My Super Smash Bros. 5 Roster Predictions

Back in March of this year, Nintendo set the Internet ablaze by revealing in their then-latest Nintendo Direct that their next entry in the Super Smash Brothers series would be coming to the Nintendo Switch this year. While there are a lot of things to anticipate with a title like this, one of the most exciting things to speculate about is the roster of characters to play as. From Nintendo all-stars to third-party partners, each character revealed gets a lot of people talking. 

For this article, we’ll be discussing just that, which characters might be returning from previous games, which new characters might be added, and which characters might be removed. These characters will be split up into sections based on what franchise these characters all come from.

Here are my roster predictions for Super Smash Brothers 5.

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Super Mario

Returning: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Rosalina

New: Captain Toad

Cut: Dr. Mario

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser are pretty much guaranteed roster slots and, if recent or upcoming Mario games like Mario Tennis Aces or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are anything to go by, Bowser Jr. and Rosalina are considered part of the staple Mario cast now and they’re popular characters, so there’s no real reason to remove them, especially since Rosalina was top tier in Smash 4 and Bowser Jr. can let you play as the Koopalings.

Since we’re talking about staple Mario characters, let’s address the two elephants in the room. I don’t think Daisy or Waluigi are being added to the Smash roster. Unless they have a new solo game coming up soon that we don’t know about, they don’t really have much going for them to make them distinct characters, apart from being doubles partners for Peach and Wario in sports games.

A similar argument could be made for Toad, especially seeing as a generic Toad is already used as a defensive move for Peach in Smash. But thanks to the release of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Captain Toad is a character I could see added. He could have several moves related to exploration and finding treasure, like a PG-rated Indiana Jones. He could even have a mechanic like Phoenix Wright in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where if he finds treasures hidden in the arena, it can unlock special parts of his moveset.

The only one really being cut from this part of the roster would be Dr. Mario, since he’s obviously a clone of Mario, but he could probably be made into an alternate costume for him.

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Super Mario Spin-Offs

Returning: Yoshi, Wario

New: Fawful

This section is for Mario-related series that could reasonably be counted as their own separate parts, but only have one character representing them. For Yoshi and Wario, this probably won’t change in the next Smash. Most of the Yoshi series characters that aren’t borrowed from the main Mario series are just one-off enemies and the WarioWare characters are probably seen by Sakurai as either too minor or too underdeveloped to be included as fighters, with its two biggest candidates, Ashley and the twins Kat & Ana, relegated to assist trophies. If the rumored Wario Land game for Switch turns out to be real, a new character may come from that, but that’s far off at this point.

But a new character added may be one to represent the Mario RPGs, which have become a big of a part of the Mario franchise. Several characters could work here, but the most notable would probably be Fawful from Mario & Luigi. A moveset could easily be made from the different machines he uses in his appearances in the series, giving him an air of unpredictability, and a character like this can be an excuse for some over-the-top, funny voice work.

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Donkey Kong

Returning: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong

New: King K. Rool

Donkey Kong didn’t count in the Super Mario Spin-Offs section because it has more than one character to represent the series. DK and Diddy are both likely to return and, unlike Yoshi or Wario, this series may have room for some more characters to come in, specifically Dixie Kong and King K. Rool. They would both add some variety to the roster, with Dixie being a female character and K. Rool being both a villain and a heavyweight, plus fans have been roaring for including both of those characters for a long time, partly because of those reasons.

However, as some have pointed out, while King K. Rool has potential to have a unique move set thanks to the various attacks he has shown throughout boss battles in the series, Dixie Kong might work a lot like Diddy Kong to the point of being a clone of him, which may lessen her chances a bit.

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Misc. Classic Nintendo

Returning: Mr. Game & Watch, Little Mac, Duck Hunt, R.O.B., Captain Falcon, Ice Climbers

New: Takamaru

This is a combined section for the characters who are the solo reps for classic Nintendo series. This means the series debuted on the Nintendo 64 or earlier, since the line between the N64 and the GameCube seems to be the separation between classic and modern Nintendo for a lot of people. Some of these are NES characters representing big parts of Nintendo history, like Mr. Game & Watch for the Game & Watch handhelds, Duck Hunt for the NES Zapper games, and R.O.B. for just NES peripherals in general.

