GolisoPower
Smash Master
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2017
- Messages
- 4,339
For the entirety of Smash's history, characters have come and gone from the spotlight. Some were über-popular characters that made logical sense (Doom Slayer, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa, etc). And some were less-requested characters that had their own niches (Sol Badguy, Master Chief, Arthur from Ghosts n' Goblins, etc). And then we have these characters, the ones that when you look into them you think, "What!? They're from a video game!?" Today we take a look at a few of these characters, unearth their origins, and look into why they're more likely than one thinks.
SUBJECT #1: REIMU HAKUREI (TOUHOU PROJECT)
First Debut: Touhou Reiiden ~ Highly Responsive to Prayers (Platform: PC-98, Year: 1996)
(Reimu as she appears in the as-of-this-post upcoming entry, Touhou Kouryuudou ~ Unconnected Marketeers)
Reimu Hakurei is the main protagonist of the prestigious and long-running line of danmaku shoot-em-ups that made its start with Touhou Reiiden ~ Highly Responsive to Prayers for the PC-98 in 1995. This might sound like a startling revelation for a majority of you who don't know about it, but I don't blame you. You most likely have seen SOME Touhou stuff in your life, including references in other games, usage of characters on CNN (No, I'm not making this up), and the memes, oh LORDY the memes, before you even run into the Touhou games themselves.
Reimu is very enticing as a Smash character because Touhou is practically the indie gamer's equivalent of Dragon Quest but with an extensive line of endorsed fanworks so vast even fangames bearing the name exist. In fact, some of them, such as Luna Nights and Genso Wanderer, are on the Nintendo eShop right now! If fangames aren't enough to convince you, then not to worry, a mainline fighting game, Touhou Hyouibana ~ Antinomy of Common Flowers, is releasing worldwide on the Switch this month! So we have a lasting legacy, a deceptively vast exposure, and an appearance on a Nintendo console. What else? Well, while it most certainly wasn't Touhou, Sakurai did get his first job as a video game developer in no small part thanks to a SHMUP by HAL Laboratories called Gall Force, and that has obviously made an impact on his career over the course of his life, with Kid Icarus Uprising having rail shooter segments, and the credits of Smash entries being SHMUP minigames, too! Touhou seems like the kind of thing that would catch Sakurai's eye, and as the absolute highest franchise in the genre, why shouldn't it?
How would she differ from the rest of the cast? Well, Reimu has been rather well known for her ability to fly, and her style of gameplay from the games makes her very unique on top of that. See, there are a few mechanics in Touhou. Some examples include shot-types, which a player can choose when beginning a run, and Grazing, which is when a projectile hits your sprite but doesn't outright kill your character, leading to some high-risk high-reward strategies.
SUBJECT #2: SABER (FATE)
First Debut: Fate/stay night (Platform: PC, Year: 2004)
Next up, we have Saber, True Name: Artoria Pendragon! This is an interesting case, as a large majority of people out in Medialand seem to think of the various Fate anime when they first think about the Fate series, while others think more about the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. But what they might not know is that Fate was actually a video game, and one of the most explosively popular at the time. Fate/stay night, released for Windows in 2004, was a visual novel created by Kinoko Nasu, involving a young mage named Shirou Emiya who gets roped in the once-a-decade Holy Grail War. At the time, there were some...rather raunchy scenes, but Nasu never wanted to add these scenes, but only did because at the time that was the only way to push units. Later releases, however, would remove these scenes for good. Now you're probably thinking that visual novels aren't video games and that is, therefore, grounds to discredit Saber, but I have two points against that: one, we have Wii Fit Trainer in Smash Bros, who comes from what people considered a glorified exercise program, and two, there are already some rather strong movements for two other VN characters, being Monokuma from Danganronpa and Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney.
