Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[fogbadge]

How high of a priority do you think Ike and Robin are?

I think they're both coming back. Ike is basically a staple at this point and Robin, well it's all been said before hasn't it, unique moveset, highly popular game, major character. having the personality of a plank of wood is irrelevant

She has some scenes early on and is given a third of the Hyrule army (Link and Lana get the other two) when the game gives some split paths. Impa is basically in charge of that third and helps the OoT characters. She also keeps Sheik close to her side due to not trusting her. She's got a much bigger role than a majority of the cast.

actually Shiek chooses to go with Impa. there's a scene where Impa questions why she chose to go with her over the others

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

If Chrom or Lucina get higher priority, I can see Robin being in the middle somewhere, where being cut doesn't seem implausible. I don't think they're going to cut all of Awakening's cast, but Robin never really made the biggest splash, and while he's unique, and that helps, I do think we'll be seeing many unique characters get cut going forward. Potentially also not in his favor is his gimmick makes his development a little more intensive than other FE options.

FE is tricky because other than Marth and Ike I could see any of the rest potentially getting cut. Not all of them, of course, but I don't think any of the rest are safe.

It's funny to say the development is more intensive because like, the development is already done. And if it's the same team working on the next game, they'll be allowed to save time by using resources they've already made, which would mean any cut character would be because they prioritized other stuff and couldn't bring those fighters back.

You make it sound like they start characters from scratch in each game.

The fact that she's an easy echo addition makes her even more likely to stay.

Lucina kind of lucked out. Almost everything is in her favor right now.

An easy echo who actually plays vastly differently too, further justifying her presence as more than just a glorified skin like Daisy

The only thing going against her (and most of FE's cast, really) is Sakurai's overall sentiment on the number of swordfighters, which to me is enough to say her chances aren't truly guaranteed. However, with everything else in her favor, I doubt she'd be low on the priority list among the FE cast.

 

[Lionfranky]

As long as polls keep reaching r/tf2, they'll keep voting en masse.

Which will matter little to none.

 

[Amornal1]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

Fortnite is absolutely massive and would make a lot of sense as a crossover with Smash.

But if Epic Games tries to negotiate having some of Nintendo's IPs in Fortnite as a result of them having their stuff in Smash, we're simply never gonna see Jonesy until they accept Nintendo won't give anything back for having Epic's stuff in their game.

 

[Amornal1]

Fortnite is absolutely massive and would make a lot of sense as a crossover with Smash.

But if Epic Games tries to negotiate having some of Nintendo's IPs in Fortnite as a result of them having their stuff in Smash, we're simply never gonna see Jonesy until they accept Nintendo won't give anything back for having Epic's stuff in their game.

Yeah, that's the only problem i see to jonesy in Smash.

 

[Lionfranky]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

Halo and Genshin.

 

[Amornal1]

Halo and Genshin.

Personally, genshin it's a 3rd position while halo competes with Crash Bandicoot and the elder scrolls for me.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I haven't played that much Zelda, so I'd like to ask: How important is Impa in most of her appearances? I know she shows up a lot, but how often is she actually important and not just the exposition lady? I think she was pretty important in Skyward Sword, was part of the ensemble cast of Hyrule Warriors and pitched as part of a trio with Link and Zelda in Age of Calamity, and that's the extent of my knowledge. Was there anything else, or was she just a bit character in her other appearances?

Yeah well, that's the thing. Those are her bigger roles, but Skyward Sword especially is her biggest role. Story wise she is quite important in both Warriors games too. Whenever there's a 3rd most important character that takes the focus after Link and Zelda, it's Impa. She's just always around and thus a more safe bet for future inclusions.

But seeing as the Sheikah theme of Breath of the Wild set quite the tone , I do expect for the Sheikah to play a future prominent role in Zelda. And that leaves a lot of room for Impa to establish herself. BotW featured an older Impa, therefore TotK did the same, but Echoes of Wisdom also had an elderly Impa who was actually capable of battle as seen in a cutscene. I think that sort of counts?

It's not much, but the roles we have are prominent enough to warrant her inclusion. Skyward Sword HD is a Switch release, Hyrule Warriors was on 3 systems (Wii U, 3DS and Switch) and its sequel was heavily marketed as an actual "sequel" to BotW and did amazing sales wise. Impa was also hugely popular in Age of Calamity especially, because of the way she fights mostly but also her personality and design.

It's enough for me to consider her as the most viable character for now. She's easily realisable with how the Sheikah and Yiga fight in BotW and TotK, will always be around in the series, and at the very least would make for a good semi clone character of Sheik. Which might leave room for another newcomer maybe ? Since that's basically all we got since Brawl. New clone additions.

