Shanty Pete's 1st Mate

TBH I went back and forth between Anna and Celica. What I like about Anna is, after Marth, she's the closest thing this series has to a mascot. On the other hand, Celica does have a game where she's a main character... hm... I do like the idea of having her work Pichu-style, although I do worry she might be too much like Micaiah. That said, if you stuck with Ike as the Tellius rep, then yeah, Celica would be a no-brainer. How about the Ettard for his A-button attacks, and the Urvan for his B-button attacks? That way, Ike's signature weapon - and his father's signature weapon - are both represented. And obviously, Ragnell for the Final Smash.

My favorite "Break the Targets" iteration has to be the Melee variant, with unique stages for each character. I'd love if they brought that through into Brawl, and subsequent games. Maybe include subtle difficulty options, or the ability to try one fighter's stage with a different fighter, after beating it once. "Everyone is here?" Try telling that to my Chansey balloon. On a related note, as far as Poké Balls go, I'd love to see Unown make a comeback. Yes, please! Honestly, I would've changed the whole history for FE representation: - Melee would still be Marth and Roy. - Brawl is now Marth and... Micaiah? That's right. I like Ike, but he was the fighter who turned "blue-haired sword guy" into a trend for FE reps in Smash. From thence, Lucina. And Chrom. And Byleth. Everyone looks the same. Micaiah would look different, and play different. - Smash 4 is Marth, Micaiah, and Robin. "Masked Marth" does show up as an alternate costume for Marth, with a unique voice. In the DLC, we get Azura. Rather than Roy, the other returning DLC character is Ice Climbers. If Rosalina & Luma can work, then so can these two. - In Ultimate, everyone is here! Marth, Roy, Micaiah, Robin, and Azura. Roy is treated as an "echo" of Marth*, while Anna is introduced as an "echo" of Robin. Within the DLC, we get Teach, but now as a pseudo Pokémon Trainer who can swap between Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. * One last thing: Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, and Young Link should be treated as echoes of Mario, Pikachu, Fox, and Link, respectively. It's exceedingly funny that the fact that they were among the first clones somehow immunizes them from being recognized as clones.

Shadow now joins Luigi, to share the vaunted heights of characters who have received their very own year. Also the van's initials are I.V.O. Some crafty bastards at SEGA.

I had the chance to see it! Including about two minutes of totality. Took a long car ride with my parents, and made a day trip of it. It's just a really cool, surreal experience - seeing sun trimmed down to a fingernail, and then to nothing at all - being surrounded by a couple minutes of twilight, in the middle of the day. Just a rare instance that makes me marvel at the universe, and think of all those things - on our planet, and amidst the cosmos beyond - that we simply take for granted. Well, that's enough waxing poetic. I'll wane to suggest that - if you're in a position where it'd be feasible to see the totality next time - you take it.

It's worth noting, also, that both route splits open, and close, before the "true ending" checkpoint. The split segements are chapters 10-11 and 17-20x, while the true ending occurs after chapter 22. Ergo, you can get the "true ending" just once out of two playthroughs, and still experience all the chapters and playable characters that the game has to offer.

Maybe Forrest, too! It'd be pretty neat, building off of Emmeryn, to see the whole Ylissean royal family swapped. More than anything else, to see how they translate Lissa's design to something more male-typical. And if F!Chrom gets to keep her bare bulging branded bicep... well, I won't be out complaining. Might confuse some players if they have to change the names around (i.e. "Lisso" and "Chromme", maybe?), admittedly.

