Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Roster Thread

[Geno Boost]

here is my roster prediction before the DLC i dont think there is alot of unique newcomers left in the development

 

[scoobymcsnack]

8/24/2018

This is my prediction roster, much more based on who I think will get in rather than who I want to get in.
Echo Fighters
Shadow: Like most people, I believe Shadow will get in the game as Sonic's Echo. His Assist Trophy is not only missing, but Knuckles is featured as a new Sonic series assist. Not to mention, he's a popular character and this game seems to be focussing on popular picks.
Isabelle: Just like Shadow, Isabelle's assist trophy is not only missing but seemingly "replaced" by Kapp'n. Isabelle has also grown exponentially in popularity since her debut.
Ken Masters: Ken seems like the obvious choice for an Echo fighter, considering that essentially what he was in his debut. All they have to do is change the hadouken to be more firey, and he's basically done. (Obviously animations and what not would be changed but still).
New Fighters
Skull Kid: Another character who seems to be almost unanimously agreed upon. With his assist gone and the Moon there to replace him, he seems almost obvious. He's a popular Zelda character, and would be the first one not to be a form Link, Zelda, or Ganon.
Karate Joe: There was possible evidence found in Sm4sh's files for a Rhythm Heaven rep, and one has been heavily requested. I chose Karate Joe because he's popular, a recurring character, and could work really well as a unique fighter.
Elma: I used to think and support Rex being in the game, but I think he was created too late to be in the base roster. Elma on the other hand, would be perfect, and is a popular character.
Geno: From what I've seen, the three most requested characters in Smash history have been Ridley, King K. Rool, and Geno. We have 2/3, and Square Enix is already lending character rights. Sakurai has also been interested in him, and has wanted to put him in for a while.
Incineroar: I could see Decidueye getting, but I have a feeling its gonna be Incineroar. From what I've heard, it seems to be the most popular Sun/Moon started in Japan, and seems to the be the big one in the anime (Much like Greninja and Charizard).
Honorable Mentions
Impa, Heihachi, Ninten, Viridi, Hades, Rabbid Peach

09/15/2018

Blue = Confirmed Green = Predictions
Characters
Shadow: Shadow returns from my last roster, as an echo of Sonic. After Isabelle's reveal, I was heavily considering making him a new character. But I have decided to keep as an echo, because I feel like 3rd parties won't be getting two characters outside of Echoes. I'd happily be proven wrong tho.
Ken Masters: Ken also returns from the last roster, being Ryu's echo. Ken seems almost too obvious and perfect, that I'm almost guaranteed he'll get in.
Skull Kid: Another returning character, Skull Kid also seems heavily hinted at. With the Moon being an Assist Trophy, and the Evil Ramblin' Mushroom reversing players' controls, Skull Kid's two things have been replaced. Not to mention, the background of the August direct seems to perfect (especially when the E3 presentation seems to have hinted at K. Rool).
Isaac: Isaac is a surpisingly popular request, and I think it's enough to get him in. The one image that seemed too similar to Golden Sun's battles pushed him over the edge so I added him.
Geno: Yet another returner from my previous roster. This is another character I'm extremely confident in. He's massively popular with fans and even with Sakurai himself. With all the love Square Enix has been giving the Switch after the direct, his chances seem even stronger now.
Banjo and Kazooie: Alright, this is my least confident choice. All the Microsoft-Nintendo love going on, his chances seem pretty good. But, it doesn't gauruntee anything.
Cuts from Last Roster
Karate Joe: A Rhythm Heaven character seems very likely, but I'm not sure if it's happening. Still, it seems the most likely to happen out of the ones not on my roster anymore.
Elma: Like a lot of cut characters, Elma doesn't seem like as much of a heavy hitter as Geno, Isaac, and Banjo. Again, I would be stoked if she got in but I'm not feeling it as much.
Incineroar: At this point, I'm not sure if a new Pokemon is necessary. I have a feeling a new Pokemon character is gonna have to wait until DLC, and it'll probably be a new 8th gen one.
10/28/2018

My final prediction roster, based only on the Grinch leak. Not changing it until post game where I may do DLC predictions.
11/16/2018
Ooooof I ate it on the Grinch leak. That's okay, Incineroar and Ken both look AMAZING. Anyway, DLC predictions;

So Rex was almost there, but then I realized he wouldn't have made such a big deal about his Mii costume being a bonus for the SmashPass.
These all seem like choices Nintendo would choose.