As for Nintendo appearances, Saber does appear on the Switch with Fate/EXTELLA Link, which covers that front. As for the swordfighter complaints, well, that concern I've come to realize mainly stems from the abundance of Fire Emblem characters, and not just because of the weapons they wield. Now you probably still don't want to see her in Smash, regardless of whether or not she's from FE, and superfans of the series might prefer to see her in the game as a Lancer or a Ruler, but this is arguably the one form that Fate fans recognize her in. As for how unique she could be, she does have a set amount of skills that can bolster her capabilities and even turn herself or her sword invisible for mind games, and she could most likely bring her Master Shirou along as a Pokemon Trainer-style support character that realizes a concept that Sakurai couldn't with Rex and Pyra.
SUBJECT #3: HATSUNE MIKU (VOCALOID, PROJECT DIVA)
First Debut: Vocaloid 2 (Platform: PC, Year: 2007)
First Game Debut: Hatsune Miku: Project Diva (Platform: PSP, Year: 2009)
Third up is Hatsune Miku, who a metric ton of people probably recognize without knowing where she's from. Miku made her debut in Vocaloid 2, a voice synthesizer software made by Yamaha, and effectively the entire series' mascot. She made her full video game debut in a rhythm game called "Hatsune Miku: Project Diva" for the PSP in 2009, and since then that game series has made its debut on platforms such as Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, covering the "fan rule" of Nintendo appearances. Vocaloid, however, became so popular that it has an entire animation software dedicated to the character, which has been used to create animations for multiple other franchises like Genshin Impact, and Touhou Project! Now you're probably asking yourself: "Synthesizer software? That's not a game." Well, neither is R.O.B., a video game accessory and once again I bring up Wii Fit.
How would she differ from the rest of the roster? Well, she's an idol, and as she's from mainly music-based software, including a genre not-yet represented with playable characters with the rhythm game genre, Miku could have a more passive playstyle revolving around dazzling her opponents...and maybe striking them with a leek, for good measure, too.
SUBJECT #4: CARMEN SANDIEGO (WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?)
First Debut: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Platform: PC, Year: 1985)
Shout-Out:
Oracle Link
(Ms. Sandiego as she appears in the Netflix animated series)
This right here is a woman who could give Joker a run for his money: Carmen Sandiego. Ms. Sandiego made her debut in Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, a geography edutainment game developed by American studio Broberlund, who you might also recognize as the creator of Prince of Persia, and is now owned by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. For once she ain't an anime waifu, which I'm sure some of you out there might relish in.
The Carmen Sandiego series, I've come to find in my research, was surprisingly popular: it spawned a line of animated series, one by DiC (Who you might know from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show), and another most recently made by Netflix. As for Nintendo platforms: she actually has a few, one on the GameCube, one on the DS, and multiple on the Wii! Many might not know where she came from (Or where she is right now for that matter), but the general fan exposure is mainly from the Netflix series, so having Carmen Sandiego in Smash would be...rather interesting. I mean, edutainment is still a genre of video games, and now that I think about it, I don't know why I haven't considered this.
As for how she would stand out in the roster? Well, Carmen Sandiego has been known for stealing things tangible and intangible, hell, she even stole natural language as a concept one time! And she also has a horde of minor henchmen that have been responsible for many minor thefts, so I imagine her being some kind of "pseudo-Shang Tsung"-style character that steals some parts of a character's moveset and attributes for her Specials.
SUBJECT #5: AGUMON (DIGIMON)
First Debut: Digital Monster (Platform: V-pet, Year: 1997)
Shout Out:
DanganZilla5
And now, we have Agumon, the mascot of the Digimon series! Agumon made his debut on the Digimon I platform, a little LCD device that involves raising, caring, and training...digital monsters. The platform in question was more known as a V-pet. Now I know there are some people out there that think that V-pets are not video games, but in this case, I bring up Mr. Game & Watch, another LCD video game character. Anyways, the series has often been considered the grand rival of Pokemon and has spawned a vast line of anime and bigger video games to compete with the Game Freak franchise giant. Much like the Fate series and to an extent Carmen Sandiego, Digimon has been more recognized by the animated TV show, which has been the childhood of countless fans.
