It’s hard to predict surprises before they happen at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but with a new Smash Bros. coming out this year for the 3DS and Wii U, it’s safe to guess we’ll see Nintendo announce a few new brawlers for the roster.
However, we’ll take the prediction one step further; we’re listing the characters that Nintendo is most likely to reveal during the June trade show in Los Angeles. Sure, we all have fighters we’d like to see included in the games. Our own Samir Torres came up with a list of eight characters he wanted in Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS However, with all due respect to Mr. Torres, it’s unlikely we’ll see Chrono or the Battletoads taking on the likes of Mario and Link.
This, however, is not a wish list. These are our educated guesses. We’d be shocked if none of these picks got revealed at some point during the June 10 to June12 run of E3.
Chrom from Fire Emblem: Awakening
If you put a gun to my head and told me to predict one character that I was sure Nintendo would include in Smash Bros., I’d easily choose Chrom. He was the main character of the latest Fire Emblem game, Awakening on the 3DS. Since Melee on the GameCube, each Smash Bros. has included two Fire Emblem characters: Marth and the hero from the newest game at that time.
For Melee, that was Roy, the star of a Japanese Fire Emblem game that never made it to the West (in fact, at that point the entire series had never made it to the U.S.). For Brawl, it was Ike, the hero of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the GameCube and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii.
So, we have a pattern. We already know that Marth is back, but Awakening was also much more popular than the Ike-starring Fire Emblem entries. Plus, we already know that a stage based on Awakening exists in the 3DS version. It seems inconceivable that Awakening’s hero, Chrom, doesn’t make the cut.
Of course, Nintendo threw a wrench into my prediction by revealing that Ike is coming back just hours before this article went live. That doesn’t mean we still won’t see Chrom, but it would be the first time that Fire Emblem got three roster spots. Still, I’m sticking with the pick. It just seems bizarre not to include a character from Awakening in favor of a returning clone like Ike. I still think Chrom makes the cut, but I don’t think I’d bet my life on it now.
Pac-Man from, you know, Pac-Man
So far, Mega Man is the only new third-party character Nintendo has announced for Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS. Brawl got two: Sonic and Snake. We know Sonic is coming back, but Snake’s return seems less likely. Still, you expect Nintendo to unveil at least one more fighter from outside of its own catalog.
So, out of all the non-Nintendo characters in gaming history, who is the best fit? Well, what do Mega Man, Snake, and Sonic all have in common? They’re all icons of the industry. As much as people want to see Sora from Kingdom Hearts or Bayonetta in the roster, it’s much more likely that we get a character with mainstream popularity and classic appeal.
That makes Pac-Man a great fit. Everyone knows who he is. Besides, he’s actually appeared in Nintendo games before, specifically the arcade versions of Mario Kart that featured him as a racer. It’s actually much rarer for a 3rd-party character to get into Mario Kart. Smash Bros. seems like the next logical step.
Cranky Kong from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
This pick is a little riskier, but it’s likely Nintendo will want to add another character from a newer game, specifically one on the Wii U. Well, one of its biggest releases on the console so far is Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Of course, that game starred Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, two fighters already confirmed for Smash Bros. on the 3DS and Wii U.
However, Tropical Freeze was the first in the Donkey Kong Country series to have Cranky Kong as a playable character. Cranky has always been a fan-favorite, but now we know he can put up a fight. Why not see let him showcase his cane-hopping skills in Smash? Besides, Cranky would be a fun, comedic addition to a roster that has too many young whippersnappers.
Captain Falcon from F-Zero
Even as we’re anticipating the reveals of new characters, plenty of classic Smash Bros. fighters have yet to make the cut for the Wii U and 3DS rosters. Out of all of them, Captain Falcon is the most iconic. In fact, his signature move, the Falcon Punch, is pretty much synonymous with the franchise. It’s hard to imagine a Smash Bros. without him.
You can almost see Nintendo dropping Jigglypuff, especially with new Pokémon characters like Greninja already taking up precious roster spots. It also wouldn’t surprise us if Falco and Star Wolf, two Fox clones, don’t return. But would Nintendo really leave the iconic Captain Falcon out? It doesn’t seem likely, unless it wants to deal with a lot of angry and disappointed fans. Let the Captain come back.
That’s our list. What do you think? Would you like to see these characters in the new roster? Have some predictions of your own? Let us know.
