Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that six more DLC fighters are on their way to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the coming year, leaving people’s imaginations humming over who could be included next even if reality tells them otherwise. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of six characters fans want to be the next Smash DLC fighters (and six they’re more likely to get).
Who Smash Fans Want: Geno
It’s been a bit since an obscure character was added to the Smash roster, and few would fit that requirement – or be as highly requested – as Geno.
One of Mario’s companions from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Geno is a celestial entity sent down to Mario’s planet in order to restore balance. He’s speedy and can hit hard, but being that he’s trapped in a toy, he crumples pretty quickly from continued attacks and damage.
While this may not sound like the best build for a brawler fighting game, it would make for an interesting break from other character designs.
Whereas King K. Rool and Bowser offer higher attack in exchange for speed, Geno could be a character that hits like a truck in exchange for getting knocked back hard from most any hit.
Plus, with Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud included in the roster already, there’s at least the chance that dealing with the biggest hurdle to his inclusion – that being licensing issues with Square Enix – could be overcome, giving fans one of their most highly requested characters.
Who Fans Will Get: Lon’qu
However, there’s another obscure character that’s more likely to be included first: Lon’qu, the soft-spoken mercenary from Fire Emblem Awakening.
A samurai sword wielder who prioritizes action over talk, he’s one of the stronger allies players can have at their disposal in his game. Every other attack from him tends to be a critical, and even when confronted with his worst fear – talking to the opposite sex – he braves any challenge to grant his master’s wishes.
However, unlike some other characters from the franchise, he hasn’t gotten as much love in the form of crossovers, ready availability in other spin-off titles and so on.
With his inclusion, Smash would gain some variety to its current roster of Fire Emblem characters. He could act as a slow, but heavy-hitting character who takes more damage from female characters, giving a little nod to his quirks in Awakening.
Who Smash Fans Want: Shantae
Who’s a half-genie platforming icon who’s a perfect fit for Smash’s Roster? Shantae, that’s who.
The half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town, Shantae has protected her slice of the world from all manners of threats over the years including Pirates, Barons, and creatures straight out of myth. She’s done this in style too, platforming her way over threats with ease while using her magic to transform into powerful animals and blow her foes away.
This makes her a perfect fit for Smash’s roster. The game already has platforming icons like Mario and Sonic, so her addition wouldn’t be that out of the realm of possibility and would give some third party representation to that section of playable characters.
Plus, her magic gives her a wide array of possible moves she could use in the game. Being able to choose between transforming into an animal with bulkier defenses, whipping enemies with animated hair, or firing off a blast of magic from afar would make for some great versatility, and give players a potential new favorite character in both
Who Fans Will Get: Tharja
Or at least, she would if Tharja, a magic user from Fire Emblem Awakening, wasn’t sitting firmly on the list of potential additions to the roster.
A mage in tune with the darker side of the Fire Emblem Universe’s magics, Tharja revels in the use of curses and hexes, bringing misfortune to her enemies just as victory seems within their grasp. When she needs to though, she can fire off traditional magic attacks like Elthunder or, yes, even wield a sword.
However, like most mages are inclined to be, she is on the more fragile side, and can be taken down with quick and successive attacks from an opponent. Likewise, she tends to fall to pieces around Robin, the game’s protagonist and the target of her affections.
If she were added to Smash, Tharja could very well be a glass cannon character with a twist. Though she might be easy to damage, her attacks could impact enemies from afar and cause lingering damage with curse effects, bringing players’ damage counters up before a standard spell or sword swipe sends them flying.
Who Smash Fans Want: Dante
With Marvel vs. Capcom seemingly on ice due to the last entry’s poor sales, the wise-cracking devil hunter is in need of a new side gig.
The son of a devout maiden and a legendary demon, Dante is blessed with a kind heart and a killer set of skills. He’s an ace with most firearms, swords and most any other weapon he comes into contact with, can swap between different styles of fighting on the fly, and can activate his Devil Trigger ability to grant himself a burst of increased speed, strength and healing.
And that only covers what he can do on his own. Should one of his allies be within his vicinity, he can count on them for assistance in the form of a rocket launcher blast, thunder bolts from above or a demonic appendage that grabs and incapacitates foes.
This would make him a great addition to Smash’s roster, and one of the more diverse additions in terms of move sets at that. Plus, given that Devil May Cry’s original trilogy has now been successfully ported to the Nintendo Switch, it would make for some A-grade marketing for both series.
Who Fans Will Get: Leo
Unfortunately, Dante’s slot may already have someone to fill it, albeit by a character that’s a little different from him personality-wise.
The second youngest of the Nohrian royal siblings in Fire Emblem Fates, Leo is a resolute warrior with a surprisingly soft heart. He cares for innocents and those closest to him, and while he may put potential friends through dire trials to prove their worth, he’ll defend them with sword and magic both once they’ve proven they’re worth the effort.
