Welcome back to the Smash Community Character Corral, where we look at characters and the community’s perception of them in terms of demand and likelihood. Last time, we covered the Mario series and its spinoffs. This time, we are going to look at a few more series: The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, and Star Fox. For those unfamiliar with the procedure, please check Part 1 to look at the general process for data collections and an overview of my thought process for rating these characters.
Once again, thanks to all of you who filled this out; we attracted more respondents this time with 135 respondents. Part III was originally going to cover the Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, and Mother series. Due to how big Scarlet and Violet were and how many fan requests we got in the suggestion box, Part III will now only cover Pokemon. Part IV will cover Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, and Mother. Here is the link for Part III.
With that out of the way, let’s start things off with…
Zelda:
Zelda as a series has a very strong case of needing a new character. Since Melee, only additions we have seen were the addition of Toon Link in Brawl and the re-addition of Young Link back in Ultimate. We have seen every single one of our other Melee era vets get some noteworthy changes at least. Link got a massive Breath of the Wild themed makeover. Sheik and Zelda separated which has benefitted both halves as now they can flesh out their kits more without being tethered to the other as a balance check. Even Ganondorf, who has been the target of many complaints due to his moveset, did get a few notable fixes in Ultimate with his new smash attacks.
There are a variety of theories of why the Zelda series has stuck to this relatively small roster given its success. But, I think the biggest reason is the fact that recurring characters just are not really that common in the series. If you are not a Triforce wielder, chances are you probably are locked to one game and Hyrule Warriors. One time Zelda characters have struggled to make the jump to Smash and very few of them tend to become immense fan favorites. People like the idea of some of them, but they never have had the vigorous demand that say, a King K. Rool, Waluigi, Ridley, or Isaac have had. They tend to be one and dones, which probably impacts their ability to build a fanbase. The only one time character that has made it in is Sheik, who entered the series as part of Zelda’s moveset.
I think nowadays though, the time is ripe for a Zelda newcomer. Breath of the Wild was huge for the series and propelled it into the forefront even more than Zelda already was as a series. The series future looks bright as well. I think that ports of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD from the Wii U ports to the Switch are probably in the cards. This is not even taking into account the looming release of Tears of the Kingdom, which will probably be around as successful as BOTW. With such a big looming release, I would not be shocked if now is the time we finally get our Zelda newcomer but also would not be shocked if we did not.
BOTW/TOTK Zelda:
Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Zelda is one of the two characters in this article I think will have an easier time being analyzed in a few years. The jury is still out on what roleTears of the Kingdom Zelda will have. There is speculation that she could be playable, but right now it is too soon to tell. The most we can tell about her is that she's more of an adventurer than her BOTW self, she has a new haircut, and she falls down a hole. That first point is the biggest kicker, since the main reason Sakurai chose to forgo changing Zelda to her BOTW design was he did not see her as a fighter. Perhaps with this and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, there is enough of a case for her as a fighter. Now, whether they choose to put her as just the latest Zelda or that she’s distinct enough to make her own fighter is up in the air. If she is playable, Sakurai and the team could lean on making her a new character rather than just the latest Zelda to take up the mantle. Her being playable or not, they could also decide that she could be a good template to make a full moveset based on Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom. Smash is no stranger to having characters borrow moves from other characters in their series: Zelda herself borrowed Link’s spells from Ocarina of Time and repurposed them. It’s pretty easy to make a full BOTW/TOTK[/i] moveset for Zelda taking what toys you don’t give Link and her moveset in Age of Calamity.
If they go with a pick purely based on the Switch era, Wild Zelda could easily be their first pick for a Zelda character. I think it's just up in the air and depends on her role in Tears of the Kingdom. If she is playable, I would be very confident in her score. For now, I am just giving her a 5/10 for chance. She is getting a 7/10 for want. While I am not as enthusiastic about Breath of the Wild[/i] as most other people, I do still appreciate the game and would love to see more pulled from it in the future. I also do like the designs for both BOTW and TOTK Zelda and think they would translate well over to Smash. The community was more lukewarm than I was, giving Wild Zelda a 3.99/10 in chance and a 4.72/10 in want.