 

[Gentletime]

Pretty much a copy/paste from my 101 Characters thread in the Newcomer Speculation forum:

This is what a 101 character roster could look like, with each series staying within a single row, every Smash 64 series having at least 1 villain, and ending with Wonder-Red. It's an 81/20ε split. This is all assuming there will be an option to sort by series and that Sakurai wants to make up for Smash 4's messy CSS.

Stacking clones makes this:

Possible reveal schedule (the echoes can obviously come in any order):

E3
"So many veterans"

August Direct
"So many stages, so much music"

Current 65/6ε

Online service direct (Sept) 1+1ε
"Everyone likes Pokemon"
ɑ: non-Smash content
Ω:

Gardevoir
ε:

Gothitelle
Pokemon's mass appeal would be the best representation of Smash in a general direct.

Smash direct (Oct) 2+3ε
"So much single-player/other modes"
ɑ:

Isaac
ε:

Funky, Dixie, Isabelle
Ω:

Skull Kid

Smash direct/50 Facts (Nov/Dec) 3+6ε
"So many more characters"
ɑ:

Karate Joe
Smash has to launch with a WTF character, and who's going to want to buy this character as DLC?
ε:

Dry Bowser, Masked Man, Black Shadow, Black Knight, Shadow, Octoling
Ω:

Kamek, Paper Mario
Paper Mario would bookend with Mario having been the first character shown in-game.
...DLC Tease:

Geno
Geno would be marketed as the first DLC character, just like Mewtwo in Smash 4.

This is 10 unique newcomers at launch, which is less than Smash 4's 15 (including Miis and excluding Dark Pit and Lucina). That conforms to Sakurai's, "I kind of hope you're not expecting too many new challengers." I'm not sure if 5 fewer uniques but 12 more echoes saves development time, especially while also needing to reintroduce 6 veterans: Young Link, Wolf, Pichu, Pokemon Trainer, Ice Climbers, and Snake. Since the "few newcomers" sentiment was in the context of the effort in bringing everyone back, maybe the comparison is 15 + 2ε versus 16 + 12ε. I don't think that's crazy.

Launch 71+16ε = 87

DLC

Geno, Bandana Dee, Mach Rider, Captain Toad, Spring Man, Viridi, Rex And Pyra, Banjo-Kazooie, Rayman, Wonder-Red
ε:

Ken, Impa, Zeraora, Captain Toadette (included with Captain Toad)

This is 3 + 4ε more DLC than Smash 4's 7, which included 3 returning vets, but with the Switch being much more successful than its predecessor, I can see them thinking an increased investment is justified. I think it's weird to have Spring Man without a Ribbon Girl echo, but I couldn't get her to fit into the grid with perfect OCD. Also, having yet another female character only echoing a male character may start to look a bit rude.

------------------------

And, since 101 is an arbitrary limit, here's a no-limit roster with 14 more plausible echoes. The Wonder-Red reference doesn't apply, so I replaced him with Shantae. I also replaced Viridi with non-echo Black Shadow.

115:

Stacks to:

 

[TKOWL]

Here's my monthly update of the roster (all drawn by myself). Solidified myself to 70 unique characters because the website currently lists 67 and it would be too perfect to end on that even number. Because of that, I had to cut down the unique newcomer expectations down to:

-Bandana Dee: he rated very high on every single Smash fan ballout out there and Sakurai has to know, plus seeing more references to non-Sakurai made Kirby games makes me hopeful.
-Incineroar: the Vergeben leak says the Pokemon newcomer won't be Decidueye or Lycanroc, and I've seen Silvally get tossed around, but Incineroar does seem like the most likely one at the moment.
-Geno: predicting him to be the big final character announcement, the one that is the insane crowd-pleaser.

