Nintendo hit hard this week with a packed Nintendo Direct, but the biggest announcement that hit the hardest was the surprising reveal of what appears to be a brand new Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch.Like pretty much anyone else watching the Direct, you can bet that I was HYPED for the fact that we're getting a new Smash Bros., and my reaction to the announcement looked a lot like this:

In the grand scheme of things, it was only a matter of time before we got some kind of confirmation that Super Smash Bros. would be coming to the Switch, but the fact that the announcement came from a seemingly ordinary Nintendo Direct in March (and not during the middle of E3 like many would have expected) made it that much more of a bombshell.

While the teaser was brief, the fact that Super Smash Bros. is heading to Nintendo Switch -- and especially that it is coming this year -- should make Nintendo fans like myself very, very excited. Naturally, that comes down to one question - what characters can we expect to see in the upcoming game?

There's no telling who Nintendo might have in mind for the next Smash Bros. title, and like with all the previous Smash Bros. titles, fan speculation as to who will join the roster is going to run rampant well until the game is actually released (which I'm guessing would be this holiday season).

However, with a fair bit of educated guessing (and a few wishes thrown in for good measure), these at least are some of the characters that I hope that we'll get to see join the fight in the next Smash Bros. title, whether they are likely to join in or not.

Super Smash Bros Nintendo Switch

First thing's first: let's get the obvious character reveals out of the way. Of course, the teaser confirmed that Splatoon's Inkings will indeed be a part of the next game, which is a pick that will surely make fans incredibly happy.

Their inclusion was pretty much guaranteed to happen, but now that they are the first new characters confirmed out of the gate, personally I'm very excited to see how Splatoon's signature paint-based gameplay is incorporated into the 2D fighting of Smash Bros. - other than that, the Inklings seem like a welcome addition to the roster regardless, as some of the newest characters from the Nintendo family.

Likewise, further in the trailer we also caught a glimpse of some silhouetted characters that confirms at least a few more familiar faces that will be in the game. Naturally, Mario is rejoining the fight (who I hope is modeled after his Super Mario Odyssey abilities to include Cappy) alongside Link, who is sporting his outfit from Breath of the Wild.

Given that Link was always modeled in the Smash Bros. games on previous Zelda titles like Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Wind Waker, I'll be curious to see if the Breath of the Wild-inspired Link will incorporate some more unique combat abilities compared to the past few times he has been on the roster.

Now, given that the image below is coming from the reveal trailer on YouTube -- which experienced more than its fair share of compression -- it's pretty hard to completely make out the mysterious cast of shadow-y characters seen in the trailer. However, I think you can at least make out SOME of the characters that seem to be confirmed for the next Smash Bros., which from left from right appears to be: Yoshi, Pit, Donkey Kong, Peach, Ness, Marth (?), Mario, Link, Sheik, Pikachu, Kirby, Samus, Zelda, Bowser, Fox, Captain Falcon (?), and Wario.

Super Smash Bros Switch

All in all, this group seems to be all returning veterans from the previous games, as I wouldn't expect Nintendo to hide a new character in a way like this. Part of the fun of a new Smash Bros. game is trying to guess who will appear in it, and Smash Bros. has always made revealing new characters an event in and of itself.

And with that being said - here are a few of the characters that I hope will make it into the next Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch.


A Character from ARMS

As one of the newest of Nintendo's IP and a fighting game in its own right, I feel I'm pretty safe in saying that we'll see at least one (if not more) characters from ARMS make their way out of the ring and into the Smash Bros. arena.

Now, the main question will be: which ones?

Spring Man seems like a safe choice given his well-rounded fighting style, and possibly Ribbon Girl for a more fleet-footed alternative. However, after that there are a lot of different options that Nintendo could choose from: personally, I'd love to see either Master Mummy or Mechanica (adding a heavy character to the roster), Twintelle (a fan favorite), or Byte & Barq (a unique combo much like the Ice Climbers).

And then of course...there's always Helix (shudders).

The Ice Climbers (Ice Climbers)

While the NES-era Ice Climbers made their Smash debut in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee and returned in 2008's Brawl, the adorable pair of mountain climbers sadly were left out of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS, given that the duo proved to be a technical challenge to incorporate for the 3DS at the time.

However, with the more substantial power of the Switch compared to the 3DS, I'd expect more likely than not that we'll see the return of the Ice Climbers. Their absence from the Wii U/3DS titles was noticeable (given their very unique combat style), and I'm sure seeing the Ice Climbers will definitely make fans happy after being left out the last time around.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight)

Yacht Club Games' titular shovel-wielding knight seems like a pretty obvious pick, and one that I personally hope makes it into the upcoming title.

