THE LAST CHALLENGERS ARE APPROACHING!

With only two characters left to be revealed in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate's DLC Pack Two (and seemingly the last two of the game) speculation has been running rampant. Whether both characters are revealed during Nintendo's June 2021 Direct, or one is revealed at a later date, I have my mind set on two possibilities of who the last two characters could be.

IMPA, The Legend of Zelda

Out of Nintendo's flagship franchises, the Legend of Zelda has been grossly underrepresented in the crossover games of all crossover games. Since the announcement of Ultimate, over three years ago, Impa was the Zelda character I wanted the most to be a playable fighter. I know that Skull Kid was/ is the more popular Zelda rep, however, Impa felt more deserving in my eyes.

The character, in various incarnations, has been a staple of the Zelda franchise since the very first game (says the manual). The iteration of the character which I wanted to join the roster back in 2018 was from Ocarina of Time. This version of the character would have a move set that could draw from her appearance in 2014's Hyrule Warriors, and fill out the lackluster female representation on the roster.

Several years have gone by since, and now the version of Impa from Breath of the Wild was displayed in her prime in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, last November. This version of Impa would play widely different than what I envision with the Ocarina of Time Impa. With the slew of new Shekiah technology, Sakurai and the Smash team could from a unique move set for her.

I feel adamant, that out of any first-party Nintendo characters, Impa has the highest chance to receive the invite.

CRASH, Crash Bandicoot

Need I say more? In 1996, Crash solidified himself as the mascot of Sony's Playstation. Even though this Naughty Dog character is a cross-platform, platforming icon, Crash in the general public's eyes, feels like the Playstation mascot, which is what would make Crash's inclusion in Ultimate make the game feel all the more encompassing.

A move set for Crash can be pulled from literally any game that he has been in. There is no shortage of material to create his attacks, recovery, taunts, final smash, etc. The look of Crash in Crash 4 It's About Time, would make the most sense to be the base of the character's look in-game. Crash 4 modifies class Crash for the modern age.

Crash so far is the biggest absence on the roster thus far and would be an exciting reveal for E3 and to fill out the fighters' pass.

One thing I do want to mention, and that is the prospect of Ultimate being the last Smash Brothers game. What if Sakurai called quits after this? If that were the case, then the last two characters I would want for this franchise would be Crash Bandicoot and Master Chief from the Halo franchise. Master Chief is the mascot of the Xbox, and much like how Crash would round out the Playstation representation, Master Chief would undoubtedly round out the X-Box representation. But in hopes that Sakurai does return to the Smash Brothers series after a much-needed holiday, Master Chief is a character I would like to see later on.

Also, just so I can say I kind of called it, Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia might have a high chance of getting into the game, and I would not be surprised if he gets the upgrade from Mii costume in Smash Fo(u)r, to a playable fighter in Ultimate.

Anyway, that does it for my Smash Bros. Ultimate predictions. I wanted to predict all of fighters pass two last year, but regardless of my predictions then being completely wrong, I am excited to see if these predictions come true or age like milk.

Thank you for reading, take care.