Echoes on here are:
-Black Knight: was removed from Castle Seige and is one of the easiest echo additions you could put for Ike.
-Shadow
-Isabelle
-Medusa
-Ken: now that third parties are allowed to have echoes, there's no reason not to put in Ken as a Ryu echo, it just makes too much sense.
-Octoling

 

[Deleted member]

This insert showcases my full roster.

The bottom 18 characters (!) would be my probable suggestions for DLC for the next two years, while everything between Isaac and Geno would be newcomers on the base game. For the record, I have Medusa, Felix, Ken, Isabelle, Shadow, Roll, Dixie Kong, and Impa all service as Echo Fighters.

Characters like Jibanyan, Karate Joe, and Skull Kid would be poor DLC choices due to them not having enough pizzazz to warrant curiosity and sales, so they would have to be on the base game if they are to appear.

 

[pupNapoleon]

(This can be deleted once addressed)

I apologize for this second post, but... since we are only allowed one, can we please get a directory of what is on each page?
I can neither find my own post, nor that of users I tend to enjoy reading.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

(This can be deleted once addressed)

I apologize for this second post, but... since we are only allowed one, can we please get a directory of what is on each page?
I can neither find my own post, nor that of users I tend to enjoy reading.

I'll say something to the mods. Thank you for bringing it up. Also, keep in mind asking something on this thread isn't off-topic and it's justified as another post. We appreciate feedback as long as it is constructive and brings attention a legit issue.

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

This is my optimistic prediction list! Chorus Kids are in a constant state of Flux and any of the yellow boxes in the corner could replace them. If you want a slightly more 'realistic' roster in the eyes of the general smash community, remove Dixie and The Chorus Kids. I personally think Sakurai will deliver at least 12 newcomers but that's just me! Tell me what you think/ if this would be satisfactory to you lol.

yeah i know it might seem unrealistic
shantae could feasibly be substituted for anyone in the yellow boxes.

 

[NocturnalQuill]

If Vergeben is to be believed, we're supposed to get about "half a dozen newcomers after E3", which has lined up with the reveal rate so far. Simon and K Rool account for two of those, so that leaves us with four. Presumably those don't include echoes, since Sakurai isn't counting them as newcomers either.

Skull Kid's AT is suspiciously absent, Majora's Mask was big in 2016, and as tinfoil as it sounds the room decor theory could be true.

Vergeben claims that we're getting a 7th gen Pokemon that isn't Decidueye, Mimikyu, or Lycanroc. This lines up with past trends, each Smash game has a Pokemon newcomer from the newest generation at the time of launch. My money is on Incineroar, but I could very well be wrong.

He also claims that we're getting a second Square Enix rep. If Geno got in, that would complete the holy trinity of fan favorites comprised of Ridley, K Rool, and Geno.

As for the fourth, it's really anyone's game.

For echo fighters, Vergeben has said to disregard any leak that doesn't include Ken and Isabelle. Shadow is an easy echo and his AT is missing. Black Knight has been replaced with a generic knight on Castle Siege.

I predict Skull Kid, Incineroar, and Geno for remaining newcomers, and Isabelle, Shadow, Ken, and Black Knight for echo fighters.

 

[BonafideFella]

Real talk: Smash's last character reveal that's intentional (Looking at you, Wolf...) has always been a left-field type of newcomer that no one saw coming (Jigglypuff, Game & Watch, Sonic, and Duck Hunt).
So who will it be this time? Sakurai has stated he's revealing all of the newcomers in the basegame before release, so if Vergeben is truly credible, there's technically still one unrevealed character! My bet's on Balloon Fighter or an Earthbound character to represent Papa Iwata's legacy, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

[jwillenn]

Introducing Ryu Hayabusa trailer concept!

