Ok Nintendo, let's you and I have a little talk. It's about Super Smash Brothers. Firstly, I wish you'd come up with a better title for your newest entry in the franchise. Now no one will know whether I'm talking about the original game, any of the sequels (and just using shorthand), the newest game in the franchise specifically, or the series itself in general.
The answer is the last two, in case you're wondering.
So I just heard today that you were splitting up Zelda and Sheik into two different characters. This is a terrible idea (unless they're actually making Sheik into the original Sheik that isn't Zelda...which actually wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm committed to the lie, so I'm going to pretend that isn't the case). Let me tell you why. Zelda and Sheik, first off, are the same character and you found an intensely creative way to implement that fact into the game. Perhaps this was because your roster was so necessarily limited in the first few games that you had no other choice, but that just goes to show that game designers who are restrained (by budgets, by technology, whatever) often do things better than those with infinite resources at their disposal. The fact that Zelda and Sheik are the same character in the games makes their ability to switch at will both clever and apropos. And you just ruined that. Good job.
Secondly, and here's the biggest beef I have, you are ruining a perfectly good crossover experience. Crossovers are kind of my thing. I love them. I love everything about them. Kingdom Hearts? Awesome. Marvel vs. Capcom? Awesome. Wreck-It Ralph? Awesome. Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm? Awesome. Super Smash Brothers? Well, despite your constant attempts to ruin it? Also extremely awesome. Here you have the biggest mashup of Nintento characters (and even Nintendo affiliated characters) ever dreamed of, every Nintendo fan-boy's wet dream, and you are ruining it by adding in reskins of the same character! Shame on you! You were already on thin ice with the announcement that Toon Link would return to this game, but then you go and tell me you are backing out of an amazing implimentation idea to make Zelda and Sheik into separate characters?
Shame on you.
You need to stop pretending this game is anything other than a crossover dream. Sure people like to compete, but this is not a hardcore fighting game. It never will be. It will never compete with Street Fighter. The real draw is and always has been the crossover aspect, and it only ever appeals to Nintendo fans. Watching Mario beat the tar out of Kirby (or the other way around if I have my way) while Samus and Link sit back with popcorn and watch. Subspace Emmisary was amazing and you announced it would not be returning? For shame!
You've been skirting around this game's primary appeal for a long time, in all honesty. You've had a few missteps, like including Young/Toon Link, Dr. Mario, whatever. But you've also made some great decisions. The inclusion of ancient, obscure characters like Pitt (though that was just in time for his attempted revitalization on the 3DS, so I guess it was a clever marketing ploy), Little Mac, and even the Ice Climbers (Jesus, does anyone even remember those guys?)...not to mention Game and Watch and R.O.B., was a stroke of genius. Adding Sonic? Watching Sonic and Mario compete and beat the crap out of each other has been my dream for decades. And Mega Man? MEGA MAN?! If it weren't for Mega Man, I would have written this one off and not even considered buying it. But there was a time when Mega Man was basically a Nintendo exclusive, so it works so amazingly well. Great work! ...now go get Simon Belmont!
But here you have a game based on a crossover fantasy that you could actually, legitimately have a roster of easily over 100 characters and you are wasting valuable production time (as well as space on the screen) with multiple inclusions of the same character. This, to me, is a huge mistake.
So I'm going to do you a favor. I am picking an arbitrary number...let's say fifty...and I am going to tell you that many characters that would have been a better inclusion into this franchise than Sheik or Toon Link. And you are going to go back to the drawing board and INCLUDE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
Why fifty? Because I had way too many ideas to stop at twenty...
Ok, so a few ground rules. Firstly, this list is going to start at the least interesting (to me) and go all the way up to one character that if he is not included in the roster starting IMMEDIATELY, Nintendo is officially some of the biggest morons on the face of the Earth. Secondly, I have not played every single Nintendo game ever made. In fact, I have not played a lot of them. I missed a chunk of Zelda games between Ocarina of Time (which I have not finished) and Wind Waker. I have not played ANY of the 3D Mario games starting with 64 and going through Galaxy (ok, so I played a little bit of Sunshine). So obviously my list will not include characters I don't know exist. That being said, I know a lot about the rosters of Nintendo games, so I think I'll get most of the hot spots. If I missed any big name characters (I didn't even know who Rosalina was until her announcement trailer), I apologize in advance. Thirdly, I will be somewhat stingy with the non-Nintendo characters. This is a Nintendo franchise crossover and being Nintendo exclusive doesn't necessarily count. Any non-Nintendo characters are included sparingly as nostalgic little Easter-egg shoutouts like Mega Man. There are a few in my list, and I will justify them as I get to them. The only exception right now is Sonic. As far as I'm concerned, Sonic is a Nintendo franchise now. Yes, he appears on other consoles (and PC), but he's been in crossover games with Mario. Multiple crossover games with Mario. That's good enough for me. Expect at least a few of his characters as entries here. Fourth...ly?, I tried to stick with protagonists, antagonists, and love-interests. In a few cases, there is a pretty big supporting cast (I'm looking at you, Sonic), but I really tried to keep those sorts of characters to a minimum. Generally, if they only appeared in a few games, I left them off the list, but if they appeared in a majority of them, I included them. In the end, my decisions are pretty arbitrary, though. Fifthly, I'm getting sick of adverbising numbers, so let's get to the list!
