By the release of the final DLC expansion for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there are 89 playable characters from across gaming history. While most of the playable fighters come from Nintendo's franchises old and new, there are additionally over 15 characters from third-party franchises. However, many obvious Nintendo characters are still not part of the roster.
Although some of these characters do appear in Super Smash Bros Ultimate as Assist Trophies or Spirits, many Nintendo fans believe their debut as playable fighters are long overdue. Hopefully, in the next installment of the franchise, Nintendo considers adding these long-time favorites and iconic faces to the ever-growing roster of Nintendo opponents.
10 Waluigi
Perhaps one of the more surprising characters to be left off the Smash roster is Waluigi, the sidekick to Mario's rival Wario. Waluigi is a staple of the Super Mario series in various spin-off titles like Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis, which could serve as the inspiration for his unique moveset among the other included Super Mario characters.
However, Waluigi has remained in the Super Smash Bros series as an Assist Trophy ever since the mechanic's introduction in Super Smash Bros Brawl. Unfortunately, Super Smash Bros Ultimate did not prove to be Waluigi's turn in the fighting ring, even losing a spot to the Super Mario minion Piranha Plant, who was the game's first DLC character.
9 Captain Toad
When it comes to Super Mario mascots, it's just as surprising that some version of Toad hasn't made an appearance as a Smash fighter yet. Toad was first playable in Super Mario Bros 2 for the NES and returned as a playable character in the Wii U title Super Mario 3D World. The version of Toad that would likely appear in Smash also comes from that title.
Captain Toad made his debut in Super Mario Galaxy, but in Super Mario 3D World he was the face of several side-quests throughout the main story. These mini-puzzles also served as the basis for Captain Toad's own game, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Though this Toad is unable to jump, he seems like an obvious choice as a potential Super Mario series rep.
8 Tingle
The Legend of Zelda has many great characters throughout the franchise, from The Wind Waker's Tetra to Majora's Mask's Skull Kid. However, one of the more iconic characters who appears in several games is Tingle, the wannabe fairy who debuted in Majora's Mask as a balloon-bound cartographer who Link encounters during his adventures in Termina.
Tingle later got his own spin-off series, starting with the DS title Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, which was released in Japan and Europe. The character also plays a role in The Wind Waker, one of the more popular installments in the franchise. Though he was an Assist Trophy in Brawl, his absence in future titles leaves him open to be playable someday.
7 Blaziken
It's quite surprising that Generation 3 of Pokemon has no representatives in Super Smash Bros, given it's one of the most popular eras of the franchise. The generation also has one of the most iconic fully-evolved starter Pokemon in Blaziken, the Fire/Fighting-type evolution of Torchic. Particularly, Blaziken played a big role in the sixth-generation games.
With the introduction of Mega Evolution, Blaziken was one of few Pokemon to be chosen to gain new forms. However, when Super Smash Bros for 3DS released, Blaziken wasn't included as Smash's signature Fire-type representative, choosing Charizard instead. It's pretty tough competition to be up against Charizard, but Blaziken certainly deserves a spot.
6 Krystal
The Star Fox series has been oddly dormant for such an important part of Nintendo's history. Star Fox Zero for Wii U was the last title released in the franchise, which garnered criticism for its motion controls. As a result, the future of the already-infrequent franchise is unknown, yet there are still some iconic characters from older games who belong in Smash.
One of those is Krystal, a character who debuted in the divisive but popular Star Fox Adventures for GameCube. Unlike Fox, Falco, or Wolf, her moveset could be completely unique, utilizing her staff to fight enemies rather than a Blaster. Krystal's popularity among Star Fox fans also makes her an obvious choice for a future series representative.
5 Celica
Many Super Smash Bros fans would probably argue that there are more than enough Fire Emblem representatives in Super Smash Bros. Nevertheless, while most of the franchise's reps are from recent installments in the series, there are plenty of iconic characters from older titles that are more than worthy of appearing as playable Super Smash Bros fighters.
One of those is Celica, one of the protagonists from the second-ever Fire Emblem title. Notably, Celica re-appeared in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, a remake of the game on 3DS that was released in 2017. One would think this renewed popularity, plus her inclusion in Fire Emblem Engage, would make her the perfect Smash Bros newcomer.
4 Medusa
It's quite obvious to many fans of Super Smash Bros that the series' director, Masahiro Sakurai, has a bias towards his own characters. However, it's a lucky turn of events for fans of Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, one of the most critically-acclaimed titles on the handheld system. Kid Icarus: Uprising had quite the influence on Super Smash Bros for Wii U & 3DS.
However, the series still only has three representatives: Pit, Lady Palutena, and Pit's evil clone Dark Pit. One potential addition could be Medusa, one of the main antagonists from Kid Icarus: Uprising, who also appeared as the final boss in the original NES title. She could even be included as an Echo Fighter of Palutena, just like Dark Pit for Pit.
3 Ashley
The WarioWare series is tremendously underrepresented in Super Smash Bros, with only the titular character appearing from the series. However, compared to other Super Mario spin-offs, WarioWare has some of the most diverse and likable characters. One of those, Ashley, the immature witch even appears in Super Smash Bros as an Assist Trophy.
What makes Ashley such an iconic character in the WarioWare franchise is her theme song, which was given an incredibly popular remix in Super Smash Bros Brawl. Given the fact that every Super Smash Bros fan knows her name, she'd be the perfect choice to round out the WarioWare series roster while offering a much different playstyle than Wario himself.
2 King Hippo
There are plenty of great characters in the Punch-Out franchise other than Little Mac who could make unique Super Smash Bros fighters. One of those, perhaps even more iconic than Little Mac himself, is King Hippo, one of the first tough and ruthless boss characters that Mac fights in the original game, as well as its remake on Nintendo Wii.
Though King Hippo may not offer more strength with midair attacks than Little Mac, he'd surely pack a big punch like the series' other heavyweights, like King K. Rool or Donkey Kong. Even just hearing the character's iconic roars on stage would send chills down the spine of any opponent who finds themselves facing the unstoppable boxer.
1 Balloon Fighter
Nintendo has included many retro characters in the Super Smash Bros series, from Duck Hunt to Mr. Game & Watch. However, one character who has been requested by many Super Smash Bros fans is Balloon Fighter, the character from the classic NES game Balloon Fight, which even has its own stage in the Super Smash Bros series.
As an arcade classic that transitioned to the NES, Balloon Fight has certainly earned its representation in the Super Smash Bros roster. Though the character's moveset may be simple, that could honestly be a breath of fresh air in the franchise, as more recent DLC characters come with many complex mechanics and new systems to utilize them.