-bgm > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwv9MR3pwqU
-thunderstorm over a field
-two warriors running towards each other (only legs visible, but alternating between the two just like in the NG1 intro)
-they leap to the sky to land blows but only swords clash
-they land
-one of the warriors slowly stands and turns around... It's Lucina!
-camera shifts focus to the other who slowly stands and turns around to reveal himself as Ryu Hayabusa!
-then gameplay highlights run showing his abilities with the bgm being https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iItdzO-gyxY&t=343s

 

[TaichiYaegashi]

So here is my take on what the Smash Ultimate roster will end up looking like after catching up with all rumors and etc. I believe Vergeben does have real sources with real information but think they might be unsure on some things (because from what I recall reading, he didn't call K. Rool and had no idea or something to that effect) so with all of this said and out of the way, here we go.

Updated 9/13/2018

82 characters in base roster counting the echos + Mii Fighter and Pokemon Trainer as 3 each. 89 with DLC + what is previously stated.
Blue borders are veterans, green is confirmed, yellow is unconfirmed for base roster and red is unconfirmed for DLC.
Impa would be an echo for Sheik, Giygas for Mewtwo and Dixie Kong for Diddy. The rest in the DLC row are brand new (or only share a few similarities with others.)

Also, at least in terms of the unconfirmed for base roster row under Ryu (brand new unconfirmed characters), this is how I am expecting them to be revealed. Elma is next followed by Geno and etc, etc, etc. I believe they'd keep Monster Hunter for last to make people think "I guess it's not happening.. We're only getting Rathalos and a boss stage" and then BOOM, surprise!

To end this, I read about how K. Rool was added due to the ballot and I believe with all my heart this Smash is focusing 100% on characters at the top of the ballot. At the very least for the base roster, DLC I dunno. The question is who are those characters but here's my guess as to who they are + takes into account what somewhat credible or credible leakers have said.

Edit: Oh and one last thing. I was super iffy on including this character and I decided ultimately to not but I'll mention it anyways. I was thinking about including Waluigi as DLC due to Sakurai acknowledging the explosive (I'll call it explosive, you can call it whatever you want) outcry after the Waluigi Assist Trophy reveal, saying that he's aware. You could take what he said either way and that's one reason I decided not to put him in the image....but yeah.

Update (9/13/2018): Still going strong overall, just didn't expect Isabelle as anything but an echo fighter. Also considering in a month or so if no one is revealed (or only like 1-2 characters) going over my roster again and decreasing the amount of base roster characters down. The amount of unrevealed newcomers.
Also due to that special edition box art for Smash Ultimate shown on Amazon and if that's not just a placeholder arrangement.

Update (11/30/2018): I never updated it like I said, oh well. Honestly forgot.

 

[BenS1993]

Blue - Veterans
Red - Newcomers
Green - Echo Fighters
Yellow - DLC Fighters

In general, I think we'll be getting Skull Kid, Bandana Dee, a Pokemon 7th Gen rep, a Retro character, Isaac and Geno as playable characters.
Banjo-Kazooie, Jin Kazama and Porky/Pokey Minch are characters I personally want to see in the game.

As for Echo Fighters, I think we'll be getting Impa (Echo of Sheik), Dixie Kong (Echo of Diddy Kong), Shadow (Echo of Sonic), Isabelle (Echo of Villager), Ken (Echo of Ryu) and Felix (Echo of Isaac).
Ninten (Echo of Ness), Black Shadow (Echo of Captain Falcon), Demise (Echo of Ganondorf) and Kazuya (Echo of Jin Kazama) are characters I personally want to see in the game.

As for DLC I've put in a Breath of the Wild character, Sylux (Metroid Prime 4 promotion), a Pokemon character, Octoling (Echo of Inkling), Wonder Red, Spring Man, Lloyd, Rayman and Crash Bandicoot. Although I'm not getting my hopes up for DLC being announced.

Rows 1-7 are confirmed fighters, while rows 8-10 are my predictions.

The predictions are a mixture of most likely characters getting in and my most wanted characters. I will be changing this when new fighters are added to the roster.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

comment deleted.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

I have updated my roster. This roster is Ultimate.

