Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[RealLuigisWearPink]

Now, an actual DKC stage that isn't a jungle? That'd be sweeeeeeeeet. We did at least get the Minecart in SSE, but still. I'd like a Cave one.

There's so many industrial-type levels in DKC I definitely feel like you could make a whole stage just off that.

 

[PF9]

It will have a new director and every new remix will be of the rock genre.

 

[Ivander]

It will have a new director and every new remix will be of the rock genre.

I wasn't aware Daisuke Ishiwatari would be doing the new Smash Bros.

 

[PF9]

I'd also like it to be a "Ultimate 2", bringing back the entire roster of Ultimate in addition to all the newcomers. I'd love Call of Duty representation although it has been years since I played it.

 

[HyperSomari64]

It will have a new director and every new remix will be of the rock genre.

Meh, I prefer something akin to 1990s European Electropop.
Other genres that i wanna see on a new remix are Cumbia and Reggae.

 

[Louie G.]

Like, if you look at the Mario series. I've seen arguments made for the return each character. Though the two who seem to me more likely to be cut are probably PP and Doc. However, if we get three cuts? Four cuts? That's entirely possible, and yet it would verge into characters people could make very good arguments to keep. Sometimes it's going to be a matter of being entirely qualified, just not being prioritized.

Well, if we're seeing four cuts then we obviously lose Rosalina and Bowser Jr. The sticking point is if we only lose three, in which case we can go back and forth about those two and whether or not we prioritize series relevance or gameplay essence. Rosalina was historically higher priority, but I'd say ten years can make a significant difference when weighing their respective popularity or importance to Mario as a whole. So yeah, to your point that becomes a trickier situation, but that's the fun part right?

I think I'd argue this middling "limbo" of fighters is pretty clear. The major Nintendo series easily keep their major characters, the mainstay smaller series can easily maintain their protagonist. Star Fox, Mother, Kid Icarus will remain represented, their protagonists will be high priority, but may suffer a loss of a major character. Whereas series like Mario, Zelda or Kirby will maintain their established major characters and, if applicable, are in danger of losing their secondary cast. So something like Falco, Wolf, Palutena, Rosalina, Bowser Jr, Sheik... those are dwelling somewhere within that grey area. And then as we talked about the other day, that may involve series with a single character but less to offer moving forward or a lack of content in the game thus far, making them easier to cut loose without a major status quo change. Ideally we won't have to breach that limbo too deeply but the possibility is there. Outside of being on the fence about a handful of those characters though I feel like it hasn't been that difficult for me to pin down who I consider the priorities and still manage to stay somewhere in a reasonable ballpark. I dunno, just using that as a jump off point to ramble I suppose.

---

Somewhat related side note, if push comes to shove and we could only keep one... would you guys keep Falco or Wolf?

I feel like Falco is the easiest answer for legacy reasons, but Ultimate Wolf is a major standout character IMO and I wouldn't mind if they let him get another crack at it instead. After all, I feel like at a certain point sticking to tradition can start limiting the series a bit creatively... I love all the Melee mainstays but the roster doesn't need to look exactly the same every game. So I think I'd personally lean Wolf, but I would like all three to return given the chance.

I feel like part of wanting to ask this is also just to shed light on how great these two are, so I'm personally viewing this more as a positive I really wanna keep this guy around vs a negative I wouldn't miss this guy... I'd miss Falco a lot. Falco and Wolf have some of the most personality in the game, and I think utilize their designs and animal types in a fun way. For Wolf in particular, it's a little surprising how few "feral" characters exist on the roster. Giving someone that really brutal up close and personal style is something that I think the roster really needs, particularly in his weight class.

 

[Lionfranky]

Do you guys think they can bring back veterans via dlc... and reach 100 fighters milestone at the same time on next Smash?

 

[BritishGuy54]

Do you guys think they can bring back veterans via dlc... and reach 100 fighters milestone at the same time on next Smash?

No. I don’t think every veteran will return as DLC (that would be a nightmare on wallets everywhere). We won’t have 100 fighters in the same game. I see us getting a few veterans, with mainly newcomers as DLC.

 

[Perkilator]

Do you guys think they can bring back veterans via dlc... and reach 100 fighters milestone at the same time on next Smash?

The only way I see us getting 100 fighters is if Ultimate Deluxe happened and gave us 11 newcomers.

 

[Serix]

I'm going to be sad as hell if my boy gets cut next game.

