#UltimateDLCSoMale: The Female DLC Character Discussion

[TheDuke54]

Nintendo has quite the selection they could work with for females within their own party that they wouldn't need to branch outward. And some of them are kind of more iconic anyway. The two biggest ones being Dixie and Tetra. Yeah I know I mentioned them before. Or get MinMin in for an Arms rep. Yeah the game didn't receive too well or not as well as Splatoon. I hardly ever hear about the series.

I skimmed through some of the posts and while yeah some of you are listing off a ton of females from different games, a lot of them don't have as much impact as other games/iconic characters. I haven't played any new games or IPs in a while, so I can't say much on that.

Overwatch is finally coming to the Switch so Tracer could have a spot. And that'd be fine since she is the poster child of the series.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Thought this would tie into the thread quite nicely.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[KatKit]

For what it's worth, ARMS sold over 2 million copies. That's really good for a fighting game in general, let alone a new IP.

 

[Nihilem]

Yeah but Spring man is the face of arms. Why put Ribbon Girl over him? Wouldnt that be like includeing Zelda if Link is not part of the game?

 

[TheDuke54]

I thought MinMin and Springman were the iconic fighters. Shows how much I know about the game lol.

 

[Nihilem]

I thought MinMin and Springman were the iconic fighters. Shows how much I know about the game lol.

Well the box art of arms depict Spring man and ribbon girl. But they have similiar sizes, so maybe a custome? Like with male und female robin?

 

[KatKit]

Yeah but Spring man is the face of arms. Why put Ribbon Girl over him? Wouldnt that be like includeing Zelda if Link is not part of the game?

They were promoted equally, actually. They were revealed alongside one another, both are on the game's cover, etc.

It's more like including Primrose instead of Therion from Octopath.

I thought MinMin and Springman were the iconic fighters. Shows how much I know about the game lol.

I followed the game a lot pre-release and I'm sure things might've changed since then, but I know for a fact that there was a time when Twintelle was more popular than the rest of the cast lol.

 

[Nihilem]

They were promoted equally, actually. They were revealed alongside one another, both are on the game's cover, etc.

It's more like including Primrose instead of Therion from Octopath.



I followed the game a lot pre-release and I'm sure things might've changed since then, but I know for a fact that there was a time when Twintelle was more popular than the rest of the cast lol.

That may be. But Spring man got the place as helper trophy - representing arms in smash. I highly doubt they will add any other char from the game before spring man.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Yeah but Spring man is the face of arms. Why put Ribbon Girl over him? Wouldnt that be like includeing Zelda if Link is not part of the game?

They are actually both important to be honest. Including either of them without the other would be like including the boy or girl Inkling without the other, if one of them is in both of them have to be, from the way I see it.

That may be. But Spring man got the place as helper trophy - representing arms in smash. I highly doubt they will add any other char from the game before spring man.

The girl inkling was the only one that got a trophy in Smash 4’s DLC. Yet when it came to making them playable in Ultimate both genders got revealed at the same time, which is literally the only time an alt was revealed at the exact same time in the trailer. They both even appear together in the World of Light cutscenes when other alts like female Pokemon trainer and male Wii Fit Trainer are ignored.
I’m confident the same will happen with ARMS.

 

[TheDuke54]

I can't see Arms getting a slot for the last dlc. Possibly now that they're having another fighter pass (have they actually mentioned how many more they plan?) But still Arms isn't as popular as it once was and there are other games out there that have more popularity and votes to be in.

Toadette would be a cool fighter to, but without including Captain Toad it'd just seem a missed opportunity. Pretty sure they might plan on Tracer though. Or Shantae. They don't want to just add someone for the sake of it unless their game or they themselves have been a highly anticipated inclusion.

 

[Impa4Smash]

So the Overwatch director is open to characters in Smash (why wouldn't he be lol). Anyone have any opinions on who they'd like from it, if one gets in?

Tracer is the obvious answer, but I'd really like to see D. VA or Widowmaker.