 

[keleyeemoh]

Look, guys, I know Waluigi isn't getting in. I know that. BUT, if Sakurai were to troll us, what better character to do it with?

 

[lexpic17]

Partial prediction, partial wish-list....

(Totally meant to put a random button in the lower right corner.... whoops...)

Newcomers, Echoes

Base Game:
Total of 10 Newcomers:
Confirmed: Inkling, Ridley, Simon Belmont, & King K. Rool
Predictions: Skull Kid, Bandana Waddle Dee, Decidueye (or PKMN Gen 7 rep), Elma, Isaac, & Geno


14 Echoes:
Confirmed: Daisy, Richter Belmont, Chrom, & Dark Samus
Predictions: Ninten, Black Shadow, Impa, Dixie Kong, Shadow*, Isabelle, Medusa, & Felix

*I believe either Shadow or Ken will be in the base game, not both - saving a 3rd party for DLC seems wise.

DLC (bottom row)
6 Newcomers: Waluigi (due to seeing his popularity)**, Rex and Pyra, Banjo-Kazooie, Chrous Kids, Captain Toad, & Spring-Man
6 Echoes: Toadette, Spring-Girl, Black Knight, Ken, Jeanne, & Octoling

**If not Waluigi, then another 3rd party (Crash, Steve (minecraft), Sora, etc.)

 

[keleyeemoh]

Just for fun, I expanded on my previous roster, throwing in a ton of echo fighters.

 

[Kameha420]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Jx02yuOVo&t=28s

 

[Michael the Spikester]

comment deleted.

 

[TriMaxTime]

Here are three more guesses in the wake of yesterday's direct.

Spoiler: What I want to happen

Red is DLC, on the side means echo

Spoiler: What could happen

Spoiler: What will probably happen

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

time for the next roster

Purple is other possibles and red is DlC

Spoiler: Costume theory

Inkling
King k rool
Isabelle
Chrom

Skull kid
Geno
Black knight
Heihachi
Lloyd

Ashley
Knuckles
Takamaru
(note these three were probably harder to make playable)

Spoiler: Vergeben

He informs as soon as possible when something is incorrect so far didn't happen for any smash involved stuff

Ridley (and shown at E3)
Simon Belmont
Isabelle
Snake
Ice Climbers
No cuts
No Mimikyu

Ken (hes also the Origin of Echo fighters so this is perfect)
Incineroar (well techniquely only one source said incineroar and also Pokemon rep from gen 7)
No Decidueye
No Lycanroc
Second Square enix Rep (Logically its Geno but could still be anybody else)
Minecraft involved in smash (not playable)

Spoiler: Ballot/Fan Request

Quote from sakurai

I referred to the Smash Ballot when selecting characters this time, and King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong series was one who received a ton of votes. I haven’t gone into detail about his moves or characteristics, but I feel it might be better to leave some room for imagination.

Ridley
Daisy
Isabelle
Simon Belmont
Ritcher belmont
Dark Samus
Chrom
King K rool
All previously Cut Veterans in Smash 4

Black Knight
Shadow the Hedgehog
Isaac
Banjo and kazooie
Skull Kid
Dixie Kong
Geno
HeiHachi
Lloyd

Ashley
Shovel knight
Mimikyu
Bomberman
Waluigi
Lyn
(again probably difficulty reasons)

Spoiler: Missing in Action Assist trophys with replacements

Dark Samus - Missing in Samus alts
Chrom - m=Missing in ike alts
Isabelle - Kapp'n

Gardevoir - missing in action (and is a popular pokemon)
Shadow the Hedgehog - Knuckles
Skull kid - the moon

Spoiler: Promotion

Isabelle - Animal crossing 2019

Incineroar - Pokemon Sun and Moon
Spring man - Arms
Sylux - Metroid prime 4
Crash - Crash Bandikoot triliogy
Rex & Pyra - Xenoblade 2

Note: forget Shante and Dante for the Purple section they are both fan request

EDIT: whoops minor error forgot bandana dee it would be either bandana dee or isaac

