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Who are the top contenders for the new Big Three?

Seanp12

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Apr 21, 2015
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With K. rool, the Big Three of smash speculation (MewTwo, Ridley, K.Rool) has finally made it in. So now I'm wondering, "is there anyone who matches up to their astronomical hype levels?" I don't just mean characters who might be the top three most wanted, but those who have absolutely fanatical fanbases who will sustain themselves at massive levels even if they lose out for several Smashes in a row. You might also throw in a restriction of first party characters, since M2, Ridley and K.Rool are all Nintendo.

The closest one I see is Waluigi, and then Ashley's SmashBoards thread is in the thousands of posts right now, but I don't know if that quite matches up to the OG Big Three. Any opinions?
 

Dr. Jojo Phantasma

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Well the three big hype characters that still have a chance are probably Geno, Isabelle, and Issac.
 

cybersai

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The only other long requested character back to the Brawl days is Geno. He's really the last one that has that insane huge following.

I still want Dixie but her hype is less.
 

Sari

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For Smash in general (so including deconfirmed SSBU characters), I'd probably say Waluigi, Geno, and Isaac. Ashley is a close runner-up as well.
 
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Seanp12

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The only other long requested character back to the Brawl days is Geno. He's really the last one that has that insane huge following.

I still want Dixie but her hype is less.
Is he really that big, or is his fanbases just tenacious? I think both size and tenacity are important to what made the Big Three more than merely the top three. Right now Geno has a fraction of the posts that Ashley has, but like I said, I'm not sure if that's really a useful measurement.
 

TheYellowPack

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My guesses are either Crash Bandicoot or Banjo/Kazooie. My Guess Banjo, but those 2 would be pretty hype.
Echo wise I'd say definitely Shadow, but I'd hope for him to be his own character rather than a echo, cause Sonic doesn't have a gun...

'Rool'ing out 3rd Parties, I'd say there's some hype in potential echos such as Dry Bowser, but echo aside also (who'd guess it) Waluigi (Deconfirmed yes) as his fan base are getting restless...
 
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cybersai

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Is he really that big, or is his fanbases just tenacious? I think both size and tenacity are important to what made the Big Three more than merely the top three. Right now Geno has a fraction of the posts that Ashley has, but like I said, I'm not sure if that's really a useful measurement.
Geno just goes back longer to 2007, the pre-Brawl days. I don't remember Ashley being much of a thing back then. Isaac was bigger at the time, but support for him seems to have gone down in recent years due to the end of his franchise thus far. And Waluigi is just always a thing despite him probably not ever getting in.

Only other characters with some support going back more than a decade is probably Dixie, and if you count him Toad before Captain Toad existed.
 

TBone06

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As a Geno fan (easily my number one requested) I can say that after Brawl, the thought of him being in dwindled quite a bit for me. Not to say it was gone, but the hype was definitely not the high levels as they were in Brawl. At the time, I thought if he wasn't in Brawl, it wasn't meant to be. The Mii Costume really revitalized hope in Geno fans as well as the comments Sakurai said about him. I'm always going to be cautious when being hopeful for him, but I honestly see him being included now that Ridley and K. Rool have been revealed. I think Isaac still has a decent fan base, Ashley (despite being disconfirmed) is still up there, and Isabelle is still up there too. Bandana Dee is also near the top in my opinion.
 

UserKev

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Geno, potentially Ashley, Isaac? and third parties if they count. Isabelle is popular but she isn't historically old yet. Haha She's rather more a new face.
 

cybersai

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Isabelle isn't that old, her character only came into prominence rather recently. And even more recently in terms of Smash support.

Geno, Isaac, Ashley, Bandana Dee, etc. all seem to have the same amount of support as mid-tier characters, same for Waluigi/Krystal, etc.
 

Nap_

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Yes.
Waluigi will be the first of them. The others, Ashley and Geno, my view.
But if for the next game there are some cuts we will be in square 1 again.
 

cybersai

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Next game will be devastating if there are cuts, most of the echoes would be the first to go, lol
 

Sabrewulf238

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I would say Isaac certainly deserves to be in the new top three.