 

[TheDuke54]

Probably Tracer or D.VA. Not because I want them in as a fan, but because I never played the game and know little about it, but even I know who those two are because they are the fan favorites. Or I am assuming. So it'd make sense for it to be one of those two.

 

[Impa4Smash]

Probably Tracer or D.VA. Not because I want them in as a fan, but because I never played the game and know little about it, but even I know who those two are because they are the fan favorites. Or I am assuming. So it'd make sense for it to be one of those two.

I think you're right that those two and - high noooon - McCree are the most universally known, and most likely to get in.

I have to say, thinking about it now, having a cowboy character in Smash would be really cool.

 

[Deleted member]

I voted no. I see that's an unpopular opinion. Characters need to be able to stand on their own merit, not on what sex or gender they are. I'm not in favor of people earning awards merely based on these factors. With regard to Kazooie, how much of Banjo is controlled? Walking controls Banjo. Dashing controls Kazooie. A lot of attacks are performed by Kazooie. Anyone can test this to see if Kazooie represents most of Banjo's move set. I'm not going to claim it's mostly Kazooie, but I won't say the same for Banjo, either, since I've never actually played as the character in spite of the fact that I have the character.

Most characters in video games are represented by males, and while there are plenty of female characters, they're not going to be as common. Namco has worked on SSB4 and SSBU. If Nintendo allowed it, Namco could introduce Masuyo Tobi, also known as Kissy from Baraduke. Everyone is always talking about Shantae or Morrigan. What about Kissy? Since people tend to be obsessed with the idea of being the "first", well, Kissy was the first female video game character. Yes, she made her debut even before Samus, if being the first female really matters.

Also, yes, Ryu Hayabusa would be great. I owned the second Ninja Gaiden and received the third for Christmas on the NES. My cousin owned the first one. If Ryu was included, he would be the only DLC I would care about. Well, unless another Metroid character was included. Both would be a win in my book.

That is an interesting take on the topic, and I respect that. While most gaming characters are male, it is important to acknowledge the females in gaming too. Women are already taking major spots in gaming today. Such is the environment we live in. While Smash is a celebration of gaming, it needs to be in line with current traditions as well.

Probably Tracer or D.VA. Not because I want them in as a fan, but because I never played the game and know little about it, but even I know who those two are because they are the fan favorites. Or I am assuming. So it'd make sense for it to be one of those two.

Tracer is the face of Overwatch, though D.Va would be a wild card if you ask me.

 

[Arcadenik]

Nintendo-owned characters (who happen to be female) I would like to see in future Smash games:

Mario series
- Toadette
- Birdo

Mario series or Donkey Kong series
- Pauline

Donkey Kong series
- Dixie Kong

Zelda series
- Impa
- Toon Zelda

Star Fox series
- Krystal

Pokémon series
- Team Rocket (Jessie and James with Meowth, Arbok, and Weezing)

Fire Emblem series
- Lyn

Kid Icarus series
- Medusa

Splatoon series
- Octoling

Arms series
- Ribbon Girl

Puzzle League series
- Lip

 

[ZephyrZ]

Including the Mii Fighter, echoes, both versions of Samus, and alts like Libre Pikachu/Wendy/Pokemon Trainer, we're looking at a 'whopping' 22 characters. There's not a lot of women already as it is; especially when a large number of those characters are regulated to echoes, alt costumes, and such.

There are a lot of iconic women not in the game who can get in based on merit, and a lot of 1st party gals from IPs with no playable reps who've been shafted. We can have more.

In all fairness, that's larger then the entirety of Smash 64. There's also more female characters in Ultimate then there are explicitly male characters in Melee. It's all about perspective. I don't see any issues with them being "regulated" as alts either. If you want to play as, say, female , all it takes is a single r-button press on the character select screen.

Not that I think anyone is wrong for wanting female characters. Support who you want.

 

[Deleted member]

There are a lot of iconic women not in the game who can get in based on merit, and a lot of 1st party gals from IPs with no playable reps who've been shafted. We can have more.