50. Kraid (Metroid): This one's a bit of a hard sell, but I feel like it needs to be mentioned simply because Metroid is desperately underrepresented in the Smash Brothers games. Kraid is a pretty iconic fight, though you only fight him a couple times. His main problem is that he's so freaking huge and, unfortunately, his size is kind of non-negotiable...it's pretty much a major part of his character. They could shrink him down like his original appearance, but that would be doing the character a disservice. Far better to keep him huge. There are other options for Metroid characters...
49. Donkey Kong Jr. (Donkey Kong Jr.): So, uh...appearently Donkey Kong (as we know him today) is...actually Donkey Kong Junior's son...? Because Donkey is Cranky's grandson? Or something? God, I don't know, whatever. Just have a little rolly polly ape from the bygone 8-bit eras bouncing around the screen and be done with it.
48. Monster Hunter (Monster Hunter): Ok, another one that's not a Nintendo exclusive and hence is very low on the list (also, it's fairly generic and may not fit in real well), but it seems maybe almost close enough that it could count...maybe, I don't know. It looks to me like the main games of the current (fourth) generation are announced only for Nintendo consoles. This one should probably be an honorable mention, but I'll include it here anyways since it just...seems...so...Nintendo...
Basically just a dude in armor running around with a variety of weapons. I'm not sure it would fit thematically, but who knows? I suppose they could make it work.
47. Candy Kong (Donkey Kong Country): I don't know. I just don't know. But I guess DK has a girlfriend and she should probably be included...she seems mildly offensive, though, so of all the protagonist love-interests, I think this one could be omitted (unless she's more characterized that it appears on my very brief perusal of the Mario Wiki...)
I'll mention this now because (spoiler alert) there are more Donkey Kong characters on this list: I have not played a Donkey Kong game since the original Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo, and that was shortly after it was released in 1994. That was 20 years ago. So yeah, I know nothing about the DK canon except the very basics. I just know that, while I may not be a big fan, it is an important part of the Nintendo canon, so it should have adequate representation.
46. Cream (Sonic Advance 2): So I'm going to avoid using all of the silly results of Sonic Team's cast EXPLOSION of the past decade or so, but I've always had a soft spot for Cream and I couldn't exactly tell you why. Like I said before, Sonic is basically a Nintendo mainstay now, so some roster inclusion in SSB is forgivable. Cream would probably be a bit of a joke character, but she'd be able to fly. And her Chao, Cheese, would probably be able to--
...wait...Cream and Cheese? HAH! Good one -_-
Anyways, don't expect a lot of Sonic characters on this list. I still think of most of the roster growth since Sonic Adventure (and back to Chaotix) was unnecessary and a bit silly, with the possible exception of...
45. Espio (Knuckles' Chaotix): Ok, so I don't think much of the Sonic cast should be in this game, specifically no one introduced after about 1993, but Espio seems like he would actually be a pretty fun addition, if only because he's a goddamn ninja. His Final Smash could summon the rest of the ill-begotten Chaotix cast to wail on the enemies. There, included half a dozen characters for the price of one.
Anyways, while I do think much of the "new" Sonic cast is silly as hell, Espio would still be a pretty neat addition. While I like Espio a lot, particularly compared to the rest of the recent cast, I just can't justify him being higher on the list.
44. Simon Belmont (Castlevania): Ok, so I was kind of joking about adding Simon Belmont before, but thinking back, there really were only a handful of iconic Nintendo (console, not company) games. Mario was number one, of course. Mega Man was a close second. Castlevania was right up there as well. I think the inclusion of Simon, particularly with Mega Man there as well, would really hearken back to the days of yore. With the whip gameplay and the multiple secondary weapons at his disposal, his mechanics would be quite easy to work into the game. The only decision you'd have to make is whether to include him as a super retro, pixilated version or to update his look (whether to a more cartoony version or something more gritty and serious like Solid Snake was). Besides, now that you have Mega Man and Pitt in the game, you have the whole cast of Captain N! With the exception of...
43. Captain N (Captain N: The Game Master): No, I'm not joking. I know a lot of people would like to forget that this was ever even a thing, but I loved Captain N growing up. It was a cartoon that spoke to me as a member of the video game culture. Yeah, looking back on it now it was pretty terrible, but there were a lot of good things going on there, and what better way to implement the Nintendo peripherals than with a character who basically used them all. He even used the Power Glove in the comics! ...I need to go download those now.
Anyways, reinvent him, retool him, give him a few more tricks. Bam, you have an obscure call out to the days of yore.
42. Mallow (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars): Damn this guy's cute...of course in looking up Geno (see below) online, I immediately remembered the puffy cloud prince. Visual design is again great, and his moveset could come straight out of the Super Mario RPG.
Ok, so I don't remember enough about this guy to write anything else, but honestly, Super Mario RPG should be immortalized. It was a fantastic parody of JRPGs of the time and a fantastic game in its own right that basically birthed an entire Nintendo franchise. It should be more represented!