Most likely, yes. Thank you for continuing to spead the Gospel of Hawke. Alternatively, Hawk appears on both sides of the conversation, if no Ced exists. It is then explained that he is talking to himself in the mirror. "I'm not owned! I'm not owned!" I insist as I gradually shrink down into a corncob. Farmers: 3000 Merchants: 600 Knights: 300 Wyvern Chow: 45000 Craftsmen: 1200 Someone who is good at the economy help me. My people are dying. *flashes back to Babi Yar*

"You're too late, Ping!" I never made that connection, but it makes sense, I guess. At least Travant isn't made of goo. Probably. TBH it'd be pretty funny if everyone hyped a Leif who died early in chapter 7. I mean, it's not like the commoners would know he's died. Except, of course, we live in a world where news travels instantaneously. I can't tell if Arion is disgusted, or impressed, with his father. Should be the latter, but his resting bitch face implies the former. Literally Malding. I don't think he'd have Pursuit, since I believe Arena enemies only haveclass skills. Adept is a class skill for War Mage, while Pursuit is not. Oh boy, five named enemies already? I'm sure the game will show restraint and not throw any more at you before Connaught. Oh you meant this guy? Yeah, tbat works, I guess. He does sound a bit "desperate" to be Hawk, though. Hawk should be a "trusted lieutenant" to Ced, IMO. Someone just as calm, cool, and collected as his boss. Oh yeah, I briefly forgor about this one! Kinda crazy strong for a generic enemy at this point. Take note of the Rogue's "Steal" skill. It's not just for show. ...Actually, I wonder if Nihil blocks Steal as well...

You forgot Ice Climbers, who weren't included in Smash 4. But then again, Lucas probably shouldn't be here, since he was in the DLC for Smash 4. So it balances out. This might be my "hot take", but... I really hate the character select screen in Ultimate. It takes, like, a full 30 seconds to find the character I'm looking for. There are just so many of them. And it's not like the individual tiles for each character are particularly large. It just feels overwhelming. I'm not opposed to the game having new characters, of course. But I really don't have much appetite for Smash 6 having an even larger roster than the current one. Make it a game where I, a casual player, can spend some time with each fighter, and get to know them. Oh, I have nothing against how they play. But to me, they were always a "nostalgia" pick of long-requested characters. If we get a new Banjo-Kazooie title on the Switch (or its successor), though, then they could definitely justify their continuing inclusion. You didn't list them here, but fair to assume that Pichu is among this cadre?

Not wrong. You could also do the ol' "mass Return" strat to get the Leonster squad back to Rivough, after getting all the relevant information. Of course, neither is what the average player might be expected to do. ...Interestingly, this is actually a scenario where a Xane would be super useful. I like to send Fee westward, to help out Shannan and Patty. But it's also desirable for her to go south to Leonster. Getting one of each would be huge. You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is, never start a land war in Jugdral. But only slightly less famous: never cross sand tiles as a cavalry unit! Oh huh, I forgot about this. My despise for Rewarp, as a narrative feature, must have obfuscated the memory. ...At least it wasn't Julius ex machina this time...

Maybe Duke Knight? His parents always wanted him to go into the family business of Bows, but the Lances were a' callin'. Yeah, not really a plot hole, as there are a thousand and one ways to fill it. "Maybe she took it off of Gandolf's corpse." "Maybe she sent Midir ro pick it up between chapters." "Maybe it never left her side to begin with." Oh boy, I can't wait for her writing to be consistent, and not vacillate wildly between and within chapters! ...Wait, didn't this very chapter confirm that you don't actually have to cross the Yied Desert, to get from Leonster to Tirnanog? You can skirt it to the southeast, and avoid having to cross any sand tiles. Unless that portion is also treated as "desert", in spite of appearances. Kinda funny, in a meta sense, that Leif's small force is receiving information that would be far more beneficial to Seliph's army. How is Nanna learning about Ishtore, while the armies are still divided, supposed to help Seliph and company defeat him? Maybe he refers to commoners as "miss" and nobles as "ma'am"? Boom, Seliph is classist. Alternatively, it can be seen as reflective. Laylea address him as "Mister", so Seliph responds with "Miss". Tinne calls him "Sir", so Seliph calls her "Ma'am". If she ain't doubling sword cavalry with the Horseslayer, then she's still not fast enough, dammit! Wait, does marriage provide a Hit boost? I know it provides +20 Crit when adjacent, but I hadn't heard of a Hit boost until just now. This is actually really absurd. A gravely wounded Bloom, stumbling his way to Connaught in a full suit of armor. Seliph's army... inexplicably letting it happen. Leaving him plenty of time for the journey. Or what, is there an underground tunnel between these two castles? Insofar as that goes, I agree. I've played enough RD to recall no blessing greater than a Speed-blessed Micaiah. And no curse more foul than a Speed-cursed one. Yeah, Ethnia's children - the substitutes for Arthur and Tinne - can meet Jake in chapter 8, improving their Resistance. Unfortunately, his portrait is Unlike Anna's unique one. I mean, if you can find anyone in your army brave and vulgar enough to pry it from a Mage Girl corpse's leg, then by all means... See, Kaga actually planned a Book 3, where Marth went on an intercontinental fetch quest collecting the various trinkets and baubles that would be required for his coronation. But it wasn't in the budget. Alternatively, Altea operates under "Shrek 1" rules, and Marth can't become King until he gets married. That, or zombie shenanigans.