 

[Pupp135]

Somewhat related side note, if push comes to shove and we could only keep one... would you guys keep Falco or Wolf?

I feel like Falco is the easiest answer for legacy reasons, but Ultimate Wolf is a major standout character IMO and I wouldn't mind if they let him get another crack at it instead. After all, I feel like at a certain point sticking to tradition can start limiting the series a bit creatively... I love all the Melee mainstays but the roster doesn't need to look exactly the same every game. So I think I'd personally lean Wolf, but I would like all three to return given the chance.

I feel like part of wanting to ask this is also just to shed light on how great these two are, so I'm personally viewing this more as a positive I really wanna keep this guy around vs a negative I wouldn't miss this guy... I'd miss Falco a lot. Falco and Wolf have some of the most personality in the game, and I think utilize their designs and animal types in a fun way. For Wolf in particular, it's a little surprising how few "feral" characters exist on the roster. Giving someone that really brutal up close and personal style is something that I think the roster really needs, particularly in his weight class.

If I had to choose, I’d probably pick the easy answer and go with Falco because he’s been historically the larger priority than Wolf where the latter barely made it into Brawl and missed out on For.
Related to cuts, I wonder how severe the backlash will be for cut characters who’ve been in every SSB game since at least Brawl (e.g. Jigglypuff, Sheik, Zero Suit Samus, R.O.B.), assuming that we might see a few of them missing the next entry.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Well, if we're seeing four cuts then we obviously lose Rosalina and Bowser Jr. The sticking point is if we only lose three, in which case we can go back and forth about those two and whether or not we prioritize series relevance or gameplay essence. Rosalina was historically higher priority, but I'd say ten years can make a significant difference when weighing their respective popularity or importance to Mario as a whole. So yeah, to your point that becomes a trickier situation, but that's the fun part right?

I think I'd argue this middling "limbo" of fighters is pretty clear. The major Nintendo series easily keep their major characters, the mainstay smaller series can easily maintain their protagonist. Star Fox, Mother, Kid Icarus will remain represented, their protagonists will be high priority, but may suffer a loss of a major character. Whereas series like Mario, Zelda or Kirby will maintain their established major characters and, if applicable, are in danger of losing their secondary cast. So something like Falco, Wolf, Palutena, Rosalina, Bowser Jr, Sheik... those are dwelling somewhere within that grey area. And then as we talked about the other day, that may involve series with a single character but less to offer moving forward or a lack of content in the game thus far, making them easier to cut loose without a major status quo change. Ideally we won't have to breach that limbo too deeply but the possibility is there. Outside of being on the fence about a handful of those characters though I feel like it hasn't been that difficult for me to pin down who I consider the priorities and still manage to stay somewhere in a reasonable ballpark. I dunno, just using that as a jump off point to ramble I suppose.

---

Somewhat related side note, if push comes to shove and we could only keep one... would you guys keep Falco or Wolf?

I feel like Falco is the easiest answer for legacy reasons, but Ultimate Wolf is a major standout character IMO and I wouldn't mind if they let him get another crack at it instead. After all, I feel like at a certain point sticking to tradition can start limiting the series a bit creatively... I love all the Melee mainstays but the roster doesn't need to look exactly the same every game. So I think I'd personally lean Wolf, but I would like all three to return given the chance.

I feel like part of wanting to ask this is also just to shed light on how great these two are, so I'm personally viewing this more as a positive I really wanna keep this guy around vs a negative I wouldn't miss this guy... I'd miss Falco a lot. Falco and Wolf have some of the most personality in the game, and I think utilize their designs and animal types in a fun way. For Wolf in particular, it's a little surprising how few "feral" characters exist on the roster. Giving someone that really brutal up close and personal style is something that I think the roster really needs, particularly in his weight class.

I think Falco has a more unique playstyle and all his spinning attacks look awesome, if I really had to choose he's the one I'd keep. He's actually my favorite of the trio.
The three are probably the best set of "clone" characters in the game though... They share a common inspiration but each does his own thing. Plus they're all very popular among players. I'd try to keep all three actually.

