Update: Since this article was written, Steve from Minecraft has joined the battle and a representative of ARMS (Min Min) has joind him.

The Super Smash Bros. video game series is one of the best cornerstones of the gaming world. It has its own massive community of followers, it’s loved by both competitive gamers and lovers of casual party games, and it’s the biggest possible crossover in the history of video games. There are about 80 playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including those created by Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Square Enix, Bandai/Namco, Konami, and more. There’s a character that matches any kind of playstyle. We’ve reached a point where just about any video game character can make an appearance.
Because of this, a lot of people like to try to predict who could join the battle next. There are definitely a number of characters that I personally feel deserve to be in Smash Bros., whether it’s as DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or as newcomers for future games. In this article, I’ll explain why I think the characters deserve their own spot on the roster and delve a little into how I think their move-set should work.
One of the most heavily-debated Smash candidates is Waluigi of the Super Mario Bros. series, as he’s typically just thought of as a joke character. However, I absolutely believe he deserves to be playable in Super Smash Bros. Most people who say they’d like to see Waluigi playable either only mean it as a joke or just want him to be an Echo Fighter of Wario. I, however, can legitimately see him having his own playstyle.

There are quite a few Super Mario characters playable in Smash, but there’s an aspect of the Mario games missing from the party-fighting games. That missing element is representation of the “other” Mario games; the ones that aren’t in the main series, like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and the Mario sports games. Sure, Peach uses a golf club for one move and Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car kind of turns into a go-kart. However, there’s no true representative of those types of Mario games. To me, Waluigi is the perfect representation for it. Originally, I would have thought Toad would be this representation as he’s one of the original Mario characters, but he’d be in as Captain Toad now. Waluigi is playable in a lot of these side games and was even introduced in Mario Tennis.
I can see Waluigi’s move-set comprising of various elements from these games. His Up Smash can be the Mario Party dice block. Waluigi’s down smash would be a stomp with his long legs, like what he’s seen doing as an Assist Trophy. The side smash would obviously be to strike enemies with his tennis racket. His neutral special can hit a tennis ball at his foes. His side special would be an actual go-kart similar to Bowser Jr.’s, but with different stats to it. I can see his down special being him throwing a Bob-omb downward, similar to his special in Mario Kart: Double Dash. Waluigi’s up special would definitely be the upward twirl he does as his special in Mario Tennis Aces. His Final Smash can be his super kick from Super Mario Strikers.
As I mentioned, Toad is one of the original Mario characters, and he now has his very own game in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Because of this, Toad would be a great addition to the Smash Bros. franchise in the form of Captain Toad. Toad has also been playable in an awful lot of Mario games, so I don’t think it’s too far-fetched. Plus, he’s appeared as Captain Toad in Super Mario Galaxy and a few other games. Peach does use Toad as a part of her neutral special attack, but Toads are also a species outside of the one individual character. Peach could force some other poor Toad (or Toadette) to block for her while Captain Toad joins as a fighter.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker features a wide variety of items and power-ups that can be used as his move-set. The Super Pickax is the ideal choice for his standard attacks and his smash attacks. His down special would have to be pulling a Pluck Patch, which could be similar to Peach’s down special. However, it could pull out other items than just the turnips, like Super Gems, coins, and Double Cherries that all have their own unique properties when thrown. His up special could cause a ladder to briefly appear that he quickly climbs up. A clear neutral special for Captain Toad could be to pocket items and projectiles into that huge backpack of his, similar to Villager. I’d definitely like to see that flashlight on his head be used for his side special. Perhaps it could flash and temporarily stun opponents. A fun Final Smash would be Captain Toad using a turnip cannon to launch repeated turnips at high speeds toward foes.
I know there are already a good handful of Mario characters who are playable in Smash Bros., and I already brought up a couple more who could make it in the roster, but it’s for good reason. Super Mario is Nintendo’s primary mascot, and there are more than 200 games in the Mario series. If there is any franchise that deserves to have a lot of representation, it’s Super Mario. There’s one other Mario character that I think needs to finally make his Smash Bros. debut, and it’s Paper Mario.

