History EpilepticTrees / SuperSmashBrosUltimate

* Many fans speculated that the game or its DLC will include a character representing Creator/XboxGameStudios. While this may have seemed unlikely in the past given Nintendo and Microsoft being competitors in the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars much like the former did with SEGA in the past, the two companies have become quite chummy in the lead up to ''Ultimate'''s release, with moves such as allowing cross-play between UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch (even making a joint commercial touting this fact) and [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/02/microsofts-xbox-live-is-coming-to-switch-ios-android/ allowing Xbox Live to be accessible on Switch]]. Which character this would be is a matter of further speculation.
** [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] were a popular choice. In spite of Microsoft currently owning them, they have a strong history with Nintendo since the first two games in their series were some of the most acclaimed and popular games on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 and retain a passionate fanbase even to this day. On top of this, during the Fighter Ballot of the previous game, [[http://twitter.com/xboxp3/status/584023190692737024 Phil Spencer said it'd be cool if Banjo was a DLC in the game]], and as early as March of 2018 when ''Ultimate'' was announced, [[http://twitter.com/xboxp3/status/976118125891485696 he said "Yep." to a fan who asked if he was willing to let Banjo and Kazooie appear in Smash]]. And when E3 2019 rolled around, video game character plush designer Stubbins [[http://twitter.com/The_Stubbins/status/1135531644985774081 advertised, with a drawing of their Banjo-Kazooie plush, that they'd be at the event on the day of Nintendo's presentation]]; seems odd to promote characters that most likely wouldn't have a game of their own shown. Once Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct rolled around, these conspiracy theories would end up being proven [[IKnewIt right]].

** As of May 2019, it was announced that ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'' was going to be ported to the Switch in the Summer of that same year, marking the first time a ''Devil May Cry'' game has been released for Nintendo consoles (though Dante himself had actually first appeared in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS). Given that the producer of the series has stated that he wanted to see a ''Devil May Cry'' game on Nintendo consoles before Dante was placed in Smash (he was quoted saying such 3 months prior to the port's announcement), speculation for Dante's inclusion has reignited, with some people speculating that Dante's potential inclusion in Smash and the first ''Devil May Cry'' being ported to the Switch would be a package deal.

** Of these three options, the Doom Slayer was speculated to be the most likely candidate thanks to having the most amount of games on Nintendo consoles compared to the other two (1 on the SNES, 1 on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, 2 on the GBA and 2 on the Switch). This is on top of the fact that his series codified the FirstPersonShooter alongside ''Wolfenstein 3D'' (with Sakurai even going on record to say that John Carmack is "the father of FPS's"), making the Doom Slayer a key representative for a significant chunk of gaming history that has been mostly unrepresented in ''Smash'' beforehand. Eventually, like the Dovahkiin and Vault Boy before him, the Doom Slayer was also included as a Mii costume by October 2021.

* The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch gained a [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] emulator and several games as part of Nintendo Switch Online on September 4th of 2019, but one game people noticed wasn't there was ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', despite the fact that this game made it onto the SNES Classic 2 years prior. As a result, a theory came about that there would eventually be a WebVideo/NintendoDirect that announces both ''SMRPG'' for Switch SNES and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Geno]] as DLC for ''Ultimate''. Geno would be revealed to stay as a Mii Costume while ''Super Mario RPG'' is still not available as of this writing.

* Out of all the major third-party Japanese publishers/developers, Creator/KoeiTecmo stands out as not having a representative on the playable roster (though they are represented by [[VideoGame/FatalFrame Yuri as an assist trophy]]). Considering that the company has a long and strong history with Nintendo (even collaborating with each other for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors'', ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', with Koei Tecmo also doing the animation for Byleth's reveal), and that Sakurai and Nintendo have shown preference for Japanese developers, many have theorized that Koei Tecmo would receive a representative on the roster. The most popular choice by far is [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]], who is more or less their {{Mascot}}, and whose franchise has been present on Nintendo platforms since the days of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, with many saying that he'd fit in right along with other NES icons like Mega Man and Simon Belmont. Furthermore, the complete lack of spirits for ''Hyrule Warriors'' since ''Ultimate'''s launch has been pointed out as rather conspicuous, possibly hinting at an inclusion for Lana or Linkle as well. However, Koei Tecmo has received no major support outside of the Hyrule Warriors-related Spirits to be included in Smash.
* Another Creator/SquareEnix rep, [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou Neku Sakuraba]], has been speculated for Fighters Pass 2. The main reason is Square's recent interest in the series; between the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port of the first game, [[https://www.ign.com/articles/the-world-ends-with-you-the-animation-gets-its-first-teaser-trailer the announcement of an animated series]], and [[spoiler:''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''[='s=] true ending]], many believe that Square is working on a followup to The World Ends With You and putting Neku in Smash would be great promotion. A sequel for TWEWY has been confirmed with VideoGame/NEOTheWorldEndsWithYou, announced in November 2020, only adding more weight to the speculation. Additionally, Neku would be a good alternative to [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] if it was true that he was off the table due to Creator/{{Disney}}'s interest in the character and not wanting to have any of their own [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts characters]] have the crap kicked out of them, seeing as they rejected a fighting game involving Disney villains. However, since Sora was confirmed to be the final Smash fighter, that can be consider Jossed.