Might just be enough if the main cast (which is the highest priority always) is well represented. Ganondorf having a move set rework as well as Link and Zelda, with Sheik and Toon Link remaining mostly the same and then having a new face with Impa might just be "enough" to keep Zelda fresh in Smash for another generation. It KINDA was the same approach Ultimate took you know. Revamp Link and Ganondorf, add another clone by Young Link (who was already planned due to Everyone is Here anyway) and honestly... it wasn't much but it was better than Smash 4.

I see very little other potential candidates really. Skull Kid is a cute idea, but what about the future of this character ? It's not like the inclusion of Sheik in Smash allowed for future roles, in fact the role she had in Twilight Princess was entirely scrapped. It's only Ganondorf who had any lasting impact since OOT / Melee. And even he disappeared for more than 15 years till Tears of the Kingdom.

Impa is therefore the perfect choice as she will remain around. Same with Link, Zelda, Ganon(dorf) and younger / smaller versions of Link.

This is why I'll continue to defend Impa. Nobody else makes sense beyond the argument "this character was cool this one time". Take into account that she has exact the same amount of popularity as the most popular picks as Skull Kid and Midna and I feel she's literally the only pick.

 

[Gengar84]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

This is probably personal bias because I love Arcane so much but I think League of Legends actually has a really solid chance to get a character in Smash. League of Legends was already a hugely popular game but the Netflix show has greatly expanded its audience and has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. Beyond that, the champions are all bright and colorful with unique skills and abilities perfectly suited for a game like Smash. There have been a few League of Legends side games on the Switch like Ruined King and they’re even getting their own fighting game in 2XKO.

I’d say the most popular character in Arcane is Jinx, who was already one of the more popular champions before that point. She also brings Smash a whole new character archetype in a Harley Quinn style character with a traumatic past and a ton of depth. In Smash, Jinx would be a lightweight glass cannon zoner with quick, frenetic melee attacks and powerful projectiles like Pow pow, her chain gun, Fishbones, her rocket launcher, Flame Chompers, her grenades, and Zap!, her energy pistol.

 

[Diddy Kong]

How high of a priority do you think Ike and Robin are?

High. These two are probably the most popular Fire Emblem characters by the fan base. And they're unique to boot.

They're basically the same priority I see as secondary characters from other series. Marth is like the Mario / Link / DK / Pikachu / Kirby, but Ike and Robin are similar in vein as Diddy, Meta Knight, Charizard and Zelda. Maybe a little lesser... more so comparable to Mewtwo maybe.

Why Mewtwo? Cause they're all popular, stood the test of time, and there might be modern new faces to replace them with but the outcry

 

[Amornal1]

This is probably personal bias because I love Arcane so much but I think League of Legends actually has a really solid chance to get a character in Smash. League of Legends was already a hugely popular game but the Netflix show has greatly expanded its audience and has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. Beyond that, the champions are all bright and colorful with unique skills and abilities perfectly suited for a game like Smash. There have been a few League of Legends side games on the Switch like Ruined King and they’re even getting their own fighting game in 2XKO.

I’d say the most popular character in Arcane is Jinx, who was already one of the more popular champions before that point. She also brings Smash a whole new character archetype in a Harley Quinn style character with a traumatic past and a ton of depth. In Smash, Jinx would be a lightweight glass cannon zoner with quick, frenetic melee attacks and powerful projectiles like Pow pow, her chain gun, Fishbones, her rocket launcher, Flame Chompers, her grenades, and Zap!, her energy pistol.

Okay.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Robin is unique for representing FE's tomes, so in my opinion, they should stay for that.

 

[ninjahmos]

I've never played Famicom Detective Club, but if Ayumi ever gets into Smash, I'm hoping they'll incorporate her apparent Naginata skills into her moveset.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I've never played Famicom Detective Club, but if Ayumi ever gets into Smash, I'm hoping they'll incorporate her apparent Naginata skills into her moveset.

They'll probably have to, cause there's not much else to work with.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

I have the most confidence in DOOM and Crash.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

Now, to properly answer this question…

Realistically: Anything Microsoft bought in the last few years

Pipe Dream: Mortal Kombat

 

[PersonAngelo53]

They'll probably have to, cause there's not much else to work with.

I mean, technically speaking is possible to make a full moveset without the Naginata. You just have to be a bit more creative. Someone like Phoenix wright or Velma in Multiversus are good examples of how an investigation moveset could work in a fighting game. Tho nonetheless yeah I imagine the Naginata at the bare minimum would be a part of her smash attacks or something to that extent. She probably also swing her bag as one or two moves I imagine.

 

[Will]

Who likes to play Robin?

Who likes Robin’s weapon durability mechanic?

 

[Amornal1]

I have the most confidence in DOOM and Crash.

I think that the elder scrolls would be more likely than doom imo.

