Super Smash Bros.: One Series, One Character Challenge

This was a challenge going around on social media that I felt like diving into. The basics of the challenge is to come up with one new character from each series in Smash Bros. Ultimate already represented with a playable fighter, plus 1 freebie "dream" character from a new franchise. I'm going to bend the rules I adhere to a bit just to be interesting, which you'll see below:

• Choose 1 new fighter from EACH series
• Each series can also receive an Echo fighter in addition to it's new fighter
• The original challenge lumped the retro series into one large "Retro" category, made "Wii Fit" part of a larger "Wii" category, and the Miis were included as part of a "Smash Bros. Original" category. In the interest of switching up my options, however, I am going to instead have each individual retro series be its own category and select characters from "sister" or similar titles. Likewise, the "Mii" category will be combined with the "Wii" category, and I will remove the “Smash Bros." category altogether. 
• New categories I am going to add because fuck you: Upgraded Assist Trophy, New Retro Series, New Revival Character, and DLC Hopeful(s)
• The "Dream" series is limited to 1 character from a series not at all represented in Smash Bros. currently
• Since DLC is not finalized, I am not touching on any series that would only appear due to DLC -- whether they are known or unknown
• All fighter choices should lean toward interesting and fresh over popular and likely, but both concepts are not mutually exclusive
• The list should be written mostly off the cuff without much prior thought put into it

Got it? Good. Let's go.

Super Mario Series: Captain Toad, Metal Mario OR Dry Bowser Echo

-I've always had a moveset for Toad in the back of my mind. He's the last major Mario character not named Waluigi who has yet to be playable in Smash Bros., and it's such a shame because he's not only one of the original characters but also the OG "Player 3" going all the way back to Super Mario Bros. 2. His moveset could revolve around pulling, storing, and tossing items, as well as swinging around his pickaxe, plucking grass to find coins, or using some of the more generic powers from across the Mario series. Plus, he could have a Toadette alt because why not? I'm not sure who I like more as an Echo, but I'm leaning more toward Metal Mario. He could be a heavier Mario with superarmor and his original Down Special. Dry Bowser, in my mind, would be more of a "true" Echo of Bowser with a few slight changes, namely having blue fire and less super armor in exchange for more power.

Donkey Kong Series: Donkey Kong Jr., Dixie Kong Echo

DK Jr. is such a neglected character and there's no reason for it, because he actually was used quite regularly from the Arcade era all the way up until the SNES, with some cameos during the GBA/Gamecube generation. He'd have a semiclone moveset of DK with mostly the same standard attacks and Neutral Special, but the other specials would all be unique and based on his ability to swing on vines, bounce on trampolines, and tossing enemies from his games. Also, DK as a series is still heavily represented by the DKC games, so I think DK Jr. would do a fantastic job of showing affection for the series' roots. Dixie as an Echo of Diddy is the most popular concept out there, but I see her as an Echo more in the vein of Chrom and Ken where she'd share the same hitboxes and animations for her standard attacks, but her specials would "ape" (heh) other characters as well. Maybe she'd use the Ice Climber's Side Special to spin her hair and K. Rool's Up Special to twirl her hair and go airborne? Instead of shooting peanuts she'd shoot bouncing gumballs that can stun opponents, as in Tropical Freeze, and Down Special could be the Orange Grenades from DK64 that work and animate just like the Inklings' Down Special. I think that sort of a moveset would show a lot of respect the character, honestly, without abandoning what an Echo is supposed to be.

Yoshi Series: The Stork

My first oddball pick and it's the Stork from the Yoshi's Island games. He could swap out different babies to change up his moveset or something. And after writing a novel for the DK series, that's about all I have to say for Yoshi.

Wario Series: Captain Syrup, Mona Echo

Captain Syrup, hands down, is my favorite obscure "Mario Universe" character. She would be a speedy thief-like fighter who can mix-up between using a sword and throwing projectiles. She's also a female villain and a pirate to boot, two things that technically exist in Smash already but aren't as emphasized as they would be with Syrup. This series would also get an Echo, which in this case is Mona. I know it's a weird concept, but Mona as a Wario Echo kind of works in my mind. She would be less heavy and have a smaller hurtbox, obviously, but if you swap out the Chomp and the Waft (sorry, weird people) for other character's moves (like Peach's Neutral B, using one of Mona's animals) it'd be cool. The recovery could use her baton or pom-poms to get the "spin" and she is known for riding a scooter, so boom -- there's the bike Side B right there.