* When it was announced on September 17th, 2020 that ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}} 6'' would be an exclusive for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch (in the west, at least) and that ''VideoGame/Disgaea5 Complete'' was receiving a free trial for NSO members, speculation began increasing about a ''Disgaea'' representative, such as [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl]]. Up until that point, ''Disgaea'' had been a series that mostly favored [=PlayStation=] consoles, so the announcement of the next mainline entry being an exclusive for the Nintendo Switch took lots of people familiar with the series by surprise.

** When Banjo & Kazooie came out, this theory was briefly thought to be dead, as none of the Mii Costumes released alongside the bear and bird were related to them (they were [[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Goemon]] (from Creator/{{Konami}}), [[Franchise/MegaMan Proto-Man]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]] (both from Creator/{{Capcom}} and returning from the previous installment), [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Team Rocket]] (from Nintendo), and [[UnexpectedCharacter most surprisingly]], [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans]] (an indie character)). However, Terry got both costumes from SNK games (including Nakoruru, Ryo Sakazaki, and Iori Yagami) and unrelated ones (with Akira Yuki and Jacky Bryant returning from the last game). The costumes that came with Terry were all based off of FightingGame characters, so it makes sense that Akira and Jacky would return at that point. However, one very noticeable omission from this is [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi's]] Mii Costume from the previous game, leading to speculation that a Creator/BandaiNamco rep, possibly Heihachi himself, would be added later on. What's interesting to note is that Heihachi had been considered for the previous game's base roster, but Sakurai thought that implementing the movement of ''Tekken'' would be difficult. Since he had been considered for the base roster, it means that this happened prior to Ryu's inclusion in that same game, and since then, he has managed to implement Ken and Terry as well into ''Smash'', which could potentially make things easier. Eventually, a Tekken rep was included... though it turned out to be Heihachi's son, Kazuya, who got in properly instead as the penultimate DLC fighter.

* Isabelle being her own unique fighter but still sharing some aspects with Villager made some people think, or hope at least, that popular characters like [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow]] and [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest Dixie Kong]] would be given the same treatment. Of all newcomers, both base-game and DLC (not counting Echo Fighters), only Isabelle got this treatment in this game.

* With ''VideoGame/MarioKart8 Deluxe'' officially getting its own massive DLC expansion five years after its release, ''Ultimate'' getting new Spirit Events once again starting on its fifth anniversary, and Creator/BandaiNamcoHoldings, who developed the last two ''Smash'' games, announcing in November 2023 that they have two new studios focused on making games for Nintendo, there are fans who hope all these factors mean a third Fighters' Pass could be in the works, despite how much the Sora presentation focused on him being ''the'' final fighter for ''Ultimate''.

* With ''VideoGame/MarioKart8 Deluxe'' officially getting its own massive DLC expansion five years after its release, ''Ultimate'' getting new Spirit Events once again starting on its fifth anniversary, and Creator/BandaiNamcoHoldings announcing in November 2023 that they have two new studios focused on making games for Nintendo, there are fans who hope all these factors mean a third Fighters' Pass could be in the works, despite how much the Sora presentation focused on him being ''the'' final fighter for ''Ultimate''.

* Part of Waluigi's fanbase think that him being shown as an AssistCharacter is actually a RedHerring and he's a SecretCharacter, because he never appeared in any of the demos at E3 2018 and Sakurai knows how popular of a request he is. Even with the game released, some people believed he could appear as DLC. In the end, however, Waluigi does not appear as a DLC fighter, proving that his status as an assist trophy is ''not'' a red herring.