But then if it was up to me the next game would be Ultimate 2

 

[Gengar84]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

 

[fogbadge]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

I would have thought none. can’t think of any instances where it’s happened before that doesn’t just feel like happen stance

 

[Gengar84]

I would have thought none. can’t think of any instances where it’s happened before that doesn’t just feel like happen stance

I don’t think video game movies and shows were nearly as popular with a general audience until after Ultimate’s launch. Since then, we have had several very popular game related movies and shows. It still might not have much an impact but I think the situation is a bit different now.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

Only if the outside media affects the actual games themselves in very noticeable and lost-lasting manner. i.e the movie is successful enough to a series back into the forefront in popularity for 1) The outside material influences the source and 2) long enough for Nintendo and Sakurai to consider which is really, really rare. Video Game Movies and Streaming Material have relatively recently just started to become the new thing so i say it's too early

The one case i could possibly see this is with Shadow now with third Sonic Movie being about him. The Sonic Movies have already gained positive reception amongst the mass, Shadow although not really popular in speculation but still a high-regard character in and outside the Sonic series and the Sonic x Shadow Generations it shows that Sega this year is push the spotlight on the Ultimate Life-Form. Maybe enough for Nintendo/Sega/Sakurai to reconsider Sonic representation?

Still even with all that it's very unlikely for that be the case. On the contrary, Didn't Sakurai threaten to drop Pac-Man completely as newcomer if he was forced to used the Ghostly Adventures?

 

[Schnee117]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

It depends.
Shadow being the main draw for the third Sonic movie only further solidifies him as the next logical Sonic character, especially in tandem with him getting a push with the Generations remaster and his already existing positions as a long standing assist in Smash and generally being extremely popular. But that's just reinforcing a position he's held for a long time.

I don't think the Castlevania show or the new MK movies change anything for either of them. At best they just reinforce Alucard and Scorpion as the leading picks and push Trevor Belmont up a bit. The Halo show doesn't help anything, people rightfully hate that dog****.

 

[Gengar84]

I feel like the inclusion of Advent Children content in Smash shows that Sakurai is at least paying attention to things like that. Since Advent Children is so old at this point, I don’t think it actually factored into the decision at all for Cloud or Sephiroth’s inclusion but I did find it interesting that it was referenced.

Yeah, I agree on Halo. Like I said, I don’t think the less popular adaptations are going to help in any way. I feel like the Halo show failed at whatever objective it was probably aiming for. Something like Arcane, on the other hand, that was really well received and made it to the number one show on Netflix for a time could help. The show is already influencing the design of the characters in Project L where Jinx is using her Arcane design. The Arcane designs were also the ones chosen for Jinx’s and Vi’s Fortnite crossovers.

Like others mentioned, the latest Sonic movie might help Shadow’s chances in comparison to other Sonic characters since he will be the focus of the movie. I feel like Toad and Kamek’s rolls in the Mario movie could at least put them in the discussion even if they still get passed over for someone like Waluigi.

 

[fogbadge]

I feel like the inclusion of Advent Children content in Smash shows that Sakurai is at least paying attention to things like that. Since Advent Children is so old at this point, I don’t think it actually factored into the decision at all for Cloud or Sephiroth’s inclusion but I did find it interesting that it was referenced.

ah but was it sakurais decision or was it SE? Do we know?

 

[Gengar84]

ah but was it sakurais decision or was it SE? Do we know?

I’m not sure who’s decision that was but just the fact that it was referenced at all was interesting to me regardless.

 

[Noipoi]

Wasn’t there supposed to be a spirit event announced by now?

 

[chocolatejr9]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

I guess it depends. I could see the success of the FNAF movie helping that series' case, for example. But since this kinda feels like a more recent thing, it's hard to tell...

 

[fogbadge]

I’m not sure who’s decision that was but just the fact that it was referenced at all was interesting to me regardless.

it is i suppose but then i think he gets this outfit in most crossovers

 

[Perkilator]

Wasn’t there supposed to be a spirit event announced by now?

Tuesday’s the usual announcement day for Spirit Events and today’s Monday.

 

[Noipoi]

Tuesday’s the usual announcement day for Spirit Events and today’s Monday.

Woops, got my days wrong

 

[DarthEnderX]

The only way I see us getting 100 fighters is if Ultimate Deluxe happened and gave us 11 newcomers.

Something it could do very easily at launch thanks to Echoes.

A bigger challenge would be getting to unique numbered Fighter 100. Which would require 18 more unique Fighters. Still very doable though over the course of a launch and 2 seasons of DLC.

I feel like the inclusion of Advent Children content in Smash shows that Sakurai is at least paying attention to things like that. Since Advent Children is so old at this point, I don’t think it actually factored into the decision at all for Cloud or Sephiroth’s inclusion but I did find it interesting that it was referenced.