 

[Jetsurge]

I'm 90% sure this is the final roster -

 

[PsySmasher]

This is my final update/prediction for the base roster:

Newcomers:
Incineroar: The most likely 7th Gen rep at this point. Definitely not my first choice, but I've accepted the fact that he'll probably get in.
Elma: Between the mech model Sakurai was using, the lack of any new Xenoblade content in Ultimate, and her game being released worldwide right during Sakurai's project plan period, I'm pretty confident in her chances.
Bandana Dee: Between his absence in Dedede's Final Smash, and the datamined Waddle Dee Amiibo (especially since Daisy was under the same circumstances and got in), he's got a pretty good chance. Plus Kirby needs another rep.
Agnès Oblige: My choice as a Square rep. I honestly think Geno is going to be in a Mewtwo situation, he's going to be the character that advertises/hypes DLC. She's also one of the few Square reps with big ties to Nintendo.

Echoes:
Impa: One of the only reoccurring Zelda that hasn't gotten in yet.
Shadow: The only 3rd party character that's been an assist trophy in both Brawl and Smash 4 is now missing. That's very suspicious if you ask me.
Ken: He's literally the original echo fighter. He deserves the echo fighter title more than anyone else.

 

[spoilerowl]

With Isabelle's reveal and recent news/leaks, here is my updated roster:

Current revealed roster + 2 more uniques and 3 more echoes.

Our current roster, plus...

Incineroar, Ken, Geno: Self-explanatory. I'm very confident in Verg's leaks now, though the box theory is a load of ****
Shadow, Dixie: Two additional Echo newcomers who are popular and both make sense (Dixie could maybe get Isabelle treatment as well)

DLC Predictions. Separated into packs:

Pack 1: Ballot Boys (Banjo-Kazooie, Isaac, Bandana Dee)
Characters who just missed the cut for the base roster. All popular enough to sell through DLC.

Pack 2: Trophy No More (Waluigi, Ashley)
Two popular-requested characters, both with a relation to Wario, to get a DLC promotion to playable. Trailer could involve Wario sneaking into an AT warehouse and freeing them. If these characters do well, more ATs could get promoted.

Pack 3: New Blood (Rex & Pyra, Spring Man)
New fighters who were created just a bit too late initially. Popular and relevant additions, nothing else needs to be said.

Echo Fighters (Black Shadow, Felix, Impa, Funky Kong, Octoling)
Examples of potential Echoes to be released in the interim between packs to keep people interested. Felix could come bundled with Isaac, the rest could be standalone.

 

[2000dog]

With the reveal that Isabelle is not an echo, I cut down on my prediction roster:

I think regardless of what rumored leaks and theories might be, we're down to at most 4 new characters than 8. If (or I guess when) DLC fighters get announced, I can see Issac and Skull Kid among them with Agent 8 (The playable Octoling).

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Ken
Incineroar
DQ rep from DQ11 (Jade is my guess) as DLC

 

[airConditioner]

Updating my predictions. Not bothering with Echoes besides Ken thanks to Isabelle (and pure laziness)

 

[Michael the Spikester]

comment deleted.

 

[toxicityvamp]

Blue = Base game/non-echo fighter
Blue = Echo fighter
Green = DLC Fighter

This really isn't a prediction list as much of an ULTIMATE self-serving fantasy roster that stays decently within the realm of possibility.

Notes:

- Dr. Coyle is an echo fighter of Min Min that floats, but Octoling and Shadow Mario are semi-echo fighters. She would also be a DLC fighter.

- I can imagine Octoling using weapons from Splatoon 2 instead of the weapons from the original game, but their weight would be identical to the Inklings.

- Shadow Mario would use his magic brush to summon goop monsters and spread it around a similar manner as the Inklings.

- Louie would be an entirely unique newcomer utilizing a miniature Titan Dweevil that he rides on top of. This one's a major pipe dream but I think he'd be the coolest choice for a Pikmin Villain.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

comment deleted

 

[Jetsurge]

Remaining Unique Fighters:
Incineroar - Seems like a lock. Leaked by Vergeben and perfect fit for Smash being a fighter and his Z move is basically a final smash.

