So, here's who I think the last Fighter's Pass characters are in no particular order.
- Joker: Obviously
- Erdrick: Despite not being 100% yet, the leaks, "Brave", and the overall importance of Dragon Quest makes me think that Erdrick is in.
- Hayabusa: Now, hear me out, I know the 5chan leak is most likely dead in the water, I get that but looking back at my support over the years for this character I can't help but say, oh, yeah Hayabusa actually makes a LOT of sense at this point in time. If he's ever had a shot, it's now, and I think he made it.
- Banjo-Kazooie: I'm super tempted to put Steve here but... I dunno. I think people are underselling just how popular and important Banjo is to Smash. Like, all in all is he the MOST iconic character Microsoft has? Most certainly not, but that doesn't escape the fact that Banjo has been a Widely requested character since SMASH 64. Because, during that time, you have no idea how many times I plugged in that game only to hear them say "Where's Banjo?" I don't think we all think that ALL of K. Rool's popularity came from Smashboards, or the Smash Bros. Community, exclusively. I think we're all aware that K. Rool and Ridley's popularity went way outside the confines of Smash Speculation. I feel the same way about Banjo. Like with Hayabusa I feel like his time is now or never. Microsoft is BFF with Nintendo and Rare Replay has a HIGH likelihood of coming to Switch. If ever there was a time it's in this pass.
- Doom Slayer: I get it, yeah, I do. Doom Slayer is a controversial pick that a lot of people say CAN'T happen because of a LOT of reasons. Here's the thing. I think that's one of the big reasons we're getting him. He's impossible... Until he's not, and I think that's the kind of shock factor Sakurai will be aiming for. Pair that with Nintendo's new relationship with Bethesda, including the release of the upcoming Doom Eternal on Switch, the iconic factor of the Doom Series, and Pete Hines; VP of Bethesda, saying they've most certainly talked to Nintendo about Smash, which is actually saying a lot coming from a Western Developer, make me hopeful and maybe even confident in his chances.
Not gonna lie, I'd be MORE than satisfied with this DLC lineup. I think it perfectly balances mainstream appeal AND Hardcore appeal to the best of its ability and even SCREAMS Sakurai to me. This is the man that chose Snake, chose Cloud, chose Simon and Richter, chose Joker, and I feel like these choices perfectly meld with what I think his thought process is. Of course I won't swear on ANY of these but I think that these are probably the best 3rd party characters you could really ask for. And I feel like that says a whole lot.