The series has made multiple appearances on Nintendo platforms, with one of them even being its own "Smash-like" platform fighter. As for how unique he'd be in Smash? Well, here's the thing: all Digimon have this thing they do that's called Digivolving, and when they Digivolve, they gain greater capabilities in combat. Agumon's most recognizable Digivolution path is from Agumon to Greymon, Greymon to MetalGreymon, MetalGreymon to WarGreymon. I could see this being like a variant of Pyra & Mythra's swap mechanic, where Agumon starts off with only decent combat capability, but as he Digivolves, he gets heavier and more powerful. That's not something shown in Smash, and it would really call out to people who want to main him.
SUBJECT #6: MAMETCHI (TAMAGOTCHI)
First Debut: Tamagotchi (Platform: V-pet, Year: 1996)
Shout Out:
Pacack
Here we have Mametchi, the mascot of the Tamagotchi series and the precursor to Digimon as a whole. The franchise made its debut in 1996 with the original Tamagotchi, and while to my knowledge it didn't go on the level of Digimon, it's still quite popular in its own right. Mametchi here was obtained by raising a Tamagotchi with the utter apex of care, leading to a very smart Tamagotchi with an IQ of 250. As stated before, the "V-pets are not video games" argument is completely obliterated by Game & Watch, a fellow LCD video game character.
As far as Nintendo appearances go, you might've seen this guy before at your local arcade...yup, this guy made a guest appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and even has made appearances on the DS, 3DS, and NES! As for how he'd stand out...well, he was the first V-pet ever created, and his fighting style could revolve around taking care of and raising Mametchi like you would a Tamagotchi for better stats and properties.
SUBJECT #7: SALLY ACORN (SONIC THE HEDGEHOG)
First Debut: Sonic the Hedgehog (Platform: Sega Genesis, Year: 1991)
Shout Out:
MAtgSy
An absolute curveball of a character, we have Princess Sally Acorn of Sonic the Hedgehog fame, who was well known for her appearance in the comic continuity of the Sonic franchise. You're probably rolling eyes and scoffing right now, but apparently, an anonymous source (the shout-out for this subject lol) has told me that Sally Acorn was the name of the squirrels found in Badniks in the West, according to the Sonic Bible, thus crowning her as a video game character.
This is an opportunity to have Sally in the game as a representative of the early Sonic game canon, which had a remarkably interesting story about Sonic himself, as well as the Animal friends she has. While the name would revert back to "Ricky" after Sonic Adventure 2, the fact that Ricky the Squirrel was called Sally Acorn over here in the West means she's had a metric ton of appearances on Nintendo consoles, too! As for how she'd play, well, I can see her teaming up with her fellow Animal friends to attack, as well as using stuff from her comic and show counterparts as a means of attack, such as Nicole, her Freedom Fighter fighting style, etc. for a variety of attacks from her moveset.
SUBJECT #8: RINTAROU "OKARIN" OKABE (STEINS;GATE)
First Debut: Steins;Gate (Platform: PC, Year: 2009)
Shout-Out:
Gengar84
Our next subject is Rintarou "Okarin" Okabe, the protagonist of Steins;Gate. Much like Saber, Rintarou here is from a visual novel, and is more well-known for an anime series based on the series. Steins;Gate is a sci-fi visual novel which involves heavy amounts of time travel. He is the founder of the Future Gadget Laboratory (Creative name, I know), and is a self-proclaimed "mad scientist".
Steins;Gate was heavily praised for its story and writing, and has led to the anime that the series is now more well-known for. Steins;Gate is also on the Switch, too, so we've got that covered. How would Okarin play, exactly? Well, he seems like the kind of guy who would use the many gadgets he has made in his lifetime, and we cannot forget about time travel, no sirree. This could lead to some undeniably unique timey-wimey things similar to the likes of Geras in Mortal Kombat.