Banjo and Kazooie - With the leaked Minecraft content there has to be a Microsoft character in. I don't think Steve will get in because like the Monster Hunter he isn't really a character. Banjo and Kazooie are fit for Smash, important to Nintendo's history with the n64 and were likely very popular on the ballot as they scored high on polls and were number 1 on Smash Reddit.

Geno - Requested for years, great moveset potential, Sakurai wants him in and the mii costume. Also there aren't really any other Square characters who have been as heavily requested as Geno.

Remaining Echoes Fighters:
Dixie - Very very highly requested, has appeared in recent DK games. She will have a different up special like Chrom and her grab animation will use her hair.

Ken - Leaked, he's the 1st echo fighter and Ryu's redish alt has been removed

Shadow - Hugely popular, assist has been removed and is a very obvious echo to make

My updated predictions:

 

[pap64]

To be quite honest, if this was it for the character roster, I'd be more than happy. Sure, I'd still want Geno and Isaac to appear, but considering a lot of my requested characters already made it in, and all past fighters are here, I genuinely can't ask or even predict more. However, I wanna talk about the one character everyone keeps predicting and my critical thinking mind he is impossible, but my fanboy heart just wants him anyway...

Sora from Kingdom Hearts.

Now, I see Sora as being the Spider-Man to Smash's Marvel Cinematic Universe. For context, the reason we got Spider-Man in the Marvel films even though the rights were tight close to Sony was because of a legal loophole and a huge mess that allow Marvel to add Spider-Man while Sony rebooted Spider-Man again but set it within the Cinematic Universe.

What I am saying is that even if Sora is partly a Disney character, his design and concept may be reasonably owned by Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura, as in while Disney has a certain level of ownership over the character, it's more of a Square Enix character than a Disney one. Plus the fact that he interacts with Disney characters doesn't make him exclusively a Disney character. Disney has not exploited the original Kingdom Hearts characters as much as the other characters. Like King Mickey, Sorcerer Donald and Knight Goofy have represented Kingdom Hearts at the parks and special events for years now. Sora had that one rare meet and greet based on the first Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, but other than that, Disney has promoted the game through its own IPs and characters rather than the original characters. In addition, Sora was a downloadable summon character for World of Final Fantasy.

However, in that trailer for his summon, Disney's name is among the copyrights for the character. And this is for just a summon/cameo appearance in a game wholly made by Square. Which means that even if Disney doesn't fully care for the character, they still want to claim ownership of the character in many ways. And this is where it gets very complicated; even if Sakurai and Square wanted Sora in Ultimate they would still have to deal with Disney, and I doubt Nintendo would want to get in a three way legal negotiations between them, Square and Disney.

And yet, Smash is so prolific and so hype worthy that Square and Disney WOULD find a way to include Sora in Smash, especially since as a third party character he has appeared in many canon games on Nintendo systems, and he could become the Spider-Man of Ultimate; the seemingly impossible character that made it in.

But I still stand that for Sora to be in Ultimate they would have to go through a lot of legal and copyright issues before we can even see a lick of Sora's spiky hair in the game. I know fans have said "But Nintendo has worked with Disney before, like they allowed Bowser in Wreck-It Ralph" and more, but they forget that Disney is a company that has an extremely tight hold on its IPs, even those handled by third parties, so if Nintendo were to say "We want Sora in Ultimate", they would have to jump through a lot of hoops before Disney can even consider it.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

i might have concluded the roster might be this

note dixie kong or banjo & kazooie could be here as well

 

[Loungemen]

Blue - veterans
Green - newcomers
Red - echo fighters
Yellow - DLC (yes, Octoling is also DLC despite being an echo)

Spoiler: Newcomers:

Elma: When the roster was finalized on the end of 2015, Xenoblade X was released and was pretty big at its time; we also could use another Xenoblade rep.

