Who Smash Fans Want: Shantae
Who’s a half-genie platforming icon who’s a perfect fit for Smash’s Roster? Shantae, that’s who.
The half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town, Shantae has protected her slice of the world from all manners of threats over the years including Pirates, Barons, and creatures straight out of myth. She’s done this in style too, platforming her way over threats with ease while using her magic to transform into powerful animals and blow her foes away.
This makes her a perfect fit for Smash’s roster. The game already has platforming icons like Mario and Sonic, so her addition wouldn’t be that out of the realm of possibility and would give some third party representation to that section of playable characters.
Plus, her magic gives her a wide array of possible moves she could use in the game. Being able to choose between transforming into an animal with bulkier defenses, whipping enemies with animated hair, or firing off a blast of magic from afar would make for some great versatility, and give players a potential new favorite character in both
Who Fans Will Get: Tharja
Or at least, she would if Tharja, a magic user from Fire Emblem Awakening, wasn’t sitting firmly on the list of potential additions to the roster.
A mage in tune with the darker side of the Fire Emblem Universe’s magics, Tharja revels in the use of curses and hexes, bringing misfortune to her enemies just as victory seems within their grasp. When she needs to though, she can fire off traditional magic attacks like Elthunder or, yes, even wield a sword.
However, like most mages are inclined to be, she is on the more fragile side, and can be taken down with quick and successive attacks from an opponent. Likewise, she tends to fall to pieces around Robin, the game’s protagonist and the target of her affections.
If she were added to Smash, Tharja could very well be a glass cannon character with a twist. Though she might be easy to damage, her attacks could impact enemies from afar and cause lingering damage with curse effects, bringing players’ damage counters up before a standard spell or sword swipe sends them flying.
