We May be Getting More DLC Characters than you Think!

[Ben Holt]

Spoiler: Important Note from Author

This was originally submitted as a guest article for SmashBoards. We were working on editing until the staff decided that I was too edgy to associate with based on my warning history. At the time, I did not take warnings very seriously, as they expired, and I deemed it unworthy of fighting. But since it has now been used as an attack on my character, I am in the process of appealing. I take attacks on my character VERY seriously.

Because of this, and to avoid any allegations of plagiarism, I have discarded all changes made by the Writing team and am publishing the ORIGINAL text, which was 100% written by me.

Fighter's Pass Volume 2 is here, and this time around, we're getting 6 new characters to play... or are we?

During the latest Nintendo Direct (mini?), it was announced that our next new fighter hails from the ARMS series. In a vacuum, this may seem anticlimactic, but when you look deeper into the speculation community, you may notice one big elephant in the room: fan rules. No matter who Challenger 6 may be, at least one fan rule being shattered seems imminent. Do Spirits deconfirm characters? What about Mii Costumes? Surely Assist Trophies must rule out characters! Despite many fan rules being broken in the past, one has remained consistent since 1999; the first playable character chosen to represent a franchise has always been the posterboy of the series. The supporting cast comes later. If the trend continues, then Spring Man will be our ARMS character, which means that Spirits, Mii Costumes, and even Assist Trophies are now fair game, and for the rest of this article, I will be operating on that assumption.

So, going by the title, you may be wondering, "What the hell does this have to do with having more than six more DLC fighters?" Well, compare the deadline given for Fighter's Pass Volume 1 and the deadline for Fighter's Pass Volume 2. Fighter's Pass 1 was announced on November 1st, 2018 and was scheduled to be completed by February 29th, 2020, a time of exactly 15 months. Fighter's Pass 2 was informally announced September 4th, 2019 and given a deadline of December 2021. Assuming the deadline of December 31st, that's a time frame of 27 months, or more than two years! That's almost twice as long as Volume 1's lifespan.
This raises a simple question: "Why such a liberal deadline?" There are a few possibilities:
1. The deadline given is extreme and not at all demonstrative of the actual release window.
2. The Smash Bros. team has slowed development down to a crawl.
Or my theory,
3. We're getting extra content outside of the Fighter's Pass.
(Writer's note: You may think that the reason for the extensive deadline could be the COVID-19 pandemic, but the deadline was announced in January 2020, well before the pandemic hit. Unless Sakurai is Nostradamus, this reasoning is extremely unlikely.)

So what could this extra content be? It could be new stages, the return of the few past stages we're missing, or perhaps more Deluxe Mii Costumes in the vein of Sans and Cuphead. But the most exciting content is undeniably new characters.

While making my personal predicshlist for Fighter's Pass Volume 2, I had originally considered Waluigi for a spot, but then I thought, "What stage would Waluigi bring in his Challenger Pack? And for that matter, what music would he bring? The Mario series already has well over 100 tracks." This realization led me back to Piranha Plant. This botanical buggar didn't need their own stage nor any music, as the Mario series is already covered well in that department. Inversely, characters like Joker, Hero, Banjo-Kazooie, Terry, and any ARMS character simply REQUIRE a stage and music. Some characters, like Byleth, are on the borderline of whether they deserve a whole new stage or can get by on the existing content already in Smash. Every series with a playable fighter (with the lone exception of R.O.B.) also has their own stage and music. Because if this, any character from a series not yet having a playable fighter in Smash will logically come as a Challenger Pack, and will thusly not be considered for this list. With that in mind, who CAN fulfill this niche?

(Image credit to Evil Trapezium )

Here is a personal list of characters I thought could easily fill up the "Individual DLC" roster.

1. Geno

Ahh Geno. One of the few remaining fan requests spanning back to the Melee days. We got Ridley, K. Rool, and even Banjo & Kazooie. But Geno is still M.I.A. There is also the conspicuous lack of his Mii Costume from Smash Wii U and 3DS, which further hints at Geno's consideration, if not outright inclusion. Many speculate that Geno could be included in a Challenger Pack with Forest Maze as his stage, but keep in mind that this list is not about characters that cannot come with stages and music, but those that do not requite stages and music to just be playable, and obviously, the Mario series is well represented already in Ultimate. Though, I could easily see Geno included with one music track being Forest Maze, like how the Sans and Cuphead Mii Costumes included single music tracks. Overall, I see Geno as the most likely candidate for an Individual DLC spot.