Others in this category are for series that got their start in the classic era and may have had some games since then, but have mostly been forgotten about in modern times. While this means characters like Little Mac and Captain Falcon have their slots in the roster, this unfortunately means they are known more for Smash Bros. than they are for their own series. While some more characters from their series would be nice, at this point, both may be too far on the obscure side to justify any additions.

Another character, or pair of characters, that fits into this section are the Ice Climbers. Originally planned for Smash 4, they were cut from the roster due to the technical limitations of the 3DS version. With that no longer being an issue, there should be little problem putting them back in.

This section also features one newcomer, Takamaru from Mysterious Murasame Castle. This shuriken-slinging samurai was featured in Smash 4 as an assist trophy and in the Wii U game Nintendo Land, there was a mini game based on his series, which currently has not had a single release outside of Japan. This may be the time for Nintendo to finally bring this one over.

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The Legend of Zelda

Returning: Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Toon Link

New: Impa

Cut: Sheik

I mentioned this before in a previous article, but it seems like Nintendo wants to stick with staple characters for the Legend of Zelda series, which is why all the characters in Smash from this series have been versions of Link, versions of Zelda, and a version of Ganon. Going along with that, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf (hopefully with a new moveset to set him apart from Captain Falcon), and Toon Link are all returning. This may also be why popular characters like Skull Kid, Midna, and Ghirahim only made it as far as assist trophies; they only appeared in one game (unless you count Hyrule Warriors). Because of that, I don’t think any of the champions from Breath of the Wild will be playable in Smash. I love them as much as anyone else, but again, that’s just one game.

However, there is one other character from this series that appeared in multiple Zelda games that hasn’t been tapped yet, the Sheikah guardian Impa. She has appeared in multiple games as either an elderly castle maiden or a young, capable warrior. For this, her appearances in either Skyward Sword or Hyrule Warriors can serve as the base for her character, allowing her to occasionally use a sword for powerful strikes, but mostly relying on quick martial arts combo attacks and the possibility to use ninja weapons and techniques like Sheik.

In this roster, Impa would essentially replace Sheik. Impa has appeared in multiple main series Zelda games while Sheik hasn’t and it would add a little more variety putting a fresh face in this part of the roster.

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Metroid

Returning: Samus, Zero Suit Samus

The Metroid series is in kind of a weird spot right now. It is very popular among fans and they want to see more characters from its part of the roster, but who is there to add really? Because of the way the series has developed so far, Samus is the only character important enough to consider and she’s already practically guaranteed a spot, two even with Zero Suit Samus. The only one that comes close is Ridley and after all the arguments Sakurai put forward about not including him, despite fans throwing out ideas on how it could work, I think Sakurai just plain doesn’t like the character for some reason. I’d like to see him make it in, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

They probably tried to bring more characters to prominence with Federation Force, but we all know how that turned out. The only other source I can think of is the DS game Metroid Prime Hunters, which introduced several characters to play as alongside Samus (instead of replacing her like Federation Force) with the story divided evenly between all of them. However, unless Nintendo decides to remake or rerelease this title, those characters might be considered too obscure. The character Sylux has appeared in multiple games, but until he plays a more active role in the story, his chances are more unsure.

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Kid Icarus

Returning: Pit, Palutena

Cut: Dark Pit

Kid Icarus got a big push of content in Smash after Kid Icarus: Uprising came out from items to stages to even characters, but it’s been a few years now since that game came out. While Hades, Magnus, and Viridi got a lot of requests when Uprising was still fresh in people’s minds, most of that talk seems to have quieted down. But, while no new characters may be added to this part of the roster, Dark Pit may be removed from it. As essentially a clone character of Pit, he may be taken off the main roster and instead made into an alternate costume for Pit, as seen in Brawl originally.

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Fire Emblem

Returning: Marth, Ike, Robin, Corrin

Cut: Lucina, Roy

For a series that was once considered for permanent dormancy, Fire Emblem has come a long way. Now considered one of Nintendo’s big franchises, Fire Emblem had a large presence in the last Smash game. Maybe even a bit too large, if some people’s reactions are to go by. Most of the work in Fire Emblem’s part of the roster would be cutting a couple of characters. How they could do this might be having one character represent different eras of the series; Marth for the classic era, Ike for the Tellius era, Robin for the Awakening era, and Corrin for the Fates era.

