The Little Witch of Diamond City - Ashley - The Witch retreats. For now.

[Space Detective]

That also makes sense, although I don't understand why Sakurai would feel the need to be so secretive about it. ATs like Krystal were just thrown away in trailers and photos. There is nothing special about Ashley that would warrant saving her up for later, being that she is only an AT and nothing more.

They may've just genuinely underestimated her fandom, and weren't expecting so many people to anticipate her being in Smash.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Her getting an updated model is odd. Her not getting showcased or noted with this makes it worse, imo. I mean, she isn't even on the AT list in the site for some reason. She's obviously an AT, of course. But I guess they want to give her a direct site update first or something? Maybe they'll explain more next direct?

I don't honestly believe this improves her chances of being playable at all. I just want to know why she's not on the website yet but has a new model.

 

[perfectchaos83]

Her getting an updated model is odd. Her not getting showcased or noted with this makes it worse, imo. I mean, she isn't even on the AT list in the site for some reason. She's obviously an AT, of course. But I guess they want to give her a direct site update first or something? Maybe they'll explain more next direct?

I don't honestly believe this improves her chances of being playable at all. I just want to know why she's not on the website yet but has a new model.

Yeah, I've been saying how this hurts far more than being assist'd. The complete lack of recognition really rubs me the wrong way. Sakurai's not one for long term trolling, so I'm positive no ruse/bamboozle/conspiracy is going on. But good God, does how she was treated make me want to believe that there is.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Yeah, I've been saying how this hurts far more than being assist'd. The complete lack of recognition really rubs me the wrong way. Sakurai's not one for long term trolling, so I'm positive no ruse/bamboozle/conspiracy is going on. But good God, does how she was treated make me want to believe that there is.

It took too long to even see Waluigi beyond the first direct. He wasn't in the demo. His next appearance was just on the Smash website(which obviously was expected).

Some characters he clearly doesn't handle well. I mean, Dark Pit is a notable one. Not because he wasn't announced properly as a normal fighter(Palutena's trailer was probably done way before he got Echo'd in 4), but more that his own page doesn't list him as a newcomer. And lack of a splash screen is irrelevant, as Charizard isn't a newcomer and properly treated as another veteran as normal. I feel like he simply didn't care enough to give attention to detail. While he puts love and care into these things, he clearly just has moments that feel like the opposite.

Though by lack of fanfare, I wonder if there's more she's going to be. Not a playable character, of course, but she could be part of a Final Smash. Not something I'd obviously bank on, of course.

 

[Princess_Ashley]

Yeah, I've been saying how this hurts far more than being assist'd. The complete lack of recognition really rubs me the wrong way. Sakurai's not one for long term trolling, so I'm positive no ruse/bamboozle/conspiracy is going on. But good God, does how she was treated make me want to believe that there is.

That's why I have quite a bit of confidence in my theory. How Sakurai is handled her IS strange. And I think there is an explanation for it. You don't have to call it a conspiracy. Sakurai simple changed plans midway and that's that.

 

[pik3rob]

I think at this point that the only conspiracy possible that could possibly make Ashley playable in the base game is that her Final Smash is what was shown. But that's very very very unlikely to the point where it's not worth considering. Other than that, they probably just updated her model because Badge Arcade gave her her red eyes back. Honestly, I don't see much update to the model. It still looks similar to the Game and Wario model, just with red eyes.

 

[perfectchaos83]

I think at this point that the only conspiracy possible that could possibly make Ashley playable in the base game is that her Final Smash is what was shown. But that's very very very unlikely to the point where it's not worth considering. Other than that, they probably just updated her model because Badge Arcade gave her her red eyes back. Honestly, I don't see much update to the model. It still looks similar to the Game and Wario model, just with red eyes.

Camera's way too far away, but the hair and skull brooch and fabric around it are easy details that point to a new model.

