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8 Characters Who Could Appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighter's Pass DLC

1/2/2019

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THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME NEW FIGHTERS--

No, not doing that this time. This time, we're keeping some composure. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched in December of 2018, and shortly before it's launch, ​we found out that the first of 5 extra DLC fighters would be Joker from Persona 5. It was big news, shocking news even. Clearly, all the cards were in Nintendo's hand, as they were picking the bonus characters instead of series creator Masahiro Sakurai this time, and they meant business with this announcement. The doors to a Smash Bros. invite are open the widest that they've ever been.

So, seeing as we got 1 fighter, 4 assists, a spirit and 2 costumes right (That's 8 of my picks) out of my 10 fighter picks last time (I can't be 100% right 100% of the time), and seeing as Piranha Plant just got added into the game for free (Providing you bought your copy before 31st of January), I thought I'd try and see if I can get the last 4 spaces guessed correctly this time. And to give myself leeway, I'm going 50/50 on all four slots. Let's see if these following challengers will get their invites!
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But first, I revised my scoring system from the first article for the DLC, changing some parameters up considering what we now know about the Fighter's Pass post-Joker reveal. Introducing...

Mike's Smash Calculator 2.0!

​Each character will be graded in four areas, where they can pick up up to three possible points. The fifth bonus round is a chance to pick up extra points, up to 12 in total. The maximum amount of points a single character can get is 24 and the self-imposed minimum amount for making my selection is 12. Of course, there are some eligibility rules I have laid out:

​A CHARACTER WILL FACE IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION IF:
Character does not originate from a video game, even if they are featured in one (E.G. No Goku, even if he is in the Jump games)
Character is an Assist trophy in SSBU
Character is represented with a Mii costume in SSBU
Character is a Spirit in SSBU
Character comes from an already represented game/franchise
Character appeared in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale
Character was the guest character in another fighting games main entry (E.g. Noctis in Tekken 7, Geralt in Soul Calibur 6, etc.)

NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS:

Character is still eligible if they appeared in Project X Zone
Character is still eligible if they appeared in the SNK vs Capcom series
Capcom characters are still eligible if they appeared in the Marvel Vs Capcom series
​Capcom characters are still eligible if they appeared in the Tatsunoko Vs Capcom series


With that said, the scoring system is below:

STATUS:
Being a first party Nintendo mascot/character (1 points)
Being a second party developed Nintendo mascot/character (2 points)
Being a third party developed character that hasn't appeared on a Nintendo console (2 points)
Being from a third party developed character that has appeared on a Nintendo console (3 points)

ORIGIN:
Character comes from a European developer (1 point)
Character comes from an American developer (2 points)
Character comes from a Japanese developer (3 points)

LEGACY:
Character comes from a series has a game available on a previous Nintendo console (1 point)
Character comes from a series has a game available on the Nintendo Switch (2 Points)
Character promotes a new or upcoming Nintendo Switch game, feature or peripheral (3 points)

IMPORTANCE:
Character is a 'Sakurai-esque' choice for a suitable surprise reveal (1 point)
Character represents an iconic ongoing gaming franchise (2 points)
Character supports a partnership between Nintendo and a developer (3 points)

BONUS POINTS:
Character represents a game genre not currently represented in Smash (1 points)
Character has a feasible offensive moveset that can be used in Smash (2 points)
Character was at some point was considered by Sakurai as a playable character and has been confirmed so officially (E.g. in an interview) (3 points)
Character is iconic and recognisable in the gaming fandom (1 point)

Character's game/Series of origin has memorable/iconic music (2 points)
Character's game/Series of origin has a world/art style that would make a good stage (3 points)


With the rules set, please feel free to comment below with which characters you think are capable of making the cut, but let's see who made my selection. I've opted to break this down into four slot picks with two possible candidates. For each available slot, there are two potential picks; who did the best in the maths, the Head pick, and who qualifies that I think would be the better choice, the Heart pick. With 4 slots available, it's a tough fight for an invite, but here's my take on who will be able to call themselves a Smash Brother:

Spot 1 - A Square Enix Rep

Square Enix, whilst being the stingiest of contributors featured in Smash Bros, no doubt has a long history with Nintendo and a large roster of characters to choose from. being one of the largets Japanese developers with a history with Nintendo, there a bevy of notable games and characters from the past, present and near future to choose from. After crunching the numbers and searching my soul, here are my two SqEnix options.

