What indie character do you want to see/think is likely?

[Paraster]

I've felt for a while that Smash Bros. adding an indie fighter is both inevitable and necessary. Between how many potentially great fighters there are and how large and significant indies have become, it would frankly be shocking if they don't end up adding even a single indie fighter.

My top choice for both desire and likelihood is Quote from Cave Story. His game is often considered the quintessential indie game (or, at least, it filled this role earlier in the history of indies), it has appeared on Nintendo consoles multiple times, and his multiple different guns could make for interesting attacks.

Other choices I'd like to give an honorable mention to include Reimu (Touhou), Shantae, Shovel Knight, Cadence (Crypt of the NecroDancer), the Knight (Hollow Knight), Kris (Deltarune), Frisk (Undertale), and Hat Kid (A Hat In Time).

 

[RetrogamerMax]

While I wouldn't say a Indie fighter in Ultimate is likely or not, I believe a Indie rep is inevitable for Smash at some point. The 3 prime contenders for the first ever Indie rep I would say would be Reimu, Shantae, and Quote. All 3 being pioneers of the genre before I believe the term "Indie" was being used.

 

[Reila]

None. Not because I am against them, but because I would rather the upcoming DLCs be focused on Nintendo properties.

That said, I think Shovel Knight would be cool, but he is an Assist Trophy already. Cave Story is one of the first popular indie games, so his inclusion would be neat (with a Curly Brace alt), but he is not very popular these days. Frisk or Sans is the most likely, though, based on popularity alone.

I would rather not have stuff like Shantae but that is just me.

 

[UserKev]

Ajna (Indivisible) Shantae is the most likely, but Ajna has an interesting and fun dynamic.

If Sakurai figures how to work around her straight forwardness, she'd be amazing.

 

[Janx_uwu]

In terms of likeliness, its very possible Cuphead or Sans will get decostumed in the next game (is that the word for it? Decostumed? De-mii'd? Whatever). Freddy Fazbear is also pretty likely, I'd say.
In terms of who I want to see, my biggest want is Madeline from Celeste. The protagonist from Dead Cells is also really high on my list.

 

[Etheus Rook]

Technically speaking, Geralt of Rivia is an indie character, as CD Projeckt self publishes. And he's the only one I'd want to see as anything more than a premium mii costume.

 

[Lamperouge]

I don't think any of them are particularly likely but I'd love to see Shantae make it in.

 

[Oracle Link]

In terms of likeliness, its very possible Cuphead or Sans will get decostumed in the next game

I mean why do people want Sans (secret bad ending boss)
over the main Character

i mean i like Sans and hisCostume but he seems really Boring compared to the Human?????

 

[Janx_uwu]

I don't really know or care, haven't played Undertale. Sans is iconic though, there's a reason he got a mii costume.

 

[UserKev]

I mean why do people want Sans (secret bad ending boss)
over the main Character

i mean i like Sans and hisCostume but he seems really Boring compared to the Human?????

Ironically, I don't see Sans as a particularly boring character, but I do see him as being overrated. He's a strictly 2D character.

 

[Oracle Link]

I don't really know or care, haven't played Undertale. Sans is iconic though, there's a reason he got a mii costume.

Yeah i know it wasnt personal i just like the answer function makes it easier to start Sentences

 

[Inoj]

The way I see it the top contenders at the moment are Reimu and Shantae.

Reimu has the home field advantage and Touhou is XBOX Hueg for a doujin series. There's even a fan convention just for Touhou. The only thing that goes against her inclusion is that ZUN has only recently mentioned interest in having Touhou in Smash.

Shantae might not be as big, but I think the fact that Shantae (along with Shovel Knight) is one of the faces advertising Indie games on the 3DS/WiiU eshop counts for something. The fact that Wayforward has shown interest in having Shantae as a Smash character should help smooth negotiations.

Other charcters I can see are:

• Gunvolt. One of Inti Creates' charcters
• Cadence from Crypt of the Necrodancer. Cadence of Hyrule is a big feather in their cap.
• Shovel Knight can happen if Assist Trophy upgrades is a thing.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

I really want to see Peppino from Pizza Tower. Given most of the characters in Smash are anime-esque Eastern creations, watching this proudly off-model, proudly disgusting Ren & Stimpy reject squash and stretch across the battlefield would be a delight.

 

[Shinuto]

None. Not because I am against them, but because I would rather the upcoming DLCs be focused on Nintendo properties.