41. Geno (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars): Ok, so last time I played the Super Mario RPG was about a million and a half years ago and the only reason I even remembered Geno's name was because I saw him on a SSB forum thread as a requested character, but upon looking him up on Google, I immediately recognized him, despite having played the game about twenty years ago. His visual design is extremely distinctive and, though he's obscure, his moveset would be able to come straight out of the game in which he was created. Geno Beam? Geno shoots a straight shot that can whipe out an entire line (like a horizontal thunderbolt from Pikachu), Geno Whirl? he throws a disc with high smash potential. Geno Blast? Final Smash that summoned beams of light from the sky. Geno Flash? HE TURNS INTO A DAMN CANNON! What more do you want?
Seriously, he turns into a cannon. This guy needs to appear in more games, Nintendo. If he did (and if Mario wasn't overrepresented as it is), I would put him higher on the list.
40. Cranky Kong (Donkey Kong Country): I could have sworn Cranky was spelled with a K...
Maybe a bit of an unorthodox possibility, but I think Cranky would be a fun roster entry. Honestly, I haven't played much of Donkey Kong games (I did beat the original Donkey Kong Country back in the day, but that feels like a lifetime ago). I'm sure there's lots you could do with him, but I'm so uneducated on the series that I can't even make any suggestions. Go ahead and use your imagination.
39. Toad (Super Mario Brothers): Yeah, I know. There's already too many Mario characters included in the roster as it is. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Wario (who has not been announced yet...), and now Princess Rosalina? Yeah, I'd say that's enough representation...but y'know what? Mario is Nintendo's big flagship series. It's pretty much what you think about when you think about Nintendo...so yeah, let's go whole hog.
So here we have Toad. Yes, Toad. I know Princess Peach uses "him" as an attack, but there seems to be that one (or two) Toad(s) that keeps appearing in games as co-stars, from Mario 2 to Mario Kart (and all the other Mario sports games) to Mario 3D World. Again, yeah there's a lot of Mario characters in the roster, but Mario is basically Nintendo's favorite son, so I'll let it slide. Besides, Toad is a bit of a workhorse and probably deserves his own spot. You could even include Toadette for the cute factor, but I'll spare you putting her on the list...
38. Fi (Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword): Again, I haven't played Skyward sword and I've heard bad things about it and about this character in general. But Fi exists. She is a thing. Why not include her in Smash Brothers? Redeem her a bit even (if she is indeed as annoying as everyone says). Navi can't exactly be included (man would THAT be a small hit box), so settle for the next best thing. Besides, she is a living sword. How can you not do something cool with that? Her visual design is friggen sweet to boot.
Besides, I just can't justify putting Tinkle on the roster...ugh.
37. Pigma Dengar (Starfox 64): Sure, why not? If only as a joke character...
Now, I played about ten minutes of Starfox 64 waaaaay back when it came out and I barely remember anything of Starfox Assault (though I guess I beat it at one point...), so I don't know much about Pigma or the rest of his team, but it seems like the inclusion of Falco is a bit arbitrary without the rest of the team(s) being far behind. If it were just Fox and Wolf, I could see leaving out the rest of their teams...after all, Starfox isn't exactly tops of Nintendo's franchises. But still, as long as we're building up a fantasy roster, I could see including them. Even Pigma. Maybe he bounces when he hits the ground!
36. Pokey Minch (Mother 2): Consider this the obligatory "Mother antagonist" spot on the list, but Pokey seems a pretty decent choice (as the primary antagonist from Mother 2/Earthbound is fairly abstract). He already basically appeared in Super Smash Brothers Brawl as a boss fight. Shrink him down a bit (or retool his little capsule thing) and you have yourself a fairly bizarre, unique fighter. Alternatively you could just use a Starman. They're basically just random enemies you encounter in the game, but they're featured on the box art, so they're pretty iconic. And the cast of "Mother" needs better representation.
35. Samurai Goroh (F-Zero): Hey, remember this game? Of course you do, Captain Falcon came from it. If Falcon can be in a game, then there should be more representation from it...particularly an antagonist, which Goroh is (as the rival of Falcon). He's even listed as being proficient with a katana and very agile despite his rather bulky frame. Seems like the makings of a decent character!
34. Jody Summer (a.k.a. Miss Galactic Space Federation!)(F-Zero X): A possible love-interest for Captain Falcon maybe? I can't be bothered to read more about her. As I mentioned above, F-Zero needs more representation, and Jody is listed as being a "combat-machine pilot" with highly regarded abilities on the wiki, so...yeah, we could work with that!
33. Sylux (Metroid Prime Hunters): Sylux is one of nine bounty hunters introduced in the Metroid Prime series between Prime Hunters and Prime 3. I include him/her in this list rather than the others because A) I had all of them written in before I realized I had too many characters already and B) s/he seems to have a more significant role in the series beyond just "temporary antagonist," if only because of some possibly-misinterpreted foreshadowing (it is possible that Sylux's ship can be seen following Samus at the end of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption when you have a 100% item collection rate).
Sylux is a mysterious bounty hunter who seems to have a hidden agenda against the Galactic Federation and Samus Aran specifically. Not much is known about him/her and s/he seems to use stolen prototype Federation technology. Given this and the fact that Sylux's flavor text refuses to use gendered pronouns, Sylux really is being painted out to be kind of an anti-Samus. I still prefer Dark Samus if only because it's a metroid that looks like Samus, but Sylux might be a better addition simply because s/he looks different. On the other hand, it's possible that the notion that Sylux is an anti-Samus is a bit misleading and if that's the case, s/he has no more right to be on this roster than any of the other bounty hunters (indeed less so as there are a number of cooler options like Rundas and Gandraya from Metroid Prime 3).