Head: Erdrick

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Who - If the leaks and datamines are pointing in the same direction, then this is possibly the worst kept secret in video games right now. Hailing from Dragon Quest 3, Erdrick (Also known as Roto/Loto depending on translation) is one of the most pivotal characters in the Dragon Quest lore. In his series, Erdrick is a legendary hero and a past relative of the heroes from Dragon Quest 1 and 2, with his titular game combining to make the Erdrick Trilogy.

How - Erdrick makes for a sword and magic combo wielder, not unlike Robin. His A attacks could be exclusivley sword moves, whilst his B attacks taking from popular spells from Dragon Quest history (Sizzle, Zap, Boom and Fizzle are what I'd go for). A potential Final Smash could be the Kazap magic move, maybe sprinkled in with an appearance by Erdrick's DQ3 party or his DQ1+2 descendants. His stage could be the Romaria area from DQ3, with the stage hazards of the iconic Slimes or even an appearance from antagonist Zoma.

Score - 19, Likely

Heart: Sora

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Who - The protagonist from the ever popular Kingdom Hearts series, Sora is definitley one of the most recognisable faces of early 2000's gaming. Unlike the easy to explain Dragon Quest lore, I don't have the time of day to unravel Sora's history, so let's just settle on that he's a good-hearted kid who fights the forces of darkness across Disney and SqEnix worlds and dimensions. With the long anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3 having just released, there's no better time to include this protag.

How - Sora could be very similar to Shulk in concept, utilising a combination of keyblade and magic A attacks and transformation based B attacks to access his Valor, Limit and Master forms. His Final Smash would take the shape of his Final Form, with either his Final Arts, Strike or Arcana taking the centre stage to decimate a single foe. His stage would be Traversal Town, with the stage hazard of the Heartless or Organisation XIII members.

Score - 18, Likely (On paper anyway, Disney lawyers will make this difficult).
​

Spot 2 - A Namco-Bandai Rep

Having lent a hand with the development of Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS, it's fairly likely that Namco-Bandai will be looking to make another deal with Nintendo, seeing as thier only representative so far is Pac Man. The truth is, the Namco arm of this company has long been tied to Nintendo consoles and gaming in general. Should these publishing titans get anotehr entrant, here's who I think will wave the banner.

Head: A Tales character (Lloyd Irving or Yuri Lowell)

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Who - Both hailing from the Tales series, Lloyd Irving and Yuri Lowell represent two of the most beloved of the Tales games, Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Vesperia respectively. Both of these fighters rock a recognisable look and unique fight styles, as well as represent the long standing Tales franchise from two games set apart by many year. Lloyd has long been a fan favourite for Smash, getting as far as being honoured with a Mii costume in Smash for Wii U and 3DS, whilst Yuri has already graced the Switch himself in the Definitive Edition re-release of Vesperia.

How - Lloyd could be utilised as a quick sword focused character with sprinklings of Arts moves here and there. Yuri, however, could utilise a more varied melee moveset, combining sword, axe and melee moves. For Final Smashes, Lloyd can make use of his party from Symphonia with a Unison Attack, whilst Yuri can utilise a her Over Limit moves similarly to Cloud's Limit Gauge. Lloyd's stage could be a Sylvarant/Teth'ella flipping stage, whilst Yuri could have Terca Lumiries with a Adephagos stage hazard.

​Score - 22, Extremely Likely

Heart: A Tekken character (Jin Kazama or Kazuya Mishima)

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Who - The father/son duo that never was, both Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima hail from the Tekken series and have been a part of it's lore sine the PS1 era. The two have gone on to serve as mascot characters for the franchise, along with their elder Heihachi Mishima (Who sadly is disqualified for appearing in PSASBR). Both are fiercely strong martial artists with hidden genetic abilities to become demonic powerhouses. Either of these two fighters could offer a much needed challenge for Ryu players and add greater depth and representation to the brawler category.

