Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U’s extensive post-launch support will soon be over. Fire Emblem Fates’ Corrin and the titular Bayonetta will grace the crossover fighting game some time in February. This brings the roster to 58 characters, making the game a little crowded for future titles. Out of these 58 fighters, some people will have to sit the fifth iteration out. Here are some recommendations.
Fire Emblem protagonists get a pretty good representation in the Super Smash Bros. series with the latest version, and Ike is no exception. Starring in Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance, Ike was a Super Smash Bros. Brawl newcomer who replaced Melee’s Roy as the Fire Emblem posterboy. It’s time to say goodbye to the radiant hero of legend. Come February, Fire Emblem will encompass six slots on the roster. The only other franchises which reach those numbers are Mario and Pokemon. Ike hasn’t starred in a Fire Emblem game in almost a decade, so he can definitely sit the next game out if need be.
In recent years, every generation of Pokemon gets defacto mascots to represent the game outside of its cover legendaries. The Diamond & Pearl generation brought us Lucario, a human-like Anubis facsimile that really boils down to being a generic anime protagonist. He’s even voiced by Sean Schemmel, who famously voices Goku in the Dragon Ball series. If cuts have to be made, we need to start shaving off franchises already with an abundance of characters. Pikachu and Jigglypuff aren’t going anywhere, and I doubt Charizard is going to budge, either. Greninja was a great newcomer, which leaves poor Lucario unable to battle.
Conceptually, I’m glad Bowser Jr. made it to Super Smash Bros. at all. His utilitarian moveset definitely sets him apart from his father. However, outside of that, he’s just not an interesting character when you put him next to other Mario fixtures. Rosalina makes much more of an impact while everyone else on Mario’s roster is downright iconic. Junior and his brothers and sisters were fine surprises, but it wouldn’t hurt to see them benched for another classic Mario character. Geno from Super Mario RPG comes to mind.
Being the sole Pikmin representative gives Olimar a fair amount of clout, but not enough that he should be a shoe-in for the next Super Smash Bros. His combat style is more tactically focused, lobbing assorted colors of Pikmin at his opponents while dealing finishing blows on his own. Out of all on the list, Olimar getting the axe seems the least likely. There’s no technical reason to let him go like there was for the Ice Climbers, and Pikmin’s a franchise still near and dear to Nintendo’s heart. I’m just personally not a fan of his portrayal in Super Smash Bros.
Star of 2011’s Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk’s old hat now within his own franchise. The Xeno series as a whole acts similar to Final Fantasy – unless specifically stated, none of the games have much of anything to do with each other outside of references. When it comes to another Super Smash Bros. title, Shulk should probably give his seat up to one of the protagonists of Xenoblade Chronicles X, like Elma.
A nice experiment, but I’m hoping these customizable avatars take a back seat and make room for more exciting characters. This all ties into Smash Bros. being a celebration of Nintendo history. It’s easy to see what the Mii represents in the DS and Wii era of Nintendo, but there are more creative ways to get that across. The Wii Fit Trainer is a great, abstract example of this.
Third-party characters are more likely to be cut than any of the previously mentioned fighters. The nature of contracts with companies outside of Nintendo means that anything could happen, though it wouldn’t make too much sense for companies such as Capcom and Sega wanting their characters yanked from a prolific series such as Super Smash Bros.
Outside of this list, there is obviously downloadable content to consider. With Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, DLC was introduced for the first time, giving characters like Mewtwo and Lucas another chance to shine. It’s safe to assume DLC will be a big factor in the next Smash game as well. This gives aforementioned characters on this list a chance, but more newcomers in the vein of Cloud Strife and Bayonetta would excite gamers a whole lot more.