Again with the gaming industry, yes, males have overshadowed females, but in modern times like these, gender diversity is a lot more common. There's quite the female following in Smash, despite its male-dominated scope.

 

[UserKev]

While I got over Lyn, I'm usually stuck wondering. Lyn is a staple protagonist of etc, so yeah, I am agitated by it when I really think about it.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

While I got over Lyn, I'm usually stuck wondering. Lyn is a staple protagonist of etc, so yeah, I am agitated by it when I really think about it.

It would also be nice to have a female Fire Emblem character that isn’t just an echo or genderswap palette of a pre-existing male character.

Even though we have 7 Fire Emblem characters, Lucina is the only female character you would actually see on the character select screen, since Male Robin and Male Corrin are the defaults (and I’d presume this would be true for Byleth as well). And that’s IF you don’t merge echo fighter portraits together with their base characters, in which case there’d be zero female FE characters on the select screen.

Here’s to hoping for our first Fire Emblem gal with a unique moveset and 8 costumes, from a series that has so many female playable characters. And here’s to hoping to seeing more than one default female FE character on the menu.

 

[R-senpai]

Would be fun to see a DLC character that's female in smash

*cough* MELIA *cough*

 

[KatKit]

Here’s to hoping for our first Fire Emblem gal with a unique moveset and 8 costumes, from a series that has so many female playable characters. And here’s to hoping to seeing more than one default female FE character on the menu.

I'm hoping it's Anna. She can even have 8 different costumes of herself without double dipping games lol.

My girls have been in nearly all of them as merchants, NPCs, game guides, and even as a protagonist. She can properly show off different weapons and classes, as well as having a unique shopkeeper gimmick.


Anyways, looking at Smash's history and current character speculation really got me to reflect about the gaming industry as a whole. It's still relatively young, but in its infancy and even decades after that, making women protagonists wasn't viewed as a marketable thing to do. Moreover, I've noticed that a lot of awesome female characters are designed in a way that - according to fans - would have to be 'toned down/visually altered/censored' in some way to get into a game like Smash. I find that problematic in and of itself. Why are so many women designed in a way that their signature looks aren't suitable for a rated E10+ fighting game? And miss me with that sex sells nonsense; if Nintendo taught us anything it's that fun (with proper advertisement) sells. Fortunately, a paradigm shift started to emerge over the last decade or so (perhaps more noticeably in indie games and in the West). Objectification and tokenization is becoming less commonplace. Characters like Jill Valentine and Samus are no longer outliers. We have Aloy and Ajna and Chell and Miriam and Kat and Ellie and Gris and Max and I can literally go on all day. Now, back to Smash Bros. From N64 to Brawl, the female representation was... lacking, to say the least. 2 versions of Zelda and Samus, Peach, and Nana. Smash 4 started to rectify it, but there are still some glaring omissions. For example, how can a relatively recent and successful 1st party title that already has 4 games like Style Savvy not be included? Ayumi Tachibana had a lot going for her back in the day, but she was overlooked (although they're rebooting the franchise, so her future is looking a lot brighter). Then there are other unique fan favorites who may be stuck in the assist trophy zone... if they're lucky. And so on. Currently, we're in the post-launch phase of the 5th game, and it seems to be branching out to 3rd party titles. Aside from female characters being overlooked since Smash 64, we now have people clamoring for characters who were once iconic during a time when the industry was less inclusive. If the trend continues after the season pass, the roster could very well end up a (pardon my language) sausage fest. I don't think that's going to happen, but still... It's not about diversity for the sake of it; there are so many women who can or should have already been in based on merit or whatever arbitrary prerequisite we try to come up with. Don't get me wrong, I think the current Smash roster is very solid for what it is. But people who want more female characters certainly shouldn't settle for less 5 games into the franchise.

