First Party Characters We Want To See In Smash Brothers Switch
New playable characters are the lifeblood of the Super Smash Bros. franchise. They are the big event surrounded each game reveal and every new character has a huge impact on the game play. Nothing brings more hype than new character reveals. In no particular order, this is our list of top 5 first party characters that have previously been cut, or have never had a chance to enter the fight.
Issac (Golden Sun)
Pat: In all honesty, I’ve only ever played the first half of the first Golden Sun, but I still think the series deserves a playable rep and Issac should graduate from Assist Trophy status. Most importantly, I think he would have a fun move set consisting of a mixture of sword and psynergy combat that would feel very at home in Smash. Plus he could bring those adorable Djinn with him.
King K. Rool (Donkey Kong)
Pat: One of my major gripes in the Smash roster as it exists currently is the lack of villains. I truly believe that each hero or series that is represented should have their foil in the game and right now we’re lacking. Medusa, King Hippo, Ridley, Captain Syrup, and Tom Nook (among others) are all still missing, but my biggest issue would the continuing exclusion of King K. Rool. Normally, I’d probably put Ridley in this spot, but I’ll give Sakurai the benefit of the doubt with his “too big” argument just this once. But there is NO excuse to exclude DK’s main antagonist as part of the roster.
Decidueye (Pokemon)
Pat: A grass owl that has a leaf hoodie and uses the “strings” from said hoodie to shoot feather arrows? Yeah, sign me up. Decidueye seems like a perfect fit for smash and falls nicely into the roster after Lucario and Greninja. In addition, the starter “triangle” of grass/water/fire starters will all be present which leads to a nice balance, and opens up the opportunity to add a new mechanic that introduces slight damage nerfs/buffs depending on type. So Decidueye would be slightly more effective/damaging to Greninja, Greninja slightly more effective/damaging to Charizard, and Charizard slightly more effective/damaging to Decidueye. I’m only talking a buff of a couple of percentage points per hit. More of a cool nod to the games rather than anything game changing.
Wolf (Star Fox)
Pat: One of the biggest losses from Brawl to Smash 4 was the exclusion of Wolf. One of my secondary characters that I truly grew to love playing as, I was confident Wolf would turn up in the DLC. Alas, he never showed, but as the only regularly sized villain representative for the Starfox series (sorry Andross), it would feel weird not to see him show up again. Hopefully for good. Just please don’t give him a Landmaster Final Smash again.
Geno (Super Mario)
Pat: I know, I know. Geno shows up on every Smash character wish list. But it’s for a good reason! I would LOVE to see what Sakurai could do with this character. He’s a much different Mario representative than we’re used to and could add a lot to the game. A mix of speedy physicality and a variety of projectiles would likely cement Geno as one of the most annoying foes to square off against, but also likely one of the most fun to play as.
Midna (The Legend of Zelda)
Chandler: Midna is, without question one of best and most unique characters in the entire Zelda canon. After recent appearances in Hyrule Warriors and the HD version of Twilight Princess, it’s time for the cursed imp to finally graduate from Assist Trophy to playable character in the new Smash. Combining her hair-based powers with shadow magic and Twilight Wolfos would definitely make Midna a formidable opponent. Midna’s ability to change into the Eldritch Form or summon beasts from the Twilight Realm could also be a fantastic final smash for the character.
Captain Toad (Super Mario)
Chandler: For years Smash Bros. has included almost every member from the original Mario family a playable character; Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser except for the conspicuously absent Toad. Being relegated to shield duty for Peach simply doesn’t do enough justice for the character. With Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker coming to Switch soon, there’s no better time for the mushroom-headed sidekick to step into his own. One part archaeologist, one part puzzle solver, Captain Toad’s lethal pickax-wielding skills certainly make up for his glaring inability to jump.
Spring Man (ARMS)
Chandler: ARMS is one of the best selling games on Switch and is just another hit in Nintendo’s long list of original games. Naturally, it only makes sense that main fighters Spring Man and/or Ribbon Girl would be joining the Smash roster sooner than later. While each ARMS character has some unique abilities and gadgets, it would probably make the most sense to pick a few of the popular ones and combine them into one Smash version. It could work with alternate costumes similar to Bowser Jr’s Koopalings. The ARMS characters would look different (Min Min, Helix, Kid Cobra, etc.), but all play the same.
Waluigi (Super Mario)
Chandler: Waahh! Why not Waluigi? He certainly has a cult following with Nintendo fans often appearing in memes or in some tongue-and-cheek fashion. But surprisingly he hasn’t had any staring role in the Mario franchise despite Wario having plenty of spin-off games. Nevertheless, Waluigi continues to makes appearances in Mario Party, Mario Kart and sports games and it’s time for the dastardly troll to get his revenge for often being overlooked. We had a small tease of Waluigi as an Assist Trophy in the last Smash so it’s something Nintendo can expand upon. For some fan service, give Waluigi his signature tennis racket back and a moveset that properly displays his many hilarious hijinks.