This means the two left out in the cold are Roy and Lucina. These two are fan favorites and series darlings, but if you pay attention to their move sets, they’re both basically clone characters of Marth, so players wouldn’t be missing much mechanically. Lucina could probably be included as an alternate costume for Marth, but that might be it.

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Kirby

Returning: Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight

Not much to say really for this series. Kirby is a major franchise for Nintendo, but its three main candidates for Smash inclusion are already likely picks to return to the roster. Kirby Star Allies may be shining a spotlight on some more characters from this series with the addition of Dream Friends, but the most prominent series character apart from the core three is Bandanna Waddle Dee and he might be assist trophy material at best.

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Star Fox

Returning: Fox, Falco, Wolf

Star Fox might be in a similar spot as some other series, getting neglected in previous years, or as with Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, getting panned by the players. So, there may not be any new characters coming from this series. Krystal was a popular topic of fan requests for Brawl and 4 as a female character from an underrepresented series, but she hasn’t been seen in the series in a long time, so some of that talk has quieted down.

When it comes to returning characters though, we may see someone showing up again alongside Fox and Falco. Wolf O’Donnel, the leader of the rival team Star Wolf, was a popular DLC request for Smash 4, so it is possible he may make the roster for Smash 5. If he does though, a better case could be made for him if his move set is changed to differentiate him from Fox. Perhaps different kinds of laser weapons for all three Star Fox characters or giving one of them a grenade toss or a rocket launcher. Their Final Smashes could definitely do with some work. (A lot of fans agree; we don’t need 3 Landmasters.)

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Pokemon

Returning: Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario, Mewtwo

New: Decidueye

Cut: Jigglypuff, Greninja

When it comes to deciding which Pokemon characters to include in Smash, the developers seem to focus on Pikachu (as the series mascot) and whichever Pokemon are popular with the fans. Since Charizard, Lucario, and Mewtwo are three of the most consistently popular Pokemon, it’s a safe bet they’re returning in Smash 5. However, beyond those four is when the real speculation starts.

With Pokemon Sun and Moon still fresh in players’ minds, the Alola region’s fully-evolved grass starter Decidueye can make for a good addition to Smash. With a mix of grass and flying moves and archery skills, it can make for a good aerial fighter. As far as characters cut from the roster, Jigglypuff and Greninja might fit in that category. Jigglypuff was included in the first Smash Bros. at a time when Jigglypuff was a recurring character in the first few seasons of the Pokemon anime, but that time has since passed. A similar case can be made for Greninja now that the X and Y era has passed, but he may stay if his popularity stays consistent like the earlier mentioned popular three.

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Earthbound

Returning: Ness, Lucas

New: Jeff/Loid

A fan favorite now regarded as one of the best RPGs ever made, EarthBound (or Mother as it is known in Japan) is a popular series for Nintendo. So popular that fans are still asking for the third game in the series to finally be released outside of Japan and, for their sake, Nintendo will hopefully follow through on that. As far as Smash goes, Ness and Lucas are likely staying, but new characters may be a bit difficult. The series creator Shigesato Itoi has stated that he is finished with the series after Mother 3, so Mother 4 is not likely to start production anytime soon, and Nintendo seems reluctant to touch this series without his involvement.

That said, there may still be room for a third character from the EarthBound series in the roster. That character is either Jeff from Earthbound or Loid from EarthBound Beginnings. They are included in the same slot because both can function in the same way. They are both non-PSI-powered party members in their games who are instead child geniuses who use a variety of guns and gadgets in and out of battle. A character like this can throw an extra element in the roster and show more love to the EarthBound series.

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Misc. Modern Nintendo

Returning: Villager, Olimar, Wii Fit Trainer, Mii Fighters

As with the classic Nintendo section, this section is for solo reps whose series debuted on the GameCube or later. Only three veterans in this case: Villager from Animal Crossing, Olimar from Pikmin, and Wii Fit Trainer from Wii Fit. The Mii Fighters are also included in this section, even though they less represent a particular series and more, Nintendo players. There are no new characters to add to this section because three of the big newer Nintendo IPs (which we’ll cover in a moment) are already big enough with enough notable characters  to warrant their own sections here.