 

[pik3rob]

You know, even if she is a DLC fighter, it's a really big shame that if she's added as DLC, she won't get a cool character trailer like the others. She also won't be part of subspace if that's back. This just sucks so ****ing much.

 

[Space Detective]

You know, even if she is a DLC fighter, it's a really big shame that if she's added as DLC, she won't get a cool character trailer like the others. She also won't be part of subspace if that's back. This just sucks so ****ing much.

I'd just be happy she's playable. I doubt we're getting anything on the scale of SSE, anyway.

And no fancy CG didn't prevent some of the DLC character trailers from the Smash 4 days from being hype.

 

[Hat Kid]

I was checking out the Assist Trophy list on the official website just now. And I know we all notice our beloved Ashley not there. However, there is a lot of other ones not listed on the official website even though they have been confirmed already (I believe someone said this already). What I'm noticing though is that all the ones on the Website were revealed in directs and had a "Spotlight" (for lack of better words) with their names shown. Lyn, Starfy etc. All showed up in a direct with a "Spotlight" (even though they are "Veteran Assist Trophies" from previous games) and they're on the Website. Color TV-Game 15, Dr. Kawashima, Dr. Wright, Ghirahim, Hammer Bro, Mother Brain, Samurai Goroh, Sheriff, Starman, and Takamaru are all confirmed Assist Trophies that are not on the website. We have seen them confirmed via the Demo and some videos (You see Mother Brain in the last Direct when they revealed Dark Samus). All of those just happen to be "Veteran Assist Trophies" as well. So I guess if they are a Veteran Assist Trophy AND they didn't get a "Spotlight" in a direct they aren't on the Website. Ashley is a Veteran Assist Trophy and she didn't have a Spotlight (She was just there along with Bomberman, and her name didn't show) so I guess that's why she's not on the website? I ended up re-writing this comment twice. I hope I made sense XD. Maybe I'm looking into this too much.

 

[The Eternal Penguin]

I was checking out the Assist Trophy list on the official website just now. And I know we all notice our beloved Ashley not there. However, there is a lot of other ones not listed on the official website even though they have been confirmed already (I believe someone said this already). What I'm noticing though is that all the ones on the Website were revealed in directs and had a "Spotlight" (for lack of better words) with their names shown. Lyn, Starfy etc. All showed up in a direct with a "Spotlight" (even though they are "Veteran Assist Trophies" from previous games) and they're on the Website. Color TV-Game 15, Dr. Kawashima, Dr. Wright, Ghirahim, Hammer Bro, Mother Brain, Samurai Goroh, Sheriff, Starman, and Takamaru are all confirmed Assist Trophies that are not on the website. We have seen them confirmed via the Demo and some videos (You see Mother Brain in the last Direct when they revealed Dark Samus). All of those just happen to be "Veteran Assist Trophies" as well. So I guess if they are a Veteran Assist Trophy AND they didn't get a "Spotlight" in a direct they aren't on the Website. Ashley is a Veteran Assist Trophy and she didn't have a Spotlight (She was just there along with Bomberman, and her name didn't show) so I guess that's why she's not on the website? I ended up re-writing this comment twice. I hope I made sense XD. Maybe I'm looking into this too much.

They are probably just going to add them to the website when they end up talking about them on the blog. Just to add a bit more content in later on.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

Honestly, even if Ashley was a fake-out, she would had been revealed in the same direct like the whole Dedede, K.Rool trolling. I don't think Sakurai is cruel enough to disconfirm a very requested character only to reveal them a month or more later on. I would find it amusing though if by the next direct, she still isn't updated on the site.

 

[Koopaul]

So everyone I have a theory as to why Ashley is still an AT and it actually has to do with how unique of a character she is. This is only theory but hear me out.

