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

[Samcrumpit]

Another one has come out. I think the voices match quite well, but the scenario they are in is certainly weird. In a good Warioware sort of way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZElo5CaUJ-g

Oh my god they sound incredible, especially Spitz. You couldn't really get a good read on their dynamic before, but I can dig them more now.

Also, I'm not sure if we posted this on here yet, but Kat and Ana's intro has been up for a while. You can see it at 0:38. Ana sounds so adorable!

 

[ChronoBound]

Sorry everyone;
View attachment 154091
Credit goes to @Zem-raj for finding this on Discord.

I got some bad news for people in this thread, this was just a ruse. See this post:

That direct leak is fake

The person who actually talked about that told me

It is still possible we get a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. I think the topic of such a Direct would probably be just about Nintendo 3DS software. The Nintendo 3DS was not featured at all in the E3 2018 Direct, and yet Nintendo has stated they plan to support the console through 2019. There is also the fact that the last two games that have set release dates in Japan (WarioWare Gold and Etrian Odyssey X) both release next week. After that Nintendo just has a nebulous "2018" release for Luigi's Mansion, and a "2019" release for the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story remake.

Kimishima has confirmed that they still have games that they plan to release in 2018 that they still have announced yet.

It would make sense to have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week, so that:
1. They can give a last minute push and spotlight to WarioWare Gold (and Etrian Odyssey X in Japan).
2. Give some spotlight to Yokai Watch Busters (which releases on September 7th in North America and Europe).
3. Show off new details about Luigi's Mansion and possibly Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
4. Show off any unannounced Nintendo 3DS titles, especially ones that they plan to release in 2018 or Q1 2019.
5. Possibly throw in a newcomer unveil trailer for Ultimate.

This is all conjecture. They can easily avoid not giving any more spotlight to WarioWare Gold, and even put off doing a 3DS focused Nintendo Direct entirely, and instead put any unannounced 3DS titles into the likely September Nintendo Direct (in recent years there has been a Nintendo Direct in September that gave focus to titles releasing in Q4 of that year). Also, the last time there was a Nintendo Direct dedicated only to Nintendo 3DS software was September 2016, nearly two years ago.

What is riding on a Nintendo Direct happening either this week or next week is not just the probability of an Ashley confirmation, but also just how many newcomers there will be in Ultimate. We are only 4.5 months away from release, and there have only been three newcomers confirmed for Ultimate (one of which was a echo fighter, the cloney-iest of clones). Sakurai has said not to "expect too many new fighters", and most serious speculators only expect ten non-echo newcomers at most and five more non-echo newcomers at least. If they are going to wait until September to start confirming one newcomer per month, or until the likely Smash Bros. Direct in November, there could very well be only five more non-echo newcomers at most, and most likely only two or three more.

I am personally neutral on Ashley as a character. However, much like other Smash Bros. fans, I would like to see some new information on Ultimate considering it has been over six weeks since we learned anything new (granted the Ultimate unveil by far gave us more information than any other unveil ever for a Smash Bros. title). Typically, newcomer confirmations have been spaced out, especially so during a title's last few months prior to release.

During the last five months of Brawl's release, Ike, Diddy Kong, Pokemon Trainer, Lucas, Sonic, King Dedede, and Olimar were confirmed. During the last four months for Smash 4, Palutena, Mii Fighters, Pac-Man, Lucina, Robin, and Shulk were confirmed. It is important to note that three of those listed for Smash 4 were confirmed during E3, and both Robin and Lucina shared a trailer (and Lucina is an echo fighter).

For Ultimate's E3, there was the same amount of newcomers confirmed as the Fire Emblem Smash 4 trailer, a newcomer and an echo newcomer. This would leave only the Smash Bros. Direct before Ultimate's release as the sole opportunity to have more than one newcomer confirmation for a direct (aside from some newcomer trailers possibly also confirming an echo newcomer like Robin's did).

Aside from the possible 3DS focused Direct, the only other opportunities for Directs with a newcomer unveil for Ultimate would be the September Direct and the Ultimate focused Direct. There is also a possibility a Pokemon newcomer could be confirmed for a possible Pokemon Let's Go focused Nintendo Direct. Another possibility is that Sakurai announces newcomer unveils via Twitter like he did for the trailer that unveiled Robin and Lucina.