Given that Shovel Knight released on the 3DS, Wii U, and was among the launch titles for the Nintendo Switch last year, Yacht Club clearly has a very cozy relationship with Nintendo, and that's without mentioning the fact that there's a whole line of amiibo figurines dedicated to the characters from the title.

I'd say for sure we'll see Shovel Knight in this one.

The Rabbids (Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle)

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle became one of the most surprising successes on the Switch last year, and given that Ubisoft seems to be warming up to delivering original and third-party titles on the Switch, I hope that Nintendo returns the favor by including what may be the most obvious choice for a Smash Bros. inclusion - the Rabbids.

Love them for their oddball humor or hate them for their off-the-walls craziness, the Mario-ified Rabbids from Kingdom Battle were one of the game's most endearing parts, and I could totally see one (or more) of them being included in the game, or perhaps as a team like the way that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were included in Injustice 2.

Having Rabbid Peach or Rabbid Yoshi fight alongside their Nintendo counterparts in the next Smash Bros. game would be a hilarious sight, and I think could be a sensible pick for the fighting game to include the Rabbids as new characters.

Waluigi (Various Nintendo games)

It's his time.

LET WALUIGI FIGHT.

 

Dillon (Dillon's Rolling Western)

The titular character from the Nintendo-published Dillon's Rolling Western series, Dillon would definitely be a bit of an unconventional pick, but one that I think could make for an interesting addition to the Smash Bros. roster. While he's a bit more obscure compared to the rest of Nintendo's stable of characters, the 3DS series has its share of fans, and the ties to Nintendo I think could make Dillon a fair candidate to become a Smash fighter.

Of course, Dillion is no stranger to the Smash Bros. games as he was an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS, but I don't think it's outside the possibility that Dillon's unique rolling abilities could make for an interesting combat style.

Travis Touchdown (The No More Heroes Series)

The inclusion of Travis Touchdown from the No More Heroes series seems more likely than not, given that Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is heading to the Switch later this year.

Much like the inclusion of Bayonetta in the Wii U and 3DS titles, Nintendo clearly seems OK with letting in characters from some of the more "mature" games offered on the Switch. With that being the case, I would expect we'll see Travis wield his beam katana not only in Travis Strikes Again, but in the next Super Smash Bros. game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

With the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 last year, Monolith Soft gave Switch owners the very long-awaited follow-up to the cult classic original game and was met with critical acclaim as a result.

Given that Xenoblade Chronicles' Shulk made his way onto the roster on the Wii U and 3DS Smash Bros. games, I fully expect we'll see Xenoblade Chronicles 2's main protagonist Rex join the fight either along Shulk's side, or maybe replacing him entirely to represent the series.

A Character from Dragon Quest

This pick is one that I think will be a little more of a stretch, though is (personally) one of the choices that I hope comes to fruition in some way.

As a long-running and beloved series that has its roots all the way back to the NES with the release of Dragon Warrior, the Dragon Quest series has a long history with Nintendo and I hope to see some of that come to life with the series being represented (in some way) in the next Smash Bros. game.

My hope is that we'll get maybe one or two characters from the games to represent the series, especially given the number of titles that have released across DS, 3DS, and the Switch in the past decade, even as recently as Dragon Quest Builders on the Switch and the upcoming release of the two Dragon Quest Heroes games on the system.

My vote would go to the Hero from Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, but really any character from Dragon Quest I think would be a welcome addition to the Smash roster. Plus, several of the monsters -- such as iconic Slimes -- seem like they would be just perfect to throw in as an item or Assist Trophy.

Crash Bandicoot (The Crash Bandicoot Series)

This one would have seemed like a longshot a long time ago, to be completely honest. However, with the news that Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy is heading to the Nintendo Switch this summer (alongside its debut on Xbox One and PC, as well), the former PlayStation mascot, I think, could be a compelling addition to the Smash Bros. roster.

Crash Bandicoot has long been a PlayStation icon, but I could see him coming over to Smash Bros. given that his running, jumping, and spinning maneuvers could adapt pretty well to the Smash Bros. fighting style. However, the main reason I consider him a fairly likely pick is that the past two Smash Bros. titles ended up including some pretty iconic characters outside of the traditional Nintendo wheelhouse: namely, Solid Snake, Ryu, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Cloud Strife.

With that being said, I think that makes the case all the stronger that we could potentially see Crash...well, crash the party in Smash Bros. later this year.


What characters are you hoping will join the fight in the upcoming Smash Bros. title for the Nintendo Switch? Sound off in the comments below!