Though I feel like you're not going to get as much of a concensus on this new big three somehow. Mewtwo, Ridley and K. Rool were kinda oppressive in how obviously big they were.

If I had to pick I'd probably say Isaac, Bandana Dee and Dixie Kong.
 
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cybersai

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Majora's Mask had support but it was always dwarfed by Ridley/K. Rool and other villains, plus people were unsure which Zelda rep to support. A lot used to want Ghirahim, Vaati (remember when Vaati was a big thing?), Midna, or Impa, etc.

I'm not sure if I'd put him as high even though I want him a lot and Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game.
 
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Honest Slug

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I'd say Geno, Isaac and Bandanna Dee have the biggest followings right now.

For deconfirmed characters Waluigi and Ashley are big too.
 

PrinceGal3n

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In terms of the ones I see talked about/requested the most, excluding those who have been deconfirmed as of today, I have to hand it to Geno, Isaac, and Skull Kid. Dixie and Isabelle are very close behind though, maybe throw in Bandana Dee and Shadow in terms of discussion.
 

slambros

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I'm gonna be boring and say that I want to see who else is added to this game's roster, even after DLC, before I definitely have an answer for this. I feel like Lip and Isaac are borh strong contenders.
 

VexTheHex

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I don't think any will get that big except Waluigi.

Spring Man and Isabelle could spring forth a following if they fail getting in. Spring Man's best shot is DLC this go around.

Takamaru, Lyn, Lip, Ashley, and Krystal all have a solid following, but time will only do them favors if they stay a bit relevant. (minus retro for Takamaru and Lip)

I feel Isaac and Geno have "settled" in terms of their wagons. They have their very vocal group, but it's not that big and will only grow in obscurity.
 

Nimbostratus

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I'd consider Waluigi, Isaac, Ashley, Bandana Dee, Dixie Kong, and maybe Geno as all strong contenders. Spring Man might make a move up at some point. From my experience, Isabelle is a prominent character, but her support has never seemed quite as active the others listed. Lyn is pretty popular, but I think being a Fire Emblem character will permanently keep her out of top three. Takamaru is popular here, but I think he might still be too niche to make Top 3. Could be wrong. Skull Kid might be a dark horse candidate. I've gotten pretty mixed messages on the scale of his support.
If we were to include third-parties, definitely Banjo-Kazooie.

I don't know. Getting in both Ridley and K. Rool will really open up the playing field and give room for other supports to breathe. Who ends up top three will depend on where the majority of those supporters congregate. It's going to be fun to see now that speculation is no longer stuck in the same place that it's been since Brawl.
 
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Dan

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Not sure about top 3, but two of them are definitely skull kid and geno. These two are the biggest requested Nintendo newcomers not in Ultimate yet.
Today I thought these were going to be the two newcomers going in since there will clearly be another Direct and Simon/K. Rool are more appropriate for a finale, which makes me think who the final characters are gonna be cause the clearly got the heavy-hitters out of the way.
 

cybersai

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ARMS literally just came out in 2017, and Springman is likely for DLC, hence why people don't talk about him much. Similar to the Inklings it's sort of expected being the only big new Nintendo franchise this gen.

If Geno does get in then that really will be another big character off the list, and the list is dwindling these days.
 

BlazGreen

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If we're talking about long running character fandoms then I'd say it's probably Geno, Krystal and Bandanna Dee. If it's just popularity and nothing else then It's Waluigi, Bandanna Dee and Ashley.

None of those characters can really compare to the original big three though.
 

Dan

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I don't think any will get that big except Waluigi.

Spring Man and Isabelle could spring forth a following if they fail getting in. Spring Man's best shot is DLC this go around.