Tetra:
Speaking of Zelda, let’s talk about Zelda. Well, Tetra this time. Tetra did have a small but dedicated fandom during Brawl and Smash 4. I think that it helps that Tetra can easily translate into Smash as a unique character. We know that compared to some of the other Zeldas, Tetra is a fighter. She literally is a pirate captain, you know she did not make it there just by chance. She is also notable for possibly being considered for Smash at one point, as the code for Brawl contains fighter names for Toon Zelda and Toon Sheik. While they could have potentially just made small chibi oc Toon Sheik, I think it is much more likely that this was meant to be Tetra since they are both action oriented Zelda alter ego’s. Tetra also benefits from being one of the few recurring Zelda characters as she appears in Wind Waker’s sequel Phantom Hourglass]. I am going to be a bit generous and give her a 3/10 for chance. She has a better resume than most Zelda[/i] characters with a bit less going against her. Being considered potentially at one point alone bumped her up an entire point for me. I also think Tetra would be neat, so she is getting a 7/10 for want. Tetra is probably one of my favorite interpretations of Zelda, I loved how chaotic she was. The community was lower on Tetra want wise, giving her a 5.35/10 in want, while being about even with me in chance, giving her a 3.39/10.
Toon Zelda:
Like Tetra, we do have implications that Toon Zelda may have been considered for Brawl via the game’s code. I do think if Toon Zelda got in, the most likely form she would take would be her Phantom based moveset from Spirit Tracks. I doubt they would harken back to the swapping mechanic and the Phantom stuff offers the most captivating moveset in my opinion. Despite that, I think her chances are shot. The toon styled Zelda games seem to have been pushed to the wayside. She did appear in Hyrule Warriors at least, but to be fair, a lot of characters did. It doesn’t help that Zelda already has the Phantom implemented into her moveset, which seems like a nod to Spirit Tracks without giving it a full character. I just do not see them revisiting Spirit Tracks that much, so she is getting a 2/10 for Chance. Want wise, I think she would be neat enough and I like Spirit Tracks, so a 4/10 for want. I just would prefer other Zelda characters to her at the end of the day. Out of our three Zeldas on the poll, Toon Zelda did the worst. Want wise, she got a 4.25/10, the lowest of the three. Chance wise she also understandably got the lowest with a 3.16/10.
Ganon:
Three Links? Two Zeldas? Why not two Ganons? Pig Ganon at least does have a solid logic to get in. For starters, Ganon appears more in his bestial form than his human form. Pig Ganon also offers a way to do a new take on the Ganon moveset while keeping Smash’s current Ganon. The biggest complaint with Ganon is that he does not use his sword or dark magic enough. Why not make a moveset themed entirely around those? I think the Link to the Past Ganon would probably be the route they would take if they went with Ganon as a playable character. Not only is it probably his most iconic depiction, but the use of the trident and dark magic would lend itself well to a non Falcondorf moveset. This form also tends to be brought back and referenced frequently compared to other depictions.
As much as I think he’d be neat, I do think his chances are low. I do not see Sakurai really going back to this super old school Ganon design. Its most recent appearance was A Link Between Worlds, which was 10 years ago. When Ganon does appear, it's in his far larger, monstrous form. Furthermore, we did get Ganon as a boss and Ganondorf’s final smash. While we have seen characters get upgraded from Final Smash cameos or upgraded from a boss, I feel Sakurai is content with how Ganon is shown off in Smash. I think the more likely outcome is that Ganondorf gets a few more tweaks to move him slightly further from his Falcondorf roots. A 2/10 for chance, but a 10/10 for want. What can I say? I am a sucker for villains and Ganon hits the nail right on the head. The community was much higher on Ganon than our past couple of characters, giving him a 6.21/10 for want. That being said, they were not kidding themselves on chance with a 3.63/10.
Impa:
And here we have one of the few Zelda characters that I think has a solid shot of getting in: Impa. If Breath of the Wild Zelda is off the table, Impa is probably my pick for our Zelda newcomer. Impa tends to be portrayed in two ways: wise elderly sage who guides Link in his quest to save Zelda, or Zelda’s bodyguard confidant protector. Sometimes, such as with Impa in Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity or in Skyward Sword, she can be both. I think Impa has ended up in the latter camp than the former as time has gone on. If you were to go with a pick representing Zelda broadly that isn’t a Triforce wielder, Impa has to be at the forefront of the list. She is one of the few recurring characters the series has, and out of them she does appear extremely consistently while also being very easy to translate into a fighting game. Impa also benefits from having some Switch era appearances, probably most notably in AoC. Here, she is one of the main characters and we do get to see Impa display some great combat feats for a potential moveset as well as not being old.