 

[SNEKeater]

Thought this would tie into the thread quite nicely.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Never thought about that.
I think my 4 are:
- Samus
- The Boss
- Yuna

The first three were 'easy' to decide. The last one it's between Bayonetta, Palutena, Kat, Lyn, Aigis from Persona 3, Ciri from The Witcher 3 and Jill Valentine. Special mention: Madeline from Celeste :D
It's hard to pick, haha.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

I'm supportive of more diversity in Smash as long as it aligns with the overall vision Smash Bros. seems to be currently aiming for, which is a giant crossover of video game giants from all across the industry. There are some notable female fighters that easily fit that:

• Tracer
• 2B
• Lara Croft
• Reimu (Touhou)
• Shantae (Kind of, I do think Shantae generally gets overrepresented by the Smash population, but she's the only other Indie besides Reimu that seems to have any shot of making it in at this point, especially with poor Quote's fate basically sealed too).
• Jill Valentine (Though she might come with Leon too, actually I'd argue they'd be better having them both support Resident Evil).

It's the further people go into Nintendo stuff that I'm less inclined to support the idea. A lot of the Zelda characters don't have the actual weight to come across as weighty additions to the roster. ARMS has gone probably as far as it's going to go. Elma is great, but she's completely overshadowed by Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and such. These characters have issues, and they're also all first parties which doesn't seem to be the focus for DLC and I don't expect them to shy away from the incredible success they've enjoyed from third party crossovers. There are a couple options from first parties like Dixie Kong that actually have some pull as an addition and fan support to back her up, but I'd expect those types of characters to be the exception and not the rule.

Video games have just kind of done a **** job at diversity, and if you want any type of relevant diversity beyond more females, the situation gets even worse. Smash can only do so much with what it's given since it can't make brand new fighters that are inherently more diverse.

 

[TheYungLink]

I know she's under discussed atm since Donkey Kong Country seems to be on a hiatus right now since the only big news is the Switch port of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but please don't forget about Dixie Kong when discussing potential female characters in Smash.

She may or may not have a completely unique moveset, but many of us Dixie fans feel that she could still be an Isabelle styled semi-clone with a unique special attack or two, plus many unique normal attacks involving her ponytail. We think that if Dixie Kong was going to be an Echo Fighter, she would be in Smash Ultimate already, but it seems that Sakurai is not fond of the idea and, frankly, Isabelle was the bigger "clone that can't be an echo" to prioritize at the time, so I can see why she was the only semi-clone newcomer in Smash Ultimate.

If we get further DLC that isn't a pack and may just be standalone characters, we think Dixie Kong could be among them depending on if Nintendo wants to sell any more Nintendo characters. I firmly believe Dixie Kong's inclusion would be a huge deal, and that she should be as discussed as the other potential female newcomers this thread brings up.

For those interested, here's her support thread: https://smashboards.com/threads/the...ost-8260-for-some-secret-instructions.446464/

This post from that thread is a great summation of the merits of Dixie Kong in particular.

I hope this doesn't come across as shilling or anything. It's better for women to discuss among themselves about this topic, so I was originally only planning to contribute with the tweet I linked on the first page, then more or less just stay out of the talk to just listen. I just noticed a Dixie Kong-shaped hole in the discussion was all.

 

[KatKit]

I'm glad you decided to chime in. Dixie has a sizable fanbase and she seems like the next logical DK rep (and a likely 1st party character in general), for the countless reasons listed in the support thread that you linked.

Also, I'm pretty sure OP wanted everyone to take part in the discussion.

 

[Ben Holt]

I know she's under discussed atm since Donkey Kong Country seems to be on a hiatus right now since the only big news is the Switch port of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but please don't forget about Dixie Kong when discussing potential female characters in Smash.

She may or may not have a completely unique moveset, but many of us Dixie fans feel that she could still be an Isabelle styled semi-clone with a unique special attack or two, plus many unique normal attacks involving her ponytail. We think that if Dixie Kong was going to be an Echo Fighter, she would be in Smash Ultimate already, but it seems that Sakurai is not fond of the idea and, frankly, Isabelle was the bigger "clone that can't be an echo" to prioritize at the time, so I can see why she was the only semi-clone newcomer in Smash Ultimate.

