Cuphead's Creator Would Be "More Than Pleased" To Let Him Appear In Super Smash Bros.

Man, this game looks unbelievably gorgeous

I’ve got two words... As if!

If anything spirits.

Banjo would be first in line to get in the game if anyone.

And shantae for smash!! So many to pick from besides pea-shooting Cuphead. We got Mega Man for that.

Banjo and cuphead have different owners, so if one gets in smash, the other has different requirements to get in. But still, kids will complain. I want him in, maybe a battletoad. Be thankful wor microsofts compatibility, dont whine about getting essentially what you wanted

Although I'd love cuphead. I'm putting Banjo on priority. If we get any character from Microsoft, I hope it's finally the bear and the bird.

If any Microsoft-affiliated character is getting into Smash, it’s probably (and unfortunately) Minecraft Steve. Cuphead aside, Minecraft is the only Microsoft exclusive to make the jump to a Nintendo platform, and as much as we all love Banjo, he hasn’t been relevant for years, nor does he have the notoriety or level of worldwide recognition that anything Minecraft does. Add to that the fact that Sakurai himself is obsessed with Minecraft and the odds are definitely in favor of us seeing Steve before anyone else, as much as it pains me to say.

That’s cool and all, and I enjoy Cuphead. But rather have others characters make it to the Smash roster than Cuphead. I won’t complain if it happens though.

Cuphead would be OP

"I couldn’t see how Nintendo wouldn’t want the fans to get what they wanted."

Unfortunately your wrong Jared.

Must I remind you of, Waluigi...?

Edit: I'm not saying I personally want Waluigi I'm just pointing it out.

cuphead would play similar to ness or megaman
because of his wide variety of projectiles

@SMUG- Hopefully not Ness.

maybe as a spirit.

No personal offense, but no. Indie games rarely ever have lores and/or aesthetics that are well-made enough to be in Smash. In the case of Cuphead or Shovel Knight, for example, these franchises are intentionally zany and whacked-out (and possibly better-selling ideas for it) when you dig into the plot and details. But that destroys that "timeless" sense of design that jives with Smash.
Even Geno's wooden pectorals and underside being barely covered by a half-cape doesn't fly. Some would say that him being a wooden puppet doesn't appeal in the current day when you take into account modern reactions to puppets or even something more recent and similar like Nintendo's muppets. Personally, I think that's a ridiculous notion, but hey.
Meanwhile, Banjo-Kazooie works because they're a mischievous take on fairly "storybook animals" as was conveyed through the games' music and childhood-like elements. The remainder of the ol' Rare crew missed that boat completely on the second go-around in choosing a static chameleon and bat. Laylee's nose was a genius design choice for a cartoon bat, however.
Shantae's design is modeled after that of a belly dancer. And is a half-genie. And the loved concept of rhythm meshes well with her design, powers (even the hair whip), and personality. But the amount of bare skin combined with how "all over the road" and frankly reckless the Shantae story has become puts her suitability on the borderline (if not disqualifies it). "But Shantae isn't any less-clad than Beach ZSS or Shulk." A) That's not their normal attire AND B) they don't have the connotations of belly dancing to overcome.

Come on... Smash is for iconic franchises and characters. As much as I’m interested in Cuphead .... it hasn’t reached that status.

Let’s talk two Smashs down the line.

Give Banjo some love

Banjo over Cuphead but assist trophy would be cool.

Imagine a stage based on this character, so much in it i would love that.

Characters were already decided, so please let Sakurai rest StudioMDHR lol.

Oh, I would love to have Cuphead in Smash! (and Mugman as his alternate)

But I don't see it happening either. Though popular, It's only one game. The franchise has to grow bigger to be eligible.

It would be odd seeing him and Mugman in 3D, but whatever. Make the stage be based off of King Dice's level. lol

Cuphead’s a great game and all, I personally loved it on PC, but it’s not like every character from every game on Switch has got to be in Smash, especially as it should be some kind of “hall of fame” of video game history.
But then again, Joker’s gonna be in it, so who knows?

I'd rather have them over Banjo and Steve ANY DAY

Lol spam the shoot button whilst running... They'd have to downplay that and add new moves for him but it could work.

@KingBowser86 I'm just curious what lore Wii Trainer, Mii Fighters or Duck Hunt Dog have that qualify them for Smash?

The qualifications I read in these comment section for Smash characters are always all over the place. And most are dispelled by the mere inclusion of characters that don't fit any of them.