Excitebiker: We haven't seen any retro representatives yet (unless you count Simon but he's more third-party), so I feel like the Excitebiker is the only retro rep remaining.

Geno: If Geno won't make it into the base roster, he most certainly will be a DLC; highly requested since Brawl and even during the development of Melee, and even Sakurai wants to include him.

Bandana Waddle Dee: Highly requested in Japan, and the most likely character to earn a chance as a new Kirby rep.

Isaac: Highly requested since Brawl, though he may be obsolete for many people, but he is still popular to Smash fans. We may even get Matthew or Felix as an echo.

Incineroar: Same as Geno, he'll most likely be added as a DLC if not in the base game. He's popular and is also Masuda's favorite Pokemon, but it's up to Sakurai to decide whether he includes him or another Pokemon.

Banjo & Kazooie: It's time that they return home. I don't need to say anything else.

 

[DutchPichu]

Well, I am going to make a roster picture, but for now, these are the last characters for base roster.

69. Incineroar
70. Steve
71. Chorus Kids
72. Geno
as echoes: Ken & Shadow

Geno may also be the first DLC character. I think this is a pretty likely roster. Chorus Kids had leftover data so Sakurai could implement them a little bit more easy. I think that would be a nice “little surprise” character around the ending.

 

[Nonno Umby]

Here is my latest prediction for the base roster:

6 characters remaining
Unique
-Elma
-Incineroar
-Bandana Dee

Echoes
-Shadow
-Ken
-Medusa

I also belive that Geno will be announced before the game is released as DLC much like Mewtwo was back in Smash For.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Super Mario Bros.: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy(e), Bowser, Dr. Mario, Rosalina & Luma, Bowser Jr., Geno
Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, King K. Rool
The Legend of Zelda: Link, Sheik, Zelda, Young Link, Ganondorf, Toon Link
Metroid: Samus, Dark Samus(e), Zero Suit Samus, Ridley
Yoshi: Yoshi
Kirby: Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede
StarFox: Fox, Falco, Wolf
Pokemon: Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mewtwo, Pokemon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Lucario, Greninja, Incineroar
EarthBound: Ness, Lucas
F-Zero: Captain Falcon
Ice Climber: Ice Climbers
Fire Emblem: Marth, Lucina(e), Roy, Chrom(e), Ike, Robin, Corrin
Game & Watch: Mr. Game & Watch
Kid Icarus: Pit, Dark Pit(e), Palutena, Medusa(e)
WarioWare: Wario
Metal Gear Solid: Snake
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic, Shadow(e)
Pikmin: Olimar
R.O.B.: R.O.B.
Animal Crossing: Villager, Isabelle
Mega Man: Mega Man
Wii Fit: Wii Fit Trainer
Punch-Out!!: Little Mac
Mii: Mii FIGHTER (Brawler, Swordfighter, Gunner)
Pac-Man: Pac-Man
Xenoblade Chronicles: Shulk
Duck Hunt: Duck Hunt
Street Fighter: Ryu, Ken(e)
Final Fantasy VII: Cloud
Bayonetta: Bayonetta
Splatoon: Inkling
Castlevania: Simon, Richter(e)
Golden Sun: Isaac, Felix(e)
Banjo-Kazooie: Banjo-Kazooie

(e) means Echo Fighter

You guys already know mine but here they are again.

-Banjo-Kazooie
-Black Shadow
-Elma
-Leon Powalski
-Medusa
-Nightmare

As for my dream final predictions. They'd be

69: Nightmare
70: Incineroar
71: Elma
72: Geno
36e: Dixie Kong
38e: Shadow
54e: Medusa
60e: Ken

 

[Squirtle/Mario guy]

Wants for roster :

Characters-
Incineroar
Geno/Sora
Bandana Dee
(Waluigi if Sakurai was trolling)

Echoes-
Ken as echo for
Shadow as echo for
Dixie for

 

[MrArska]

I like to dream of a Funky Kong echo for DK with Wario's Side-B where he drives you over with the Flame Runner/Bowser Bike.