The series has recently been announced to be receiving a remake of both games on the Nintendo Switch, which will also localize the second game in North America for the first time. Because of this remake, which is coming in January 2024, the series has been receiving an large amount of attention from the Nintendo/Gaming community, bringing it an enormous amount of relevance. Ashley would be a great representative for this reason and many others.

The second game takes place at the end of the main character's summer vacation, making it a great fit for the summer festival. The first game takes place on an island and the second on a lake, both water related locations. Ashley would represent the point & click adventure and the visual novel puzzle genres, both of which are relatively underrepresented in Smash Infinite. The rarity of both genres in Smash would give enormous moveset potential for her, using moves that could be specifically tied to point & click adventure and visual novel puzzle games. She would also be another female character, which is also underrepresented in Infinite Beyond (Krystal being the only 100% female newcomer), and not only that, she would be a female character that leads her own franchise, which is even more rare in Smash. The timing of the remake coming out very soon brings excitement for the series at the highest its been for a long time, so it would be great time to add the puzzle solving explorer to Smash.

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Prince Sidon
I think a new Zelda rep is long over due, as our last ones in base game where an echo and a controversial newcomer choice. I think with three games now, the BOTW era of the franchise has proven itself long lasting and deserves a rep of its own. Sidon has been in all three games and is a super popular character. I think a water user and a duel staff used could be very fun. I know the champions themselves as a four in one character is a popular idea but that seems like a lot so I think it's best to pick just one, and Sidon is one who I've seen requested a l ot.

The voting page is all correct with updated information. In addition, there is a second vote to choose between Kasumi or Ayane just in case DoA rep wins. It is an extra step but an extra step that saves time and moves us along.

When voting, remember this is our first fighter after the release of the game not counting our two new Mii Fighter classes. By this point, fans went 9 months without a newcomer or even news about a newcomer coming so, to many, they may have thought Nintendo wasn't doing DLC fighters. This would have been quite the draught indeed. To say that a newcomer announcement and reveal would be a very exciting and hype-filled event and give hope that Nintendo and Sakurai will add future newcomers to future festivals. This newcomer will be sure to generate more interest and excitement after the Mii Fighter announcement which, to be honest, some might of thought of it as "they could have included this in the base game". This will be sure to get fans excited and interested again.



GO HERE TO VOTE

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Feel free to talk about the submissions or to bring support for your submission.

 

[GolisoPower]

Oof...this is a really tough one.

Japan tends to focus a lot on the cute swimsuit part of Summer in a lot of media, so there's the logic behind using any of the Dead or Alive characters or Asuka. That being said, there are other heavy-hitters here. Shantae has been requested for a very long time, to the point where the demand got her in Ultimate as a Spirit. Monster Hunter is the only one in the roster that's been missing out of a playable character aside from a stage and some bosses based on Rathalos and Deviljho. Jonesy would cover an extremely intriguing niche in Smash, the Battle Royale, and the amount of video game crossovers it has could be enough to warrant several cameos along with any of the original skins Fortnite has. Another Code is piping hot from hype and discussion, though I'm a little unsure about how we could make Ashley's set. That may need some time in the think-tank. Bub & Bob, I remember playing their game on the DS at one point so it's fun to imagine them in the game as the second Ice Climbers-type character. Toad doesn't really have much reason to be in this Festival, as fun as they'd be, mainly because Toad doesn't exactly have strong connections to Summer. KK Slider, though, has stronger reasons to be here, and has potential to set himself apart from Isabelle and Villager. Gran & Djeeta also seem like cool options though I'm wondering if Djeeta could be an Echo Fighter of Gran considering how they play in GranBlue Fantasy Versus and Rising.

Again, tough one. But either way I'm down.

 

[Speed Weed]

I'm stumping hard for Bub and Bob here - Taito are one of the most influential Japanese game developers out there, with a catalog whose depth goes criminally overlooked by most people in my opinion. The fact that they still have zero content in Actual Smash is absolutely ridiculous, and while we do have the Space Invaders assist, Bub and Bob would be tons of fun and Bubble Bobble is such an iconic arcade game regardless that it really feels like something of this type is long overdue.

 

[TheMicRula]

I haven't been posting much these days, due to being busy with other stuff. But it's glad to see that we're doing character submissions again!
All of the choices shown are really solid and I hope for in the months to come, I get to put a submission!

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Here are the results of the voting for our very first character minus the Miis in Infinite Beyond's post-launch live updates in Festivals!

Name	Total Points
Bub & Bob	31
Kasumi/Ayane	19
K.K. Slider	15
Shantae	44
Hunter	34
Gran/Djeeta	11
Toad	11
Prince Sidon	20
Ashley Robbins	11
Asuka	17
Jonesy	21

With that being said, please click down below to see the winner and subsequent breakdown of points!!!!

Spoiler: Click to Reveal

Shantae arrives in Smash! She finally makes her promotion from a Mii Costume in both Ultimate, Infinite and yet again to Infinite Beyond to that of a fully-fledged fighter as a part of our Summer Festival! We will be kicking off our Shantae-related submissions in a little bit but I want to ask which render best portrays our half-genie?

The one I posted above or....

1	2	3
I was going to go with this one but it didn't feel very Shantae-like	I was also going to with this one but opted for Smashified. I feel this is closer to the original	I like how it makes Shantae look in appearance but it feels somewhat NSFW

Please let me know what you think by voting at the top of the thread. There will be 3 options available so please vote for 1, 2, or 3.

Below is a breakdown of the points...

