Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[fogbadge]

View attachment 388149
3 games with no Zelda newcomers with original movesets? Have the 4th game give a new Zelda rep with an original moveset and an additional rep with an original moveset for each game they missed getting one. And what 4 reps would be the best to pick than the 4 who've worked together with Link and Zelda in the newest game/s.

And yes, I'm that one person that doesn't want to pick a specific Champion to appear in Smash Bros. and would like all four of them to appear in Smash Bros since I always saw them best as a group, but that's besides the point.

the champions weren’t in the most recent game. not properly anyway

 

[TheQuester]

Rauru probably makes the most sense from a lot of angles, he's an important promoted character with unique powers who's likely to be relevant in later games as well. Personally, I just don't find him very interesting or engaging, though TOTK's plot in general wasn't really doing anything for me. I'd want to pick one of the Champions, and I think Riju and Sidon would be the best picks there. Could also always just whip out Impa, though it makes me wonder if her Warriors designs are partially owned by Koei Tecmo.

I think Sidon is an underrated pick for the next zelda rep, he's pretty iconic at this point.
I haven't played TOTK....but what would exactly this "Rauru" character do? He doesn't seem much of a fighter, not saying he has no potential i just legit know nothing about him.

 

[fogbadge]

I think Sidon is an underrated pick for the next zelda rep, he's pretty iconic at this point.
I haven't played TOTK....but what would exactly this "Rauru" character do? He doesn't seem much of a fighter, not saying he has no potential i just legit know nothing about him.

Rauru is the source of Link’s new abilities so most say he’d have those. He also has a lot of light powers

 

[superprincess]

I think Sidon is an underrated pick for the next zelda rep, he's pretty iconic at this point.
I haven't played TOTK....but what would exactly this "Rauru" character do? He doesn't seem much of a fighter, not saying he has no potential i just legit know nothing about him.

Link's new arm comes from Rauru, which means the abilities Link uses were originally his. He also uses light magic in the game's cutscenes. Plus, Rauru is a Zonai, which is an ancient extinct tribe that the entire plot of TOTK basically revolves around. The Zonai have their own technology and "Devices" that are very useful in TOTK, and most people seem to think he'd carry those over to Smash as well.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Rauru seems like an extremely weird pick to me, but I absolutely love his design so I wouldn't complain.

I think the biggest biais Kid icarus had was in the items and Smash run enemies department.

Even that you can explain with ease of development. Smash reuses suitable models all the time (best seen with trophies).

In fact, Sakurai did say that this asset reuse is how they were able to create enough enemy variety for Smash Run.

 

[Noipoi]

what would exactly this "Rauru" character do?

He’s the GOAT

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

He’s the GOAT

I dunno, he looks more like a llama to me.

 

[fogbadge]

I dunno, he looks more like a llama to me.

I keep seeing people say sheep

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I keep seeing people say sheep

I thought he was a deer...

 

[Arcanir]

I thought he was a deer...

You guys, he's totally a dragon with fur.

 

[Garteam]

I wish Skull Kid was a little more likely. He's easily most wanted Zelda newcomer and I think he's the non-triforce wielder that makes the most sense given the iconography of Majora's Mask, the fact he's Zelda most iconic antagonist behind Ganondorf, and how he established many of tropes that later one-off Zelda characters like Midna and Ghirahim would adopt.

Maybe he'll gain a little more traction when the competition amongst first parties decreases further, which could hopefully give him the edge necessary to get in.

 

[Perkilator]

I haven't played TOTK....but what would exactly this "Rauru" character do? He doesn't seem much of a fighter, not saying he has no potential i just legit know nothing about him.

Here’s a quote of an earlier post I made:

(see Delzethin's video for my reasoning why)

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

I think Sidon is an underrated pick for the next zelda rep, he's pretty iconic at this point.
I haven't played TOTK....but what would exactly this "Rauru" character do? He doesn't seem much of a fighter, not saying he has no potential i just legit know nothing about him.

Like the other people mentioned, he has all of Link's ultrahand powers and he has light magic. You don't ever fight or play as him, his only combat showings are in cutscenes, but he's still an important character and a constant presence and all that.

 

[fogbadge]

Like the other people mentioned, he has all of Link's ultrahand powers and he has light magic. You don't ever fight or play as him, his only combat showings are in cutscenes, but he's still an important character and a constant presence and all that.

ultrahand is the name of one of the powers not the name of the arm

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

ultrahand is the name of one of the powers not the name of the arm

Ye I know, I was talking specifically about the fuse aspect.

 

[Laniv]

You guys, he's totally a dragon with fur.

I thought he was a rabbit...

 

[Sucumbio]

Yay! Happy 34th Bday FE!

Fire Emblem is widely recognized as the first SRPG and decades later, it's currently more popular than ever.

