Previous characters:
Little Mac
Diddy Kong
Anyone from Mother 3
King Dedede
Captain Olimar
Anyone from Advance Wars
Geno
Krystal
Ridley
Ike
Isaac/Felix
Ray
Bowser Jr.
Deoxys
Samurai Goroh
Meowth
Sigurd
Balloon Fighter
R.O.B.
Windwaker Link
Mike Jones
Lololo & Lalala
Jill
Lucario
Midna (& Wolf Link)
Takamaru
Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan
Black Shadow
Lyndis
Mach Rider
Sukapon(Joy Mecha Fight)
Yet another cult classic in Japan, Joy Mecha Fight stands as Nintendo's first fighting game. Released back in the early 90s, the NES' final hurrah, the game had a Mega Man-esque back story (involving a scientist trying to retrieve his robots from his rival) and a simplistic fighting engine (similar to a certain other game series by Nintendo...) It's poster child was the robot you started with, the pink Sukapon.
Sukapon main attributes, aside from being pink and made of floating ovals, was his dancing walk, his ability to toss his head as a projectile, and a spinning attack. To round out his move set, Sukapon could borrow some moves from his fellow robots, or maybe the developers can make up a few of their own. Already being in a fighting game certainly makes him easier to develop.
It's strange how this guy got to be so popular. He appeared on a list of characters Japanese fans wanted to see before even Melee came out, and he reappeared on Toukouken! as well. Could Sukapon finally join the big crowd?
Reality: Sticker and a Joy Mecha Fight music cameo
Anyone from Pro Wrestling
Wrestlers are staples of fighting games. And yet Smash Bros. lacks any sort of wrestling-style character. That can certainly change in a hurry, as Nintendo created Pro Wrestling for the NES, a game that is unfortunately only really remembered for the infamous "A WINNER IS YOU!".
The wrestlers in the game were all based on popular ones at the time - everyone from Antonio Inoki(as Fighter Hayabusa), to Hulk Hogan(as King Slender), and even David Von Erich(as Giant Panther). However, each one is their own character and has a single signature move differentiate themselves. The two front runners, however, are Fighter Hayabuse and weirdo The Amazon (somewhat a precursor to Street Fighter
s Blanka, with a powerful bite and the a love of foreign objects).
No matter which one gets in, though, there will definitely be an increase in body slams and awesome.
Reality: The Amazon and Gang get a big goose egg
Stafy
The Japanese strike again! Stafy is the the star of the titular series that has gone on since the GBA. It's a series of Kirby-esque platformers featuring the starfish and his friends finding treasure and fighting evil. And boy, it's cute stuff.
Anything else? Well, in the third game in the series, Stafy even teamed-up with Wario in a level. Wouldn't that be a cool Event battle?
Reality: Stafy joins Assist Trophy land. So sorry.
Muddy(Mole Mania)
Muddy seems to be gaining steam among the Brawl speculation crowd. He hails from the obscure (and apparently, quite good) Mole Mania, a Shiggy-developed Game Boy puzzler with similarities to Adventures of Lolo and Bomberman. It's another game that people want to see recognized due to quality, and as I've said again and again, cults can sometimes wield great power.
However, I think the main reason Muddy has resonated has little to do with the game itself (which very few have played), but rather with comments made by Masahiro Sakurai. Muddy did show up on Toukouken!, and rumors have been floating about that Sakurai quite likes the character. If true, this could bode well for Muddy.
Reality: Moles are 'scriminated 'gainst, I tells ya! (Nothing, in other words)
King K. Rool(Donkey Kong Country series)
He may not be the best villain, but he can be amusing in spurts. And if anyone else aside from Diddy comes in to represent Donkey Kong Country, there isn't anything else that is even close to being viable. Yep, King K. Rool is a real underdog, and if done right, could be a fun chunky fighter as well, with plenty of cool alternate costumes.
Reality: Trophy
Jeff, Paula, Poo(Earthbound)
Well, enough about Mother 3, what about the game we all know and love? The other 3 main characters of Earthbound are completely viable, and in some cases incredibly fun-sounding. Let's break it down:
Jeff is the inventor and genius. He has a number of gadgets he could use in battle, including lasers, HP draining devices, and bottle rockets. Probably the best choice out of the three.
Strangely enough, Ness already uses most of Paula's PSI attacks, so it'd be kinda hard to fit her in. She could go Luigi-style and use a combination of old and new PSI attacks, however. However, that's not really a major advantage over anyone else.
Poo uses both PSI and martial arts, which is damn cool in it's own right. He can also turn into monsters (read: other characters), an awesome mechanic idea. He's pretty much neck-and-neck with Jeff.
Reality: Jeff gets the Assist Trophy angle!
Lip(Panel de Pon)
Really, the characters in Panel de Pon were taken out for it's American release (as Tetris Attack) because they were too girly. Replacing fairies with Yoshi's Island characters seemed to be the only way this addictive puzzler could have sold in North America. Oh well, the past is the past.
Panel de Pon has since become Nintendo's signature puzzle series, through various incarnations (including Pokemon incarnations, a sequel to the original SNES game, and generic versions). Even if they aren't familiar with Lip, they might be familiar with the series. Hell, Lip's flower made it into Melee as an item. There's plenty of chance with this one.
Reality: Her stick makes a comeback, and her theme is included, too!
Toad(Super Mario Bros.)
Now, this is an interesting entry. See, I don't really think Toad is a good choice for the game. He's an important side character, but a side character in the most side-est fashion possible. The cameos he made in Melee were good enough for me.
But, as I recognize his popularity and importance, here he is anyway. Plus, I guess he does have some qualities that could be well-translated into the game. But mostly, he's here to appease Toad fans (yes, they exist).
Reality: Back to being a meat (fungi?) shield for Peach.
Wolf MacDonald(Star Fox series)
Fox's main rival showed up in the intro to Melee, but not the actual game. Fans of the character were disappointed, but now have hope that he will make his appearance in Smash Bros. Brawl. You can't deny the support.
Wolf might seem to be a Fox clone, but with the right kind of imagination, he could certainly be a similar-but-different situation. It's not Fox has used up all the future technology. And if not, they could always just throw in a grey palette on Fox for the fans.
Reality: Well, he got in as playable. And despite my initial skepticism, he turned out pretty well.
Donkey Kong Junior
Monkeys! If the possibility of clones returning is great, Junior here should be top of the list. Which is not to say that he couldn't have any of his own attacks (there might be some inspiration to pull from both his Arcade/NES and Game & Watch appearances, and maybe even Mario Tennis and Mario Kart), but he's more likely to be a 'body swap' than an individual character. Either way, though, Brawl would get an instant plus to it's monkey quotient, which is an excellent, excellent thing.
Reality: Sticker marks the only appearance of this ape
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