* Similarly, certain [[VideoGame/PanelDePon Lip]] supporters have noticed that the flower status effect, traditionally caused by the Lip's Stick item, has received an updated appearance for the first time in the series, leading some to believe she'll have a more prominent role this time despite the return of the item itself. Lip does appear as a Mii Costume, meaning that she is technically playable.
* The idea that some of the downloadable Mii costumes in ''Smash 4'' are being PromotedToPlayable here (not just Inklings) became spread across the fanbase due to a 4chan "leak" in July, the fact that this game shows some influence from the ''Smash'' Ballot (some of the Mii Costumes are characters that were popular to vote for in the Ballot), and evidence that Bayonetta was chosen two weeks into the Ballot, making votes later in the Ballot less meaningful. The most common characters speculated to playable from the DLC Mii Costumes are King K. Rool, Chrom, Lloyd, Heihachi, Geno, Tails, Knuckles and Ashley. This turned out to be partially correct; King K. Rool and Chrom got PromotedToPlayable characters and their Mii costumes also returned, Ashley returned as an assist trophy along with her Mii Swordfighter costume, and Tails', Knuckles', Heihachi's, Geno's, and Lloyd's Mii Costumes have returned.
* While some people are not buying the excuse for Zelda not representing ''Breath of the Wild'', others are taking suspicion over Sheik [[FridgeLogic somehow]] representing that game instead of ''Ocarina of Time'', despite never being there[[note]]At least the Twilight Princess style had some justification, as it was [[DevelopmentGag based on an unused concept for]] ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]''; that and the game's respective Zelda also being there[[/note]], leading some to believe that some surprise about the missing Zelda could be announced sometime in the future.
* Due to Rathalos being a boss fight ''and'' Assist Trophy, there's been hope/speculation of some Assist Trophies becoming playable characters (not just heroes, but villains and whatever too) anyway as well. However, only Rathalos got double duty, at least for this installment.
* When the menu was revealed, part of it was blurred, with Sakurai stating that he couldn't tell the fans about that just yet. Predictably, this has caused a ''huge'' amount of speculation, mostly relating to the potential of a new story mode akin to [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl the Subspace Emissary]]. With [[https://twitter.com/noctulescent/status/1027204063811850240 someone working out that the blurred mode reads "Spirits"]] coupled with the {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s prevalent in the reveal trailers, there is speculation on how these two things are related.

* The continued absence of Skull Kid wasn't odd in and of itself. However, his Assist Trophy seems to have been replaced by the Moon that he causes to fall, without him being there to make it fall. This is odd as Skull Kid already represented ''Majora's Mask'' fine in that district, and having The Moon and Skull Kid act as separate Assist Trophies would be strange. Add that Young Link is ([[CompositeCharacter partially]]) based on his ''Majora's Mask'' depiction, without his Final Smash being shown off yet and thus possibly also based on ''Majora's Mask'', and it seems as though Skull Kid may have been upgraded to a boss or even playable character. It helps that Skull Kid happened to have enough of a following to receive a Mii Costume in ''4'', and the increased emphasis on villains is in line with Skull Kid joining. Even the feature of bosses now also serving as Assist Trophies would explain Skull Kid's absence.
* Many fans have noticed that in King K. Rool's reveal trailer, Donkey Kong relaxes and scratches his butt while watching TV in a similar fashion to Karate Joe from ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'', claiming that this is {{Foreshadowing}} of him making an appearance as either a playable character or Assist Trophy. However, others have argued that laying on one's side like that is a stock LazyBum pose and doesn't indicate anything, which turned out to be true as Karate Joe is not a playable character here.
* While not as strongly speculated as Skull Kid, some fans have speculated about the possibility of the Black Knight being a playable character due to both him getting a Mii Costume as DLC in ''Smash 4'' and the increased emphasis on villains this time around. The fact that Chrom was made an echo of Roy rather than Ike also fuels this theory. People also noticed that the general sitting on the throne in the background for Castle Siege was edited to less resemble the Black Knight, fueling this theory even more.