SUBJECT #9: KEIICHI MAEBARA (WHEN THEY CRY)
First Debut: Higurashi When They Cry: Onikakushi-hen (Platform: PC, Year: 2009)
Shout-Out:
Gengar84
And our next character from a visual novel more well known for its anime series is Keiichi Maebara, the main protagonist of When They Cry, a psychological horror visual novel. The series is better well known for 2 anime series, but just like the previous two visual novel examples, it started off as a video game. It also got a port for the Nintendo Switch in Japan, too, so that's something in his favor.
While horror is a franchise not represented in Smash, with many candidates such as Leon Kennedy, Pyramid Head, and Freddy Fazbear being thrown around, Keiichi here has surprisingly shown to be combat savvy from what I've come to find. He could be a methodical character that requires smarts to play optimally, but there would probably be something dark within that could trigger mid-battle that causes him to go all "unga-bunga" in terms of playstyle. Almost like a "Phoenix Wright"-type character mixed with Doom Slayer in a way.
SUBJECT #10: THE PRINCE (PRINCE OF PERSIA)
First Debut: Prince of Persia (Platform: Apple II, Year: 1989)
Shout-Out:
Morgana J. Cat
All hail his majesty, the Prince! Not to be confused with the main character of Katamari Damacy, the titular Prince of Persia made his debut on the Apple II as the protagonist of an action-adventure video game series created by video game designer Jordan Mechner. Many know him by the video game movie adaptation by Disney (yes, "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E" Disney), with some believing that it was based on a book, much like Geralt of Rivia, and that the games after are an adaptation of the movie. Oh, how little they knew...
Prince of Persia has been generally regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time, putting it up there with the likes of PAC-MAN, Mario, Minecraft, and more, and he's even appeared majorly on Nintendo platforms such as the GameCube, the Game Boy line and the 3DS. How would he play, though? Well, aside from the obvious swordfighter playstyle, the Prince seems to have some time-related stuff much like Okarin a few slots above, but that requires a Sand resource, which I'm sure Sakurai can work out easily.
SUBJECT #11: ENDOU MAMORU (INAZUMA ELEVEN)
First Debut: Inazuma Eleven (Platform: Nintendo DS, Year: 2008)
Shout-Out:
RileyXY1
Lining up on the team is Endou Mamoru, the main protagonist of Inazuma Eleven, a series of soccer games originating on the Nintendo DS. The gameplay is a hybridization of RPG and sports game, with the stylus being initially used to move teammates. There was an anime that was made based on said games, which the franchise is much more well-known for.
This was made by Level-5, who you may all know as the developers of Yo-Kai Watch, Professor Layton, and Ni no Kuni and have a good relationship with Nintendo. Endou could be in Smash as a good sports game representative, which by technicality is a genre represented by Mario. But if we're going solely sports, Endou is just as good a candidate as the other. As for how he'd play? I'd imagine him being a more technical version of Sonic, with great movement speed, but requiring more brainpower to play optimally.
SUBJECT #12: SACRIER'S BLOOD (WAKFU)
First Debut: Dofus (Platform: PC, Year: 2004)
Shout-Out: C chocolatejr9
Coming up next is Sacrier's Blood, one of the classes of the MMO Wakfu. To get more closer, Wakfu is an MMO that plays like a Tactical RPG like Fire Emblem, and it's the sequel to the previous Tactical MMO Dofus. I have chosen the Sacrier because from what I've researched, Sacrier's Blood is the easiest-to-play class and the most friendly to newbies of the game. A lot of people generally know Wakfu by the animated series that was made to promote the game. Basically, the reverse version of Lightning McQueen. LOL. Unfortunately, unlike other examples on this list, there are...actually no Nintendo appearances to bolster this guy's chances. But...what with all the nigh-impossible ports coming to Switch like Doom, Civilization 6, and more recently DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB, I'd say give it a moment.
These guys specifically are basically Incineroar's Down B: The Class. He could be easy to fight with as a rushdown character revolving around good positioning and smart reading of your moves.
