Poll of the Day > Character battle: Pre-game discussion

(+) Yeah! (+)

Surprised this sort of topic hasn't been made yet. The % is my odds of my favorite winning.

Anyways, for bracket 1:

Dante vs. Cuphead: This one seems like a no-brainer. With his multiple games and relative popularity I'd give this to Dante over Cuphead. Cuphead's only got one game and didn't get much characterization in it. However, if they use Donte for the image and there's enough nostalgia for older cartoons (doubtful but still) Cuphead might be able to get into the running. 80% in favor of Dante.

Lightning vs. Chloe: I think Lightning will win this simply because of character recognition. That said I won't be surprised if disgrunted FF fans vote for Chloe out of spite for the XIII trilogy. 55% Lightning.

Spyro vs. Chun Li: Closer than you'd think but Spyro's been a C-lister struggling to get back into the limelight for a while now while Chun Li's got Street Fighter fame to back her up. The latter will probably carry her to victory. 60% Chun Li.

Ganon vs. Neku: This one's gonna be a slaughter. Not a lot of people played Neku's games due to things like rarity while Ganon has generations of fame built up. 90% Ganon.

Vivi vs. Yu: This one is hard. IX is the overlooked FF here in the west; which is a real shame. However Persona didn't really hit mainstream till 5. Vivi's pretty beloved by the FF community but I've got no clue as to how Yu's liked. 40% Vivi, 30% No clue, 30% Yu.

Victor vs. Aya: Neither character's got a terribly strong edge here in terms of mass popularity. Victor's got the more popular/mainstream games but PE's been around for a bit. I give it to Victor but only because of Uncharted being mainstream. 30% Victor, 25% Aya, 45% No Clue

Tidus vs. DK: This one will be interesting and prime for an upset. FFX is divisive among the FF community but well liked on the whole and Tidus is... not the worst received. Meanwhile DK's got his years of seniority and classic Mario backing him up; but hasn't been out and about too much of late on the whole. I'm giving this a 45% DK, 40% Tidus, 15% Upset.

Leon vs. DB: This seems like a slam dunk. DB's got basically no character as a blank slate as opposed to Leon's actually defined character. While Skyrim's more popular ATM RE's still no slouch. I don't think it's IMPOSSIBLE for DB to win, but I will certainly be surprised. 70% Leon.

Division Favored: DK: I feel that this one will, ultimately, amount to either Dante, DK, or Ganon winning. Ganon's got a tough bracket with Chun Li and Dante while DK, if he can make it past Tidus, will have basically a straight shot for the division finals. Dante may pull off an upset (especially if Chun Li beats Ganon somehow) but I feel DK's got the best odds.
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Division 2

Zero vs. Primrose: Well... Damn. Shame that I really like Octopath since Prim is up against a solid B-tier combatant in round 1. It won't be impossible for her to win though since Zero hasn't had a major role in a bit, but the odds are against her for sure. Due to the surprise hit nature of Octopath she might just stand a chance. 65% Zero

Zidane vs. Knuckles: Another ouchie. Zidane could have bested a decent chunk of the division but got put up against a Sonic favorite in round 1. Just... Ow. That said I don't think it's hopeless if he can get the FF base to back him, but the Sonic fanbase is far more likely to rally for Knuckles than the FF for Zidane. 60% Knuckles

Noct vs. Master Hand: Well... FFXV wasn't the most liked by the community which is gonna hurt Noct, especially since his lead was one of the problems. But MH doesn't really HAVE character... But also has Ultimate coming out which will certainly help. I'd give this an even 50/50.

Wario vs. Monika: While Doki Doki was a surprise hit I seriously doubt enough people even know what it is to pose a threat to Wario. 80% Wario.

Yoshi vs. Shantae: Dang it! Another one I like almost certain to be knocked out in round 1! It's not impossible for Shante to win, but it will be an uphill battle. Yoshi has years of seniority and Smash backing him up while Shantae didn't really hit the limelight until recently. Unless she gets announced for Smash (unlikely) Yoshi just has so many advantages on her. That said, an upset isn't impossible... Just very unlikely. 70% Yoshi.

Velvet vs. James: I've got no real clue here. Silent Hill's more well known but Velvet's game is much more recent which aids her. I'd ultimately give this to Velvet but I'll fully admit it's because I'm a tales fan. 30% Velvet, 30% James, 40% fanboy admission.

Pikachu vs. Scorpion: While Scorps isn't a slouch Pikachu is the mascot of, arguably, the biggest game franchise around. 75% Pikachu.

