One of the biggest pieces of news from last week's Nintendo Direct was the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot - an online form on the official Super Smash Bros. website that allows fans to pitch their dream characters as upcoming DLC for the game. Of course, this has sparked much interest, with players voting for both realistic - and arguably overdue - characters, as well as a few outright unearthly choices from the nooks and crannies of gaming's vast realm.
Regardless, the Smash Bros. website has made a recent update that has caused much attention. Looking at the character roster section of the site, there are five additional slots after Mewtwo's panel at the bottom of the page. As we know, Lucas was announced in the Direct as the latest upcoming DLC character in June - so it's safe to assume that he'll take up one of the slots. However, there's still an extra four spaces, and this has caused much discussion as to whether we'll receive more than one new character from the most popular suggestions in the Fighter Ballot.
If this is the case, it's great news, meaning there's more hope of our favourite characters making an appearance in such a huge title. Check out our poll here, or takeover the comment section below by voicing your opinion for your favourites; all this writer can say is that there's more chance - albeit very slim - for well-deserving third-party characters such as Knuckles, Ryu, or Bomberman to enter the fray!
[source smashbros.com, via gamnesia.com]
Comments (109)
I had guessed at 4-5 new characters including Mewtwo and Lucas. So counting them 6 new fighters more likely then not? Nice, also neat to see my guess so close.
Actually, bomberman wouldn't be a bad choice. He's got history and I loved him on the NES. I haven't voted yet but I just might now.
Am I the only one who wants Bonk? "Bonk dives head first into battle."
I don't see why this is being reported on everywhere. Those spaces were there throughout the entire development and there were six blank boxes before Mewtwo was announced and even the DLC was confirmed.
It's simply laid out like that because it's done in groups of nines. I would like 5 more too, heck, it might happen, but this isn't new or anything.
Vote for #ViewtifulJoe !!
#inklingforpresident
King K. Rool
@Plainsville
This. So sick of these clickbait articles.
Vote Paper Mario or Chibi Robo please.
I want to see Commander Video and Tingle join the battle!
Of course, Hyrule Warriors has already cashed in on the awesomeness that is Tingle~
@warvad I was hoping that the nature of the way this article was written would convey that these extra slots aren't necessarily extra characters, with the use of words such as "suggests" and "if" etc. It's just a pointer for consideration, not clickbait!
Vote for Jack from the arcade game Sheriff 😎👍
Why would they work with one character anyway for 6 months. It's not worth it so it makes sense they are working on previous characters from previous Smash and "clones" since it it's easier to develop with already existing assets/movesets.
So yeah, I think we will see more returning characters and clones. Maybe a completely new character which was considered or was scrapped on release.
Sunkern drops from the sky! Yeah no...
Smash Bros. doesn't appeal to me to the extent it used to, so all I can say about all this DLC news is eh.
@blooper_88 I love Viewtiful Joe. People are asking for Wonder Red and have seemed to forget Joe! His moveset in games require speeding up and slowing down time so they would need to come up with something else but he would be a welcomed addition for sure.
If you're on mobile the extra squares don't even appear, basically they mean nothing and all we know for certain is that we're getting at least 3 dlc characters.
Didn't people thought something like this when the game wasn't even released?And we didn't know the entire roster?
My guesses for those four slots are:
-Wolf
-Snake
-Popo
-King K. Rool, the current leader in the poll
Just because there are four slots doesn't mean that we'll get four characters. We may get two or three additional characters, including Mewtwo and Lucas, but there may not be a fourth character.
All I can say is poor Sakurai. What he's supposed to get his vacation would instead continue working on creating character, despite his arm injury.
Yeah... this is just grasping for straws. Everyone who believes this is evidence for how many characters there will be is just fooling themselves.
Layton for Smash!
It's interesting to note that just because a character wins the ballot, it doesn't mean Nintendo can make it happen. For example, if Ridley happens to win, I don't see Sakurai putting him in Smash. He's already explained this is due to continuity. Likewise, they may not accept a character if he's already an Assist Trophy such as Waluigi. Ice Climbers too may not be possible due to system limitations on the 3DS.
Not that these characters are receiving much attention, it seems to be a toss up between K.Rool and Inkling but I guess we can just wait and see.
Personally, I've gone for Simon Belmont and wife has gone for Captain Rainbow
They are filler spaces...
