One of the most difficult territories when it comes to predicting the final roster for a Super Smash Bros. game is figuring out which Pokemon will make the cut. Since there are currently 719 known monsters, as of Pokemon X and Y, narrowing that down to a handful of fighters can be quite a challenge, but Nintendo and The Pokemon Company manage to do it with every new installment.

Today's dedicated Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct was more than willing to prove that, confirming not one but two more Pocket Monsters for the impending fray. Kicking off the reveal trailer for the combatants was the returning Charizard, but this time he'll be appearing sans Pokemon Trainer. Meanwhile, Greninja (the final evolution of X and Y starter Froakie) made a surprise appearance — confirming his debut as a playable fighter in the process.

While the removal of form changes in Smash Bros. and the inclusion of Charizard as a solo fighter seemingly eliminates Pokemon Trainer from making a return, it has allowed series creator Masahiro Sakurai and his team to expand upon the Pokemon's move set. Now Charizard will be able to transform into one of his Mega Evolutions (Mega Charizard X) during battle — the previously announced Lucario will be able to transform into his Mega Evolution as well — but newcomer Greninja won't have such an option.

These characters should make fine additions to the Smash roster, but Greninja's addition makes it even less likely that the fan-favorite Mewtwo will return. While there's still ample room on the roster for more playable fighters, it'll be interesting to see just how many spots Pokemon will occupy when all is said and done; especially since franchise veteran Jigglypuff is still nowhere to be seen.

What do you think of Charizard flying solo in the next Super Smash Bros.? Is Greninja a solid addition to the fighting series?

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Super Smash Bros. will be hitting the 3DS in Summer 2014, and the Wii U in Winter 2014.

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