Maybe Blume didn't want to go, and would rather stay home? Or maybe he was part of the occupation of neighboring Augustria, which was supposed to go to Friege, right? Oh, I'm sure they intended it to be temporary. With all that chaos - the death of King Calf, for instance - Northern Thracia just needed a strong hand to guide them. It's a shame that so many others perished in a series of unfortunate accidents. If only they'd turn Prince Leif over, then they could get back to self-rule before you know it. Within Grannvale's bounds of acceptability, of course. Like, I don't see how this is massively different from Sigurd murdering the heads of three noble houses of Augustria. And then the other two. The only appreciable difference is intent. Sigurd never intended to eradicate the ruling class of Augustria, it was all a big oopsie! Whereas with House Friege... yeah, they're bad and they know it. But it's not unreasonable that, at least early on, they would try some propaganda to get the local yokels on their side. Try to convey themselves as "not the bad guys, really!" Ethnia could be a fitting dupe for such a ruse. One more thing - even if you totally disagree on my takes above, I think this last point will work regardless. Let Ethnia cameo at the end of chapter 3. She's working with her father, but specifically, she's worried for Tailtiu, and wants to bring her back home. She doesn't know about any of Reptor's treachery or deceit - she just wants her family back. This would not only establish her existence within the first generation, but also provide some small bit of characterization: good-hearted, but simple-minded. Doesn't want to hurt anyone, but does what she must for her family and House.

It's like poetry, it rhymes. Edain carrying Yewfelle everywhere, to give to Briggid, is another funny one. Actually, uh, when did she pick the weapon up? Did she bring it along when kidnapped by Gandolf? If so, the Verdanites would've taken it from her. But if she left it behind at Castle Jungby, then how'd she get it back? In gameplay, another case is the Brave Lance. If Quan had the Brave Lance from the start of chapter 2, he'd be an absolute nightmare. From there, it's player's choice: give the weapon to Finn to shore up his protege, or let Quan keep the glory to himself. Well, each point makes a big difference, but only situationally. Going from 15 to 16 AS makes a huge difference against 15 AS enemies, but essentially no difference against 8 AS enemies, or 24 AS enemies. FE4 effective weaponry moment. Seriously, these weapons suck. And not in an "oh at least they're cheap" way, given that they're equivalent to the Silvers. And since all they give is a guaranteed crit, you can actually outdamage them with a 50-kill Steel weapon (and a bit of luck... er, skill). Ooh, nice positioning. It'd be a real shame if they suddenly got 3 extra movement apiece. But what are the odds of that ever happening? It makes sense that this is a surprise for Seliph - who's never met Eldigan - but as a player, his shock is pretty humorous. On the level of "Ash, Misty, and Brock continuously failing to see through Team Rocket's thin disguises". Certified Patty Gaming moment. Easier, yes, but also more time-consuming. It took me 100 hours to complete my last playthrough, and I'm pretty sure about 30 of those hours were the Dancers Miracle'ing their way through the Arena. Laylea at least has a shot to get it over quicker, or die trying. Getting 20 EXP from Dancing with Lex!Lene is stupidly satisfying, though. Also the premier cause of death a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... "I kidnapped my traitorous sister and incompetent neice and let my wife torture them to build character, AITA?" This always struck me as odd, but actually, it seems to comport with the "Julia replaces Deirdre and Seliph replaces Sigurd" theory. Deirdre falls for Sigurd instantly, so she'd have no need of love bases or growths with any other man. May as well just leave those values at "0" each. The remake should have Laylea, in particular, emphasize her higher Strength growth by giving Bramsel a broken nose before she gets sent to the dungeon.

