The Fairy with Fighting Spirit: Lip for Smash! *Play Panel de Pon on NSO!*

[FooltheFlames]

Keep the faith alive, Panel Poppers!

I wish I had a shirt that said that, and it spelled out the letters with the colorful blocks from the game ^^

 

[StarDustStorm]

Lip's Stick is in the SNES trophy box in Sm4sh. Panel de Pon was never released on the SNES in its original form.

 

[N. Onymous]

Lip's Stick is in the SNES trophy box in Sm4sh. Panel de Pon was never released on the SNES in its original form.

It was probably called "Super Famicom" in the Japanese version.

(Yeah, I wish Panel de Pon was released unedited. Too bad girl gamers don't exist.)

 

[11th]

The thing about the "other" section is that it's not just songs from unrepresented series. It also includes some smaller first-party series -- notably, the retros. All of the songs from the Ice Climber, R.O.B, and Duck Hunt universes are listed in that category. If she's in but doesn't have enough songs, they might not move them. (Though why Mr. Game & Watch was special enough to keep his own grouping in Ultimate despite only having two songs is beyond me.)


S StarDustStorm : Famicom Wars was never released outside of Japan, but it had its trophy in the NES box. They don't nitpick over the name of the system for titles that didn't have a worldwide release.

 

[Crap-Zapper]

The Smash Ballot was done way before the Remasters were announced and this includes the December 2015 project plan. Even Activision said they would be okay with Crash being in Smash beyond that project plan. So he might not actually appear in the game unless Activision asks Sakurai to include him in some form which will at best might be just a trophy using the N Sane Trilogy model.

That's only if you base his inclusion based on the N.Sane Trilogy, which you would lose.
We can't forget the legacy, and iconic status Crash has had for years. Also, being popular in Japan sure does help.

Sakurai might just think; "After Mega Man, Pac-Man and Sonic, perhaps Crash would be the next big icon out there?"
N. Sane Trilogy would only be a bonus Sakurai and his team might not even have been aware of until asking for the rights.

All I'm saying is that, Crash should not be based in the launch game because of the NST, because that's a loss. (Same as ARMS & Xenoblade 2)
But, if you look at Crash for who he is, then he is not that out there, really. Also, if DLC is being discussed, very likely at this point.

Also, sorry being off-topic.

 

[N. Onymous]

(Though why Mr. Game & Watch was special enough to keep his own grouping in Ultimate despite only having two songs is beyond me.)

Yeah, this strikes me as weird. Maybe they're going to include some Game & Watch Gallery songs this time. Only reason I can think of that it would get its own category.

 

[NukeA6]

Honestly, Lip has so much more moveset potential than either Mach Rider or Excitebiker. As I've said before, I can't see either using their bikes in their moveset, and while Mach Rider could conceivably do more than just ride their bike around (although it would be a seriously in-name-only version of the character), Excitebiker is just an ordinary motocross driver. It's in the name. Taking their bike away would be defeating the point.

I remember when I used to think Mach Rider was a shoe-in for Brawl. Those were the days. He used to have quite a fanbase back then and even rivaled Lip's. It really helped when the moveset was pretty much Kamen Rider's. Nobody cares about him now.

 

[StarDustStorm]

In the Japanese wikipedia page of Panel de Pon, it say something about a possible name you can use in the random name generator in either Melee or Brawl. I'm not sure if it is only for the Japanese Language though.

Original text『大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX』では、プレイヤーの名前を登録する際に「おまかせ」を選択すると、「リップ」ほか『パネルでポン』の登場人物名が入力される場合がある。
In "Super Smash Brawl Smash Bros. DX", when you select "Random" when registering the name of a player, the name of the character of "Rip" or "Pon at Panel" may be entered. (Sorry I used Google Translated)

 

[TreeBranch]

I don't know about her chances, but add me to the supporters list! Lip is the most deserving retro/obscure character after Takamaru

 

[N. Onymous]

Today's the big day, everyone. Give her all your thoughts, hopes, and prayers. She's going to need every last one.

(Won't we look silly if it turns out there are no Smash news in the Direct?)

 

[BluePikmin11]

Everyone at Smashboards would look silly if there was no news silly. :9

 

[N. Onymous]

Everyone at Smashboards would look silly if there was no news silly. :9

Well, yes, that's what I meant.

 

[smashkirby]

In the Japanese wikipedia page of Panel de Pon, it say something about a possible name you can use in the random name generator in either Melee or Brawl. I'm not sure if it is only for the Japanese Language though.

Oh, yeah. Lip's name is one of the possible in-game names you can get if you use the RNG in the Name Entry option. There are others like Mona from WarioWare and Ike himself.

