BUT WHY GENO? A History of Smash Bros Predictions

With just a few spots remaining in the Fighters Pass 2 closing out the DLC of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Geno fans are as vocal as ever in voicing their support... but why DO so many people want a one-time character from a Mario spin-off to join Smash Bros? What does this puppet with no game appearances in 25 years have that makes him so important next to the other major fan requests like Crash, Sora and Waluigi? In this retrospective, I take a look at who Geno is, why he became popular, and when he started to be proposed as a candidate for Smash that would start to top the DLC popularity polls. This case runs a lot deeper than people being nostalgic for Super Mario RPG - there's actually a pretty unique reason dating all the way back to Brawl that wouldn't be obvious to players who started with Smash 4 and Ultimate!

Do you want Geno in Smash Ultimate, or do you think he doesn't deserve one of the four remaining places? I may be a Geno fan, but it's totally understandable why people just wouldn't get the appeal. All I want to do with this video is tell the story of how the trend started, something I've not been able to find in any of the other Geno videos on YouTube. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Update: Well RIP, Sephiroth brought a pretty quick end to Geno's chances and the Mii Gunner costume has returned. But that's not too bad, Sephiroth is a marvellous addition to the game and I will absolutely take the Mii costume over no Geno at all. A deluxe costume with a Forest Maze track would've been ideal, but I can now play Geno in some form and this video still works as evidence of why the demand was there to begin with!

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CREDITS

Geno render was created by @NibrocRock
Other renders in the video were created by @RendersSSBU, @DMSMario_ and fluxmage

Geno Project M mod and its trailer was created by LavaLatte
The Geno Mii Gunner costume mod for Ultimate was created by Miguel93298 (Musicboi Weegee) and can be downloaded from Gamebanana.

Huge thanks to Source Gaming for the use of their translations and website, while generally inspiring me to create this video.

Rawest Forest excerpt was animated by Christopher Niosi (Kirbopher)

Footage credits include: Nintendo, Square Enix, VGBootCamp, Thomas J. Ashwell and more (see endslate)

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Twitter

[abdullahahmed]

Geno: you took everything from me!
Sephiroth: I don't even know who you are

[fjdg]

Welp just like Travis, the dream was killed.

[baddragonite]

Minor correction: Snake actually wasn't seen as a hint to cloud being in smash because the original Metal Gear series was on NES before MGS existed

[ArendAlphaEagle]

15:55 I'm pretty sure Geno's Smash Tag profile icon had been in the base game for almost two years at this point. It wasn't a new thing when Min Min was added, it was already there from the beginning.

[ThomasJAshwell]

so THAT'S why you needed all my footage. Crackin' video, mate.

[saicams]

Honestly while I wouldn’t mind seeing Geno as a fighter, he looks neat and has some potential, I doubt it happens.

So far the only points for him are

1)Popular online fan request
2)Ultimate has so far included pretty much all the most highly demanded characters (Ridley, Banjo, K.Rool)
3)Sakurai considered him in the past

But the points against are

1)Tired argument, but yeah, a supporting character in one game from decades ago
2)Square Enix seem to be the most picky company on their characters, you really think they’d want to promote Geno over their other stuff?
3)Since DLC character choices were Nintendo picked, how high are the chances of a character like Geno? They’d likely be more interested in choices that are relevant to modern audiences or at least stuff that gets huge nostalgic kicks. I don’t think Geno captures that as much as some believe.
4)Mario had a dlc fighter join, yes Pirahna Plant wasn’t a fighters pass character but I doubt they give a single franchise two dlc spots
5)Even if they did, Nintendo would probably choose Paper Mario as the RPG Mario rep, or maybe Fawful or some other Mario and Luigi character as a little homage/send off to the recently closed studio.

Geno is possible but the chances of it happening are not so high I think, especially since despite the fan demand, a lot of it can be seen as less genuine, more like a meme people pretend to be serious about.

[kaitou]

Cloud Strife was in Kingdom Hearts chain of memories for the Game Boy Advance published in 2004.

[loganielsomething]

Never played Mario RPG myself, so I personally don't have any strong feelings of my own about Geno. I would however love to see him get in just so this can be the game that finally collects all the "Impossible" characters. We got Ridley. We got K Rool. We got Banjo/Kazooie. All we need now is Geno.

[kazzfuchsia]

I don’t want Geno in Smash but I learn something new today with this video. I remember that some ppl were salty when Cloud was revealed as a fighter since that supposed killed Geno changes. But now that characters like Steve and Banjo are here, literally any video game character is possible

It be awesome if Geno was revealed that his trailer included Cloud and Mario in it, to represent SMRPG fusion of FF and Nintendo.