It's pretty funny to me that this would make a good deal of sense in-lore, and also have next-to-no gameplay impact. Hannibal can alreasy use A-rank Lances, while Charlot can never use Lances. All it offers them is +20% HP and +30% Speed. Which is... not the worst. Funny to think of a 40% Speed growth Hannibal. Thanks! And well, that's one way to do it, too. Still, I think an Ethnia who manages an occupation, but tries to be nice about, could be morally gray. That's basically what Sigurd was doing offscreen in Augustria, and people don't tend to think of him as any morally worse than "light gray".

...Okay, but like, Dew doesn't necessarily get married. It's a lover system, not a "put-a-ring-on-it" system. They don't have to tie the knot, they just gotta smush. ...I dunno if that makes things better, or worse. I swear it's just about the Bargain skill, officer- Every time I read this particular scream, I swear, five minutes gets taken off of my life. A shame that Patty doesn't start with the Brave Sword in her inventory, then give it to Seliph via the conversation. That way, players with Chulainn!Patty could let her keep her mouth shut, and keep the Brave Sword in her inventory. Anyway, lame-ass take, but you could just keep one Brave Sword in the home castle. It's usually the best weapon for Sword users to clear the Arena, so being able to buy it, and sell it back, is invaluable. Especially for units who aren't able to Arena at the very start of the map. That said, in the field, Leif is great with it. Honestly Oifey too, if it ever feels like he's falling behind. I love how Ares is almost trying too hard to be edgy. He's coming across as a goofy, overenthusiastic LARPer. ...Admittedly, he's a touch more lethal than most LARPers. Not all. But most. The cliff is actually a neat element, as you can send a smaller squad over on that side to take on just a few of them. Didn't know it would still happen if nobody was up the cliff. Not very clever mode of them. Not very clever mode of them. It's a neat aspect, but I don't know if I've ever seen his "Liza is alive" dialogue. Maybe on the Bolting, but never at his death. Maybe if I brought Silence Julia, just to flex. The point was, the 3H Lords became friends at the Academy. Sort of. Not really. Their only "bonding" happened in the Prologue, and then the DLC. Jabarro, you idiot. You just had to keep your mouth shut, and Ares would still be on your side. Actually, you could've done one better, and let Leailyiea accompany you on your mission. There, now you've got a Cavalier with a legendary weapon, and a quad-target Dancer. Seliph's story ends here. Love the fact that this dialogue comes immediately before the opportunity to recruit Tinne. You know, the enemy who is serving the will of a brutal tyrant? Stay golden, jerkass Lewyn. Kid named B Staves upon promotion: True enough. Big hair was big back in the day. Where would Sigurd be, without his pompadour? Yeah, "Leilia" is actually the most direct way to transliterate the name. In the same way that ランゴバルト is best written as "Rangobaruto". Rolls off the tongue, really! I've always assumed the name to be homophonous with "Leila" or "Layla", but perhaps that wasn't the intention? No idea. Hm... how would it work? A "chance-based" follow-up, that increases with Speed margin? A guaranteed follow-up, but whose damage increases based on the margin? Limiting the ability to follow-up to player phase? There are some neat possibilities there, but personally, I'm a fan of the existing systems. As for the fanbase being revolting... we already are! I try lighting a candle to mask it.