 

[N. Onymous]

A little under one hour to go until the direct. Please be there, Lippy. Make our dreams come true, Sakurai.

 

[RouffWestie]

Only 10 minutes until

Spoiler

Isabelle is revealed with an attack that incorporates Animal Crossing Puzzle League

 

[N. Onymous]

Only 10 minutes until

Spoiler

Isabelle is revealed with an attack that incorporates Animal Crossing Puzzle League

Oh, you and your pessimism... : P

 

[NukeA6]

Isabelle is our newcomer. I do like the unexpected.

 

[N. Onymous]

Well, I hate to say it. Rouff was half-right.

At least this proves Japandering isn't out of the question. Fingers crossed for Lip, guys!

 

[PsychoJosh]

That direct was absolute horse****. I'm actually quite angry at Nintendo for that garbage.

 

[NukeA6]

That direct was absolute horse****. I'm actually quite angry at Nintendo for that garbage.

As someone who's never gonna get a Wii U, I'm happy I'll be able to play Mario Bros U. And with FF7 announced for the Switch, now I won't see Cloud as not belonging. But I'll admit it, the Direct was on the weak side but after all the ******** and whining on the day of cancellation, this is what we deserve.

 

[N. Onymous]

The new Splatoon 2 update looks great, but it really felt like Nintendo was padding out the direct with third-party titles to compensate for their own weak second half of 2018. Luigi's Mansion 3 and Isabelle were the only huge bombshells they had.

On a different note: I feel like if Lippy were in this game, she'd be revealed alongside someone who's much more popular and requested, since she alone lacks the name/hype power most other newcomers have had so far. Who do you think it'd be? I was thinking Isaac, with the magic and the connection to earth, but Geno could also work.

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

My opinion on Lip remains unchanged. I think all Isabelle show's is that with semi-clones in the mix, an even larger roster than we anticipate is possible. Plus Dixie Kong seems like a very likely cinch now.

And just a minor thing; wouldn't it have aesthetically made sense if Isabelle used the Lip Stick at some point in her reveals? Just somthing to ponder over.

 

[Souldin]

That direct was absolute horse****. I'm actually quite angry at Nintendo for that garbage.

I don't know; I found it pretty great. Off the top of my head, I'd say it was a lot better than their E3 presentation (though it helps that they didn't focus on a single game for 25 minutes). Luigi's Mansion 3 was a nice surprise, my 2nd favourite game of all time is being ported to the Switch (Final Fantasy IX), Town looks really intriguing, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered makes my heart swell just knowing it exists and New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe looks to be a pretty cool compilation update. I guess it also helps that I got the Smash reveal for this direct right; I expected a single newcomer who was one of the more popular and obvious choices; Isabelle or Bandana Dee. I got Isabelle right, and I'd even been stating days before that if she's more likely to get in as a Unique Newcomers. Gosh; I feel smug now.

The new Splatoon 2 update looks great, but it really felt like Nintendo was padding out the direct with third-party titles to compensate for their own weak second half of 2018. Luigi's Mansion 3 and Isabelle were the only huge bombshells they had.

On a different note: I feel like if Lippy were in this game, she'd be revealed alongside someone who's much more popular and requested, since she alone lacks the name/hype power most other newcomers have had so far. Who do you think it'd be? I was thinking Isaac, with the magic and the connection to earth, but Geno could also work.

Yeah; I've high hopes for Lip to be in the game, but I didn't see her being announced so soon. I feel Lip would be announced closer to the end, one of many newcomers in a final Smash Direct in late November/early December. Let's keep our spirits up everyone!

 

[N. Onymous]

I don't think they match fighters with items that look good with them. Unless Lip's Stick is an aesthetic match for Richter, as in that picture we keep seeing over and over.

Yeah; I've high hopes for Lip to be in the game, but I didn't see her being announced so soon. I feel Lip would be announced closer to the end, one of many newcomers in a final Smash Direct in late November/early December. Let's keep our spirits up everyone!

Exactly! Love Isabelle, hate her, or feel indifferent, she doesn't affect Lippy's odds. This isn't over until December. Keep your spirits high!

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

I'm personally glad Isabelle is here! Her and Lip seem like they'd get along swimmingly imo! I'm not a Panel de Pon expert; what do you see Lip doing with Isabelle?

 

[N. Onymous]

I'm personally glad Isabelle is here! Her and Lip seem like they'd get along swimmingly imo! I'm not a Panel de Pon expert; what do you see Lip doing with Isabelle?

Going out together and planting flowers to make the town beautiful. What else?

