Melee Reboot Roster 2.0

[CrusherMania1592]

First of all, I wanna thank Diddy Kong for his version of the Melee Roster Reboot thread made awhile ago.

So it's 2001 and Super Smash Bros Melee is set to be released later that year. You finalized the roster for the game and realized you have enough time to make FIVE new characters to surprise the fans by locking them very deep into the game, and none of them are unannounced until players discover the new characters themselves. They aren't mentioned in cheat sheets either to make it more fun and challenging!

And back then, the moment fans catch onto secret unlockable characters, there's many "OMG HOLY ****ING ****!" moments going around. We've all been there


Here's the rules to keep it fun:

1. The Original 8 () must be on the roster, no exceptions

2. The Secret 4 () are not required, but heavily encouraged

3. The Melee roster () can be added/removed at any point . If removed, replacing the character is not required, but strongly encouraged.

4. ANY video game character is allowed up to very late 2001. If you're gonna use a character to promote a game, you must explain how that character will be used in the game and what's the purpose of the character being advertised.

5. Maximum roster is 30 characters (31 including Sheik) on the roster



My version of the roster






Cuts/Considered

- Back then she wasn't as iconic as she would've been. Felt she would be unnecessary at that time, but later added in a future game via fan demand

- Don't at me for this. I know Pichu was a joke character, but I wouldn't had put Pichu in the game as a joke or clone character. Would've fit for someone else like Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch being the joke/wtf character to Melee instead.

- While I love Falco, I do think Wolf should've been in before Falco here. Falco would join the field in Brawl onwards.

- I'll admit that two Marios felt weird. For those who argue about two Links, keep in mind that Links are from different timelines. Mario isn't.


Added

* - Mentioned above. I do feel Wolf should've been in Melee over Falco, but that's me. Wolf would be a clone here with some claw moves added and later modified to a semi-clone later in the series (replaced Falco)

* - Not much to explain here. Very popular Pokemon, used on Ash's team, an unique character with actual flying thanks to its wings (and shared with Pit) but Charizard's able to hang in the air longer. (replaced Jigglypuff)

* - I know many of you are gonna be surprised with this. The reason I added Banjo due to Rare's popularity at that time and in this non-canon moment, Banjo is still with Nintendo under Rare so he would join the Melee roster.

- Pit was at the time more of a classic iconic character making him one of the retro characters along with Ice Climbers and Game&Watch. While Pit would be one of the two characters with wings to glide alongside Charizard, he wouldn't have the same ability to last as long here.

- DK's sidekick. Melee felt weird without Diddy around doesn't it? Diddy was pretty popular then and most of his moveset would be pulled from DKC and DK64.

* - This one is simple: Dedede was planned for 64 and didn't happen. So I feel Dedede would've been a character to add in Melee instead.

- I think it would've been interesting to see how Daisy would've faired here. She would've not only been the first female clone in Melee instead of Lucina later, but I feel she would've shown more than just a pretty face. For Daisy, she'd have more strength but slightly less speed than Peach and less time in the air for floating. (replaced Dr. Mario)

* - My advertising member of the roster. Olimar's existence would be for the Pikmin series and having an unique moveset created by Sakurai for him with the Pikmin team carefully monitoring the game to make sure Olimar does have interesting moves. His moves will later get tweaked in Brawl after the second game was released.

- Not only has Ash used this Pokemon on his team during the Jonto run, Heracross was a pretty popular Pokemon. The heavy wrestling and grappling game would've been unique for him and a part Fighting type Pokemon would've made sense here (replaced Pichu)


The secret five:

Clones/semi clones for this game: (Luigi and Wolf would be the closest to semi-clones here)

 

[BowserKing]

My Melee Remake Roster

/ Geno and Bio-Rex

Cut: is not per se, but he is an alternate costume

Reasons for the characters added

Wario and King Dedede were planned for Melee but where cut.

Sonic was considered as well, but the game is halfway through development.

Lugia is one of the most popular Legendary Pokémon, plus Melee needed a flying character, so Lugia took the part.

Geno is quite popular, so his inclusion would help bring in more popularity.

Bio-Rex was chosen since we needed another Dinosaur, and one based on T-Rex, so he is chosen.

Secret Five: Lugia, Geno, Bio-Rex, Sonic and Wario

 

[YoshiandToad]

This. Probably.

Presuming I have a little more time and resources available than Sakurai ended up having.

Replace Doc with Toad who is the superior Mario Puzzle star option(and far far less redundant than Mario in a lab coat). This also gives us the full Mario Kart 64 roster which is pretty cool.
Ice Climbers get swapped for Banjo-Kazooie who were a more popular duo character option than Nana and Popo.
Swap Falcon for Diddy Kong a different racing game protagonist who also has canon abilities outside a damn car.
Young Link gets swapped for Dixie who is a more interesting 'similar' character to Diddy than the two Links were IMO,
Put Wario in over Ness as he's a more famed capped 'hero' with questionable content in his games.
Puff gets scrapped for anime antagonist Meowth,
Roy's game isn't out yet so he's a bit of a gamble. We'll replace him with another member of royalty; Dedede
Pichu's redundant but we'll still use a very heavily marketed Gold and Silver Pokemon in Marill
Duck Hunt replaces Game and Watch as the more memorable 'retro rep'
Falco gets scrapped for someone else who prefers the air in Balloon Fighter. Would of been Villager but there was only six months between Animal Crossing coming out and Melee coming out so he'd of been a huge gamble too.

Oh and err...throw Ridley on there instead of Sheik or whatever. I don't know. That replacement makes no logical sense but I completely forgot Sheik was in Zelda's kit until the last second I was going to post.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Yo first of all thanks for using my idea, am totally cool with the thread running again in your name. But is this a realistic concept honestly if you take account that quite a lot of newcomers in Melee where clone fighters who don’t take much time to develop as fully unique characters. So if there would be more unique characters, the game wouldn’t release at the same date. I don’t think that Melee with its strong and demanding deadline to be on the market with the GameCube would ever be able to have a bigger roster than 26 without clone fighters.