So I strongly believe that a lot of this game is influenced by the Ballot. I also believe Sakurai wants to include as many characters from the Ballot as possible and show some love to everyone. However... Sakurai and his team prioritized most of the development time to bringing back classic characters and stages. Not to mention with a roster of 70+ unique characters, balancing will be the hardest it's been yet. Only a few characters from the Ballot, the absolute most popular worldwide, will be made into brand new unique fighters. I'm suspecting only the top 10 or less were considered from the Ballot.

But, like I said, Sakurai still wants to include as many popular Ballot characters as he can. So Echo fighters was an easy solution. Sakurai could include characters that were relatively popular on the Ballot (possibly within the top 50) as long as they could be based on other fighters. This would save time and be easier to balance.

So what about all those other popular Ballot choices? Not in the top 10 but still in the top 50. Many of them are unfortunately too unique to be based on another fighter. So they can't be an Echo. What's the next best thing? An Assist. Yes that's why Krystal, Zero, Shovel Knight, Bomberman and I'm assuming many more will be Assist Trophies.

So that brings us to Ashley. I don't think she made it to the top 10. And she's too unique to be an Echo. So she remains an Assist. I'm suspecting Sakurai didn't focus on her too much in the Direct because, unlike all those other guys I mentioned who are brand spanking new (and he hopes people will be happy to see them featured in the game at all), Ashley is reprising her same role which will be... disappointing to her fans and not exciting at all.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Here is an interesting topic.

People recently have been speculating Skull Kid with the lack of his Assist Trophy role for the Moon and the colored furniture durig the Smash Direct.

It has been making me compare Skull Kid's potential as fighter with Ashley's, both being dark magic users and all. Do you guys think SK possibly being planned for Ultimate would have made Ashley a less interesting pick at the time? Should the next Smash include Skull Kid again, would it close the door for Ashley as a possible fighter in the future?

 

[Nimbostratus]

Here is an interesting topic.

People recently have been speculating Skull Kid with the lack of his Assist Trophy role for the Moon and the colored furniture durig the Smash Direct.

It has been making me compare Skull Kid's potential as fighter with Ashley's, both being dark magic users and all. Do you guys think SK possibly being planned for Ultimate would have made Ashley a less interesting pick at the time? Should the next Smash include Skull Kid again, would it close the door for Ashley as a possible fighter in the future?

Considering the amount of sword users there are, I highly doubt the development team would exclude Ashley on the basis that she and Skull Kid fill a somewhat similar trope. I don't think the execution of the movesets would look at all similar, considering Ashley has a partner that can shapeshift into a wand/broom/whatever she wants, unlike Skull Kid. Thanks to Red, Ashley's moveset could be designed in any number of ways, so there's no reason for significant overlap. Besides, while moveset potential is important, Ashley would be getting in due to popularity and prominence, not because she is the only possible Nintendo character to fill the "dark magic" trope.

 

[NintenZ]

Here is an interesting topic.

People recently have been speculating Skull Kid with the lack of his Assist Trophy role for the Moon and the colored furniture durig the Smash Direct.

It has been making me compare Skull Kid's potential as fighter with Ashley's, both being dark magic users and all. Do you guys think SK possibly being planned for Ultimate would have made Ashley a less interesting pick at the time? Should the next Smash include Skull Kid again, would it close the door for Ashley as a possible fighter in the future?

Personally I don’t think it was necessarily a case of one being more interesting than the other, but I think that they wanted to focus on making on Assist Trophy unique because of the smaller roster numbers. I feel like with this game being more based off the Ballot and with Skull Kid being a fan favorite, he was likely given the priority because while Ashley is a fan favorite, for Skull Kid it was likely a now-or-never situation, and since Ashley is so popular she’ll likely be relevant for years to come.

Isabelle and Dark Samus on the other hand will probably be Echoes, so they’re easy to develop and don’t take resources away from other characters.

 

[Koopaul]

I don't know, I think my assessment is pretty reasonable.

Only a very small handful of characters will be chosen from the Ballot to be distinct fighters. Other popular choices will be made into echoes if they can be. And if they can't be, then they will be Assist Trophies. That is why Shovel Knight is an Assist. That is why Ashley is an Assist. And so on.

