The whole character roster needs a revamp.
Mario gets a buttload of reps because he's Mario, so there's always room for more Mario characters. Captain Toad needs in, jump or no jump. Wario has a mix of Wario Land moves and Wario Ware wackiness. Give him Mona, Jimmy, or Captain Syrup.
Zelda needs at least 4 reps but 5 or more would be more than acceptable (Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Tingle, and some one else, not necessarily Toon Link)
Donkey Kong is huge, and needs at least 3 reps, but 4 would be better, and 5 only if they could make a decent villain, or get K.Rool relevant (Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky)
Metroid needs AT LEAST 2, but 3 would be ideal, 4 if Dark Samus is a clone. (Samus, Ridley, a Metroid (would puff around like Kirby or Jiggly)
Pokemon should have 4 - 5 reps.. I get that it's popular, so go ahead and get a good mix of characters, Pikachu inclued. Jiggs has maybe overstayed her welcome, but there's room for a good mix here I'm sure.
Fire Emblem needs no more than 3 distinct characters, 4 or more if there are clones.
Kid Icarus gets 2 .. 3 including Dark Pit as a skin. That's all I have to say about that.
I'd prefer Eggplant wizard over Palutena or Dark so and so.
Pikmin needs 2 reps. 1 being Astronaut (Olimar, Louie, Alph, etc. . include them all as skins a la Koopa Kids) and 2.. a Bulborb! Include a Bulborb clone with slightly different attacks. Also, where the heck are the Pikmin assist trophies!? The creepy bird thing, the giant daddy long legs.. The Bulborb Queen. Amazing! Why not Sakurai?
Starfox ... I don't give a hoot what you think. The entire Starfox team is iconic. Starfox needs 4 reps, which shouldn't be too tricky, considering they'd all be clones of each other. Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy. James McCloud as an alternate skin.
Punchout needs 3 reps.. Little Mac (not this Hajime no Ippo Mac either... real Mac), Doc Louis is a slower Mac clone who hits heavier and has his own Side B Bicycle move. 3rd rep would be Bald Bull, King Hippo, Sandman, or Soda Pop.
Kirby ought to have 3 to 4 reps. Kirby, Dedede, (drop Metaknight.. sorry) That Icy Walrus with the butt, and maybe that Wrestling Beetle miniboss.
F-ZERO needs Captain Falcon and one other character from that series.
Dr. Mario / Luigi clones with a slightly more Dr. Mario themed flavor.
Also representing Dr. Mario, Virus trio! Like Duckhunt in that they appear to be more than one character, but work together to perform moves. Can't be separated.
Everything else can be a one shot!
Duck Hunt. Ice Climbers. Chibi Robo. Some other blasts from the past. Etc etc.
Third party characters like Mega Man and Sonic would be DLC packs with 2 to 3 more characters each. Mega man would have Mega Man of course, with a Proto Man clone. Sonic would have Tails and Knuckles.
Bomberman, Simon Belmont, and Master Higgins would be rounded up in a single DLC pack. The DLC packs would also include 3-5 new songs.
Rhythm heaven DLC includes That white little guy. Moves would summon features and characters from that game, like one of the Smash Attacks being a Wrestler Pose that would blast opponents away, etc. The Blue guy and the Ribboned Pink character would be alt skins.
I bring this from the mountain... Like, from Yahweh, dudeskis.. Next time you think about making a new Smash Game, start with this as the plan. Guide 5 teams of men, each working on 2 characters per month. Have another 2 teams working on stages. Start working on it now, Sakurai.
K, thankx bai