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Xenoblade

Returning: Shulk

New: Rex

Xenoblade has managed to reach blockbuster status for Nintendo after the success of the first game following Operation Rainfall. Not bad for a series that was previously thought to only be a Japan-only release. Shulk is likely to return and with him, a possible newcomer from the series is Rex from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While some of his mechanics may look similar to Shulk, there may be enough variety in the Blade and Driver mechanics to allow him to function as a different character.

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Splatoon

New: Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy

The trailer at the end of the March 2018 Nintendo Direct confirmed that the Inklings from Splatoon will be playable characters in Smash. Rightfully so, since Splatoon has become a massive hit series for Nintendo and a lot of people were hoping for more than just a Mii costume from the series in Smash 4. There’s guaranteed to be at least one playable Inkling in Smash 5, but I’ll take it a step further and say there might be two, an Inkling Girl and an Inkling Boy. Considering all the weapons, sub-weapons, and abilities that are available across Splatoon 1 and 2, there is a lot of material to make a character from, arguably enough to make two characters from with very little overlap. There could even be material for more than two characters, but we don’t want this to become the next Fire Emblem in terms of Smash inclusion.

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ARMS

New: Spring Man, Dr. Coyle

While not as big as Splatoon, ARMS was another successful, new, modern franchise for Nintendo, and with it being a fighting game already, the addition of one or more of its characters into Smash makes sense. Spring Man would be a good addition, basically being the Ryu of the game (and with Ribbon Girl as an alternate costume), but a potential second character from this series would be the end boss character Dr. Coyle, who is hinted as being the main antagonist for the game, behind a lot of the series elements, including characters like Helix, Springtron, and Hedlok.

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Third Parties

Bandai Namco: Pac-Man, Heihachi Mishima (NEW)

Capcom: Mega Man, Monster Rider (NEW), Ryu (CUT)

Sega: Sonic, Bayonetta

Square-Enix: Cloud (CUT)

Indie: Shovel Knight (NEW)

This section is for all the third-party characters, regardless of developer of origin, making their way into the Smash roster. Since Brawl, third-party characters have been a large point of speculation for Smash Bros. rosters. The outside companies typically involved with Smash tend to be large names in the industry, or at least are heavily involved with Nintendo as some of the trophies in Smash 4 may indicate. Given their studios’ relationship with Nintendo, long histories in the gaming industry, or upcoming exclusive releases on the Nintendo Switch, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Sonic, and Bayonetta are likely to return.

Square-Enix is one of the more questionable third-parties here. Cloud is more closely associated with Sony than Nintendo, so, erring on the side of caution, I’ll say he won’t be back. Also, as much as fans want to see Geno from Super Mario RPG make it in the series, it is unclear how interested Square is in doing this as the most they’ve done with the character so far is a Mii Fighter costume in Smash 4.

As Street Fighter V, the most recent game in the series, is a PlayStation exclusive (when it comes to consoles anyway), I think that Ryu may be favored a bit less than including a similar character from the Tekken series, since Bandai Namco seems to have a closer relationship with Nintendo at the moment. My guess is for Heihachi Mishima as he is the most recognizable character from the series. 

Replacing Ryu as the second Capcom character may be a character from the Monster Hunter series, specifically the Monster Rider from Monster Hunter Stories, a turn-based RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe published by Nintendo. He could potentially use different weapons from the series and ride a Rathalos into battle (as seen on the box art) who can also launch attacks of its own.

The last newcomer in this section is a representative of the indie gaming scene, Shovel Knight. As a lot of people have been asking for this, Shovel Knight has been one of Nintendo’s biggest third-party supporters, and the series has even gotten its own Amiibo figures, it is surprising something like this has not happened yet.

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Those are my predictions for the roster of Super Smash Bros. 5. In total, we have 15 newcomers, 9 cut characters, and 2 returning veterans that weren't in Smash 4. I could have gone wilder with the predictions, but with the roster already as large as it is and Nintendo only having so many series and characters that are current and relevant, how many newcomers can they add before things start getting out of hand?

What did you think about this article? What characters do you want to see added or removed from the next game? Make your voice heard in the comments below. Thanks for coming!