* During the August 2018 ''Smash'' Direct, the room Sakurai was sitting in had two chairs in the background, one purple, one yellow. Incidental background decoration, you say? Never underestimate the ''Smash'' community's capacity to wring "clues" out of nothing (see the "DK scratching his bum" entry above). The chairs have been cited as anything from proof that Waluigi is playable, proof that Waluigi will ''never'' be playable, and an indicator of more ''Majora's Mask'' representatives (as they match the colors of the fairies from the game). This was heightened when it was discovered that King K. Rool may have been teased in a prior Direct due to a DK-like barrel, rope ladder, and books strongly resembling his color scheme that were removed in the August 2018 Direct. People have also noticed that the couch and single pillow next to Sakurai perfectly mirrors Skull Kid's own color scheme... and how the chairs seem to actually complement said couch rather than appear independently.
* Many fans have speculated that the game or its DLC will include a character representing Creator/XboxGameStudios. While this may have seemed unlikely in the past given Nintendo and Microsoft being competitors in the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars much like the former did with SEGA in the past, the two companies have become quite chummy in the lead up to ''Ultimate'''s release, with moves such as allowing cross-play between UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch (even making a joint commercial touting this fact) and [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/02/microsofts-xbox-live-is-coming-to-switch-ios-android/ allowing Xbox Live to be accessible on Switch]]. Which character this would be is a matter of further speculation.
** [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] are a popular choice. In spite of Microsoft currently owning them, they have a strong history with Nintendo since the first two games in their series were some of the most acclaimed and popular games on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 and retain a passionate fanbase even to this day. On top of this, during the Fighter Ballot of the previous game, [[http://twitter.com/xboxp3/status/584023190692737024 Phil Spencer said it'd be cool if Banjo was a DLC in the game]], and as early as March of 2018 when ''Ultimate'' was announced, [[http://twitter.com/xboxp3/status/976118125891485696 he said "Yep." to a fan who asked if he was willing to let Banjo and Kazooie appear in Smash]]. And when E3 2019 rolled around, video game character plush designer Stubbins [[http://twitter.com/The_Stubbins/status/1135531644985774081 advertised, with a drawing of their Banjo-Kazooie plush, that they'd be at the event on the day of Nintendo's presentation]]; seems odd to promote characters that most likely wouldn't have a game of their own shown. Once Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct rolled around, these conspiracy theories would end up being proven [[IKnewIt right]].
** After being pretty much a joke suggestion for the longest time, some people genuinely speculate that [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve]] may actually join the roster for real. Their main evidence is that a very trustworthy leaker stated that there is going to be ''Minecraft'' content in ''Ultimate'', though they didn't specify what kind of content. Steve supporters also argue that ''Minecraft'' having had two Nintendo console releases already and Minecraft owner Microsoft being on friendly terms with Nintendo (similar to the above Banjo-Kazooie), noting that Steve would be perfect as the first playable indie representation [[note]]Since ''Minecraft'' was the game that brought indie games into the mainsteam market[[/note]] and the gameplay of ''Minecraft'' could be replicated into a functional moveset. Come October 2020, and Steve indeed joined the roster.
** In a similar vein to the above is VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}. Like Steve, Cuphead and Mugman are the main characters of a Microsoft-owned indie game that was a runaway critical and financial success and was even released on the Switch despite initially being hard-exclusive to Xbox/PC, on top of Cuphead and Mugman themselves having a fairly diverse moveset to draw from. With the game and its developers being on such good terms with Nintendo, Cuphead/Mugman is commonly seen as another plausible choice for Microsoft/Indie rep, especially with those who feel that the brothers would make for a more interesting pick than Steve. Though Cuphead didn't join the fight in person, he ''did'' eventually get a Mii Gunner costume in January of 2020.
** For the biggest one of them all, some fans have speculated that even [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Master Chief]] could be within the realm of possibility. While his series targets a mature audience and has been exclusive to Xbox consoles, many argue that the former hasn't stopped Snake, Bayonetta, and Joker from appearing in ''Smash'' and that, much like Cloud and Joker, Nintendo might overlook the latter since ''Halo'' and Master Chief are so iconic (and perhaps the most iconic of Microsoft's characters). Others theorize that Master Chief would need a noteworthy appearance on a Nintendo-related game of some sort to "justify" his inclusion, even just [[LoopholeAbuse a smaller one]] like Cloud got with the ''[[VideoGame/TheatrhythmFinalFantasy Theatrhythm]]'' games (before ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' came to the Switch years later) or Joker got with ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth Persona Q2]]''. Master Chief did eventually fulfill that loophole due to his appearance in ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}''. However, Master Chief does not appear, as [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] is the final DLC character.