 

[CrusherMania1592]

Dude did you ever just read the rules and get creative for once? That’s the point of the whole thread

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Super Mario Bros.:Toad
Yoshi:
Donkey Kong:Dixie Kong
The Legend of Zelda:
Metroid:
Kirby:
StarFox:
Pokemon:Meowth
EarthBound:
F-Zero:
Fire Emblem:
Retro:

Starter:Meowth
Unlockable:Toad Dixie Kong

Cut:

 

[Pupp135]

Edited Roster
Without limitations, I felt like this would have been the best roster for Melee.
Starter:
Secret:
Reasons
From the canon cast, I only left out Dr. Mario since he could just be an alt at the moment. Wario and King Dedede were highly requested, and DKC was an important series. Just to add more, I decided to add the requested third parties who missed the boat due to timing.
If the secret 5 are the last unlocks: I’d put Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Mr. Game & Watch, Snake, and Sonic as my secret 5 since the first two are lower priority for me, and other three would be nice surprises (“WTF” character and third parties).

Here is an edited stage list:
Mario: Peach’s Castle 64, Mushroom Kingdom 64, Mushroom Kingdom 2
DK: Jungle Japes, Monkey Mines
Yoshi: Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s Story
Wario: Wario’s Castle
LoZ: Hyrule Castle, Temple, Great Bay
Metroid: Zebes/Brinstar, Brinstar Depths
Kirby: Dreamland, Green Greens, Fountain of Dreams
Star Fox: Corneria/Sector Z
Pokemon: Mt Silver, Pokemon Stadium, Saffron City
F Zero: Big Blue
Mother: Onett
Ice Climber: Icicle Mountain NES style
FE: Dolhr Keep
G&W: Flat Zone
Metal Gear: Shadow Moses
Sonic: Green Hill Zone
SSB: Battlefield, FD

 

[Perkilator]

Okay, I’m gonna set up a basis to consider who gets cut and who gets added, under the assumption that more characters would be added with more time for Melee to be developed:

Canon Melee Roster


Cuts
- (added back in Brawl)
- (added back in Brawl)
-
-
- (Sorry, but don’t worry. This is hypothetical.)

Additions
- (replaces )
- (replaces ; yes, really.)
- (replaces )
-Caeda (replaces )
-
-Balloon Fighter
-
-Ayumi Tachibana
-Mach Rider
-Adeleine and Ribbon

Starters


Unlockables
Adeleine and Ribbon, , Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, Ayumi Tachibana, Caeda,

 

[MarioMeteor]

Imagine cutting Jigglypuff and adding Daisy.

 

[Perkilator]

Imagine cutting Jigglypuff and adding Daisy.

I mean…at least I was kind of to add back in Brawl. And my list didn’t even include .

 

[Pupp135]

Okay, I’m gonna set up a basis to consider who gets cut and who gets added, under the assumption that more characters would be added with more time for Melee to be developed:

Canon Melee Roster


Cuts
- (added back in Brawl)
- (added back in Brawl)
-
-
- (Sorry, but don’t worry. This is hypothetical.)

Additions
- (replaces )
- (replaces ; yes, really.)
- (replaces )
-Caeda (replaces )
-
-Balloon Fighter
-
-Ayumi Tachibana
-Mach Rider
-

These are some interesting picks since a few of these were considered for Melee (Balloon Fighter, Ayumi, Mach Rider), and it would be fun to see in earlier. is a major pokemon that never made the cut, and I wonder how it would play. If I did expand my roster, would definitely be in with . was a popular character that people would have loved to see earlier in SSB, especially if copyright issues didn’t exist. It’s sad to not see , but you said they’re on your Brawl roster.

I mean…at least I was kind of to add back in Brawl. And my list didn’t even include .

I think he’s refering to the TC

 

[CrusherMania1592]

Okay, I’m gonna set up a basis to consider who gets cut and who gets added, under the assumption that more characters would be added with more time for Melee to be developed:

Canon Melee Roster


Cuts
- (added back in Brawl)
- (added back in Brawl)
-
-
- (Sorry, but don’t worry. This is hypothetical.)

Additions
- (replaces
- (replaces ; yes, really.)
- (replaces )
-Caeda (replaces )
-
-Balloon Fighter
-
-Ayumi Tachibana
-Mach Rider
-

Starters


Unlockables
, Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, Ayumi Tachibana, Caeda,

Your roster forgot Zelda/Sheik LOL

The more I think about it, I really wish Meowth took Puff's place and Heracross as the "Gen 2 promotion character". Had they had time, I'm sure they would've done that.

Interesting choices with Caeda and Ayumi. Never thought of them at the time. And P. Plant is the biggest WTF of the entire roster after these two

 

[Diddy Kong]

To this day, and looking back, I probably wouldn't change even all that much from Melee's roster. Except for one major thing: remove Sheik, in favour for Diddy Kong.

 

[MarioMeteor]

I mean…at least I was kind of to add back in Brawl. And my list didn’t even include .

Why would you think I was referring to you? I meant the OP.

 

[Cinderace]

I know you said for the rules that Luigi, Ness, Jigglypuff, and Captain Falcon, should be heavily considered, but honestly, they should be put in along with the “Original 8”.
(Aka making all of them the “Original 12”)

You can’t just cut any of those 4 at all, ever.
Just my two cents about it.

If you were gonna cut anyone out with this hypothetical reboot roster, the only ones I could even see being discussed and considered would be the Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch.
Considering that they, at the time, did not have a lot going for them.

Me personally, I’m very happy with what characters were added in Melee when it came out. So I don’t think I would change anything/cut anyone.
(And if I had too, I would only maybe-sorta consider Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch, as stated before.)

If I would add anyone, it would be only ONE or a FEW of these characters here.