The layout changes by device :/
#ShantaeForSmash
@headfirstslide I already voted for VJ!! He'd be a PERFECT candidate. And it would take the sour taste of him in MvC3 out of my mouth.
What are the chances Nintendo will release a Splatoon girl/boy fighter?
@enderboy221 Yeah, Layton would be awsome! I also hope they fix the Ice Climbersbug and add them too
@Plainsville
Ha, excellent observation. Anything to build hype for Smash characters, I guess.
Though the polling only just opened, it would be unrealistic if Nintendo already made their choices on who to put there, though they may have the overall number already figured out.
If--and this would be hilarious--Nintendo already had the next characters planned and work started on them, it would back up my throw-away hypothesis that the Smash Voting site was just there as a distraction so that fans would leave Sakurai alone on Twitter and the Miiverse.
Geno and mallow wich is long overdue and claptrap would be fun
Yeah, on the US version of that site there aren't any blank boxes. Just sayin'.
I've wanted Bomberman in since Brawl. I hope he gets his chance to shine this time.
I hope they make Amiibo of the new DLC characters.
I'm voting for Shantae for reasons described in this video: https://youtu.be/qALeeVhgiX4
Seriously, watch it. It's brilliant.
Just voted for Ryu, Viewtiful Joe and Simon Belmont. I doubt they'll use any of them but I did my part.
I wanted to vote for Knuckles, but then I realised if you plug your copy of Smash Bros into Sonic and Knuckles, that does the job.
No more third parties. Keep it Nintendo. Why put in characters like Bomberman when important Nintendo games and characters go on ignored? Give Captain Toad a spot. Let K. Rool thrash about. Hell, bring back Popo or Nana with a re-tooled moveset so both don't have to be on-screen.
Isaac from Golden Sun is my top vote. However, Bomberman is really a great idea as well. I love those games!
Banjo & Kazooie is really high on my list as well, and Majoras Mask Link is also way up there. Along with far too many others.... It's so hard to choose!
to be honest I tought from that from the start. I mean it would be weird to include just one of the many many fan request.
Ow and I don't mind how stupid the idea sounds but I really want Sora from kingdom hearts in it.
facepalms
@Espy I never realized. I got Knuckles to come up on the Wii U version of Smash, but i'm having trouble getting the cartridge to fit in my 3DS. Is there an adapter that I need? Or do I need a N3DS to run it?
In all seriousness I would love Bomberman to be in. My heart skipped a little when I saw the image.
@Jayvir Very true, but if all these slots are indeed meant for more than one new character, then perhaps one of these third-party characters could be more of a possibility! But yes, if there's only one allocation, it should be dedicated to a well-established Nintendo character.
Those blank spaces been there since the site launched last year, not an indicator of more characters.
Out of sheer hype,I stormed the Smash Bros site and checked every nook and cranny simce it went live all the way up to the game's release date.
I checked it once more and I can assure anyone that there aren't any "slots" on there.It just looks like empty space to me;space that was also there when the game was announced and after a new fighter was confirmed.
It' simply how the site is layed out.Nothing more.Everyone can chill out now haha
@Quorthon That would be hilarious! Although,I'm sure he gets messages all the time anyway and this ballot has made the requests go back to how they were before the game released. The only difference is that now 3rd parties are also getting vocal
I can see Sakurai scrapping the whole ballot due to the ridiculous requests and adding one character he already had planned for Smash.That's what I would do
These slots mean literally nothing. People were freaking out over this exact theory sometime when new fighters were still released.
WART!!!!! The guy gets no love despite being a final boss in the second Mario game released in the US! VOTE WART for a darker future!!
I would like to see the following characters fore dlc
Crono from Chrono Trigger
Roy Fire Emblem
Snake Metal Gear Solid
Wolf from Star Fox
@RaiRiggs If you look via desktop/laptop, the square slots can clearly be seen (it's not just empty space). However, as mentioned, this could simply be to preserve the rule of having nine slots per carousel slider. By no means is it concrete evidence for new characters, but it's not impossible that there could be more than one character from the Fighter Ballot. It's all speculation!
-Wolf
-Dixie Kong
-Simon Belmont
-Shovel Knight
-Shantae
There.
Bomberman is a good idea actually... never though of that.
Still, VOTE TAILS!
Yeah Bomberman! Why not? .....and why didn't I think about him?
Anyone but Goku is fine with me.
I voted for Monster Hunter.