As much as I love Cuphead as its on my top 5 favorite indie games of all time along with CaveStory and Shovel Knight but if I would want a unique character gameplay wise for Smash. Cuphead is to Mega Man like Doom Guy and Master Chief is to Samus.

It seems like the fact that Jared Moldenhauer is coming out acting like it's a good idea confirms that Cuphead indeed is not part of the Smash Bros DLC roster.

Most likely scenario is that Cuphead ends up a Mii Gunner suit, given the genre he comes from. To make him into a full-fledged character would be a challenge to be met by next Smash.

Imagine a Cuphead themed stage! That would be AWESOME!!!!

@UmbreonsPapa First of all, I said "and/or," and you cherry-picked out something you wanted to focus on. This was in response to an issue with indie characters and their franchises in general. It can't explain all picks (like Fire Emblem or Ice Climbers for promoting the franchise or the e-Reader, respectively). And you are right - determining the development teams' method of choosing as it changes over the years for various reasons is not an easy topic to pin down. Gets heated over certain characters. Technical limitations are also at play. We also know that there isn't always a deliberate thought process - Bamco's team just loved Fire Emblem and that's why we have so many. But we can find a common theme throughout the characters that get picked to be playable as opposed to Assist Trophies/Trophies/Stickers/Spirits while also controlling for shameless promotion and favoritism. Heck, I've had to try VERY HARD to augment and refine this judgment over the years just to try and "match" what we see materialize.
So my counter-question out of curiosity is, "Why did you focus on lore?"
I'd like Shantae but she no longer works. Shovel Knight's character design is a little strange with the shovel but the armor is solid. Take off the helmet and you see a franchise that takes too many wacky turns to be endearing to most audiences. Cuphead deals in specific religious imagery (albeit cartoonishly-inaccurate) and features some potentially-disturbing designs for young audiences.

Secondly, I will do my best to explain those three and throw in Dark Pit as a bonus:
Wii Fit Trainer: In addition to the absolutely massive sales numbers of the Wii, the Wii Fit Trainer is an example of that timeless "mannequin" or "blank" character trope with the added bonus of being focused on something positive and widely-supported (fitness and sports).
Miis: Again, the Wii's massive sales. Additionally, they are there for self-inserting using the once-prominent (for Nintendo) Mii avatars. For better or for worse, avatar characters are timeless.
Duck Hunt: Usually packed in with Super Mario Bros. and so gained ridiculous visibility. The comical nature of the character also helps - Duck Hunt memes and jokes had been made loooooong before anyone even fathomed them for Smash. That comedy is timeless.
Dark Pit: I strongly disagreed with this pick. Challenged me for a while. Fox/Falco/Wolf, Ryu/Ken, you get this sense that 'duality' picks are fine if not expected of fighting or fighting-like games (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, etc.). "Rival" characters - timeless.

This is just my view. As close as I can tell without being Sakurai and a whole development team in one brain. I can't do that, no one can.

Cuphead is probably Microsofts most iconic mascot right now,
I want nothing more than him to be a playable character, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen,
An assist trophy would be cool! Either way, He should be completely animated as how he appears in his games. That makes him a little bit more out there like Mr Game and Watch.
If any other Microsoft character makes it in, a Cuphead stage would be awesome, with a boss maybe.

It's hard to imagine the moveset. Cuphead is all about non-stop spraying bullets, which would be OP.

@KingBowser86 I wasn't focusing on lore for any particular reason. We can tear apart aesthetics as well. And for the many reasons you point out why Shovel Knight or Shantae wouldn't work, there's characters that you can argue upends those criterias.

But that goes to my second point which was kind of general observation about the tone of discussion here (and Im sure in other online gaming communities) about what constitutes a valid inclusion in Smash. For me personally, the opposition that some characters receive don't seem to be based on anything intrinsic in the series itself or based on the developers criteria. But more so just fans trying to push their likes and dislikes as valid reasons when there are examples in the game that counteract them.

Yeah, sure. But half the time Smash comes taps a character nobody expected. And with only 4 slots it's unlikely he'll get the nod.

We don't know that there couldn't be more DLC Fighter Passes beyond the first one, so I don't think that's a valid reason for why it isn't possible in Ultimate. Frankly, Nintendo would be kinda foolish to not continue doing Smash DLC, it's going to sell ludicrous amounts. The only way I would understand not letting Smash Bros. be a growing platform throughout the Switch's whole life span is if Sakurai just needs to rest.

