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SourceGaming Choice #11 – Who is an All-Star (Nintendo version)

SG CHoice Nintendo Alstar

Greetings fellow Smashers, it’s SourceGaming Choice time once again! If you missed us last time, we looked at our thoughts for the upcoming December broadcast. However this time, we’re going to revisit an idea that we had that lead us into setting up SourceGaming Choice #9, and that idea is simply “Who is an All-Star”. The difference here is that we’re only looking at Nintendo characters, and their status as an All-Star relative to Nintendo. So without further adue, let’s get this ball rolling.
The criteria when selecting these characters was similar to that in which we selected the All-Stars for the previous SG Choice article, we followed this set of guidelines.
1: The character must have impacted Nintendo as a company.
2: The franchise that they hail from must have a deal of success, and legacy.
3: The character must be important to their own franchise
4: That character must be a Nintendo icon and recognizable.

All-Stars:

Toad/Captain Toad – PushDustIn, Soma, Nantendo, Spazzy_D, Wolfman_J, Smashchu, TheAnvil, Neo Zero, Nirbion, Chief4Frostwraith
Toad, although not playable in Super Smash Bros, is one of the most iconic members of the Mushroom Kingdom.  He has made numerous playable appearances including Super Mario Bros 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario 3D World. Moreover, he has appeared in every Mario Kart game, having a perfect track record.  Toad has appeared in many more titles including both Mario Party 10 and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, both released this year.  Perhaps his appearances are due, in part, to his amiibo.  Part of the Mario line of amiibos, he was the first non-Smash character to receive one. Captain Toad, first appearing in Super Mario Galaxy, had his own game in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Nevertheless, Toad remains a popular character even amongst all the juggernaut Nintendo characters. – SmashChu


Inklings –
 PushDustIn, TheAnvil, Nantendo, Wolfman_J, Smashchu, Neo Zero, Nirbion, Frostwraith
Chief5Being an all-star can sometimes be a fleeting thing. Sometimes you have your 5 seconds in the sun before you fizzle out into obscurity. Arguably, at some point in the era of the NES, characters like the Ice Climbers or Takamaru could be considered a Nintendo All-Star but now this is just not the case. The Inklings fall into this category for me. Right now, with their first game being a massive seller for the Wii U; winning 2 awards at the Game Awards 2015 and beating out other big AAA titles like Halo 5, Splatoon is certainly up there with the likes of Mario. The Inklings are very recognizable to the point that no one would not be surprised if they showed up in this smash DLC. Heck, they were even wanted before their first game had come out. We do not know how long the Inklings will stay in the limelight, perhaps by this year Splatoon will have been nothing more than a fad, but as it stands now, these anthropomorphic cephalopods easily belong in this all-star category. —
Nantendo


Dixie Kong
– TheAnvil, Spazzy_D, PushDustIn, Smashchu, Neo Zero, Nirbion, Frostwraith
Dixie first made her mark as Diddy Kong’s co-star in what is often Chief6considered to be one of the elite platforming experiences of all time, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, in addition to Donkey Kong Land 2. This lead to a subsequent starring role in the 2 sequels to those games, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble, which despite releasing on the SNES after the Nintendo 64 was released, was still a critical and commercial success, as well as Donkey Kong Land 3. She remains one of the first, and few female characters to ever get a starring role in a Nintendo game.

She has since gone on to appear in a plethora of other Donkey Kong games, including Donkey Konga 2, Barrel Blast, King of Swing and even more notably, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. She has even made her way into the Mario Sports titles through games such as Mario Hoops 3 on 3, and Mario Super Sluggers. She is essentially the 3rd wheel of the Donkey Kong tricycle. -TheAnvil


Isabelle – Neo Zero, PushDustIn, Nantendo, Smashchu, TheAnvil, Nirbion, Frostwraith
Chief9
The Animal Crossing series is incredibly popular and could very well be considered one of Nintendo’s major franchises in this day and age. However, as a life sim game there is no real main character apart from the player. This meant that there was never really a mascot for the Animal Crossing series. There were a couple of good candidates but nothing really solid. That was until Isabelle came along and stole the hearts of players everywhere. Introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Isabelle is the competent but occasionally air-headed assistant to the player as he/she moves in and begins their duty as mayor.

