Characters I Would Like to See As Playable in Smash Bros.

I don't know about the rest of you, but after the surprise Smash for Switch announcement in the recent Nintendo Direct, I felt like a kid in a candy store again. All signs are pointing towards this iteration being a brand-new installment over a port, as well. In that vein, more newcomers to the series are a surefire guarantee, and I've got a few ideas of my own. Here's a list of Characters I Would Like to See As Playable in Smash Bros in the future.

These are in no particular order in terms of preference. Characters that already have some kind of representation in the game as Assist Trophies/Pokeball summons/trophy collectibles/Mii Fighter costumes are also fair game. Also, I'm not exactly accounting for their likelihoods of appearing - I know some of these characters are pie-in-the-sky ideas that could almost never happen in today's world - but that won't stop me from fantasizing about it anyway.

Also, I'm not going to be able to cover all the characters I'd like to see. A lot of them are escaping me at the moment, so whenever I think of someone else to include (or, maybe if one of you lovelies could help me out and jog my memory, wink wink) I'll update the list as it goes on.

One more thing - not all the characters on this list have dedicated character pages (for some reason) so any of them that fit that category are listed separately from the list in this paragraph without descriptions.

Characters w/o character pages that I'd also like to see:

Toon Zelda/Tetra from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass

Wolf Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

List items

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  King K. Rool

  Originating Series: Donkey Kong Country

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter

  Appearances: Trophy in Melee, trophy/sticker in Brawl, Mii Fighter costume and trophy in 4, playable fighter in Ultimate

  Rationale: Famous antagonist for the DK series, would make a great out-of-the-blue pick, special move potential from his boss fights in the old games

  Issues: May be slightly awkward and bumbling to control, slightly obscure, Nintendo doesn't often acknowledge him anymore

• 

  Bomberman

  Originating Series: Bomberman

  Status for Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances in Smash: Assist trophy in Ultimate

  Rationale: Has a storied history with Nintendo consoles, unique character design, more Konami representation

  Issues: Licensing issues with Konami, moveset could be hard to define

• 

  Beat

  Originating Series: Jet Set Radio

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, unlikely

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Unique character design, graffiti-based attacks, lots of great music to choose from in home series, Tokyo-to would make for a great stage concept

  Issues: Licensing with SEGA, and licensing rights to use the music/remixes, rather obscure character

• 

  Wonder Red

  Originating Series: The Wonderful 101

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in Smash 4

  Rationale: Demonstrates combat prowess, unique superhero-based design, could utilize crowd in his attacks

  Issues: Not very well known, has one game to his name, moveset potential may be slightly limited

• 

  K.K. Slider

  Originating Series: Animal Crossing

  Status in Ultimate: Trophy in Melee, performs on Saturday evenings on the Smashville stage in Brawl and 4, as well as the Town & City stage in 4, a trophy and stickers in Brawl, two trophies in 4 (one of which depicts his alternate persona DJ KK) and a Mii Gunner costume

  Rationale: Popular Animal Crossing character, guitar is a unique weapon not wielded by any current member of the roster not counting Mii Fighter costumes

  Issues: Coming up with a well-defined moveset would be tricky, character is somewhat obscure, already appears on some stages and has a Mii Fighter costume

• 

  Chibi-Robo

  Originating Series: Chibi-Robo!

  Status in Ultimate: Mii Fighter costume

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in Brawl/4, stickers in Brawl, spirit in Ultimate

  Rationale: Unique design, moveset could be quirky and focus on using household objects as weapons, oft-forgotten Nintendo franchise that would work well as an obscure representative

  Issues: Not well-versed in combat, would take a bit of ingenuity to come up with a working moveset, not a very popular series

• 

  Inkling

  Originating Series: Splatoon

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter

  Appearances in Smash: Mii Gunner costumes in Smash 4, playable fighter in Smash Ultimate

  Rationale: Flagship character for Nintendo's premiere shooter franchise, very popular design and aesthetic, ink-based moveset, lots of memorable music tracks from home series

  Issues: Melee combat may be hard to come up with concepts for, customization options may be slightly limited

• 

  Rayman

  Originating Series: Rayman

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in Smash 4

  Rationale: Recognizable platforming character, has had games release on Nintendo consoles recently, unique character design

  Issues: Licensing with Ubisoft, moveset might draw too much inspiration from the Rabbids titles

• 

  Mach Rider

  Originating Series: Mach Rider

  Status in Ultimate: Unknown, possibly a Spirit

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in Melee, Sticker in Brawl, music track in every game since Melee