There are several Paper Mario games in existence, and each one offers some very unique mechanics for puzzle-solving, combat, and platforming. There’s a lot to choose from to create a move-set for Paper Mario. The most iconic move that Paper Mario uses in his own games is smashing things with his hammer. This would definitely be used for his standard attacks, and probably his smash attacks as well. Paper Mario’s neutral special attack would definitely be him curling up and rolling toward his opponents. A clear up special would be him folding into a paper plane and soaring upward. Perhaps the paper plane can also curve in the direction you want. A fun down special would have him temporarily turn sideways, making him pencil thin. The point of this would be to have projectiles and items move past him without dealing any damage. His side special can be him folding like an accordion and spring-jumping horizontally toward foes. His Final Smash would have to be his Star Storm move, causing giant stars to rain down onto opponents.
Bomberman appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but I find it absolutely insane that he isn’t playable. The Bomberman video game franchise has several games on Nintendo systems, and is a pretty big part of Nintendo’s history. Bomberman R was even a launch title for the Nintendo Switch. He absolutely needs to be playable in a Super Smash Bros. game.

His standard moves can consist of basic punches and kicks, since Bomb Punch and Bomb Kick are abilities he typically has in his own games. His smash attacks would have him hold a bomb in the direction of the attack as it explodes. Bomberman’s neutral special would have to be his primary move from his games; laying down a bomb where he stands and having it explode after a couple of seconds. The bomb can’t hurt him, but it would deal a lot of damage to the opponents you trick into getting near it. His down special would be planting down a remote bomb. It’s similar to the neutral special, but it only explodes when you press down+B again. I would love to see his side special be his dastardly bomb kick, sliding a bomb in the direction of an opponent. A really fun up special could be Bomberman holding a bomb below him in a way to use its explosion to launch him upward. Bomberman’s Final Smash should obviously be holding up a giant bomb that explodes a large area of the stage, blasting all opponents in its radius. Bomberman has the potential to be a major mind game character.
I think it’s time for one of my favorite video game characters to finally make their Smash Bros. debut, and that’s Tails from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Mario has Luigi, Donkey Kong has Diddy Kong, and Fox has Falco. It’s time Sonic gets his sidekick by his side as well.

Tails is playable in a lot of games, so there is a lot to choose from for his move-set. His standard attacks could be a mixture of punches, kicks, and using his tails. His smash attacks could use his Magic Hand invention from Sonic Battle to deliver a mighty punch to his opponents. Tails’ neutral special would probably be to scatter Dummy Rings that deal damage to opponents who touch them like he does in Sonic Heroes. The obvious up special would be Tails’ flight, sending him upward and damaging opponents with his spinning tails. I imagine you’d be able to control his flight path to an extent. Tails does has a similar spin dash to Sonic in a lot of games, so it makes sense that his down special is just that. Perhaps it could be slower but deal more damage than Sonic’s. A fun side special can be Tails spinning his two tails in the direction of the attack to damage any nearby opponents. The Final Smash everyone would want to see is iconic airplane, the Tornado, swoop in and bomb opponents.
Minecraft has become one of the most played video games of all time and a staple in gaming history. Plus, it has made its way onto the Nintendo Switch. Because of this, do not be too surprised if Nintendo announces Steve as a playable character in the near future.

Between the countless tools for mining and weapons for combat, there are a lot of ways Steve’s move-set could go. His standard attacks would use the iconic Minecraft pickax, while his smash attacks would swing his sword at adversaries. One of the most commonly used weapons in Minecraft is the bow, so I think it’d make sense for it to be the neutral special. Steve’s side special would have to be him riding in a mine cart and charging at enemies. His up special could be Steve using a piston to launch upward. I’m torn between two things for Steve’s down special. On one hand, it makes sense for it to be TNT, but I also feel like there are a lot of explosives in Smash as it is. Plus, placing blocks is something that could make him stand out as a character. I think placing the iconic dirt blocks on the stage could be a perfect down special for Steve. He could build and change the stage as he sees fit. This could be to block projectiles, gain a high ground, temporarily wall off enemies, or even extend the stage. However, maybe the dirt blocks can be broken and can disappear after a period of time. A cool yet terrifying Final Smash would have the Ender Dragon swoop in and attack opponents.
If you asked me a few years ago if I thought Crash Bandicoot would ever be in a Smash Bros. game, I’d probably say “You’re crazy; he’s a PlayStation character.” However, Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled have been released on the Nintendo Switch. Plus, Crash is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. I can honestly see it happening now. Mario, Sonic, Megaman, Pac-Man, and Crash Bandicoot all being in one video game together sounds like pure perfection.