One other thing Impa has going for her that most other Zelda reps do not is that she is a reasonable target to be an echo fighter. Impa as a Sheikah would within reason translate well into being a Sheik echo fighter. Obviously, you could make Impa unique, but like with Dixie Kong last time she has the option to be both a unique character and an echo fighter.
Overall, if we do get a recurring Zelda character and Wild Zelda is off the table, it is probably going to be Impa, either as an echo fighter or a unique newcomer. She is getting a 6/10 for me. Impa having legs to get in either as a unique newcomer or an echo is enough to give her top billing in this category. She is getting an 8/10 for want though. While I would not be opposed to Impa, I genuinely do enjoy the character, there are unique Zelda newcomers that I would prefer to her. I do like her Age of Calamity design though. The community was actually very enthusiastic about Impa: she got a 6.85/10 for want, almost touching Dixie Kong’s top score from last time. She also scored a very respectable 5.95/10 for Chance, higher than all but two characters last time.
Vaati:
Next up, we have one of the few recurring villains in the Zelda series behind Ganondorf himself: Vaati. He first appeared in the Four Swords games as well as Minish Cap. Unfortunately his last major Zelda appearance was almost 20 years ago in Minish Cap, and he didn’t even get a cameo in Hyrule Warriors. The Zelda series has left the corrupted minish to the sands of time. A 1/10 for chance, but a 3/10 for want. I do have a soft spot for Minish Cap, which extends to Vaati at least. There are so many other Zelda candidates I would prefer to him. Most people tend to think Vaati’s chances are dead, as almost half of the respondents gave him a 1/10 with the average being 2.14/10. Want-wise, he actually didn’t do that bad with a 5.45/10.
Tingle:
On the website TVTropes, there is a trope called Americans Hate Tingle. This is used to describe when a certain audience abroad very negatively reacts to a character when brought to an overseas market. Tingle is the trope namer because people outside of Japan despise the character. He had enough of a fanbase to get his own games in Japan, but that did not fly in the US. When Nintendo ran an official poll to see if the game should be released in the states, it was heavily shot down in the West. His roles in the Zelda series have been reduced to cameo appearances at best or as a punchline at worst, possibly due to this. Tingle is no longer a real player in the Zelda series anymore. His assist trophy was cut between Smash 4 and Ultimate, though this was probably due to the return of the Great Bay stage. I highly doubt that Sakurai would ever really consider Tingle as a playable character among such strong competition that aren’t reviled. He is getting a flat 1/10 for chance from me, and a 1/10 for want to boot. I have never taken kindly to this character, at best he was this weird useless platform on Great Bay. At worst, he made the final act of Wind Waker unbearable until its HD remaster. For a character with such a controversial reception such as Tingle, he got a surprisingly high 4.42/10 for want. The community was not as generous with his chances: a 3.30/10 is still quite low.
Skull Kid:
Finally, we have a recurring character that had his starring role in the game that Tingle debuted in: Skull Kid. While Skull Kid, or the Skull Kids as a species are recurring, if we do get Skull Kid as a character it will predominantly be pulling from the Majora’s Mask incarnation. That one is the iconic appearance of the character, it got the assist trophy, and the other appearances are bit parts at best compared to being the main antagonist alongside Majora. His Majora’s Mask appearance alone is iconic to this day. Majora’s Mask to me feels like the Zelda game that as time has gone on, it has become more and more beloved. The unique apocalyptic atmosphere alone has lead to a cult following for this one game alone. While I still think games like the original Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Breath of the Wild hold a stronger impact on the general public, Majora’s Mask seems to only grow more beloved as time goes by. This probably has led to Skull Kid being one of the most popular Zelda requests. Part of this might be due to the timing of the Moon assist trophy leading to some wild fan theories (remember Chair theory?), but I think that a large part of it is that people love Majora’s Mask that much. If we do get a Zelda character chosen as a fan pick, Skull Kid is probably the pick at this point. That being said, he would be picked both out of a desire for a Zelda newcomer and a fanservice pick. They could just as easily decide to do someone more relevant to the series broadly or at the time the next game’s roster is chosen. They also could easily go with other big first party fan favorites if they have a purely fan demand slot in mind.