Much like Lucina from Fire Emblem, Isabelle is being pushed by Nintendo everywhere. Isabelle was the first Animal Crossing amiibo highlighted at this year’s E3, both in card and figure form, as well as one of the bundled amiibo in Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival. Isabelle also appeared in Nintendo’s ad campaign for the New 3DS in japan alongside the likes of Mario, Link and Pikachu. She has even had her Smash debut already as the lone Animal Crossing assist trophy in Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS. I cannot imagine her popularity dwindling at any point so do not be surprised when she turns up with a major role again in the next main Animal Crossing title. – Nantendo


Ridley –
 Spazzy_D, PushDustIn, Nantendo, TheAnvil, Smashchu, Neo Zero
Chief7When you think of Nintendo villains the first that pop into mind are usually Bowser, Ganon and King Dedede. But if you asked anyone who had played a Metroid game who the main villain is they would probably tell you Ridley (or an actual Metroid but, you know, that’s like calling a Goomba a villain). Ridley is probably one of the darkest characters in all of Nintendo history, performing mass genocide and constantly coming back to torture Samus, whose parents he killed. Ridley is a scary monster but because of this he is also very recognizable.

This big purple lizard has appeared in every single Metroid title sans 2 (both of which have 2 in the title. Conspiracies…) and is also one of the most highly requested characters in all of Smash. Ridley is the Bowser to Samus’ Mario and whether you consider him a real All-Star or not probably relies on whether you feel the Metroid franchise or Samus herself deserve that title. Either way, if there is any villain missing from Nintendo’s All-Star line up so far it has to be Ridley. – Nantendo


Tingle
– PushDustIn, Wolfman_J, Neo Zero, Nirbion, TheAnvil
Chief8Kooloo Limpah! These are Tingle’s magical words, do not steal them.
Tingle originally debuted in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000). Ever since his inclusion the 30+ year old bachelor’s presence brings out a strong reaction in people. People either love him, or absolutely despise him. No matter how you feel about Tingle, he has appeared in numerous Zelda games, and even had three games in which he was a protagonist. While not in the base roster of Hyrule Warriors, he was later included in DLC and is used in the official art for Hyrule Warriors: Legends. Tingle is the most recurring side character in the Zelda franchise sans Impa. He’s already in Smash for Wii U/3DS and Brawl as an assist trophy, where he causes a random action to occur. Koloo Limpah! -PushDustIn


Tom Nook –
 Smashchu, Nantendo, PushDustIn, TheAnvil
Chief10As I previously mentioned in my write up for Isabelle there were a couple of good candidates for Animal Crossing mascots pre-Isabelle and the top of this list was Tom Nook. This devious shop keeper is seen by some to be the main antagonist of the Animal Crossing series as he is the one who sets your goals. When you enter your town for the first time it is Tom Nook who teaches you the basics and gives you a roof above your head. Alongside this however, he also gives you a massive debt that becomes your life goal just to pay off. It is always him in every game so far. Tom Nook is a much more important, driving, factor of the Animal Crossing games than Isabelle that I feel he deserves all-star status alongside her. The only reason he is not mascot is because he is arguably not as popular or cute. –
Nantendo


King K. Rool
– TheAnvil, PushDustIn, Smashchu, Neo Zero
Chief1The Donkey Kong franchise is one of Nintendo’s biggest selling franchises of all time, behind only Mario, Pokemon and Zelda. For over 3 decades, Donkey Kong has seen some of the most notable games on their respective platformes. Perhaps most notably, the extremely successful Donkey Kong Country series. King K. Rool first appeared in Donkey Kong Country 1, and has since gone on to appear as the main antagonist in the majority of the Donkey Kong adventures since then, appearing in a total of 12 different games (excluding ports and rereleases). Most notably Donkey Kong Country 2, Donkey Kong Country 3, and Donkey Kong 64.

Although he has taken a backseat in the two most recent iterations of the Donkey Kong Country, he remains Donkey Kong’s primary antagonist, one of few true recurring primary antagonists that Nintendo has in its repertoire. If Mario has Bowser, then Donkey Kong has King K. Rool. -TheAnvil


Paper Mario
– TheAnvil, PushDustIn, Wolfman_J
Chief13Mario is an iconic character, so his paper version should be just as big. Paper Mario has been the staple of the role playing Mario games.  Originally conceived as a continuation of Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario released in 1999* on the Nintendo 64, the game was well received among fans and critics*.  Since then, the Paper Mario games have been popular and well-loved.  The series has been folded into vastly different games such as Super Paper Mario, a hybrid between a platformer and an RPG. The games has continued with Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the 3DS, and the first spin-off with Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam. But among all the game is the game’s funny, well-written dialogue. Nevertheless, the series has not fallen flat, and will likely continue in the future. And this has filed Paper Mario in the documents of the Nintendo All-Star. – Smashchu


Peppy & Slippy
– TheAnvil, Smashchu, PushDustIn
Chief11Peppy and Slippy are the remaining members of the Star Fox team, and their status as All-Stars basically derives from that fact. Star Fox upon its release on the SNES instantly became a smash hit, and was followed up on the Nintendo 64 by a game that arguably surpassed that. Their roles in the game were as Fox’s team maChief12tes, they would help guide you through the games using team work.