However, each week that goes by without any new information learned, the probability of there being only two or three more non-echo newcomers left increases, since it will become increasingly likely the plan will be not to space out newcomer confirmations, but rather to save them all for an Ultimate focused Nintendo Direct that will likely happen some time in November.

So its not just the probability of Ashley that will take a hit after next week without a Nintendo Direct, but also the probability of ALL possible newcomers, especially ones that can not be implemented as echo fighters. Each week without a Nintendo Direct or a newcomer confirmation, the probability of an additional non-echo newcomer slot goes down quite a bit.

We shall see what happens. A few weeks ago, I was optimistic that Ashley was going to be the next newcomer confirmed for Ultimate and that we would likely have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. However, now I believe such odds for a Nintendo Direct and newcomer confirmation either this week or next week are only 50/50. The primary impetus for this this change in thought was no new information being revealed for the release date of the Captain Toad ports, not even a character of the day update for Peach (of which Toad is a part of).

It is becoming increasingly apparent that there is so much content from the June 12th unveil that can be posted on the Smash Blog, that we could very well be looking at several months before a new stage, item, Assist Trophy, Pokemon, or newcomer we have not seen on June 12th is confirmed or shown.

One less Nintendo Direct means one less opportunity for a newcomer confirmation. It is important for not just Ashley fans, but fans of all prospective newcomers to keep their fingers crossed for a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. Hopefully, we will learn who Fighter #66 is by the end of next week.

If not, then who knows when we will learn. It may be all the way in September (when the next Nintendo Direct will likely happen), or Sakurai could be saving all he has left for November for Ultimate's Direct. If that is the case, I suggest for every serious speculator to revise their expectations on not only who to expect but what to expect (very few additional non-echo newcomers). If the character you are hoping for can not easily be made an echo fighter of another currently existing character on the roster, it might be for the best to keep your expectations low after next week.

We shall see. It is definitely still possible that Ashley is a newcomer in Ultimate if nothing happens this week or next week, just as it is still possible for any other character that has not already been de-confirmed. However, the longer it takes for any newcomer confirmations to happen (unless they start doing two per month starting in September), the more likely we will have less than eight more non-echo newcomers in Ultimate. Less than five more also becomes an increasingly likely possibility if nothing happens in August.

I do not care what happens to Ashley in Ultimate, but I still feel this is an important analysis to share.

 

[Ashuree]

Oh my god they sound incredible, especially Spitz. You couldn't really get a good read on their dynamic before, but I can dig them more now.

Also, I'm not sure if we posted this on here yet, but Kat and Ana's intro has been up for a while. You can see it at 0:38. Ana sounds so adorable!

Yeah, really loving all the voices honestly.

 

[ToilerMoiler]

https://youtu.be/goyudXEV0uE
18-Volt sounds exactly as I imagined him

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

I know some new discussion is going on about the fake leak but MAN! I used to be such a hardcore Wario x Mona shipper in the past and this new game is reviving that love. >_>

I know a lot of Wario x Mona shippers that are going to be ecstatic with this as well! (And I personally like her voice, as an aside.)

 

[meleebrawler]

I'd like to see what Spitz does if someone tries skipping out on the fare THIS time...

 

[FooltheFlames]

Heelloo everyone~ ^_^

I've been a big supporter of Ashley since Brawl, and I'd love nothing more than for her to finally make it into Smash! I'd like to be added to her Supporters list if that's possible?

Looking very forward to making new friends here and the latest Nintendo direct; I've heard it's coming out the same day as the release for WarioWare Gold over here, is that right? It has me constantly wondering if she's going to be the 66th character confirmed for Ultimate or not...

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

Looking very forward to making new friends here and the latest Nintendo direct; I've heard it's coming out the same day as the release for WarioWare Gold over here, is that right?

Welcome aboard!

Unfortunately, it seems as though that "leak" was a fake. Though I do believe there is a high probability that we'll be getting a direct sometime in August as that's Nintendo's usual modus operandi.

 

[VillagerX3]

Unfortunately, it seems as though that "leak" was a fake. Though I do believe there is a high probability that we'll be getting a direct sometime in August as that's Nintendo's usual modus operandi.

Yes, and I hope that we do get an Ashley reveal or some hint in August, since I do not see any other time being as good as next month.

Also, can I be added to the Supporters list? Thanks!