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That's all I have at the moment, but you're probably asking: what purpose does this serve? Why did I waste time writing all this? For one specific reason: to enlighten. These characters, among others, can often be disgustingly overlooked in favor of others, as there are candidates for the roster no one knows are actually video game characters. I wanted to write this to ensure people know about these characters and their surprising origins, so that one day, they may think "I want them in Smash". Thank you for taking the time to read this.
SUBJECT #1: REIMU HAKUREI (TOUHOU PROJECT)
First Debut: Touhou Reiiden ~ Highly Responsive to Prayers (Platform: PC-98, Year: 1996)
(Reimu as she appears in the as-of-this-post upcoming entry, Touhou Kouryuudou ~ Unconnected Marketeers)
Reimu Hakurei is the main protagonist of the prestigious and long-running line of danmaku shoot-em-ups that made its start with Touhou Reiiden ~ Highly Responsive to Prayers for the PC-98 in 1995. This might sound like a startling revelation for a majority of you who don't know about it, but I don't blame you. You most likely have seen SOME Touhou stuff in your life, including references in other games, usage of characters on CNN (No, I'm not making this up), and the memes, oh LORDY the memes, before you even run into the Touhou games themselves.
Reimu is very enticing as a Smash character because Touhou is practically the indie gamer's equivalent of Dragon Quest but with an extensive line of endorsed fanworks so vast even fangames bearing the name exist. In fact, some of them, such as Luna Nights and Genso Wanderer, are on the Nintendo eShop right now! If fangames aren't enough to convince you, then not to worry, a mainline fighting game, Touhou Hyouibana ~ Antinomy of Common Flowers, is releasing worldwide on the Switch this month! So we have a lasting legacy, a deceptively vast exposure, and an appearance on a Nintendo console. What else? Well, while it most certainly wasn't Touhou, Sakurai did get his first job as a video game developer in no small part thanks to a SHMUP by HAL Laboratories called Gall Force, and that has obviously made an impact on his career over the course of his life, with Kid Icarus Uprising having rail shooter segments, and the credits of Smash entries being SHMUP minigames, too! Touhou seems like the kind of thing that would catch Sakurai's eye, and as the absolute highest franchise in the genre, why shouldn't it?
How would she differ from the rest of the cast? Well, Reimu has been rather well known for her ability to fly, and her style of gameplay from the games makes her very unique on top of that. See, there are a few mechanics in Touhou. Some examples include shot-types, which a player can choose when beginning a run, and Grazing, which is when a projectile hits your sprite but doesn't outright kill your character, leading to some high-risk high-reward strategies.
SUBJECT #2: SABER (FATE)
First Debut: Fate/stay night (Platform: PC, Year: 2004)
Next up, we have Saber, True Name: Artoria Pendragon! This is an interesting case, as a large majority of people out in Medialand seem to think of the various Fate anime when they first think about the Fate series, while others think more about the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. But what they might not know is that Fate was actually a video game, and one of the most explosively popular at the time. Fate/stay night, released for Windows in 2004, was a visual novel created by Kinoko Nasu, involving a young mage named Shirou Emiya who gets roped in the once-a-decade Holy Grail War. At the time, there were some...rather raunchy scenes, but Nasu never wanted to add these scenes, but only did because at the time that was the only way to push units. Later releases, however, would remove these scenes for good. Now you're probably thinking that visual novels aren't video games and that is, therefore, grounds to discredit Saber, but I have two points against that: one, we have Wii Fit Trainer in Smash Bros, who comes from what people considered a glorified exercise program, and two, there are already some rather strong movements for two other VN characters, being Monokuma from Danganronpa and Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney.
As for Nintendo appearances, Saber does appear on the Switch with Fate/EXTELLA Link, which covers that front. As for the swordfighter complaints, well, that concern I've come to realize mainly stems from the abundance of Fire Emblem characters, and not just because of the weapons they wield. Now you probably still don't want to see her in Smash, regardless of whether or not she's from FE, and superfans of the series might prefer to see her in the game as a Lancer or a Ruler, but this is arguably the one form that Fate fans recognize her in. As for how unique she could be, she does have a set amount of skills that can bolster her capabilities and even turn herself or her sword invisible for mind games, and she could most likely bring her Master Shirou along as a Pokemon Trainer-style support character that realizes a concept that Sakurai couldn't with Rex and Pyra.