She probably did well on the Ballot. Possibly better than Dark Samus and Daisy. But those two can be easily made into echoes. Ashley cannot be.

 

[zferolie]

I think Sakurai took the ballot into consideration the most. With Ridley, K Rool, Daisy, Chrom, inklings, and Simon all added so far. Adding Shovel Knight as an assist also helps support that theory. Keeping Ashley as an assist could support that as well.

Honestly, even if Ashley was a fake-out, she would had been revealed in the same direct like the whole Dedede, K.Rool trolling. I don't think Sakurai is cruel enough to disconfirm a very requested character only to reveal them a month or more later on. I would find it amusing though if by the next direct, she still isn't updated on the site.

About that. Remember that in smash 3ds the spirits track stage was shown months before we got confirmation toon link was returning. Everyone assumed Toon link was getting cut because he was on that stage. So Sakurai is not above fake outs and long teases.

This monster hunter assist trophy also is doing just that. We see what could be a monster hunter stage, and no word on it. But it may not even be a stage, it could be part of Subspace, given how flat and barren it is. Yeah its fitting for Monster hunter but it feels like a boring stage you know?

but getting off topic. I am just saying Sakurai has done this before. Teasing or making us expect something, then changing it up to surprise us down the line

 

[Nimbostratus]

I don't know, I think my assessment is pretty reasonable.

Only a very small handful of characters will be chosen from the Ballot to be distinct fighters. Other popular choices will be made into echoes if they can be. And if they can't be, then they will be Assist Trophies. That is why Shovel Knight is an Assist. That is why Ashley is an Assist. And so on.

She probably did well on the Ballot. Possibly better than Dark Samus and Daisy. But those two can be easily made into echoes. Ashley cannot be.

I don't think anyone was arguing with your comment. I completely agree. Ashley is popular, but I've always questioned just how well she could have done on the Ballot, given that she was already in the game and people wouldn't have thought she was eligible to get into Smash 4 at that point. Not to mention that a large chunk of her Western support came far too late.

Dark Samus and Chrom were in the game as well, but like you said, they're clones. Ridley also falls into this, but his popularity has been long acknowledged, so he would be added for it regardless of his Ballot performance.

If we ever get another ballot, we can't let already having a role in the game stop us from voting for our favorite characters. It may have already hurt Ashley's chances once before.

 

[MainJPW]

I think Sakurai took the ballot into consideration the most. With Ridley, K Rool, Daisy, Chrom, inklings, and Simon all added so far. Adding Shovel Knight as an assist also helps support that theory. Keeping Ashley as an assist could support that as well.



About that. Remember that in smash 3ds the spirits track stage was shown months before we got confirmation toon link was returning. Everyone assumed Toon link was getting cut because he was on that stage. So Sakurai is not above fake outs and long teases.

This monster hunter assist trophy also is doing just that. We see what could be a monster hunter stage, and no word on it. But it may not even be a stage, it could be part of Subspace, given how flat and barren it is. Yeah its fitting for Monster hunter but it feels like a boring stage you know?

but getting off topic. I am just saying Sakurai has done this before. Teasing or making us expect something, then changing it up to surprise us down the line

But Tink was a veteran and they also kinda did the same thing with Meta Knight where his Mii mask was revealed before the actual character.

He has never done something like that with a newcomer as far as I’m aware.

 

[zferolie]

But Tink was a veteran and they also kinda did the same thing with Meta Knight where his Mii mask was revealed before the actual character.

He has never done something like that with a newcomer as far as I’m aware.

closest i could think of is dark pit, not being officially revealed as an actual character till much later, but that first thing didn't deconfirm him. And we couldn't be sure that Toon was returning, as in the last game Young link never returned. so there was presidence for the little link to vanish after the game.