I'm surprised Dig-Dug doesn't get talked about more to be in Smash

@UmbreonsPapa Yeah, and aesthetics are even more subjective and less meaningful considering Smash has its own art style. At the same time, the tones and motifs that their native art styles convey can contribute to exclusion reasons, whether by technical limitations (more of an issue in past installments) or by lack of suitability (nudity or borderline Satanic imagery).

Ah, now that I definitely understand. Thankfully those are easy enough to ignore if they don't try to build any kind of case for the character. Granted, that goes back to "Exactly what case am I supposed to build?", but, the reaction is all you need. If it's sheer defense with no reasons given, that doesn't bode well. But if the other person at least attempts to connect the character to Nintendo/Smash, their appeal, and how the character would positively impact gameplay, those are generally good signs.

Sidenote: I REALLY want Monkey Bullet as Shantae's Side B. So fluid.

DLC assist trophies probably wouldn't bother anyone.

Name me one video game creator who wouldn't be pleased to have their IP show up in SSB? I'll wait.

@Heavyarms55 Souljah Boi

Beautiful work of art.

Of course he’d be pleased. Doesn’t mean there’s much of a chance of it happening. Cuphead is a great game but of all Indie characters, it’s definitely not the one Nintendo would put in Smash. It’s nice for him to dream though.

@Gravitron He doesn't have any IP, he just steals it from other people. After his recent piracy machines I no longer believe his music is even his own.

Cuphead could come to a future Super Smash Bros. but not in Smash Ultimate. Smash Ultimate's roster and DLCs had already been decided. If anything Cuphead could still make it to Brawlhalla, Brawlout, or Tekken 7.

In my opinion: First Shantae before that another Indie character (Shovel Knight has respect and succeded, but, Shantae has more games and more support to Nintendo)

Oh my God, I want a Cuphead stage! Sure, having Cuphead playable would be great, but I want the stage more! Or how about 2 or 3 stages?! How weird will it look, having 3D polygonal Smash characters fighting on a lush 1930s animated stage background? Exciting!

I’m curious as to how, if one of the creators is up for it, does he envision the design carrying over. Is he picturing setting aside the authentic hand drawn 30s style and adapting to a 3D polygonal model? Sure, you can do the character in any style (many already have), but the accurate look of the 30s art style is a big part of game. It might just work better as an assist trophy, which would also solve the issue of having an overpowered move set, since the game would control where he’s firing his shots.

@Thwomp_Stomper I was thinking Cuphead could be like a hybrid of Mega Man. Remember that Nintendo said they weren't going to release echo-fighters as DLC.

I would expect an Assist Trophy at best. I mean if Shovel Knight and Bomber Man can get only as high as Assist Trophy, I don't think Cuphead stands a chance.

@Wavey84 i agree with you on the point about cuphead in smash but i highly doubt that arthur will get in because he's in the MvC series and bill rizer probably won't get in solely on genericness and forgetability. Bill is just a guy that shoots things.

Cuphead was in that Smash Bros. DLC eShop "leak". I think he is totally out of place but I guess I don't mind him if that mean's Chrono Trigger and DOOM are true.

@Wavey84 While yes the blue bomber(or as i affectionatly call him, megan) was in MvC and that didn't stop him from getting in, i still don't think arthur would get in because the franchise is basically dead, and not many people would recognize arthur at all, the same would go for bill rizer as well, they are just too out dated/unpopular. Even ryu and mike jones(who i actually had to look up who that was, just proving my point even more), would fall into this issue. Yeah these people are appealing to old school gamers, but smash isn't just for old school gamers, its for everyone. And to bring this back to cuphead, while i wouldn't mind cuphead getting in, he just wouldn't fit, the borderline eurphoric rubberhose art style just wouldn't fit in a 3d party/fighting game. Im happy for joker, but before we get our hopes up for what character is next, i think we should take off the nostolgia goggles, not to say its bad to want to have your favourite characters from your childhood in smash, and look at things realistically. Smash DLC is going to be characters that have the most popularity amongst the entire player base, thats just how buisness works, you get the characters that are most marketable, and while it sucks, its just fact and there's not much we can really do about it but bite the bullet and still enjoy smash for what it is, even if our favourite characters aren't in (cough waluigi cough)

@Wavey84 But thats the thing, once in a blue moon. Theres like a snowball's chance in hell of Bill, Arthur, and Mike getting in. The chance is honestly so little we might as well not even consider it.