Name	5 Points	4 Points	3 Points	2 Points	1 Point	Total
Bub & Bob	3 (15)	2 (8)	2 (6)	0	2	31
Kasumi/Ayane	0	3 (12)	1 (3)	2 (4)	0	19
K.K. Slider	2 (10)	0	1 (3)	0	2	15
Shantae	3 (15)	3 (12)	3 (9)	3 (6)	2	44
Hunter	3 (15)	1 (4)	4 (12)	2 (2)	1	34
Gran/Djeeta	0	1 (4)	1 (3)	2 (4)	0	11
Toad	0	1 (4)	1 (3)	1 (2)	2	11
Prince Sidon	0	3 (12)	2 (6)	0	2	20
Ashley Robbins	0	1 (4)	1 (2)	2 (4)	1	11
Asuka	2 (10)	1 (4)	0	1 (2)	1	17
Jonesy	3 (15)	0	0	2 (4)	2	21

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Fix the poll

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Shantae has like the 3rd biggest support thread on Smashboards from Ultimate's newcomer speculation forum in terms of replies/views (the only ones bigger are Geno and Isaac which were both added ages ago), so this is definitely a welcome and extremely hype addition for a character with such a massive fanbase and a long time coming.

 

[GolisoPower]

Congrats on our Half-Genie Hero finally making it in! Now this brings up an interesting conundrum: what do we do about her availability once the Summer Festival's over? Will she be available for purchase at a later date?

 

[TheMicRula]

I'm really down for Shantae. A lot of indie characters feel like they could have amazing movesets and Shantae is no exception.

 

[darkvortex]

congrats to the winner. We shopping for bub and bob or one of the doa glad but Shantae is a fan pleasing pick I'm down for

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Congrats on our Half-Genie Hero finally making it in! Now this brings up an interesting conundrum: what do we do about her availability once the Summer Festival's over? Will she be available for purchase at a later date?

Yes, the character will be made available at a later date. Here are the general release windows for content:

Premium Content (Characters, Stages, Modes)
-Available during Festivals at a discount
-Available during Festivals for free if certain perimeters achieved
-Available for full price outside of the Festival during the next update
-Available during Anniversary Events at a discount price

Non-Exclusive Festival Content (Gaming Mii Costumes, Items, Assist Trophies, Pokemon, Spirits, Musi,c etc)
-Available during Festivals at a discount
-Available during Festivals for free if certain perimeters achieved
-Available during Anniversary Events for free

Exclusive Festival Content (Festival Mii Costumes, Collectibles, Spirit Events, Tournaments, Flair, Costumes, Colors)
-Available during Festivals
-Available during Anniversary Events

 

[BowserKing]

Yeah, I’m sorry for not voting. I was upset that a certain franchise wasn’t allowed for it that I didn’t vote.

FWI, I’m giving Shantae a belated vote

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

i did it?,my submission won?

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

The original submission didn’t get us much to go on in terms of gameplay submission content so I was looking at where we could go in regards to submitting moveset.

I do know that Shantae has a the ability to shapeshift into different animals but I’m curious if people feel that this should be a stance switch mechanic or simply a form switch that is used in particular moves. I decided to forgot the Transformation Mechanic for now as I felt it was a bit cumbersome but what we will do is set a Down Special Move that is Transformation Moves which transforms Shantae into a particular character which then allows access to a particular attack unique to that transformation. It cycles much like Sora’s Neutral Special

Submit Moves for Shantae​

We will be submitting moves to include for Shantae which is apart of the Normals and Species. Please also submit a Transformation attack including what animal Shantae transforms into and what the attack does. You can submit more than one move.

 

[cashregister9]

I do not think a Full Stance switch would be a great idea for Shantae, Most of her Transformations are defined by one specific ability and I feel trying to shoehorn in a whole ass moveset for the Elephant form would make her too complicated. It could work for some transformations like the Harpy but others would feel like trying to make Mario a stance fighter for power ups. Keeping transformations to specials is a good move.

 

[GolisoPower]

At the very least I think maybe the transformations, while brief, should alter certain stats to keep foes on their toes. Like the Elephant would make her more difficult to launch but the Harpie would give her multiple jumps before she lands on the ground, for example.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Sorry, I was typing on the phone.

I decided to scrap that idea. Instead of having a dedicated Down Special that allows her to transform into an animal to perform a single attack that rotates between uses, certain attacks will cause her to transform into an animal.

For Shantae's attacks, certain ones will allow her to transform into an animal but this causes some start-up and ending lag due to the transformations.

 

[GolisoPower]

Side Special: Elephant

Shantae will transform into her elephant form and charge forward by 2/3 FD at the speed of King K. Rool's run. In this form, she has armor frames that reduce incoming damage by 0.2x and has +40 Weight until the end of the transformation. The charge deals 13.5% damage and high knockback on hit, but there's a follow-up in which Shantae will leap up and plummet straight down, prematurely ending the transformation but dealing 19% damage and spiking.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Up Special: Harpy

Shantae transforms into her harpy form and takes a vertical launch into the air, similar to Pit's Power of Flight. The automatic part of the special will recover around 75% of the vertical distance Power of Flight does, however the trade off is that she can also fly briefly with manual input after the automatic part is over, being able to flap her wings (similar to Pit and other winged character's midair jumps) around 3 times afterwards, before she goes into helpless mode. The Harpy form has slightly less defense, but is lighter and speedier, being very fast in the air. Those in the harpy's range during the automatic part of the recovery will get damaged slightly.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

As we have had a limited number of move submissions, I will be allowing for more moves to be created:

Here are some submissions:

Jab: Shantae uses her ponytail to perform a jab attack that has an amazing, long reach. However, becomes the nature of the attack, it is just one poke that has an infinite jab.
Grab: Shantae uses magic to grab her opponents which causes them to be disconnected.

Neutral Special: Fireball
Shantae fires off a single fireball. It can be charged to create a Spitfire which fires three Fireballs with quick succession.