That said, I think Shovel Knight would be cool, but he is an Assist Trophy already. Cave Story is one of the first popular indie games, so his inclusion would be neat (with a Curly Brace alt), but he is not very popular these days. Frisk or Sans is the most likely, though, based on popularity alone.

I would rather not have stuff like Shantae but that is just me.

why, what the hell's left but B and C listers I mean I love me some potential Lip, Chibi Robo, and Adeleine from Kirby but no Nintendo characters not yet playable in Smash hold a candle to any potential 3rd parties at this point.

In terms of DLC to be specific, alot of Nintendo characters make for great base game newcomer potential but DLC since you are paying for it, I think at this point 3rd parties hold more oomph to them.

 

[Lenidem]

I've been away from the video game scene for a very long time so I haven't played any of those famous indie games. But I think it's pretty cool that some of them made it up to Smash as assists, spirits, and/or costumes. That's my two cents.

 

[UserKev]

If not characters, I would love more Indie stages in Smash at least. Indie games have some spectacular worlds that would beautifully translate to Smash.

 

[Paraster]

If not characters, I would love more Indie stages in Smash at least. Indie games have some spectacular worlds that would beautifully translate to Smash.

Oh yeah. A few ideas off the top of my head...

Dead Bird Studio from A Hat In Time.
Mimiga Village, Egg Corridor, and/or Outer Wall from Cave Story.
Any level from Celeste (I'm partial to Golden Ridge or the final part of chapter 7 myself).
Any location from Deltarune's Dark World.
The Ruins from Undertale.
Any location from Hollow Knight (likely Forgotten Crossroads or City of Tears).

 

[3D Dillon]

Reimu or Shantae.
Both are cute teenage girls with magical powers.

 

[lady_sky skipper]

I'd like to see a Va-11 Hall-a rep such as Jill or Dana for Smash Ultimate and Cuphead as a full-fledged rep for the next Smash game after Ultimate. After finally playing Cuphead, I'm just amazed at it's gameplay and graphic design that I appreciated the fact that Sakurai's team at least gave us a Mii costume, spirits, and a music track. If Cuphead does manage to be in the next game Mugman could easily be his echo fighter.

 

[Keeshu]

If Ralsei from Deltarune ever got in, I'd main them no matter what. He's the most relatable video game character for me. Also a "prince of darkness" (or so he claims), and is the healer? Like who ever combines darkness and healing? I never see that anywhere and they are like my two favorite things! His character design looks very good too.

If Deltarune got a rep I'd be so happy. However, I could see it be Kris since he is the main character of Deltarune and has a few interesting mechanics that would be cool to see in Smash. Tension Points (TP) in of itself is a nice mechanic that could make a character interesting on it's own. Kris also has random ACTs so they have all the excuse to have Kris do all sorts of random stuff.
However I'd hope they'd go the fan favorite route and pick Ralsei. While I prefer his normal colors, perhaps he will have an alt color of him with Asriel's color scheme.
I imagine Ralsei would attack with his scarf mainly since that's what he does in his attack animation. He has pacify so he'd put people to sleep. Healing would be interesting because TP requires you to be right next to the opponent's attack. So even if they gave decent heals, the risk probably wouldn't be worth it to try to spam it since you'd probably just take more damage. Of course, the game isn't fully out yet, so there is a chance that Ralsei could have some spells that we don't see in Chapter 1 that he could use. After all Toby and Sakurai did play smash together, and San's costume is in the game, and Toby has done other Nintendo stuff. So I wouldn't be too surprised if Sakurai got some info on what Ralsei could do to make a moveset like Sakurai has done with other characters.
Now you got my hopes up. We'll just have to see if that's what happens though.

On a side note, I doubt we'd get an Undertale rep since the Sans costume, but I always figured Papyrus would get in over Sans. For one reason Sans doesn't do a whole lot in a normal playthrough. Papyrus however hogs all the attention since he's early game and is in Snowdin, and he's available to be called in most maps during the game. He also more easily represents what Undertale looks like on the surface and he definitely loves to fight.

 

[Oracle Link]

Frisk but i try some more obscour Choices

Madeline (because Celesete is nice)

Vi,Kabbu and Leif (because Bugfables is inspired by Paper Mario also Bugs)

 

[Paraster]

Today's the 16th anniversary of Cave Story, one of the earliest indie hits and one of the big inspirations behind me making this thread. I remember last year thinking the Game Awards might announce Quote for Smash to tie in to the 15th anniversary.

