I've been thinking about this one for awhile, but now I've decided to share my thoughts on 20 characters who I feel have a fair shot of being added as DLC for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. We already know Joker's going to be in it, meaning there's only 4 spots remaining.

1. Gen 8 Pokemon

This list isn't going to be in any particular order, however I'm going to start off with who I feel is the most likely candidate to be one of the DLC fighters. You know Nintendo's going to advertise heavily for the next generation of Pokemon, especially since they'll be the first true core home console Pokemon games.

Adding a fully evolved gen 8 Pokemon to Smash either right around the time of gen 8's release or a little bit before would be a perfect way to get the hype train rolling. If I had to guess which type it would be, I'd say it'll be the grass type. Not including the Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon, there are only 2 fully evolved starters on the smash roster: Greninja (water) and Inceneroar (fire). That leaves grass as the only starter type not represented in Smash. IF I had to guess, it'll likely end up being either the last or 2nd to last character announced as part of the Fighter Pass.

2. Sora

Kingdom Hearts is a very popular franchise from Square Enix, and there have been games in that series released on Nintendo systems in the past. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he ends up being Square Enix's 2nd Smash representative.

3. Banjo-Kazooie

A popular choice from Rare's golden era. He's been a heavily requested character, and since he hasn't been an assist trophy , listed as a spirit, and since none of the music from that game has been in Smash, I'd say the odds are definitely in Banjo's favor. I know Microsoft owns

4. Crash Bandicoot

Another iconic 90's character who unlike Banjo is starting to make a bit of a comeback. We already have Mario and Sonic, so why not add Crash to the mix? There've been quite a few Crash games that have made it to Nintendo systems over the years, so it wouldn't bring the surprise factor that the Joker announcement brought.

5. Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vesperia)

Bandai Namco's only representative in Smash so far is Pac-Man. Given that they were directly involved with the development of Smash Ultimate, it would make sense for them to get at least one more. There have been some very memorable characters from the Tales series, but given Yuri's popularity within the fandom (he's still the most popular character in the series), and the fact that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is coming out in January, it wouldn't surprise me at all if we get a Yuri announcement in the near future. Heck, there could be an exclusive spirit only available to those who buy the switch version.

6. Steve (Minecraft)

I've been hearing Steve rumors for awhile, so it would only make sense for me to add him to the list. Given Minecraft's insane popularity (it's 2nd behind Tetris in all time sales), it wouldn't surprise me if this ended up happening.

7. Default Skin (Fortnite)

Let me make this clear, I DON'T want this to happen. I'd be pissed off if fortnite made it in smash, but at the same time it would be a genius way of getting more people to buy Smash Bros. Fortnite is the world's most popular game, and it's available on pretty much everything.

8. One of the Rabbids

Like the default skin, I wouldn't be happy with this at all, but given how successful Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was last year, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the rabbids made it in, and if you could change the rabbid to look like any of the rabbid variants found in that game. Similar to how you can change Bowser Jr to any of the koopalings.

9. Ribbon Girl (ARMS)

Nintendo's most recent IP may not be having the type of success Splatoon has had, but it would still be nice to see ARMS get at least 1 rep in Smash. Spring Man's an assist trophy, so that rules him out. This means Ribbon Girl would be the most likely character to earn a spot on the Smash Bros roster. We've yet to see an ARMS stage or music from the game, so that might be a hint towards an ARMS character getting one of the fighter pass spots.

10. Yoshimitsu or King (Tekken)

No Tekken game has ever been available on a Nintendo system, so why would either of these characters even have a remote shot of making the roster? Well, look at Joker from Persona 5. Only 1 Persona game had ever been released on a Nintendo system, and it was a spinoff game. Also, Street Fighter has 2 reps in Smash, so it's possible that we could see another fighting game franchise get 1 character in as well. Also like Yuri Lowell, it would give Bandai Namco another rep besides Pac-Man.

If I had to guess who would make it from that franchise, King (aka the guy with the jaguar mask) would be a potential candidate. However, I feel that Yoshimitsu would be a better fit for Smash because aside from Sheik there isn't another ninja on the roster. He's got some really interesting outfits that could be used instead of him getting a bunch of color variations, and out of all the fighters, Yoshimitsu has the most unique moveset in the Tekken franchise. Heck, one of his moves has him standing on his sword like a pogo stick.

11. Kasumi (Dead or Alive)

If neither ARMS nor Tekken are in the works for Smash, then maybe Dead or Alive would have a shot. Like Tekken, Dead or Alive is a long running Fighting game series. Unlike Tekken however, there has been 1 Dead or Alive game on a Nintendo system, Dead or Alive: Dimensions on the 3ds. If there was one character that could make it from that franchise, it would be the main protagonist Kasumi.