2. Impa

It has been over 10 years since the Zelda series got a new playable character, and even longer if you consider Young Link and Toon Link as essentially the same character. Fans have long been clamouring for a new playable Zelda character in Smash, especially now since Fire Emblem has eight playable fighters, and Impa is at the top of that list. While there are undoubtedly other prime candidates for the next playable Zelda character (Midna & Wolf Link, Skull Kid, Vaati, Revali, Tetra, and many others), Impa has the advantage of being the most recurring Zelda character after the Triforce Holders. Though some might see her as just an Echo Fighter for Shiek, a quick playthrough of Hyrule Warriors will quickly dismantle that preconceived notion. Personally, I'd like to see Impa as a primarily spear-based fighter, but the possibilities are endless.

3. Tails and Knuckles

Again, though Tails COULD come in a Challenger Pack along with a Chemical Plant Zone stage, the Sonic series has enough content to work with to simply include the remaining members of Team Sonic as playable characters. I include this duo together, as it is not unprecedented for Smash to mandate that two pieces of content are bought together (Ryu and Suzaku Castle in Smash Wii U / 3DS), and also because one doesn't feel right to include without the other. Both characters are extremely popular, and for a series that's as big of a cultural icon as Sonic the Hedgehog, it's time to include some of the secondary cast into Smash.

4. Dixie Kong

If you think that Zelda is underloved, the Donkey Kong series only has three characters at the time of this writing! Unlike Metroid, a series that has very few characters to even choose from, Donkey Kong has a plethora of characters. There's Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, and of course, Dixie Kong. Though not to the degree of Ridley, K. Rool, and Geno, Dixie has been an extremely well requested character for quite a while. Though some might say that she'd just be an Echo of Diddy, if you've played the Donkey Kong Country games, you'd know that's patently absurd. Whereas Diddy has gadgets, Dixie has her hair, bubble gum, and even an electric guitar to pull moves from. If Luigi can differentiate himself from Mario, Dixie can do the same with Diddy.

5. Waluigi

The man himself that inspired this article, Waluigi, is the one character I firmly believe will not be included in a Fighter's Pass, even if Spring Man opens the door up for Assist Trophies. Waluigi is probably the most requested first-party character at this point and for good reason. Unfortunately for him, there is pretty much nothing Waluigi can bring to the table in terms of an original stage or music. We already have Waluigi Pinball as a music track, and that's pretty much all Waluigi has to his name besides his character. I expect this character to cheat his way into Smash eventually, but if his time is now, Individual DLC is his best shot.

Obviously, these are not the only characters that could make it into Ultimate as Individual DLC. Bandana Waddle Dee is an extremely popular pick, and I have a personal soft spot for Alucard. There are also some borderline characters like Rex and Pyra, who I actually think are going to be part of Fighter's Pass Volume 2 with a Xenoblade 2 stage, but as long as a character is from a series already well represented in Smash, then theoretically, they are viable as individual DLC.

That being said, what are your thoughts on the possibility of more standalone characters labeled "Individual DLC", and who would you add to this list?
Comment below.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Why would they be working on additional characters at the same time as the Pass and not announce it? Nobody's forcing them into the Pass format, if they wanted to sell 5 characters sans stages or music they could just do that as the second Pass.

And even if they wanted to, why not announce there would be extra characters alongside the six in the Pass? There's no reason not to announce that, saying "We have 11 characters in development" will net you more headlines than "We have 6".

 

[Ben Holt]

Why would they be working on additional characters at the same time as the Pass and not announce it? Nobody's forcing them into the Pass format, if they wanted to sell 5 characters sans stages or music they could just do that as the second Pass.

And even if they wanted to, why not announce there would be extra characters alongside the six in the Pass? There's no reason not to announce that, saying "We have 11 characters in development" will net you more headlines than "We have 6".

That's not usually how announcements work.
By that logic, the have "no reason not to announce" all six characters in the Fighter's Pass. They already have the roster decided, but they want to spread out hype.