Kratos vs. John: Hard to say since RD:R 2 is coming out and how they handle the brackets may put the vote after its release which will boost John so long as it's a good game (likely). If the recent GoW hadn't come out I might have given this to John; but there's just so much unknown here I tossed a coin. 100% coin toss.

Division favored: Yoshi, Pikachu, Knuckles. Yoshi vs. Pikachu will be the match to watch for certain. Whoever wins that bloodbath will likely have to face Knuckles unless Wario pulls an upset. Knucks has a fairly easy break with Zero not being too dangerous on the whole. I'm expecting Knuckles vs. Yoshi in the final with Smash pushing this firmly in Yoshi's hands.
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Division 3

Sora vs. Ryo: With the recent announcement of KHIII it will be surprising if Sora doesn't utterly destroy Ryo. 90% Sora.

Neptune vs. Red: Dang it! Another favorite of mine down early! Red's got a solid bit going for him as the OG trainer and Smash will almost certainly help him out at least somewhat. Nep's not down and out though if people feel Red was too much of a blank slate; but they'd also have to have played Neptune's games which, while popular, just aren't in the same league as Pokemon. 65% Red.

Cecil vs. Crash: A hard call. Cecil's not the strongest FF character and IV was a long time ago; but FF as a franchise is still going strong. Crash was popular and had a successful game released recently but a lot may only see him as a stock mascot now since he's lost a lot of prestige due to being out of commission for so long. My tilt is towards Cecil but that's only because I feel Crash's downtime might have been fatal here. 40% Cecil, 35% Crash, 25% unknown.

Ridley vs. Big Boss: With the new Metroid, Smash, and Metal Gears creator leaving I suspect that outside influences will kill BB's chances of even making it into the running. That said, if they can be pushed aside, BB has a stronger hand here. I'd give it even odds here.

Alucard vs. Peach: This one isn't even a contest. While the Netflix series might help Alucard and the ending to Odyssey will likely hurt Peach a bit the scales seem way too heavily tilted. 80% Peach.

Yuna vs. Godot: I think Yuna will win this if only because of how old and relatively niche the Phoenix Write series is and Godot's game in particular. If it was more recent Godot might stand a chance; but it's not. 65% Yuna.

Kefka vs. L-Block: A hard one to call since L-block pulled off that upset. I don't think it will pull that off again though. Assuming we don't have another L-block situation, Kefka will win. 90% Kefka unless another rally happens.

Kazuma vs. Bomberman: Hard to call here. I ultimately went with Bomberman due to icon status but I feel this is a fairly even split; especially with Bomberman not having a breakout game in decades. 55% Bomberman.

Division favored: Peach and Sora. This bracket's fairly weak on the whole with only two powerhouses. Sora's likely going to have the harder bracket but it won't be by too much unless Red or Ridley is a lot more popular than I think. I favor Peach to carry but Sora has a solid chance.
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Division 4

2B vs. Cayde-6: I'm giving this to 2B. MMO characters tend to not have the strongest showing and Destiny's not the strongest MMO either. 2B's biggest challenge will be the fact that her game wasn't that break-out; but if she can overcome that it's a straight shot. 60% 2B

Shadow vs. Ness: While Ness has the Smash factor in his favor I won't be surprised at a Sonic rally here. I feel that the Sonic fanbase will be a bit more fervent here; though I could be wrong. 55% Shadow.

Terra vs. Charizard: A very tough call. An older game with solid character vs. a Newer game with a cool character... and it sucks that I like Terra just too much to think clearly here. 100% muddled thought.

Bowser vs. Gordan: The lack of a new Half Life almost seals this in the bag. Maybe if Gabe announced it before this battle Gordan would stand a chance. Otherwise... it's gonna be a bloodbath. 85% Bowser.

Chris vs. Phoenix: I will fully admit I don't know here. My tilt is towards Chris but that's purely because RE is more well known. 10% Chris, 5% Phoenix, 85% No clue.

Ike vs. Joel: Ike may not be the strongest, but I don't think Joel will get too far here; though an upset can happy. 60% Ike.

Estelle vs. Issac: I have no clue. Estelle's games are recent and liked but Issac is also well liked and his games have at least managed to continue standing. That said, if it wasn't for the people constantly insisting on him being playable in Smash I suspect Issac would have been forgotten... but it's that same fanbase that makes me think Issac will win here. 40% Issac, 45% Estelle, 15% Dependent on the Smash fanbase.

Kirby vs. Guile: PHAHAHAHA! Not even Ryu or Ken! 90% Kirby.

Division Favored: Bowser, Kirby. While Shadow might prove tough I doubt he can best Bowser. That leaves a fairly clear shot for the division title for both. I favor Bowser due to him being a Mario character but it's gonna be tight there.
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