EDIT: Actually Sakurai did it with Ridley last game, but in the opposite way. took him a few months to actually say he was not a playable, while teasing him before. we could get that with Ashley here I suppose, him taking his time before he outright says lol. How mean of him

 

[NintenZ]

Honestly guys if Skull Kid is in the game I’ll take our defeat with more dignity.

Cause I understand for him it’s a now-or-never situation, he may never get another chance to be in Smash while Ashley and Takamaru likely will have their chances eventually, plus characters like Isabelle and Dark Samus were probably easy to make and didn’t cause much strain on the development team (If Isabelle is unique though I’ll be very confused)

 

[MainJPW]

closest i could think of is dark pit, not being officially revealed as an actual character till much later, but that first thing didn't deconfirm him. And we couldn't be sure that Toon was returning, as in the last game Young link never returned. so there was precedence for the little link to vanish after the game.

That wasn't really the point, I'm saying that Sakurai has never revealed a newcomer in an NPC role before revealing them as a playable character; he's only done it with veterans. Dark Pit was just in a trailer, there was nothing shown in-game that suggested he wouldn't be playable like an assist or anything.

 

[zferolie]

That wasn't really the point, I'm saying that Sakurai has never revealed a newcomer in an NPC role before revealing them as a playable character; he's only done it with veterans. Dark Pit was just in a trailer, there was nothing shown in-game that suggested he wouldn't be playable like an assist or anything.

Thats why I said it was the closest. Plus I think Pit still had a dark pit color in demos or pictures we saw right? Could be wrong.

 

[perfectchaos83]

It sucks that the only disappointment I have with this game is Ashley not being playable. It's the one thing keeping it from perfection.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

It sucks that the only disappointment I have with this game is Ashley not being playable. It's the one thing keeping it from perfection.

Yeah, currently with everything this game has shown, it is a 9.5/10 for me, having both Ashley and Geno would make it a perfect 10.

 

[MainJPW]

Thats why I said it was the closest. Plus I think Pit still had a dark pit color in demos or pictures we saw right? Could be wrong.

There wasn't. His dark alt in the final is different from Dark Pit as well.

It sucks that the only disappointment I have with this game is Ashley not being playable. It's the one thing keeping it from perfection.

Ashley would've been so ****ing dope.

 

[DeltaSceptile]

plus characters like Isabelle and Dark Samus were probably easy to make and didn’t cause much strain on the development team (If Isabelle is unique though I’ll be very confused)

If Isabelle is unique, then so many people will question Sakurai as to why Ashley’s not in the game and the character deemed most likely to be an echo is a unique character.

 

[NintenZ]

If Isabelle is unique, then so many people will question Sakurai as to why Ashley’s not in the game and the character deemed most likely to be an echo is a unique character.

Yeah no really Isabelle will be literally the only addition I would highly question if she were to be unique especially compared to Ashley and Takamaru.

Skull Kid I can at least sympathize with due to him being a long-requested character for the Smash series since Brawl.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Yeah no really Isabelle will be literally the only addition I would highly question if she were to be unique especially compared to Ashley and Takamaru.

Skull Kid I can at least sympathize with due to him being a long-requested character for the Smash series since Brawl.

Isabelle has different proportions from Villager. She makes a severe amount of sense to be unique. But so would Ashley and Takamaru. They're in the same boat.

Never mind she also isn't associated with the same abilities at all as Villager. She's a severely popular character with defined things they do. She has her own items she uses, and is more about helping the players and creating new work projects. She has actual things to draw from as is, but more importantly, isn't 1:1 proportional. A requirement that we've seen for Echoes that still is kept consistent. Chrom doesn't really prove this isn't a key factor, and in fact keeps it the same. What he does prove is that they can draw moves from another character that has the same body shape(much like how a clone used the same body shape to create the character in the first place).

Realistically, she can use Villager as a base to start the moveset in itself. But she can't be an Echo unless she has an entirely new model created... in which case, it's just as easy(if not easier) to make her as a clone with a similar moveset, just like how Roy was in Melee. Or Pichu, who has different proportions from Pikachu, but a similar body shape.