Fire Emblem Three Houses is the best selling SRPG of all time.

@/Stealth40k

 

[fogbadge]

Yay! Happy 34th Bday FE!

Fire Emblem is widely recognized as the first SRPG and decades later, it's currently more popular than ever.

Fire Emblem Three Houses is the best selling SRPG of all time.

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@/Stealth40k

did not know it was the for SRPG

 

[Wonder Smash]

I mentioned this year before on here but I wasn't expecting Sakurai to make a video on this year too. Love that he mentioned how most of these series are also featured in Smash.

 

[Ivander]

Yay! Happy 34th Bday FE!

Fire Emblem is widely recognized as the first SRPG and decades later, it's currently more popular than ever.

Fire Emblem Three Houses is the best selling SRPG of all time.

View attachment 388177

@/Stealth40k

34th Bday
Next year will be it's 35th Anni

Seems like it would be a good time to announce a new Fire Emblem game that may be released next year in time for it's 35th Anniversary.

I also just realized that Fire Emblem Heroes' Book 9, the Book long speculated by fans to be the potential last book, will also begin just before next year. Man, quite a bunch of notable things are coming up for Fire Emblem next year.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I mentioned this year before but I wasn't expecting Sakurai to make a video on this year too. Love how he mentioned most of these series are featured in Smash.

Kunio, Goemon, Bub/Bob for Smash!

 

[CannonStreak]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

 

[Momotsuki]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Dr. Mario. The character is my soulmain. The fact that every fanmade "reboot" roster axes him does not help! Feels like people just outright assume he won't be sticking around. And that's a real shame.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Well, I'm not so emotionally attached to any member of the cast that I'd be devastated if/when they were cut, but Incineroar and Piranha Plant are some of my favorite characters in Ultimate and I don't think we'll be seeing either of them again.

 

[CannonStreak]

Well, based on fan rosters for the next game I have seen, I would say a character I don’t want cut next game would be Wolf from Star Fox.

 

[AreJay25]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Palutena. Just seems like an easy choice to cut seeing that Kid Icarus isn't exactly alive and well at the moment, which is unfortunate. If Uprising gets that fabled remaster/remake then maaaaaybe I could see her sticking around.

 

[Golden Icarus]

Well, based on fan rosters for the next game I have seen, I would say a character I don’t want cut next game would be Wolf from Star Fox.

I agree. I love Falco, but if the StarFox cast had to get cuts I’d hope that we’d lose him first. Wolf just sat out of Smash 4 and had such a sick redesign in Ultimate. Falco is a classic, but I could handle him sitting out for one game.

Of course if Smash 6 really goes hard with the cuts, then we could very well be looking at just Fox for the StarFox series. But I personally doubt we’ll be seeing that dramatic of a decrease.

 

[SpecterFlower]

Every time somebody argues that an OCC (Obvious Clone Candidate) should be unique just because they could be, I get flashbacks to my 2015 days of arguing Daisy should absolutely be a completely unique fighter because she... because... well. Looking back, there really was no reason. Childhood cringe, man. It makes me chuckle. And die a little inside.

I also remember the tremendous (and commendable tbh) efforts of the Dark Samus fanbase to prove to people that she could be a completely unique fighter... they were proven wrong in the long run but they put up a good fight at least. Certainly better than the Daisy stans.

Anyways, Octoling. Obviously they'll "suffer" the same fate. They're a perfect Dark Pit situation. Idk how they'd find another 8 ink colors that are distinct enough but oh well.

beceuaase clones are stupid and only smash still clings on to them.

80 characters but 20 of them feel way to similai r to play to some othe

This is a really big factor that will shape the next Smash's roster that I think a lot of people are failing to appreciate.

Cuts will always go over as well as a car crash, but they can be mitigated by the inclusion of new content that makes up for what was lost. If the next Smash fails to do this, it's going to struggle critically and commercially relative to Ultimate. People may not like losing Corrin and Incineroar, but they're still willing to give a new game a chance if we're getting Waluigi and Geno. In contrast, if we're losing Cloud and Sheik and gaining Alear and Rauru, that's when you're at risk of people passing in favour of sticking with Ultimate.

The net result is that we're going to continue to see fewer characters that get in primarily for being "late Switch reps" and more characters that are popular candidates in online Smash discussions or are popular in their respective franchises, especially for supporting characters in third-party franchises that are already in Smash.

honestly the only series where cuts are a big deal is smash.
Most cuts go over fine in other fighting games and then some of them get added back.