Legend of Zelda Series: Urbosa, Twili Minda Echo

I'm going to go with the hipster choice and say Urbosa here. I really do want characters like Skull Kid and Impa, but I think Urbosa has a lot to offer. She ticks a lot of boxes for inclusion on the roster, firstly (female, semi-heavy, poc, unique style of combat). She has a sword and shield like the Links, but maybe she can actually use her shield to attack along with her sword. She could also have the ability to toss her shield, Captain America style, and by doing so change her fighting stance and way of attacking. The shield could be picked up off the floor after it's tossed too, like K. Rool's crown. Oh, and then there's the lightning spells too -- so she'd have a pretty interesting moveset overall. My Echo choice is also unconventional: Twili Midna as a Zelda Echo. The Goddess spells could all become Twilight versions of themselves for Midna, and the Down Special could instead summon a Twilight Beast from a portal instead of a possessed suit of armor. I know more people want Imp Midna and she's a lot more popular, but Twili Midna seriously gets no love and she's a cooler choice if you ask me. Plus, Imp Midna is already an Assist and she's NOT my choice for the one to upgrade, so...

Metroid Series: Space Pirate

This was a bit of a struggle since I really just want things like a true Fusion Suit alt on Samus or a SA-X costume for Dark Samus, but I think an interesting idea for a fighter would be a generic Space Pirate. There's a lot of different versions of the Space Pirates which makes this kind of tough to nail down what they would look like, but other than Piranha Plant we don't really have "generic underlings" as playable characters and I'm open to seeing more. I don't know which version of Space Pirate works best, so it'd be a cool way to sort of blend in all the concepts as one. Alternatively I guess we could just get a playable Omega Metroid or something.

F-Zero Series: Jody Summer

Most people want Black Shadow or Samurai Goroh, but I think Jody is a more interesting character overall. She's basically a space cop with a personality halfway between Captain Falcon and Samus, so she'd be flashy and boastful on the battlefield but less over the top. She'd have moves similar-ish to Falcon, I picture, but maybe a projectile in there somewhere. I mean, she's a space cop, so she probably owns a blaster or two.

Mother Series: Porky, Ninten Echo

I'm torn on this one, but after some deliberation I'm going to go with the most unique choice and say Porky. He's a villain, he rides around in a spider mech, and he could attack with lots of different projectiles and explosives. Just take his moveset from when he was a boss in Brawl and break it down into a playable moveset, similar to what they did with Ridley. As for the Echo, I went with Ninten. He's basically Ness, but they could give him his appearance from the promotional materials. He could be an Echo of Ness, but share stats/moves with Lucas as well. Also, give his moves status effects to make him more true to his game where he never actually dealt damage directly to his opponents, but instead cast a lot of status effects to deal damage over time.

Kirby Series: Gooey

Gooey, 100%. He's not the default "Player 2" from the Kirby games, but there's a lot of potential to give him an original moveset considering how many abilities there are across the Kirby series. Abilities like Parasol, Needle, Freeze, Clean, and Spark all make sense being in his kit, and he could have his Dark Matter abilities for some Specials as well. Plus, give him the ability to copy just like Kirby, only he'd use his tongue to swallow enemies.

Pokemon Series: Magearna, Zeraora Echo, Zoroark as super secret awesome concept

Such strange choices, but I am so stuck on this idea now. All three were meant to be the new Lucario of their generations but never really took off. Magearna has a lot of potential for a moveset between the various beam attacks and moves like Fleur Cannon or Shift Gear. I picture her being a heavy, slow, fast-falling character with poor jumping but who can slowly build steam up over the match by biding her time and making calculated use of her attacks. Like having Shift Gear as a Down B that works like Wii Fit's but increases your speed, then comboing that with Fleur Cannon which would be a Neutral B that gets stronger the less often you use it or a Side B Ice Beam that freezes opponents at high percents. Zeraora is what it says on the tin: a Lucario Echo. He'd trade out Aura for electrical attacks, and just generally be a faster Lucario without the Aura gimmick. Zoroark is honestly an idea I keep coming back to, so I had to include it here. It's known as the Mimicry Pokemon, so why not make it the Charade of this game? Everytime you use Zoroark, it would start the game by morphing into a carbon copy of your opponent, turning every match into a Mirror Match. She could transform back and forth using ANY of her Specials, which would just work like Zelda's old Down Special, so you could fight as Zoroark but be limited to only the standard attacks and basic movement options. Otherwise, you can turn back and forth into your opponent at will and try your hand beating them at their own game. In a free for all, you could select which character you transform into by the different Specials -- and maybe throwing in a second button press, for matches with up to 7 opponents.

