My previous thread felt half-baked, since it has a huge bias on one side so in my eyes it's does not make for a good discussion. Therefore, I am increasing the scope of the subject by including as many possible reasons someone would want a specific character in Smash. Here's the general list, along with a general explanation and existing characters that would likely fall under them.
Thank you for reading.
- Popular character: Self-explanatory. A character that is pretty popular that it would not make sense if they weren't in a fighting game that stars the most well-known characters in gaming. Examples: Zelda, Inkling
- Unpopular character: This basically meant that the character isn't quite as popular as the others, which meant that if they made it in as a fighter, they gained a boost in popularity that they didn't enjoy prior to that. Examples: Marth, Pit
- Character with historical significance: A character who has a significant point in the history of video games that it would be a cool inclusion for them, even if their heyday may be over. Examples: Mr. Game & Watch. R.O.B., Banjo & Kazooie
- Character that you personally like: This is another self-explanatory one, where you prefer including characters that you personally like, even if they are not the main character in that series. This is pretty open-ended and the most subjective, so no examples are listed as a character one likes may overlap with any other characteristic. If you ask for a character I personally like that isn't in, that would be Waluigi.
- Character loved by other fans (not necessarily one you like): Or perhaps you support a characters' inclusion because other people love the character, even if you are indifferent to them. It's kind of a gesture of supporting a favourite of your friends, and one that is probably used as a reason from someone whose favourites are already in. One popular example of this kind is probably Geno, who has purportedly years (approaching decades) of fan demand that some people can't help by support them.
- From a game series that you like: Perhaps you want your favourite series to get more characters, so this would be why you want your character to get in. For example, even though Fire Emblem has got a lot of characters, some people (even here) wanted more characters from that series. Or if you're like me, you would want more Mario characters.
- From an unrepresented universe (Nintendo): The more the merrier, they usually say. This basically means that a series that hasn't have a playable representation should get the treatment, as that would expose more of Nintendo's unique IPs to more people since they tend to pay attention to fighters more than the support characters and side content. Examples: Animal Crossing (4), Punch Out!! (4)
- From an unrepresented universe (non-Nintendo): Variety is the spice of life, which is another thing that's usually said. Starting from Brawl, non-Nintendo characters made it into the series and so people wish for more. In fact, from that game onward the desires of which character should make it in has widened, and so you wish a non-Nintendo series need to make it in. Examples: Street Fighter (4), Dragon Quest (Ultimate)
- Potential for unique fighting style: Certain characters have quirks in their games that to bring them to Smash would increase the variety of ways in fighting. Some are more distinct in their style than others, but for this particular reason, you feel that they could do something that pretty much every other fighter couldn't boast. Examples: Ice Climbers, Rosalina & Luma
- Potential for favourite matchups: Some people like the idea of their favoruite characters sparring with each other, so the inclusion of the character could make that dream come true. Example: Sonic
- Potential for their personality: Although not as common as the other two, I imagine this is a possible reason somebody wanted a character in Smash since Sakurai mentioned that one criteria for a character making it in Smash more or less relates to their personality. Example: Snake's codecs, Wario (I guess?)
- Fill in for representation of a game series: You might feel that a game series has a lack of characters for what you feel they're worth, so you think that there should be more. This is one of the reasons Dixie Kong is requested, since Donkey Kong is a pretty big series. Examples: King Dedede, King K. Rool
- Fill in for representation of one kind of characteristic: If you want a character to make it into the series because of their distinguishing characters, like perhaps you feel that the roster is lacking in female characters, or if you just want a car to be playable in Smash. Example: Ivysaur (probably)
- Unorthodox pick: This is if you just want to throw unwritten rules out of the window and include any strange character that one could think of. Example: Piranha Plant
- Original character: If all else fails, you just want an original character that is not related to any outer game series. Example: Mii Fighters
Thank you for reading.