He is getting a 4/10 for chance from me as a result. Compared to most of the other characters coming up, I think he has a stronger shot, but I would not be super confident in him. He is getting a 10/10 for want. I love Majora’s Mask and playing as this psychotic possessed gremlin sounds like a blast. Going into this, I expected the community to like Skull Kid. I was wrong: they loved him. Skull Kid got a 6.97/10, the highest of any Zelda character. I was worried that support for him would evaporate and cool down, but the iron still seems hot. His chance scores were not as high, netting a respectable 4.89/10 there.
Midna:
I would love Midna to be playable, 10/10 for want. The idea of this mounted fighter fighting on Wolf Link, using Twili magic, ripping portals, using the fused shadows to fight? Golden, sounds awesome. Sadly, I think her time in the sun is over. While Midna is easily the most beloved aspect of Twilight Princess nowadays, the game has gotten less attention over time compared to more beloved titles like Majora’s Mask or Wind Waker. It is not hated, but its star has certainly dimmed. As a fan favorite pick, Skull Kid is the character to beat and I doubt Midna will be able to overcome him, so she is getting a 2/10 for chance for me. The community was higher on Midna chance wise but not by much: she snagged a 3.98/10 overall. She also managed to net a very strong 6.59/10 for want. It makes me wonder what would have happened if Midna and Skull Kid’s Assist Trophy reveals for Ultimate were reversed. Would Midna instead be the front runner for want? It's impossible to say, but I do think it shows that the community would be elated for either of them.
Ghirahim:
Speaking of one time Zelda characters that aren’t Skull Kid, we have Ghirahim. Similar to Midna, I doubt that we will be getting a one time Zelda character, especially when Skull Kid bottlenecks any enthusiasm in that direction. Skyward Sword will probably not be relevant again outside of its HD port, which means Ghirahim is also stuck. If he had Skull Kid or Midna tier demand he might have a shot, but most of the hype around Ghirahim died after his Assist Trophy was shown off in Smash 4. A 1/10 for chance, I do not see him getting ahead of Midna or especially Skull Kid. He is getting an 8/10 for want though. Ghirahim was always one of the highlights of my Skyward Sword playthroughs, and I think both his tutorial first boss and his final battle are expertly designed. The community was not nearly as high on him, with a 4.99/10 in want. Chance wise, the community was also pretty dower on Ghirahim, giving him a 2.98/10.
BOTW Champions:
On the poll, the Champions were up for a vote either as a unit or with one representing them. Personally, I think the champions as a unit are more interesting, but this would be the much harder option to pursue. Pokemon Trainer was one of the hardest characters in the game to create and balance. The Champions would have much more complex models and have four characters to work with instead of three. Individually, you could throw together a moveset for any of them, but it just does not pop the same way for me. This would still probably be the route they go with given how difficult the alternative is.
The Champions have other hurdles besides their potential implementation. We have no idea what role they may play in Tears of the Kingdom. Given the track record of the series, I am going to guess they will either be on the backburner for that game and might get mild lip service, or they won't appear at all. I’ll give them a 2/10 for chance given that they are from Breath of the Wild, and a 2/10 for want. This is entirely carried by Daruk. Playing as a Goron sounds like a blast, but I just have never been huge on any of the champions. Daruk included Combine that with other Zelda characters being on the table and getting the champions would feel like a letdown. The community was much higher on the Champions with a 5.81/10 for want. They also were higher on them chance wise, giving them a 4.57/10 in chance.
