I came up with this idea today. Discussing the reasons why certain characters can’t make it in as Smash DLC is a lot of work. On top of that it’s very repetitive. A lot of the same arguments are thrown out, so I figured I would streamline the discussions, by introducing the common reasons why characters can’t make it into Smash. The reasons are grouped together, to make searching for the right reason why the character you hate even easier to find! Each of these reasons is either something that is commonly said by the community, or something that Sakurai has said himself.
27 Reasons for Exclusion:
- The character is already in the game as a playable fighter.
- The character is already in the game as an assist trophy.
- The character is already in the game as a stage boss.
- The character can appear in the arena, in some other form (Final Smash, Enemy, Pokeball, etc).
Not a Special Snowflake: - The character would fight too similar to a different character.
- The character has no defining / unique traits in general.
- The character’s most likely move-set wouldn’t work in Smash.
- The character has no, “fighting spirit”.
Too…. - The character is too erotic/ would need to be heavily censored.
- The character is known to be big, compared to other fighter(s).
- The character is known to be small, compared to other fighter(s).
- The character doesn’t work due to technical limitations.
Unknown Issues - The character is generally unknown.
- The character is unknown in America.
- The character is unknown in Japan.
- The character is unknown in Europe.
Representation Issues - The character has been dropped from consideration in the past.
- The series has too many fighting characters already.
- The series is not popular enough to warrant (additional) representation.
- The character is not important within the game universe
- The creator of the character won’t allow their character in Smash.
- The character is not iconic enough.
3rd Party Issues - The (third party) character has only one game.
- The (third party) company already has one character in the game.
- The character does not have a strong association with Nintendo.
- The character does not have a strong association with video games.
- It’s fucking Goku.
Here’s some examples (Again, points are debatable):
9-Volt: 13, 19
Cooking Mama: 19?
Chrom: 4, 5, 17, 17, 18
Coo (From Kirby): 13, 14, 16, 20, 22
Goku: 26, 27 x100000000000000000 as I’ve told you idiots before I’ll block you.
Kuma (My cat): 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 25, 26
Ridley: 3, 10, 17
Shovel Knight: 15, 22, 23, 25
Wonder Red: 22, 23 Nintendo owns the rights to W101, so never mind!
This isn’t to say that the characters have no chance of making it.
Here’s some examples using the Smash cast:
Lucina: 5, 17, 18, 22
R.O.B: 8, 13
Go ahead and try it in the comments below! Then tell SmashChu or myself why our characters won’t make it in.
- Smash Ultimate Development Timeline - May 16, 2020
- Straight from the Source: Koji Igarashi on Castlevania in Smash, Bloodstained - October 16, 2018
- Sakurai Discusses Isabelle, Echoes, and Newcomers - September 26, 2018
I should point out that 23 wouldn’t apply for Wonder Red, as Wonderful 101 is published and owned by Nintendo 😀
Olimar 11? Lol
Though I think the “Too” series are rather directed to one character. Sure it may suit for more than one, but as I read on I just think you’re directed to Bayonetta, Ridley, Chibi Robo and Ice Climbers.
“Each of these reasons is either something that is commonly said by the community, or something that Sakurai has said himself.”
Some of these (especially the “too…”) are not official explanations. Just fan discussions!
The issue with Olimar is that his small size isn’t a integral part of the Pikmin universe design. Canonically, Olimar is incredibly tiny, but being small isn’t part of his identity — rather it explains the world. However, Chibi Robo is small, and it’s part of his identity. Personally, I would love to have Chibi Robo as he would be a unique fighter.