Star Fox’s infinitely quotable lines, many of which were popularized bySlippy and Peppy have kept them forever in the forefront of gamers minds ever since. DO A BARREL ROLL! -TheAnvil


Kamek
– Neo Zero, PushDustIn, TheAnvil
Chief15Kamek has been Bowser’s right hand
man (or should I say Magikoopa?). Originally debuted in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Kamek straddles the line between Yoshi and Mario character. Kamek has been featured in numerous spin-off games, and was even originally on the roster for Mario Kart 64 (before Donkey Kong replaced him). Kamek has seen an increased role in the canon Mario games lately with a prominent role in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. Wii U and even having a major role in Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam. I feel that the future is bright for Kamek, and it should be a character on everyone’s radar. -PushDustIn   


King Boo
– TheAnvil, PushDustIn
Chief18King Boo is perhaps a dark horse Mario character, the Boo enemies are one of the most iconic recurring enemies in the Mario series, and King Boo himself is basically the big, bad (named) version of these characters.


Securing prominent roles in Super Princess Peach, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and numerous Mario spin off titles, he is perhaps best known for being the primary antagonist of the Luigi’s Mansion games, of which are among the biggest games on their respective platforms. -TheAnvil

 

Tetra (Toon Zelda) – TheAnvil
Tetra, although a Zelda has really stepped out from that role and become almostChief16 an entirely new and separate character from the usual Zeldas. First appearing with a major role in the Wind Waker, Tetra went on to make an appearance in the Wind Waker Sequel, The Phantom Hourglass. She was set to star in her own game, titled Tetra’s Trackers, though it was repurposed as Navi Trackers and packaged with the Four Swords Adventures. She is also a strong selling point for the 3DS version of Hyrule Warriors. -TheAnvil


Chibi-Robo
– PushDustIn, TheAnvil
Chief14What Chibi-Robo lacks in size, he makes up for in personality. While his games has not been system sellers, he is one of the most notable and relevant Nintendo characters to be fully excluded from
Smash for Wii U/3DS. His latest game even came bundled with an amiibo — a status that many characters on this list currently lack. Generally speaking, Chibi-Robo’s games revolve around cleaning a house and making people happy. However, his latest game was an action platformer. For more information about Chibi-Robo check out Nantendo’s Nintendo History 101: Chibi Robo series. -PushDustIn


Bandana Waddle Dee
– Neo Zero , Nirbion
Chief2The Kirby-Series is usually not known for many recurring characters. I see a lot of requests for other Kirby-characters like Prince Fluff, Magolor or Marx. But the problem is, that many of them didn’t stay long in the Kirby-Series and only had one chance (or had a tiny cameo). They lack series-representation, but only one dude made it through: Bandana Waddle Dee!

He was overlooked first in Super Star but thanks to Kirby’s Return to Dreamland and Kirby & the Rainbow Curse (in which he was the only other playable 
character in the multiplayer-mode) he gained his place in the Kirby-maincast-squad. So HAL Laboratories did a good job in pushing a “new” Waddle Dee-character, since he became a highly requested character to represent the current Kirby-games. Not only does he represent modern Kirby-Games, he also represents the recurring Waddle Dees. Like Captain Toad would be to the iconic Toads. The Kirby-Universe would feel empty without any Waddle Dees, so Bandana Waddle Dee would the the perfect chance to represent them. -Nirbion

Honourable Mentions to other Mario and Pokemon characters.
Chief17When devising this article we quickly learned that for the sake of keeping this at an appropriate length, one in which people would still enjoy reading it, we decided to ommit from the main article and mention many characters from the Mario and particularly Pokemon franchises separately. Between the two of them, there unquestionably  dozens, if not hundreds of Chief3characters that could be construed as being All-Stars. We did want to give special mentions to two characters in particular though, those being Waluigi and Meowth.

Have we missed anyone? Do you agree with our choices? Which Nintendo characters do you consider All-Stars, sound off in the comments below!

 

25 comments
  1. We have a Waluigi, but WHERE’S A DAISY?

    I guess that people don’t see her as an all star despite being the only other female to appear in over 50 games…

    FalKoopa on December 11 |
    • Daisy is very much implied in the last section referring to the vast amounts of Mario and Pokemon characters that could qualify.

      TheAnvil on December 11 |
  2. I’m convinced that Nintendo doesn’t like Daisy…

    …maybe you can write an article explaining Daisy’s chances?