•Earthbound/Mother series:
Ninten
Jeff
Paula
Poo

•Kirby series:
Meta Knight
Dedede

•DK/Mario series:
Diddy Kong
Wario

•Pokemon series:
Meowth
Lugia
Mew

So I would add 5 characters that I would choose from this possible list of mine.
And if I needed to cut some characters to add ones from my list,
it would probably be Ice Climbers and Mr G&W, to be able to put two other characters in the game from this list, instead.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Veterans: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

Newcomers:
27. Classic Link
28. Ganon
29. Balloon Fighter
30. Toad

Cuts:
- Ice Climber simply isn't that iconic of a game, and I had Ice Climbers's "Arcade Rep." spot replaced by Balloon Fighter.
- Sheik was only really added to Melee to be part of Zelda in the game. As of now, there's not really much reason to keep Sheik around without that gimmick
- Dr. Mario is a weird pick. My guess for why he's in is probably to give some representation to puzzle games. I'd probably make a Dr. Mario stage or something and since he has Mario's moveset, he's not really representing much of anything.
- I think you know why i'd cut this one
- Again, I don't see what put this character in Smash in the first place. It's probably that old Melee poll where he was pretty popular, but I wouldn't have added him. The second Starfox character I would have added is Wolf.
- A Young Link who uses masks to attack would be cool, but as far as other links go, I would have added a version of Link from the first game and Link to the Past. Much better at representing other sides of the series.
- Yeah... Roy debuted after 2001 so it would be technically against the rules to add him. Even if he debuted in Melee

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Mario
Luigi
Peach
Bowser
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
K. Rool
Link
Zelda (no Sheik)
Ganon (pig)
Samus
Yoshi
Kirby
Fox
Pikachu
Onix
Mewtwo
Ness
Paula
Muddy Mole
Mr. G&W
Sonic
Tails
Eggman
Knuckles
Pac-Man
Wario
Space Invader
Crash Bandicoot
Duck Hunt

 

[Perkilator]

And maybe stages…I’m somewhat surprised (but I understand) that nobody, not even me, thought about stages. Let me just…make a little stage revamp, too. (^ denotes unlockable stages)

Canon Melee Stages


-Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach’s Castle
-Mushroom Kingdom: Rainbow Cruise
-Mushroom Kingdom (Melee)
-DK Island: Kongo Jungle
-DK Island: Jungle Japes
-Kongo Jungle (64)
-Termina: Great Bay
-Hyrule: Temple
-Planet Zebes: Brinstar
-Yoshi’s Island: Yoshi’s Island
-Yoshi’s Island: Yoshi’s Story
-Super Happy Tree (64)
-Dream Land: Fountain of Dreams
-Dream Land: Green Greens
-Dream Land (64)
-Lylat System: Corneria
-Lylat System: Venom
-Kanto: Pokémon Stadium
-F-Zero Grand Prix: Mute City
-Eagleland: Onett
-Infinite Glacier: Icicle Mountain
-Mushroom Kingdom II^
-Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths^
-Kanto Skies: Poké Floats^
-F-Zero Grand Prix: Big Blue^
-Eagleland: Fourside^
-Superflat World: Flat Zone^

Cuts and Replacements
-Mushroom Kingdom (Melee) <-> Mushroom Kingdom (64)
-Mushroom Kingdom II <-> Bowser’s Castle
-Icicle Mountain <-> Ushimitsu High School

Additions
-World 8: Bowser’s Castle (Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3)
-Goldenrod City: Game Corner (Goldenrod City)
-Northern Zofia: Temple of Mila (With Mila’s Divine Protection (Celica Map 1))
-Ushimitsu High School: Famicom Detective Club (Famicom Detective Club Medley/Mach Rider Medley)

Starters


-Princess Peach’s Castle
-Rainbow Cruise
-Kongo Jungle
-Temple
-Brinstar
-Yoshi’s Island
-Green Greens
-Corneria
-Pokémon Stadium
-Game Corner
-Mute City
-Onett

Unlockables
-Mushroom Kingdom (64) (Unlock )
-Bowser’s Castle (Unlock the Birdo Trophy)
-Jungle Japes (Compelte All-Star Mode with )
-Kongo Jungle 64 (Complete 15-Minute Melee with any character)
-Great Bay (Unlock )
-Brinstar Depths (Play 50 Vs. Matches or Clear Classic and Adventure with )
-Yoshi’s Story (Clear Classic, Adventure and Target Test as )
-Super Happy Tree (Hit more than 1312.3 ft/400 m in Home-Run Contest)
-Fountain of Dreams (Clear 100-Man Melee as and Adeleine and Ribbon)
-Dream Land 64 (Clear Target Test as every character)
-Venom (Clear Adventure Mode as and )
-Poké Floats (Clear 100 Vs. Matches as or Clear Classic and Adventure as Balloon Fighter on Hard or higher)
-Big Blue (Get all the way to the end in Race to the Finish as and Mach Rider)
-Fourside (Clear Classic and Adventure Mode as on Normal or higher)
-Temple of Mila (Clear Classic and Adventure as and Caeda)
-Ushimitsu High School (Unlock Ayumi)
-Flat Zone (Unlock , clear Classic and Adventure Mode as , and clear All-Star Mode as every character)

 

[RineYFD]

Okay so here's who I'm keeping:
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,(Reworked to have a unique moveset, replaces Sheik for said original moveset),,,,,.
Okay, so replacements now:
is replaced by Wario. Wario's moveset is mainly based on the Wario Land series. Wario got robbed, even Sakurai said he was supposed to be in and if he could choose one more character, it'd be Wario.
is replaced by Diddy Kong. DK needs more reps, simple as the that.
is replaced by King Dedede. Another villain character and is Sakurai's child
My five new characters:
1. Snake(Was originally planned to Melee, after Kojima asked Sakurai)
2. Sonic(Like Snake was going to be in. I dont even need to explain why he's in, it'd just be so legendary)
3. Tails(Adding Sonic is crazy enough, but adding Tails would be the cherry on top of the sugar-filled cake. I was also inspired by the fake leak)
4. Ayumi Tachibana(I admit I don't have much of reason to add this character. I just think she'd be a really fun character to add, considering her origins)
5. Ridley(We were all practically teased in that opening. Again he's another Villain and would be a unique character to add into this roster)
Edit: Thanks for BowserKing pointing my mistake. I accidentally put Kirby twice instead of Pikachu.

 

[BowserKing]

You forgot Pikachu and listed Kirby twice, but otherwise, good roaster

 

[RineYFD]

You forgot Pikachu and listed Kirby twice, but otherwise, good roaster

Thanks for pointing it out. My stupid ass must have put Kirby in twice instead of Pikachu.