12. Dig Dug

I'm going full on retro with this one. The 3rd Bandai Namco character I've brought up, Dig Dug would make so much sense for Smash. While it never reached the status Pac-Man did, it was still a fantastic arcade game in it's own right. I'm sure Sakurai could come up with some interesting moves for him.

13. Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

Final Fantasy XV revitalized a franchise that had went downhill since Final Fantasy 10. If Square Enix added another Final Fantasy character, I'd say Noctis has the best chance of making it due to how recent XV came out (It came out 1 year before Persona 5).

14. Zidane or Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)

Like XV, Final Fantasy IX is making it's way to switch next year. It would make sense to add a character from one of those games, or from X, but I'll get to that later. Zidane would be a great choice, and if placed in the game, he'd be the fastest sword wielder in the game, I guarantee it. Vivi on the other hand would be an excellent edition to Smash due to the lack of magic users in the game. As far as a moveset would work for Vivi, there's a wide variety of spells for Sakurai to choose from. Out of all the magic users in the Final Fantasy series, Vivi's my favorite.

15. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)

With Final Fantasy X-X2 HD coming to Switch, Tidus would be the best candidate from 10.

16. One of the main protagonists or the slime from the Dragon Quest franchise

Dragon Quest has had a long-time presence on Nintendo systems, so it wouldn't be surprising if there ended up being 1 character added from that long-running JRPG franchise. I'm not that familiar with Dragon Quest, but if a character got added from that series, it would probably be one of the main protagonists. If not, then slime would add the shock factor that Piranha Plant did when it got confirmed for Smash. The Slime is also from what I understand is the most iconic character from that franchise, at least that's what comes to my head when I think of Dragon Quest.

17. Geno (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)

One of the most highly suggested characters for Smash, it was highly disappointing to see that he failed to make the cut when characters such as Daisy, Ken, and Inceneroar made it in... With that being said, he wasn't the only popular name from the rumor mill to not make it on the final roster. Issac from Golden Sun, Waluigi, Skull Kid, and Shadow the Hedgehog also failed to make it. Unlike those 4 however, Geno's not an assist trophy, nor is any of the music from Super Mario RPG in Smash yet. With those points in mind, Geno just might be a shoo-in for the fighter pass, but we'll just have to wait and see.

18. Justin (Grandia)

I'd say there's pretty much no chance of this happening, but then again, we never saw Joker coming either. Grandia's getting an HD remaster next year, and the only console that's getting it is the Switch! (I should also add that Steam's also getting it) Maybe Grandia's too niche, but I'd be all for it if that happens. Grandia's got an incredible soundtrack, so you'd definitely be getting your money's worth if that indeed happens. If Grandia somehow got represented in Smash, then my guess would be that Justin from the 1st game would get in, since he's the main protagonist.

19. All Might (My Hero Academia)
20. Goku (Dragon Ball franchise)

Here me out on these 2 ok? I know Sakurai's said that a character not originating from a video game won't ever make the roster, but he also said at one point that Ridley's too big for Smash, and that Smash 4 would be the last game... At this point, I take stuff that Sakurai says with a grain of salt.

With that being said, if an anime character were to get in Smash, I think it would either be All Might or Goku. Dragon Ball's been around for a very long time, but My Hero Academia's quickly become one of the biggest shonen out there. From those 2 anime, the candidates are pretty obvious.

So what do you guys think of this crazy list? Are there any characters you think I left out that should be discussed? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this thread.

It would be AMAZING to do a new Pokemon reveal through Smash.

Tidus would also be cool.

I think a character from ARMS is likely going to get in. Geno has a lot of demand, so I think that's a possibility. I think we'll probably see 3 Nintendo characters, and two non-Nintendo characters. We've got Joker. So one more, and I really don't know who it is. I surely didn't expect Joker to be a DLC character.

One interesting debate would be: Tekken's Yoshimitsu or SoulCalibur's Yoshimitsu? They have slightly different movesets, which became greatly different after Tekken 6 (though apparently Tekken 7 has closed the gap again), and I think that the SC Yoshi is more fit.

Banjo-Kazooie would be a nice addition. Seeing how "reusing" characters from dead franchises can sometimes reboot them (Pit is one example, and so is Dead or Alive for its resuscitation of Ninja Gaiden now that you mention Kasumi), if Banjo was added to Smash we could see a return of one of the best ever rivals of Super Mario 64.