 

[Crap-Zapper]

I really hope Lip would come now. She'd be perfect to debut in a game with Isabelle.
Which again is from the last game which had any connection to Lip.

 

[N. Onymous]

I really hope Lip would come now. She'd be perfect to debut in a game with Isabelle.
Which again is from the last game which had any connection to Lip.

We have Yoshi. We have Pikachu. We have Isabelle. Give us Lip, and we'll have assembled the Four Heavenly Kings of Panel de Pon. The circle must be complete. You know what you must do, Sakurai.

 

[BluePikmin11]

For some reason, Isabelle gets me more confident about Lip.

The logic does not correlate, but somehow I feel it does.

I guess it is more of a sigh of relief that the community is getting their predictions wrong like Isabelle being an echo and/or expected a highly demanded newcomer every reveal.

 

[MasterRosie]

Hey there! I’m new to Smashboards, but I just wanna let you know I got into the support for Lip since Smash 4.
But, anyway, I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I thought about some things, and these things raised my confidence in Lip being in Ultimate, despite the Lip’s Stick and Kirby’s down B. Because when you take a look at subtle things Nintendo and Sakurai’s been doing here and there, it oddly sounds convincing. Just hear me out on this theory. (Sorry if it’s lengthy)

1. Sakurai stated that he planned on putting Takamaru in Smash 4, but it didn’t happen. He had the chance to put him in Ultimate, but he still....didn’t? Odd. You’d think he’d just slap him in there. Maybe he did this intentionally.
2. Isabelle is NOT an echo of Villager due to contrary belief. Seemingly because she’s the face of AC nowadays, so she gets preferential treatment as such.
3. AC: New Leaf (Which Isabelle is a major part of) had the Puzzle League minigame outfit which included a Lip outfit, which wasn’t just a Japanese exclusive outfit. And this is the first non-smash Panel De Pon reference we have gotten in 9 whole years. If we had these references on occasion outside of smash, this would probably mean nothing.
4. This costume and update happened 1 year after the Smash 4 ballot had ended. How weird. It’s almost as if Nintendo wants her to be somewhat familiar to people outside of Japan. But what reason would that be?
5. Due to SEGA having Puyo Puyo released internationally, the puzzle series had gotten a good sized fanbase. Due to this, she was voted for in the Smash ballot. Oddly enough, according to some results, she did really good, placing around and whom are both already in Smash. (Another point to add is she also was around Golden Sun’s Isaac, whom is being highly rumored for Ultimate) Now, Sakurai could just slap Arle in, but in his heart, he knows it would be a bad idea, as it could make Nintendo’s own puzzle series Panel de Pon/ Puzzle League fall into pure obscurity with no chance of returning.
6. Sakurai himself labeled Panel de Pon as an “overlooked masterpiece” and he wishes more people would try it out. But, due to NoA’s stinginess with PdP, people in the West never got to, making it virtually unknown to most people despite the slight references before AC. The most we got was a reskin of it, making Lip herself unknown. So, how does he go about making her more known? Telling Nintendo to reference it in a game with a big playerbase like Animal Crossing (which NoA oddly enough agreed to) and then planning her in Smash. Due to the Lip outfit in AC, (even outside of Japan) she could at least be recognizable from that outfit.
7. Sakurai seemed rather quick to show off Kirby’s garbage block and Lip’s Stick. Maybe he also did that intentionally. Also, the fact he updated the flower effect to make them look more like the ones on the title screen of PdP is a small, but maybe meaningful touch.

Again, just take this theory with a grain of salt. It could lead to just an assist trophy, or she doesn’t appear again with no Arle either. But, again, a 9 year haitus for a non-Smash PdP reference meaning....nothing? I don’t know if I buy it. Just keep your heads up. She could be a surprise newcomer at the very end no one expects. Not even us PdP fans with the Lip’s Stick returning.

 

[PsychoJosh]

I don't know; I found it pretty great.

I don't care. I found it utterly atrocious and the more I think about it the more I want to saw somebody's head off.

Bragging about the stupid paid online like it's a thing anybody's excited for and showing games that already have online that you now have to pay for? That was straight up offensive, I don't care what anyone else thinks, that was crap. Announcing a third sequel to an utterly mediocre gamecube launch title didn't help, and then we see that they pressed the "launch another effortless NSMB game" button that they push every single time there's a lull in their development cycle. I don't even want to talk about the Isabelle reveal. My blood is boiling just taking it all in.

 

[N. Onymous]

I agree with you that paid online shouldn't be a thing. It shouldn't have ever been a thing. It only exists because Microsoft was greedy and anti-consumer to begin with (they sure aren't using that money to fix their broken servers), and Sony and Nintendo eventually hopped on the train once they realized it was a cheap, low-effort way to get free money. But what can you do? Between paying twenty bucks a year and not playing Splatoon 2, I'll happily take the former.