 

[Pupp135]

And maybe stages…I’m somewhat surprised (but I understand) that nobody, not even me, thought about stages. Let me just…make a little stage revamp, too. (^ denotes unlockable stages)

Canon Melee Stages


-Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach’s Castle
-Mushroom Kingdom: Rainbow Cruise
-Mushroom Kingdom (Melee)
-DK Island: Kongo Jungle
-DK Island: Jungle Japes
-Kongo Jungle (64)
-Termina: Great Bay
-Hyrule: Temple
-Planet Zebes: Brinstar
-Yoshi’s Island: Yoshi’s Island
-Yoshi’s Island: Yoshi’s Story
-Super Happy Tree (64)
-Dream Land: Fountain of Dreams
-Dream Land: Green Greens
-Dream Land (64)
-Lylat System: Corneria
-Lylat System: Venom
-Kanto: Pokémon Stadium
-F-Zero Grand Prix: Mute City
-Eagleland: Onett
-Infinite Glacier: Icicle Mountain
-Mushroom Kingdom II^
-Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths^
-Kanto Skies: Poké Floats^
-F-Zero Grand Prix: Big Blue^
-Eagleland: Fourside^
-Superflat World: Flat Zone^

Cuts and Replacements
-Mushroom Kingdom (Melee) <-> Mushroom Kingdom (64)
-Mushroom Kingdom II <-> Bowser’s Castle
-Icicle Mountain <-> Ushimitsu High School

Additions
-World 8: Bowser’s Castle (Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3)
-Goldenrod City: Game Corner (Goldenrod City)
-Northern Zofia: Temple of Mila (With Mila’s Divine Protection (Celica Map 1))
-Ushimitsu High School: Famicom Detective Club (Famicom Detective Club Medley/Mach Rider Medley)

Starters


-Princess Peach’s Castle
-Rainbow Cruise
-Kongo Jungle
-Temple
-Brinstar
-Yoshi’s Island
-Green Greens
-Corneria
-Pokémon Stadium
-Game Corner
-Mute City
-Onett

Unlockables
-Mushroom Kingdom (64) (Unlock )
-Bowser’s Castle (Unlock the Birdo Trophy)
-Jungle Japes (Compelte All-Star Mode with )
-Kongo Jungle 64 (Complete 15-Minute Melee with any character)
-Great Bay (Unlock )
-Brinstar Depths (Play 50 Vs. Matches or Clear Classic and Adventure with )
-Yoshi’s Story (Clear Classic, Adventure and Target Test as )
-Super Happy Tree (Hit more than 1312.3 ft/400 m in Home-Run Contest)
-Fountain of Dreams (Clear 100-Man Melee as and Adeleine and Ribbon)
-Dream Land 64 (Clear Target Test as every character)
-Venom (Clear Adventure Mode as and )
-Poké Floats (Clear 100 Vs. Matches as or Clear Classic and Adventure as Balloon Fighter on Hard or higher)
-Big Blue (Get all the way to the end in Race to the Finish as and Mach Rider)
-Fourside (Clear Classic and Adventure Mode as on Normal or higher)
-Temple of Mila (Clear Classic and Adventure as and Caeda)
-Ushimitsu High School (Unlock Ayumi)
-Flat Zone (Unlock , clear Classic and Adventure Mode as , and clear All-Star Mode as every character)

While this thread is about rosters, I’ll do a thing for stages for fun.
Mario: Peach’s Castle 64, Mushroom Kingdom 64, Rainbow Cruise, Mushroom Kingdom II
DK: Jungle Japes, Minecart Madness
LoZ: Hyrule Castle 64, Temple, Great Bay
Metroid: Zebes redone, Brinstar Depths
Yoshi: Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s Story
Kirby: Green Greens, Fountain of Dreams
Star Fox: Sector Z 64, Venom
Pokemon: Saffron City 64, Pokemon Stadium, Pokefloats
Mother: Onett, Fourside
F-Zero: Mute City, Big Blue
Ice Climber: Icicle Mountain NES Style
FE: Archanea
G&W: Flat Zone
SSB: Battlefield and FD
Reasons:
I prefer the original Peach’s Castle and Mushroom Kingdom, and Bowser’s castle is a major location. Minecraft Madness gives DK a non-jungle map. Hyrule Castle is my favorite map, and Clock Town seems to be a more popular MM location. Crateria is a non-lava map. Sector Z and Corneria are very similar. People like Saffron City, and Mt. Silver is a gen II map. I wanted an FE map also.

Edit: I’m putting Great Bay back in the place of Clock Town, and bringing back Brinstar Depths and Mushroom Kingdom II, and removed Mt. Silver to bring it back to the original number of Melee maps (29)

 

[smashingDoug]

a custom robo, Lyn from fire embalm,

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Mario series: , , , Toad

Zelda series: , , , (with a complete original moveset), Skull Kid

Pokemon series: , , , Raichu (Replaces as the clone)

DK series: , Diddy Kong

Metroid series: , Ridley

Star Fox series: ,

Kirby series: , King Dedede

Yoshi series:

Mother series:

F-Zero series: , Blood Falcon (Replaces as the clone having almost the exact moveset as Melee .)

Fire Emblem series: ,

Retro category: Mach Rider (Replaces ),

Banjo-Kazooie series: Banjo & Kazooie

Cuts:

- Iike him more than Mario, but he simply can't replace him. Plus there are other characters I would prefer to have seen over Doc.

- Don't really like Pichu I much prefer Raichu instead.

- Not really necessary much like Doc and Pichu. Would prefer someone else take his slot.

Edit: I can't believe I forgot about Banjo & Kazooie while first writing up this list.