Crash’s standard moves would probably just be basic punches and kicks (with a slide tackle as his dash move). His side smash attacks would be to smack his enemies with power crystals, while his up and down smash attacks would summon Aku-Aku to slam into opponents. Crash Bandicoot’s neutral special absolutely needs to be his famous spin attack. His up special would most likely be to use the jetpack from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back to launch him upward, damaging any adversaries above him. His down special would probably be a mighty belly flop. I’d love to see his side special be to use the Fruit Bazooka to launch wumpa fruit at opponents. I’ve always imagined Crash’s Final Smash to be wearing Aku-Aku to become invincible as he deals heavy damage to any opponent he touches.
There are some other characters that I can absolutely see making their Super Smash Bros. debuts eventually, but I’m not sure as to exactly what their move-sets should be. Given how popular and fun Arms is, I’m surprised a representative wasn’t added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster on release. That representative would probably be the closest thing to the game’s main character, Spring Man. His move-set would use a variety of the different arms you can equip in the game, with Hedlock being used as the Final Smash.

Another character who I think deserves to be playable but am unsure about what their move-set would look like is Professor Layton. The Professor Layton series had seven video games on the Nintendo DS and 3DS handheld systems, which were all fun puzzle-adventure games. The series has a lot of love and has only been on Nintendo systems, so why isn’t the titular character included in Super Smash Bros. yet? I’m sure they could take his mystery-solving tactics and turn them into a unique fighting style for Smash.

I’m a big Scribblenauts fan, and I’m shocked it doesn’t have any sort of Smash Bros. representation yet. There isn’t even a spirit of something from Scribblenauts. Even though the series is made by Warner Bros., I feel as though it has heavily been on Nintendo consoles. That’s why I really want Maxwell to be a playable character. Given the fact that he can literally write anything into existence, he has infinite possibilities as to what his move-set could be. I also like the idea of him attacking other characters with his pencil.

I want to see more classic video game villains as playable characters in Smash Bros., and I’m a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan, so I’d really like to see Dr. Eggman as a fighter. He has tons of inventions that could play into his move-set. He also has a robot army at his disposal. Bowser Jr. works really well as a vehicle-based character, so there’s no reason why Eggman can’t be as well. Bowser, Ridley, Ganondorf, and King Dedede are all playable bosses, so Eggman isn’t very far-fetched in my opinion.

The Super Smash Bros. series has their fair share of what they call “Echo Fighters,” which are characters that are almost exact duplicates of other characters but with some slight differences. I’m not a fan of there being too many Echo Fighters because I feel like it’s a little lazy. However, There are a couple of characters who I think would make for great Echo Fighters. One is Ms. Pac-Man, who should be a no-brainer. I was surprised she wasn’t announced as playable for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. She could have Pac-Man’s move set, but maybe her fire hydrant shoots water differently or her neutral special summons different objects. The other Echo Fighter I’d like to see is Protoman from the Megaman games. He’s a big fan favorite from the series, and even has a bad ass rock band, the Protomen, named after him. He could play similarly to Megaman, but maybe he’s slower, more of a heavy-hitter, and has a shield that blocks projectiles when he’s stationary.

There are probably plenty of other characters who I’ve wished were in Super Smash Bros. who I’m forgetting. The possibilities are endless. Now that third party characters are joining the roster, absolutely anyone can be next. If you think something sounds too crazy, just remember that Piranha Plant is now a playable fighter. Let me know what you think of my Smash Bros. hopefuls and who you’d like to see join the battle next.