Star Fox Series: Tricky

Anybody like Peppy, Slippy or even Katt wouldn't play much different from the other space animals. A lot of people are going to say Krystal here too, and I'm not dogging on that idea because she'd definitely be unique, but I think an oddball choice like Tricky would be more ridiculous. Not even sure how he would fight. I just want somebody nobody would actually expect, if I'm being honest. 

Fire Emblem Series: Fjorm, Celica Echo

Going to buck trends again here, sorta, and say I would like to see Fjorm as a spear-wielder. I'm in the camp that believes we are going to Edelgard at some point anyway (hopefully as an axe fighter),  and I am also in the camp that thinks the chance of getting characters like Lyn or Hector has already passed. Fjorm would be a neat character because she's from FE Heroes, but is not well known outside of it. She could fight with a spear based moveset, which is unique for Smash as of now, and she has ice abilities in conjunction with that which she could use. Plus, being a princess on top of that kind of makes her the "Elsa" of Nintendo characters, so that's neat. This series would also get an Echo, and while I'm sad to say it can't be Black Knight as Ike's Echo (since he's an Assist), I do think Celica as a Robin Echo would be pretty cool. She's both a well-known "retro" character for the series who also appeared in a modern remake of her game, so she's relevant. Her gimmick over Robin could be that her spells do more damage but damage her in the process, similar to Pichu. She would also not have the stronger sword and instead just always have the same blade, meaning resource management for her non-spell attacks would be nonexistent. 

Ice Climber Series (Early Famicom Rep): Mach Rider

I'm going to expand "Ice Climber games" to include the other early Famicom titles Sakurai originally considered for Melee, which means Mach Rider is 100% on the table and absolutely my choice here. There's really no question that Mach Rider's a well-known character in the community and one most fans would be happy with seeing, considering they were both part of the Grinchleak and on many fan rosters going all the way back to Melee. Mach Rider's moveset could be mostly original to Smash,with an emphasis on using their bike and various firearms in the moveset. It would also be interesting to finally clear up the confusion about their gender. It's still not clear if the girl from the ending of Mach Rider Vs. was meant to be a Player 2 or if Mach Rider was always meant to be female under the helmet (a la Samus), so Smash could maybe settle that for us as part of a redesign.

Game & Watch Series (Early Nintendo Products): Hanafuda Cards 

This is a toughie, but considering Game & Watch was early Nintendo hardware around the time they were still creating their other products I think I can work something in from that era. I think a Hanafuda card character might be interesting. Apparently there is a Hanafuda samurai or something in their catalog of IPs, and years ago there were rumors for both Melee and Brawl that we would be getting a Hanafuda based character. They could appear in the game as a 2D character drawn in traditional Japanese ink, and they would fight with moves based on the various Hanafuda cards. Not sure what that would look like in whole, but hey, I'm an ideas guy -- not a developer.

Kid Icarus Series: Phosphora, Medusa Echo

Again, I want to go with a not-as-often-said choice and pick Phosphora for this one. There's a lot of neat ideas with characters like Magnus, Viridi, or even the Eggplant Wizard, but I think Phosphora has enough potential for an interesting moveset she could stand on her own. She would be electricity based and very fast in the air with lots of combo-friendly punches or kicks, turning into a blend of characters like Sheik, Pikachu and Zero Suit Samus. Medusa would be (duh) an echo of Palutena. Her moveset could have variations on Palutena's moves that add status effects onto her specials, like her version of Autoreticle paralyzing people instead of firing projectiles or her Explosive Flame working the same but dealing darkness damage with a poison DOT effect. She could also have snakes who extend the reach of some of her staff attacks, because that's cool.