 

[GoodGrief741]

That's not usually how announcements work.
By that logic, the have "no reason not to announce" all six characters in the Fighter's Pass. They already have the roster decided, but they want to spread out hype.

I mean yeah they could have also waited to announce the Fighter Pass until the ARMS character releases in June, but they want you to be expecting it. You announce that you'll be having X amount of characters without announcing who they are, you get two big reveals, the existence of the character and their identity. If they just wake up one day and go "Oh, Impa's in Smash as a standalone DLC", you have less eyes. From a marketing standpoint it doesn't make sense.

Plus people will feel cheated. "Why do I get X character with my Pass but I have to buy Y character separately?" "If I'd known we'd get 5 standalone characters I wouldn't have bought the Pass, I don't have enough money for both!" "Why can't Geno come with SMRPG stage, songs and Spirits? They're disrespecting my beloved character!" These would be complaints you'd be hearing a lot of, and rightfully so. It's so baffling to have two completely business models going on at the same time, and without warning.

 

[Ben Holt]

I mean yeah they could have also waited to announce the Fighter Pass until the ARMS character releases in June, but they want you to be expecting it. You announce that you'll be having X amount of characters without announcing who they are, you get two big reveals, the existence of the character and their identity. If they just wake up one day and go "Oh, Impa's in Smash as a standalone DLC", you have less eyes. From a marketing standpoint it doesn't make sense.

Plus people will feel cheated. "Why do I get X character with my Pass but I have to buy Y character separately?" "If I'd known we'd get 5 standalone characters I wouldn't have bought the Pass, I don't have enough money for both!" "Why can't Geno come with SMRPG stage, songs and Spirits? They're disrespecting my beloved character!" These would be complaints you'd be hearing a lot of, and rightfully so. It's so baffling to have two completely business models going on at the same time, and without warning.

I'm pretty sure "Woo! More characters!" (I don't think they'd announce any particular amount of bonus fighters. Just random drops.) probably much outweighs the "Aww. I already bought the Fighter's Pass."
But we're getting off topic.
The point is more to show how more DLC is possible if not outright likely due to the nature of Fighter's Passes.

 

[AEMehr]

As someone that would love to see Smash get as much content as possible, this idea just doesn't make sense. Realistically, the reason why this time frame was doubled for 6 characters would be because their team is continuing to shrink in size to work on other projects. Less people to work on a project requires more time to ensure everything is done in a proper fashion alongside QA testing/etc. The bigger the game gets, the more things that have to be tested.

I mean this would be nice, but that's the problem. It seems super wishful.

 

[GoodGrief741]

I'm pretty sure "Woo! More characters!" (I don't think they'd announce any particular amount of bonus fighters. Just random drops.) probably much outweighs the "Aww. I already bought the Fighter's Pass."
But we're getting off topic.
The point is more to show how more DLC is possible if not outright likely due to the nature of Fighter's Passes.

It's not off-topic to point out the many, many reasons why this doesn't make sense.

The theory is flawed from the get-go. No character "needs" a stage. They're added with stages because that adds value to the Pass. If Cloud were to be added today, would he have to be an individual character because they couldn't get the rights to a full pack of music and Spirits? Why does Corrin not need a stage but Byleth absolutely does? It's not because they need them, it's because that's the format they decided on. If they want to add Waluigi, they'll just make a stage, a tracklist and a Spirit list that connects to him, as tenuous as the connection might be. That's still likelier than them deciding to add another character to the workload - remember that characters are still the hardest thing to make, because they need to be balanced against the whole roster.

 

[Ben Holt]

It's not off-topic to point out the many, many reasons why this doesn't make sense.

The theory is flawed from the get-go. No character "needs" a stage. They're added with stages because that adds value to the Pass. If Cloud were to be added today, would he have to be an individual character because they couldn't get the rights to a full pack of music and Spirits? Why does Corrin not need a stage but Byleth absolutely does? It's not because they need them, it's because that's the format they decided on. If they want to add Waluigi, they'll just make a stage, a tracklist and a Spirit list that connects to him, as tenuous as the connection might be. That's still likelier than them deciding to add another character to the workload - remember that characters are still the hardest thing to make, because they need to be balanced against the whole roster.