Lana and Linkle:
Both Lana and Linkle are getting 1/10s for chance from me. I highly doubt that if we get a new Zelda character, we would get an original character from Hyrule Warriors. Not helping manners for them is that we now have Age of Calamity as the new Zelda Warriors hotness. The original Hyrule Warriors released nearly a decade again was ported to the Switch before Ultimate released. If I had to choose, Lana would be the more likely of the two given she is the star of Hyrule Warriors, but it’s a game of inches at that point. Lana is getting a 4/10 for want and Linkle a 5/10. I am not a fan of the Warriors games, so I would be at least a little miffed if it got a new character instead of one of the classics I love. I think Lana would be reasonably fun, though I feel Linkle would be even more fun; I am a fan of crossbows.
The community chance scores for these two were absolutely brutal. Lana got a 1.96/10, barely beating out Linkle’s 1.90/10. The community clearly thinks these two characters have missed the bus. When it comes to want, they fared better, but being in a horse race with Tingle is not a desirable spot to be in. Lana got a 4.35/10 and Linkle got a 3.90/10, the lowest want score for any Zelda character. It seems Hyrule Warriors characters don’t fare as well when mainline options are on the table.
Metroid:
The Metroid representation we got in Smash Ultimate was amazing. Getting both versions of Samus, Dark Samus, and fan favorite Ridley was a dream come true. Back in 2018 I would have said that Metroid representation at the time was perfect, but things have changed. With the success of Metroid Dread andPrime 4 coming…eventually, there are a few new Metroid candidates that could get in if they lean on the Switch catalog. While I’m less confident in a Metroid character getting in than I am with a Zelda character, I will probably change my tune should [iPrime 4[/i] release.
Raven Beak:
To start off our Metroid list, let's look at the big bad of Metroid Dread: Raven Beak. I will try to dance around spoilers for at least part of this analysis, though some thoughts will need to be spoiler tagged. Raven Beak benefits a ton from having some of the huge standout moments in the newest Metroid game. The long shadow he casts over the game sets him up extremely well and the payoff is extravagant. His battle takes all of what you learned in Metroid Dread and puts it to the test in a jaw dropping final boss. The characterization of Raven Beak and his lore implications are also super sick.
In spite of my Switch bias in my chance ratings, there are a few reasons I am not totally optimistic on Raven Beak. There is a Metroid Prime 4 shaped elephant in the room. Nintendo’s big 3D releases tend to sell extremely well on the Switch. Luigi’s Mansion 3, Breath of the Wild and Kirby and the Forgotten Land are the highest selling games in their respective series and subseries; it would not be surprising for Prime 4 to follow suit . Should that happen, I do not see them going for Raven Beak if there is a strong candidate from Metroid Prime 4. My biggest reason to give pause is due to his role in Metroid Dread itself.
While Raven Beak casts a massive shadow over the Metroid series, his role might be over. The lore surrounding the character is fascinating, especially with how he ties into Samus’ backstory. However, he does die at the end of Metroid Dread. It is not out of the question we can see him again though. Metroid Dread as of now is at the end of the Metroid timeline. The Metroid series is no stranger to having characters cheat death. Mother Brain, Metroid Prime/Dark Samus, and especially Ridley have found ways of making death not stick permanently. Getting assimilated by the X Parasites though is a pretty finite way to die. Maybe they could clone him or something, but until he does come back I will assume he is dead.
All that being said, I would give him around a 3/10 for chance. I still think if they went for a Metroid character, he is at least worth a look. It’s just that Metroid Prime 4 looming in the horizon makes me not as confident in him. I will give him an outright 10/10 for want though. The boss fight against Raven Beak in Metroid Dread is one of the best boss fights in a series that has many great boss fights. It is in that same caliber as Meta Ridley in Prime 1 and Mother Brain in Super Metroid. This is just a god tier fight for such a cool character, and seeing it implemented into Smash would just make me giddy. The community was also very open to the idea of Raven Beak in Smash, giving him a very strong want score of 6.83/10. He also got a slightly lower 5.11/10 for his chances. He outperformed my expectations on both fronts.