On a side note, another character I'd love to see even though it's probably near-impossible is Boki from Copy Kitty (a very underappreciated game). It'd be neat to see her use a bunch of her flashy combined attacks.

 

[SharkLord]

I've said this on other threads, but the two indie frontrunners for me are Reimu and Shovel Knight, for opposite reasons.

Touhou is the undisputed indie king (Or queen, rather) for Japan. It dates back to the 90's and hit its stride in the early 2000's, giving it legacy many indies could only dream of. It has a massive fanbase and many, many fanworks, giving it a unique edge over the majority of it's competition. It got big enough to cross over with Hello Kitty, the second most profitable franchise in the world. It's arguably the biggest remaining indie candidate left. Plus, all the indies represented so far are Western creations that only blew up recently. Perhaps Nintendo is looking for an older Japanese series instead.

Shovel Knight is the opposite, a recent Western smash hit. He's become emblematic of the 2010's indie boom, cameoing in just about everything, including Smash already. Out of all the Assist Trophies, he arguably has the clearest path to promotion.

 

[Paraster]

I've said this on other threads, but the two indie frontrunners for me are Reimu and Shovel Knight, for opposite reasons.

Touhou is the undisputed indie king (Or queen, rather) for Japan. It dates back to the 90's and hit its stride in the early 2000's, giving it legacy many indies could only dream of. It has a massive fanbase and many, many fanworks, giving it a unique edge over the majority of it's competition. It got big enough to cross over with Hello Kitty, the second most profitable franchise in the world. It's arguably the biggest remaining indie candidate left. Plus, all the indies represented so far are Western creations that only blew up recently. Perhaps Nintendo is looking for an older Japanese series instead.

Shovel Knight is the opposite, a recent Western smash hit. He's become emblematic of the 2010's indie boom, cameoing in just about everything, including Smash already. Out of all the Assist Trophies, he arguably has the clearest path to promotion.

I always felt that Quote was best oick for a "classic indie," but the more I think about it, the more I realize Reimu probably surpasses him in that regard AND is more relevant in the modern day.

And Shovel Knight I thought was 100% the most likely indie to become a fighter until he became an assist trophy (though with my recently changed stance on AT promotions, I feel he has a bit of a shot for DLC).

 

[SharkLord]

I always felt that Quote was best oick for a "classic indie," but the more I think about it, the more I realize Reimu probably surpasses him in that regard AND is more relevant in the modern day.

And Shovel Knight I thought was 100% the most likely indie to become a fighter until he became an assist trophy (though with my recently changed stance on AT promotions, I feel he has a bit of a shot for DLC).

The problem with Quote is that apparently, Nicalis has a reputation of outright ghosting collaborators. I'm not sure if Nintendo would want to deal with a company that could potentially just ignore them for a big project like Smash.

 

[Paraster]

The problem with Quote is that apparently, Nicalis has a reputation of outright ghosting collaborators. I'm not sure if Nintendo would want to deal with a company that could potentially just ignore them for a big project like Smash.

Yeah, that's another issue. I'd like to think that Nicalis wouldn't be so stupid that they'd blow off Nintendo, but that's irrelevant if their reputation means that Nintendo wouldn't want to work with them to begin with. Golden scenario would be Nicalis giving the rights and being hands-off while Sakurai works with Pixel.

But whatever. Quote's still probably my top pick, but I don't feel as strongly about him nowadays and have accepted that more relevant/easier to work with indies are more likely. Reimu specifically feels like they could do some really neat stuff with her (even if I have little direct experience with Touhou).

 

[cashregister9]

I've always thought if we got an indie Frisk or any Undertale character would be our first, Undertale is super popular, iconic, influential and memorable and has an audience worldwide. I could even see Grisk in Fighter's Pass 2 if the Sans costume sold better than Nintendo's expectations, That might catch Nintendo's attention. Especially with the lack of Spirits...

Other Indies I think can make it in at some point
-Shovel Knight: Self Explanatory
-Shantae: Large Nintendo history
-Reimu: Arguably the most influential indie game, it perfected the Shoot-em up and showed that Indie developers can get somewhere
-Quote: The first indie that gained worldwide affection, but it is in the hands of Nicalis who are stingy and just all around awful
-Zagreus: This one won't happen for several years IMO but Supergiant has proven time and time again that they are one of the best Indie devs

 

[Foxy Alopex]

Besides the ones already mentioned by everyone these are others I can think of.