How - Both Jin and Kazuya represent a hard brawler type, similar to Ryu. It's punches all the way, baby. Special moves could include ki punches for stunning and combo moves like the ones found in Tekken. For Final Smashes, either of these boys can let the Devil Gene out, transforming into either Devil Jin or Devil Kazuya and utilising a energy beam to sweep a level of the battlefield. Stages could include the Mishima Zaibatsu building, the Iron Fist Tournament ring or Kazuya's cliff where he was thrown as a child. Stage hazards could include the True Ogre, the Zaibastu army or an army of Jacks.

Score - 19, Very Likely
​

Spot 3 - Miscellaneous Japanese Developer Reps

Admittedly, I have favoured the Japanese developed characters, but this is because Smash has also done this in it's history of newcomers. With the possible exception of King K. Rool, Nintendo have never included a character created outside of Japan. Ever. Presumably it's because it's easier for Nintendo to liaise with companies on home turf, but this trend has never really been broken. With this in mind, here are some other Nippon-hailing characters who could get a spot in Smash.

Head: Leon Kennedy (Capcom)

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Who - The protagonist of Resident Evil 2, 4 and 6, Leon Kennedy has become the face of the franchise over the years. Leon was a cop turned special agent in the RE canon and has starred in some of the best reviewed games in the series, as well as the worst reviewed! Leon makes for an interesting pick as he would be much the outsider in the vain of Snake, which would make his inclusion a very exciting event. As seeing as the Resident Evil 2 remake has just launched, with ports of Resident Evil 4, 1 and 0 coming to the Switch in the near future, Leon will be sure to be a face of the Switch very soon.

How - Leon is primarily a gunner, with some minor knife and melee attacks thrown in. His main attacks can utilise his arsenal from RE4, including his pistol, shotgun, magnum and assault rifle. Other attacks can use his combat knife and wrestling moves. His final smash could either be a lineup of STARS operatives opening fire on the enemy, or it could take some liberties and have Leon force his opponents into battle against Osmund Saddler, ending with a deadly blast from a rocket launcher. The stage could be the ganado villiage from the opening of the game, or the castle that serves the later part of the game.

Score - 21, Very Likely.

Heart: Professor Layton (Level 5)

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Who - Hailing from London, Professor Hershel Layton has been one of the biggest mascots of the Nindento DS era, offering a family friendly adventure with deep lore and brain-twisting puzzles. Layton himself is more known for his fondness of puzzle solving and chasing mysteries, but that's not to say the top hat wearing genius couldn't throw his hat into the ring of Smash Bros.

How - I'll be honest, this is difficult. Layton isn't ever shown to have an offensive moveset. He's barely shown even wearing a frown in most of his games. You would have to take massive liberties with this decision and do something like Phoenix Wright got in Marvel Vs Capcom. Attacks with his hat, a magnifying glass and team ups with his sidekick Luke could make for his main attacks. His Final Smash could be turning the field into a sliding puzzle, where moving pieces around can force players to fall off the stage. The stage itself could be set around Gressenheller University, to really take advantage of the unique art style. It could probably be a travelling stage, like Isle Delfino.

​Score - 17, Likely.
​

Spot 4 - Wildcards

The very nature of Smash Bros. character announcements is to shock it's player base and get the fans hyped up. Every introduction is meant to get people screaming about a characters inclusion and make waves in the gaming media. Going into 2020, this is what I imagine could be the final choice of the pack could be. The last big character that will pull in the last few sales of the fighters pass and finish off the roster for Ultimate, whilst giving fans the big, varied and complete character roster they've been asking for. Here's who fits that bill.

Head: Travis Touchdown

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Who - The would-be top rated assassin and the face of the No More Heroes games, Travis Touchdown is an all America otaku king. In his games, Travis uses his learnt-from-TV sword and wrestling skills to take down some of the most cartoonishly deadly killers in Santa Destroy, whilst being a total degenerate about it the whole time, if the rampant sexualisation of his handler and taking a shit every 20 minutes didn't spell that out clearly enough. Since Bayonetta's inclusion in the last game, it has been wondered if another mature title will get represented in Smash and Travis seems to fit the bill in every way

How - Another goddamn swordfighter! Travis can use a combination of beam katana attacks and wrestling moves, as well as have a battery meter for the beam katana to keep players on their toes, which happily includes the jerking off recharge animation. His B attacks could swap katanas, alternating between the Tsukabi variants, the Blood Berry and the Peony duel beam katanas. His Final Smash can play on the luck mechanics in order to activate Dark Side Move, giving him access to a Death Blow move. His stage would of course be Santa Destroy, with possible stage hazards being notable assassins such as Bad Girl, Destroyman and Dark Star.