Metal Gear Series: Big Boss

After World of Light, I kind of want Big Boss as a character now. It would be pretty nifty to see basically the female Snake taking on characters like Jigglypuff in Smash. I don't know, but it's funny to me. Not sure how she'd be different, honestly, since I haven't played many Metal Gear games.

Sonic the Hedgehog Series: Tails, Mighty Echo

Tails is hands down the only character from this series I feel NEEDS to be in Smash and so far has been shockingly overlooked. He could share the Spin Dash with Sonic, but beyond that his moveset would be pretty unique. He could use his different weapons from Tail's Adventure, some of his mech armor stuff from Sonic Adventure 2, or whatever else they cook up. Definitely should use his plane as the Final Smash too. The Sonic series should also get an Echo, but since Shadow is an Assist Trophy (and not the one I want to choose as my upgrade) I am going to propose Mighty the Armadillo as the Echo. It's an unusual choice, but he's older than Tails and could still logically use a lot of the same attacks as Sonic. Make him a lot slower and a lot stronger, throw in some superarmor somewhere, change his Down Aerial to be the drop attack from Mania, and he'd feel just about right borrowing Sonic's moves.

Pikmin Series: Bulborb

This is rough because I don't think Pikmin really needs a separate character. I really would just rather see all 5 captains be folded under Olimar as alt costumes, and then some tweaking be made to include Rock Pikmin and return the old Pikmin Chain somewhere into the moveset. However, if I must, I think a Bulborb would be a hilarious addition to the game. Much in the way Piranha Plant both annoyed and excited people, I think a Bulborb could do the same. Not sure how it would fight, but it would definitely be one hell of a messy and funny character to watch somebody play.

Gyromite Series (Nintendo Peripherals and Hardware): Space Firebird

ROB I think really reps Nintendo hardware, so I am going to go with that logic and really stretch it far and wide. For this choice, I am going to go with the alien boss from Space Firebird. This was an arcade game very early in Nintendo's video game developing days, but it was also an unlockable game for the Game Boy Camera -- a Nintendo peripheral which is also now about as retro as ROB is (man, that makes me feel old). For years I've thought about how neglected Nintendo's original forays into arcades and home consoles have become, and how neat it would be to see games like Radarscope, Sky Skipper or Space Firebird get a mention here or there. I think the alien boss from Space Firebird was some sort of phoenix or "firebird" (cuz that's the title, duh), so reworking that into a Smash character would take effort but maybe pay off. They could appear all pixelated and 2D while fighting, sort of like Game and Watch, or maybe they'd be a totally reimagined character, similar to the update Pit received in Brawl? Who knows, but it should happen.

Animal Crossing Series: K.K. Slider

We kind of have the only characters that matter already here, but I think a playable K.K. Slider makes a lot of sense. I haven't played an Animal Crossing game in years, but I remember him being somewhat marketed heavily for the game. He could have a music based moveset, which so far is unique too.

Wii Series: Miitopia Mii Fighter

I want more Mii Fighter variants, particularly one based on the mages from Miitopia and Find Mii. Brawler, Gunner and Swordfighter are fine and not even that limiting, but more options are always nice. While I'm at it, I should also mention that a Mii Athlete would be cool too, using all the various sports gear from the different Wii titles. But anyway...

Mega Man Series: Bass, Roll Echo
Going for the road less traveled, I think Bass would be a neat new fighter from the Mega Man series. Everyone has suggested Protoman, Zero, and X to death, while Bass hardly ever gets mentioned. He would play like he does in the 2D platformers and throw in his own mix of different master weapons, turning him into a more aggressive and mobile Mega Man. Roll for the Echo is really just taking the idea from the original Marvel vs Capcom and running with it. She would have Mega Man's kit but with stats that make her more frail and weaker moves overall. In exchange, she'd have more of a risk-reward playstyle where certain moves would have huge sourspots but deadly sweetspots. I'd also like to see her get some of Mega Man's old custom moves worked into her moveset, but then I guess she wouldn't really be an echo, would she?

