When contemplating which characters could be made playable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the form of DLC, most fans had disregarded any characters who were already in the game in any capacity. This includes any characters who were featured in lesser roles such as spirits or assist trophies.
However, the recent confirmation of Min-Min from ARMS has opened the door for countless characters who had previously been counted out, as Min-Min had previously been included as a spirit. So today, we're going to examine the ten characters currently in Smash Ultimate as spirits that deserve to gain playable status in "Fighters Pass Vol. 2."
10 Paper Mario
Despite the Paper Mario series being one of the more popular turn-based RPG franchises produced by Nintendo, the series has surprisingly had no representation as far as Smash is concerned. While the concept of a 2D fighter has been approached with Mr. Game-and-Watch, there is still a great deal of untapped potential.
Additionally, it's no secret that Super Smash Bros. has been used time and time again to help prop up other upcoming Nintendo releases. As Paper Mario: The Origami King releases next month, we wouldn't be surprised by the prospect of Paper Mario in Smash.
9 Shantae
In recent years, Nintendo has blossomed into a company that is quite welcoming to indie-game developers, with the Switch hosting a vast plethora of notable indie titles. Nintendo has even collaborated with indie developers in the past to create games such as the Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the Necrodancer crossover, Cadence of Hyrule.
Despite this, Smash Ultimate still has yet to include a single representative from an indie-game, with characters such as Sans and Cuphead being relegated to Mii Costumes. It feels only fitting that Ultimate should include at least one single playable character from an indie-game, and no character feels as befitting of this role than the iconic Shantae.
8 Waluigi
While he's never received a prominent spot in any title, no Nintendo character has seemingly received as much outcry regarding a potential Smash inclusion as Waluigi. Appearing as both a spirit and Assist Trophy, Waluigi has predominantly appeared in Mario sports and Mario Party games.
As Smash's developers have no fear when it comes to including RNG-based mechanics to characters, as seen with Dragon Quest's Hero, perhaps Waluigi could serve as a Mario Party representative and integrate some kind of dice rolling or randomness into his arsenal.
7 Geno
When it comes to characters synonymous with the concept of potential newcomers for smash, no character is so widely spoken of than Geno. While Geno's only notable appearance is in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, he is one of the most widely requested characters in the series, and has ranked highly on numerous official character request polls hosted by Nintendo.
While many other widely requested characters such as Ridley and King K. Rool have finally made their way into the series in Ultimate, Geno has yet to have the same luck. Even Geno's Mii costume that appeared in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has yet to be added to Ultimate, so our fingers are crossed for his potential inclusion.
6 Ray MK III
Between the late '90s to early 2000s, the Custom Robo series was going strong, making its jump from a Japan-exclusive series to one that was released worldwide with titles such as Custom Robo for the Gamecube in 2004 and Custom Robo Arena for the DS in 2006. Unfortunately, since the release of Arena, the series has gone dark, and it seems to have been forgotten by Nintendo.
Despite this, a Custom Robo representative such as Ray MK III could serve as a throwback character and could add a unique flavor to the game due to its arsenal and notably small size.
5 Andy
While the success of the Advance Wars series helped establish other tactical series such as Fire Emblem in the west, the series has fallen on hard times in recent years. The most recent game in the series was released all the way back in 2008, and there has been little to no talk regarding another entry.
Despite this, the series is one that is synonymous with the Gameboy Advance era of Nintendo. As Smash includes many throwback characters that allow the game to serve as a monument to video game history, a character such as Andy from Advance Wars could be used to represent that era.
4 Rayman (And/Or Rabids)
No other video game crossover is vast and ever-expanding as the Super Smash Bros. series. With each entry, more and more non-Nintendo guest characters have been added, and this couldn't be more true than with characters such as Joker from Persona 5 and SNK's Terry Bogard appearing in "Fighters Pass Vol. 1."
It seems only fitting that more and more representatives from other developers would be included in "Fighters Pass Vol. 2.," and a representative from the Rayman series could make an excellent addition to Smash. While both Rayman and numerous Rabids have been featured in Smash Ultimate as spirits, either or both could function as a wonderful representative from yet another franchise.
3 Ring Fit Trainees
Back when characters were being announced for their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, many were shocked by the surprise inclusion of the Wii Fit Trainer from the popular Wii Fit. Similarly to the successful Wii Fit, the Nintendo Switch has its own workout based game in the form of Ring Fit Adventure.
While Wii Fit's lack of story or character made the Wii Fit Trainer's inclusion more of a shock, Ring Fit Adventure possesses actual characters, the most notable of which is the game's protagonists, The Ring Fit Trainees. While Ring Fit characters were added to Ultimate as a spirit following the release of Ring Fit Adventure, they have the potential to be a fun and interesting addition to the core cast.
2 "Tetris"
Series creator Masahiro Sakurai has never shied away from including strange, experimental, and out there characters whom nobody was expecting to be added. Smash Ultimate is a game that includes a playable Piranha Plant, Wii Fit Trainer, Mr. Game-and-Watch, and Duck Hunt as playable characters.
With this in mind, it is not too much of a far fetched idea that making a Tetris block playable in some capacity could be feasible. We have no idea how said Tetris representative would function, but if there's any developer that would attempt a feat such as making a Tetris block playable, it's Sakurai.
1 Kunio And Riki
When it comes to classic arcade-style beat-em-ups, few series are as iconic as the River City series, home to classics like River City Ransom and most recently, River City Girls.
While the series protagonists Kunio and Riki were both added to Ultimate as spirits, they have a great deal of potential when it comes to being made playable in Smash. They could serve as eight-bit representatives remaining 2D sprites in a fashion similar to Mr. Game-and-Watch, or they could even be two simultaneously controlled characters like the Ice Climbers.