With Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch set to come out this year, many followers naturally want to see all of their favorite characters added to the roster, and sometimes hope to see further representation of already-existing franchises in the game--most notably the Donkey Kong series.

 

Since Brawl & before, many fans have wanted to see King K. Rool, the main antagonist in the classic Donkey Kong Country trilogy & Donkey Kong 64, appear as a fighter in Smash. After getting a downloadable Wave 3 Mii costume of him in Smash for Wii U, some believe that fate could be smiling upon the big guy. While King K. Rool is indeed a possible candidate, there's another character whose chance of making the cut is arguably better. Namely, Dixie Kong. 

 

Since her debut in DKC2, and her lead role in DKC3, Dixie Kong has become a staple and a fan favorite in the Donkey Kong universe. With her latest appearance in Tropical Freeze, now re-released for the Switch, she gets the best of both worlds as a classic & current character, and proves she's still a nimble fighter and ready for action.

With her versatile ponytail that she uses to fly & glide, lift objects and bash her enemies, as well as her guitar and newly equipped gumball popgun, Dixie Kong has enough to work with that could bring a relatively new gameplay mechanic to the table, and deem her a potentially formidable foe. Additionally, new female fighters are always welcome to join Smash, and Dixie would fit like a glove.

Interestingly, Dixie Kong is among "The Forbidden Seven," and was planned to be included in Brawl as a tag-team swap-out partner for Diddy Kong, but got scrapped due to technical issues with implementation. In other words, Dixie has not gone unnoticed as an eligible newcomer, and could be expected to join the battle. Will Diddy's girlfriend finally get her big break this time around? Stay tuned . . .

So, although she's had relatively less acknowledgment, Dixie Kong isn't far from possible to become the next Donkey Kong representative in Super Smash Bros. While King K. Rool has the villainous charisma, along with a massive bandwagon of advocates, Dixie makes a more recent appearance in Tropical Freeze, and continues to grab gamers' attention far and wide. That being said, both characters would be neat additions, but if it came down to one, we could be looking at Dixie.

Finally, it's important to remember that there's much more that goes into choosing new Smash fighters than just popular demand, representation, recent appearances, previous consideration and overall being a "good fit." If there's truly one thing Smash can be sometimes, it's unpredictable. So until stated otherwise, no character is guaranteed, and everybody is fair game and up for debate & speculation. We may not see Dixie Kong, or King K. Rool make the roster, and could easily be left with just Donkey & Diddy Kong again. But for now, there's room for some cautious optimism.