Besides, I just can't justify putting Tinkle on the roster...ugh.
37. Pigma Dengar (Starfox 64): Sure, why not? If only as a joke character...
Now, I played about ten minutes of Starfox 64 waaaaay back when it came out and I barely remember anything of Starfox Assault (though I guess I beat it at one point...), so I don't know much about Pigma or the rest of his team, but it seems like the inclusion of Falco is a bit arbitrary without the rest of the team(s) being far behind. If it were just Fox and Wolf, I could see leaving out the rest of their teams...after all, Starfox isn't exactly tops of Nintendo's franchises. But still, as long as we're building up a fantasy roster, I could see including them. Even Pigma. Maybe he bounces when he hits the ground!
36. Pokey Minch (Mother 2): Consider this the obligatory "Mother antagonist" spot on the list, but Pokey seems a pretty decent choice (as the primary antagonist from Mother 2/Earthbound is fairly abstract). He already basically appeared in Super Smash Brothers Brawl as a boss fight. Shrink him down a bit (or retool his little capsule thing) and you have yourself a fairly bizarre, unique fighter. Alternatively you could just use a Starman. They're basically just random enemies you encounter in the game, but they're featured on the box art, so they're pretty iconic. And the cast of "Mother" needs better representation.
35. Samurai Goroh (F-Zero): Hey, remember this game? Of course you do, Captain Falcon came from it. If Falcon can be in a game, then there should be more representation from it...particularly an antagonist, which Goroh is (as the rival of Falcon). He's even listed as being proficient with a katana and very agile despite his rather bulky frame. Seems like the makings of a decent character!
34. Jody Summer (a.k.a. Miss Galactic Space Federation!)(F-Zero X): A possible love-interest for Captain Falcon maybe? I can't be bothered to read more about her. As I mentioned above, F-Zero needs more representation, and Jody is listed as being a "combat-machine pilot" with highly regarded abilities on the wiki, so...yeah, we could work with that!
33. Sylux (Metroid Prime Hunters): Sylux is one of nine bounty hunters introduced in the Metroid Prime series between Prime Hunters and Prime 3. I include him/her in this list rather than the others because A) I had all of them written in before I realized I had too many characters already and B) s/he seems to have a more significant role in the series beyond just "temporary antagonist," if only because of some possibly-misinterpreted foreshadowing (it is possible that Sylux's ship can be seen following Samus at the end of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption when you have a 100% item collection rate).
Sylux is a mysterious bounty hunter who seems to have a hidden agenda against the Galactic Federation and Samus Aran specifically. Not much is known about him/her and s/he seems to use stolen prototype Federation technology. Given this and the fact that Sylux's flavor text refuses to use gendered pronouns, Sylux really is being painted out to be kind of an anti-Samus. I still prefer Dark Samus if only because it's a metroid that looks like Samus, but Sylux might be a better addition simply because s/he looks different. On the other hand, it's possible that the notion that Sylux is an anti-Samus is a bit misleading and if that's the case, s/he has no more right to be on this roster than any of the other bounty hunters (indeed less so as there are a number of cooler options like Rundas and Gandraya from Metroid Prime 3).
32. Peppy Hare (Starfox): Peppy's probably the hardest of Team Starfox to place in a fighting game. Yeah, Slippy's basically a computer geek, but he's also an inventor, so that seems like an obvious angle to take. But Peppy's basically an old bunny that, taken out of his Arwing, probably wouldn't be a whole lot in a fight. Still, he's a pretty cool guy, and as long as we're inventing a cast of over a hundred, he definitely deserves a spot on the roster. His experience in battle (and the fact that his jump skill is the highest of the entire cast in Starfox Assault) would make him at least a passable fighter. If nothing else, he'd basically just be a clone of Fox with better jump ability.
31. Panther Caroso (Starfox 64): Ok, I don't know anything about Panther. Again, I never played Starfox 64 and barely remember anything about Assault, but I've included the rest of the Starfox (and Starwolf) roster here, so it seems only fitting. If nothing else, with a fantasy roster this size, it seems obvious that there'd be some clone characters. Panther would probably be Fox/Wolf/Falco with some tweaked stats (probably faster but less jumpy).
31. Panther Caroso (Starfox 64): Ok, I don't know anything about Panther. Again, I never played Starfox 64 and barely remember anything about Assault, but I've included the rest of the Starfox (and Starwolf) roster here, so it seems only fitting. If nothing else, with a fantasy roster this size, it seems obvious that there'd be some clone characters. Panther would probably be Fox/Wolf/Falco with some tweaked stats (probably faster but less jumpy).
30. Slippy Toad (Starfox): In my humble opinion, if you include Falco in the lineup (in EVERY SINGLE GAME), the rest of the cast shouldn't be far behind. Yeah, Slippy and Peppy weren't the most physically-able members of Team Starfox, but that just requires you to be more creative with them. Slippy, for instance, is an inventor and engineer. So give him a number of gadgets to help him keep up with the rest of his team. Also, apparently he's pretty darn good with a Landmaster and, in Star Fox Assault, has the second highest stamina in the game after Wolf. Yeah, I'm surprised too.
