Possible roster for next Smash Bros entry

It feels like yesterday when I saw the commercial for Super Smash Bros for the N64 for the first time back in 1999. Back then, I was eager to get the game so I could duke it out as Pikachu (during this time I was in my Pokemon daze). The game also introduced me to Ness for the first time, which then made me aware of his earlier game EarthBound. Then when Melee came out, this entry introduced me to the likes of Marth and Roy, which then made me aware of Fire Emblem. With Brawl, I was introduced to Pit from Kid Icarus. With the exception of Ness and the Mother series, in every entry of the franchise, Nintendo includes at least one character who hasn't had a major or consistent release in the U.S., helping them boost their popularity. It's inevitable that the next entry will include new characters; however Sakurai made it clear that simply adding more does not make the game better. He has also stated that SOME characters may not return in the next game. With that being said, I thought it would be interesting to see which characters would be cut and which would be added in. I know there are already dozens of articles on different sites that have discussed this matter, and I won't claim mine will be any better or different. At least it'll make an interesting read. And remember, this is only my opinion so be prepared to take this with a little salt. To begin, let's start with the characters that I believe should be dropped from the roster:

Toon Link (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Toon Link is pretty much an exact copy of adult Link, with the same set of moves and and the same final smash animation. And he is no different than Young Link from Melee. If Sakurai's intent is to lessen repetition and add more diversity, the first step would be to avoid copy fighters.

Lucario (Pokemon)

Lucario is basically Mewtwo from Melee. He floats like him and moves slow like him. I get he is a heavy-hitting fighter but I always felt something unbalanced about him whenever I select him in a match. There maybe hope for him if Sakurai and company can fine tune him. But if not, maybe it's time he goes back into his Pokeball.

Lucas

I'll be perfectly blunt. Lucas controls just like Ness with only a few differences in fighting styles and attacks. My only guess why he was added to Brawl's roster was because he was the protagonist for Mother 3, a sequel to Mother 2 (EarthBound in U.S.), which was really popular when it was released in Japan and sold extremely well. So I guess he was only in to appeal to the Japan's crowd. But given that Super smash Bros. is already popular to begin with, it won't be necessary for Lucas to make a second appearance.

Pokemon Trainer (Pokemon)

This choice wasn't easy. I like using pokemon trainer in matches but juggling between the three different pokemon causes a little confusion, especially on attack range. And when you're deep in a match with the possibility of winning, this becomes pivotal in the moment when you want to defeat your opponent. Shuffling between the three starter pokemon during the match not only disrupts your concentration during the match, it can also leave you vulnerable to a counterattack from your opponent. This probably sounded good on paper but it's a different story in execution.

Star Wolf (Star Fox)

Star Wolf is actually a very well balanced fighter. I have no problem with him in matches. The only reason he is on this list is because his fighting style and final smash is similar to both Fox and Falco. Again, repetition.

Snake (Metal Gear Solid)

Surprised that I included him here? Don't be. As cool as it is to see Snake put Bowser in a sleeper hold, I could never grasp his fighting style. He's hard to control and his projectile attacks shoot at odd angles (who shoots an rpg downward?). I'm sure there are avid players out there who have no problem controlling Snake but recall this is SSB, not Virtua Fighter or Dead or Alive. To reiterate, the focus of SSB is balance. Whatever character you select, you'll feel comfortable controlling them regardless oh what your skill level is. This is what Sakurai is going for.

There's that list. Up next is the list of potential fighters that might be included or we would LIKE to see be included. Recall Sakurai stated that the next roster will not be as large as people might expect. And because this is a joint production between Sakurai's company and Namco-Bandai, this opens up new ideas of potential candidates.

Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia)

For those who don't know who this is, Lloyd is from Tales of Symphonia, the first [and only] Tales game released on the gamecube and is considered one of if not THE best Tales ever released. The other characters in the game would make pretty cool additions as fighters as well. I wouldn't mind throwing down using Presea and wielding one of those giant axes she's always carrying. This is only wishful thinking, but it would be a no-brainer that Lloyd would be included considering the title was a gamecube exclusive (except for the enhanced PS2 version in Japan).

Pac-Man (Pac Man)

Yeah, I know. But hey, if Kirby can do it, why not Pac Man? I can imagine what his final smash would look like: everyone on screen turns blue and Pac Man transform into a giant version of himself and swallows up everyone. A neat idea don't you think? And it fits into the absurdity of Smash.

Goku (Dragonball Z)

Before you say, "HUH?", recall that it's Namco-BANDAI, and the company also owns rights for developing Shonen-jump based games, which range from Dragonball Z, One Piece and Naruto. If you're wondering why I only included Goku and not Luffy or Naruto in this roster, the simple reason is that Goku would make an excellent heavy-hitter fighter with easy maneuverability (he can fly remember?), making him an ideal pick-up-and-play character for beginners.

Mitsurugi (Soul Calibur)

Mitsurugi is one of the most popular fighters in the Soul Calibur series and has been around since the very first game (Soul Edge) was released. He's also a favorite among players for his quick dodges and counters. He'd make a great addition as a weapons based fighter and give the likes of Marth and Link a run for their money.

Klonoa (Klonoa series)

Wa-hoo! Of all the characters I've mentioned on this list, Klonoa seems the most likely to make the cut for two reasons: the first is he hasn't had a major release in years not including the remake that was released for the Wii a few years back. So having an appearance in Smash would only behoove both the franchise and Namco. The second reason is he would make a great strategist fighter. Klonoa can grab objects with his ring and use them as projectiles, and if he were nearly knocked off-screen, he could also use these objects to jump off them. Imagine it: Klonoa and another character are nearly knocked off-screen and the two desperately try to get back to the platform. Klonoa can use his ring to grab the other opponent and use them to jump off them and land back on the platform while sending the other fighter down. Or if he can't use his ring, he can always use his floppy(?) ears to float back.

And that's that. What do you guys think? Are my predictions plausible? Are the characters I selected fit well with SSB? Let me know, and please keep it clean. No profanity.