Now that “Kid Icarus: Uprising” has been released, Masahiro Sakurai and his development team are able to work on the next installment to the very popular “Super Smash Bros.” series. It’s not likely we will see the next installment any time soon – especially since it will be released on the Wii U, which has yet to be released (or even confirmed for its projected holiday 2012 release date). However, there’s also time to consider the possibilities of what types of awesome Nintendo characters could make the cut. In no particular order, here’s some food for thought.

Space Pirate (“Metroid” Series)

The “Metroid” series doesn’t have much in terms of characters, just Samus and Zero Suit Samus (who doesn’t really count as another character). The space pirates have been a staple throughout the series and have good potential for beat-em-up gameplay. Their weaponry is advanced enough to warrant a unique character and play style. Jet packs, various beams, perhaps something with Phazon – it could all add up to something interesting.

Simon Belmont (“Castlevania” Series)

Nintendo has already shown some love to other developers in the form of Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog in “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (“SSBB”). This opens doors to a plethora of other characters, but Nintendo should be wary. If the series strays too far from Nintendo characters or at least characters who have had a primary history with Nintendo, the game becomes something other than “SSB.” Simon Belmont has a strong history with Nintendo, and his arsenal is fantastic. The Vampire Killer would be the primary weapon. The knife, cross, holy water and axe could be projectiles, and the Holy Cross would be the final smash. It really adds up quite well. If done properly, Belmont could be a fantastic addition.

Quote/Curly Brace (“Cave Story”)

If you haven’t played this gem of a game, do yourself a favor and pick up one of the best side-scroller games we have recently seen. This power duo, though potentially tricky to work with, could provide a character capable of manipulating the battlefield, especially with the various guns at their disposal. The final smash could allow them to fire at the same time, allowing for complete dominance of the field. Though a lack of a melee weapon would be tricky to work out, it could work with fine tuning.

Issac (“Golden Sun” Series)

Issac can be spotted in “SSBB” in the form of an assist trophy, but it doesn’t do justice to the character. There are two representatives from the “Fire Emblem” series, so it shouldn’t be an issue to get rid of one or add another swordsman. Issac also represents the Earth Djinn, which allows earth elemental attacks. Not to exclude the possibility of his secondary attacks to be mapped to one of each of the elements, including fire, water and wind. A final smash could require to have all four djinn set, and then a summon could be unleashed. Though there is a newer “Golden Sun” out, fans should know Issac takes the top.

Funky Kong (“Donkey Kong” Series)

His name is Funky Kong. That alone is enough of a reason to include this Kong, which could be the balance between the light Diddy Kong and heavy Donkey Kong. Funky’s access to weapons allows for a delicate mix of melee and range. And besides, the series could use a little more funk.

Tom Nook (“Animal Crossing” Series)

At first thought, it doesn’t really seem like Nook could make it as a character in a fighting game, but with some creativity, it actually does. Melee attacks are not an issue here, but projectiles take some thought. His secondary moves could all be related to furniture. One move could pull out a random style chair from the series, like a wood or metal chair, or maybe even a couch if lucky. Imagine all of the moves based on pulling out random shop products against the opponents. A final smash could be something along the line of hitting an opponent with debt so hard, they suffer massive damage. It’s quirky, but could be fantastic in the series.

Characters that should be cut

Wolf

Did we really need another Fox clone with the same exact final smash as Fox and Falco? Use that data space for someone who has some actual originality.

Jigglypuff

I do not care that this Pokémon has been a staple character since the beginning of the series. Jigglypuff was nerfed so hard in “SSBB” that it is the lowest tiered character. Either something needs to be done to actually make the character more interesting or more powerful, or it needs to be removed, because there are far too many Pokémon in the series as it is.

Lucario

No one wanted him. Everyone wanted Mewtwo. Enough said.

The series needs some fresh faces with some exciting new styles in order to really make it shine. There’s plenty of time until the game even hits development, so here’s to hoping some good thought goes into who makes the cut.

Tim Jones can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @TimJones90.