29. Ditto (Pokemon Generation 1): A fun little addition from the Pokemon series, Ditto could be a mediocre fighter that can use a super move to take the appearance (and movesets) from an opponent, perhaps via physical contact or by shooting out a projectile of some sort. Naturally some allowances would have to be made since he couldn't just turn into anyone he saw (...or could he? Maybe each of his four special moves could pick one of the people in the match...). An alternative would be to make him like Mega Man and just have him turn into a number of different Pokemon for single attacks/special moves. A winning addition to the roster!
28. Metal Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog CD) : Metal Sonic is a mainstay of the Sonic Universe and, as I mentioned before, Sonic is basically a Nintendo Franchise now. Unfortunately, he would also basically be a reskin of Sonic with a very similar moveset. I only include him in this list because...come on, he's so freakin' awesome looking!
One could make an argument for altering his moveset as well, giving him extendable limbs, laser blasts, force fields, energy surges, etc, etc. He also hovers rather than runs, which would add an additional mechanic. While naturally Robotnik, Tails, Knuckles, and even Amy (see below) would be better additions to the series, if I were to add multiple entries, Metal Sonic is a must have.
27. Ephraim (Fire Emblem): So like many games on this list, I have never played Fire Emblem, so don't know much about this guy. I talked to a friend for this one, specifically asking for suggestions for characters from Fire Emblem. One of my major beefs is that they've included multiple characters from this franchise but they've all been sword fighters. I mean, we already have Link and, yes, I know Marth and Link play very differently, we certainly don't need two swordsmen and we certainly don't need three.
Ephraim is the main character of Sacred Stones, so you have the protagonist angle there, plus he uses a spear and shield, something SSB doesn't have. Yeah, Sacred Stones came out ages ago, but come on. Let's move away from the swords please?
26. Dark Samus (Metroid Prime): A psychotic, intelligent, shapeshifting Metroid that looks like Samus? Sign me up! Yeah, so this character would almost fall into the "reskinned" category, but there are enough differences here that I think it would work (particularly if the roster was huge already). And besides, it's not a reskin. My problem with Sheik and Toon Link (and Dr. Mario back in the day) is that they are the same character. Dark Samus is not, and from your encounters with her (it) in the Metroid Prime Trilogy, it's obvious that their movesets would be different. Dark Samus is more prone to using charged (continuous) laser shots, it flies, it has shockwave attacks...there would be variations there, enough for a mention in this list. I still think as far as villains go, there are better options, but Dark Samus definitely deserves a spot in this list.
25. Mog (Final Fantasy VI): Ok, a little explanation is in order here. Some of you whipper-snappers might be too young to remember the bygone days of yore to which I'm about to refer, but waaaaay back in the 8-bit era, there were basically two RPGs (and everything else sucked). If you owned a Sega Genesis, you basically played Phantasy Star. If you owned a Nintendo, you basically played...Final Fantasy. Yup, way back in the day, Final Fantasy was absolutely a Nintendo-only franchise. From the original Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy VI, every single entry (including a number of amazing and not-so-amazing Gameboy ports of other RPGs with the Final Fantasy name slapped on them for brand recognition) was only available on a Nintendo console.
That seems good enough for me to add a character to the SSB roster!
Anyways, I don't know exactly what happened, but Nintendo and Squeenix had a bit of a fallout and FFVII appeared only on the Playstation. They seemed to have made up at some point after that as there were (and continue to be) a few Final Fantasy games exclusive only to Nintendo consoles (Heroes of the Light and the Crystal Chronicle games specifically), but their relationship has never been the same again. I don't know if they're on better terms now, or even good enough terms to make a character in a Smash Brothers game feasible, but a dude can dream.
I think Mog (or a generic Moogle) would be a fine entry for Final Fantasy to the roster of Smash Brothers for a number of reasons. FFVI was probably one of the best-known of the series from the Nintendo era (before it got all dark and gritty and uuuuuugh) and, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the series (not that I didn't enjoy some of the more modern entries).
Mog in general (or a generic Moogle) would fit the tone of the Smash Brothers games and he's a good representative of the Nintendo era of Final Fantasy games. Moogles appeared somewhat more regularly in the Nintendo entries and are even playable in many situations. Mog from Final Fantasy VI had a number of dance attacks that could be worked into his moveset or, if you prefer, you could give him some Final Fantasy Tactics-esque jobs that change based on the costume you select for him. There're a number of possibilities here, but I think adding a moogle to the roster would be a good homage to Square and Nintendo's old ties back in the day.
24. Validar (Fire Emblem: Awakening): Once again, I haven't played Fire Emblem and I think there should be more representation of the series than a pair of identical swordsmen. I'm fine with Marth being in the game as he seems the series' iconic protagonist (I guess? I'd think they'd replace him with Chrom in the most recent Smash Brothers game since Chrom is the protagonist in Awakening, but whatever), but there should at least be someone that uses another weapon as the series' second roster spot.
And there should probably be an antagonist.