* With the recent ports of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' and ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' to the Switch, alongside the revelation in September that Bethesda were discussing future plans with Nintendo (with the former's vice president of PR and marketing, Pete Hines, confirming Smash Bros. to be one of the subjects discussed), fans have been speculating the inclusion of a Bethesda rep as DLC, with popular suggestions including; the Doom Slayer, the Dragonborn, and Vault Boy.
** Of these three options, the Doom Slayer is speculated to be the most likely candidate thanks to having the most amount of games on Nintendo consoles compared to the other two (1 on the SNES, 1 on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, 2 on the GBA and 2 on the Switch). This is on top of the fact that his series codified the FirstPersonShooter alongside ''Wolfenstein 3D'' (with Sakurai even going on record to say that John Carmack is "the father of FPS's"), making the Doom Slayer a key representative for a significant chunk of gaming history that has been mostly unrepresented in ''Smash'' beforehand. Eventually, like the Dovahkiin and Vault Boy before him, the Doom Slayer was also included as a Mii costume by October 2021.
* With the full list of Spirits being leaked, people have been combing through them in order to find characters don't have any, under the assumption that having a Spirit is a disconfirmation. The most notable absences are [[VideoGame/MOTHER3 Porky Minch]], [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters Sylux]], and most bizarrely of all, [[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Poochy]] (although [[VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld Yarn Poochy]] ''does'' make an appearance). Worth noting is that all these characters have marketing reasons to be included (Mother's 30th anniversary, heavily implied to be the antagonist of ''Metroid Prime 4'', and being heavily advertised for ''VideoGame/YoshisCraftedWorld''), which just makes the speculation even more fueled. It should also be noted that Porky's boss battle is absent. However, it is worth noting that playable fighters ''also'' appear as spirits, mostly as alternate forms of the character. In addition, ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' spirits were added in an update, meaning Sylux and Poochy could also have their spirits added when their new games are released. The fact that there was an event celebrating Mother's 30th anniversary, with no Porky Event Spirit, only strengthens the belief that Porky will be added in the future. The possibility that the missing spirits are simply oversights on the part of the game staff's spirits division has also been brought up. Then there are those who point out that spirits are functionally similar to trophies, and that some could be upgraded into playable fighters later, much like Mewtwo and Lucas were for ''4''.
** The fact that Goron- and Zora-Link are lacking Spirits is also a bit suspicious, since they are Link's most prominent forms from ''Majora's Mask'', besides Deku-Link. While Deku-Link ''is'' the form Link starts out with, these two have by far the most potential for Smash and people did take note of Young Link being a fairly generic MovesetClone, despite his potential as a unique fighter. Plus, it's a good way of making a Goron and Zora playable without breaking the unspoken rule that only variations of Link, Zelda and Ganondorf are allowed.

* The [[UnexpectedCharacter surprise reveal]] of Joker from ''VideoGame/Persona5'' as the first DLC fighter from the Fighters' Pass, as well as comments from Reggie Fils-Aime stating that Joker is "emblematic" of the approach being taken with DLC for ''Ultimate'', has led to a large change in speculation. A number of people have taken this to mean that most of, if not all of the fighters will be third-parties. Names thrown around range from [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] to [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doom Slayer]] to [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]] and even [[VideoGame/{{Halo}} Master Chief]] in some circles. Most of the DLC characters have indeed been third-parties, with Square Enix's [[VideoGame/DragonQuest Hero]] and [[Characters/FinalFantasyVIISephiroth Sephiroth]], Microsoft's [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] and [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve]], SNK's [[Characters/FatalFuryTerryBogard Terry Bogard]], Bandai-Namco's [[Characters/TekkenKazuyaMishima Kazuya Mishima]], and Disney's [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]][[note]](While Kingdom Hearts was developed by Square-Enix, Disney actually owns the rights to Sora.)[[/note]] joining the fight.

