These are the most realistic to possibly make the cut. Not each one I name will get a character, but you never know. 

1. A new Star Fox character - With the new Star Fox and with Fox appearing in the Mario, it seems Nintendo wants to show Star Fox some more love. So naturally I think we’ll probably see a newcomer in the next game. 

2. A new Kirby character and maybe an Air Riders stage - I think we’re long overdue for a new Kirby rep, and since Sakurai developed Smash as well as Kirby Air Riders, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t add some little stage of some kind and a new fighter. 

3. A new Fire Emblem character - Probably from Fortunes Weave. 

4. One of the new Pokemon starters - I think that one is a given. 

5. A Resident Evil character and stage - We’ve seen a lot of Resident Evil come to Switch and Switch 2, plus they made Amiibo for Requiem. Usually, when giving that much attention to a game, we’ll probably see it get some kind of representation in Smash. Just look at Dragon Quest. I rest my case on that. 

6. A Dark Souls character and stage - I mainly think that we’ll get this because of that new Duskbloods game that’s being developed by FromSoftware and exclusivity releasing for the Switch 2. The reason I’m not going for a Duskbloods rep is mainly because, depending on when we get an announcement for a new Smash, Duskbloods will be a little bit too new to get a rep. Dark Souls however is very plausible and probably the most deserving game to be represented. Dark Souls (and Demon Souls) pretty much created an entire genre of games (Soulslike), which you see constantly get replicated in some way, like in Lies of P, Another Crab’s Treasure, Black Myth Wukong, etc. For that kind of impact alone it kind of deserves something in Smash. Personally I’m not the hugest fan of the series, but I can’t deny how important it is to gaming history. 

7. A Monster Hunter boss - We had Rathalos in Ultimate, so I think it’s possible we’ll see a new Monster Hunter boss in the game. I think it would be nice to see one from Wilds. I don’t know why, I just really like a lot of those monsters. 

8. A Bloodborne Mii costume - Just like Dark Souls, Bloodborne is well-beloved by many fans of the genre and, while I don’t think it will get a character in the game (would love to be wrong), I think it’s possible we could see a Mii costume, depending on if the Miis return (which they probably will). 

9. An Elden Ring boss - Again, like with Bloodborne, Elden Ring is another well-beloved Soulslike and I can imagine it getting some kind of representation in Smash. Apparently there’s a lot of cool bosses in the game, so I think adding one of those to the game would be pretty awesome. 

Games I believe will be realistically represented in the next Smash Bros