I list Validar here because he seems to be a (the) major antagonist in Fire Emblem: Awakening, but consider this to be a slot for just an iconic Fire Emblem antagonist. Validar seems like some sort of wizard dude (boy am I flexing my writerly integrity here or what?) so there's a bit of variety in that, and he looks pretty sweet, but you could do anything. My Fire Emblem-inclined friend also suggest Nergal (another castery guy) or Ashnard (an axe-wielder). Any of the three would be good. Just get some variety in there! I'd probably pick Ashnard and leave Hector (see below) out (maybe put in Ephraim instead, above), but...I like Hector :-(. Besides, Fire Emblem seems important enough to have three characters.
23. Leon Powalski (Starfox 64): Other than Krystal (below), Leon would be the other Starfox character I would include if only able to add only one more, if only because he is Falco's opposite number on Team Starwolf. Besides, he seems like he would be the most different of the cast (including Team Starfox, with the possible exception of Slippy Toad if you take into account the fact that he's an engineer, see below). He's a chameleon, so it seems like he'd be able to stealth himself for brief periods, and he'd probably be a bit quicker on the ground (maybe even be able to cling to walls). Besides, he's a bit of a psychopath, and that would be an interesting addition to the roster of personalities if nothing else.
22. King Hippo (Mike Tyson's Punch Out!): Of all the Punch Out! adversaries, King Hippo is easily the most memorable with the exception of Mike Tyson...so the most memorable one that isn't going to bite your ear off in the ring.
Ok, kidding, kidding.
Anyways, King Hippo was the one guy in that game that you couldn't beat by just clubbing in the face and gut. He was a gimmick fight. And we all remember him because of it. And the fact that his pants kept falling down. Now that Little Mac is in the game, King Hippo seems an obvious addition. You already have a series of big, heavy fighters, King Hippo seems like he would fit right in.
20. Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest): I really can't say much here as, again, I don't really play the Donkey Kong games, but Daisy seems an obvious addition to a roster that already includes Donkey and Diddy. I'm sure she has a potential moveset and...doesn't she fly? Whatever, she'll probably make it in at some point anyways, so her appearance in this list is probably completely unnecessary.
19. Charlie (Pikmin 3): Another game I've actually played. Yeah, Charlie would probably be basically Olimar Part 2: Electric Boogaloo, but it would also be a potential opportunity to introduce the newer Pikmin that were created after Olimar's introduction into Smash Brothers, giving him a possibly completely different moveset than Olimar. He is also built differently than Olimar, he seems more physically fit and powerful, which would be something else to work with. If nothing else, another character from Pikmin might not be a bad thing.
Alternately, Alph or, more preferably Brittany, would be possible additions. I would prefer Brittany because she's so adorable...
18. Paula (Mother 2): Love-interest alert. I haven't finished Earthbound (BUT I ACTUALLY PLAYED IT), but I know the game is desperately underrepresented in the current Smash Brothers roster. So let's put Paula in there instead of Lucas, who is basically just Ness Again. She's another female character, a potential love interest for Ness (who also should continue to be in the game) and she isn't necessarily a carbon copy of Ness like Lucas (kind of) was. I suppose since all the characters basically had the same attacks, she probably would end up being similar, but at least she'd look different...I guess.
I may have just sacrificed some credibility there...
Anyways, she DOES have some unique abilities. Her "pray" ability has a series of random effects that could be used in her moveset, anyways. I like her better than the (possible) love interest of Mother 3, Kumatora, both because she is actually a love interest by virtue of admitting to have a crush on Ness (and Kumatora would be only because she's the only female lead), and because Kumatora from Mother 3 doesn't really seem to have anything distinguishing her like Paula's "pray" ability (I've never played Mother 3, so I don't really know if that's true or not). Either way, either character could be included I suppose.
17. Heroes of the Light (Final Fantasy): (for the history of Squaresoft and Nintendo, check out Mog's entry above)Final Fantasy 1 basically started it all (duh), so my idea here would be to add one character to the roster that represented four core classes from the original Final Fantasy (sorry Red Mage and Black Belt). Basically, you would have the Pokemon Trainer, but instead of switching Pokemon you would switch between the Fighter, the Black Mage, the White Mage, and the Thief (or maybe just the Fighter, the Black Mage, and the White Mage). Each character would then have three moves, the Fighter would have stronger attacks, the Black Mage would have ranged spells, the White Mage could heal themselves (and remove status effects maybe?), and the thief would be very mobile. Alternately, you could just include the Red Mage since they could basically do everything to a lesser degree anyways. Alternately alternately, you could just include Mog! (see above). Yeah, the Hero of Light appears in Dissidia, so this is probably not something Squenix would be amenable to, but as long as I'm dreaming...
(it bears noting that this idea isn't so far fetched as the black mage and white mage, as well as the cactaur, all appeared in at least two Mario Sports games)
15. Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog 3): Knuckles fits into SSB perfectly. The dude just punches people. I may be a bit biased since he's one of my favorite characters in the series for inexplicable reasons, but he would differentiate himself enough from Sonic by just being able to glide and being a bruiser.
14. Krystal (Starfox Adventures): Have I mentioned I haven't played a Starfox game since the original? I know nothing about Krystal, but I'd say if any one other character from the Starfox games should be included, it's her. She's a telepath, so it seems like there'd be some fun things to play with there, including her multiple barriers and being the only one that uses an actual weapon. Besides, Every other Nintendo hero gets their love interests included, why not Fox?!