 

[Pupp135]

I’m revisiting this post since I wonder what everyone’s rosters would be if only 20 characters were in the roster like originally intended.
Here’s mine:
Start:
Unlock:
I cut no one from 64 even though Ness and Jigglypuff are expendable. I kept Ness since he has the most interesting moveset from the 64 cast, and Jigglypuff stays since it’s easy to develop (it was stated that a unique newcomer would take more time than Jigglypuff), and it was still relevant during development. For new ones, leaving out Bowser and Peach for a Nintendo All-Stars game would be awkward at this point, and they were the most requested during the SSB2 poll. Wario placed right behind Peach, and Wario Land was the biggest franchise without a playable fighter. OoT and Pokemania were huge, and I went with Zelda and Mewtwo since the former gives us a less predictable choice, and the latter was a heavy hitter. Despite being exclusive to Japan, Marth did well in the SSB2 poll (11th), and FE was relevant at the time. Ice Climbers are a fun obscure choice in the way that Ness was a more unpredictable choice in SSB64. While Diddy, Ganondorf, King Dedede, and a Game & Watch character would probably be chosen as the eighth fighter for others, I went with Sheik since she plays a notable role in OoT.
For unlockables: From the 64 cast, I only made Luigi a starter since he’s the player 2 character. I made Bowser unlockable since he is the villain character on the roster.
Unlock order: Bowser, Jigglypuff, Marth, Falcon, Ness, Mewtwo

Spoiler: StageList

Mario: Peach’s Castle 64, Mushroom Kingdom 64, Mushroom Kingdom 2, Rainbow Cruise
DK: Jungle Japes, Monkey Mines
Yoshi: Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s Story
Wario: Wario’s Castle
LoZ: Hyrule Castle, Temple, Great Bay
Metroid: Zebes/Brinstar, Brinstar Depths
Kirby: Dreamland, Green Greens, Fountain of Dreams
Star Fox: Corneria/Sector Z, Venom
Pokemon: Mt Silver, Pokemon Stadium, Saffron City
F Zero: Big Blue
Mother: Onett
Ice Climber: Icicle Mountain NES style
FE: Dolhr Keep
G&W: Flat Zone
SSB: Battlefield, FD

 

[Depressed Gengar]

Starters: Mario, Bowser, Peach, Pikachu, Heracross, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Kirby, Samus, Yoshi, Fox, Wario

Unlockables: Luigi, Meowth, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, Young Link, King Dedede, Captain Falcon, Ness, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch

Spoiler: Cuts

Dr. Mario: Since clones aren't required for this, Dr. Mario just doesn't have a reason to be in. He filled in a last minute spot, and that's all he really had for him.

Jigglypuff: Jigglypuff has already starting to lose what relevancy it had, and that already hasn't very much to begin with. Jigglypuff only made sense for 64 because it was easy to make in an era where something that was at least based somewhat off of already existing data from other fighters, but if that wasn't needed, then Jigglypuff would've just have been a glaring choice over much more important like Mewtwo, or even just more popular Pokémon. Even ignoring that, Jigglypuff's moveset... just isn't right. It's not completely terrible or anything, but it definitely needs a bit of an overhaul to make it both more interesting and more accurate to the games, and not just a new special slapped onto it and tweaks like (most) of the other vets did. Jiggs just had no reason to stay, and no, "Original 12" is not a reason. Maybe if this was fighting series with characters not from some already existing IP like Street Fighter then that would matter, but this is a crossover between Nintendo's biggest characters. You don't need to necessarily be among the biggest characters to earn a spot, but you should have more going for you than just the fact that you were in the first game.

Pichu: Out of all the clones in Melee (that aren't Ganondorf because he should've never been a clone of Captain Falcon in the first place), Young Link and Pichu made the most sense for being in at all. Gen 2 was a thing, PokéMania was at its peak, and while there's never been a definitive face for Gen 2, Pichu was definitely a face for Gen 2. Honestly I would at least consider keeping Pichu... if it wasn't for one problem. The one thing that really set Pichu apart from Pikachu (its constant recoil damage gimmick) is just PokéDex flavor text. That's not something that actually happens in battle. And yes, I know 100% consistency to Pokémon's battles isn't a possibility, but something like that just seems to out-of-place to have without an actual reason for it to be a thing. But, like I said earlier, you remove that and you're just left with a lighter and smaller Pikachu. Sure, that'd be easy to include, but easy =/= worth it.

Sheik: Only added because of a gimmick that not only would just be a pain to balance, but one that wouldn't even see much use from anyone anyways. And Sheik on her own is just a dumb idea. Zelda already had enough representation at the time anyways.

Falco: Basically the same situation as Dr. Mario. Clones aren't needed here, so neither is Falco. And honestly, a second Star Fox character so soon within the series just comes off as awkward. Maybe if the roster was a tad bit bigger I'd be more accepting of another SF character, but not in a roster of 24.

Roy: ... Literally just a clone that was an advertisement for a Japan-exclusive game that hadn't even released yet. Clones are no longer needed in this scenario, leaving him as just an ad and nothing more. He's the most expendable character in Melee by a long shot, outside of maybe Sheik. And if a second Star Fox character was awkward, then a second Fire Emblem character, especially with all of Roy's problems, would just be... wrong.
(Yes, I am an FE fan that thinks there's too much FE representation. Unusual, I know, but I'm not biased to series I like to the degree of keeping in an ad of Roy's ridiculous status.)

Ice Climbers: They were mostly added for the sake of an NES rep, which, considering a decent amount of characters already either are heavily connected or outright originated on the NES, it's just redundant. Their gimmick, like Sheik's, is also more of a pain to balance than anything else, although at least it's not nigh pointless like Sheik's. Still, both Sheik and the Ice Climbers don't really have anything going for them without their gimmicks. They're just irrelevant characters.

Spoiler: Additions

Heracross: I wanted a Gen 2 rep, and while I know Heracross really isn't a face of Gen 2, none of the actual Pokémon that could be argued as faces of Gen 2 were clicking with me. I already explained Pichu, Togepi's main draw is Metronome, which almost definitely wouldn't have worked, Wobbuffet's moveset definitely couldn't work, and Marill and Snubbull just didn't really have much potential (if this were Gen 3 or onward where Marill and the rest of its line got Huge Power, I'd actually consider putting in Marill or Azumarill tbh). So I had to look at Gen 2 Pokémon that weren't faces of the gen, but were popular, and Heracross stuck out to me the most. Granted, as with most Pokémon at the time, Heracross had movepool issues back then, but Crusher already explained what would make Heracross stand out, and I think that could still work even with the limited movepool.