I think the anxiety over the next game being "Smash Ultimate, But More" is... people might not buy it. "Why would I buy this new one, when it doesn't do much better or different from the last one, which is still perfectly playable?" Something along those lines. In this paradigm, Smash 6 needs to do something fundamentally different, and never-before-seen in the series, to justify its existence. If putting resources into this new playstyle means fewer characters, then so be it. Of course, another way of looking at it is "Smash will do as well as whichever console its on". Smash Ultimate wasn't a success because "everyone is here", but rather, because it's on the Switch - a successful console. The next game could expand the cast, or cut it, amd it wouldn't make much difference. It would succeed - or fail - alongside the Switch's successor.

Never got back to this, so- I broadly agree, with one caveat - it'd be nice to get someone with Dainn blood. It's the only Holy Blood type that's totally unusable in the main campaign. Of course, if Arion were made playable in the final chapter, then this would become a non-issue. Thanks, and go right ahead! I'm all for combining the best available ideas. Like it affecting the battle convos. Maybe give Dalvin a unique one with Dannan, too. Deimne moment. Aside from the subs that people generally agree are good (Hawke, Laylea, Linda), he's probably my favorite. This would be good, although A) he would probably whiff, and B) depending on how strong we make the Longbow, Ishtar might be knocked into Vantage territory. But then again, that's the Asaello experience, isn't it? Crippling disappointment. Here's the question: how do we get Linda to join our team? With Amid cut out of House Friege, there's no innate connection there. Hm... here's a thought. Let's reverse the roles for a moment. After Reptor's demise, Bloom stayed in Grannvale, while Ethnia was sent to manage North Thracia. She wasn't ready to rule with an iron fist, however, and her naivete caused her to be assassinated by members of the resistance movement from Leonster. She was survived by her daughter, Linda. This is where the divergence occurs: if Tailtiu survived, then Bloom already has hands full, so he sends Linda back to Friege, to disappear from relevance. But if Tailtiu died, then Bloom takes care of Linda while living at Ulster. He pities her, but also lets Hilda abuse her, in the hopes that it will "toughen her up", so that she won't meet the same fate as her mother. Fast-forward to chapter 7. While the Mage Trio head towards Melgen to intercept Seliph and friends, Linda veers off course to target Leonster. They took her mother, so she'll take their castle. However, Finn is actually the one to come across her. He notes Linda's resemblence to her mother (knowing what she looked like when she ruled), and offers his condolences. Linda reiterates her grievances, and Finn understands them. He feels sorry for her mother: a good woman, forced into a bad situation. Not so different from Lord Sigurd. The compassion that Ethnia offerred, though, is nowhere to be seen in House Friege's continuing occupation. This shakes Linda's resolve, and she comes to think that ending the occupation, moreso than sacking Leonster, would honor her mother's memory. Time to turn blue, baybee! Hey, I'm fine with whatever. So long as it fits with the existing canon, wherein Deimne and Muirne are from the capital of Isaach. Ooh, here's an idea: Deimne and Muirne are orphans, and the old man is their grandpa. They return to Tirnanog, shortly after their mother's death, because it's where she grew up. The old man is already running the orphanage, and that's how they meet Seliph, and get immersed into the Liberation Army. Heck, the old man could even exist if Edain survives to Gen II. He already has the orphanage, and Edain just helps him run it. And if Edain were to become one of Seliph's advisors, then she could up and leave without truly abandoning the orphans. Oh, just wanted to say, I like this too. Maybe Hawk could have conversations with some of the bosses there? Or, even move his secret event to a village or castle in Miletos? As it stands, it happens in the Kingdom of Thracia, but not for any particular reason. It'd work a lot better if - like Deimne - he were reuniting with a past acquaintance.

