I'm not sure if this is the place to be asking this but- what are your thoughts on Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem? The idea of Fire Emblem characters fighting with the classic RPG gameplay, instead of strategy? (If I remember, it was confirmed to be an RPG). I can see a mix of Spells, and when doing a basic attack, a chance to proc abilities (say, Astra, Aether, or others). I'm extremely hyped for this game, since I got into the Shin Megami Tensei games two years ago, and I'm loving them.
Back on the Smash Bros topic, Fire Emblem certainly does have a vast space of potential for characters, but one thing that a lot of people care about is if the character is relevant for Fire Emblem itself. With the ridiculous amount of characters in each game, and only a few remaining important to their respective plot, they tend to be overshadowed. Heck, I admit that I'm still thinking that way, but Sakurai may as well be considering that in their case, and also with Pokemon. Lucario was added because -or at least I think so- he was causing a lot of hype when Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was aired in Japan. Pokemon also has an extremely vast cast of potential fighters, but only a few are selected, popularity being a key factor. Hector was a popular candidate because of Axes, and being someone who could add some variety to the cast being an axe-user, which could bring a different play-style from the swordfighters, but Ike was chosen in the end because of being the latest main character in the series? If so, will Chrom and/or the Avatar take over Ike now?
With Awakening, is it me or are they trying to set Marth as the most iconic figure in the Fire Emblem series? I would be okay with that, since he is after all the first main character.
Other characters who come as popular are: Hector, Ike, and Chrom. Roy is mostly popular because of his appearance in Smash, but for those who play Fire Emblem, they have mixed feelings about him, to the point of being a love-or-hate character. Hector is popular for the Elibe players because of how ridiculously strong as a unit he can become, plus his overall personality. Ike was popular for the same reason, too. Chrom can be a case similar to Roy: he's a love-or-hate character, but what adds points to his favor is that the Fire Emblem game he's featured is the best-selling game, and one which is brining a lot of people whom didn't know about the series into playing them. Will popularity be a key factor to Chrom's (or, by extension, the Avatar's and/or Lucina's) inclusion in Smash? Let's not forget Arena Ferox in the 3DS version of SSB4.
While I was writing this I noticed that I was contradicting myself at some points (okay, maybe many), and I apologize for that.