Guest combatants like Pac-Man and Klonoa seem like no-brainers in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U since their publisher, Namco Bandai, co-develops the brawler, but the addition of Capcom’s Mega Man means that any character has a shot of joining the roster.

Since the inclusion of Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog and Konami’s Solid Snake in 2008′s Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, fans of Nintendo’s fighting game series have wondered what other third-party characters might show up in future installments.

After browsing through a long list of third-party games from older Nintendo consoles, we selected 10 possible contenders eager to stomp on Mario’s head. Check them out in the gallery below.

Belmonts slay monsters for a living, so Simon won’t hesitate to crack his whip against weirdos like Bowser, Donkey Kong, or Wario. Subweapons like the boomerang cross, throwing ax, and holy water make the vampire hunter a dangerous adversary at any distance.
Tecmo’s dragon ninja has the speed, agility, and strength to become one of the best characters in Smash Bros. Ryu could use quick sword slashes for close-quarters combat, Windmill Throwing Stars to clear the path in front and behind him, and the Art of the Fire Wheel to thwart aerial strikes.
The rugged wild man would appeal to players of Mario and Luigi because of his high jumps, mastery of fireballs, and dinosaur-riding skills. If Higgins finds himself in a bind, he can quickly escape on his rad skateboard.
The bipedal amphibians would dominate at close range with overpowered attacks like ramming horns and spiked boots. Like the Ice Climbers, you could only play as one toad and have the CPU control the other two. They’d all share the same health, so only choose them if you’re an advanced player.
Link is not the only mute, left-handed swordsman in town. Crono could harm multiple opponents simultaneously with his Wind Slash and Cyclone attacks, or he could infuse his sword with lightning to decimate a single foe with a Frenzy combo slash.
Built for the sole purpose of creating explosives, Bomberman has spent his entire virtual life blowing stuff up. His massive arsenal of booby traps — like gravity, wind, and poison bombs — can break any rival’s defense.
The mystical ninja whacks nearby opponents with his pipe, swings his yo-yo to counter airborne attacks, and throws coins as projectiles. His Final Smash would put you in control of Impact, the giant robot. You could play as Ebisumaru, Goemon’s bumbling friend, via an unlockable alternate outfit.
The Smash Bros. competition is tough, but not as harsh as getting through high school. The skills Ryan and Alex have learned from reading martial arts books — like Stone Hands, Grand Slam, and Acro Circus — are sure to make any bully barf.
The knight in shining armor – inexplicably portrayed as a barbarian on the cover of Ironsword: Wizards and Wariors II – brings his medieval armaments (boomerang dagger, ax) and performance-enhancing elixirs into battle. When desperate, Kuros can break out the Exploding Egg and harm every opponent at once.
Turok, the dinosaur hunter, comes equipped with his trademark bow and arrows, knife, and quad rocket launcher, plus a few alien weapons. Sadly, the Cerebral Bore won’t make the cut because watching Yoshi’s brain explode would instantly earn the game a Mature rating.

What other characters would you like to see in the new Super Smash Bros.?

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