If we get further DLC that isn't a pack and may just be standalone characters, we think Dixie Kong could be among them depending on if Nintendo wants to sell any more Nintendo characters. I firmly believe Dixie Kong's inclusion would be a huge deal, and that she should be as discussed as the other potential female newcomers this thread brings up.

For those interested, here's her support thread: https://smashboards.com/threads/the...ost-8260-for-some-secret-instructions.446464/

This post from that thread is a great summation of the merits of Dixie Kong in particular.

I hope this doesn't come across as shilling or anything. It's better for women to discuss among themselves about this topic, so I was originally only planning to contribute with the tweet I linked on the first page, then more or less just stay out of the talk to just listen. I just noticed a Dixie Kong-shaped hole in the discussion was all.

Dixie is a character I consider "due" for Smash.
I honestly thought she'd have come before K. Rool if not co-revealed.
But here we are with seven Fire Emblem characters and three Donkey Kong characters.
You know. ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES OF ALL TIME?!

 

[Deleted member]

Regarding Dixie, yes, she's overdue imo. I mean, she could pass as a Diddy Kong echo and it would still work. Either that or...I dunno.

I was looking at the polls right now and there were a small sentiment of people who did not want at least one female DLC character. I was like, "You don't want one? I demand an explanation!", but I'm afraid if I would say it violently in this forum I might get kicked out. I respect your opinion, but the curiosity inside of me just wanted to burst out. Explanation don't necessarily have to be so long as a 3,000 word personal essay.

 

[Ben Holt]

My DLC roster is all male, but if we get echoes, I would want Coco Bandicoot and Jill Valentine.
But I still want Ms. Pac-Man. She's almost iconic as Pac himself.
I know the rights to her character are weird, but damn...

 

[Perkilator]

My choices so far for female DLC characters are:

-Adeleine and Ribbon
-Arle
-Style Savvy Rep
-Pauline
-Celica

 

[Deleted member]

My choices so far for female DLC characters are:

-Adeleine and Ribbon
-Arle
-Style Savvy Rep
-Pauline
-Celica

Those aren't a bad choice of characters. Wishing you luck.

I don't want to look at the newcomer speculation thread if all they're giving out are just males...

 

[amageish]

Hello! I'm here from the Nakoruru thread. I also support the broad idea of literally any female character getting in as DLC!

I do feel like this kind of reflects larger problems in gaming for sure though. So many video games have male protagonists, or at least male protagonists in their original installments (i.e., it'd be weird to get Katrielle Layton over Professor Layton or Kyoko/Misako over Kunio), that I'm not entirely surprised that Smash Bros is also so male-dominated...

 

[Deleted member]

Hello! I'm here from the Nakoruru thread. I also support the broad idea of literally any female character getting in as DLC!

I do feel like this kind of reflects larger problems in gaming for sure though. So many video games have male protagonists, or at least male protagonists in their original installments (i.e., it'd be weird to get Katrielle Layton over Professor Layton or Kyoko/Misako over Kunio), that I'm not entirely surprised that Smash Bros is also so male-dominated...

If this DLC pack is a Sausage Party, what more will the future packs be...

The folks at the Newcomer Speculation thread secretly wnat to make me feel sour.

 

[amageish]

If this DLC pack is a Sausage Party, what more will the future packs be...

Well, the future DLC may not be in a pass setting, so they may be more willing to take "risks"?

Honestly, as much as it sucks to say it, I think the most likely female character options are echoes and semi-clones, as so many major female characters were created with the design philosophy of "What if [MALE CHARACTER] had a girlfriend/sister?". Ms Pac-Man for Pac-Man... Dixie Kong for Diddy Kong... Birdo and Yoshi, sort of... Then there are other characters who just have similar powers - Jeanne for Bayonetta, Kasumi for Joker, Celica for Robin, Octoling for Inkling, etc...