EMMI:
As much as I would love Raven Beak, I can not say the same for EMMI. While they were prominent in the marketing for Metroid Dread, the EMMI units at the end of the day are just enemies. I think they would probably be more suited to an assist trophy, a Dread based stage hazard, or even enemies in a game mode like Smash Run if it were to return. Combine that with there being strong competition in the Metroid series and EMMI’s chances are as dead as Samus was in the Dread reveal. I am going to be a bit generous and give them a 2/10 for chance. This is only due to the strong impression they leave throughout the game and the role they did play in the marketing for Dread. I am gonna give them a 4/10 for want though. Maybe this is just due to the fact Plant turned me off of the idea, but I would prefer we avoid adding generic mooks to smash. EMMI is certainly one of the coolest potential picks in this regard, but I do think that I would prefer either of our other two Metroid options to them. The community was pretty close to where I was for want, giving EMMI a 4.30/10. Chance wise, they gave it the lowest score of the Metroid reps with a 3.19/10.
Sylux:
We have a reasonable amount of info to infer that Sylux will be the big bad of Metroid Prime 4. Metroid Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe has stated that he does want to develop a Sylux and Samus story. The ship at the end of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption’s secret ending belongs to Sylux. Federation Force further seeded this by giving us a very strong tease that there was a future for Sylux within the series. Whether we get a whole new Prime trilogy with Sylux or not is way too far ahead to envision. We do not even have Prime 4 yet, which will be the main deciding factor in Sylux’s chances. At this point the most we know about Sylux is that he hates Samus and the Galactic Federation. To be fair, I think most of us also hate the latter after Metroid Other M.
Honestly, his chances ride entirely on the success of Metroid Prime 4. If the game is a huge success, I think he has a very strong shot of making it in. If we are still waiting for it on Nintendo’s next system, I would not bet on it. For now, I will give him a 5/10 chance. If we do get another Metroid rep, I think it is almost assuredly going to be Sylux unless we get bamboozled and he has no role in Prime 4. Similarly to TOTK Zelda, he is getting a 7/10 for want for similar reasons. I like the Prime games and Sylux has a cool design. I also love characters with vampire style mechanics, and the idea of Sylux powering himself up using the Shock Coil by damaging his opponents sounds like a blast. The community was not nearly as optimistic as I was on Sylux, giving him a 3.35/10 for chance. He also got the lowest score of any of the Metroid reps for want with a 3.96/10.
Star Fox:
Star Fox is probably the least likely series covered today to get a unique rep. Unlike the other series, Star Fox does not have a big Switch release that gives it any relevancy bonus. The closest thing it has is its cameo in Starlink: Battle for Atlas, a game that I think almost everyone forgot about between its release and now. Because of this I do not think a unique representative is really in the cards here given the series seems to be on hiatus. However, the concept of an echo or a last minute semi-clone getting in is not out of the question. Wolf in Brawl for instance got in due to being able to borrow existing assets from other characters; it wouldn't be that weird if they did this again. I would still not exactly be confident on it getting this sort of spot, but it is something on my radar.
Krystal:
This might be a nightmare scenario for Krystal fans, but I genuinely think she has a relatively solid shot of getting in as either a Wolf-like semi-clone or an echo fighter. Yes, I know the reason Krystal got such a devoted Smash fandom is due to the fact she could be unique from the other Star Fox characters. But, given how Star Fox has been handled in the Switch era I think that is very unlikely. Krystal would only be getting in as a fan favorite pick, but the pool of those is much wider in 2023 than it was in 2008. Part of this might be due to her Assist Trophy getting revealed so early in Smash Ultimate, effectively knee capping a resurgent support base. She might manage to make a comeback in that regard when the next Smash comes rolling around, but it is too soon to tell. In terms of making her an echo, they could feasibly just make her a Fox echo should they want to. They have a similar enough skeleton and if they just gave her Fox’s moveset but the staff as a final smash, they could get away with slotting her in as an echo. I know people would prefer her to be unique, but much like with Dixie, the echo option is on the table whether it would be perfect for them or not. For instance I doubt many of Chrom’s fans were asking for him to be a Roy echo, but that is what we got.