Punch-Out Series: Bald Bull, Mark Tyler Echo
Bald Bull is definitely an underrated character. Not only is he a pain to fight in the original Punch-Out, but he's also the only boxer to appear in every single version of Punch-Out, including the arcade games, PLUS the never-talked-about spinoff title, Arm Wrestling (though he was going under the name "Mask X" in that game, since he was hiding his identity). Just by his personality and physicality alone he could still be a boxer but have a vastly different moveset than Little Mac, which would include his signature headbutt among other attacks. For the Echo, I wanted to go really left field and pick Mark Tyler, who is totally NOT Mike Tyson, from Power Punch II. It's the forgotten (and probably for the best) sequel to the NES Punch-Out where Mark boxes aliens from across the universe. It's actually not even a Nintendo owned property, so it's definitely the most ridiculous, unlikely and wish-listy thing of this whole exercise. But, damnit, it'd be so fucking weird I want to see it.

Pac-Man Series: Taizo Hori, Ms. Pac-Man Echo

As a lot of you can tell, Pac-Man really reps retro Namco as a whole, so with that in mind I went with Taizo Hori, AKA that guy from Dig Dug. He has had a lot of appearances across Namco properties, not just his own games, so the moveset potential is there. They could give him an appearance based on a blend between how he looks in Mr. Driller and how he looks in Namco x Capcom -- so sort of cartoony and Mario-sized, but kind of a badass. He'd fight with his pump and have the ability to latch onto characters and maybe not inflate them but deal damage while they're snagged. Other movie ideas: digging into the stage, dropping those giant stakes that split islands from Dig Dug II or Digging Strike, summoning Pookas and Frygars to attack for him, and using some skills he picked up from Mr. Driller. As an Echo for Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man makes the most sense. People say her licensing is dubious, but I think she's fair game. She would be a 1:1 Echo to Pac-Man in MOST ways, with the only exceptions being that her fire hydrant would be like Pac's old custom actual fire hydrant and she'd trade out some of the bonus fruit for ones from her own game (including the pretzel, which I picture working like a boomerang). Also, the ghosts would be the female ghosts from her game -- but that's just aesthetics. 

Xenoblade Series: Elma
I was so convinced she'd be playable in the base game for Ultimate, and now I just feel like she got snubbed. Elma would have the ability to fight with dual swords or dual guns depending on the attack, and she'd summon her Skell as part of her Final Smash. Her kit could be fast and aggressive, maybe with an Overdrive gimmick that works like Limit Break but just gives her better frame data when it activates. And of course her Side Special would be Sliding Slinger, which already sounds satisfying as fuck.

Duck Hunt Series: Trixie (Barker Bill)
Trixie is a super obscure Nintendo character from the NES light gun game Barker Bill's Trick Shooting. The game actually featured the Duck Hunt Dog too, so there's your connection. She's your kind of typical young girl in a Playboy bunny outfit that pops up in a lot of Japanese games, but that's okay. I'd see Trixie having a lot of her attacks work like Duck Hunt's, using the zapper to extend her hitboxes. Her moves would use different items from the other light gun games, however, like balloons for her recovery that can be shot at any point during her ascent to deal damage to foes. 

Street Fighter Series: Chun-Li
I really just want Chun-Li to be playable in Smash. She's kind of the only other Street Fighter character I think makes sense if you're sticking to recognizable and popular characters. 

Final Fantasy Series: Terra, Lightning Echo

Terra would be a fun magic using fighter with a unique gimmick. Her specials could all be basic spells: Blizzard for Neutral, Thunder for Side, Fire for Up, and Gravity for Down. Charging the B button would upgrade the attacks (Blizzard>Blizzara>Blizzaga>Blizzaja) too. Her gimmick could be that she has a MP bar that limits how often she can use her magical attacks, but it would refill slowly on its own when she is not using magic. She could also turn into her Esper when her MP bar is full by using any of her specials, which would instantly release them at their most powerful version and turn her into an Esper who moves faster, has better framedata, and better air control. But once the MP is gone, no more Esper... Lightning is a weird idea for a Cloud Echo, but they designed her with making her the "female Cloud" in mind so that's what I went with. Some hardcore fans may yell at me and say they don't fight a like at all, but she has a lot of different weapons to choose from so I'm sure she has one that's sort of like a Buster Sword. Her Specials would be variations of Cloud's based on her moves from Dissidia, and instead of having a Limit Break she'd just have Down Special that is just always Finishing Touch.