On the bright side, we haven't had a hard Lip deconfirmation just yet. The dream is still real. Let's all keep our spirits high, whether this reveal made you happy, sad, mad, or indifferent.

 

[CleverDan]

I don't care. I found it utterly atrocious and the more I think about it the more I want to saw somebody's head off.

Bragging about the stupid paid online like it's a thing anybody's excited for and showing games that already have online that you now have to pay for? That was straight up offensive, I don't care what anyone else thinks, that was crap. Announcing a third sequel to an utterly mediocre gamecube launch title didn't help, and then we see that they pressed the "launch another effortless NSMB game" button that they push every single time there's a lull in their development cycle. I don't even want to talk about the Isabelle reveal. My blood is boiling just taking it all in.

I understand disappointment, but if you're getting that upset over a Nintendo Direct then I recommend some fresh air and reevaluate some priorities.

 

[N. Onymous]

Three of the four mascots have been united. You know what you must do, Nintendo. #SuperSmashBrosUltimate pic.twitter.com/VKXilOs56U

— mabetech (he/him) 💜🤍💛🖤 COMMISSIONS OPEN! (@mabetech) September 14, 2018

The ritual must be completed.

 

[FooltheFlames]

Exactly! Love Isabelle, hate her, or feel indifferent, she doesn't affect Lippy's odds. This isn't over until December. Keep your spirits high!

No you see Isabelle's inclusion actually improves her odds of making it into Smash I believe! I'll explain below~

For some reason, Isabelle gets me more confident about Lip.

The logic does not correlate, but somehow I feel it does.

But it does correlate! I'll show you.

I've been wanting to share this for sometime:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Ppw5m-b4JHJ0_cGRKU15KYlTe1E/edit?usp=drivesdk

The above is a link to a google document that had compiled nearly 50,000 votes from various polls from various countries during the period of the 2015 Smash Ballot. It is highly reflective of the actual ballot results as it had everyone's most wanted at the time. Considering Smash Ultimate most likely had started in production around 2015-16, this is the kind of data Sakurai would have to work with before deciding on fan favorites for the roster. However, upon close inspection of this list, you can see that Isabelle's name doesn't appear on the list at all!
Why does any of this matter when concerning Lip? Well, Lip's name doesn't appear on the list at all either. Both are put into the category at the very bottom that includes all other characters without a significant amount of votes to be named. This used to depress me about Lip, but now with Isabelle's inclusion, it shows that a character in the same position as Lip can be added into Smash! She has revitalized my hopes! Isabelle proves that popularity and notoriety among fans aren't everything Sakurai considers when adding characters to Smash. His own preferences and other snippets come into play in all this.

Many Smash fans and speculators will be quick to tell you when you ask for a more obscure character that they have no chance becuz they just 'are not popular enough'. Well Isabelle's inclusion proves them wrong. And Lip has the same chances as her. Isabelle may have become a popular character choice among fans during this time of speculation, but it's not like the game was just made this year. At the time of It's creation Isabelle was apparently a character that stood 'no chance' of getting in along with characters like Lip according to those who think popularity means EVERYTHING. This continues to show us that nobody really knows what they are talking about when it comes to characters getting into Smash. Anybody Sakurai has shown interest in has a good chance of making it in, and we know Lip is one of those characters!

 

[N. Onymous]

That's a good way of thinking about it. At the end of the day, characters are chosen due to moveset potential, not popularity outright (though that can be a factor). I'd say that while Lippy may be a little lacking in one of those areas, she's overflowing in another. Here's hoping!

 

[Jurae818]

A few weeks back after the rivals trailer popped up, I had a thought on something relating to Lip and seeing the last few pages around toward 42 got me thinking: What if Yoshi became Lip's rival? It's the one series that has some resemblance to PdP and could get away with it, and it's kinda funny that the fairies were supposed to play a supporting role with the initial concept having Mario and Yoshi as the leads. I'm really hoping for Lip, that game was a lot more fun than it should have been and NoA constantly blocking the character was a crime. PdP could easily be the Nintendo puzzle IP. Dr. Mario isn't really my cup of tea and it wouldn't surprise me if Nintendo today thinks that having more than one puzzle series is redundant given their stance on M&L and Paper Mario coexisting.

 

[N. Onymous]

it's kinda funny that the fairies were supposed to play a supporting role with the initial concept having Mario and Yoshi as the leads. I'm really hoping for Lip, that game was a lot more fun than it should have been and NoA constantly blocking the character was a crime.