  Rationale: Has a memorable music track featured in the game, weaponized motorcycle could bolster his moveset, works as an obscure part of Nintendo history like the Ice Climbers and Game and Watch

  Issues: Might be a bit TOO obscure, could be a generic Falcon clone/echo

• 

  Isaac

  Originating Series: Golden Sun

  Status in Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances in Smash: Brawl and Ultimate as an assist trophy, Brawl as a trophy

  Rationale: Golden Sun has yet to have a playable representative in Smash, has appeared in previous games, has psychokinetic abilities that could bolster his moveset, brings more representation to Nintendo's handheld history

  Issues: Slightly obscure, another sword wielder

• 

  Ridley

  Originating Series: Metroid

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter

  Appearances in Smash: Smash 64 as a background sprite on Planet Zebes, cameo in the opening to Melee while fighting Samus, boss battle in the Subspace Emissary in Brawl, boss battle on the Pyrosphere stage in 4, trophy in Melee/Brawl/4, stickers in Brawl, Ultimate as a playable fighter

  Rationale: Major Nintendo antagonist ever since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, more Metroid representation

  Issues: Size, appearance as a boss in certain modes and stages, Metroid series not as prominent nowadays

• 

  Hero

  Originating Series: Dragon Quest

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter - DLC Pack #2

  Appearances in Smash: DLC fighter in Ultimate

  Rationale: Dragon Quest series has heavy ties with Nintendo in the past, originating back in the days of the NES, compromises fan requests for Goku by including a character designed by Akira Toriyama

  Issues: Licensing with Square Enix, may be considered a bit too generic, other more recognizable Dragon Quest characters may fit the bill a bit better

• 

  Quote

  Originating Series: Cave Story

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Popular indie character, many remakes of Cave Story have appeared on Nintendo Consoles recently, already seen as a playable fighter in Blade Strangers

  Issues: Obscure to the general public, not a lot of moveset potential, possible music licensing issues

• 

  Kazuya Mishima

  Originating Series: Tekken

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: None of Kazuya, but a Mii Fighter costume of his father Heihachi can be purchased in Smash 4

  Rationale: Large fighting game icon, arguably one of the main protagonists of the Tekken series, moveset potential with Devil Gene mechanics, more Namco representation

  Issues: Licensing with Namco, moveset might not be as iconic and more generic than Ryu's or Ken's

• 

  Krystal

  Originating Series: Star Fox

  Status in Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances in Smash: Brawl and 4 as a trophy/stickers, Ultimate as an assist trophy

  Rationale: More Star Fox representation, more female representation, uses a bow staff, a weapon that no current characters use extensively

  Issues: Slightly obscure, not as iconic as other Star Fox characters, hasn't appeared in the series for a while, moveset potential might be slightly limited

• 

  Sora

  Originating Series: Kingdom Hearts

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Recognizable RPG protagonist, nearly-infinite potential in his moveset with magic spells, limit forms and other special attacks at his disposal, great music selection from his home series

  Issues: Very prominent licensing issues with Disney, who are notoriously stingy with their properties (as Sora and other Disney characters have yet to prominently feature in other games beyond Kingdom Hearts), as well as Square Enix, brings the issue of how much Disney content could be featured in Smash Bros. if Sora gets in

• 

  Mona

  Originating Series: WarioWare

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: As a sticker/trophy in Brawl/4 and a background character on the Gamer stage in 4

  Rationale: Quirky, not heavily discussed, brings more WarioWare representation as well as female representation

  Issues: Moveset could be difficult to define, need to build up a 3D model from the ground up

• 

  Lara Croft

  Originating Series: Tomb Raider

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Heavily-celebrated gaming industry icon, brings more female representation to Smash, multiple iterations of the character to choose from, very athletic and well-versed in combat and acrobatics

  Issues: Moveset might be somewhat generic, licensing issues with Square Enix

• 

  Crash Bandicoot

  Originating Series: Crash Bandicoot

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Large industry icon for gaming, one of Mario's biggest perceived rivals in the platforming genre, recent games have been released multiplatform and have appeared on Nintendo consoles, fits the zany aesthetic of the games

  Issues: Moveset may take some ingenuity to fit the character, licensing issues with Sony/Vicarious Visions/whoever owns him

• 

  Shovel Knight

  Originating Series: Shovel Knight

  Status in Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances in Smash: Ultimate as an assist trophy