Oh yeah, I would agree with the notion that Shannan is a great candidate for landing the finishing blow on these bosses. Moreso Ishtar, as in the case of Bloom, Pavise can just ruin your day. ...But Ishtar has Vantage, so- Hm... if he's really just 4 Strength short of a one-shot, then maybe Power Ring Shannan is the answer? Alternatively, with 1 Strength level, he can beat her with the Brave Sword. But Balmung's effective 110 Hit rate is better than Brave Sword's 100 (which needs to land twice), especially against a dodgy enemy such as Ishtar.

If I recall, Kaga (or someone else working on FE4) had envisioned that Sigurd, Eldigan, and Quan all attended an academy together. This would later provide inspiration for the central conceit of Three Houses. That said, I don't know if they were intended to have met there, or if they were friends beforehand. Perhaps Quan would've met Sigurd (and Ethlyn) if King Calf and Lord Byron ever had a summit or conference together. And yeah, I do believe that Ethlyn is the younger of the two siblings, although I'm not sure if this is ever stated within the game itself. In any case, it makes her marriage to Quan feel... a little bit weird? Like, was she getting wedded off at age 16 or something? Not like that's unheard of for ersatz Medieval Europe, but still. ...This reminded me that we really were due a Finn-Oifey conversation. They're barely apart in age, and probably are the closest to Sigurd, Quan, and Ethlyn, out of anyone still surviving. It's a right shame. Infantry Mages and Clerics already tend to have lower movement than their physical counterparts, so letting them move readily over sand would make up for it a bit. And it's not like it'd be overpowered - it'd only make a difference in a portion of two chapters. Uh, what? Blume with Mjolnir one-shots Shannan. Same with Ishtar. Sure, you can send him against them, and hope he Adepts, Astras, or Dodges, but it's not exactly guaranteed. Especially in light of their high Hit rates (+20 skill and Authority). He's not the answer for them that, say, Demon-sword McCavalier is. Wait, THAT's how Project Naga spells the substitute Dancer's name? What a tragedeigh... Ooh, that's gonna be one of the best weapons in the game. Anyone with B-Lances will have a near-instant "win" ticket at the Arena. ...With enough patience, at least. Nope, it's a Dark tome. Truthfully, I actually like the idea of a Church... in the middle of the desert... not far from the Yied Shrine. A shining endorsement of religious toleration and pluralism. And thinking on it, the utter lack of healing items probably makes Genealogy one of the games where healing staves, in particular, are relatively more important. As easy as the Prologue is, I shudder to think of doing it without Ethlyn. Totally unrelated to what you were saying, but I just noticed that these two have practically the same haircut. Maybe Shannan has been the one cutting Seliph's hair? Alternatively, Oifey's been on haircut duty, but he only knows one way of styling it. The "Authority" rating tends to confuse me, honestly. You'd imagine that the leader of a country would have higher "Authority" than any of their underlings. But then again, Eldigan had 5 stars, whereas Chagall had... fewer than that. In this case, I think that the previous translation - "Leadership" - might actually be a better one. An underling can actually have leadership skills superior to their Lord, even if that doesn't mean they have the same degree of authority. Patty sets up a side hustle, selling "Sword Prince Bath Water" through the black market. I could forgive all that, if they didn't make him another boring general. He's not wearing armor, but a robe. Making him a Bishop, or maybe a High Priest, would be much more suitable, in my opinion. Especially if he's supposed to be in charge of the "holy city of Darna". Speaking of "beard", something looks off... Hm... ...Oh, that's it! You've got a tan now! Had a nice vacation, I take it? I think it'd be fine... IF there were a way to mitigate those skills. Something like "Adept always activates, but only on the first hit, and only if the attacker's AS is at least equal to that of the target." That way, your speedier units would be immune to Ishtore Adepting on Thoron, while only the slowest would be at risk of a Bolting Adept. Also, the obvious "let Luck function as Crit Avoid". At the very least, Nihil nullifies that one. Also also, as for Accost... maybe just get rid of it? It's one of those "hurts as often as it helps" skills, that even in the best case, reduces a unit's reliability. And it has no effect in the Arena, which is essentially "infinite Accost". That's a pretty funny one, but in a weird way, it almost makes them worse. Like, I feel like I need to "hold back" on using them in the earlygame, rather than letting them fight when they may be at their most useful. Before the enemy power levels ramp up and they sorta-kinda fall behind. Hey now, Demonsword McCavalier has a personality! "What if Navarre... had a horse?"

