What I'd like to see:
EDIT:
Or this. I would totally main FDR.
Pft, what are you talking about? FDR would
so be a clone of Churchill.
But. Here's my rationale behind my choices...
1.
Ridley. What more can I say? He's been teased to no end. The fan outcry. The need for more
Metroid reps. It's time. Behind Shulk, he's my most wanted character for
Smash and I'd be shocked if he doesn't make it in.
2.
Dixie Kong. She's pretty much everything the developers could want. A new
DK rep, easy to design, and female. She's remained prominent in the
Donkey Kong series since her debut, too, so she definitely deserves a shot in
Smash.
3.
Mewtwo. He was my main in
Melee, so there's some personal bias here. But. After what happened with
Brawl, I've made peace with him likely not returning to
Smash ever. But. So may things point at his return. The leaks. The fan requests. The potential for new moves and MegaEvolutions through
X/Y. If there were
ever a time to bring Mewtwo back, it's now.
4.
Impa. If Z
elda is getting a newcomer, Impa seems like the most likely choice. I'd prefer Vaati, personally, but Impa makes more sense. She's been an important character in the series for decades, and has only grown in popularity. She has a fun design, and would likely be easy to design, playing similarly to Sheik. The leaks seem to suggest she's there, and I'm definitely not opposed.
5.
Rhythm Heaven rep. It's another new IP to promote, and would provide a last WTF character. Either the Chorus Kids or Marshal would give us a fresh, unique fighter. I've been excited to try them out since the Gematsu leak and, honestly, I'd be disappointed if they end up being false.
Regarding the other characters... I'm more than okay with Snake, Ivysaur, and Squirtle being cut. I was never overly-fond of playing as any of them, and over the course of
Sm4sh's pre-release era, I've come to accept them being gone for numerous reasons I'm sure you already know. The Ice Climbers are kinda in limbo, though... Honestly, I'd be okay with them gone. Yeah, there's some
Melee nostalgia there, but.
Ice Climber is basically a dead franchise at this point. They were a cool (lol puns) addition, but not one I'm upset over not returning. Wolf, too, seems to be stuck in limbo. I'm all for more villains, especially from
Starfox, and Wolf was definitely fun to play as. That being said, Falco's seniority seems to be a big deal. Personally, I'd like to see him dropped in favor of Wolf, but. I understand that I'm in the minority there. I wouldn't be
happy to see Wolf go, but it's far from a deal breaker. Lucas, though... Is a bit different. He was a back-up main of mine in
Brawl, and I absolutely adored his role in
Mother 3. That being said, I recognize that the hype for that game has long since died, and like
Ice Climber,
Mother really isn't going anywhere. Lucas' cut would sting me more than the rest, but realistically, it's nothing I'd lose sleep over.
As for newcomers, there isn't much else to say. K. Rool would be fun, but he just doesn't seem that prominent in the
DK series these days. Give him a new game, then we'll talk. Bandana Dee doesn't really do it for me. And I don't really have opinions on Mach Rider or Isaac, either... And that's about it as far as popular Nintendo newcomers go, again,
for me. There are tons of other characters spanning Nintendo's countless series that I'd love to play as in
Smash, but they're all just personal favorites. Far too obscure or niche to be done justice in
Smash, a game that's built around icons and titles that have left a greater impact on pop culture as a whole. Lastly, I don't think there will be another third party rep this game, though I'd love to see Bayonetta, Banjo-Kazooie, or Simon Belmont someday... No matter how unlikely they are.

Honestly, I'm already pretty happy with
Sm4sh's roster, so anyone else (along with Ridley...

) would more or less be icing on the cake at this point.