  Rationale: Well-known indie platformer protagonist, already appears in indie platform fighter Rivals of Aether with a well-defined moveset, HD 3D model is uncommon, great game soundtrack

  Issues: Moveset potential may be slightly limited, could be perceived as another blade-wielder, may not quite be popular enough

• 

  Banjo

  Originating Series: Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter - DLC Pack #3

  Appearances in Smash: Rumored to have been considered for the first game's roster, DLC fighter in Ultimate

  Rationale: Large icon alongside Kazooie on the Nintendo 64, actually considered for previous Smash titles, has a well-defined arsenal of moves to choose from for his moveset, Grant Kirkhope tracks in a Smash game

  Issues: Obvious licensing issues with Microsoft and Rare, may not be allowed to use his more popular retro look as seen in the picture under this entry, possibility that the character would draw too much inspiration from Nuts and Bolts

• 

  Reyn

  Originating Series: Xenoblade Chronicles

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, possible Spirit

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in 4

  Rationale: Sword/shield hybrid weapon that could give Reyn a unique, defense-heavy turtle play style, possesses some of the most memetic lines from Xenoblade Chronicles, adds more Xenoblade representation

  Issues: Pretty obscure character, weapon could be slightly clunky and awkward to translate to a Smash Bros. character

• 

  Shantae

  Originating Series: Shantae

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Spirit

  Appearances in Smash: Ultimate as a Spirit

  Rationale: Big indie hit, has storied past with Nintendo, appearing on many of their handheld systems back in the days of the Game Boy Color and still appears on Nintendo consoles, unique character design, more female roster representation, great game soundtracks

  Issues: Licensing with WayForward, might be difficult to establish a unique moveset involving hair whip attacks

• 

  Bandana Waddle Dee

  Originating Series: Kirby

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances in Smash: Donning a bandanna, none; regular Waddle Dees have appeared as a trophy in Melee, in King Dedede's side-B in Brawl, and as enemies in Smash Run on the 3DS version of 4

  Rationale: Prominent main character in many recent Kirby titles, wields a spear which is heavily under-represented as a weapon in the Smash series, adds more Kirby representation

  Issues: Somewhat bland character, may be difficult to establish a unique moveset even with the spear

• 

  Simon Belmont

  Originating Series: Castlevania

  Status in Ultimate: Confirmed Fighter

  Appearances in Smash: Ultimate as a playable fighter

  Rationale: Main character of a series that has rich ties with Nintendo systems, especially the old ones, unique whip-based moveset, various weapons that can be used as special attacks

  Issues: Licensing with Konami, has not appeared in many games as of late, unique attacks beyond whip attacks difficult to come up with

• 

  Alucard

  Originating Series: Castlevania

  Status in Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances in Smash: Ultimate as an assist trophy

  Rationale: Popular character in the Castlevania series despite being most prominently featured on the PlayStation iterations, unique gothic and vampiric look

  Issue: Licensing with Konami, could be perceived as another sword-wielder, has also not appeared in many games as of late

• 

  Ratchet

  Originating Series: Ratchet and Clank

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, unlikely

  Appearances in Smash: None

  Rationale: Popular platforming character, varied moveset potential with a vast arsenal of weapons and the OmniWrench 5000 as well as Clank, multiple variations of the character to choose from, still relevant in gaming

  Issues: Licensing with Sony and Insomniac, already appears in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, has never appeared on a Nintendo console

• 

  Paper Mario

  Originating Series: Paper Mario

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, possible Spirit

  Appearances in Smash: Trophy in Melee/Brawl/4

  Rationale: Well-known and well-regarded Nintendo RPG series, moveset potential in the form of PM's hammer, origami transformations and paint splotches, adds another 2D character alongside Game and Watch

  Issues: Yet another Mario series character, ties up number of versions of Mario in the game with Link, moveset may draw too heavily upon divisive recent installments

• 

  Deathborn

  Originating Series: F-Zero

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, possible Spirit

  Appearances: Trophy in 4

  Rationale: Takes Ganondorf's old moveset so Ganondorf can have a more magic-based play style, more F-Zero representation, more villain representation

  Issue: VERY obscure, not a lot of moveset potential beyond potentially inheriting Ganondorf's old moveset

• 

  Impa

  Originating Series: Legend of Zelda

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances: Three trophies in 4 depicting her in Ocarina of Time and her two differently-aged selves in Skyward Sword

  Rationale: Underrated and underutilized Zelda legacy character, wields a unique weapon in the form of either the Giant's Knife or the Naginata as seen in Hyrule Warriors, could utilize some of the same attacks as Sheik, making her easier to develop