* Another datamine revealed a line referring to a model file for one of Joker's alts labelled "Jane"[[labelnote:note]][=/Jack6_C06_v01_070925.mb_Jane1_pony_hairSystemShape2.mchp=][[/labelnote]], it was debated whether or not it was an alternate gender option for Joker or perhaps a [[WholesomeCrossdresser female outfit]] for Joker, or if the line was instead referring to an assist character who would appear in his Final Smash. When a teaser for ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' was revealed on March 23rd 2019, it showed a glimpse of the then-unnamed new character Kasumi Yoshizawa. This led to fans speculating that she was the character the "Jane" line was referring to and that she'd be debuting in Smash before her game was released. The "alternate costume" theory was jossed on April 16, 2019, with Nintendo releasing Joker's gameplay trailer and a showcase of him, showing his alternate costume is his school uniform with Kasumi nowhere to be seen, though some fans speculate that Kasumi may be added in as her own fighter at a later date. This gained traction after the announcement that more fighters beyond the Fighters Pass are planned as well as an announcement that the upcoming ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' has two music tracks that are unlocked [[OldSaveBonus on the Switch version of the game if save data for]] ''[[OldSaveBonus Ultimate]]'' [[OldSaveBonus is detected]], one of which happens to be the battle theme from ''Royal'' (Take Over), which is currently absent from Smash. [[labelnote:Note]]It should be noted that the same bonus tracks are unlocked on the [=PS4=] version of ''Strikers'' if save data for either ''Persona 5'' or ''Persona 5 Royal'' is found.[[/labelnote]]

* With the full list of Spirits being leaked, people have been combing through them in order to find characters don't have any, under the assumption that having a Spirit is a disconfirmation. The most notable absences are [[VideoGame/MOTHER3 Porky Minch]], [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters Sylux]], and most bizarrely of all, [[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Poochy]] (although [[VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld Yarn Poochy]] ''does'' make an appearance). Worth noting is that all these characters have marketing reasons to be included (Mother's 30th anniversary, heavily implied to be the antagonist of ''Metroid Prime 4'', and being heavily advertised for ''VideoGame/YoshisCraftedWorld''), which just makes the speculation even more fueled. It should also be noted that Porky's boss battle is absent. However, it is worth noting that playable fighters ''also'' appear as spirits, mostly as alternate forms of the character. In addition, ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' spirits were added in an update, meaning Sylux and Poochy could also have their spirits added when their new games are released. The fact that there was an event celebrating Mother's 30th anniversary, with no Porky Event Spirit, only strengthens the belief that Porky will be added in the future. The possibility that the missing spirits are simply [[CriticalResearchFailure oversights]] on the part of the game staff's spirits division has also been brought up. Then there are those who point out that spirits are functionally similar to trophies, and that some could be upgraded into playable fighters later, much like Mewtwo and Lucas were for ''4''.

* The year 2021 [[https://twitter.com/ActualAero/status/1344902428550901761/photo/1 having many]] [[https://twitter.com/BraveBrandon440/status/1344493948404961282 game-related anniversaries]] led some fans to wonder which of them (such as ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'') would be capitalized on for a fighter reveal, if any. Others pointed out that anniversaries historically have little to no influence for planned fighters, so it would be coincidental at best.

* Due to Rathalos being a boss fight ''and'' Assist Trophy, there's been hope/speculation of some Assist Trophies becoming playable characters (not just heroes, but villains and whatever too) anyway as well.

* Many fans have noticed that in King K. Rool's reveal trailer, Donkey Kong relaxes and scratches his butt while watching TV in a similar fashion to Karate Joe from ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'', claiming that this is {{Foreshadowing}} of him making an appearance as either a playable character or Assist Trophy. However, others have argued that laying on one's side like that is a stock LazyBum pose and doesn't indicate anything.

* [[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds Hilda]] is also being speculated to be playable as an echo of Zelda. Some people pointed to the fact that Zelda is based on her ''Link to the Past''/''Link Between Worlds'' design and that she doesn't have a Hilda-themed costume, much like with Samus and Ike not having their Dark Samus and Chrom colors. Thus far, this has been Jossed, with Hilda only appearing as a Spirit.
* Isabelle being her own unique fighter but still sharing some aspects with Villager make some people think, or hope at least, that popular characters like [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow]] and [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest Dixie Kong]] will be given the same treatment.

* Due to the belief that [[VideoGame/GoldenSun Isaac]] is too popular within the ''Smash'' community to stay as an Assist Trophy, he is speculated to be DLC. This is helped by the game having code for Assist Trophies to be disabled under certain conditions, such as the Moon already being in the background of the Great Bay.