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

Heelloo everyone~ ^_^

I've been a big supporter of Ashley since Brawl, and I'd love nothing more than for her to finally make it into Smash! I'd like to be added to her Supporters list if that's possible?

Looking very forward to making new friends here and the latest Nintendo direct; I've heard it's coming out the same day as the release for WarioWare Gold over here, is that right? It has me constantly wondering if she's going to be the 66th character confirmed for Ultimate or not...

Ah nice, another Pre-Brawl Ashley supporter! Well, I hope that she gets revealed something next month as I am starting to get quite anxious, haha.

 

[Noipoi]

Heelloo everyone~ ^_^

I've been a big supporter of Ashley since Brawl, and I'd love nothing more than for her to finally make it into Smash! I'd like to be added to her Supporters list if that's possible?

Looking very forward to making new friends here and the latest Nintendo direct; I've heard it's coming out the same day as the release for WarioWare Gold over here, is that right? It has me constantly wondering if she's going to be the 66th character confirmed for Ultimate or not...

Welcome to the thread! Always glad to have another on board!
As others have said the leak was fake, but Ashley's chances are very real!

 

[MattX20]

I got some bad news for people in this thread, this was just a ruse. See this post:



It is still possible we get a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. I think the topic of such a Direct would probably be just about Nintendo 3DS software. The Nintendo 3DS was not featured at all in the E3 2018 Direct, and yet Nintendo has stated they plan to support the console through 2019. There is also the fact that the last two games that have set release dates in Japan (WarioWare Gold and Etrian Odyssey X) both release next week. After that Nintendo just has a nebulous "2018" release for Luigi's Mansion, and a "2019" release for the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story remake.

Kimishima has confirmed that they still have games that they plan to release in 2018 that they still have announced yet.

It would make sense to have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week, so that:
1. They can give a last minute push and spotlight to WarioWare Gold (and Etrian Odyssey X in Japan).
2. Give some spotlight to Yokai Watch Busters (which releases on September 7th in North America and Europe).
3. Show off new details about Luigi's Mansion and possibly Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
4. Show off any unannounced Nintendo 3DS titles, especially ones that they plan to release in 2018 or Q1 2019.
5. Possibly throw in a newcomer unveil trailer for Ultimate.

This is all conjecture. They can easily avoid not giving any more spotlight to WarioWare Gold, and even put off doing a 3DS focused Nintendo Direct entirely, and instead put any unannounced 3DS titles into the likely September Nintendo Direct (in recent years there has been a Nintendo Direct in September that gave focus to titles releasing in Q4 of that year). Also, the last time there was a Nintendo Direct dedicated only to Nintendo 3DS software was September 2016, nearly two years ago.

What is riding on a Nintendo Direct happening either this week or next week is not just the probability of an Ashley confirmation, but also just how many newcomers there will be in Ultimate. We are only 4.5 months away from release, and there have only been three newcomers confirmed for Ultimate (one of which was a echo fighter, the cloney-iest of clones). Sakurai has said not to "expect too many new fighters", and most serious speculators only expect ten non-echo newcomers at most and five more non-echo newcomers at least. If they are going to wait until September to start confirming one newcomer per month, or until the likely Smash Bros. Direct in November, there could very well be only five more non-echo newcomers at most, and most likely only two or three more.

I am personally neutral on Ashley as a character. However, much like other Smash Bros. fans, I would like to see some new information on Ultimate considering it has been over six weeks since we learned anything new (granted the Ultimate unveil by far gave us more information than any other unveil ever for a Smash Bros. title). Typically, newcomer confirmations have been spaced out, especially so during a title's last few months prior to release.

During the last five months of Brawl's release, Ike, Diddy Kong, Pokemon Trainer, Lucas, Sonic, King Dedede, and Olimar were confirmed. During the last four months for Smash 4, Palutena, Mii Fighters, Pac-Man, Lucina, Robin, and Shulk were confirmed. It is important to note that three of those listed for Smash 4 were confirmed during E3, and both Robin and Lucina shared a trailer (and Lucina is an echo fighter).

For Ultimate's E3, there was the same amount of newcomers confirmed as the Fire Emblem Smash 4 trailer, a newcomer and an echo newcomer. This would leave only the Smash Bros. Direct before Ultimate's release as the sole opportunity to have more than one newcomer confirmation for a direct (aside from some newcomer trailers possibly also confirming an echo newcomer like Robin's did).

