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Who would YOU have added, if you were Sakurai?

LoZ00

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Lately, I've been reading a lot of disappointment around Ultimate's roster: I mean, it's ok to have opinions, and it's ok and fun to argue, but I'm afraid we aren't really understanding what the game offers to us. We have 74 characters, coming from all sorts of games and eras. I think that people were appreciating the roster way more before :ultisabelle:, :ultincineroar:, :ultken: and :ultpiranha:'s reveals, but that's just because maybe your most wanted characters didn't get in. And I understand: my most wanted newcomers were Skull Kid and Dixie Kong, and neither of them got in. But still, I'm happy with the characters we have, even if Skull Kid and Dixie Kong don't end up being in the roster even as DLC. Not having my favorite characters doesn't make the ones we have less exciting.
So here I am "challenging" you: who would YOU have added, if you were Sakurai? Keep in mind a couple of simple rules:
1) You can remove as many newcomers as you want, but not veterans. The whole point of Ultimate is: "Everyone is here", so you would basically remove this game's identity.
2) When you remove an Echo fighter, you can't bring a unique newcomer. Echo fighters have some individual special rules:
-:ultdaisy::ultrichter: are basically carbon copies for their original characters: if you remove one of them you have to add an Echo that is very similar to the original fighter (e.g. I remove :ultrichter: and add Alph, who's basically an alt. costume for :ultolimar:).
-:ultdarksamus: is a weird case: she has many different animations than :ultsamus: but they share almost every move. You are allowed to add echoes with different animations and similar moves (e.g. Shadow, who is most like :ultsonic: but with a different dashing animation and stuff).
-:ultchrom: is moderately different than his base character. You can add an echo that borrows a couple of moves from another fighter (e.g. I add Impa and I give her :ultzelda:'s neutral and up B).
-:ultken: is almost a unique fighter. You can add a character that greatly deviates from the original, as long as they share a similar body build (e.g. I add Dixie Kong).


Here's my take, and it will be very short: I remove :ultpiranha: and I add Dixie Kong

Now it's your turn!
 

S_B

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I have no interest in playing as Geno, Isaac, or BK but I would've added them all the same.

Mario RPG was the start of all of the Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi spinoffs and is an important part of Nintendo history that Geno would represent.

Same with Isaac and Banjo-Kazooie.

To me, SSB has always been about Nintendo history (and in some ways gaming's history on the whole) and I feel like the aforementioned are missing pieces of an incomplete puzzle (much like Ridley and KKR were).
 

FirestormNeos

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:ultinkling::ultdaisy::ultridley::ultsimon::ultrichter::ultdarksamus::ultken::ultinkling: all make sense as character additions. :ultpiranha: was a much needed palette cleanser, so they stay, too.

Replace :ultkrool:'s Down-B. I'd drop him outright, but that means no King K. Rool reveal trailer, and that just ain't right tbh.
Drop :ultchrom:, Add Linkle (Link Echo).
Drop :ultincineroar:, Add Gardevoir.

Boom. 5/7 perfect roster.

EDIT: In a scenario where we can ignore the rules of the thread (but still only add a few extra characters), I'd keep both of the otherwise dropped characters (while still adding the suggested characters), then add Shadow as a Sonic Echo, Bowsette as a hybrid character with moves from both Peach and Bowser, add 2B & Sora (both of which I will aim to make sure Square Enix gets as little say in the music department as humanly possible), and then most importantly, add a Stage Builder Mode.
 
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thirsty-pocket

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702
I probably would have tried my damndest to add all the fan picks because this is a fan service game first and foremost. Then I'd choose a few obscure retro game characters because it's also a game about gaming history, and I see it as a way to build interest in forgotten characters for a potential revival.
 

nirvanafan

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Remove Incineroar for Elma
Remove Richter for Ninten
Remove Ken for Dixie Kong

also would consider daisy & chrom being removed for other echos like impa, an independent alph, etc. but still kind of on the fence of what exactly I would do there
 
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Frizz

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Honestly? Not much. I'm quite happy with the roster, but if I were to make one little change... Me being the Fire Emblem fanatic I am, I'd add Anna. She's kinda like the jack of all trades of the series since she's been shown to have expertise in different kind of weapons in her many appearances, so she wouldn't be just another sword user. 8 Fire Emblem characters may be a bit too much, but I say she deserves a spot.

