I mentioned I was going to do this yesterday, so here it is...my latest roster! It's...pretty similar to my last one. I'll point out the specifics. I was going to use the actual image itself, but I had to screenshot it instead because it was being dumb.
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Joker and Erdrick are effectively spoken for. I've already made my case for a Resident Evil character, and can link my post if absolutely needed. Jill is mostly my pick, but Leon Kennedy is a good alternative, or could work as an alt skin.
My previous roster had Heihachi rather than Lloyd Irving, as I felt at the time that Tekken would get a placement in the roster. However, after some consideration, I have decided that I would rather see Lloyd irving. It's both a pick that I would like to see, and one that I believe may very well be the case. Not only has Sakurai hinted that Lloyd was "the Tales pick", when discussing the Mii Fighter costume, but from what I'm most recently discovered...the Tales JRPG series is highly regarded in Japan, making it referred to as "the 3rd most prominent JRPG behind Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest".
Tales of Symphonia, the title in which Lloyd Irving is the protagonist, according to sources connected to Wikipedia (Wikipedia itself is suspect, unless the content is sourced) is considered the title that started the true exposure for the Tales series to the West. It's also, according to other sources, the highest selling Tales game to date.
I'm not one to argue about sales. I am simply going to suggest that Lloyd is the most recognizable character from the franchise, even
if Vesperia's Yuri Lowell is the most popular among the fans of the games (hopefully soon I'll learn why), I feel that Lloyd is a better pick. He's crossed over into numerous games before, and is an icon of the Tales series himself. Not to mention, I'm incredibly intrigued by a double sword wielder as opposed to another single sword user, but that's personal preference.
The last pick is a mixed bag for me. I personally have no idea what I would pick (and I
am looking to be convinced as to who makes sense as this pick). Part of me wants to be sure of which character would get chosen, but at the same time I've always loved how I have been surprised by some reveals. It's incredibly hype inducing. There are few characters left that would 100% satisfy me. Clearly, Lloyd Irving and Jill Valentine would achieve that. However, I for one am also rather confident that western characters (as in, characters that were not created by the Japanese) will not be added, that we will not get two DLC characters from the same company (so no Sora, Monster Hunter, or Heihachi), and that all characters will serve to continue broadening not only "Everyone is here" but also the "biggest crossover in gaming history". This is something that characters from series already with playable representation will not do.
As I said before, I am unsure as to who or what will be the last DLC character (or the one that I simply can't predict). I may be restricting my criteria, but to me, this is what I see happening. These characters fit in with maintaining gaming companies that are Japanese in origin, expand the Smash universe, are bring in unique settings and play styles.
This roster would be effectively a 11/10 for me. Certainly, I will have wants to stem from post-DLC pains as I only foresee one Fighter Pass. But if this is truly what we end up getting...I would have a hard time asking for anything else. I already have been spoiled considering what we got. But what can I say? Smash has a tendency to push the envelope and cause us to want more!
Ratings? Suggestions? Comments? I'd love feedback.