 

[Godzillathewonderdog]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

Definitely Crash Bandicoot and Undertale. Both are highly influential, and the original Crash trilogy and Undertale are some of the very few western games that are really popular/sold very well in Japan, that combined with the fact that Crash and Sans are highly demanded newcomers, these two seem by far the most likely. Crash also now being owned by Microsoft helps.

 

[Ivander]

Who likes to play Robin?

Who likes Robin’s weapon durability mechanic?

I honestly don't mind Robin's weapon durability. Robin is supposed to be constantly switching between attacks and it keeps Robin from spamming too much.

If there's something I want, it's for characters with charge specials to release an attack immediately upon tapping the button and to charge by holding the button down. Not a particular fan of having to double-tap to get Robin to use which Thunder attack I want them to use when it's not Thoron.

 

[Noipoi]

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

I wanna say Undertale. My heart wants it to be Undertale.

Crash Bandicoot would also be really cool, though I wonder if his chances are overblown by the fanbase. I remember Crash predictions being prevalent throughout both Fighters Passes and it never happened.

 

[Amornal1]

Definitely Crash Bandicoot and Undertale. Both are highly influential, and the original Crash trilogy and Undertale are some of the very few western games that are really popular/sold very well in Japan, that combined with the fact that Crash and Sans are highly demanded newcomers, these two seem by far the most likely. Crash also now being owned by Microsoft helps.

Oh yeah, i forgot about Undertale. Now i think it's the second most likely only beaten by Crash Bandicoot as the most likely.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

I've never played Famicom Detective Club, but if Ayumi ever gets into Smash, I'm hoping they'll incorporate her apparent Naginata skills into her moveset.

I was thinking of that for her Smash attacks. Also, her Naginata from her school is made of wood, including the blade

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I wanna say Undertale. My heart wants it to be Undertale.

Crash Bandicoot would also be really cool, though I wonder if his chances are overblown by the fanbase. I remember Crash predictions being prevalent throughout both Fighters Passes and it never happened.

Never forget.

 

[Noipoi]

View attachment 397108


Never forget.

The Fighters Crash for Super Crash Bros Ultimate

 

[Perkilator]

I wanna say Undertale. My heart wants it to be Undertale.

Crash Bandicoot would also be really cool, though I wonder if his chances are overblown by the fanbase. I remember Crash predictions being prevalent throughout both Fighters Passes and it never happened.

I know I go on about how I wish Fighters Pass Vol. 1 had a 6th DLC character (still do), but maybe if I could, I’d pick the banooca as that 6th DLC character for Vol. 1.

 

[Gorgonzales]

View attachment 397108


Never forget.

Fighters Pass speculation felt like this a lot of the time.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

View attachment 397111

Fighters Pass speculation felt like this a lot of the time.

Don't forget an extra helping of Ryu Hayabusa and Cinderace.
Comes free with a large cup of Dante.

 

[Gengar84]

Does anyone think a Fallout character has a chance? I’m not overly familiar with the series but it’s had a successful streaming show (even beating out Arcane at this year’s Game Awards), a crossover set with Magic: the Gathering, and even a deluxe Mii costume in Ultimate with Vault Boy. I’m not sure the series has a standout character that would make sense but it does seem to have both the cultural relevance and existing Smash connection going for it.

 

[RileyXY1]

Does anyone think a Fallout character has a chance? I’m not overly familiar with the series but it’s had a successful streaming show (even beating out Arcane at this year’s Game Awards), a crossover set with Magic: the Gathering, and even a deluxe Mii costume in Ultimate with Vault Boy. I’m not sure the series has a standout character that would make sense but it does seem to have both the cultural relevance and existing Smash connection going for it.

Not really, mostly because of music licensing issues. A good chunk of the Fallout soundtrack is made up of licensed songs from the 50s, and the rest is just generic ambiance. This is why the Vault Boy Mii Fighter costume didn't come with a song unlike the Sans, Cuphead, and Shantae Mii Fighter costumes.

 

[Louie G.]

Fighters Pass speculation felt like this a lot of the time.

I was kind of astounded how long people clung onto Doomguy. Nothing against the character, but we got an interview essentially saying "nah they never reached out to us about him" and I guess most people just never heard about it? For most characters that was considered a death sentence but you'd still randomly see Doomguy tossed in there as a likely third party to be revealed at E3 that year, etc.

Which non japanese IP has the most chance to be in Smash Bros 6? In my case are fortnite and Crash Bandicoot.

Aside from the ones already talked about (I've been pretty vocal about my endorsement of Undertale in the past) I do think we're going to see one of Doomguy or Master Chief by the end of the next game's DLC. Both are strong legacy picks with passionate fan backing and represent a massive genre that has gone unrepresented up to this point. I do think there's room for only one, and my gut says it would be Halo, but I guess it's worth acknowledging that DOOM is in Smash via Mii Costume and Halo isn't so far (I think it was probably too big of a grab to do anything but playable with, but I digress). Pretty much hinges on Nintendo collaborating with Microsoft again, which I think they will, and IMO Chief is the next sensible step.