I'd also add Dixie Kong, and maybe Maxwell from Scribblenauts as an "obscure" fighter. Granted, he's much more well-suited as an Assist Trophy, but I still think he'd be an interesting choice.
 

The Animator

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I would replace :ultisabelle: with Dixie Kong, since she would likely use assets of :ultdiddy: and :ultdk: the way :ultisabelle: does with :ultvillager:.

I would replace :ultincineroar: with Banjo/Kazooie, If Nintendo doesn't want to licence them, then I choose Whispy Woods.

I would replace :ultken: with Funky Kong.

:ultchrom: with :ultisabelle: as an echo of :ultvillager:.
I would replace :ultrichter: with Alph, since its weird that he is still an echo. That would leave only Bowser Jr. as the only character with alt characters as costumes which is alright since your really just playing as the clown car.
 

Michael the Spikester

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Banjo-Kazooie, Black Shadow, Elma, Leon Powalski, Medusa and Nightmare (Soulcalibur).

Also Isaac for the Isaac fans. They did not deserve to be screwed once again.
 

CaptainAmerica

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One of my big ones is Tails. Possibly in place of :ultken: so he could be an echo with a lot of difference. Also I'd have brought in Midna, but I don't know who I'd have taken out...maybe :ultdarksamus: or :ultrichter:.

Of course I'd like to see Dovahkiin in, and Nightmare or Ivy from Soul Calibur, but I'd be able to hold them until DLC. As long as they were coming...

I'd also have kept Link a lefty, and given Yink a Fierce Deity final smash.
 

Ice-N-Space

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I would add Lilac, Glover, Cat Peach, and Krystal! Lilac would be amazing in Smash with her hair and dragon boost!
 

NintenEdgyMan

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Although I'm going to add some fan favorites, I will be realistic, because I doubt Sakurai has 100% full control.

Characters who are in and don't change: :ultridley::ultkrool::ultsimon::ultinkling::ultdaisy::ultrichter:

Characters who have changes: :ultisabelle::ultdarksamus::ultchrom::ultken:

Cut characters: :ultincineroar::ultyounglink::ultpiranha:

Let me get this out if the way first: I live Geno and Issac. I'm a big supporter, but they just aren't plausible. Geno is being chained up by Square ironically as their play toy, and Issac is from a JPRG that is basically replaced by Xenoblade.

Second thing is that Yound Link is there. The reason why I don't think that needs to exist is due to the fact that I and many others saw :ulttoonlink: as :ultyounglink: but with an updated design, kind of like how Link got upgraded to TP after OOT in Melee.

Let's go over changes.

:ultchrom: is still a Roy echo, but he has Marth's recovery instead of Ike's.

:ultisabelle: is now an echo of Villager. Like Dark Samus, they have very different animations, making them distinct through visuals alone.

:ultdarksamus: is now a Semi Clone. I think that out of all the echoes Dark Samus deserves the upgrade more than any other Echo. Call it Metroid bias, but they have a lot of cool moves to pull from.

:ultken: is now more exact to Ryu. This let's another character have more development time.

I am adding a unique character and a semi clone. The semi clone is at the cost of Young Link AND from the unique things Ken had over Ryu.

We have Mario, Sonic, Pac Man, and Mega Man, but there is one character that is missing. Mr Indie himself: Shovel Knight.

Shovel Knight is the definitive indie character. He has no rights issues due to his status as an assist and spirit, and he is very popular. He is also very relevant. He has great moveset potential and it's a shame he wasn't in this smash.

Last is the semi clone. This would be Slippy Toad. I chose him as the joke character. The WTF if you will. He would be similar to Fox, but would jump very high, use gadgets, and have a special gimmick. This would be going faster is he is running away from his opponent.

This still leaves Piranah Plant. Because he is both longer a WTF character, he is not needed. This leaves room for a relevant, popular, and deserving character: Monster Hunter.

Monster Hunter is very deserving having an extremely large pool of moves to choose from, a quiet yet big following, relevancy, and an overall effect on the gaming world having the best selling capcom game ever.