I'm actually kind of curious how much Remake stuff is going to be incorporated into Cloud and Sephiroth the next time Smash gets a full revamp.

 

[Gengar84]

I am kind of curious how much more work it is to make a Smash fighter compared to a Musou/Warriors character. Back on the PS2, Warriors Orochi 2 had a roster of 92 unique characters. Since then, the roster has jumped up to 170 but they also started using cloned movesets. I imagine a Smash character does take more resources due to the competitive nature of the series. There isn’t really a big focus on player vs player in Warriors so some characters can be deliberately overpowered like Lu Bu, Honda, Musashi, and Orochi.

 

[smashkirby]

I'm going to be sad as hell if my boy gets cut next game.

You're not the only one. Following F.E. becoming a fixture of Smash, there's legit been only TWO F.E. characters across Smash's history that I've ever been genuinely been hyped over (to the point of near-tears), and that just happened to be... the return of Roy in Smash 4 AND the inclusion of Chrom in Ultimate.

My disappointment over the two of them getting cut (AGAIN, in the case of Roy) would be near-immeasurable.

 

[Gengar84]

Something it could do very easily at launch thanks to Echoes.

A bigger challenge would be getting to unique numbered Fighter 100. Which would require 18 more unique Fighters. Still very doable though over the course of a launch and 2 seasons of DLC.

I'm actually kind of curious how much Remake stuff is going to be incorporated into Cloud and Sephiroth the next time Smash gets a full revamp.

I’m really happy with how Cloud and Sephiroth are designed in Smash but my most wanted portrayals of them are basically 3D versions of their original art from Final Fantasy VII. I’m not as big on the more photo realistic style of Advent Children or Remake though I still really enjoyed both.

These Bring Arts figures are basically exactly what I’m looking for aesthetically:

I kind of wish both Advent Children and Remake had gone with something more like the anime style of the original game. Not that I really dislike what they went with but I feel like some of the charm was lost in the transition.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I’m really happy with how Cloud and Sephiroth are designed in Smash but my most wanted portrayals of them are basically 3D versions of their original art from Final Fantasy VII. I’m not as big on the more photo realistic style of Advent Children or Remake though I still really enjoyed both.

I was referring more to their gameplay. What with Cloud having so much more stuff in Remake than in the original.

 

[Gengar84]

I was referring more to their gameplay. What with Cloud having so much more stuff in Remake than in the original.

Oh yeah, there are a bunch of cool moves Cloud could pull from in Remake. I’m not mad at his current moveset but a few changes here and there to reference how he plays in these games could be fun. I just want English voices for Cloud and Sephiroth. I did like Sephiroth’s AC voice more than Remake’s so it’s a shame they replaced him. Cloud is pretty good in both.

 

[Speed Weed]

How much do you all think outside media like movies and shows helps a character’s chances for Smash? I think these things can really help expose the characters to a much wider audience that haven’t had a ton of experience with the characters before. For example, I think the existence of the Sonic movies can only help since they make the franchise more relevant than any time in recent memory.

Arcane is getting a second season at the end of this year and the show has been critically acclaimed. Speaking from my own experience, it introduced me to the lore of League of Legends and made me a fan of several characters. Before that they were just random cool looking characters from a game I’d probably never play. The Mario movie was also a huge hit.

We were likely getting a Mario newcomer anyways but it’s possible the movie might help the odds of particular characters like Toad or Kamek. There’s also a show for Halo, CastleVania, and new series of Mortal Kombat movies and others that could possibly help as well.

I feel like the bigger and more successful said outside media source is, the bigger impact it will likely have. If a show was seen as a disappointment or didn’t draw much an audience, I don’t think it would be much a factor. However, if it was a huge hit and actually achieved the goal of expanding the fanbase of the franchise or drew attention to certain characters, I think it actually has a decent impact. Those are just my personal thoughts though and I could be wrong.

I feel like it depends on how involved the original company is in the media in question and how much they want to promote it.

Like, SEGA seems to be very invested in the Sonic movies. They actively promote them, have put movie Sonic in all kinds of stuff, and have repeatedly gone on record about how important they are to their business strategy of expanding their IPs' reach. They clearly seem to care a great deal and have a lot of investment in what happens there, so while I don't think we're seeing anything actively movie-based in Smash anytime soon, I could see them influencing a couple decisions here and there.