Aside from the possible 3DS focused Direct, the only other opportunities for Directs with a newcomer unveil for Ultimate would be the September Direct and the Ultimate focused Direct. There is also a possibility a Pokemon newcomer could be confirmed for a possible Pokemon Let's Go focused Nintendo Direct. Another possibility is that Sakurai announces newcomer unveils via Twitter like he did for the trailer that unveiled Robin and Lucina.

However, each week that goes by without any new information learned, the probability of there being only two or three more non-echo newcomers left increases, since it will become increasingly likely the plan will be not to space out newcomer confirmations, but rather to save them all for an Ultimate focused Nintendo Direct that will likely happen some time in November.

So its not just the probability of Ashley that will take a hit after next week without a Nintendo Direct, but also the probability of ALL possible newcomers, especially ones that can not be implemented as echo fighters. Each week without a Nintendo Direct or a newcomer confirmation, the probability of an additional non-echo newcomer slot goes down quite a bit.

We shall see what happens. A few weeks ago, I was optimistic that Ashley was going to be the next newcomer confirmed for Ultimate and that we would likely have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. However, now I believe such odds for a Nintendo Direct and newcomer confirmation either this week or next week are only 50/50. The primary impetus for this this change in thought was no new information being revealed for the release date of the Captain Toad ports, not even a character of the day update for Peach (of which Toad is a part of).

It is becoming increasingly apparent that there is so much content from the June 12th unveil that can be posted on the Smash Blog, that we could very well be looking at several months before a new stage, item, Assist Trophy, Pokemon, or newcomer we have not seen on June 12th is confirmed or shown.

One less Nintendo Direct means one less opportunity for a newcomer confirmation. It is important for not just Ashley fans, but fans of all prospective newcomers to keep their fingers crossed for a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. Hopefully, we will learn who Fighter #66 is by the end of next week.

If not, then who knows when we will learn. It may be all the way in September (when the next Nintendo Direct will likely happen), or Sakurai could be saving all he has left for November for Ultimate's Direct. If that is the case, I suggest for every serious speculator to revise their expectations on not only who to expect but what to expect (very few additional non-echo newcomers). If the character you are hoping for can not easily be made an echo fighter of another currently existing character on the roster, it might be for the best to keep your expectations low after next week.

We shall see. It is definitely still possible that Ashley is a newcomer in Ultimate if nothing happens this week or next week, just as it is still possible for any other character that has not already been de-confirmed. However, the longer it takes for any newcomer confirmations to happen (unless they start doing two per month starting in September), the more likely we will have less than eight more non-echo newcomers in Ultimate. Less than five more also becomes an increasingly likely possibility if nothing happens in August.

I do not care what happens to Ashley in Ultimate, but I still feel this is an important analysis to share.

I'm optimistic about the roster size still. 8 brand new characters and 4 echo fighters is still a plausible number.

 

[meleebrawler]

Oh my god they sound incredible, especially Spitz. You couldn't really get a good read on their dynamic before, but I can dig them more now.

Also, I'm not sure if we posted this on here yet, but Kat and Ana's intro has been up for a while. You can see it at 0:38. Ana sounds so adorable!

Is Kat & Ana's stage a secret advertisement for Sushi Strikers?

 

[FooltheFlames]

Welcome aboard!

Unfortunately, it seems as though that "leak" was a fake. Though I do believe there is a high probability that we'll be getting a direct sometime in August as that's Nintendo's usual modus operandi.

Awww... wut ._.
And here I was so excited when I was reading about all that! I even preemptively went blabbed to everyone I could on other sites about it too lol.. I guess they'll get the news eventually same as me; just sucks I got their hopes up for nothin'

Ah nice, another Pre-Brawl Ashley supporter! Well, I hope that she gets revealed something next month as I am starting to get quite anxious, haha.

Yeah I've been a big fan of hers since Smooth Moves for the Wii. That was my 1st WarioWare game!
Even if that leak was misleading, I still have hope for August~

Welcome to the thread! Always glad to have another on board!
As others have said the leak was fake, but Ashley's chances are very real!

