Ever since Super Smash Bros. opened up the floodgates with the first third party characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Snake and Sonic), fans have been dying to see their favorite third party representative included. This has resulted in countless polls, requests, and Smash Ultimate DLC wish lists being made. Rather than looking at characters, though, it would be good to see which franchises the game would benefit from including, so here are a few fan favorites. There's no confirmation that any of these are or aren't coming to the game, this is just speculation about franchises that would fit well with the aesthetic.
Overwatch
One popular request for representation within Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Overwatch. Though it isn't nearly as popular now as it was back in 2016 when it released, Overwatch is still going strong and has an energetic fanbase. Despite this game being a first person shooter with lots of guns, its cartoonish aesthetic wouldn't feel too out of place within Smash. There are already other characters with guns as well, including Snake and Bayonetta, so the precedent is definitely there. It wouldn't be too outlandish for fans to see Overwatch in Smash during this set of DLC characters.
Regarding which character would come forward, it would almost certainly be Tracer. As the series' mascot, Tracer is easily the most recognizable of the faces in the cast, and her free flowing playstyle would fit well among the other characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In a recent AMA on Reddit, Overwatch developers said they wanted Tracer in Smash Bros., with one staff member chiming in and saying he thinks Doom Fist would be a better fit. Either way, this is a franchise that holds a lot of weight, so seeing it represented in Smash Bros. would be a treat for most.
Crash Bandicoot
The Crash Bandicoot franchise is another popular request when it comes to third party DLC characters, and admittedly the character would fit in quite well. His goofy looks and behavior would provide some comic relief to any match with him in it, and his platforming roots are akin to those of many other Smash Bros. characters. What's more, the fourth main entry in the series, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, just released earlier this week, making now a great time to promote the character through a collaboration with Super Smash Bros.
All that said, Crash himself doesn't have the most extensive history with Nintendo, and even its most recent game was not released for Nintendo Switch. Though this may make the character seem unlikely, that kind of thing hasn't stopped previous DLC characters from making appearances in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For example, Cloud is one of the most popular Final Fantasy characters, and though there have been plenty of Final Fantasy games on Nintendo consoles, he himself had never made an appearance on Nintendo consoles outside of Smash Bros. until last year's Switch port of Final Fantasy 7. With that in mind, the Crash Bandicoot franchise is definitely viable for a future Smash Ultimate DLC
Halo
Though the inclusion of Halo in Super Smash Bros. has been on the top of fans' lists since Metal Gear Solid's Snake made his way into the cast, it seems likely now more than ever. Microsoft and Nintendo have been fostering a positive relationship with one another as of late, and the proof for that can be seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's recent DLC characters. Alongside Steve, the Xbox owned Banjo and Kazooie were also added to Smash recently, much to the surprise of everyone.
With that in mind, Halo could make an excellent inclusion to the Super Smash Bros. roster. As a franchise, it is definitely a fairly violent one, but as previously mentioned so is Metal Gear Solid. Adding Master Chief to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would give fans the chance to play with a character that can effectively mix up ranged and melee attacks like no other, and his iconic nature would certainly draw crowds if he were indeed revealed for the game. With four slots still available on this Fighers Pass, fans will have to wait and see if Master Chief manages to claim a spot.
The Witcher
The Witcher franchise would be another interesting pick for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC, though there are some significant problems that should be mentioned here. For starters, The Witcher was initially a book series before it was adapted as a video game, and Sakurai has already stated that he would only include characters that originated from video games. What's more, there are already a lot of sword users in the game, and many fans may not be too happy to see another one, even if it is Geralt. Still, his mixture of melee combat and magic could be interesting, especially if the mutagenic features were worked in somehow.
Tales of Series
The Tales of series is vast, but it's most popular entry is easily Tales of Symphonia. This GameCube game introduced fans to Lloyd Irving, a character that has since become one of the franchises' most iconic. Aside from appearing in many other Tales of games since, Lloyd also appeared in Soul Calibur Legends on the Wii and as a Mii Swordfighter costume in Super Smash Bros. 4, so his connection with Nintendo is a fairly solid one.
Despite Lloyd being another sword user, he is unique in that he would be one of the few characters to dual wield swords. Another interesting connection is that Tales of Symphonia used a similar control scheme to Super Smash Bros., with players assigning their special techniques to neutral, forward, up, and down B. He is admittedly somewhat of a niche choice, but Lloyd would be an excellent addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the future, and the best representative for the Tales of series by far.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Switch.