SUBJECT #3: HATSUNE MIKU (VOCALOID, PROJECT DIVA)
First Debut: Vocaloid 2 (Platform: PC, Year: 2007)
First Game Debut: Hatsune Miku: Project Diva (Platform: PSP, Year: 2009)
Third up is Hatsune Miku, who a metric ton of people probably recognize without knowing where she's from. Miku made her debut in Vocaloid 2, a voice synthesizer software made by Yamaha, and effectively the entire series' mascot. She made her full video game debut in a rhythm game called "Hatsune Miku: Project Diva" for the PSP in 2009, and since then that game series has made its debut on platforms such as Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, covering the "fan rule" of Nintendo appearances. Vocaloid, however, became so popular that it has an entire animation software dedicated to the character, which has been used to create animations for multiple other franchises like Genshin Impact, and Touhou Project! Now you're probably asking yourself: "Synthesizer software? That's not a game." Well, neither is R.O.B., a video game accessory and once again I bring up Wii Fit.
How would she differ from the rest of the roster? Well, she's an idol, and as she's from mainly music-based software, including a genre not-yet represented with playable characters with the rhythm game genre, Miku could have a more passive playstyle revolving around dazzling her opponents...and maybe striking them with a leek, for good measure, too.
SUBJECT #4: CARMEN SANDIEGO (WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?)
First Debut: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Platform: PC, Year: 1985)
Shout-Out:
Oracle Link
(Ms. Sandiego as she appears in the Netflix animated series)
This right here is a woman who could give Joker a run for his money: Carmen Sandiego. Ms. Sandiego made her debut in Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, a geography edutainment game developed by American studio Broberlund, who you might also recognize as the creator of Prince of Persia, and is now owned by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. For once she ain't an anime waifu, which I'm sure some of you out there might relish in.
The Carmen Sandiego series, I've come to find in my research, was surprisingly popular: it spawned a line of animated series, one by DiC (Who you might know from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show), and another most recently made by Netflix. As for Nintendo platforms: she actually has a few, one on the GameCube, one on the DS, and multiple on the Wii! Many might not know where she came from (Or where she is right now for that matter), but the general fan exposure is mainly from the Netflix series, so having Carmen Sandiego in Smash would be...rather interesting. I mean, edutainment is still a genre of video games, and now that I think about it, I don't know why I haven't considered this.
As for how she would stand out in the roster? Well, Carmen Sandiego has been known for stealing things tangible and intangible, hell, she even stole natural language as a concept one time! And she also has a horde of minor henchmen that have been responsible for many minor thefts, so I imagine her being some kind of "pseudo-Shang Tsung"-style character that steals some parts of a character's moveset and attributes for her Specials.
SUBJECT #5: AGUMON (DIGIMON)
First Debut: Digital Monster (Platform: V-pet, Year: 1997)
Shout Out:
DanganZilla5
And now, we have Agumon, the mascot of the Digimon series! Agumon made his debut on the Digimon I platform, a little LCD device that involves raising, caring, and training...digital monsters. The platform in question was more known as a V-pet. Now I know there are some people out there that think that V-pets are not video games, but in this case, I bring up Mr. Game & Watch, another LCD video game character. Anyways, the series has often been considered the grand rival of Pokemon and has spawned a vast line of anime and bigger video games to compete with the Game Freak franchise giant. Much like the Fate series and to an extent Carmen Sandiego, Digimon has been more recognized by the animated TV show, which has been the childhood of countless fans.
