By Sean Michael-Patrick ThompsonApril 29, 2018
A few weeks ago I put out my picks for Zelda characters that I’d like to see in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game. I guess the idea hasn’t completely left my brain, and a comment on the last one inspired me to keep this idea going. The series has so many unique and wacky characters that it would be a shame to not give some of them the nod. So here are my top six through ten characters to add to my previous list!
#10: Groose (Skyward Sword)
This fan favorite, in my opinion, is actually pretty likely to make it in. Groose’s over-the-top personality and perfect pompadour would be a phenomenal fit for the Smash lifestyle. I’m not a diehard fan like many, but I know he’s the kind of character the series thrives on.
His moveset has many potential ways to go, but what I want to see is 100% Groosenator. Many have suggested that his marvelous machine could be his final smash, but I think it would make his character so much more unique to control his cacophonous contraption continuously. He could jump and smash enemies, maybe add rocket boosters for a recovery move, and of course his primary attack would be the front-mounted cannon. The only thing better than playing Groose in Smash might just be seeing Kirby rock that hairdo.
#9: Happy Mask Salesman (Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask)
Off-the-wall, left-field characters are one of the best things about Smash. Alongside all your favorite heroes and villains, there always has to be some weird character you never saw coming like R.O.B. or Wii Fit Trainer. Happy Mask Salesman comes with this potential plus a lot of intriguing moveset ideas.
He could be a transforming character like Zelda and Sheik; switching between Goron, Deku, Zora, and Hylian could throw off anybody’s strategy by keeping them guessing what will happen next.
Instead, he could also remain his Hylian self the whole time but use the more mundane masks to improve his moveset. Donning the Bremen Mask to summon a swarm of cuccos or dashing past everybody with the Bunny Hood or blowing your opponents sky high with the Blast Mask, I can’t think of a moveset that wouldn’t be fun.
#8: Fierce Deity (Majora’s Mask)
Do we really need another Link clone? Of course not, we need another version of Link with a gigantic double helix sword that blasts circular-saw-blade-shaped energy blasts at his opponents. Besides, it’s not really Link if you put in the Fierce Deity himself, Link only takes his form while wearing the mask. While that might be a weak argument, I still think the most badass design among all Zelda characters joining the fray would be a sight to behold.
With a stream of unrelenting attacks, he would demolish all but the most powerful foes. I think he could have a counter similar to some Fire Emblem characters to break up his overwhelming offense. In fact, now that I am thinking about how he might work, I’m a little afraid he’d be more of an Ike clone than a Link clone. Even so, he’d be an incredible addition.
#7: Darunia (Ocarina of Time)
I swore an oath to Darunia around twenty years ago that made him my brother. He gave me a magic bracelet and a shiny rock. Since then he has been among my favorite side characters, from personality to aesthetic design to his incredible fighting ability in Hyrule Warriors. I don’t even think he needs to go that route in order to wipe the floor with the rest of the cast, though. They’re all pansies compared to him.
If they did give him the Megaton Hammer, it would be expected, but I think hand-to-hand Goron martial arts would be a fun thing to see too. He could hurl flaming punches like Goron Link in Majora’s Mask, topple foes with super sumo style as seen in Twilight Princess, and maybe even scale walls super quick like the Goron Blood Brothers from Breath of the Wild. There are so many places from within the series to draw inspiration from that it begs the question: is there a wrong way to make a moveset for Darunia? I say no. Even if he sucks he’ll still be one of my mains.
#6: Linkle (Hyrule Warriors Series)
“But she’s not really cannon!” cry the masses, but I don’t care! I was so close to putting her on my original top five it’s not even funny. Hot babe with crossbows, what more do you need? Seriously, though, Linkle is my favorite original character from Hyrule Warriors, and I would love to see her grace the stages of the Smash universe… if she didn’t get lost on the way.
Linkle’s options for moveset are pretty obvious, since most of her moves from her original game could be modified to work in a 2D plane and it would work fine. If anything would need to be changed it would be minor, unless they wanted to give her a more varied move pool by utilizing her different weapons all at once. Having the crossbows armed with bomb arrows plus the Pegasus Boots (which would also make an incredible drop item) would make Linkle a force to be reckoned with.
Well there we go, the first top ten list for my top five series is officially here. That’s a statement I never thought I’d state. Let me know your thoughts. Should one or more of these have ranked higher? Is it a shame that Kaepora Gaebora got an honorary eleventh place? Sound off in the comments or on Twitter and keep the conversation sidling!