  Issues: May just be a Sheik echo, slightly obscure, not a lot of material to go on for moveset beyond Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Waluigi

  Originating Series: Mario Tennis

  Status in Ultimate: Assist Trophy

  Appearances: Trophy in Melee, regular trophy and stickers in Brawl, assist trophy in Brawl/4/Ultimate

  Rationale: Well-known and cult character in the Mario franchise, charismatic personality, would possess a wacky and quirky moveset

  Issues: Little actual moveset potential, has yet to appear in a mainline Mario game, breaks his defining character trait of always being left out and picked last

• 

  Sceptile

  Originating Series: Pokemon

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, unlikely

  Appearances: None

  Rationale: No playable fully-evolved Grass starter in Smash Bros. as of yet, bipedal, has a Mega evolution that can be utilized in its final smash

  Issues: Obscure, somewhat old, adds yet another Pokemon to the roster, large tail may be slightly unwieldy and awkward

• 

  Ezio Auditore Da Firenze

  Originating Series: Assassin's Creed

  Status for Ultimate: Unconfirmed, unlikely

  Appearances: None

  Rationale: One of the most popular characters in the Assassin's Creed franchise, still relevant to this day, unique weapons like the hidden blades, crossbows and other weapons

  Issues: Licensing with Ubisoft, may be too graphic for Smash Bros, might utilize generic sword strikes in combat

• 

  Decidueye

  Originating Game: Pokemon Sun and Moon

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed, possible Spirit in Ultimate

  Appearances: None thus far

  Rationale: All of the same reasons for Sceptile's potential inclusion, with the addition of a stand-out character design and unique Pokemon typing providing more potential for crazier movesets

  Issues: Incineroar is already in the game, weakening its chances to become playable as future DLC

• 

  Ribbon Girl

  Originating Game: ARMS

  Status in Ultimate: Mii Fighter costume

  Appearances: Ultimate as a Mii Fighter costume and possible Spirit

  Rationale: Curveball character to announce in place of Spring Man, more female representation, represents an un-represented franchise as of late

  Issues: Not necessarily the most popular ARMS representative, not quite as much moveset potential for her as other characters

• 

  Spyro the Dragon

  Originating Series: Spyro the Dragon

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances: None

  Rationale: Popular platforming icon on the PlayStation next to Crash Bandicoot, another quadrupedal fighter, lots of moveset potential with flame breath, headbutt, wing/tail/Sparx attacks, cartoon-y character design fits well with the rest of the Smash cast

  Issues: Licensing with Sony and Insomniac, possibility of his moveset drawing too much inspiration from the Skylanders' series instead of the original classics

• 

  Jimmy T

  Originating Series: WarioWare

  Status in Ultimate: Unknown, likely a Spirit

  Appearances: Appears in a microgame on the WarioWare stage in Brawl/4, and as a sticker in Brawl

  Rationale: Dance battling play style would be unique on the roster, one of the more well-known WarioWare characters besides Wario himself and Mona, adds WarioWare representation

  Issues: Slightly obscure character, 3D model would have to be built from the ground up, moveset potential may be slightly limited

• 

  Billy Lee

  Originating Series: Double Dragon

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances: None

  Rationale: Protagonist of one of the most well-known NES franchises, very little Beat-Em-Up character representation on the Smash roster, could easily develop a Jimmy Lee echo fighter/palette swap skin to go along with him

  Issues: Obscure franchise as of late, obtaining licensing rights might prove difficult, may be hard to make his moveset stand out amongst other human fighters like Ryu

• 

  Skull Kid

  Originating Series: Legend of Zelda

  Status in Ultimate: Assist trophy (according to Smash Ultimate website)

  Appearances: Assist trophy in 4/Ultimate + regular trophy in 4, two stickers in Brawl

  Rationale: Prominent Zelda villain alongside its possessor, Majora's Mask, would most likely fight with a unique and strange moveset

  Issues: Doesn't appear as frequently in the main series, isn't actually fought in the original game so moveset potential may be slightly limited, adds even more representation to the already-largely-represented Zelda franchise

• 

  Mike Jones

  Originating Series: StarTropics

  Status in Ultimate: Unconfirmed

  Appearances: None

  Rationale: Out-of-the-blue retro character similar to Mach Rider, possesses attacks using everyday items like yo-yos

  Issues: Very obscure, Nintendo largely ignores the StarTropics franchise, may be too similar to Ness and Lucas