Meowth: One of the secondary mascots of Pokémon and one of the most prominent. Plus, I'd imagine it'd be a pretty cool fighter with it's long cat claws. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Diddy Kong: Easily one of the most iconic and important characters that didn't get in Melee, and should have been in Melee. I don't think anything else needs to be said.

King Dedede: Really, kinda in the same boat as Diddy, just not to the same degree. He didn't need to be in Melee like Diddy did, but he earned his spot in Melee, if you catch my drift.

Wario: Diddy's exclusion was already silly enough. Wario's on the other hand was just unjustified. Hell, with how big Wario was, he should've been in 64 over Ness, Captain Falcon, or even Fox.

Three things before I move on to my final point:

1: "Why's Young Link still here if the other clones got cut?" I'll be honest, he's just there because I couldn't think of anyone better to put in for the last spot. I already included the two that should've been in Melee (Wario and Diddy) and even added Dedede. There were definitely big name characters still left out (Toad, K. Rool, Dixie, etc.), sure, but all of them felt like they should've been saved for later on in the series instead of putting all of them in at once and killing a lot of potential for the series to live on. And like I mentioned earlier, Young Link still had the most reason to be in the game out of the clones, regardless of their clone status. OOT was still a pretty big deal, and the time skip, something Young Link helps to represent, was basically one of the biggest things about it, which is still more than the other clones not named Ganondorf and Pichu had.

2: Both Ness and Marth (and Captain Falcon to a lesser extent.) only stuck around because of the same reasons, more or less. Not that they were necessarily planned to get cut, but if anyone else felt like they needed to be in as soon as Melee, they would've gotten cut. Heck, they could've been cut if there were any smaller name characters that still felt like bigger deals than those two, but there really weren't any bigger deal characters.

3: The "secret five" would be Mewtwo, Young Link, Dedede, Marth, and Mr. Game & Watch. Mewtwo wouldn't be among the last added to the game, but it fits Mewtwo so well to be such a secret that it'd be made into one. If the "secret five" absolutely have to be the last five added, then Meowth would be there instead.

And now for the last point about this roster. Yes, I know this roster is smaller than Melee's actual roster. And no, I wouldn't want it to be any bigger. As I mentioned earlier, if there were much more, the potential for newcomers in the future would be much weaker if I added many more big names. Hell, it already has harmed that potential. Adding Wario, Diddy, and Dedede earlier already took away from Brawl's (mostly) impressive list of newcomers. Besides, there's already 24 characters in this hypothetical Melee, with 13 newcomers, only one cut from the last game, and only one clone of the bunch. At that point, I'd rather have other aspects of the game be improved rather than add even more characters.

 

[Arcadenik]

Oh, I like this topic! Okay, Melee Reboot roster... this is how I would have done it.

Mario series
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Toad
5. Yoshi
6. Wario
7. Bowser

Donkey Kong series
8. Donkey Kong
9. Diddy Kong
10. Dixie Kong

Zelda series
11. Link
12. Zelda
13. Ganon

Kirby series
14. Kirby
15. King Dedede

Pokémon series
16. Pikachu
17. Charizard
18. Meowth
19. Mewtwo

Nintendo series - 1980s
20. Little Mac
21. Duck Hunt
22. Samus
23. Pit

Nintendo series - 1990s
24. Captain Falcon
25. Fox
26. Ness
27. Banjo & Kazooie

Nintendo series - Japan
28. Takamaru
29. Marth
30. Lip

 

[Depressed Gengar]

Decided to make a new list of stages since I thought it would be fun and because others were doing it. Only added one more stage total to canon Melee's for a grand total of 30 stages.

Starter stages: Mushroom Kingdom, Peach's Castle, Bowser's Castle, Viridian Forest, Goldenrod City, Hyrule Castle (64), Clock Town, Kongo Jungle (64), Monkey Mines, Green Greens, Crateria, Yoshi's Island, Corneria City, Rice Beach, Battlefield, Meta Crystal, Final Destination

Unlockable stages: Subcon, Sprout Tower, Ganon's Castle, Fountain Of Dreams, Kraid's Lair, Super Happy Tree (64), Sector Z (64), Mute City, Big Blue, Onett, Syrup Castle, Ice Dragon Temple, Flat Zone

Spoiler: Additional Details

Mushroom Kingdom: Wouldn't be an exact replica of the one in canon Melee, but would almost definitely be based off of it. Only changes I know for sure I'd make is to add Question Mark Blocks somewhere to the stage, and the change in music when a match is about to end would be removed.
Main Theme: Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.), Alt. Theme: Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros. 3)

Peach's Castle: Basically the same as the canon version, but with no Bonzai Bills, the switch platforms are removed, and the non-switch platforms are brought closer to the central tower of the castle.
Main Theme: Peach's Castle (Super Mario 64), Alt. Theme: Slider (Super Mario 64)

Bowser's Castle: Takes place on the Super Mario World version of Bowser's Castle, specifically outside in front of the Bowser sign.
Main Theme: Castle Theme (Super Mario World), Alt. Theme: The Evil King Bowser (Super Mario World)

Subcon: Just Mushroom Kingdom 2, but properly named and, like Mushroom Kingdom, no longer changes music near the end of a match.
Main Theme: Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros. 2), Alt. Theme: Underground Theme (Super Mario Bros. 2)

Viridian Forest: Takes place on the Viridian City side of the forest. A walkoff stage, with the central tree standing in front of the entrance, now a tad bit taller than the rest of the trees in the forest, serving as a platform. However, it's still possible to pass underneath the large, leafy platform, for the trunk of the tree is just barely out of the plane the fight takes place on.
Main Theme: Route 2 (Pokémon: Gold/ Silver), Alt. Theme: Battle! Wild Pokémon (Pokémon: Red/ Blue)

Sprout Tower: Yes, the same tower that was actually considered for canon Melee. The fight takes place on the top floor, in front of the swaying the tower is known for, and some of the sages of the tower watch in the background with some Bellsprout and Hoothoot.
Main Theme: Sprout Tower (Pokémon: Gold/ Silver), Alt. Theme: Battle! Wild Johto Pokémon (Pokémon: Gold/ Silver)