Impa (The Legend of Zelda)
Chandler: Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf have been the central characters in the Legend of Zelda series but there are other heroes who’ve had some big roles, namely Impa. The Sheikah, Sage of Shadow has gone through many variations over the years from old woman to bodyguard, but her best incarnation is the imposing, stoic warrior decked in Sheikah combat gear as seen in Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, and Hyrule Warriors. While she could look similar in design to Sheik, her moveset and style should be very different. Her affinity for polearms and giant swords creates a contrasting and distinct feel versus the abundance of one-handed sword fighters in Smash.
Top Guest Characters We Want To See In Smash Brothers Switch
Guest characters have become a staples of the series and have become as fun to imagine who could be next to join the roster as the regular Nintendo characters are. With Snake, Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Ryu, Cloud Strife, and Bayonetta all having taken part in the fight, we dream up our top 3 picks that we would like to see join our favorite Nintendo heroes for the next title. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a realistic list. These characters have to have originated from a video game, and they have to be at least somewhat plausible as far as trademarks and IP rights go (sorry, no Goku or Master Chief here).
Bomberman (Bomberman)
Pat: Forget Snake. To be totally honest, I’m not convinced he even deserves to be part of the roster. Bomberman on the other hand does. Take all the explosives away from Snake and give them to the more deserving bomber. As far as I’m concerned he’s one of the only classic gaming icons missing. You could include all the bombs straight from his game. Remote, proximity, super, RC, it would fill an explosive void that currently exists in the roster. A staple for any Nintendo system, or party game, Bomberman would fit like a explosive glove in Smash. Mr. Higgins from Adventure island would be great Hudson Soft (RIP) runner up.
Banjo & Kazooie (Banjo-Kazooie)
Pat: While I know some might argue that this violates the rules we established above, I’m including it for 2 reasons:
- Phil Spencer just recently reconfirmed he would still be cool with Banjo in Smash.
- Rare and Nintendo have worked together using Microsoft owned IP in previous generations. So I don’t think this is so far outside of the realm of the possibility.
Banjo-Kazooie would make the perfect addition to the roster and for the few minutes I sat here and thought about the move set, I realized just how much fun they could be to play as. They would fit right in with all the rest of the Nintendo greats. Plus it would be pretty cool to see Banjo and Diddy together again.
Rusty (SteamWorld)
Pat: I’ve got a soft spot for Rusty. I Love the character design, his moveset possibilities, the series he hails from, and the potential for a indie rep showing up in Smash and what that would mean for the series. To be honest, I don’t think he stands a chance. If there’s an indie rep, we all know it’s going to be Shovel Knight, but for my money, I’d rather play Smash with a pickaxe over a shovel.
Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
Chandler: Love him or hate him, Solid Snake was one of the most unique additions to Smash Bros. but unfortunately it seems unlikely we’ll see him again in the fighting series. We know Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima had to practically beg his friend Masahiro Sakurai to include Snake in Brawl. Nintendo and Konami don’t particularly have a strong relationship either. All that being said, Snake was pure enjoyment, ranking in the top tier list and equally deserving to make his grand return. In Brawl, he had one of the best ground games with many quick combos and attack-canceling moves. Projectiles were also his specialty and he was equally deadly from distance. Playing as Snake, there was nothing more satisfying than chasing someone with a remote missile or placing proximity mines around the map and watching other characters get blown up. At times he was the ultimate troll character and it’s fun to imagine what he could bring to Switch and even the 8-player Smash mode. It’s show time!
Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight)
Chandler: A homage to the 2D side-scrolling NES games, Shovel Knight’s inclusion in the new Smash feels like a natural fit. His adventures have become an instant hit on the Nintendo systems and the character even has his own Amiibo. It would also bode well for the growing indie gaming community to see one of their own join the fighting series. Shovel Knight’s signature shovel-based attacks would certainly stand out along with his quirky, bouncing movement. Imagining him going up against the many sword-wielders such as Link and Roy sounds too good to pass up. Come on, why wouldn’t you want to bring a shovel to a sword fight?
Rayman (Rayman)
Chandler: Oh Rayman…Ubisoft’s limbless hero has been rumored to come to Smash games for years and the internet is full of rumors and faked leaks announcing his appearance. It seems for too long he’s had to ride the bench and watch as those Raving Rabbids have taken away his limelight – especially with the Nintendo and Ubisoft’s cross-over game, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. But there may be some hope, he was a trophy in Smash and Rayman Legends: Definite Edition was ported to Switch last year so he’s at the very least still fresh. Rayman would fit the Smash roster nicely, offering a variety of creative short-range attacks to keep up with the other brawlers. Seeing him helicopter around a stage and unleash his lum powerups would simply be a delight.
We won’t have to wait long until we get to see if some of these characters come to light, or if our hopes and dreams are way off. Regardless, our excitement level is off the charts and we’re ready to see more of Smash Switch at E3, and even more excited to have it and (hopefully) a GameCube controller in our hands soon.
Who do you want to see join the battle? Let us know in the comments, or on our social media!
Character model renders credited to: hextupleyoodot, mach_7, Nibroc-Rock, and Zesiul.