Sakurai Interviewed by Polygon!

In a recent interview, Masahiro Sakurai talked about Smash Bros. It doesn't reveal much, but it does reveal two points, both of them negative.

Firstly, that some characters from Brawl will NOT be returning.

Secondly, that we won't be getting a Dojo this time around. It looks like we'll just be getting screenshots without any sort of text to analyze. Darn it!

I have to say that I was REALLY, REALLY, REALLY looking forward to a Dojo, but I guess that's just not in the cards right now. Given the marketing success that the previous three Dojos had, I really hope that Nintendo eventually sees the error of their ways and corrects this. If not for this Smash game, then for the next.

And as for that first point, it does bring up a question. Who is likely to be removed? Well, here's my candidates for deletion, in no particular order:

• Ness or Lucas - With Mother 2 (aka Earthbound) being put on Virtual Console, and releasing in Europe for the first time, it stands to reason that they are trying to bring back this series. Hopefully we'll get a localized Mother 3, or maybe even continue the series with Mother 4. Exactly how far they go with this will determine which of the two psychic boys is going to get removed from the roster, but I don't think that it's a guarantee that we'll keep both of them.
• Jigglypuff - Back in Pokémon's first generation, Jigglypuff was a fairly popular character. With the sixth generation coming upon us in October, I don't expect Jigglypuff to make a comeback. She has been declining in popularity immensely since the days of the first Smash Bros. game back on N64, and to be honest, I was surprised that she even made it in Brawl.
• Ganondorf - The latest Zelda game right now is Skyward Sword. Before that? Spirit Tracks. Before that? Phantom Hourglass. Before that? Twilight Princess. We literally have to go all the way back to 2006 to get to a game with Ganondorf in it. It's possible that newcomers to the Zelda series don't even know who he is. And with him being a slow sluggish version of Captain Falcon in Smash Bros, it's not much of a loss to replace him with a newer Zelda villain.
• Falco or Wolf - Krystal was one of the most anticipated and requested characters in Brawl, and she didn't get in. I think it's a given that she'll appear in the new Smash game, after how much of a fanbase she has. Trouble is, Star Fox isn't that popular of a series to warrant four characters, so either Falco or Wolf will have to be cut to make room for her.
• Ike - Marth is pretty much the face of Fire Emblem when it comes to the Smash Bros. world. Ike is a little bit expendable by comparison. I don't think that Ike will be cut in favor of a different Fire Emblem character (hopefully Hector, though Lyn is worth considering as well), but it is a possibility that I wouldn't dismiss.
• Pokémon Trainer - The "switch out your Pokémon" gimmick was genius, and I fully expect Pokémon Trainer to return. However, I anticipate that it will be a new trainer, modelled after the one in Pokémon X and Y, the upcoming Pokémon games that everyone will know about. And he'll use evolutionary relatives of Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, rather than Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. With the ability to customize your character already confirmed for X and Y, it makes alternate costumes a breeze for designing this character. That being said, the original Trainer will have to be cut to make room for the new one.
• Lucario - Pokémon is all about replacements. In Generation 2, you had to give up the ability to use some of your Generation 1 favorites, in favor of more practical newer Pokémon. The same goes for each generation afterwards. This is why Mewtwo was ultimately replaced by Lucario in the transition from Melee to Brawl. As such, Lucario could be replaced himself by a new badass Generation 6 Pokémon. Another possibility is to bring back Mewtwo, since Mewtwo is confirmed to have a new form in Pokémon X and Y, he could easily become a popular character worthy of being the center of attention again.
• Toon Link - With The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds featuring a younger version of Link that is explicitly NOT Toon Link, I don't see Toon Link making a return. At all. Though I wouldn't say that it's a complete loss. I think that the Link from A Link Between Worlds will appear. Whether they call him "Young Link" like they did with the Majora's Mask Link from Melee or give him a new name entirely though, I don't know. But I can guarantee that Toon Link, in his present form, will most likely be removed from the roster.
• Snake - The third party characters are tricky cases. You can't have too many of them, or else it risks the game no longer being about Nintendo. It then becomes a general fighting game. Fair enough. We already have Mega Man. And we may have other newcomers. Snake and Sonic may not have any ROOM on the roster at all. Of course, Sonic is extremely marketable and is a favorite amongst casual fans. Snake, on the other hand, doesn't even have that going for him. Plus, there's always the chance that Konami (or Sega) won't allow Nintendo to use their characters. Unlikely, but possible.