Really wasn't expecting Einherjar L'Arachel to drop an f-bomb. But I guess that, along with the realistic starvation and sanity mechanics, represents the grittier, more mature orientation of Nintendo's next console.

I'd rather not see any more "world-hopping", please and thank you. Let Elibe be Elibe, Magvel be Magvel, so on and so forth. Give me characters who are actually tied to the land, and whose personal histories actually shed light on the world they inhabit. Jake is one of the few I'm happy to see return, alongside Anna. Although, in that case, it's not "world-hopping", so much as "different characters who just so happen to share a name and a face." Totally unrelated, but... yeah, do this as well. A real shame it was only around once... well, twice... well, four times.

Here's what I'm thinking. Maybe I missed one or two. I grouped them by some shared attribute. Falling in a lower group doesn't always mean lower chances than one in a higher group - i.e. I could think a character in the (>20%) group has a 36% chance, while one in the (>30%) group has a 32% chance. So it's a rough sort. The Original Twelve - These ones are pretty much guaranteed at this point (>90% each), having appeared in every game since the start. They are: The Regulars - Fighters introduced in Melee who have been around ever since. I see them as nearly a sure-thing (all >80% each), if not as certain as the Original Twelve. Modern Icons - Fighters who first showed up in Brawl or later, but have gained fame as symbols of present-day major Nintendo franchises. I think they're all (>70%). Likely Third-Partiers - Fighters who are third-party, but have enough notoriety, or Nintendo-specific history, to give them all good (>60%) chances. Coin Flips - First-party characters with some Smash history - or recent-joiners who were long-requested - but in a tenuous spot. I'm thinking (>50%) apiece. Clones with a Chance - They are (or were) clones, but for various reasons, I think they could make it. Let's say (>40%) each. Flash in the Pan - Once (or twice) Fighters who aren't likely to become anything recurring. I think they're around (>30%) each. Less-Likely Third Partiers - I don't think most of these are coming back. Let's give them (>20%) each. Clones with No Chance - Some clones, I think, are very likely gone. I'm saying (>10%) each.

Alright, I never gave an answer. I'll be ordering them by game, with the games ordered by whenever they came out. If I don't list a game for a certain character, it's because they share the title of the previous entry. Using bold for any newcomer, and italics for any third-party characters. Anyway, here goes: Mostly newcomers here. Fewer than half of them have a presence in any previous Super Smash Bros games. Only about 10 or so are third-party, but then again, there are some that may be third-party without me realizing it. In any case, let me know what you think! EDIT: The original returning/newcomer split was 22/28, so I actually subbed some out to make it a perfect 25/25. Rest in peace: Rex, Twintelle, and the Piano from Clubhouse Games. Welcome back: Pyra & Mythra, Min-Min, and Bowser Junior. Needs more Fire Emblem SMH.