I just think it’s because the series never had a situation where cuts were all to common as they could keep building off the last game (and the first two games had pretty little to cut in the first place)

 

[Louie G.]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Wolf and Incineroar. They're two of my favorite designed characters on the roster, honestly. Wolf just had such a fantastic glowup and is visually stunning, wth all those awesome slash effects, while Incineroar has some of the most personality in the cast and is a terrific spin on a pretty important archetype. He really stands out amongst the Pokemon squad too... I know he gets crap for being another humanoid, but Mewtwo / Lucario / Greninja all have sort of this low spoken mysterious thing going on while Incineroar is just totally in your face.

Would agree on Palutena as well, but I dunno if I consider her unlikely to return. She was a really popular character during Smash 4 speculation, gets a good amount of play nowadays, and she is pretty much guaranteed some presence or another via Palutena's Guidance. And yknow, I suppose the obligatory Sakurai bias could come in clutch. I don't think she's the highest priority, but I'd consider her to be kinda middle of the pack in terms of likelihood to return.

 

[StrangeKitten]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

I appreciate that a few other people also don't want my soulmain cut! Sadly though, I do agree the big cat has a pretty high chance of being cut. There's pretty strong justifications to keep all the gen 1 Pokemon in, and Greninja won that popularity poll some years back, so he's probably more likely to get kept if they want to keep a post-gen-1 mon. That would make a lot of sense to do, too; it would probably feel a little awkward to have only gen 1 and then a gen 10 mon with nothing in between.

Here's to hoping Incin doesn't get cut, and to keeping in mind that Sakurai probably wants as few cuts as possible.

 

[Diddy Kong]

On the topic of a Zelda newcomer, I still say Impa is the front runner. She's an actual mainstay, and always is around. The Skyward Sword remake also helps her case, as well as being a popular character in Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity, which got a lot of attention from Nintendo and is meant as an addition to the story of BOTW, albeit in a different universe / timeline.

Zelda and Ganondorf are probably gonna take after their last incarnations anyway. It's only fitting a newcomer of Zelda would fit the theme here. Rauru is also a good choice but I'm pretty sure he's not gonna stick around like Impa. No DLC for TOTK implies they're done with the story and a next Zelda is gonna take a different approach. Yet Impa will stay around for sure.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Banjo-Kazooie and Lucas most of all, they're my most played characters along with Ridley (who's safer) and they come from two of my favorite games ever.
Other than them, I'm joining the Incineroar and Piranha Plant choir, those are two very inspired and unique characters that I'd be sad to see go.
Then Chrom, he's my favorite Fire Emblem character to play as, but as the clone of a clone he can't be that high of a priority.
And also Dr. Mario, Young Link and Pichu. I like all three of them better than their counterparts. It feels so good to finally have them back.
Of the crazy 3rd party characters, Simon, Steve and Hero are the ones I'd miss the most.

I'd also add Falco and Sephiroth but those two are not getting cut.

 

[Kirbeh]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

It always seems like most people want to see these guys go, but I'd miss them quite a bit.

I like Awakening and Three Houses way more than Fates, but as a Smash character, I just really like Corrin. The way Robin and Byleth play just doesn't quite feel as satisfying to me.

I prefer Doc and Pichu over their originals by a good margin.

Plant is an odd choice but really well executed and fun imo. Plus, having a few oddballs helps keep the cast varied.

Incineroar is a pretty "by the books" grappler but that's honestly one of the reasons I love him so much. (Yes, I do play grapplers in other games, so full bias there.)

And Puff just so happens to have been one of my favorite Pokemon since early childhood even before I even played any of the games. Seeing Puff in Brawl (my first Smash) was just a neat/pleasant surprise.

With Puff, you also have the whole perfect attendance thing going. Obviously she's been in danger of being cut before, but I'd like to hope that her simpler design will keep allowing them to squeeze her in.

That aside, while I'd sad to them go, I also feel like I'm fully prepared for it. Cuts are common place in fighting games so it's the rest of the ("hardcore") fanbase I'm more concerned about.

There'll be much rejoicing and rubbing it in when the above get benched only for them to immediately lose their cool over a different character they were actually invested in.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

To be honest, I feel Incineroar isn't in that bad of a spot. Pichu is really the only one I have doubts of coming back.

That said, it's not like cuts aren't likely or anything. We are extremely unlikely to get Ultimate Deluxe(I generally see it as 0%, but my predictions tend to be odd anyway) anyway, and there's also ones who might not be brought back outside of DLC again.

Anyway, as much as I'd like Wolf back first, Falco is clearly the more popular one of the two and just easier to make(regardless of having earlier programming, that doesn't mean it's "easy" to bring back). Wolf I only really went for during Brawl, as I couldn't mesh with him that well in Ultimate. I also am curious which Ganondorf we'll be getting this time. OOT might stay, or they could try another way with TP. I don't see TOTK happening due to too many overall differences(and while it's lightly possible in Ganondorf's case, it's not in Zelda's. It's the same character as BOTW, which never fit the design of how Zelda works. She's not heading anywhere near that direction as is. Updates, sure. But that's not one of them. With that in mind, Link might get some TOTK stuff, and there's no way both of the child Links are getting cut. We're keeping one of the more classic playstyles. They're too important to the game).