These are the changes I would make. I decided to leave a lot because they are cool/make sense. I'm not a Daisy fan but it would feel wrong having echoes but not her. If you think that I am wrong about Young/Toon Link please don't @ me because nothing will change my mind.
 

soviet prince

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trade :ultincineroar: for buzzhole which rep the new creatures sun/moon brought in plus a good move set

trade :ultchrom: for Dixie
 

Smithn

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I wouldn't change much. Swap :ultincineroar: for Skull Kid, and swap :ultchrom: for Shadow (Sonic echo).
 

KafkaKomedy

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Keep :ultsimon::ultinkling::ultridley::ultkrool::ultdaisy::ultrichter:

Replace :ultincineroar: with Golisopod

Replace :ultchrom: With Zoroark as a Lucario Echo (remove Aura mechanic, change animation of Down B but keep it a counter, Change Side B, make any aura gfx dark gfx)

Replace :ultpiranha: With Elma or Rex & Pyra, would be fun to have the costume reveal and then bring eveyone's spirits up with a full fighter.

Replace :ultisabelle: With Ninten as a Semiclone of Ness, new specials, mostly the same tilts and aerials

Replace :ultdarksamus: with :ultisabelle:, An echo with the same attacks but entirely unique animations.

Replace :ultken: with Protoman.
 

Al-kīmiyā'

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Replace :ultincineroar: with Skull Kid.
Replace :ultpiranha: with Neku.
Replace :ultisabelle: with Decloned Ganondorf. If she's not enough, then use all the new clones, and if that's not enough, use Ridley.
Give :ultrichter: the combat cross, or just take off the mace head.

I wouldn't bring back all the veterans, but those were the rules.
 

smashingDoug

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:4link:

:4zelda: Give her that sword she has

Three treasures :pit:

:zeldamelee::sheikmelee: Bring back together keep :zeldamelee: Magical


Ghost toon Zelda. Plays like:ultzelda: and floats like :ultmewtwo:
 
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YoshiandToad

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Not replacing any of the vets made this a lot harder since there's plenty of them I'd replace in a heartbeat before cutting any of Ultimate's newcomers.

Replace :ultdaisy: with Blaziken echo of :ultfalcon: as getting sick of Pokemon only ever picking from the newest gen.
Replace :ultdarksamus: with Dixie semi clone of :ultdiddy:. Donkey Kong I feel needs more love than Metroid even.
Replace :ultincineroar: with Captain Toad
Replace :ultsimon: with Bomberman, remove :ultrichter: entirely to free up dev time for Dixie so she goes from straight up echo to semi clone.

Swap :ultkrool: and Captain Toad(:ultincineroar:)'s reveals so we can finish on a big fat surprise. Also swap :ultken: and Dixie(:ultdarksamus:)'s reveals to make that last trailer work nicer.

Weirdly I don't want to give up :ultchrom: or :ultpiranha: even though on paper they're the most expendable.
 
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Golden Icarus

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I honestly would not have done things very differently at all.

:ultinkling: was a given. It would’ve been absurd if the Inklings were somehow not in Ultimate. At this point Splatoon is chillin with the big boys in terms of big Nintendo IPs, and quite honestly probably has more clout nowadays than franchises like StarFox, F-Zero, and maybe even Metroid. On top of that, they fit like an absolute glove. Incredibly unique, faithful to their source material, and according to many, feel very natural to play as. A perfect addition.

:ultridley: and :ultkrool: were also perfect picks in my opinion. Two major requests ever since Brawl, that bolster the villain and heavyweight lineup, and are essential characters in important Nintendo franchises. How could you complain? Just look how grateful their supporters were and still are.

:ultsimon: and :ultrichter: were both beautiful third party additions. Personally, I was always a bigger supporter of Rayman, or the rather niche Shovel Knight if we were to have one big third party character, but the Belmonts are simply superb choices. Like Inklings, they seem to fit in perfectly, and add so much from there series in terms of music and additional content. Castlevania has always been an icon to Nintendo and is a wonderful fit for Smash. I could not be happier with these two.

As far as echoes go, :ultchrom::ultdarksamus: and :ultken: were wonderful choices. Chrom has always been a personal favorite of mine and many others. Dark Samus gives a nice extra dose of love for a franchise that has always felt underrepresented, and adds some much needed flair to a moveset that hasn’t seen much change over the years. And Ken looks like so much fun! I’ve always preferred him to Ryu in Street Fighter, and the Smash team did a wonderful job at highlighting all of his subtle differences.