Goldenrod City: Takes place on the Magnet Train Station and the lower end of the Radio Tower. Whitney and her Miltank watch the battle in the background waiting for the match to be over so she can pulverize the last one standing with her Miltank.
Main Theme: Goldenrod City (Pokémon: Gold/ Silver), Alt. Theme: Battle! Johto Trainer (Pokémon: Gold/ Silver)

Hyrule Castle (64): Same as it was in the original, but without the tornado.
Main Theme: Hyrule Castle Courtyard (Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time), Alt. Theme: Overworld Theme (Legend Of Zelda)

Ganon's Castle: Pretty much just like Smash Remix's version of the stage. Takes place on the outside, with a similar layout.
Main Theme: Ganon's Castle (Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time), Alt. Theme: Last Battle (Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time)

Clock Town: Takes place in front of the Clock Tower itself. The infamous moon lurks high above the sky, staring down at the battle.
Main Theme: Clock Town, First Day (Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask), Alt. Theme: Clock Tower (Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask)

Kongo Jungle (64): Same as it was in the original.
Main Theme: Jungle Hijinx (Donkey Kong Country), Alt. Theme: Title Screen (Donkey Kong Country)

Monkey Mines: The platforms mostly consist of the raised platforms from Winky's Walkway, with a little bit of the broken up rail system from Mine Carnage below.
Main Theme: Life In The Mines (Donkey Kong Country), Alt. Theme: Mine Cart Madness (Donkey Kong Country)

Green Greens: Honestly, outside of fighting right in front of Whispy Woods like in the canon version, I don't know what to do with this stage outside of, well, making sure it isn't the original.
Main Theme: Green Greens (Kirby's Dream Land), Alt. Theme: Float Islands (Kirby's Dream Land)

Fountain Of Dreams: Same as it is in canon Melee.
Main Theme: Boss Battle (Kirby's Adventure), Alt. Theme: Gourmet Race (Kirby Super Star)

Crateria: A stage with both an above ground section and an underground section. Acid rain that damages the fighters occasionally falls in the above ground section, forcing everyone into the underground section until it clears up.
Main Theme: Crateria - The Space Pirates Arrive (Super Metroid), Alt. Theme: Brinstar - Overgrown Vegetation Area (Super Metroid)

Kraid's Lair: Brinstar Depths with a new name and with the ledges introduced in Ultimate.
Main Theme: Kraid's Lair (Metroid), Alt. Theme: Brinstar - Red Soil Swamp Area (Super Metroid)

Yoshi's Island: Similar layout to the canon Melee version, but with a SMW 2: Yoshi's Island aesthetic instead of the SMW aesthetic.
Main Theme: Flower Garden (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island), Athletic (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island)

Super Happy Tree (64): Yoshi's Island from the original with it's proper name and all of the cloud platforms brought closer to the main part of the stage.
Main Theme: Title Screen (Yoshi's Story), Alt. Theme: On The Beach (Yoshi's Story)

Corneria City: Takes place on the ruins of the city instead of just the Great Fox flying through the city.
Main Theme: Corneria (Star Fox 64), Alt. Theme: Corneria (Star Fox)

Sector Z (64) Same as it was in the original.
Main Theme: Sector Z (Star Fox 64), Alt. Theme: Star Wolf (Star Fox 64)

Mute City: Same as it is in canon Melee.
Main Theme: Mute City (F-Zero), Alt. Theme: Port Town (F-Zero)

Big Blue: Similar idea, but no longer randomly generated like canon Melee's and follows a set path instead.
Main Theme: Big Blue (F-Zero), Alt. Theme: White Field (F-Zero)

Onett: Similar idea to the canon version, but takes place where the Drug Store actually is in EarthBound, next to the Burger Shop.
Main Theme: Onett (EarthBound), Alt. Theme: Fourside (EarthBound)

Rice Beach: A mostly flat stage, with only barrels sticking out of the sand and some floating blocks serving as platforms.
Main Theme: Rice Beach (Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land), Alt. Theme: Title Screen (Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land)

Syrup Castle: A castle level that takes place within the castle rather than right outside for once.
Main Theme: Syrup Castle (Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land), Stove Canyon (Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land)

Ice Dragon Temple: An icy walkoff stage taking place right outside the temple itself.
Main Theme: Expedition (Fire Emblem: Mystery Of The Emblem), Alt. Theme: Akaneia Overture (Fire Emblem: Mystery Of The Emblem)

Flat Zone: Same as it is in canon Melee.
Main Theme: Flat Zone (Super Smash Bros. Melee), Alt. Theme: Oil Panic (Game & Watch Gallery)

Battlefield: Same as it is in canon Melee.
Main Theme: Battlefield (Super Smash Bros. Melee), Alt. Theme: Multi-Man Melee 2 (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Meta Crystal: Yes, Meta Crystal, but now with a symmetrical design. The metal battles in Classic Mode and Adventure Mode take place here instead of Battlefield.
Main Theme: Metal Mario Fight (Super Smash Bros.), Alt. Theme: Metal Battle (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Final Destination: Same as it is in canon Melee.
Main Theme: Final Destination (Super Smash Bros. Melee), Alt. Theme: Master Hand Fight (Super Smash Bros.)

 

[Pupp135]

While I’m happy that were added in Melee over some of the choices I’ll show below, I’m curious on how people would feel if the Melee’s roster just used the most requested characters from the Smash 2 poll (excluding Rare due to copyright issues, so no James Bond or )
This would be the roster:

( since last minute/low effort additions have been in each game so far)

For fun, I’ll make a stage list for this

Spoiler: Stages

SSB: Battlefield, FD
Mario: Peach’s Castle 64, Mushroom Kingdom 64, Mushroom Kingdom 2, Bowser’s Castle
DK: Kongo Jungle 64, Jungle Japes, Gangplank Galleon
LoZ: Hyrule Castle 64, Temple, Great Bay
Metroid: Crateria, Brinstar/Zebes
Yoshi: Yoshi’s Island, Super Happy Tree 64, Yoshi’s Story
Kirby: Fountain of Dreams, Green Greens
Star Fox: Corneria/SectorZ, Venom
Pokemon: Pokemon Stadium, Saffron City, Mt Silver
F Zero: Big Blue, Mute City
Mother: Onett, Fourside
Wario: Wario’s Castle

