Pokemon and FE are the series who have the biggest problems with Favor of the Week characters. Pokemon seems to always get a new rep in the form of a currently popular Pokemon, while ditching the older ones (Pichu and Mewtwo both being cut for Lucario in Brawl, with Mewtwo being hugely popular still). Fire Emblem did the same thing. Roy being the new and fresh guy, then being ditched for the next new and fresh FE character, Ike, with Roy maintaining his popularity. Melee and Brawl made these Flavor characters even more and more popular until, they moved from being a Flavor, to actually being loved for a very long time. This is why I think "the ditch the old, bring the new" trend for Pokemon and FE will stop with SSB4. Mewtwo and Roy are too popular to not be revived, as well as Ike and Lucario becoming so massive in popularity, which Smash furthered even more, that there's no way they get axed either.