Rate That Character Round Up #4

Welcome to the fourth edition of Rate That Character Round Up!

Starting us off we have NantenJex rate one of the most requested characters, Ridley:

Ultimately, it is hard to give Ridley a score. He has every single aspect that Sakurai looks for in a character. He is iconic, he is important to his series, he has move set potential, has fan popularity and is kind of unique. Admittedly Charizard already fits the fire-breathing, flying dragon niche but he is more child-friendly than Ridley appears. That could be enough to differentiate them. In the end it comes down to Sakurai and we can’t know how he will view him this time around. It could go either way. – 50%

Verdict:

The next day, NantenJex looked at retro revival for Smash, Mach Rider:

Verdict:

While Mach Rider would certainly be a surprising inclusion and Sakurai definitely likes him, it seems very unlikely that he’ll become a fighter. There are other retro reps that offer more than he does and it is only as a retro rep that he would get in. He has very little relevance in the present day– 20%

PushDustIn came back from his short hiatus to rate Midna, with Kenith’s help.

Verdict:

It might be too late for Midna to get bumped up to a fighter as she’s probably not going to appear in another Zelda game for some time. With the focus shifting to Breath of the Wild and newer content, this only hurts her chances even more. However, with her popularity and support from the devs, she has a better chance than Skull Kid. -40%

Next our first Xenoblade character in the series, Rex and Pyra (rated by NantenJex).

Verdict:

In the end, it could go either way for Rex and Pyra, it mainly comes down to two factors. First does Sakurai see the series as important and relevant enough to get a new character. Most signs point to yes but you can never be too sure. Second, and most important, the creation of the project plan is really important. Usually, it is done in the early design stage which for Smash for Switch would be late 2015-early 2016 and in that case, it would be way too early for Rex and Pyra but perfect for Elma. But, if Smash for Switch began life as a port first and then became a full game mid-development then a new project plan would be made half-way, potentially 2017, and in that case, there is a good chance that Sakurai would know about Rex and Pyra, and go for them. It is all about timing.  -70%

Next is one of the most requested Kirby characters, Bandanna Dee (rated by PushDustIn).

Verdict:

I feel like in the end Bandana Dee has a coin flip. Right now it depends on how Sakurai views that character, and that’s information that’s impossible to fully understand. Bandana Dee does have international support for the character, and definitely deserves a spot somewhere in Smash. We will need to wait and see if Sakurai agrees. -50%

Finishing off this week the final character was another popular requst, this time Paper Mario (rated by PushDustIn)

Verdict:

In the end, I personally think the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Paper Mario is the star of his own series…so when people buy Paper Mario games, they are buying it for that particular character. Even though a lot of Nintendo fans are vocally unhappy with the current direction of the series, it still does well enough to warrant new titles.  -70%

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PushDustIn

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