Ignoring semi-clones, Arle from Puyo Puyo is huge in Japan, if less huge here. Shantae is huge here, if less huge in Japan. Jill Valentine has often been thrown around as a possible RE rep, though her getting in over Leon would ruffle some feathers. Lara Croft maybe? Then there are also plenty of Nintendo first-party female characters who can be added to the series already in the game.

 

[Deleted member]

Well, the future DLC may not be in a pass setting, so they may be more willing to take "risks"?

Honestly, as much as it sucks to say it, I think the most likely female character options are echoes and semi-clones, as so many major female characters were created with the design philosophy of "What if [MALE CHARACTER] had a girlfriend/sister?". Ms Pac-Man for Pac-Man... Dixie Kong for Diddy Kong... Birdo and Yoshi, sort of... Then there are other characters who just have similar powers - Jeanne for Bayonetta, Kasumi for Joker, Celica for Robin, Octoling for Inkling, etc...

Ignoring semi-clones, Arle from Puyo Puyo is huge in Japan, if less huge here. Shantae is huge here, if less huge in Japan. Jill Valentine has often been thrown around as a possible RE rep, though her getting in over Leon would ruffle some feathers. Lara Croft maybe? Then there are also plenty of Nintendo first-party female characters who can be added to the series already in the game.

Hmmm...you do have a point.

What good is an opinion maker if she's not willing to stay strong about her opinon? Every day, I break my own heart just by looking at the Speculation thread...

 

[amageish]

Hmmm...you do have a point.

What good is an opinion maker if she's not willing to stay strong about her opinon? Every day, I break my own heart just by looking at the Speculation thread...

Then again, Nintendo can basically do whatever they want... If they wanted to highlight a more obscure female character, then they definitely could! Maybe we could make some threads for some more out-there female characters? I've been considering doing one for Jill from VA-11 HALL-A for a while now...

Stay strong! It's always hard to hope for a character when it goes against the tide of Smash speculation, but it's worth sticking to your values. And if keeping up with a thread is just hurting you, then you don't need to keep up with it.

 

[Blade of Evil's Bane]

Maybe we could make some threads for some more out-there female characters? I've been considering doing one for Jill from VA-11 HALL-A for a while now...

You might want to take a look at the Newcomer Support Thread Directory if you're planning on creating new support threads: https://smashboards.com/threads/new...irectory-check-here-before-making-one.446333/

 

[Rie Sonomura]

There's already a support thread for Jill. Here, if you want to check it out: https://smashboards.com/threads/the-master-of-unlocking-jill-will-survive-in-smash.454842/

You might want to take a look at the Newcomer Support Thread Directory if you're planning on creating new support threads: https://smashboards.com/threads/new...irectory-check-here-before-making-one.446333/

Wrong Jill, you linked the Resident Evil Jill thread

As for me, my most wanted female characters are: Elma, Fiora, Octoling (would still have a male alt), Medusa, KOS-MOS, Nakoruru, T-elos, Kasumi Yoshizawa, and Dixie. I’d be cool with Ayumi Tachibana happening but she’s more of a pipe dream

 

[Blade of Evil's Bane]

Wrong Jill, you linked the Resident Evil Jill thread

You're absolutely right. I misread the post, thx for pointing it out.

 

[Deleted member]

Since this thread is about female characters for DLC, what are the franchises that are aimed at the female demographic (or at least has a large female demographic) with a female protagonist?

 

[Deleted member]

Then again, Nintendo can basically do whatever they want... If they wanted to highlight a more obscure female character, then they definitely could! Maybe we could make some threads for some more out-there female characters? I've been considering doing one for Jill from VA-11 HALL-A for a while now...

Stay strong! It's always hard to hope for a character when it goes against the tide of Smash speculation, but it's worth sticking to your values. And if keeping up with a thread is just hurting you, then you don't need to keep up with it.

Ah...the benefit of not watching the support thread, though when they speculate I'm scared of looking because it'll break me again.