13. Hector (Fire Emblem: Binding Blade): I already talked about Fire Emblem earlier, but I think of all the characters that could be included, Hector seems like the most iconic while being the most dissimilar to Marth that we could get. I should probably have put my "antagonist catch-all" spot higher up on the list, but...come on, I want to see Hector swing that giant axe around. He would be a bit more ponderous, but a lot more brutish than Marth and, while the two look quite similar, you could easily just use his more grizzled "Binding Blade" look.
...man, that beard...
12. Princess Daisy (Super Mario Land): She's in basically every Mario game that has a selectable cast (Mario Party, Mario Kart, the Mario Sports games) and she's the one holdout from the ancient (and easily forgotten) Mario Land for the old Gameboy. So yeah, I think she should be on the roster. I definitely think she deserves it more than Rosalina (not that I think Rosalina is a bad choice...hell, I love the idea of a trifecta of princesses in the game, Daisy just has senority). I think Nintendo's been beating around the bush with Daisy for too long. They keep almost giving her a personality and making her more than just a color-swapped version of Peach. She seems to be a bit of a hothead and a tomboy, so cut her hair, put her in an adorable ensemble, give her some flowery attacks and let's make this goddamn thing happen, Nintendo. She's been in over FORTY GAMES. And Luigi needs his girl.
I don't know what Platinum Games' relationship with Nintendo is, if it's close enough that they could claim the characters as "theirs" like they can with Pokemon (and to a certain degree Sonic), but since Wonderful 101 is a Wii U exclusive, that's good enough to include at least ONE character on the roster of a Smash Brothers game. Wonder Red is basically a Power Ranger. He summons hundreds of dudes to create giant fists. This needs to be a goddamn thing. You could even include three other Wonderful Ones for the rest of his moveset, one could call out Wonder Blue and create a giant sword, one could call out Wonder Green and create a giant gun, and the other could call out Wonder Pink or Yellow for a whip or a hammer. Maybe it would create a weapon that fundamentally changed their regular attacks, I don't know. I just know that this should be a thing that exists.
Seriously, play this game.
10. Amy Rose (Sonic CD): Yeah, everyone hates her. She's annoying as hell. But like I said before, Sonic is basically a Nintendo franchise now, and every represented Nintendo franchise should have a protagonist (Sonic), an antagonist (Eggman), and a love interest. Ok, so technically Amy is a love interest to Sonic in the same way that John Hinckley was a love interest to Jody Foster, but she's all he's got (except for the creepy-ass times he chased after pre-pubescent girls...).
Amy's been in a ton of games to date, more than just the recent ones where Sonic Team seemed to push the boundaries of what we would consider responsible roster growth, starting with Sonic CD (I believe) and she's basically a mainstay of the current Sonic roster as it appears in all of the Sonic/Mario crossovers. Besides, she uses a giant hammer. Tell me that wouldn't be amazing to play.
9. Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog 2): Sonic's sidekick definitely deserves to be in a SSB game. You could even use the more modern, super genius inventor Tails, give him a bunch of gadgets, let him fly around with his tails, and bam. You have a character on your hands. Not much more needs to be said.
8. Grovyle (Pokemon Generation III): It occurred to me as I saw the newest trailer for Charizard and Greninja's addition to the SSB roster that they had included two different starters from two different Pokemon generations, one fire and one water.
A plant starter from another generation altogether would be a natural next step. I'm surprised Nintendo didn't think about it and I would be surprised if it's not announced yet before the new games come out (though I doubt it will be since Charizard and Greninja were announced together).
Naturally there're a number of "possibles" for a plant starter, some very interesting possibilities even for having another non-humanoid entry to the roster, but Grovyle seems to be the most obvious one. He's humanoid and seems light, agile, and his visual design lends itself well to a fighting game (and to some slick attacks). It has the signature move Leaf Blade, which seems like it'd be pretty slick in a Smash Brothers game.
Seems obvious to me.
7. Mii (Nintendo Wii): Ok, so maybe this one's a bit silly, but with the Wii Fit trainer paving the way for some frankly-silly entries to the roster, why not have a Mii on the roster? When you select it, you select one of your Miis and bam, you're inserted in the game. It could have its own moveset regardless of which Mii you picked...but maybe you could customize it with some neat minigames, pick from a bunch of different moves (maybe even choose from other fighter's moves to create your own custom moveset) and train them up in a separate game mode. The Mii is a distinctly Nintendo creation and has become iconic of Nintendo's consoles since the Wii, so why not?
6. Skull Kid (Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask): I should be a little sick of saying this, but I haven't played Majora's Mask. I almost finished Ocarina of Time, but...ok, I'm going to get a lot of flack for this, but I just didn't enjoy Ocarina of Time, ok? So naturally I have little interest in playing the direct sequel. Make me a direct sequel to Wind Waker and I'll be all over that.
...wait, never mind.
Anyways, it occurs to me that there is actually a reason that there is always an alternate Link included in each game and that Sheik and Zelda are now separate characters. The Legend of Zelda is an iconic Nintendo franchise, as much (if not more) than Metroid, perhaps even as much as Mario. But I am hard pressed to think of any iconic characters from this series with the exception of Link, Zelda, and Ganon. So I can imagine what's going on over at Nintendo as they design this roster and lament the lack of characters from this franchise in it.