Glad to be here; lovin ur profile pic

 

[harukaamami]

I personally still find an October reveal Ashley's best chance. The Badge Arcade story that I brought up as potentially hinting at Ashley being in Smash specifically mentioned Halloween as Ashley's turning point.

 

[ToilerMoiler]

I got some bad news for people in this thread, this was just a ruse. See this post:



It is still possible we get a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. I think the topic of such a Direct would probably be just about Nintendo 3DS software. The Nintendo 3DS was not featured at all in the E3 2018 Direct, and yet Nintendo has stated they plan to support the console through 2019. There is also the fact that the last two games that have set release dates in Japan (WarioWare Gold and Etrian Odyssey X) both release next week. After that Nintendo just has a nebulous "2018" release for Luigi's Mansion, and a "2019" release for the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story remake.

Kimishima has confirmed that they still have games that they plan to release in 2018 that they still have announced yet.

It would make sense to have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week, so that:
1. They can give a last minute push and spotlight to WarioWare Gold (and Etrian Odyssey X in Japan).
2. Give some spotlight to Yokai Watch Busters (which releases on September 7th in North America and Europe).
3. Show off new details about Luigi's Mansion and possibly Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
4. Show off any unannounced Nintendo 3DS titles, especially ones that they plan to release in 2018 or Q1 2019.
5. Possibly throw in a newcomer unveil trailer for Ultimate.

This is all conjecture. They can easily avoid not giving any more spotlight to WarioWare Gold, and even put off doing a 3DS focused Nintendo Direct entirely, and instead put any unannounced 3DS titles into the likely September Nintendo Direct (in recent years there has been a Nintendo Direct in September that gave focus to titles releasing in Q4 of that year). Also, the last time there was a Nintendo Direct dedicated only to Nintendo 3DS software was September 2016, nearly two years ago.

What is riding on a Nintendo Direct happening either this week or next week is not just the probability of an Ashley confirmation, but also just how many newcomers there will be in Ultimate. We are only 4.5 months away from release, and there have only been three newcomers confirmed for Ultimate (one of which was a echo fighter, the cloney-iest of clones). Sakurai has said not to "expect too many new fighters", and most serious speculators only expect ten non-echo newcomers at most and five more non-echo newcomers at least. If they are going to wait until September to start confirming one newcomer per month, or until the likely Smash Bros. Direct in November, there could very well be only five more non-echo newcomers at most, and most likely only two or three more.

I am personally neutral on Ashley as a character. However, much like other Smash Bros. fans, I would like to see some new information on Ultimate considering it has been over six weeks since we learned anything new (granted the Ultimate unveil by far gave us more information than any other unveil ever for a Smash Bros. title). Typically, newcomer confirmations have been spaced out, especially so during a title's last few months prior to release.

During the last five months of Brawl's release, Ike, Diddy Kong, Pokemon Trainer, Lucas, Sonic, King Dedede, and Olimar were confirmed. During the last four months for Smash 4, Palutena, Mii Fighters, Pac-Man, Lucina, Robin, and Shulk were confirmed. It is important to note that three of those listed for Smash 4 were confirmed during E3, and both Robin and Lucina shared a trailer (and Lucina is an echo fighter).

For Ultimate's E3, there was the same amount of newcomers confirmed as the Fire Emblem Smash 4 trailer, a newcomer and an echo newcomer. This would leave only the Smash Bros. Direct before Ultimate's release as the sole opportunity to have more than one newcomer confirmation for a direct (aside from some newcomer trailers possibly also confirming an echo newcomer like Robin's did).

Aside from the possible 3DS focused Direct, the only other opportunities for Directs with a newcomer unveil for Ultimate would be the September Direct and the Ultimate focused Direct. There is also a possibility a Pokemon newcomer could be confirmed for a possible Pokemon Let's Go focused Nintendo Direct. Another possibility is that Sakurai announces newcomer unveils via Twitter like he did for the trailer that unveiled Robin and Lucina.

However, each week that goes by without any new information learned, the probability of there being only two or three more non-echo newcomers left increases, since it will become increasingly likely the plan will be not to space out newcomer confirmations, but rather to save them all for an Ultimate focused Nintendo Direct that will likely happen some time in November.

So its not just the probability of Ashley that will take a hit after next week without a Nintendo Direct, but also the probability of ALL possible newcomers, especially ones that can not be implemented as echo fighters. Each week without a Nintendo Direct or a newcomer confirmation, the probability of an additional non-echo newcomer slot goes down quite a bit.