Whereas other Fire Emblem characters prioritize swords over magic, Leo could be a primarily ranged-magic user, hitting enemies with Elthunders and dark curses both to pick off enemies from a distance. Should they get too close, he could hammer them with sword attacks and create distance so that he can get back to his magical shenanigans.
And that doesn’t even factor in his horse. Either as an Ultimate Smash attack or as a standard move, he could summon his horse to trample over opponents. Who needs a sword when you’ve got a ton of steed to barrel over your enemies?
Who Smash Fans Want: Lloyd Irving
One of the Tales series’ most beloved entries found its home on a Nintendo console, so why shouldn’t its protagonist make an appearance in the company’s cross-franchise fighter?
The main character of Tales of Symphonia, Lloyd Irving is the epitome of a hero and a fierce warrior to boot. Wielding dual blades, he charges into any conflict head-first, slicing and dicing his way through opponents with a flurry of combos fit for a fast-paced fighting game.
Should he come to Smash, this would make his transition all the easier. His move set could very easily just be what he uses in Symphonia, allowing players to use him as a quicker, more technical character capable of chipping away at opponents quickly.
He could also implement counters and dodges to help expand upon his play style some, making him a formidable threat once players get a grasp on how to use him properly.
Who Fans Will Get: Lyn
But then, how could Nintendo add Lloyd when Lyn is just sitting there waiting to join the fray?
A katana-wielding swordsman from Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Lyn is the sole survivor of her village after a tragic attack leaves her family dead. In spite of this, she presses forward through life, cutting down those who would cause others harm with skill, grace and overwhelming force.
Admittedly, her move set wouldn’t differ that much from other Fire Emblem characters. Some different sword attacks here, a counter and retaliation attack there, and she would be all set to unleash onto players who’d have her techniques down in a matter of minutes.
At the same time though, how crazy would Nintendo and Sakurai have to be to pass up on including her in the game at this point? They’re already on a roll with adding sword wielders to their game, and people are going to buy whatever new characters are announced.
Who Smash Fans Want: Sora
Given that Kingdom Hearts is already a crossover franchise, it’s kind of odd Sora hasn’t appeared in other games at this point, let alone Smash.
The chosen wielder of the Keyblade and a grade-A JRPG protagonist, Sora is no stranger to a frantic brawl. Both at close and long range, he’s a force to be reckoned with, smashing enemies to pulp with his Keyblade and flinging all manner of magical attacks at them besides. And that’s not even covering all of the ways he can transform based on the Keyblade he’s wielding.
This could lead to an interesting move-set should he make his way to Smash’s roster. While his attack might need to be on the low-side for balancing purposes, he could be able to duke it out at most any distance, peppering enemies with Fire or Blizzard before closing in on them for his classic three-hit combo.
As for his transformations, he could implement them as part of his Ultimate Smash attack, switching between each form before unloading on opponents with a piercing beam of light.
Who Fans Will Get: Owain
Honestly though, with all of the memes about Smash having so many sword-based fighters in its game, how could Nintendo not include THE sword guy from Fire Emblem as a DLC fighter?
The child of Chrom’s sister Lissa, Owain has a flair for the dramatic and is a master with a sword. While shouting about how much his sword arm hungers for battle, he can slice and dice any number of enemies sent his way, and will come up with a rousing tale to document the event while he’s at it.
For his addition to Smash, the process would be simple: Just give him the usual Fire Emblem move set of sword swings, charging swings, counters and so forth, but make it flashier.
Likewise, he can keep making comments with each attack about how much “his sword hand hungers” or something to set him apart from his contemporaries. What player wouldn’t love hearing that over and over again during a match?
Who Smash Fans Want: Waluigi
Ok, this is a bit of a tough one.
On one hand, Waluigi is a meme-lord’s dream character. The personification of the eggplant emoji and a perennial dark horse candidate for an addition to Smash’s roster proper, Waluigi is an easy pick for Sakurai and his team to make as a DLC fighter.
And yet, to add him could be a disservice to his meme-ability. If he finally becomes a real fighter instead of just an assist trophy, his popularity could plummet, leaving him as the lazy, hastily-produced evil version of Luigi Nintendo only created to fill their Mario sports and party games’ roster up with.
It’s a tough call, but eventually the time will come when Waluigi needs to make his debut. So why not make it now, when the fire is stoked and the memes still burn bright?
Who Fans Will Get: Claude
Ah, who are we kidding; Waluigi can wait. There’s a more important addition that needs to be made first.
One of the lords of the three different houses in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Claude is the kind of character players can’t help but be drawn to. He’s charming, deceptively witty, and able to dismantle an opponent from afar with expert use of a bow.
In addition to being excellent marketing for Three Houses – especially with a sizable DLC pack on the way – Claude’s inclusion would break up the pack of sword-wielding Fire Emblem characters nicely, as well as provide a character that uses bows as their sole weapon instead of as a support attack.
Which Fire Emblem characters do you want to fill out the next six DLC fighters? Let us know in the comments below!
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