Now, I don't think this is necessarily a problem. In fact, it's kind of a strength of the series that the cast is this tight. But I suppose when up against the Mario cast of a billion and eight, it does seem a bit sparse. But that still doesn't justify splitting one character into multiple spots. I think you just need to look a little harder. Skull kid seems to be an obvious choice. I don't know anything about the guy, so I can't really suggest a moveset, but it seems like a no-brainer for an underrepresented franchise. He's unique in that he's a villain that isn't Ganon, so make it happen.
(to be clear here, I'm specifically referring to the Skull Kid who steals Majora's Mask here, naturally).
5. King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country): Again, we have Donkey Kong, his games are part of the canon, so we really do need an antagonist from the series to be represented (and arguably we should have had him before Diddy Kong, though I suppose he overlaps a bit with Bowser, though I can't say that with any authority since, again, I don't play the DK games). He seems like another entry in the heavy, bruiser category of fighters. I could read up on him and suggest a moveset, but I shouldn't have to, he should already be implemented by someone who KNOWS what his moveset should be...
3. Mewtwo (Pokemon Generation I): Do I even need to say anything here? He was an all-star addition in Smash Brothers Melee as well as an iconic Pokemon. I think he and Lucario have a perfect right to exist side-by-side, and he's a fan favorite. Give him a Final Smash that lets him choose between one of his two mega forms, make him a bit more ranged-oriented in his natural form (so he and Lucario don't step on each other's toes) and you have yourself a game.
Why do I even need to argue this point?
2. Super Metroid (Super Metroid): Again, Metroid is hugely underrepresented, but while the Super Metroid may seem like a weird choice, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of having a really bizarrely shaped fighter included in the game. It would provide a great bit of variety to the roster (there aren't really any non-humanoid fighters with the exception of Pikachu and maybe Yoshi, I suppose, and even he's got two legs and two arms). Imagine fighting against a giant jellyfish that could latch onto you and zap you, maybe even temporarily control your character, slapping bitches with his tentacles, etc, etc. Storywise, the Super Metroid pretty much shaped Samus' whole personality, defined her as a character in many ways. Other M's terrible writing aside, it did sort of drive home how very influential the little baby Metroid's life (and death SPOILER ALERT) was on her as a character. So I think from a franchise standpoint and a gameplay standpoint, Super Metroid would have been an amazing addition to the roster.
1. Ridley (Metroid): Ok, so Ridley is basically my first and foremost character to be included in this series. Yeah, a lot of people say he's too big or whatever, but to quote a friend of mine, "since when has scale ever meant anything in a Nintendo game?" I know I mentioned that Kraid's size basically disqualifies him as a potential character despite how iconic he is, but I feel like Ridley's size is a bit more negotiable as it's not quite as integral to the character that he be three screens tall like Kraid is. Anyways, I love that he was a boss in SSBB, but I think relegating one of the most iconic and badass villains not only in a Nintendo game but in any video game ever to a single stage gimmick is just disappointing. I suppose if he becomes a repeatable stage hazard, something you see in a lot of games, then I could be placated. But honestly, the fact that he isn't playable is frankly a crime. Metroid is already hugely underrepresented for how popular it is, and Ridley is such a brilliant character, from his visual design to his mere concept (HE'S A FRIGGEN SPACE DRAGON), that his continued omission from the roster should be some kind of try-able offense. Preferably at the Hague.
Get him in there, Nintendo.
So there you have it. Seven hours of work and a 50-character roster. Of course I missed some characters. There are some franchises that, while not Nintendo-owned, probably could fit into a Smash Brothers game. Mega Man in particular could have more representation in the form of Proto Man, Roll, and Dr. Wily (as well as some of the more iconic robot masters like Custman, Gutsman, and Metal Man), but as I said before, Mega Man's existence in the roster is basically as an Easter Egg, a shout out to a related but not directly-owned franchise. To include his entire roster would cheapen the idea that Smash Brothers is a Nintendo crossover franchise. Plenty of games are (or were) Nintendo exclusive, but few as prolific as Mega Man (or arguably Castlevania or Final Fantasy). Anything less probably doesn't deserve to be in the roster (though the idea of putting, for instance, Chrono in there fills me with giddy delight...especially considering the fact that Squenix doesn't seem interested in using him in their own crossover, Kingdom Hearts...*$@*(#$^()@#&$!). There are also plenty of Nintendo-only characters that probably deserve mention but not inclusion. Quite a bit of the Donkey Kong cast (Tiny Kong and Funky Kong, I'm looking at you), the bounty hunters from Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime 3, most of the frankly-stupidly large cast of the Sonic the Hedgehog games (PLEASE STOP, SONIC TEAM), etc. Hell, Mario has a lot of characters that could be worked in (Mouser, Birdo, Wart, King Boo, the Koopa Kids), but...well, ultimately there's only a finite number of spaces. So as much as I would like to include hundreds and hundreds of characters, fifty is probably more than enough (hell, it's closer to 100 with the already-included cast).
Anyways, that's my list and I'm sticking to it. If you have any thoughts or additions, feel free to let me know.