I also feel that :ultisabelle: was a damn near perfect pick too. While I’m not a huge fan of her personally, she is the face of Animal Crossing and a highly popular character worldwide. On top of that, they made her into an incredibly well fleshed out semi clone. They didn’t have to force her into an echo, while still being able to build her off of Villager, likely saving tons of development time. I love this character pick quite honestly.

Now to be frank, I don’t like :ultdaisy: all that much. However, she doesn’t seem like she was much work at all, and I know that there are plenty of Daisy fans that are happy that they can finally play as their favorite princess. Sadly, I just don’t see the appeal. It also stings a little bit that she beat both Waluigi and Toad to the punch somehow.

:ultincineroar: was also the absolute lamest thing that they could have ended things off with. He does seem like a good time to play, and I do love finally having a wrestler character playable in Smash. He also is one of the most expressive characters in the whole game and it really shows in everything he does. But man was he a terrible way to end off the combo of popular and iconic picks we were getting before. I really wish they didn’t feel the need to force a new Pokémon into every single Smash game. I understand it’s a big series, but we already had eight unique Pokémon, plus Pichu. I don’t think that an obligatory Sun and Moon rep was the way to go when we were only gonna be getting six unique newcomers at launch.

:ultpiranha: was honestly really refreshing. With all the different leaks being shoved down our throats, it was nice to have something that was not only completely unleaked, but also something that had never even been suggested! It was pretty awesome, and it’s hard to beat the reaction it got. And the radical, unique play style that the character lends is a pretty sweet bonus as well. I love it. However, like Daisy, it would’ve been nice to get some of the more important Mario characters first. But if I put that anal part of me aside, I can’t help but adore this character.

So in the end, I would definitely keep :ultinkling::ultridley::ultsimon::ultkrool: without question. I would keep :ultisabelle: given her popularity, and her being a solid semi clone, which we honestly hadn’t seen in a while. :ultdarksamus::ultchrom::ultrichter::ultken: were all perfect echo choices in my opinion. And while I’m not a huge :ultdaisy: fan, I don’t see her as being a waste. And even though I would’ve really loved to see Toad or even Waluigi, I don’t think I would trade :ultpiranha: for anything.

The only character in the entire game that I believe is worth replacing, is the big man himself :ultincineroar:. I honestly don’t hate the guy as much as it may sound, and I’ll probably have a great time playing as him. I just can’t help but feel he was a bit of a miss in the face of all the other amazingly popular and unique characters before him. Given my bias, I would definitely replace him with Isaac. With his immense popularity, importance to Nintendo, and unfair moveset potential, I don’t think that many would complain with this decision.

So yeah. I love this roster. Absolutely ****ing love it. The reveal cycle wasn’t perfect, but all things considered, I believe that Sakurai made some really sound decisions on these newcomers. Bringing back every veteran ever was genius, too.
 
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Manonymous

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Honestly, Richter is dispensable. He's a great character, but yeah, maybe an another echo ? Like, Alph ?
 

osby

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Honestly, Richter is dispensable. He's a great character, but yeah, maybe an another echo ? Like, Alph ?
I'm not sure if you can even make a clone of Olimar, he's a pretty bizarre fighter and likely a pain to program.
 

SvartWolf

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the roster is great IMO.... while if i was sakurai I wouldnt put Piranha plant (i'm not that genious)...

My only "but" is that i would make Young Link into a Toon Link echo (or viceversa) making sure that they play exactly the same (still all animations would need to been updated since different skeletons) and would tried to use that slight extra time to either Rework ganondorf a little more, rework samus a little or implementing Shadow as an echo.
 

Scoutmain06

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A goomba to show that smash shouldnt be taken seriously despite what 95% of the board thinks
 

osby

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the roster is great IMO.... while if i was sakurai I wouldnt put Piranha plant (i'm not that genious)...

My only "but" is that i would make Young Link into a Toon Link echo (or viceversa) making sure that they play exactly the same (still all animations would need to been updated since different skeletons) and would tried to use that slight extra time to either Rework ganondorf a little more, rework samus a little or implementing Shadow as an echo.
I think trying to make :ultyounglink: an echo of :ulttoonlink: would require more work, honestly.
 
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TheTrueBrawler

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:ultinkling:, :ultridley:, :ultsimon:, :ultrichter:, :ultkrool:, :ultken:, and :ultincineroar: are all here to stay.