We shall see what happens. A few weeks ago, I was optimistic that Ashley was going to be the next newcomer confirmed for Ultimate and that we would likely have a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. However, now I believe such odds for a Nintendo Direct and newcomer confirmation either this week or next week are only 50/50. The primary impetus for this this change in thought was no new information being revealed for the release date of the Captain Toad ports, not even a character of the day update for Peach (of which Toad is a part of).

It is becoming increasingly apparent that there is so much content from the June 12th unveil that can be posted on the Smash Blog, that we could very well be looking at several months before a new stage, item, Assist Trophy, Pokemon, or newcomer we have not seen on June 12th is confirmed or shown.

One less Nintendo Direct means one less opportunity for a newcomer confirmation. It is important for not just Ashley fans, but fans of all prospective newcomers to keep their fingers crossed for a Nintendo Direct either this week or next week. Hopefully, we will learn who Fighter #66 is by the end of next week.

If not, then who knows when we will learn. It may be all the way in September (when the next Nintendo Direct will likely happen), or Sakurai could be saving all he has left for November for Ultimate's Direct. If that is the case, I suggest for every serious speculator to revise their expectations on not only who to expect but what to expect (very few additional non-echo newcomers). If the character you are hoping for can not easily be made an echo fighter of another currently existing character on the roster, it might be for the best to keep your expectations low after next week.

We shall see. It is definitely still possible that Ashley is a newcomer in Ultimate if nothing happens this week or next week, just as it is still possible for any other character that has not already been de-confirmed. However, the longer it takes for any newcomer confirmations to happen (unless they start doing two per month starting in September), the more likely we will have less than eight more non-echo newcomers in Ultimate. Less than five more also becomes an increasingly likely possibility if nothing happens in August.

I do not care what happens to Ashley in Ultimate, but I still feel this is an important analysis to share.

Very down to earth analysis, but I still have a gut feeling the amount of new characters left are between 5-10, echoes included. Knowing Sakurai I wouldn't be too surprised if he keeps a few secret until release

 

[Cabbagehead]

Let's just keep in mind that a character can get announced, regardless of relevant game releases. During Smash 4's development, Greninja was announced in April, months after the October release of his debut game, which had ample opportunities to showcase a playable Greninja in Smash in timely Directs. Even though it might make perfect sense for Ashley to be announced in late July/early August, she could also be announced in mid-November (or be a secret character that we discover ourselves), for all we know.

That being said, I foresee an August Direct. July may have been a Smash news drought, but at least there were a few big Switch releases to tide us over (Captain Toad got ported, and Octopath Traveler finally released). Nintendo would be remiss to maintain such a wasteland during a month when (if I remember correctly) they have absolutely no first-party games planned. September has the Xenoblade 2 prequel, October has Mario Party, November has Pokemon Let's Go, and December has the obvious. Considering nothing is planned for August, it would be the perfect month for Nintendo to pull out the old smoke and mirrors and divert attention from the lack of games with a flashy new Direct.

Even if the Direct is in late August, I suppose Nintendo could simply say "Check out WarioWare Gold for the 3DS, available now! And speaking of WarioWare, we have one more thing to show you..." etc. etc, so the exact date of the Direct matters even less. But it would make more sense to advertise Smash and WWG at the same time by saying "See this shiny new Smash character? She is in this 3DS game! Go get it next Friday!"

Direct info aside, I'm still confident that we'll be getting at least 10 newcomers. Sakurai said that he hopes we don't expect too many new characters. Well, considering each Smash has set a precedent of adding an average of about 16 newcomers, that statement could simply mean "you're getting 13 newcomers instead of 17". Of course, it could also mean "you already know every new character", but I highly doubt it, if Sakurai wants to maintain hype until the day of release.

 

[FooltheFlames]

All too true, Zabadoo~
Relevancy has never mattered to Smash! I mean who could have predicted characters like wii fit, duckhunt, or a bunch of koopa kids? And no one saw Cloud or Bayo coming either; at the times they were introduced was just baffling- Sakurai must enjoy surprising people!

 

[FreshlyBakedCookies]

Looking into the timing for character reveals a little bit more, Smash 4 had 4 Newcomers from the base game that appeared in a video game on a Nintendo console that was either announced or released during the speculation period.