I think the more likely route is to put Krystal in as a character similar to Wolf in Brawl: built from pieces of multiple other characters. Sakurai did consider Krystal for Brawl instead of Wolf, but noted that she would take more effort than making Wolf. My reading of this quote is that Sakurai thought that if she got in, and there was no viable character to pull those animations from. Nowadays, you could lift some basic animations from Palutena and other characters to make Krystal in modern Smash. She is getting a 4/10 chance from me. I think that if we do get a character like Chrom or Dark Samus added at the last minute as a fan service nod, Krystal is probably towards the top of that list. I just think that is really her only avenue to get into Smash. She is getting a 4/10 for want from me. I have no strong attachment to the character, the only Star Fox game from that era I played and enjoyed was Star Fox Assault which was… fine. But I know she has had a dedicated fanbase since Brawl and seeing an old school fan favorite get in would make me smile in spirit for them. That dedicated fanbase managed to snag her a 6.35/10 for want. The community was just a bit higher than me on chance though with a 4.98/10.
Peppy and Slippy:
Next up we have the other two Star Fox characters of note. To an even greater degree than with Krystal these two would be easy semi clones or echo fighters to create. They would probably be semi-clones at best of the other Star Fox characters or more likely stuck in their Arwings on Corneria. It might be cool to see the classic Star Fox team united, but I doubt that even as last minute characters they would get a serious look before Krystal. Krystal is the only one of these three that is a fan favorite pick within the Smash community, while Peppy and Slippy just kind of exist. Both are getting a 1/10 from me for chance. Peppy is getting a 3/10 for want just because he would be less annoying to hear compared to Slippy, who is getting a 2/10 for want.
Out of the two other members of Star Fox, the community pretty decisively said Slippy was more likely than Peppy. Granted, Slippy’s 3.51/10 is nothing to brag about, but it was much higher than Peppy’s 2.70/10. Slippy’s 5.52/10 want score also was far higher than Peppy’s 4.27/10. I honestly expected Peppy to have a higher want score than Slippy given how he got dunked on for years by fans, color me shocked.
Kirby:
Lastly we have the Kirby series, which I think is in an interesting spot. Unlike every other franchise covered, Kirby has a very obvious rep to choose for the next Smash. Broadly, I think it does not matter if a franchise “deserves” another character. I think things like fan demand for specific characters or relevancy are king. Kirby has both of those in spades; the Kirby series has been doing great since Smash 4 and Ultimate. Kirby and the Forgotten Land itself sold better in 6 months than Kirby Star Allies did to this day. Speaking of Forgotten Land, let's talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to Kirby reps…
Bandana Dee:
You all saw this one coming. I think as time has gone on Bandana Dee has become one of the most obvious picks going into our next smash game. His fandom was already growing throughout Smash 4’s cycle, but truly ballooned in Ultimate and beyond. As for why he did not make it into Ultimate, my gut says he just missed the mark due to the limited newcomer spots the game had. If they could add one or two more unique characters, Dee probably would have been close to the top of said list. He was a very popular fan request back then, and still is now.Really, I only see Waluigi and Isaac brought up more in terms of first parties in the wild, while there are one or two third parties that rival him. In fact, for this article he was the community fan favorite. Dixie’s want score of 6.86 is impressive. Dee demolished that with a 7.65/10. He also overwhelmingly topped the chance scores for the community as well. Waluigi’s 7.07 was trounced handily by Dee’s 7.50/10.
I do agree with the community that Dee is very likely, probably the most likely first party fan favorite. For starters, there is just no reasonable competition for Kirby representation. Any unique Kirby rep must get past Bandana Dee, which is a tall order. Bandana Dee has cemented himself as this long running, popular Kirby character as time has gone on. For my money he is out-and-out one of the most likely first parties to appear in the next game, and he is getting my highest score so far a 9/10 for chance. The only strong argument I could muster for Dee not happening is if Sakurai or whoever is in charge just does not see any value in representing the character. The most likely reason they would consider not doing Dee is if they could not think up a fun enough moveset, which I view as a weak argument. Sakurai made a workable moveset for Piranha Plant. If he set his mind to it, Bandana Dee could easily work. Despite how likely I think Dee is, he is only getting a 6/10 for want. I am not the biggest Kirby fan overall, though I did enjoy Forgotten Land more than any Kirby game released in the past decade. I would be happy to see him since it would be a big fan favorite getting in, but honestly even if he was not as huge of a fan favorite he would still have a very solid shot.