Also Pokemon trainer should have proven that generic avatars were possible. He is not Red or Ash, just a generic Pokemon trainer.

But I just someone who got into Smash speculation in the Smash 4 days, so what do I know.

[nesmario]

hi, december called and geno is a mii costume

[justinr]

Meanwhile in 2021, after Geno is revealed for Smash:

*BREAKING NEWS:*
*Die-hard fanboys who pushed "Geno for Smash" for years online react by playing SMRPG for the first time!*

[catriamflockentanz]

"Cloud has yet to appear on a Nintendo Console."
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories... This was and always will be Cloud's first appearance on a Nintendo Console.
*GBA (SP) 11th November 2004*
That's a fact and it pisses me off that anyone just dismisses it as a small game that isn't important.
It was big enough to warrant a console themed after it.
And he wasn't just a mid-boss in the Olympus Coliseum (as many mid-bosses in the game only appear once and that's it), he also came with his own friend card, and with some of these added to your deck, he brought two really iconic moves with him: "Cross Slash" and "Omnislash"...
Don't these sound familiar to someone who knows Cloud only via Smash Ultimate...

[chardrive]

cloud actually HAD appeared on nintendo consoles in the Kingdom hearts handheld games

[Sjono]

Calling Hero a generic avatar character is like saying Link is a generic avatar character

[SeanHicksArt]

Incredible work on this video! I love the journey you’ve talked about of how Geno was requested all the way back to the time period between Smash Bros 64 and Melee. As well as covering the impact the character, and SMRPG, had on the world of Mario (and the future games to be inspired from it like Paper Mario). The evidence you covered really helps showcase as to just how much of a chance Geno has for this Fighter Pass - to those who haven’t been following that speculation. I enjoyed listening to this while working!

[alejandroe.orellanaurrea]

Excellent video. My only concern is with the "Geno icon" being added recently. I'm pretty sure that it has been in the game from release because it's my icon and I haven't changed it from the beginning until now.

[modumadman]

Super Mario RPG was an absolutely enchanting game for lil kid me, and Geno had a quality and presence that defined the magical experience of the entire game in one character.

Geno wasn't just 'cool' or 'cute', they were magical, emotionally complex, and with a visual presence that was strong enough to eclipse even that of Mario Bowser and Peach. By design, this character seemed intended to be the focus of obsession, Geno was in my childhood dreams as I'm sure as was with many others.

Mario RPG specifically was the first time a Mario Universe was made real, and it added depth and charm specifically to the now absolute icons Mario, Peach, and Bowser. The sprite work and dialogue in game was extremely expressive, especially within the context of this world they had created
the whole package created a deeper connection to these characters than possible before.

to go from a mario world made real with Geno, to likely over a hundred Mario games without Geno, at this point feels almost surreal. To see Mario, Peach, and Bowser in each Smash game they're in continue the legacy I truly believe started in Mario RPG, and to become more and more wonderfully realized, it is kinda sad that their friend from the stars hasn't been able to join them at all this whole time.

great video! you make a great case why it's taken as long as it has as well as why so many people have rallied around the character.

[themightyzoroark]

Geno deserves to be in because of how popular he is(was I guess), he was able to be in one game and be on top of most people’s wish list for smash for many many years

[Rubberman]

When it comes to Geno in Smash Bros. the answer really does vary from person to person, and there are a number of reasons why he can or should be playable, even if nowadays he's a fairly obscure figure compared to, say, Steve from Minecraft. It's fair to say that, unless you played the game or are familiar with RPGs in general, you probably only know about Geno because of the following he has when it comes to Smash Bros. speculation. And really, it's surreal to think that a character who only appeared in one game (and cameoed in another) who isn't even the main character of that game (though is still one of the main playable characters of that game) could have the following he does.

Speaking only for myself, I feel like the fact that people have wanted him for so long and that there continues to be that possibility of Geno appearing as a playable character in the game that Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai should just include him already. I know people who have wanted him since Melee, and back in those days it wasn't THAT much of a stretch to want him back then, since Super Mario RPG was still fairly recent, but the fact that he's still part of the conversation even 24 years after the fact is what's so impressive to me (and baffling to others).

Of course, that's not to say it WILL happen, that still hangs in the balance. But for what it's worth, I'd be happy to see him included.

[timepaladin]

I really enjoyed watching this video! I'm always going back and forth on whether I'm more hopeful for Sora or Geno to get in, and I think seeing this has me rooting for the puppet again. I woulda also like to point out that Geno as an online player icon has always been there, even being spotted in the final Direct before the game's release, so there's no need to worry about that affecting his chances.