 

[manphone126]

don't need melee reboot, plays like smash u

 

[KarelFromFireEmblem]

The changes are minimal on my roster
Here is my roster:
Melee Roster NO.1

(Blue means newcomers)

Super Mario Series:
Mario
Luigi
Wario (Replaces Dr. Mario)
Bowser
Peach

F-Zero Series:
Captain Falcon
Blood Falcon (Replaces cloned Ganondorf)

Legend of Zelda Series
Link
Zelda
Ganondorf (decloned) (Replaces Sheik & Young Link)

Star Fox Series:
Fox
Wolf (Replaces Falco)

Pokémon Series:
Pikachu
Jigglypuff
Mewtwo
Heracross (Replaces Pichu)

Fire Emblem Series:
Marth
Leif (Replaces Roy)

Single-character Series:
Yoshi
D.K
Samus
Kirby
Ice Climbers
Ness


(I will do a stage roster later.)

 

[Otoad64]

here's mine:

cuts:


only clones are Baby Mario, Young Link and Pichu

 

[KarelFromFireEmblem]

Like the character roster, my stage roster is minimal
Here is my stage roster:
(Yellow means new stages) (Using Sakurai's front and back stage concept for this game)

Super Mario:
Princess Peach's Castle (front)
Rainbow Cruise (back)
Wario's Castle (other front)
Sarasaland (other back)

Donkey Kong:
Kongo Jungle (front)
K.Rool's Keep (back)

Legend of Zelda:
Great Bay (front)
Desert Temple (back)

Metroid:
Brinstar (front)
Brinstar Depths (back)

Yoshi's Island:
Yoshi's Story (front)
Yoshi's Cookie (back)
OLD Yoshi's Island

Kirby:
Fountain of Dreams (front)
Green Greens (back)
OLD Dream Land

Star Fox:
Corneria (front)
Venom (back)

Pokémon:
Pokémon Stadium (front)
Sprout Tower (back)

F-ZERO:
Mute City (front)
Big Blue (back)

MOTHER/Earthbound:
Onett (front)
Fourside (back)

Ice Climber:
Icicle Mountain (front)
Summit (back)

Single-stage series:
Fire Emblem: Kingdom of Archanea (front)
Game & Watch: Flat Zone (back)

(Overall adding to 31 stages, 2 more than canon Melee's roster of 29.)

 

[Butters Stotch]

Toad

Blood Falcon

The "secret five" consists of Toad .

Both and are cut to flesh out Marill a little and make it feel more than just a water based Pikachu clone. This is why I didn’t add a unique Gen 2 rep over Toad or Banjo.

Spoiler: Stages (I'm assuming I'd have time to add a few more)

1. Princess Peach's Castle
2. Bowser's Castle
3. Pirate Land (Smash Remix layout)
4. Yoshi's Island (Brawl version)
5. Yoshi's Story
6. Rice Beach
7. Wario Castle
8. Hylian Skies (SSF2)
9. Great Bay
10. Brinstar
11. Kraid's Lair (renamed Brinstar Depths)
12. Rock Star (same layout as Green Greens, except there's no Whispy)
13. Fountain of Dreams
14. Corneria
15. Out of this Dimension
16. Pokémon Stadium
17. Poké Floats
18. Mute City
19. Big Blue
20. Onett
21. Fourside
22. Archanea
23. (to promote Pikmin)
24. Spiral Mountain
25. Underworld
26. Flat Zone
    
    
27. Battlefield
28. Final Destination
29. Meta Crystal
30. Hyrule Castle
31. Dream Land
32. Saffron City

 

[MysticalCatlife]

64 VETRANS:

Mario
Donkey Kong
Link
Samus
Yoshi
Kirby
Fox
Pikachu
Luigi
Captain Falcon
Ness
Mewtwo (replaces Jigglypuff)

NEWCOMERS:

Peach
Bowser
Ice Climbers
Zelda
Sheik
Olimar (replaces Dr. Mario)
Scizor (replaces Pichu)
Falco
Marth
Ganondorf (wouldn't be a "Captain Falcon clone")
Skull Kid (replaces Young Link)
Wario (taken open space left by Mewtwo (as that I moved him up to Smash 64) since Sakurai would have added Wario in Melee if he had more development time)
Roy
Mr. Game & Watch

 

[Mamboo07]

Here's mine if there was much more development time.

64 Veterans
1: Mario
2: Donkey Kong
3: Link
4: Samus
5: Yoshi
6: Kirby
7: Fox
8: Pikachu
9: Bowser
10: King Dedede
11: Mewtwo
12: Marth

Newcomers
13: Peach
14: Luigi
15: Ice Climbers
16-17: Zelda/Sheik
18: Diddy Kong
19: Wario (Would have a Wario Land moveset)
20: Falco
21: Gen 2 Pokemon (Someone like Feraligatr or Heracross)
22: Captain Falcon
23: Ganon (Blue pig incarnation from Link to the Past)
24: Mr. Game and Watch
25: Little Mac
26: Banjo & Kazooie

 

[Geno Boost]

My melee Roster
Cuts:
Adds: Ninten, Sukapon, Black Shadow
Secret 5:

 

[Butters Stotch]

My melee Roster
Cuts:
Adds: Ninten, Sukapon, Black Shadow
Secret 5:

I actually never considered Ninten as a Ness clone. Would’ve been cool to see, especially here.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Bowser
5. Toad
6. DK
7. Diddy
8. Wario
9. Yoshi
10. Link
11. Ganondorf
12. Zelda/Sheik (2 in 1 Fighter)
13. Samus
14. Kirby
15. King Dedede
16. Fox
17. Wolf
18. Pikachu
19. Mewtwo
20. Scizor
21. Ness
22. Ninten
23. Captain Falcon
24. Black Shadow
25. Marth
26. Roy
27. Ice Climbers
28. ExciteBiker
29. Banjo-Kazooie
30. Mr. Game and Watch
31. ROB

I didn't wanted to add many clones too much, because I'm focusing on unique fighters.

 

[Perkilator]

Geez, it's been a while, huh? Well, I made a Melee with another year of development (loosely inspired by this video).