I agree with you that NOA trying to cover up Lippy and friends is awful and I have no idea why they're still doing it, but the part about Mario and Yoshi being the original leads of Panel de Pon is misinformation. While Panepon went through a few different concepts early in development, as with any game, Mario and Co. were never going to be a part of it--by the time it reached production stage, the fairy characters were set in stone. It's possible you're getting it mixed up with Splatoon, which was legitimately going to be a Mario game at one point but evolved into something quite different.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Hey there! I’m new to Smashboards, but I just wanna let you know I got into the support for Lip since Smash 4.
But, anyway, I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I thought about some things, and these things raised my confidence in Lip being in Ultimate, despite the Lip’s Stick and Kirby’s down B. Because when you take a look at subtle things Nintendo and Sakurai’s been doing here and there, it oddly sounds convincing. Just hear me out on this theory. (Sorry if it’s lengthy)

1. Sakurai stated that he planned on putting Takamaru in Smash 4, but it didn’t happen. He had the chance to put him in Ultimate, but he still....didn’t? Odd. You’d think he’d just slap him in there. Maybe he did this intentionally.
2. Isabelle is NOT an echo of Villager due to contrary belief. Seemingly because she’s the face of AC nowadays, so she gets preferential treatment as such.
3. AC: New Leaf (Which Isabelle is a major part of) had the Puzzle League minigame outfit which included a Lip outfit, which wasn’t just a Japanese exclusive outfit. And this is the first non-smash Panel De Pon reference we have gotten in 9 whole years. If we had these references on occasion outside of smash, this would probably mean nothing.
4. This costume and update happened 1 year after the Smash 4 ballot had ended. How weird. It’s almost as if Nintendo wants her to be somewhat familiar to people outside of Japan. But what reason would that be?
5. Due to SEGA having Puyo Puyo released internationally, the puzzle series had gotten a good sized fanbase. Due to this, she was voted for in the Smash ballot. Oddly enough, according to some results, she did really good, placing around and whom are both already in Smash. (Another point to add is she also was around Golden Sun’s Isaac, whom is being highly rumored for Ultimate) Now, Sakurai could just slap Arle in, but in his heart, he knows it would be a bad idea, as it could make Nintendo’s own puzzle series Panel de Pon/ Puzzle League fall into pure obscurity with no chance of returning.
6. Sakurai himself labeled Panel de Pon as an “overlooked masterpiece” and he wishes more people would try it out. But, due to NoA’s stinginess with PdP, people in the West never got to, making it virtually unknown to most people despite the slight references before AC. The most we got was a reskin of it, making Lip herself unknown. So, how does he go about making her more known? Telling Nintendo to reference it in a game with a big playerbase like Animal Crossing (which NoA oddly enough agreed to) and then planning her in Smash. Due to the Lip outfit in AC, (even outside of Japan) she could at least be recognizable from that outfit.
7. Sakurai seemed rather quick to show off Kirby’s garbage block and Lip’s Stick. Maybe he also did that intentionally. Also, the fact he updated the flower effect to make them look more like the ones on the title screen of PdP is a small, but maybe meaningful touch.

Again, just take this theory with a grain of salt. It could lead to just an assist trophy, or she doesn’t appear again with no Arle either. But, again, a 9 year haitus for a non-Smash PdP reference meaning....nothing? I don’t know if I buy it. Just keep your heads up. She could be a surprise newcomer at the very end no one expects. Not even us PdP fans with the Lip’s Stick returning.

Takamaru was only briefly considered before Sakurai thought "wait, most people wouldn't know him because he has only one game in Japan, never mind", so he didn't have chances much higher than James Bond in that regard, even with the eventual 3DS release of his game. Although the rest of the points you bring up makes sense.

 

[Jurae818]

N N. Onymous I see. I know about the Splatoon scenario, but I just reread that post. Sorry.

On that note, I only suggested Yoshi as her rival because Yoshi really doesn't have much to go for with newcomers. When Yoshi's Story missed the mark, it stayed stagnant and didn't grow much. I never saw Yoshi as its own series after Story, just Super Mario Presents: Yoshi. The connection with Lip would work well for Yoshi and give him somewhat of a stronger presence. On the other hand, having the PdP characters tagalong with Yoshi would be a death wish for the IP itself, being absorbed by a Mario subsidiary (Which in turn is a DK subsidiary). I really wish Yoshi got its equivalent of DKC with a retelling and reimagining of the character and setting. Whether it's having each Yoshi with their own design and personality or even absorbing the fairies, anything to have it be more than just Mario-lite.

But that's another thread altogether. Have this:

An accurate depiction of the series' current state.