Bayonetta Series: Loki, Jeanne Echo
Loki is apparently owned by Nintendo and he is definitely unique seeing as he fights with cards. Jeanne is just the obvious choice for Bayonetta's Echo. And that, my friends, is the extent of my Bayonetta knowledge.

Castlevania Series: Sypha, Trevor Echo

First, I know making another Belmont (and one who's yet another Echo of Simon) is sort of ridiculous, but I just really want to play as Trevor and this is a fan list anyway so screw you. Sypha, on the other hand, would be unique as she's a magic user. She'd have similar stats to Robin being slow and hard to control, but her spells would be very powerful. I think similar to the Belmonts, her spells should all be based on the ones she learns as subweapons in Castlevania III. 

Splatoon Series: Octoling
Rather than making Octoling an echo, I think there's enough additional Splatoon content to make a second moveset. Give the Octoling specials based on Splatoon 2 or the missing weapons from Splatoon 1 that didn't get into Smash and there's your kit right there. Dualies and the Splashdown for some aerial attacks, the Brella and Splatling for Smashes, a Charger for their Side Special, any of the other bomb types as a Down Special, a Final Smash based on the Booyah Bomb or Inkjet... there's potential up the wazoo here.

Assist Trophy Upgrade: Bomberman
I think of all the Assist Trophies, this one actually hurt the most. I really thought Bomberman was worthy of being a full-fledged character, but I suppose Sakurai and I just don't see eye to eye. He could have the ability to lay down timed bombs, kick them across the stage, grab and toss them, pump them into big bombs, blast into the air on the Bomber Jet or Bomber Copter, use the elemental bombs, have Louie stomp players... I know that he's really just known for blowing up bombs, but the Bomberman series is massive and there's a lot of things to pull from, certainly more than some of the characters who did get into Smash as playable fighters. 

New Revival: Takamaru
I want to mention that while I looooove my boy Takamaru because he should've been playable like 3 games ago, but I understand and accept that he is just not going to be as important or popular as some other choices out there. He missed the boat for a retro rep for at least 2 games (that we know of), but he's still a fantastic candidate for a revival character -- much in the vein of Pit. He's a samurai and would use his different projectiles, his ability to deflect projectiles, and his ability to turn invisible to take down his foes. Being just a basic samurai does sound pretty "meh," but I think Takamaru could be reinvented into a pretty cool character with a lot of potential to build a fanbase, just like Pit did in Brawl.

New Retro: Starman (or the Amazon)
Pro Wrestling is a fun game and I'm stuck on the idea of having one of its goofy wrestlers appear as a fighter in Smash. Incineroar took the "first grappler" idea away from them, but I think Smash is big enough for two grapplers. Starman is the fan favorite because he's just so ridiculous looking, but my personal fave is the Amazon due to the fact he's a walking fish monster that bites his opponents' heads. The "Mario" of Pro Wrestling I believe is named Fighter Hayabusa and is a generic muscly Japanese guy, which is super boring. Starman (or Amazon) would be a lot more fun.

Freebie Addition: Banjo and Kazooie

In some better alternate universe, these guys would have already been in Smash Bros. They're like the lost Nintendo mascots and every day it hurts a little bit that they haven't come home to hang out with DK and Mario again. They have so much potential and just ooze character, so they'd fit right in with the cast of Smash. Honestly, everything that's been said about why they should be playable has already been said and done better. I agree totally that they belong in this game.

DLC Hopefuls: Geno, Linkle

I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I went with both. Geno is of course the most popular unique character from Super Mario RPG, who also happens to be 3rd party. He's been a Mii Costume and a Spirit in Smash, plus Sakurai has mentioned he thought he'd make a fun fighter. The support for Geno in Smash is huge and I'm one of those guys that really does believe he belongs in these games. As for Linkle, she's in a similar boat to Geno considering she's also owned by a 3rd party (Koei-Tecmo) and locked to appearing in just one Zelda spinoff title, Hyrule Warriors. She'd be a fun addition to the cast. She could fight with her dual crossbows and her Pegasus Boots, mixing up projectiles with powerful kicks. She's a pretty unique Zelda character too, and one that I also wish would start appearing in the mainline games, despite how unlikely that may be.