The full fighters I would replace would be :ultisabelle: and :ultpiranha:. In their place, I would instead add Issac and Geno.
In :ultdaisy:'s place, I'm adding Octolings as an echo for :ultinkling:.
In :ultdarksamus:'s place, I'm adding Impa as an echo for :ultsheik:.
In :ultchrom:'s place, I'm adding Shadow as an echo for :ultsonic:.
 
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Kevandre

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I really like :ultincineroar:, I really do. That said, I'd have 100% added Decidueye instead. Especially since it seems like we were robbed with Incineroar's moveset.

And as MUCH as I love :ultchrom: and Awakening/Matt Mercer... He's not necessary here. If we were going to get an echo fighter that was similar but with several different moves from their base character, I'd have picked Dixie, especially since we already had two Awakening characters. A blend of Diddy/DK is fine, though not my preference since I think she has far more potential as a completely unique character. I would, however, have an Olimar/Alph style costume change for Lucina and Chrom.

And if we're counting :ultisabelle: as a fully fledged fighter rather than an Echo/inspired by character, my final change would be exchanging her for Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. I think it's crazy that we have two Street Fighter characters, but nobody from the fighting game series that's, in general, way more iconic to the gaming landscape. Not to mention that Sub-Zero as a character brings a ton of potential to Smash as a fully ice based fighter that :ultlucas::ulticeclimbers: don't fulfill.
 

Ura

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I don't think I would cut anyone from the roster but I think having only 6 original newcomers to the roster is pretty barebones. Not to mention that this game lacked a retro/obscure character in the vain of :ulticeclimbers::ultpit::ultlittlemac:.

So naturally i'd add in Andy from Advance Wars to fill that "niche". Bias aside, it was the 30th anniversary of the Nintendo Wars series and he as well as his franchise could have really stood to gain by being playable in this game. Not to mention Advance/Famicom Wars is the last long-running Nintendo franchise from the NES era not to be represented with a playable character in Smash Bros.
 

Oddball

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If I was Sakurai, I probably would have added the character that Sakurai added because I am him now apparently.
 

Dee Dude

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The Grinch leak characters, nothing more, nothing less.

Less uproar, the majority of the fanbase are satisfied.
 

CHAMPIONX9

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:ultincineroar: Was not needed since there were plenty of pokemon. Replace with anyone from new series would be better.

:ultpiranha: Had interesting gameplay element and is unique in concept, but while people recognize the plant, they do not necessarily want to play as it. The generally negative reaction was I think to be expected. Replace with anyone from new series that meet same criteria.

:ultchrom: has a bad recovery. He lacks flare, but if his gameplay was better it might be more worthwhile.
It's interesting that in the fire emblem game its possible for :4robinf: + :ultchrom: = :4lucina:So father mother and daughter in the game. So it's not that bad tbh.
Replace with banjo kazooie duck hunt echo :bobomb:
 
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Golden Icarus

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Honestly, Richter is dispensable. He's a great character, but yeah, maybe an another echo ? Like, Alph ?
Personally, I always thought Alph was better fit as a costume. After all, the interesting part of the moveset revolves around the Pikmin rather than the Captain. Kind of like how the interesting part of Bowser Jr.’s moveset is the koopa clown car, rather than the car’s pilot (as much as I wish Bowser Jr. fought on foot).

If it were up to me, we should just have Alph, Brittany, Charlie, Louie and the President all as costumes. As a big Pikmin fan, this would be more than enough for me.
And if we're counting :ultisabelle: as a fully fledged fighter rather than an Echo/inspired by character, my final change would be exchanging her for Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. I think it's crazy that we have two Street Fighter characters, but nobody from the fighting game series that's, in general, way more iconic to the gaming landscape. Not to mention that Sub-Zero as a character brings a ton of potential to Smash as a fully ice based fighter that :ultlucas::ulticeclimbers: don't fulfill.
Interesting. I hardly ever see Mortal Kombat suggested, apart from Maximillian’s far reaching E3 theory lol. But as a big MK fan, I would be super down for this. MK really is incredibly iconic to fighting games, and is usually pegged alongside Street Fighter as one of the iconic fathers of 2D fighters. Having a Scorpion/Sub-Zero vs. Ryu/Ken finally happen would be incredible.
 
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