The series has made multiple appearances on Nintendo platforms, with one of them even being its own "Smash-like" platform fighter. As for how unique he'd be in Smash? Well, here's the thing: all Digimon have this thing they do that's called Digivolving, and when they Digivolve, they gain greater capabilities in combat. Agumon's most recognizable Digivolution path is from Agumon to Greymon, Greymon to MetalGreymon, MetalGreymon to WarGreymon. I could see this being like a variant of Pyra & Mythra's swap mechanic, where Agumon starts off with only decent combat capability, but as he Digivolves, he gets heavier and more powerful. That's not something shown in Smash, and it would really call out to people who want to main him.
SUBJECT #6: MAMETCHI (TAMAGOTCHI)
First Debut: Tamagotchi (Platform: V-pet, Year: 1996)
Shout Out:
Pacack
Here we have Mametchi, the mascot of the Tamagotchi series and the precursor to Digimon as a whole. The franchise made its debut in 1996 with the original Tamagotchi, and while to my knowledge it didn't go on the level of Digimon, it's still quite popular in its own right. Mametchi here was obtained by raising a Tamagotchi with the utter apex of care, leading to a very smart Tamagotchi with an IQ of 250. As stated before, the "V-pets are not video games" argument is completely obliterated by Game & Watch, a fellow LCD video game character.
As far as Nintendo appearances go, you might've seen this guy before at your local arcade...yup, this guy made a guest appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and even has made appearances on the DS, 3DS, and NES! As for how he'd stand out...well, he was the first V-pet ever created, and his fighting style could revolve around taking care of and raising Mametchi like you would a Tamagotchi for better stats and properties.
SUBJECT #7: SALLY ACORN (SONIC THE HEDGEHOG)
First Debut: Sonic the Hedgehog (Platform: Sega Genesis, Year: 1991)
Shout Out:
MAtgSy
An absolute curveball of a character, we have Princess Sally Acorn of Sonic the Hedgehog fame, who was well known for her appearance in the comic continuity of the Sonic franchise. You're probably rolling eyes and scoffing right now, but apparently, an anonymous source (the shout-out for this subject lol) has told me that Sally Acorn was the name of the squirrels found in Badniks in the West, according to the Sonic Bible, thus crowning her as a video game character.
This is an opportunity to have Sally in the game as a representative of the early Sonic game canon, which had a remarkably interesting story about Sonic himself, as well as the Animal friends she has. While the name would revert back to "Ricky" after Sonic Adventure 2, the fact that Ricky the Squirrel was called Sally Acorn over here in the West means she's had a metric ton of appearances on Nintendo consoles, too! As for how she'd play, well, I can see her teaming up with her fellow Animal friends to attack, as well as using stuff from her comic and show counterparts as a means of attack, such as Nicole, her Freedom Fighter fighting style, etc. for a variety of attacks from her moveset.
SUBJECT #8: RINTAROU "OKARIN" OKABE (STEINS;GATE)
First Debut: Steins;Gate (Platform: PC, Year: 2009)
Shout-Out:
Gengar84
Our next subject is Rintarou "Okarin" Okabe, the protagonist of Steins;Gate. Much like Saber, Rintarou here is from a visual novel, and is more well-known for an anime series based on the series. Steins;Gate is a sci-fi visual novel which involves heavy amounts of time travel. He is the founder of the Future Gadget Laboratory (Creative name, I know), and is a self-proclaimed "mad scientist".
Steins;Gate was heavily praised for its story and writing, and has led to the anime that the series is now more well-known for. Steins;Gate is also on the Switch, too, so we've got that covered. How would Okarin play, exactly? Well, he seems like the kind of guy who would use the many gadgets he has made in his lifetime, and we cannot forget about time travel, no sirree. This could lead to some undeniably unique timey-wimey things similar to the likes of Geras in Mortal Kombat.
SUBJECT #9: KEIICHI MAEBARA (WHEN THEY CRY)
First Debut: Higurashi When They Cry: Onikakushi-hen (Platform: PC, Year: 2009)
Shout-Out:
Gengar84
And our next character from a visual novel more well known for its anime series is Keiichi Maebara, the main protagonist of When They Cry, a psychological horror visual novel. The series is better well known for 2 anime series, but just like the previous two visual novel examples, it started off as a video game. It also got a port for the Nintendo Switch in Japan, too, so that's something in his favor.