Takamaru, Lyn, Lip, Ashley, and Krystal all have a solid following, but time will only do them favors if they stay a bit relevant. (minus retro for Takamaru and Lip)

I feel Isaac and Geno have "settled" in terms of their wagons. They have their very vocal group, but it's not that big and will only grow in obscurity.
This is a fair comment; Krystal was huge Brawl era and potentially fell off the most. Ashley is rising, while I'd put Geno ahead of Isaac and potentially on top and probably in the game as Sakurai said a lot of stuff to make his supporters excited; I think Waluigi has already hit that K. Rool/Ridley transcendent plane but nothing can be done at this point unless they made a late change and he'll be revealed in the final Direct, which is 99.99% not happening.

The scary thing is this game is fan requests so if your fan favorite doesn't get in this time around you may be screwed for Smash 6 where they might go back to their ways of completely rando **** (Corrin, Wii Fit Trainer, etc.) - I'm gonna get some crap for labeling Corrin as bad, but that was not appropriate for a final Direct.

"Spring Man Springs Forth!"

I don't know. Getting in both Ridley and K. Rool will really open up the playing field and give room for other supports to breathe. Who ends up top three will depend on where the majority of those supporters congregate. It's going to be fun to see now that speculation is no longer stuck in the same place that it's been since Brawl.
I like your wording; this is like a game of chess or free agency, lol.
 

EarlTamm

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Like many people are saying, Geno is a big one. He has a long history with Smash, and although he is not as big as he used to be, the Geno fan following does seem to be increasing after all the revelations after Sakurai's statement and especially after today.
 

cybersai

Smash Ace
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I think it's also now that Sakurai is nearly done representing the big Nintendo franchises. So now you have to do with the third-tier characters behind the hero, his sidekick, or the main villain.

Besides always getting a new Pokemon rep and (sadly or not sadly) a new Fire Emblem rep, most other franchises seem to hit their limits. Like if we get Dixie Kong then I'll be content if DK never gets a new rep again, because even though Cranky might be cool he's not really needed. Metroid seems "done" for now too.
 

Dan

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Like many people are saying, Geno is a big one. He has a long history with Smash, and although he is not as big as he used to be, the Geno fan following does seem to be increasing after all the revelations after Sakurai's statement and especially after today.
Yup; my thoughts exactly - he just seemed so appropriate for a middle-ground reveal today as opposed to E3 or the grand finale... there may be two more Directs, but we at least know one is on the way so a few more Echos and two more newcomers are up for order. If it's truly fanservice and it was feasible they would add Waluigi, but that won't happen because the fans were super spoiled and they probably settled on the newcomers a year ago: so Geno... idk? Bandana Dee? It's a good day for Smash fans when you don't know who the rest of the newcomers should be.
 

cybersai

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My guess is the next direct will probably reveal the new Pokemon rep, two more echoes (maybe Dixie Kong and Isabelle?), and maybe one surprise reveal at the end like this time. Could be Geno next time, or maybe Skull Kid. Who knows. All bets are off.
 

Jeck

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I can give you two big boys and one weirdo little man.

Rayman because Ubisoft and Nintendo are absolute homies for life right now.

Crash Bandicoot because if you think about it, he's kind of to Sony what Mario and Sonic are to Nintendo and Sega. Also, a Sony character feels off limits and limits are meant to be Smashed (haha).

Solaire. We are still missing that one big WTF character and Nintendo fights for their friends.
 

skydogc

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Definitely Geno. He's had a very good following (including me) and been wanted since at least Melee. That's actually the longest lived name I think. Outside that, I know Skull Kid has had a decently sized following. Isaac has some fans. Back in the day, Banjo and Kazooie were REALLY wanted, but that kinda just didn't pan out (what with the whole Microsoft and Rare thing). Would be funny if we got Yooka and Laylie though.
 

Dan

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I was afraid to say it because of my Super Mario RPG bias, but yeah, Geno is the one surefire name left on the list, and then they could just chose any of the other names thrown out here; Isaac could be a close second, but imo he isn't on the same level, and then maybe Bandana Dee. Krystal is an AT and dead, and I was completely oblivious of the Ashley movement until two days ago, so take that into account.
 