​Score - 21 - Very Likely

Heart: Banjo & Kazooie

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Who - The bird and bear duo from the Nintendo 64 age, Banjo and Kazooie have long been dormant since being bought by Microsoft in 2002 and haven't been seen since 2008's notorious Nuts and Bolts. Their inclusion does depend on Microsoft playing ball, but they have been very vocal about working well with Nintendo. Nevertheless, Banjo and Kazooie still serve as a mascot for the N64, Rare's impressive Nintendo catalogue and the 3D platforming genre as a whole.

How - You only have to look at Mario and Duck Hunt Duo to see how these guys will work. Get some solid melee attacks in, flight abilities from Kazooie, throw in some transformations from Mumbo Jumbo as special attacks, and you have a fully formed fighter. Their Final Smash can involve a rush of Jiggys being scattered at enemy players, or call upon the dreaded car building from Nuts and Bolts to flatten their opponents. The obvious stage candidate is Spiral Mountain, although Gruntilda's Lair would make for a nice alternative.

​Score - 13, Not Very Likely (But please make it happen!)

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And there you have it, all the possible picks for the final 4 slots in Smash Ultimate...

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

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Contradictory Bonus Spot - New Nintendo Rep 

Here's the thing; all of those picks were from 3rd parties. Whilst it seems indicative that the Fighters Pass will include characters from franchises not owned by Nintendo, much like the inclusion of Joker from Persona 5, to better represent gaming as a whole rather than just the history of Nintendo consoles, you can never rule out the ​very real possibility that Nintendo will use Smash Ultimate as a way to promote new games coming to the Switch. And here's who I think fits that particular M.O.:

Head: Edelgard

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Who - Fire Emblem is the third most represented series in Smash, just behind Mario and Pokemon, with 7 playable fighters in Ultimate. Making that a round 8 would be Edelgard from the upcoming Fire Emblem Three Houses. Not much is known about the lot of Three Houses at this point, but Edelgard is one of the playable characters found in the upcoming game. She;s not the main protagonist, that honour goes to Byleth, but Smash is definitely not bereft of blue haired anime protagonists, so lets go with something more unique.

How - The biggest draw of Edelgard is that she uses an axe! Not another sword! Hallelujah! Axe combat will be heavier and slower than sword combat, but magic support moves mixed in with higher damage output from the axe swings can put her on equal footing with her FE counterparts. No clue what her Final Smash would be, but it's a Fire Emblem game, so it'll be a flurry of attacks or a spell or something. Her stage would be her respective kingdom from Three Houses.

​Score - 15, Likely

Heart: Lycanroc

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Who - Hailing from Alola, Lycanroc represents the 7th generation of Pokemon games much like Incineroar. However, Lycanroc is unique in the sense that his Dusk Forme is exclusive to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which currently goes unrepresented in Smash, He is also one of the main Pokemon on Ash's team in the anime, with his form shifting and inability to control his Midnight Forme being a major story there as well. As to which Forme would be his main, Dusk offers the best visual midpoint of the other two formes, but I wouldn't rule out mid battle transformations or a skin selection in the fighters menu.

How - Lycanroc gives us something we don't currently have in the roster: a full beast character. Think Amaterasu from Okami in MVC3 for the basis of the attacks; keep the guy on all fours, attacking with ground moves and his teeth. Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Crunch and Accelerock can make up his special move pool. For a Final Smash, a good old Forme rush, utilising Midday, Dusk and Midnight Formes all at once for a pack attack. His stage could be Mount Lanakila, where the Alola Elite Four are stationed, or the Altar of the Sunne/Moone with Solgaleo, Lunala and Necrozma acting as stage hazards.

​Score - 15, Likely

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And there we go. Apologies about lying about the number of picks, but much like Nintendo, I try and keep you on your toes and excited. Let me know if you think I'm on the money here and see how your favourite Smash DLC pick scores using the system above!
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