While horror is a franchise not represented in Smash, with many candidates such as Leon Kennedy, Pyramid Head, and Freddy Fazbear being thrown around, Keiichi here has surprisingly shown to be combat savvy from what I've come to find. He could be a methodical character that requires smarts to play optimally, but there would probably be something dark within that could trigger mid-battle that causes him to go all "unga-bunga" in terms of playstyle. Almost like a "Phoenix Wright"-type character mixed with Doom Slayer in a way.
SUBJECT #10: THE PRINCE (PRINCE OF PERSIA)
First Debut: Prince of Persia (Platform: Apple II, Year: 1989)
Shout-Out:
Morgana J. Cat
All hail his majesty, the Prince! Not to be confused with the main character of Katamari Damacy, the titular Prince of Persia made his debut on the Apple II as the protagonist of an action-adventure video game series created by video game designer Jordan Mechner. Many know him by the video game movie adaptation by Disney (yes, "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E" Disney), with some believing that it was based on a book, much like Geralt of Rivia, and that the games after are an adaptation of the movie. Oh, how little they knew...
Prince of Persia has been generally regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time, putting it up there with the likes of PAC-MAN, Mario, Minecraft, and more, and he's even appeared majorly on Nintendo platforms such as the GameCube, the Game Boy line and the 3DS. How would he play, though? Well, aside from the obvious swordfighter playstyle, the Prince seems to have some time-related stuff much like Okarin a few slots above, but that requires a Sand resource, which I'm sure Sakurai can work out easily.
SUBJECT #11: ENDOU MAMORU (INAZUMA ELEVEN)
First Debut: Inazuma Eleven (Platform: Nintendo DS, Year: 2008)
Shout-Out:
RileyXY1
Lining up on the team is Endou Mamoru, the main protagonist of Inazuma Eleven, a series of soccer games originating on the Nintendo DS. The gameplay is a hybridization of RPG and sports game, with the stylus being initially used to move teammates. There was an anime that was made based on said games, which the franchise is much more well-known for.
This was made by Level-5, who you may all know as the developers of Yo-Kai Watch, Professor Layton, and Ni no Kuni and have a good relationship with Nintendo. Endou could be in Smash as a good sports game representative, which by technicality is a genre represented by Mario. But if we're going solely sports, Endou is just as good a candidate as the other. As for how he'd play? I'd imagine him being a more technical version of Sonic, with great movement speed, but requiring more brainpower to play optimally.
SUBJECT #12: SACRIER'S BLOOD (WAKFU)
First Debut: Dofus (Platform: PC, Year: 2004)
Shout-Out: C chocolatejr9
Coming up next is Sacrier's Blood, one of the classes of the MMO Wakfu. To get more closer, Wakfu is an MMO that plays like a Tactical RPG like Fire Emblem, and it's the sequel to the previous Tactical MMO Dofus. I have chosen the Sacrier because from what I've researched, Sacrier's Blood is the easiest-to-play class and the most friendly to newbies of the game. A lot of people generally know Wakfu by the animated series that was made to promote the game. Basically, the reverse version of Lightning McQueen. LOL. Unfortunately, unlike other examples on this list, there are...actually no Nintendo appearances to bolster this guy's chances. But...what with all the nigh-impossible ports coming to Switch like Doom, Civilization 6, and more recently DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB, I'd say give it a moment.
These guys specifically are basically Incineroar's Down B: The Class. He could be easy to fight with as a rushdown character revolving around good positioning and smart reading of your moves.
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That's all I have at the moment, but you're probably asking: what purpose does this serve? Why did I waste time writing all this? For one specific reason: to enlighten. These characters, among others, can often be disgustingly overlooked in favor of others, as there are candidates for the roster no one knows are actually video game characters. I wanted to write this to ensure people know about these characters and their surprising origins, so that one day, they may think "I want them in Smash". Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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