  3. “2: The franchise that they hail from must have a deal of success, and legacy.”
    >puts Chibi-Robo on the list

    Bala on December 11 |
    • The legacy & history is there at least especially regarding Skip Ltd. and how the original project was saved. The Amiibo also kind of shows how much they believe in this little guy and if they continue with Amiibo support that means Chibi Robo content can get thrown into future games from here on out.

      Tbh most of this list is pushing it and it kinda makes you realize Smash has the majority of Nintendo’s big characters. I mean there is a ‘new wave’ of increasingly popular games from Nintendo from the DS/Wii era onwards, but I usually see them likened to ‘casual garbage’ by the typical Nintendo fans. It’s too bad many people don’t realize how deserving series like Wii Fit, Brain Age, and Nintendogs are of being referenced in Smash because they are among some of the best selling Video game franchises ever- which is quite the feat when they are among long running series such as Rayman or Smash or the Oregon trail, etc.

      DonkaFjord on December 12 |
  4. “Ridley is the Bowser of the to Samu’s Mario”-SourceGaming, Who is an All-Star (Nintendo version)

    Also, are you sure about King Boo.

    DekZek on December 11 |
  5. Chibi-Robo is really weird selection because he is a character from unsuccessuful franchise (I don’t want to sound like a detractor, but Chibi-Robo has even worse sales than the Fire Emblem’s least successful games). I’m not against the idea of him as a All-Star but… he can’t fit the complete criteria.

    Tetra is also a interesting choice because she only appears in three games. But otherwise I agree with the selections.

    • Not to mention that Tetra’s also the first Zelda character to talk in full voice in Navi Trackers.

      zoniken on December 11 |
    • To be fair though, Shiek only appeared in 1 canon game, and yet she’s been a mainstay since Melee. I’ve never understood that to be honest, even though I liked her in OoT.

      gojiramon on December 13 |
      • Sheik is practically a Smash character at this point. Veteran status matters a lot.

        Spazzy_D on December 13 |
  6. It depends on how lax one’s standards for “All-Star” are, and I could nitpick specific choices, but this is basically a complete listing. However, I would include (big surprise) Waluigi and Daisy simply because you see them pop up a lot in Nintendo merchandise and marketing. They’re beneficiaries of Mario massive scope as an IP.

    Igiulaw on December 11 |
  7. What a lovely list, and I honestly feel they all deserve placement in Smash or at least as All-Stars.

    Although I’m surprised Chrom isn’t on this list. He’s been so heavily advertised since Awakening, more so than most Fire Emblem characters. He’s playable in Project X Zone and Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem as well. Heck, he was even considered for Smash 4.

    the 101 on December 12 |
    • In terms of the grand scheme of Nintendo’s history Chrom may not yet be ‘up there’ in significance with the above Nintendo characters- if he keeps reappearing or being referenced then possibly (especially if FE keeps expanding its audience and becoming more popular.)

      For FE I see Anna’s reoccurring and expanding roles for all FE games (except for FE Gaiden I believe) as being a bit more important to the series as a whole since the Lords and all other characters (with a few exceptions such as Tiki or Ike, but not to the same degree as Anna) get swapped out in every new game.

      DonkaFjord on December 12 |
      • While reoccuring, I wouldn’t call Anna an All-Star, as being reoccuring isn’t necessarily the most important factor. Normally she’s just the shop keeper and her contribution to plot isn’t too huge. Inklings, for example, are All-Stars and they’ve been in only one Nintendo title. It seems to me that Chrom has been pushed as the poster-boy for Fire Emblem in a way previous Lords and characters of the series have not, similar to how Isabelle has gone on to be the poster-child for the Animal Crossing series.

        the101 on December 13 |
  8. Sorry, for being off-topic, but I would really like to know from Spazzy_D, if he ever received my e-mail, since that one contains my own Smash 4 DLC Character Case.
    If it’s really accepted, then please release it before the 15th December, since no point to discuss a DLC character case after the last batch is already revealed, am I right? Thanks in advance!

    TrinitroMan on December 12 |
    • Uhm…anyone?

      TrinitroMan on December 13 |
      • Please please please please please answer me already. The wait is getting unbearable.
        If my case is accepted, please upload it before the Final Smash Presentation.
        Please, pretty please, with cherry on top. Just let me know if it’s accepted.

        TrinitroMan on December 14 |
        • Hey, Spazzy_D replied to you via email! Check your inbox!

          PushDustIn on December 14 |
          • Whoops, didn’t saw it before.
            But yeah, I don’t really see the point in continuing the cases after all the DLCs are revealed already.
            Feels like beating on a dead horse, to be honest…

            TrinitroMan on December 14 |
  9. Impa is getting a more appearance in Zelda games. Maybe next game she might have some sort of representation as a playable or an assist trophy.