Rabbids could make the cut, but I wonder if we could instead get the character who introduced them to us: Rayman. He was recently added to Brawlhalla, around the time the game saw the light for Switch, so I'd say it's a perfect candidate like any other. Maybe the Rabbids can appear as an Assist Trophy if Rayman makes it.

I'm in for a Dragon Quest character. I'd love to see our beloved Dai, though I don't know anything of him besides the anime so he could probably not be in the top list of that franchise. Still, any character would be greatly welcome.

A Dragon Ball representative isn't impossible, since we have the avatars of Dragon Ball Heroes which are technically characters originating from a videogame (a very special one, but still a videogame). Sure, it's not what people would like since they're not mainstream DB characters, but maybe it's time they have some protagonism outside of their incredibly popular videogame because they're not making the cut as often in the DB console videogames as their popularity would suggest.

For the remaining characters I think is going to be added as DLCs in Ultimate in the next coming years. With Joker from Persona 5 being introduced in Smash, and Cloud, Ryu/Ken, and Snake coming back, now it's everyone's ballgame to be added in Ultimate.


Another Fire Emblem character of some sorts...
Knowing Nintendo's addiction in adding like a million Fire Emblem characters in each Smash game, I would not be surprised that they add another Fire Emblem character in Ultimate as a DLC


Rex (From the Xenoblade series)...
I know that Shulk won't be the only character to be represent the Xenoblade series in Ultimate, I have a feeling that they are also going to add Rex in Ultimate as well as a DLC.


Another 7th or 8th Generation Pokemon...
I know Incineroar was introduced in Ultimate, but I think that another 7th Generation Pokemon should also (come on, the 1st Generation has 6 characters introduced in Ultimate), and the ones that more in likely get it is either Midnight Lycanroc, Kommo-o, or Zeraora. But if we don't see the Pokemon DLCs announced by the time the 8th Generation Pokemon is announced, it will more in likely be an 8th Generation Pokemon.


Banjo-Kazooie...
Ok, even I do admit, I do like to see Banjo-Kazooie to make an appearance in Smash, the only thing is having Microsoft giving the green light (since they own Rare) to let Banjo-Kazooie appear in Ultimate, but with the recent relationship between Nintendo and Microsoft, I see this being a possibility.


Rayman...
You know, ever since he was introduced to Brawlhalla, it would be tough to tell if Rayman would even make the cut, but you can never know though, sometime Sakurai can throw a huge curve ball and introduce someone that we didn't expect (he's well-known for throwing a ton of curve balls, especially when it comes to the Smash series).



I would say more characters, because it's hard telling on what insane mind that Sakurai has, but these are the 5 I think that could be added.

IgorBird122 : I'd lose it if another damn Fire Emblem character got added.

As for Rex, I originally thought he'd be a shoo-in a few months ago, but I no longer see any character from Xenoblade 2 being added. The Rex outfit being included with the fighter pass I feel was Sakurai's way of saying "This is the closest you'll get to playing as Rex."

I could easily see another fire emblem character or a Gen 8 Pokémon as candidates for DLC since both will be receiving a new game in the very near future (Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Generation 8).

Personally, I'd really like to see Banjo-Kazooie, Sora, and Sephiroth added as DLC. (as unlikely as it would be, I think it would be great to see another FF character represented, especially a villain as iconic as Sephiroth. I'd be okay with Noctis too though.)

Apparently a new leak is circulating that Erdrick from Square Enix's Dragon Quest will be the next confirmed DLC character. 

I've been thinking, Nintendo said that all of the DLC will be unexpected picks like Joker. What about Dante from the Devil May Cry series? That would be pretty cool, he has a chance in my book, and I hope he gets in, too.

Unexpected picks eh? How about Captain Jack Sparrow or Neil Young?

But seriously, I already don't know half of the contenders, so I'm not sure. I always thought a non-sword user from the FE series is needed, like Hector, or Jagen. 

Lexatom : I can't believe I forgot about Dante.

Another character I forgot to mention is Travis Touchdown from the No More Heroes franchise. Both games from that series have been on the Wii, and Travis Strikes Again is on it's way to the Switch.

Still waiting for Phoenix Wright. I mean come on, he was in a fighting game already so we know it's possible. Capcom likes Nintendo as far as I'm aware.

Even though he's not my favorite character from Ace Attorney I would still lose it if he makes it in. I would main him in a heartbeat. 

Furret : What would his moveset even be? Which fighting game is Phoenix Wright in again?

Give me Waluigi or give me death!

