Plausible Smash Characters NOBODY Suggests: Part 1

Smash speculation is kind of my thing and like so many other fans I have a million ideas of what I would like to see in this franchise.  Today, I wanted to talk about some character ideas that I think are not only interesting but actually plausible for a future Smash game.  Every one of these characters I rarely see brought up in community discussions, despite how fitting they would be for a future Smash Bros. game.  As a "boomer" and someone who has been part of the Smash speculation scene since the N64 era, I think all of these characters would not only engage the audience but fit right in with the current playable roster.

As this is Part 1, I will discuss 3 characters that fit my qualifications above.  Next time for Part 2, expect exactly 3 more!


DK Jr.

This is a fantastic retro character I never see brought up. Nintendo used to slap him on everything up until the early 2000's (arcade flyers, Game & Watch, Mario spinoffs, advertisements...), but then he just vanished. This probably wasn't helped by the Donkey Kong Country games trading Jr. out for Diddy Kong, but he still holds a prominent place in Nintendo history. Even with all the confusion over whether the current Donkey Kong is just a grown-up Jr. or not (not helped by them appearing together in a few games), Smash Bros. is a game where we have 3 versions of Link, 2 Marios, 8 Marths...

DK Jr. would be the "Luigi" to DK's "Mario," circa 64 and Melee -- a close counterpart with some tweaked stats, slightly altered standard attacks, and some borrowed (but varied) specials. DK Jr. would be a small heavyweight (like Bowser Jr.) who is slightly more agile compared to his adult self at the expense of less reach and power. He would have the momentum building gameplay that regular DK relishes, but with his own finesses.

Some immediate differences between Jr. and DK is that Jr. would have the ability to climb or swing on vines which he summons from hammerspace using his Side Special. He would also have a Springboard for his Up B recovery and the ability to drop fruit as part of his Down Special. This gives Jr. much better horizontal recovery and an ability to build momentum in a totally different way from big DK. The Giant Punch, ground attacks, grabs and a few aerials would remain unchanged, so Jr. could easily overwhelm and chase down opponents who are unprepared. I would imagine top Jr. players being able to come back from off screen using a series of well-timed vine swings or tailing opponents off ledge using the same technique, following up with powerful spikes or a lucky hit from a fruit drop for a slap-in-the-face finisher.

Bub (& Bob)

I will admit I have seen these two mentioned a few times over the past speculation cycles, but I don't think anybody really takes them that seriously. When you ask a lot of people about NES/Famicom games they remember fondly, Bubble Bobble is likely on that list. It's an iconic game of that era and, not surprisingly, belongs to a long-running family of games that includes Bust-a-Move, Rainbow Islands, and Parasol Stars. Taito is no longer an independent game developer, now a subsidiary to Square-Enix, which is all the more reason to include content from their games in Smash Bros seeing as Squeenix is already involved. Taito is a legendary developer (they are most known for developing Space Invaders, if you didn't know) and their IPs 100% belong in Smash Bros. alongside characters like Mario, Donkey Kong, Sonic, and Pac-Man. Bub and Bob, of all their IPs, would be the most well-received and best concept for a new fighter.

I picture the two actually not being a 2-in-1 team like Ice Climbers, which is a common suggestion from fans. While it would make sense to most, it isn't really the best way to translate their gameplay to Smash Bros. I think similar to Bowser Jr. you could just swap which bubble dragon you play as by selecting a different costume, maybe even throwing in the two girlfriends Peb and Pab or even the human forms for all 4 (and yes, the lore of these games is that Bub and Bob are actually human children who were cursed to become bubble blowing dragons alongside their girlfriends which, honestly, is kind of endearingly weird).

Bub and Bob could pull from their long list of both mainline and spinoff games for their moveset. Their smash attacks could use the elemental bubbles (FSmash for lightning, as one example) and the bubble shooter from Bust-a-Move could be a non-recovery Up B (like Yoshi and Jigglypuff) or incorporated into their Final Smash in some way. They could use the parasol from Parasol Stars as reflector move that works like Oil Panic but also adds protection from attacks above their heads (and maybe lets them float down similar to Peach's Up B?). The rainbow bridge from Rainbow Islands could also work as a fun special, basically letting them summon semisolid platforms at-will. And as for the bubbles themselves, their specialty? The bubbles could actually introduce a new game mechanic. While the bubbles could be shot rapid fire or charged up to be bigger, they would deal no damage, pop when touched, and just be a general nuisance. However, if an opponent has enough damage they could become trapped in a bubble and begin floating off screen! The bubbles would follow weight-based physics while moving and, just like Bubble Bobble, if a character is hit while they're in a bubble it will go "POP!" and send them flying. True to the original game, the bubbles would also work as bouncy platforms, giving a huge height boost for characters who time footstool jumps off of them really well. I guess the bubbles would be able to snag items and containers too, which would make for some fun mindgames in Free-for-All matches.

Cranky Kong

I don’t think anybody is thinking about this character being in Smash Bros. (or really asking for them). However, it hit me one day that if Piranha Plant was put in the game to "troll the fans," Cranky would be the whole goddamn troll village. Cranky is one of the few major characters to consistently appear across the Donkey Kong franchise, for example, so he has the recognition factor down. And while people spend their time arguing about characters like Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong was also playable in a few games and would actually make sense for being playable in Smash Bros. -- that old geezer has clout, which is way more than characters like Byleth could say. Why not include him? It would make for some purely ridiculous marketing alone and the trailer reaction would 100% be second to none.

As a feeble old man, Cranky would have horrible stats. However, just picture him as some old kung fu master who joined the fight to teach his students a harsh lesson, and you may then see the potential I see in this character. With his "secret" skills, Cranky would be a terrible character at first glance who, in the hands of a master, would be an expert at blowing up an opponent's weakspots.

Cranky carries his cane with him into battle, giving him a “hobbling” walk and run. This paired with his crooked back gives him a shifting hitbox and a low profile, just disjointed enough to confuse less seasoned foes. The cane has a surprisingly high priority on many of its moves as well. Many of Cranky’s attacks have good startup frames, coming out very quickly, but are cursed with a lot of endlag to account for Cranky's humorous recovery from the attacks: stumbling to catch his balance after a FSmash, throwing out his back after a Dash attack, and so on. To complete the “kung fu master” sort of mystique, Cranky would use plenty of kung fu sound effects during his attacks (mixed in with his old man noises, of course). I even picture him having the classic taunt where he holds back his beard and laughs at his opponents, just to complement the style. Oh, and just like Tropical Freeze, he would have the ability to go into a "pogo" stance, changing his movement options and jumping considerably.

Cranky would ooze personality in other ways as well. Imagine if you defeat the other DK characters in a match and the victory screen shows Cranky scolding them and smacking their head with his cane as a totally unique animation? Or how about a Final Smash recreating the opening scene of the original Donkey Kong Country, only this time Cranky actually pulls the other fighters into the original DK arcade game and smashes them as his younger 8-bit self? There's so much potential here it's a crying shame Sakurai and his team haven't tapped into it already.

Next time...

That's it for now. Next time you can expect me to discuss suggestions for 3 more plausible characters the community usually ignores: a valiant knight, an alien gunslinger, and an assist trophy who got snubbed big time. Until then, my friends!