 

[perfectchaos83]

https://imgur.com/a/HdDfJce

Lots of press release pics and no Ashley...

Just finish the job, Sakurai. Don't let me think conspiracy theories have a chance. >_>

 

[DeltaSceptile]

Isabelle has different proportions from Villager. She makes a severe amount of sense to be unique. But so would Ashley and Takamaru. They're in the same boat.

Yeah, but the point is that if Sakurai is truly turning this one into fan service, why give Isabelle a unique spot when we could get both as playable. This would make both fan bases happy and besides, Isabelle is highly speculated to be an echo. There are several characters who could easily be more unique than Isabelle, but are likely to get the echo treatment, like shadow and Dixie Kong.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Yeah, but the point is that if Sakurai is truly turning this one into fan service, why give Isabelle a unique spot when we could get both as playable. This would make both fan bases happy and besides, Isabelle is highly speculated to be an echo. There are several characters who could easily be more unique than Isabelle, but are likely to get the echo treatment, like shadow and Dixie Kong.

Doesn't really matter at all. Being an Echo requires 1:1 proportions. She doesn't have them. It means she could easily be a regular clone like Pichu/Dr. Mario was in Melee, but not an Echo.

Fanservice doesn't change how development works anyway. At least not the physical part. People can speculate while ignoring the requirement of an Echo all they want, but Sakurai isn't going to do the impossible because of that either. He's going to make her a clone/semi-clone/unique or she'll stay an AT. These are the only possible things that could happen at this time. Unless you're implying he's making a 100% new model to make an Echo(which already sounds like it misses the point, as Echoes are "let's apply an alt costume basically, then turn it into a full playable character with very tiny changes at most that require the lowest amount of effort." That's an Echo. Chrom is a perfect example of how low effort it is. His Up B still required a character with the same skeleton to clone off of, while his main body used the same 1:1 proportions to make. Heck, look at how Chrom has no real facial expressions. That's pretty low effort(though I'm sure this small bit will be fixed later, but that requires animations. His creation is likely recent or at least the version of him used for the direct was fairly last minute at the time of working on those CGI).

 

[zferolie]

I don't think being an echo means you have to be 1:1. close yes but not 1:1. Look at Roy and Chrom

Their outfits are completely different, Chrom's arms are more muscular, swords are differen models., I think Roy is slightly taller, ect. So they don't need to be 1:1, just close.

VIllager and isabelle are around the same height, and they both work with the similar rig, as every animal crossing character has the same proportions in a sense.

Anyway, I don't think Isabelle being unique or an echo is going to make Ashley look bad, or effect her at all.

 

[LittleKrool]

So many supporters, so much love for Ashley. I'm proud to call myself an Ashley fan! We were all brought together by Smash, and stayed together by Ashley. There's still hope for more Ashley from Nintendo!

I think she'd be a perfect fit for a Mario spin-off series! Kinda like Mario Kart, though I hope she isn't treated like Rosalina and made into a pretty enthusiastic girl who screams "All right!" when doing tricks, lol.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

I don't think being an echo means you have to be 1:1. close yes but not 1:1. Look at Roy and Chrom

Their outfits are completely different, Chrom's arms are more muscular, swords are differen models., I think Roy is slightly taller, ect. So they don't need to be 1:1, just close.

VIllager and isabelle are around the same height, and they both work with the similar rig, as every animal crossing character has the same proportions in a sense.

Anyway, I don't think Isabelle being unique or an echo is going to make Ashley look bad, or effect her at all.