Rosalina & Luma were revealed in the December 2013 direct. Super Mario 3D World was released near the end of November 2013. Even though Rosalina & Luma's trailer was mostly based on Mario Kart, Nintendo was also trying to promote 3D World as well since it contained Rosalina.

Tamodachi life had been in Japan for over a year before it was released world wide in June 2014. The Mii was revealed in the E3 direct of 2014.

Shulk appeared in the October 2014 direct when Xenoblade Chronicles on the New 3DS was revealed.

While Bowser Jr. had not appeared in any video games at this time the Koopalings had their Mario Kart 8 appearance. Bowser Jr. was not revealed until after Smash 4 was released. Although Bowser Jr. still got a promotional video, I can't remember if it aligned with the Nintendo direct that debuted the Mario Kart 8 DLC.

Unlike Bowser Jr. Ashley is the type of character that should be revealed before Smash Ultimate's release. I would say Ashley still has a "grace period" between now and through the month of August. After August we start to tread on Xenoblade territory with the Xenoblade 2 DLC. At that point we better hope WarioWare Switch is in the cards and that's why Nintendo chooses to delay her reveal.

 

[StormC]

If Ashley isn't revealed in August for synchronization with WarioWare Gold, my best guess is maybe October for a Halloween nod (along with Simon?).

 

[Scicky]

Which Pokemon gets in is pretty much based on their popularity, who is pushed by the Pokemon company, and how relevant they are.
Remember, Sakurai has to go to the Pokemon Co. for any mon he wants to put in smash.

http://www.gamnesia.com/news/game-freak-doesnt-choose-which-pokemon-make-it-into-smash-bros

I'm sure popularity factors into Sakurai's decision, but at the end of the day I think Pokemon are chosen based on moveset potential and just how much Sakurai likes them. I honestly don't see any more Pokemon getting in at all, but even so, I'm not sure Lycanroc (or even Decidueye) would be the first choice.

 

[Noipoi]

I do agree a reveal tying into gold's release would be ideal. But i'm not folding if it doesn't happen, she could be revealed at anytime!

 

[perfectchaos83]

In terms of total character count, I think (including Inklings, Daisy and Ridley) 11 is still a rather realistic number. It's less than every Smash game to date and with cut vets returning it adds up to about Brawl/4 standards (Not counting the Icies here since I'm positive they were straight ported over from their work on the Wii U version). Overall, I took Sakurai's "I hope you're not expecting too many new challengers" to be "Don't expect the usual number of new challengers." Simply put, Sakurai does love keeping secrets and exceeding the expectations the fan base has of the game (Boy, do I remember those "Smash 4 will have less characters than Brawl" days).

As For Ashley, The sooner, the better. These coming weeks just feel like the perfect time to reveal her. Granted, I guess an October reveal isn't super out of the question, but Should Simon Belmont be true, I think he stands a much better shot at the October reveal, as much as I would prefer Ashley. Overall, I'm still very optimistic about her chances (as well as K. Rool). I was feeling good about Ridley's chances this time as well (#1 most wanted for 17 ****ing years) so I'm feeling lucky with my next top two characters. Feeling much less optimistic about Shantae and Vaati, though.

 

[SiddShidds]

I'm still very optimistic about her chances (as well as K. Rool). I was feeling good about Ridley's chances this time as well (#1 most wanted for 17 ****ing years) so I'm feeling lucky with my next top two characters. Feeling much less optimistic about Shantae and Vaati, though.

Well it's a good thing we have your intuition on our side!

 

[Nap_]

For what I can remember, only veterans were revealed when a game of their franchise released, Diddy alonside Tropical Freeze or Olimar with Pikmin 3, but Marth or Ike apppeared in random days, newcomers were more like a Direct timing. Even Sakurai joked about it the day that a PKMN game come out with a pic of Xerneas. "If I got something to say today?" The people waited for a PKMN character, and Greninja was still a secret. Not even Lucario was revealed then.
The release of Wario Ware could be a good point to announce Ashley if she's in but without veterans in the box and not knowing how the drop of new info would work It's difficult to say.

 

[EarlTamm]

Here is Kat & Ana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTN1xM5O0G0&t=0s

 

[Cabbagehead]

Here is Kat & Ana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTN1xM5O0G0&t=0s

Darn it, haha. I thought you meant they had been spotted in Smash. Oh well. Cool cutscene, nonetheless.