Myeh I'm just hoping any of the following make it in
Bayonetta
Shantae
Issac
Krystal
Any other Xenoblade Character
and Sora
Hopefully someone like Daisy or Waluigi doesn't get in. Shovel Knight is also a good pick, but he's not one I am totally familiar with.
Also why do people want Paper Mario, he'd just be another Mario clone just with differently styilized moves
I dont see why they empty slots are a problem.
There was a rumor back then that only 3 newcomers were left because of the slots, when they hadn't revealed dr mario, dark pit, duck hunt, shulk and bowser jr.
Actually the site has always done something like that, when i check the mobile version there are no empty slots. Plus the site doesn't reveal the unlockable characters
What if there's another page for more DLC?
This again?
The squares don't mean anything. They're filler because something has to be there.
This was already discussed way back in the speculation period.
Midna.
...You guys do realize those slots mean nothing, right? Heck, on mobile they aren't even there.
@nintendouken I understand its all speculation(which is fun at times)but I insist,those squares where there during development as well.Its all good and fun to imagine what these could mean.I just think people are making way too big of a deal out of this
@NintendoFan64 Exactly
I want Sora and Bayonetta.
I can't believe Nintendolife posted a news article about this....
@RaiRiggs Understood, but surely the slots would be removed if there's no need for them? Whether the panels mean anything or not, it's also worth mentioning that creating one fighter based off the entire fan-base's requests seems farfetched, so accommodating more than one suggestion is a little more probable. Ah well, it's been a helluva day!
It's more likely that Nintendo is only going to select 2 of the top possible requests, the other 2 are already planned characters, which are WOLF and Dixie Kong
It's not going to be another third party character. But if it was, it would need to be Goemon!
NL is desperate for clicks, I see.
This means ABSOLUTELY nothing. Those slots have been there since day one, and more/less slots get added depending on the aspect ratio of your screen.
Shame on you Nintendo Life. Delete this article.
Those are literally just filler spaces that don't mean anything, they've been there before DLC was a thing and they change depending on device. Like there aren't any on my phone and there's like 4 on my computer. They don't mean anything.
bomberman would be great
@LavaTwilight Simon Belmont For The Win!!
How about Captain N ?
He would be an awesome addition, using his NES zapper in his dapper nintendo Letterman jacket. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_N:_The_Game_Master
Am I the only person dying for Tails? Is it not totally unfair that Mario has Luigi at his side but Sonic is on his own?
Not this again. Guys, go on your phone and you will not even see the slots.
Facepalm
Watch that expand one day and people will fall for the same trick.
Wow, some people are so quick to nip at NL's heels. The article clearly does NOT assume that the panels are definitive evidence of anything happening. It's just speculation of a theory that is backed up by fairly coincidental evidence. Read into it how you want to. Is it possible that it's just the formatting and layout? Absolutely. But could it actually mean something? Of course. We won't know for sure until Nintendo says anything. I'm sure with or without this article, NL do just fine I'm glad it was posted, and it's actually got me hyped whether it's true or not. I've seen FAR worse "clickbait" articles, if this can even be regarded as one.
Bayonetta. I need it.
Yeah, the empty slots don't mean anything.
I think that there will be 2-3 more characters after Lucas. I think Wolf will be announced for later this year, and then one or two characters from the Fighter Ballot in March/April and June of next year. That's the most Sakurai would be willing to do because of health reasons. I wouldn't expect any more than two fighters to come from the ballot, and even then I'd rather only expect one from it to keep my expectations low.
The fighters I want to see the most? King K Rool, Inkling, Isaac, Shantae, Bomberman, and Shovel Knight. Any of those would make me happy. K Rool seems to be the frontrunner of most polls done by other websites asking who they voted for.
Hopefully one of those is either King K. Rool or Banjo Kazooie. That would make me quite happy.
Prince Fluff would be a cool addition with a fairly varied move set. He could even have the Tank-bot as a Super Smash! Get on it Nintendo...
@CapeSmash When has NL ever deleted an article? Even the obvious click bait ones stay up.
We're going to hearing about this for a while arent we? :/
Tetris block for smash! Reggie's forehead joins the battle! Scrooge Mcduck pogo's into the battle! Etc....
What have you done nintendo?!
@Plainsville: I was thinking that exactly - I thought they had extra squares before.
Bayonetta needs to happen
My idea
Frogger with bomberman and there virtual console games too and banjo with his n64 and GBA come for Wii u virtual console. Also knuckles with more game gear Genesis and GBA games from Sega.