1:1 means the skeleton, not just the model purely. Chrom has the same proportions, but with different animations. Skeletons can move in different directions via animation. Chrom also proves that Echoes can have a few unique things, as long as they copy a move from a character with the same body shape. His Up B is a retool of Ike's Aether and his Up Tilt is Marth's. Roy, Marth, Ike, and Chrom all share the same body shape(Roy and Chrom share the same proportions). Though it does tie into what Bill said. He said they had to have the same proportions(this is still true), same weight, same speed, and same general stats. He didn't say they can't borrow a move from another near identical body-shaped character. I do thing he might have something off, mind you.

A lot seem to mix up the model bit, but when people say model, they're more referring to how the skeletons are the same. This is poor communication, including on my part. Apologies for that. But they still are the same skeleton regardless.

Either way, the only video we have of Isabelle over Villager looks like completely ass. She has a completely different set of proportions and is stretched to fix the moveset. The muscles actually would not affect anything animation-wise. As shown by Ganondorf and Falcon, who got in due to having a near identical skeleton to him. I know it's an odd example, but one has way more muscles and it affected nothing.

We also know their idle animations never had to be identical. Dark Pit and Lucina were confirmed last second, which is why we don't see more unique stuff from them like Chrom, Dark Samus, etc.

 

[Cabbagehead]

There isn't a correlation between Isabelle and Ashley. One is a potential clone character from a wildly popular franchise, and the other is a potential unique fighter from a more niche series. Their only correlation is the Badge Arcade, and being Assist Trophies in Sm4sh.

Also, I would say that downplaying Isabelle's popularity would be a bit misguided. She is easily Animal Crossing's mascot, as of New Leaf. And, while Isabelle is associated with her role as a secretary within the games, Villager's moveset does a great job of representing Animal Crossing, as a whole. It makes sense that his moveset would be copy/pasted onto Isabelle with slight changes, similar to how some people are predicting Dixie Kong could get in the game.

That being said, if we can sustain the Ashley Train, and make sure her fans are people who actively want her (and not just people who expect her), then her inclusion is inevitable. She isn't a titan on the same level of Ridley and K. Rool, but she's certainly getting there.

Oh, and make sure you buy WarioWare Gold. You're doing the character (and yourself, because it's a fun game) an injustice if you only support her externally, without actually showing Nintendo that you want more of the series.

 

[LittleKrool]

Ashley has a huge fanbase for a game like WarioWare, that's a good step in the right direction. We need to show Nintendo we care about not only Warioware, but our beloved witch!

We can't stop here, we have to continue our support! She'd be an amazing fighter, and great for Spin-off titles like Mario Kart.

 

[blueneuronDOTnet]

Team Lloyd offers its condolences and looks forward to seeing you next time around.

 

[StormC]

Ultimately (heh) I think Ashley just wasn't seen as high priority enough, despite her popularity. She's a side character in a lower profile Nintendo series.

Look at who we have in terms of unique fighters:

Inkling: The star of Nintendo's most successful new IP since Animal Crossing. Obvious moveset potential out the wazoo. The biggest shoe-in ever.
Ridley: The main villain of Metroid, an iconic Nintendo IP that has been around since the NES, has been in Smash in some capacity in every game, one of the most popular character requests of the last decade and a half.
Simon Belmont: De facto mascot of a well-regarded third party IP with decades of history, arguably the most notable third party to originate on the NES after Mega Man. A pretty common, if not overwhelming, request since the Brawl era.
King K. Rool: The main villain of Donkey Kong, an iconic Nintendo IP, arguably the most requested Nintendo newcomer post-Brawl worldwide... you see where I'm going with this, much like Ridley. If insider sources are correct, Nintendo plans to bring K. Rool back into the spotlight and is using Smash as a launching pad for that.

These four fighters have set an incredibly high precedent. In a game where newcomer spots are already limited, it's obvious you have to be extremely prestigious to get in. That's not a knock on Ashley; so many great characters unfortunately do not meet this bar.

I am not ruling out DLC at this time. I only ask for now that people who are rightfully disappointed do not take it out on who is already in the game, because this is a star studded cast and no character should feel snubbed when the competition is so insanely tight.