The Mario movie's.....looking to be the same thing. Nintendo were very hands-on with the film, held actual Nintendo Directs just to promote it, and have also noted it as part of business intitiatives and such. The throughline with these two is these companies seem to be very invested in promoting and including these projects as a part of their wider brand. I've never watched the Castlevania show, but from my anecdotal experience, it seems to me like a more hands-off affair and not so much something that has a broader impact in Konami pushing the series? I could be totally wrong though, but that's what I've observed from what little I know. That's just one example - in the end, I think it comes down to how much the companies value these projects.

 

[fogbadge]

I’m really happy with how Cloud and Sephiroth are designed in Smash but my most wanted portrayals of them are basically 3D versions of their original art from Final Fantasy VII. I’m not as big on the more photo realistic style of Advent Children or Remake though I still really enjoyed both.

These Bring Arts figures are basically exactly what I’m looking for aesthetically:

View attachment 384141
View attachment 384142
View attachment 384144View attachment 384143

I kind of wish both Advent Children and Remake had gone with something more like the anime style of the original game. Not that I really dislike what they went with but I feel like some of the charm was lost in the transition.

normua certainly improved with practice

 

[Gengar84]

normua certainly improved with practice

I think it all comes down to personal preferences. I tend to prefer a more animated aesthetic more so than very realistic ones. I feel like the realistic styles probably appeal to a wider audience so it’s understandable why some companies lean more in that direction.

 

[fogbadge]

I think it all comes down to personal preferences. I tend to prefer a more animated aesthetic more so than very realistic ones. I feel like the realistic styles probably appeal to a wider audience so it’s understandable why some companies lean more in that direction.

it’s not really down to aesthetic, cloud a sephiroth look fine

 

[CommanderZaktan]

The only way I see us getting 100 fighters is if Ultimate Deluxe happened and gave us 11 newcomers.

6 new fighters and 5 echo fighters

 

[Perkilator]

6 new fighters and 5 echo fighters

Actually, I’d prefer 8 new fighters and 3 Echo Fighters

 

[CommanderZaktan]

Actually, I’d prefer 8 new fighters and 3 Echo Fighters

ok, but I was going for my idea if they do another pass and then release a version with all the DLC in a package for the next console.

Here's my fighter prediction if we're getting a third and final pass
Bonus fighter if you got all 3 passes: 83: Ayumi Tachibana
84: Saber
85: Dr. Eggman
86: Crash Bandicoot
87: Agumon
88: Geno

echo fighters:
12e: Scream Tail
27e: Morpho Knight
38e: Metal Sonic
60e2: Akuma
64e: Octoling

 

[Louie G.]

In regard to outside media, Sonic has been aiming to be a multimedia powerhouse as of late, not unlike Pokemon. Although I think the movies will mostly come into play here if Sakurai distinctly goes to Sega and asked them who he should add. A year ago they may have said Knuckles, and now they would probably say Shadow. But alternatively, and perhaps more likely, Sakurai would go to Sega HQ with a character already in mind and they would probably let him add whoever he likes.

Even with Pokemon, we know that Sakurai gets to look at several design docs and select his favorite which (supposedly) is done without any regard to their prominent status as a promotional 'mon. I think it's safe to say Lucario was chosen because of the movie, but that was a long time ago and it seems like the philosophy has changed. Incineroar doesn't really reflect this at all.

I think the major takeaway is moreso that the movies, and other external media, influence the way characters are treated in the main series and how much spotlight they may be given. But that will mostly influence Smash decisions directly if Sakurai doesn't have someone specific in mind, and is asking whichever party who they would want to see him add. Like if he already locked in on Tails, I don't see Sega passing on Tails. Pokemon might be a bit more strict about that, but I'm not sure at this point.

All of that said, I think Sonic's stock has increased over the last few years due in no small part to the success of his movies. In that respect, Sonic's recent renaissance of popularity may also tip Sakurai over into reconsidering another character, and by proxy the movie would have helped with that.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

Speaking on cuts. This may be too ambitious but what if next game tried to tied a narrative around the cuts and replacement to soften the blow?

From the reveal of the new Smash, we have a villain character in the trailer who just murks all the cut characters in on fell swoop similar to the Ridley/Sephiroth/Galeem trailer but this time they are gone for good. Like snapped from the roster

And the leading trailers are the newcomers coming into the game being to gather to stop this new threat. Like an ARG-style thing. Leading up to the final reveal before launch. Also be used to build-up to the new Adventure/Story mode.