SSBU's roster doesn't have enough variety, and if another Super Smash Bros. is made, then it would need more fighters like Kirby and less like Ryu.
The roster for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has too many alike characters, so if the next game were ever to come, it would need more variety. SSBU is full of humanoid warriors and musclebound shoto martial artists - with the Fire Emblem characters and those like Street Fighter's Ryu being the worst offenders - leaving less room for whimsical fighters like Kirby or Mega Man. Including more characters that aren't seasoned battlers could help the next Smash Bros. greatly.
The Super Smash Bros. games bring together some of the most popular and iconic characters from a variety of video games, such as Super Mario, Kirby, Star Fox, and Donkey Kong. Players control them in a 2D platform environment as they try to launch each other off of a variety of stages that SSBU borrows from different games' settings, and prove that they're the ultimate fighter. The series' roster has grown with each game, resulting in a total of 89 available fighters in Smash Bros. Ultimate counting the ones that are only available as DLC. Some of them are mysterious animals known as Pokémon, or robots, or even big pink puffballs. Many, on the other hand, are not.
Although it might be nice to be able to play as some of the most powerful and well-known heroes from across the world of gaming, having so many similar ones detracts from the game as a whole. There is a great deal of battle-hardened warrior protagonists in video games, so it makes sense that there are a lot of sword fighters in Super Smash Bros., but it's still somewhat disappointing. The multitude of humans or humanoids who wield powerful weapons like rocket launchers or the Monado doesn't ruin the game, but they do serve to dilute the roster somewhat and make it feel repetitive.
Why All Of Super Smash Bros.' Human Fighters Are A Problem
When the Super Smash Bros. series first started, it may not have had a lot of fighters, but its roster was still diverse. There was a variety of different kinds of characters, not all of whom were some hero of legend in their world. As the series progressed and became more popular, it drew in more fighters, while still mostly maintaining that kind of variety. In the latest game, however, more and more characters were added who were sword fighters, martial artists, and warriors. There wasn't even a new Pokémon fighter in Smash Bros. Ultimate, despite the newest generations introducing many viable candidates. The game is a collection of every fighter available in the entire series, so there are many who don't fit this archetype, but when looking at only the ones that it introduced, they're the overwhelming majority.
One of the reasons why the large amount of warrior fighters is a problem is because it limits players' options. It felt like Nintendo was simply stuffing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's lineup with immensely popular characters instead of picking good fighter candidates, especially after the DLC season passes started coming out. Other characters, ones who could have been just as good as - if not better than - other members of the final roster were passed over in favor of more sword fighters. Part of the appeal of the Smash Bros. games is that players can use all kinds of different fighters, each with their own playstyles, but ones like Tekken's Kazuya Mishima seemed to take over SSBU, leaving players with few new choices in regards to how they can play.
The Next Smash Bros. Game Needs To Have A Silly Roster
The many solemn warriors like Cloud Strife and Simon Belmont not only make Super Smash Bros. Ultimate less varied, but they also change the tone of the game - both when playing with others or alone. It's easy to see launching opponents off of platforms as simple fun when it's done with characters like Pichu or Isabelle, but with the many new characters more along the lines of Terry Bogard, it feels much more intense and competitive, whether playing in a tournament or casually. Even the single-player mode feels dourer. While it would still be grim no matter who was in the game due to all of the fighters being turned into statues, the heroes of Super Smash Bros.' World of Light feel like they're going on a much more serious adventure when so many of them are talented battlers. To some players, it's a benefit, but not all.
At their core, the Super Smash Bros. games have always been silly. The story modes may involve serious subject matter like omni-powerful beings trying to destroy the world, but they're mostly a side feature. The focus of the series is the whimsical gameplay, where video game characters use their various different - and oftentimes wacky - weaponry and techniques to beat each other senseless. Fighters like Kirby aid that by injecting fun and unconventional combat to the melee, whereas ones like Joker, who uses actual firearms, harm it by bringing ways of fighting that are all too familiar in real life. Using swords, guns, or expert martial arts moves is much less whimsical than an oversized hammer or fireball. The last DLC fighter, Sora, is a different Smash Bros. sword fighter, giving them some variety, but he's still too similar, and not enough to make up for the rest. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has somewhat lost its identity and the sense of what made it good in the first place due to all of its archetypal fighter characters.
What Other Kinds Of Characters SSB Should Use
If the next Super Smash Bros. does avoid including as many sword fighters and other warrior-like characters as SSBU, then a logical step is to return to its roots and seek out different kinds of characters. Big names aren't a problem, but ones like Rayman or the long-requested Geno from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars could be better than Sephiroth or Bayonetta. A new Pokémon may also be a good choice, and since Eevee is already a Poké Ball summon in past games, and is becoming as much of a mascot of the series as Pikachu, it could be the best candidate. The Smash Bros. Ultimate characters most likely to return are tough to say, but hopefully, the next game would cut some of the Fire Emblem fighters.
There are also more minor game characters that could make good SSB fighters. Super Mario's Goombas are an iconic video game enemy, almost as well-known as Mario, so one might be a good choice. Another could be a Slime from Dragon Quest, or perhaps a trio or small group of them that act as one, like how the duo of Ice Climbers count as a single fighter. The Primid, a grunt enemy from Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode, could also translate well to a more permanent position as a fighter due to its many different weapons and the pre-existing assets that Nintendo has of it. Where the Super Smash Bros. series goes in the future is unpredictable, but hopefully, it learns from the mistakes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Next: Next Super Smash Bros. Can Be A Smaller Sequel With Less Fighters