Magolor:
(Note: This section was written and the community poll finished before the 2/8 Nintendo direct and rerelease of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland)
I am going to rapid fire through these next few characters since Dee is a roadblock for all of them. Magolor was a somewhat popular request during the Smash 4 days, but I do think that Dee’s star growing dimmed his. If they went with a non Bandana Dee Kirby character, Magolor would probably be one of the two they would consider due to his fanbase back in the day, but I do not see it. A 2/10 for chance, and a 2/10 for want. I just have no real love towards Kirby’s Return to Dreamland or Magolor in particular .The community was much kinder to Magolor than I was for chance, giving him a 4.78/10. They were even higher on him want wise, with a score of 5.75/10. A respectable score, though I think it is clear the community has mustered behind Dee.
Marx:
Next up we have Marx, who became a boss fight in Ultimate and I have a feeling may stay that way. I would say Sakurai probably has a stronger connection to Marx than Magolor since he made the former, but both are pretty much in the same range for me of low 2/10s for chance. I will give Marx a 5/10 for want though. I actually really enjoyed Kirby Super Star Ultra, so I would not mind seeing him appear as much as Magolor. The community and I were very close on Marx on want: he got a 5.03/10. In terms of chance, Marx got a 4.08/10 from the community.
Adeleine:
Adeleine is getting a 1/10 for Chance. Look, I know that she has a fanbase, but being objective, she is not getting in. Outside of Star Allies, which brought back pretty much everyone, she has been dormant in the Kirby series since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. I do not think her fandom is enough to get her a nod when Bandana Dee bottlenecks the broader demand for a new Kirby character. She is getting a very generous 7/10 from me for want. Kirby 64 is probably my favorite Kirby game, and she also gets a solid boon due to my nostalgia for the Brawl in the Family webcomic where she had a nice recurring role. For a more niche character, she did alright with a community want score of 4.83/10. The community was not that kind to Adeleine’s chances, 2.64/10 was the lowest score of any Kirby character.
Galacta Knight:
Finally, a Kirby character that I think actually has a solid shot. Galacta Knight I think is very likely to get the promotion to an echo fighter in the next game. He is one of the strongest spirits in Ultimate and Meta Knight even has a referential alt to him. You could very easily make him an echo of Meta Knight given his body shape and moveset. The only real thing they would need to alter would be his wings and sword into a lance, but that does not seem too out of the question. I believe he’s one of the more likely echo candidates out there, so I am giving him a 6/10 for chance. For want, he is getting an 8/10. This might just be me malding over how we still somehow do not have Galacta Knight’s theme. I feel he would be a sick echo and having the series’ most recurring superboss in alongside Bandana Dee would be just a nice bone for Kirby fans. A good amount of Kirby fans agreed that Galacta Knight would be a fun pickup to get, giving him a want score of 5.5/10. His chance score was not nearly as generous, with a 3.99/10.
Morpho Knight:
Here is the other potential Meta Knight echo they could go with: Morpho Knight. Originally designed for the canceled Kirby game on the Gamecube, Morpho Knight has returned as a superboss in some modern games. I do think that Galacta Knight probably has him beat in terms of getting in as an echo fighter. While Morpho Knight could easily do the job, Galacta Knight is the more recurring and iconic of the two. A 3/10 for chance because like Galacta Knight they could relatively easily make him a last minute echo fighter, but a 5/10 for want. I prefer Galacta Knight as of now, I just have more of a connection with him than I do for Morpho Knight so far. Most of the community also did not share the same desire for Morpho Knight they did for the greatest warrior in the galaxy, with a want score of 4.26/10. He also did not fare as well in the chance department with a chance score of 2.83/10.
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Compared to last time, the results of the poll fell more in line with my expectations. Some things like Raven Beak's exceptional performance or Midna's high want score caught me off guard, but for the most part things went how I expected them to. The characters I expected to do well, such as Skull Kid, Impa, or Bandana Dee did do well. I was a little surprised with how mediocre Sylux did.
Here are the current top 10s for chance and want. This time, we decided to do a composite version of the Top Ten so far.
Thanks again to everyone who has participated in the survey so far! Here is the link to Part III!
Credits:
Writing:
TCT~Phantom
Editing: @Zerp @Thirdkoopa @Sari
Thumbnail and Chance/Want Graphics: @Zerp
Social Media: @Zerp