* After E3 rolled around and the game was revealed to be "future proofed" through hacks, some speculate that new characters from upcoming games will be made playable, either as completely new characters or simple Alts. Those include [[VideoGame/LuigisMansion3 Gooigi]], either [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Byleth or Edelgard]] [[note]]Prior to the former being officially revealed, some players speculated that they would be a Pokémon Trainer-esque character, with them being able to switch between students[[/note]], [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing New Horizons’s Tom Nook]][[note]]Since some complained about his absence, despite being a major recurring character[[/note]], a new [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Pokémon]] [[note]]likely the final evolution of Grookey, since there are two Fire and Waterstarters, but only one Grass[[/note]] and the new versions of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Zelda and Ganondorf]][[note]]The former is going to be an Echo Fighter, since that game’s Zelda's personality is too different from today’s Zelda. The latter is most likely going to be an Alt[[/note]] (alternatively, a different Zelda character that hasn't been revealed yet).

* The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch gained a [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] emulator and several games as part of Nintendo Switch Online on September 4th of 2019, but one game people noticed wasn't there was ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', despite the fact that this game made it onto the SNES Classic 2 years prior. As a result, a theory came about that there will eventually be a WebVideo/NintendoDirect that announces both ''SMRPG'' for Switch SNES and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Geno]] as DLC for ''Ultimate''.
* In September of 2019, it was revealed that ''VideoGame/DaemonXMachina'', a Nintendo-published game released during that month, would be receiving representation in ''Ultimate'' in the form of spirits. Several people took note of the fact that the game ''VideoGame/AstralChain'', which had been released a month prior to this and was a new Nintendo IP, didn't receive this kind of promotion, which lead to some people guessing that ''Astral Chain'' would instead be represented through a fighter added after the Fighters Pass concluded, with spirits from the game being added then.

* As the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' spirit board event requires collaborating with Creator/ArcSystemWorks, this has sparked speculation that a fighter in Fighters Pass 2 will be from them, primarily one of their two flagship fighting games' protagonists, Sol Badguy from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' or Ragna the Bloodedge from ''Franchise/BlazBlue''. Another possibility is Billy Lee from their other beat 'em up franchise ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', since the [[{{Expy}} expies]] for him and Jimmy Lee, Ryuichi and Ryuji, have appeared in the event as spirits.

* On April 18, 2020, Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s survey to collect the input of players [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1251571025244049411 had its Smash-related questions get removed for no apparent reason]], leading quite a few fans to think that the company might have accidentally hinted a character of theirs to be confirmed as upcoming DLC. Later, on the 22nd of April, [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1253147215243218944 it was discovered that Sam (Ubisoft's Siri who responds to DMs) used to respond to mentions of]] ''Ultimate'' with a message talking about the game's latest [=DLCs=] at the time (Byleth and the Altair and Rabbid Mii costumes) that ended with the statement "Here's hoping Rayman will be part of the next Fighters Pass!", but on the 22nd this was replaced with a different set of messages that only mentions ''Smash'' once and doesn't discuss the game or the Fighters Pass at all. The sudden hushing up about ''Smash'' has led to the theory that Ubisoft is trying to avoid breaking an NDA. Fueling this theory even more was the discovery [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1260306314498060289 of this]] [[https://trademarks.justia.com/745/60/rayman-74560812.html Rayman series trademark renewal]], with some pointing out that the same thing happened in regards to Banjo and Kazooie, before they got confirmed. The theory's flames were fanned even further when [[https://twitter.com/RaymanTogether/status/1341200966910140417?s=19 an update for said trademark renewal occurred on April 12, 2020,]] a discovery that was found around the same time [[CueTheFlyingPigs Ubisoft posted a brand-new render for Rayman near the end of his 25th anniversary year, after previously not doing anything to punctuate it]]. It reached a fever pitch shortly after Pyra and Mythra's reveal, when [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1368521196040564737?s=19 UbiSoft's Twitter account]] asked to the fans "If the answer were a hypothetical "Yes", what would you ask Uncle Ubi?". Their response to a fan wanting Rayman in Smash Bros. alongside more games and merchandise was a picture of WebVideo/JonTron taking notes, possibly teasing the fact that they're aware of his demand in Smash and [[ShrugOfGod can't confirm nor deny]] that he will be in ''Ultimate''.