 

[VillagerX3]

Speaking of Kat and Ana, didn’t we have an assist trophy of both them and Ashley in Sm4sh?

 

[EarlTamm]

Speaking of Kat and Ana, didn’t we have an assist trophy of both them and Ashley in Sm4sh?

They were both in Smash 4 and Brawl as assist trophies. They have not been spotted yet if I recall.

 

[Neyonel]

They were both in Smash 4 and Brawl as assist trophies. They have not been spotted yet if I recall.

Kat and Ana were in Brawl and Smash 4 as assist trophies, but Ashley made her trophy debut in 4. You are right in that neither have been seen yet, though.

 

[Xhampi]

I can't help but wonder how hyped would you guys be if a new Wario Ware assist trophy was announced friday for the european release.

 

[ToilerMoiler]

I can't help but wonder how hyped would you guys be if a new Wario Ware assist trophy was announced friday for the european release.

I'd be down for a new Wario Ware assist, I could see Young Cricket

 

[TreeBranch]

I can't help but wonder how hyped would you guys be if a new Wario Ware assist trophy was announced friday for the european release.

I'm actually so scared of July 27th and August 3rd lol. We could either be getting really great news or Ashley confirmed as an assist trophy, which is a possibility I don't like to think about. Things are looking up though. I doubt they would reveal information about an assist trophy that wasn't in the E3 demo, so I'm hopeful. I'd really like a Mona assist trophy to be revealed though. She's probably the next most iconic character to warioware after Ashley and Wario himself.
Also please bring back the Mona Pizza song Sakurai (and also Mike's song)

 

[Cabbagehead]

I can't help but wonder how hyped would you guys be if a new Wario Ware assist trophy was announced friday for the european release.

I would pretty much sum it up as a soft confirmation of Ashley. There is no way that WarioWare would get a third Assist Trophy without #3 replacing one of the other two, and I can only assume that #3 would replace #2 so that #2 can become #66. And this, my friend, would excite me to no end. There are only two potential newcomers that would make/break Ultimate for me: Ashley and K. Rool, and of the two, I'm more nervous about Ashley. So, if Ashley gets in, I can go ahead and assume that Sakurai is legit picking my brain and has also added King K. Rool.

 

[ToilerMoiler]

After being part of this thread for a few days now, my hopes for Ashley have been steadily getting higher and higher. But as always I'm trying not to get those hopes too over the roof. I already made that mistake with Bayonetta's reveal when I was so sure it would have been one of the popular ballot candidates like K Rool, I got over it rather quickly tho
But Ashley is different, I didn't know I wanted her to be in Smash 4 until she got deconfirmed, let alone liked her as a character in general. And now she's moved her way up to #1 in my list. Let's hope history does not repeat itself, but things are looking decent so far

 

[harukaamami]

I guess they could cut Kat and Ana due to overlapping with Latios and Latias, but at this point it would be really odd.

 

[Mrs.Milky]

I keep imagining the switch exploding with the amount of characters we have now and plus the newcomers we'll get sooner or later

 

[meleebrawler]

After being part of this thread for a few days now, my hopes for Ashley have been steadily getting higher and higher. But as always I'm trying not to get those hopes too over the roof. I already made that mistake with Bayonetta's reveal when I was so sure it would have been one of the popular ballot candidates like K Rool, I got over it rather quickly tho
But Ashley is different, I didn't know I wanted her to be in Smash 4 until she got deconfirmed, let alone as a character in general. And now she's moved her way up to #1 in my list. Let's hope history does not repeat itself, but things are looking decent so far

You know, that pic of Ashley smiling is a lot less sinister than I remember it being. Probably remembered it wrong due to her being very dour and skeptical throughout her appearance in Smooth Moves, more so than usual.

 

[EarlTamm]

So. Many. References. And from places I did not expect as much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7oGApm4UuQ

 

[SiddShidds]

After being part of this thread for a few days now, my hopes for Ashley have been steadily getting higher and higher. But as always I'm trying not to get those hopes too over the roof.

Nah Man, Just let it go. Let it run wild and free! that's what this thread is for!

LET'S GO ASHLEY!!! WOOOHOOO!