Dust (Dust: An Elysian Tail)
Mae (Night in the Woods)
Meat Boy (Super Meat Boy)
Freddy Fazbear (Five Nights at Freddy's)
Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)
Rick (Fox N Forests)
Lucky (New Super Lucky's Tale)

 

[Jorichi]

To me it's between Reimu and Shantae (from the indies that I'm familiar with at least)

I think it's pretty important for the indie in question to be reliable, having stood the test of time and show its staying power. Being around a while and having a few games in the series will prove it's not just a fad or flavor of the month kind of game and that the developer has a firm grip of what makes their games so enjoyable. It will also show Nintendo that the developers are reliable to work with and won't do anything unexpected after their character got added.
And not to mention that having a few games paints a better picture to draw a fighter from and everything that comes with it.
I think Reimu might have an edge on Shantae though, being longer standing and Japanese in origin. But in all fairness it's just which one strikes Sakurai's or Nintendo's mood best probably.

Gunvolt might also be interesting and possible to see if you ask me. Though maybe that's a bit too recent? Inti Creates has done some great stuff and I'd like to see them get some love (and probably mainly because they did an awesome job on the BMZ games. Blaster Master getting a fighter would be a dream of mine, but what are the odds for that, right? And would that count as indie or retro? Just give me Sophia and Jason Sakurai!).

If we do get an indie fighter though, it'll be refreshing to see, regardless of who it's going to be.

 

[Technomage]

The two indie chars I want the most are Madeline from Celeste and Freddy Fazbear (assuming he still counts as an indie char).

 

[Paraster]

The two indie chars I want the most are Madeline from Celeste and Freddy Fazbear (assuming he still counts as an indie char).

I'm pretty sure Freddy still counts as indie.

Even if he doesn't, though, I'm someone who considered Steve a triumph for indies because he was one even if he isn't now.

 

[Technomage]

I'm pretty sure Freddy still counts as indie.

Yeah, I thought that FNAF now counts as AAA, since it's now owned by Steel Wool, not just Scott Cawthon.

 

[DynoStretch]

Shovel Knight and Shantae stand out the most for me.... though I'd honestly want to see Hat Kid as well.

Maybe it's just cause one of my favorite things to do in that game is smack enemies with her parasol. It has the sound and impact of God using his office stapler. I could possibly see her as having a 'Hat Switch' mechanic where she can swap between her ability hats to do various specials.

She would also come with an absolutely sublime soundtrack, I swear Pascal Michael Stiefel is a musical genius.

 

[Dr. Yatagarasu]

Yeah, I thought that FNAF now counts as AAA, since it's now owned by Steel Wool, not just Scott Cawthon.

You know, is there actually a clear boundary between what is indie, and what's not? There are of course the obvious examples of indies where it is or is basically just one person, like ZUN and Toby Fox, but then there's companies like Wayforward, where there seems to be well over 100 employees (although they make plenty of other things other than Shantae), but that's considered indie too.

 

[shinhed-echi]

If they're going for indies they'll probably get the bigger names. Gunvolt and Shantae probably.
I don't see anyone else being an actual character. Maybe Reimu, but I don't know much about her.

As for wants, either of these 3, but I'd also want a Castle Crashers knight.
Quote is cool, and I LOVE Cave Story, but personally I wouldn't be all that excited about him.


... The guilty pleasure side of mine would like to see Ekoro as well.

 

[Joinallthreacs.smash]

Yall sleeping on one of the OG Indie games, and the first one to break into mainstream gaming.

 

[Oracle Link]

The two indie chars I want the most are Madeline from Celeste and Freddy Fazbear (assuming he still counts as an indie char).

I wouldnt get your hopes up i dont think a Horror Monster has even a slither of hope in Smash (maybe a MiiCostume)

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Think it comes down to Shantae and Reimu.

 

[Paraster]

Let's look at things from a specific angle: which indies have the closest ties to or best relationships with Nintendo?

Crypt of the NecroDancer got a full-on crossover with one of Nintendo's biggest IPs, and the original game's Switch version got a bit of exclusive content.
Cave Story's first paid version was for WiiWare, and all of its later paid versions that weren't on computers were on Nintendo consoles (including the current "definitive" version, the Switch version).
Shovel Knight got the first-ever third party amiibo.

 

[Oracle Link]

Thinking about it maybe Scott Pilgrim????
I mean i think the Books are Indie Comics and hes Heavily tied to Games
But just maybe!