* On July 15, 2020, a [=GameStop=] video discussing ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' included the line "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsTIB4w-Gq4&t=122 I mean, there's a reason people were freaking out when Geno was announced for Smash]]" over footage of his Spirit Battle intro screen, with the obvious problem being that he ''wasn't'' announced as anything, be it spirit, fighter, Mii costume, or anything in between. This resulted in speculation and debates over whether it was just a poor choice of words, an assumption about his Spirit (which wasn't "announced") or Mii Costume (which was only in ''3DS/Wii U''), or a script written under the expectation that Geno already would've been revealed by the time the video went live (as, had E3 not been canceled, the next ''Smash'' [=DLCs=] probably would have been revealed during the event), with the fact that he had not been shown slipping by the editors (who, if Geno was on his way, might have had a myopic view of the information). The next day, [[https://twitter.com/Polarthief/status/1283929567925809155 the video ended up]] getting delisted, and then relisted; after that, [=GameStop=] pinned a comment claiming they were referring to the Spirit battle, unpinned it, repinned it after editing it (adding a statement to the end saying that they "don't have any information regarding new ''Smash'' characters that the public doesn't have"), unpinned it again, and replied to the comment reaffirming that they don't have any unreleased information and hedging their bets on another ''Fire Emblem'' character. On the 19th, [[https://twitter.com/xheybuddyx/status/1284993458315431936 GameStop then edited the ad to cut out the sentence about Geno's "announcement" entirely, with this new version being the one to play in stores]]. Due to the very rushed damage control in spite of [=GameStop's=] [[HesitationEqualsDishonesty ignoring the discussion earlier]], the [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial multiple reiterations of their lack of information]], and the fact that they [[RightHandVersusLeftHand removed the bit about Geno's announcement despite having already claimed the cut portion was referring to the Spirit battle]], this led to the belief that it was indeed a leak, thanks to the classic StreisandEffect.

* Speculation of a ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' rep being added to ''Ultimate'' has been increasing since late 2020. Reasons being ''Fortnite'' announcements lined up for The Game Awards 2020 (though none of them turned out to be related to Smash), statements from Epic that sound similar to [=Suda51=]'s statements in regards to [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Travis Touchdown]] being in ''Ultimate,'' and a [[https://www.bestbuy.com/site/nintendo-switch-fortnite-wildcat-bundle-yellow-blue/6436771.p?skuId=6436771&intl=nosplash ''Fortnite'' themed Switch launching in 2020.]] Some are speculating that Jonesy will be a playable rep, though there are others who think that ''Fortnite'' will be represented as spirits or potentially a Mii costume.
* On December 8th of 2020, [[https://twitter.com/smashbrosjp/status/1336475652401356800 the Japanese Smash Bros. Twitter announced a tourney]] about mushrooms and mushroom-adjacent characters, whose name people translated to get "Beware of Mushrooms!". This name sounds [[SimilarlyNamedWorks very similar]] to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Va25FHP8Ug Beware the Forest's Mushrooms]], a song from ''Super Mario RPG'' heavily associated with Geno due to it being the theme of the Forest Maze, where he meets Mario's party. "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" was also among several songs that Nintendo took down in 2019; the only other ''SMRPG'' song taken down was "Fight Against an Armed Boss", which is noteworthy as Creator/SquareEnix's characters are [[Memes/SuperSmashBros known for only coming with two songs]]. This immediately led to claims that it was hinting at Geno being next, hinting at Geno ''not'' being next, or, of course, was never a hint at all and people were reading into it too much. With the English name later being revealed to be "[[https://www.ssbwiki.com/Fungi_Fever! Fungi Fever!]]", this appears to have just been an in-joke, and the reveal that Geno's Mii Costume would be returning alongside Sephiroth hampers his chances at playability greatly.
* On January 5th, 2021, a [[https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1346622515804827654 spirit event]] for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' was announced. Since there wasn't any spirits for the subseries prior to this, this has tipped off some fans to the possibility of [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] coming as a fighter, since Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have obviously contacted each other at some point prior to the Fighters Pass 2, and the original content for ''Hyrule Warriors'' in general is partially owned by the latter. Adding more fuel to the fire for this theory is Team Ninja themselves [[https://media.eventhubs.com/images/2021/01/06_hyrule-breaker01.jpg having retweeted the spirit event's announcement]].

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term planning (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 mainly featured characters whose series couldn't get their initial plans applied for the base game and followed this pattern up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub Ayumi Tachibana]].[[note]][[WhatCouldHaveBeen/SuperSmashBros Ayumi was a planned fighter for Melee,]] but passed due to her obscurity.[[/note]] While Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa, and Ayumi Tachibana were not revealed as DLC fighters, the last DLC character, Sora, was negotiated for years ever since the Smash Ballot days.