Outside of the obvious Undertale I think there's always a shot we see other big indie titles like Hades get surprise representation. Nintendo has always seemed pretty interested in that game, it as a spirit in Ultimate now, and it's got a sequel now affirming it as a continuing presence and has been a big critical darling. Otherwise I guess Cuphead is also worth acknowledging for similar reasons to Undertale, but I can't really see it happening unfortunately. Hades is a real deep gut feeling that something might come of this uplifting relationship Supergiant has with Nintendo. Maybe at least a Zagreus AT?

And I'll go with something random, I don't think Portal is impossible for its striking and decidedly Nintendo-y gameplay essence. Still feel that's gonna be the Valve move if we ever did have one. I don't think it's incredibly likely but Portal is on Switch and perhaps Nintendo would see the value in persuing a stronger relationship with the company... although I think if we see a new AAA western company join the party all signs would point to Ubisoft. On that front I think if we get Rayman there would be a good chance of us getting Ezio in a Banjo / Steve sort of way.

 

[Noipoi]

I was kind of astounded how long people clung onto Doomguy. Nothing against the character, but we got an interview essentially saying "nah they never reached out to us about him" and I guess most people just never heard about it? For most characters that was considered a death sentence but you'd still randomly see Doomguy tossed in there as a likely third party to be revealed at E3 that year, etc.

People really wanted the Doomguy & Isabelle memes to be canon

 

[Louie G.]

People really wanted the Doomguy & Isabelle memes to be canon

As stupid and fake as it sounds I honestly would not be surprised if this gives Doomguy a bit of a bump internally at Nintendo to provoke that crossover to happen "canonically". Out of most of the big crossover possibilities you can imagine I think that's one that they would see potential for huge media buzz and fan engagement. I'm sure it's been officially acknowledged at least a couple times on both ends right?

Not saying it would be the main reason they do it but perhaps if they're weighing out their pros and cons it would come up. I think Master Chief and Samus would be pretty much just as big a deal but idk if Nintendo would be swayed by the recency bias lmao.

Besides, in essence I think it's natural to see the potential hilarity in DOOM crossing over with cute characters like Isabelle and Pichu, and Nintendo's colorful often kid-friendly and innocent world. It's nothing new for Smash with the likes of Snake already here but I guess DOOM is another tier up from that. Whereas Halo's more sci-fi feel with more abstract alien looking weapons might make it a more natural fit for the game, so that conversation might be influenced by whether or not they want to lean into that dichotomy with Doomguy or find something that feels natural with Chief.

 

[Gengar84]

I don’t think this disqualifies him but I wonder if DOOM’s violence and gore might cause Nintendo to prioritize other characters that better fit the tone of Smash. Scorpion has the same hurdle but to an even larger degree. I think Bayonetta showed that their home game’s violence isn’t a deal breaker but I do wonder if it would negatively impact his chances. All things being equal, I wonder if they’d go with Master Chief instead for that reason.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

I feel like the DLC Mii Costumes or even a few in the base game will be somewhat of an indication of new characters in Smash 6 like how King K. Rool, Inkling, Isabelle and Chrom were costumes in Smash 4 and became playable in Ultimate.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I'm sure it's been officially acknowledged at least a couple times on both ends right?

I think the DOOM Twitter did it a couple times? Like I think they replied to an Animal Crossing tweet with something like "Will Isabelle be there?" and they posted an image of the Doomguy and Isabelle Nendoroids together saying "Happy New Horizons". I don't know if Nintendo's social media reciprocated though.

 

[Noipoi]

I don’t think this disqualifies him but I wonder if DOOM’s violence and gore might cause Nintendo to prioritize other characters that better fit the tone of Smash. Scorpion has the same hurdle but to an even larger degree. I think Bayonetta showed that their home game’s violence isn’t a deal breaker but I do wonder if it would negatively impact his chances. All things being equal, I wonder if they’d go with Master Chief instead for that reason.

I think there’s an easy work around. Doomguy can rip and tear but there won’t be any blood or guts, just flashy effects.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Doom Slayer and Master Chief also have that factor of at least to Japanese audience being famous for... well being famous as they're known quantities to that region even if their games never quite took off there. I think my immediate instinct would be that the Slayer would have more moveset potential from weapon variety (admittedly this is coming from someone who's played far more Doom than Halo) but MC would have the kind of holy s*** factor that few video game characters could manage.

What makes me curious is if any Halo games ending up on Switch would be part of it; Microsoft's willingness to put stuff like that on other consoles is anyone's guess at that point, but a Master Chief reveal with an announcement of previous games launching on the Switch 2 would make sense from a marketing angle, though the chances of that are (again) very hard to guess at.