It's safe to say that Nintendo is hoping that fans the world over will be wanting to purchase a number of its new interactive figures, branded as Amiibo, when they launch alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U later this November. Aside from interacting with the aforementioned fighting game, the plastic statues can also be scanned into Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors to unlock several different items in each game.

As many fans are already well aware at this point, it would be odd for Nintendo not to release a figure for each and every fighter featured in the new Smash titles. Keeping that in mind, it's no surprise that the house of Mario has announced a third line of Amiibo featuring even more iconic gaming characters.

In total, 11 new toys will be released in the third wave, and – while first-party characters were expected – it's surprising to see that Nintendo managed to score the rights to make toys of two third-party characters. That's right, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man will be joining their collective Smash brethren in action figure form.

Alongside the two widely recognized guest participants, there will be 9 others available as well. The third line consists of: Lucario; Rosalina and Luma; Bowser; Toon Link; Shiek; Ike; Meta Knight; King Dedede; Shulk; Sonic; and Mega Man.

Nintendo Wii U Amiibo Third Wave

With mascots such as Mario, Captain Falcon and Link all have Amiibo toys scheduled for 2014, it's cool to get a peek at what Nintendo is planning for future releases. The third wave of Amiibo are set to arrive in February 2015, but a specific date hasn't been announced. What has been officially confirmed though is the fact that there will be retailer exclusive toys made available for purchase.

The blonde protagonist from Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk, will be made available exclusively through GameStop – something that makes perfect sense when considering the fact that the game that the character debuted in saw a limited release through the exact same brick-and-mortar retail chain. While the wielder of the Monado may only be purchased at this particular store, Nintendo has yet to detail whether or not other stores will get the same V.I.P. treatment.

Since the latest Amiibo-friendly update has been rolled out on the Wii U, it's obvious that there are still big plans for future additions to the toys-to-life initiative. Just what other fighters will be able to be placed on a shelf, however, remains to be seen. Admittedly, it'd be odd if Pac-Man was given the cold should since he too appears as a guest character in the latest Smash titles, but his trophy-esque debut will have to remain on the back burner for the time being.

Will you be picking up any of the new Amiibo featured in wave three? What characters are you hoping to see make an appearance in wave four? Let us know in the comments!

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Amiibo are set to launch alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on November 21, 2014.

Follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.

Source: NintendoLife