Wow,so much hate.Not everything that you'd rather not see reported on is "clickbait" guys.There are FAR worse examples on other sites.Just sayin'
As has already been stated, those empty boxes prove nothing and are not even worth speculating about. They are a side-effect of the way the character roster is laid out.
I voted for Shovel Knight myself, but I'd also really really like too see Wreck-It Ralph in SSB too.
Please... I hope they put Bomberman in, he's the best
It's Reyn time!!!
SSB needs more Sunsoft love. Hebereke characters (especially Hebe himself, O-Chan and 'Shades' whose Japanese name I always forget) and SOFIA THE 3RD from Blaster Master would make me buy the SM4SH games all over again, even if they were only added as assists or something.
Sorry, I already voted Wonder Red and I am staying true to that decision!!
@WaxxyOne They wouldn't add extra empty boxes... They'd just rearrange em to accommodate Mewtwo and Lucas..
Click bait coz the unlockable chars aren't their you know Jigglypuff duck hunt ect?
There not listed there so... GF everybody who thinks this means max 4 more DLC chars...
@Uberchu LOL wow. Firstly, that doesn't make it "clickbait". Secondly, the unlockable characters ARE there but are all contained in a '???' panel. Obviously, DLC characters don't count as unlockable and would belong in the main carousel (as they're not spoilers). Think before you bash the damn thing.
@WaxxyOne And another one jumps on the bandwagon. Yes, the point has been stated. But it IS worth speculating about, as there is fair circumstantial evidence even though it's probably not true. Nothing is claiming fact here. It's harmless. Everyone needs to chill.
If new characters are to be added, people shouldn't vote for characters that can essentially be re-made with existing characters and custom moves. I.e., Wolf can pretty much be made by tweaking Fox's specials, and a Bomberman-esque character can be made by tweaking Megaman
Some more interesting characters to add could be Monita (nintendo land), Sora from Kingdom Hearts (popular, and could bring PS fans to Nintendo), Banjo-Kazooie, Knuckles (classic, not sonic boom version), Inkling, an etrian odyssey character, megaman.exe or roll.exe or bass.exe, tron bonne (with servbots), an axe or a Lance wielder from Fire Emblem, Melia (Xenoblade Chronicles), WIlbell or Linca or Ayesha from Atelier Ayesha
I think people are looking too much into this. It doesn't mean that six DLC characters will be it; all we know is that there's more DLC characters coming and that we get to vote for our favorites to hopefully show up.
It could be four, it could be eight, we just don't know and we shouldn't assume that six will be the number.
@YoshiTails the thing is that Tails is a third-party characters and Sakurai has specifically stated that they will be very limited for good reasons. I like Tails and think he would be interesting, but the last thing I would want to see is a spot wasted on a non-legendary third-party character that could go towards Bomberman, Slime, or better yet, a first party character people would care about (King K. Rool, Isaac, Dixie Kong, Ridley, etc.).
@Jayvir I'm with you. As much as I'd love to see Bomberman or maybe even Tails, Smash Brothers is supposed to be about Nintendo characters duking it out, and there are tons of Nintendo characters that haven't been represented yet. It's become incredibly tedious having to see so many people going nuts with their dreams of all kinds of third-party characters getting added to the battle all the time.
This is a non-article. The question mark links to known hidden characters and the remaining squares are totally devoid of anything and likely just there to preserve the website formatting.
I see it now, Empty Slot blanks the arena
"well-deserving third-party characters such as Knuckles, Ryu, or Bomberman to enter the fray!" hahahaha you serious?
@stealth Erm, yeah... A man can dream, can't he?
Knackles.
IT IS CALLED M.U.G.E.N. Electbyte. Dear god it is sooooo sad.....that people think they need Nintendo to play together or even to have an random universe of characters. Also....Bomberman is featured in two fighting games I believe. One for the N64/GCN??? with transformers as well. I mean seriously go and make your own MUGEN CHARACTER ALREADY
@bstoppel I have wanted Honk since before the game came out. I put my vote in for Bonk.
I don't see any empty slots.
Those slots are just part of the website design...it doesn't have 5 "?" blocks, they are just white...
Oh my gosh... I thought getting the mewtwo dlc was enough for me but I guess I was wrong. Now I have to get all these characters...
I also think they should put in another mii fighter class. Maybe mage or something?
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