Dr. Mario could go either way, but he's not really hard to keep. PP is the only one that doesn't seem that likely(though Bowser Jr. could always hit a snag too). The rest are fairly safe. Daisy getting no meaningful differences I see as far more likely than losing anyone but PP, to be frank. XD

That's all I can think of. And I'll be honest, Palutena is safe. Kid Icarus isn't losing anyone. There's no reason to. Dark Pit is easy, Palutena is pretty much the mascot in Japan, and Pit is obviously going nowhere. Likewise, while we might not get any new AC characters, they're both staying. We have no real chance of losing Isabelle at any point, and Villager is 100% safe of the two(but again, I don't see us losing Isabelle). The idea Villager has any chance of being cut to keep Isabelle is ludicrous. They are the main character and the core representation of the gameplay. Isabelle is the mascot and second most important. She's pretty much the Luigi in this case, who is absolutely important and not a realistic cut, but is definitely second to the main character.

I also spoke on Pikmin before; I doubt Alph will be an Echo. Why? Because the Pikmin are the character too. Unless it's literally just Rock Pikmin and all the other same Pikmin, it has no chance of happening. Pikmin & Captain getting a Clone? Oh, totally could happen. While Olimar and the other Captain are going to remain similar, the Pikmin are not really likely to do so. That, and if they can't meaningfully make Rock Pikmin actually different, or have more different Pikmin, they have zero reason to separate them or add a new Captain. At that point, it's already represented correctly as Pikmin & Captain. It sucks Alph didn't get more love, but he was always in a very bad position for one. I also wouldn't see the point in having 3 separate playable Captains either, since it's the same issue. Having one more to show off the other Pikmin makes way more sense(these wouldn't be possible as an Echo, mind you). Preferably Alph, but it could be anyone else, especially as many don't share the same bodyshape(or is close enough to be redone like Alph was).

 

[fogbadge]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

pichu and young link. by all accounts they only came back cause everyone is here

 

[StrangeKitten]

Yeah, much as Young Link is my favourite Link, I think he's likely to be cut. Link obviously has to stay, and Toon Link is more iconic. I'll definitely miss YL if I ever get the chance to play the next Smash game.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

It's likely an irrational fear, but I have some anxious worries about K Rool not being prioritized. The ballot was strong enough to get him in Ultimate but given Smash (and arguably Nintendo's) inconsistent record with highlighting elements of DKC in other titles if SSB does go for a reboot roster wise, he feels like someone on the bubble in terms of coming back.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Here's my perception of return likelihood:

Spoiler

Can't Not Be In (100%)

Almost Certainly Getting In (90%)

Might Be Out-Prioritized (70%)

Likely DLC (70+%, but only for DLC)
(See Above)
Possibly, But Probably Not Getting In (40%)

Won't Be In (0%)

I Have No Idea (???%)

Clarifications:

• Characters aren't ordered within tiers.
• Olimar is top tier because Pikmin seems to be doing quite well.
• There's a small chance something is done with Ganondorf, be it a revamp or a replacement with Ganon or something.
• Jigglypuff is the only one I see getting cut of the original 12.
• Min Min's status is assuming an ARMS 2. Without a sequel in the works, I'd drop her down to "Won't Be In" tier.
• Mega Man is lower because replacing him with X or Zero is decently possible.
• Pokémon Trainer (and by extension, Squirtle and Ivysaur) is an exception to the rule of becoming DLC tier if they miss the base roster; If they no in, they no in.
  • That's not to say that they couldn't be DLC with Charizard essentially being an Echo Fighter of itself, but I don't think they'll do that.
  • If Pokémon Trainer somehow gets in without Squirtle and Ivysaur, they drop to "Won't Be In" tier.
• Mii Fighter's status are assuming Miis aren't a feature on the next console, as they seem to be going away. If they are on the next console, they jump up 4 tiers.

 

[Perkilator]

Here's a question: What character you think has a good likelihood of being cut that you DON'T want to see cut from the next Smash Bros. game?

Sora by a long shot, but the likelihood of being cut is more of…me being iffy on his chances of returning generally. He’s the clear winner of the ballot and Disney were more than okay with his inclusion, but due to various factors (namely copyright), I guess I’m just unsure whether he’ll return or get cut

 

[fogbadge]

Sora by a long shot, but the likelihood of being cut is more of…me being iffy on his chances of returning generally. He’s the clear winner of the ballot and Disney were more than okay with his inclusion, but due to various factors (namely copyright), I guess I’m just unsure whether he’ll return or get cut

if disney were happy to have him in then what's the copyright problem?