    Question: Is there any all star fire emblem outside of the playable characters from smash? Just curious. I want to know who is the most known villain from fire emblem in general. Probably Black Knight?

    KeyTree2 on December 12 |
  10. Mind if I bring up something I noticed?

    When it comes to ranking a character as an all star, there’re going to be a lot of different opinions. What I’m wondering now is…which fans’ opinions are the most valid? Does it matter more if a character is considered an all star by long time fans of their series? Or is it a bigger deal if they’re recognized more from fans outside their series?

    What has me wondering is…there’s one that might’ve been overlooked on the staff’s list. While there might be personal bias involved here, I wonder if the article only caught one side of the picture, so to speak.

    So…Star Fox. It’s a series with a lot of opinions and lines drawn in the sand, and the fact that the upcoming Star Fox Zero is another revisiting of the Lylat Wars did nothing to change that.

    While I agree that the rest of the Star Fox team have become icons…I think Krystal has reached that point as well. Though she didn’t enter the series until after 64, she’s gained quite the following for how unique she is as a character: more or less the Star Fox equivalent of a jedi. She has a rather vocal hatebase, but that doesn’t detract from all of the actual fans she has, and in fact there was quite a bit of disappointment expressed when it turned out Zero would take place before she joined the Star Fox team. Though her greatest assets lie in how unique _and_ easy to design her moveset would be, I’d argue that Krystal has also reached all star status despite a vocal minority who wants her gone so they can cling to the past.

    So…sorry if I got on anyone’s nerves with this. Writing is a learning process, and I’m slowly getting better at not unwittingly stepping on toes. I just feel like some characters get the short end of the stick a lot of the time, and I wanted to do my part to change that.

    Delzethin on December 13 |
    • I agree with you. I’m also one of those Krystal supporters too. I just don’t know why she didn’t make it in Smash even the game needs more female (heroine) fighters. Some comments that her sexual appearance may be the point but I wouldn’t think that’ll matter ever since ZSS’s inclusion. Some comments that she’ll be another Fox clone, but I’d rather say she’d use the Krystal Staff instead than just lasers and Land Masters. Another says furry female characters aren’t popular in Japan, and that may be true, but I don’t know… But even if she didn’t make it for the final DLC, I hope she’ll include for Smash 5.

      zoniken on December 13 |
      • @Zoniken: Hey, I think I recognize you! Have you been hanging around Smashboards every now and then?

        The main reason Krystal didn’t get into the base game was probably the fact that Star Fox as a series hadn’t been relevant for years. The series was so low priority at the time that Wolf was considered low enough priority to be expendable; what chance did a newcomer have? And she was given a look for Brawl, apparently, and mainly missed out because the dev team was really pressed for time. The question is whether that previous look and the deceptively high Ballot support she had can end up meaning something.

        Speaking of which, apparently she’s just as popular in Japan as she is in the Western fanbase, at least according to some research done in an article here that I can’t seem to find. Being a highly supported character worldwide has to be a big deal, you’d figure…

        Delzethin on December 14 |
    • …To be honest, that was going to have a bigger section for Pokémon characters, but then I re-read and saw you guys are handling them in their own article. >_>

      Delzethin on December 13 |
  11. I understand Waluigi and Ridley…but why King Boo?

    Anyways, I thinking for a Nintendo character who’s really iconic is really a hard subject to think of. I could add in characters like Daisy, Impa, Krystal, Medusa, Ashley, Isaac, etc. as an all-star too, but it’s really hard to say if they’re really iconic. Even to those Japan exclusive characters like Barbara the Bat, Sukapon, Captain Rainbow, etc. aren’t really iconic either. But whether their iconic or not, I still think these characters are still important to Nintendo as they made their games and the company successful, so I do think they should be treated as all-stars too, rather than a whatchamacallit “shoo-in” thing everybody’s talking about.

    I wouldn’t say Nintendo hates Daisy for some reasons. If they hated her, then she wouldn’t be in any Mario games from the first place. Only thing they couldn’t bring her in is become there are difficulties of what they can add into her for Smash. Unlike Peach whose been kidnapped by Bowser and rescued by Mario many times, and went on an adventure with Mario several times, Daisy hardly had any major actions other than playing sports, kart racing, and party games. Which means, she could’ve ended up as being Peach’s clone, which that’s something Sakurai want to avoid much as possible. But we don’t know…maybe Sakurai (or his replacement) will think something for her in the future.

    zoniken on December 13 |