Every playable series, with the lone exception of R.O.B., for obvious reasons, has a stage.

I addressed the Byleth issue in the OP. Some characters (like Geno) are borderline as to whether or not they call for an entire Challenger Pack.
Byleth added Three Houses music, which was previously not included in Ultimate.
Geno could easily come with or without a Challenger Pack, as the Mario series has plenty of stages and music, but Forest Maze is an iconic set piece from Mario RPG, and it COULD merit a stage and music.

But what would Bandana Waddle Dee realistically bring besides his own character?

 

[GoodGrief741]

Every playable series, with the lone exception of R.O.B., for obvious reasons, has a stage.

So, there's already exceptions. And this is also assuming that characters in the Pass are all going to be from series without playable characters, when we've already seen that it's not necessarily the case.

I addressed the Byleth issue in the OP.

You didn't address it, you said it's a borderline case. You're just cherry picking the evidence that invalidates your theory and saying "oh well this is just a weird case it could mean anything"

But what would Bandana Waddle Dee realistically bring besides his own character?

Content from any of the Kirby games that Sakurai didn't make? It's quite scarce.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

First off: Fatman already had the idea of bonus DLC coming in between the FP2 fighters.

Second: I believe the deadline for FP2 is twice as longer than FP1's is because the development team are taking a break and this is probably the last bunch of newcomers they're making for Ultimate. To me it makes more sense if this was the case though I would love to get more characters.

 

[SmashChu]

So, going by the title, you may be wondering, "What the hell does this have to do with having more than six more DLC fighters?" Well, compare the deadline given for Fighter's Pass Volume 1 and the deadline for Fighter's Pass Volume 2. Fighter's Pass 1 was announced on November 1st, 2018 and was scheduled to be completed by February 29th, 2020, a time of exactly 15 months. Fighter's Pass 2 was informally announced September 4th, 2019 and given a deadline of December 2021. Assuming the deadline of December 31st, that's a time frame of 27 months, or more than two years! That's almost twice as long as Volume

I think the way you are counting the months is flawed. More fighters were confirmed in September 2019; however, that was done when they were still developing Vol 1 (Terry and Byleth hadn't released at that point). It would be more applicable to start from January when they released the last character of Volume 1 and when they announced the timeframe and pricing. This would only put it at 23 months. Given that they usually overestimate with these, it's more realistically 21 or 22 months. Not 27. Keep in mind they may be more over zealous here as they are making more DLC, so they may be giving themselves more of a buffer. If the DLC comes out every 3 months, the last character they release would come out Fall 2021, so that wouldn't be too off from the cut off of Dec 2021. More likely, the time line is due to smaller staff and the fact they are making more DLC this time.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

First off: Fatman already had the idea of bonus DLC coming in between the FP2 fighters.

Second: I believe the deadline for FP2 is twice as longer than FP1's is because the development team are taking a break and this is probably the last bunch of newcomers they're making for Ultimate. To me it makes more sense if this was the case though I would love to get more characters.

You know, I was thinking about something recently...

I think they're ending it on 2021 specifically because it's the 20th anniversary of Melee, and the ideal time to wrap up Ultimate's DLC.

We can't tell for sure how it'll go until the ARMS announcement gets here.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

You know, I was thinking about something recently...

I think they're ending it on 2021 specifically because it's the 20th anniversary of Melee, and the ideal time to wrap up Ultimate's DLC.

We can't tell for sure how it'll go until the ARMS announcement gets here.

I think it's impossible to tell until the half way point or around when the last two FP2 fighters get announced. Whether FP3 is coming or not, I feel like we will find out by this time next year or at the earliest early Spring of next year. Similar to when they announced FP2 right after they announced Terry.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I think it's impossible to tell until the half way point or around when the last two FP2 fighters get announced. Whether FP3 is coming or not, I feel like we will find out by this time next year or at the earliest early Spring of next year. Similar to when they announced FP2 right after they announced Terry.

Yeah, you may be right. If it is a case of exact words, if FP2 is finished quickly enough, there could be enough time to release at least one bonus character before 2021's end, if there are no plans beyond that year.