New Super Smash Bros Part 4 – Possible Newbies

Gavin Gronenthal ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff
And now, the most fun one. This is probably the most common list you can find online from professional game websites to a youtuber with a decent knowledge of iMovie. But you can’t deny that predicting the newcomers to step into the ring next is one of the most fun, and interesting things about a new Smash game in the first place.
Now, once again, most of these are predictions based on logic and theories rather than my own personal desire. However, that being said, there’s a couple choices on here that aren’t so much choices of logic but interest to see how they would play in the game. It’s a little less of a critical thinking entry and more of fun one, with some hopefully smart stuff thrown in there. So, let’s see who could be the newest Smash Bros champs.

Little Mac

Little Mac, everyone’s favorite tiny star from Punch Out!!! was an assist trophy in the last game, and is one of the more likely candidates to step into the ring.  He represents one of the most popular games on the NES, plus a recent game made for the Wii. Though some may want another boxer, like King Hippo, I don’t see how this champ can’t make it in before any of his boxing opponents. Little Mac deserves to dish out a K.O. punch.

Takamaru

The ninja from the Famicom exclusive Nazo no Murasame-jo, Takamura had never had a game of his own outside the US. But, with Nintendo’s obsession with history and his recent mini game in Nintendo Land, Takamaru could make the jump over to Super Smash Bros. Before the game was announced, there was a rumor that Little Mac and Takamaru would be placed in the game to represent East vs. West, and while I’m not one to give into rumors, I thought that sounded enticing enough on it’s own to talk about. It may not happen, but the stars are starting to line up just enough for this Samurai warrior to show his face in North America.

Medusa

This character just has so many things going for her. A female villain from Sakurai’s own series? That just seems like too many reasons for Medusa to be in the game in the first place. Plus, her final smash could turn everyone into stone, which would certainly be fun for anyone playing her. Again, none of these are guarantees, but I would put my money on Medusa making an appearance.

Bowser Jr.

Bowser’s bouncing baby boy has appeared in nearly every Mario game since he first showed up in Super Mario Sunshine, and has been wreaking havoc ever since. It may seem like overkill with the amount of Mario characters there already are, but just one more for Nintendo’s flagship title does make at least some amount of sense. There are also a lot of options to do with his move set: he could be a tiny pseudo clone of Bowser, he could be completely unique, or he could even have a counter part (ala Zelda and Sheik/Samus and Zero Suit Samus) that would allow him to turn into Shadow Mario.

Paper Mario

This one isn’t remarkably likely, but is more of a wishful thinking kind of deal. Paper Mario has been a pretty reliable and frequent series over the past few years, and Nintendo’s mascot in two dimensions may be even more fun than in three. There’s just a lot of creativity that could go into making this character work, and I’d love to see what the development team could pull off with it.

Ghirahim

One of the more off the wall villains in any Zelda game, Ghirahim is a much requested and much deserved entry into the Smash Bros universe. He has a unique look and could use a number of different moves that he uses in the game, and he obviously fits the villain quota quite well. If there’s going to be another series with five characters, why not Nintendo’s other flagship title?

Classic Link

Now, this character could be any form of the Links I spoke of previously, but this is the one I see happening. With the release of A Link To The Past’s sequel, A Link Between Worlds, a Classic Link would be a very interesting addition to replace the probably eliminated Toon Link. Rather than directly copying modern Link’s moves, he could use the magic wand, or his mallet, or anything else that feels closer to the classic days of Zelda. He may not be as visually interesting as Toon Link, but I think he’s as worthy a champion of the Master Sword as any.

Chrom/Lucina

Chrom and his daughter from the future, Lucina, are the protagonists of Fire Emblem: Awakening, and are the top choices to replace Ike. Chrom seems the more likely candidate, as he is the games real main character, but I grouped Lucina in there for two reasons. One, Chrom’s appearance, aside from the clothes, is very similar to Marth’s, and the two could look too similar to be battling it out. Two, Lucina is a girl, and I’ve always said that Smash Bros is in desperate need of some more ladies. Either way, you can expect one of these two to make an appearance.

Zoarark

Zoarark is a Generation V Pokémon who is the possible replacement for Lucario. He certainly fits the mysterious motif of the last two entries in this pattern, but I’m still tentative about him because of Mewtwo’s possible return. If Mewtwo doesn’t make a return appearance, however, Zoarark would be my first guess for replacing Lucario.

Ridley

This one is only so low on the list because I’ve been trying to figure out a way they would implement a former boss into a playable character. Otherwise, Ridely fills out tons of the credentials: he’s a villain, he wouldn’t be a clone (I don’t see how), and it’s high time we got a Metroid character in addition to Samus. Ridley is the second most well known character, so I could see him making an appearance as a fighter.

Shulk

Believe it or not, there’s more reasons for the protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles to be in Smash Bros than not. He was in one of the most critically acclaimed Wii games in the console’s history, and the game was published by Nintendo. He’s a fan favorite so Shulk has a lot going for him. My only apprehension is he is more closely tied to Monolith Soft than Nintendo, but Monolith Soft even worked on Super Smash Bros Brawl, making him a decent contender for membership in the Smash Bros series.

Mii

With the Wii Fit Trainer already making a surprise appearance, what’s to say your Mii won’t be next? One of the most featured Nintendo staples in recent memory, the Mii character could do any number of activities from Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo Land, and more. Sakurai did mention some form of customization, and the Mii would be a pretty unique opportunity for that. It’s not the most likely scenario, but was the Wii Fit Trainer? Anything could happen.

Professor Layton

This one is a bit of a stretch, but Layton is a great character from a series that is exclusively Nintendo. The only problem is that he’s not technically owned by Nintendo themselves: he’s only distributed in North America by the big N. Otherwise, Level 5 has the reigns, and if they choose to allow Nintendo to take control, I think that could make for one interesting character. Think Phoenix Wright from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, only more puzzles!

Bayonetta/Wonderful 101

Platinum Games and Nintendo have been really tight as of late, with two new exclusives coming out soon for Wii U: The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2. Bayonetta would be a fun choice, it’s true (and she’s a bad a** girl, which I love), but her game may be too dark and grungy for Smash Bros, and she can’t play it off with a comedic tone like Snake can (see: hiding in a box). So my bet is more on a strange incarnation of the Wonderful 101 super team, which would be hilarious to see pulled off in a fighting game. Hopefully, one of these two can make it in, and Nintendo and Platinum’s unique partnership continues.

Pac-Man

Come on, I had to. While there are other Namco characters we might prefer (Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia, for one), Pac-Man would be the most obvious and deserving choice. Namco is already assisting in development, and putting their mascot in to properly fight off Mega Man and Mario would be a hilariously fun match to see. However, Sakurai did say they weren’t focusing on putting Namco characters in the game, but he’s led us astray before. Who knows what could happen?
Stay tuned for part 5, “Return Stages!”