Julesimanerd

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I’d throw in my big hype guy now would be Dr. Robotnik aka Eggman, then we’d have the whole platformer villain squad. If they confirm one more big character, I want it to be Eggman, alongside Shadow the Hedgehog Echo Fighter reveal.
 

Klimax

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I would say:

1. Waluigi: That's kinda obvious, this guy is way too popular and the more is rejected, the more popular he becomes, i would say that i'm 100% convinced he's going to be in Smash 6. The thing that makes me say that he's really the biggest name in term of popularity is that many people who don't even care about Waluigi now want him in Smash. Because asking for Waluigi in super smash bros is now a trendy thing, that's something cool to do, so, you have a bunch of people doing it. Trust me, i saw A LOT of people asking for Waluigi when in fact they didn't care about him just one year ago.

2. Ashley: Just look how big she is right now, look at her thread on Smashboards, that's crazy. She's popular in the west but also in the east which is a pretty good thing for her. And i was pretty shocked that she ended up being an AT.

3. Bandana Dee AND Isaac: Look, i don't know how to make a choice between these two, i don't even think this is possible. They both have a very strong fanbase and a huge following.


Honorable Mentions: Geno. He could have been in the top three but it seems like he's not as popular as the others (being in just one game that didn't get a EU release doesn't help).

Dixie Kong: Very popular, one of the very few Nintendo All-Stars not in the game yet. But i gotta say that i'm pretty convinced we'll have her as an echo.

Banjo Kazooie: They're popular as hell, people still remember the good old N64 era and how brilliant their games were and a lot of people are asking more and more for their inclusion since Microsoft and Nintendo have a good relationship lately.

Rayman: Very popular, is an icon (Rayman 1 is one of the best 2D platformer ever made and 2 is one of the best 2D to 3D transition) and could represents Ubisoft who has a very good relationship with Nintendo.
 

Guybrush20X6

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Waluigi, Ashley and Krystal in Assist Trophies

Bandanna Dee, Dixie Kong and Geno in ones with hope left.
 

Dan

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I’d throw in my big hype guy now would be Dr. Robotnik aka Eggman, then we’d have the whole platformer villain squad. If they confirm one more big character, I want it to be Eggman, alongside Shadow the Hedgehog Echo Fighter reveal.
At first I would have refuted this, but Castlevania is the first third-party franchise to have two reps (both in the same day), so I can't discount this anymore.
 

Seanp12

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I see a lot of people discounting deconfirmed characters (BTW, "deconfirmed" is a silly term. It makes it sound like they were confirmed, but then Sakurai changed his mind and said "lol nope." Should be "disconfirmed," says I.). I would argue that being deconfirmed for some makes them even more similar to the Big Three, since one of the things that made those three huge was the repeated disconfirmation, of which Ridley had it worst. It's also part of the reason why Waluigi comes to mind, since it seems like his AT reveal for Smash Ultimate may be the watershed moment when his fans decide to go hard in the paint to change Sakurai's mind, a la Ridley in the Melee opening.

I also see mixed assesments of Geno. Some say he's highly popular, but others say he's got a vocal fanbase, but they're (relatively) small and slowly getting smaller, as opposed to characters like Ashley whose fanbases have been growing after repeated disconfirmations.
 
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HenryZusa

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I would say Waluigi, Ashley and Shovel Knight...oh wait... :confused:

Joking aside, I think they would be Geno, Bandana Dee and Isaac.
 

EarlTamm

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I also see mixed assesments of Geno. Some say he's highly popular, but others say he's got a vocal fanbase, but they're (relatively) small and slowly getting smaller, as opposed to characters like Ashley whose fanbases have been growing after repeated disconfirmations.
Maybe at one point, but Geno is going through a resurgence. Geno still is one of the biggest threads in the newcomer discussion board, and during Smash 4 he was decently high in polls. Is he has as big as Ashley? No, not anymore, but he is not a dwindling faction anymore, and that fact that every other person here is noting him is a sign of that.
 
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