Honestly, I think they're getting to the point where they need to stop adding new characters. They're stretching pretty far with some of the ones in the game already, like Duck Hunt, Pac Man, and Piranha Plant (the first confirmed DLC character).

gamerforlifeforever : He's in Marvel vs Capcom 3

He basically goes around and collects evidence throughout the match, and if he gets three unique ones (I think, it's been a long time), he can unleash some ultra powerful attack. Kind of like the Dragoon in Smash. If they can make it so he can lose evidence after getting hit and they give it a cooldown that could be interesting.

He also had his assistant Maya Fey as some kind of shield I think that blocked projectiles or something due to her psychic powers. And the finger point, oh god they could make such an epic forward smash with that. They could have him slam his desk for his down smash and have him poke you with his spiky hair for his up smash. 

He also has this gimmick in the games called Psyche Locks where he uses a magatama to be able to see when someone is lying. Maybe they can use this as some kind of slowing effect in a certain radius around him so he can more easily see what his opponent is going to do.

If they want to be funny they could add his speech bubbles with Objection!, Hold it! and Take that! as some projectiles haha.

His idle animation could be him sweating like he does in the games.

I'm going to stop now haha I have this all playing in my head and he would be so much fun.

Now that Joker and Terry Bogard are in, which would've been previous picks of mine, I've got to reconsider a bit, but here are my top 5 (realistic) picks, ordered:

1. Goku Reimu Hakurei
The protagonist of the Touhou series. Incredibly popular in Japan and just about popular enough here in the West. I guess the inverse of Banjo? Regardless, I hold the series really close to me and I believe she'd have one of the most unique movesets we've seen so far.

2. Sora
Although 2B means more to me for Square Enix reps, I think Sora deserves it more and although I wouldn't be as hype as I would be for 2B, I'd still be damned hype. I feel like I don't need to explain Sora lol

3. Team Fortress 2 rep (Scout or Heavy)
Valve still has their head stuck up their ass, but if they were ever to be approached for a Smash rep I'd hope they'd choose one of those two. It would be incredibly hype and Team Fortress 2 is definitely iconic enough to deserve a spot.

4. Kat
From the Gravity Rush series. She'd also be an incredibly unique fighter, though the series itself isn't very popular (unfortunately, for the games are some of the best on PlayStation) so I don't think she's super realistic.

5. Quote
Cave Story is super iconic, essentially the grandfather of all of the recent super-good indie games we've been seeing as of recently. I'm more than positive he deserves a spot, though I also can't really think of who Nintendo would have to talk to about that...

I actually got quite a list of characters I'd love to see get into Smash though I'll try to keep it brief and sorta limit myself so this doesn't become too w i d e

1)Klonoa
Honestly a bit of an odd character choice for my first pick, though being a Namco rep and a character that I honestly adore, I think now that more then ever even with a looming remaster on the horizon he's got a very high chance! I see a lot of people actually talk about him more now and days and even suggesting him for Smash which really gets me excited. I don't think he'll be the final DLC Fighter for this first pass but possibly in the next Pass.

2)Sora
I've been a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts for my whole life and i'll be frank that when the leaks about a new character that was originally seen with the "Brave" tag came onto the scene I screamed real loud and hoped that it was Sora since KH3 was out and while it's disappointing it turned out to be The Hero (Which I'm fine with way more then I used to be) I still feel like Sora has some chance and would be a perfect fit for Smash

3)Professor Layton
God how I love this character, probably one of the reason I want him is because he's such a unique pick for Smash. I'm a bit surprised how many people I've actually seen talk about him would consider him highly for a spot on the Pass and he's always gotten my recommendation ever since the early days of Smash 4

4)Crash Bandicoot OR Spryo
So get this, I never played either of these classic franchises until the Mid to Late 2000's, so no bias, but these guys either one of them would be pretty high on my recommendation list. They have just as strong ties imo as much as Sonic did considering their long history in the Console War, and while Spryo came out later down the line, I really enjoy both.

5)Gex the Gecko
Honestly it's a miracle if this character gets in, he pretty much reeks of 90's pop culture references BUT that doesn't mean I don't love this character! I feel like if anything can happen with the Smash Roster, then of all characters now that Square Enix owns Crystal Dynamics and they've allowed people to make games of their old properties, one of these days he'll get out of the wood works and finally become a character one of these days. Really REALLY slim chance but this is the dream BABY!!!

Just a reminder... The lead developer actually did say all the fighter pass would be NEW franchises

Damn you Nintendo! Give me Geno from Super Mario RPG or give me NOTHING!!! I would take Bubsy as a joke character like Dan from Street Fighter tho..