Ah, I always knew that thread would get me somewhere in life. You can actually do the reverse strat in the Arena. Start out with a cheaper weapon, then switch to the Miracle Sword once you get in-range. That way, you're not burning through as many uses. And with the Shield/Barrier Sword, you can set up Miracle strats that wouldn't otherwise be possible. Astram/Midia, anyone? It was a whole-ass archetype! ...That only came back, like, one time, but still. Yes, and yes. I've done it before. Once you've killed all the bandits, there's not much motivation to stick around. Plus, letting Leinster turn red means Seliph can turn it blue, for an extra 1K all around. Anyone who expected the amenities of Castle Nordion is in for a real let-down. Forge or get out. "I swear, officer, I just really wanted my kids to be able to buy everything at-cost! If there's any criminal here, it's that greedy pawn shop owner." Explains why Lewyn shows up to tell Seliph that "The Kingdom of Naga was within you, all along." Ishtore only exists to Aida totally looks playable here, if not for the fact that she shares a mug with Liza in Gen I. Still, she's not ugly or cruel-looking, just serious. At worst, stern. There is a "chicken-and-egg" question here. Did Ethlyn fall in love with Quan via his close friendship with Sigurd? Or did Quan and Sigurd become close friends following his romantic relationship with Ethlyn? Either way, yeah, it's weird that he doesn't refer to Sigurd as his "Uncle", or "Mother's Brother". Just "Dad's old war buddy". Like, you share a holy blood type with this man, Leif. Oh yeah, I kinda missed your Ulster/Lana idea. Not a bad idea either! As for the zero love bases in Gen II, I see it as a combination of the pairable units showing up earlier, and the fact that the pairings don't matter as much. You're not screwing yourself out of getting great units in Gen III, because that generation doesn't exist. Honestly, the Stefan comparison is apt. Either one absolutely destroys enemies in melee combat... but their ranged options are basically nothing. Shannan's low Magic bites him here. I once saw him Astra with the Flame Sword, and he still didn't kill the enemy. Not having horses in a game with super-canto, too. Oh, since you'll be getting Laylea soon, make sure you don't let Leif, or anyone else, visit the village closest to Leonster Castle! That's where Laylea needs to go for the exclusive Barrier Blade. "Shield Ring Julia! Shield Ring Julia!" Doesn't Leif lie about his identity, in their original encounter? That could lead to a rather humorous reunion. I could definitely imagine Hannibal giving "Lugh Faris" a thorough ribbing. Hell, we can't even say for sure that there's only two of them. Maybe Tana and Innes were raised by a gay throuple. Great script! Also, I can't help reading Johan's last line in a way that's (probably) unintended. Adds an extra larf. Wait, so offscreen Edain only ecists at Tirnanog if her kids also exist? ...I mean I guess that makes sense. Anyway, much as I'm no fan of "damn, I've been defeated! I must retreat", I feel like it would make sense for Edain's character. She's not a "fight to the death" sort of person, much more concerned with helping those around her. I could see her surrendering and getting picked back up later, as can happen to Deidre or Julia. And one way or another, I feel like the Tirnanog squad need some adult accompanying them. Especially when they're taking along an undisclosed quantity of babies.

Wait... why not have Edain function as Seliph's advisor? She's known Sigurd for longer than anyone still living, perhaps save Oifey. And no one's clamoring for her to be playable - and thus killable - in the second generation. As it stands, she just kinda... exists offscreen... for the first five minutes of Gen II, then disappears forever. Which is a real shame. Plus, she wouldn't have the whole... thing... Lewyn has going on, that I won't get into more because spoilers. Finally, while she's likely been hardened by her years of hardship, I can't see her being Lewyn-levels of jerk-ass to Seliph. Give us an old (not really even old, just middle-aged) lady advisor, IS! Even if the remake is mechanically super-faithful, I'm definitely hoping for them to add more conversations. Shannan-Oifey is an obvious one, but there's also Ares-Diarmuid, Hannibal-Leif, and... uh, IDK, Hermina-Altenna? As for Gen I, the lack of Alec-Naoise is criminal. And it'd be funny to get a Jamke-Midir "jealousy" secret conversation in chapter 2, like Sylvia-Erinys have in chapter 4.