Scorpion easily. Mortal Kombat is one of the biggest, most iconic, and most successful franchises in videogaming that's not yet gotten any content in Smash Bros. Recent games not releasing there be damned. It deserves a position in this playable hall of fame. And considering Scorpion is literally the guy on Netherrealm's logo, there's no one else it could be. Maybe we'd get Sub-Zero as an echo if Sakurai was feeling generous.
The Lucas situation was for the specific game not being released internationally, but Mortal Kombat doesn't have that problem, as Mortal Kombat 1-4 did release in Japan, on Nintendo systems and in arcades. So it's not really the same deal.
Sakurai is practically a walking encyclopedia of gaming history. And also a self-professed arcade monster in the 90's - there's that infamous story about him making someone else's date cry at an arcade by destroying them at KoF. And that would've been right at the time when Mortal Kombat arcade machines would've been available in Japan, before their ban. To say that the franchise would be alien to him is doing him a disservice.
Plus, Sakurai has always emphasized the "dream match" aspect of Smash Bros. We've seen him champion that when adding Sonic by playing up Mario vs. Sonic, when adding Cloud by having his poster feature him and Link clashing, and with Hero by making a big deal about the different protagonists being able to interact. Hell, he just reiterated it again when talking about the reveal of additional DLC. Do you really think he'd be unaware of the desire for Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat, one of the most requested gaming crossovers this side of Mario vs. Sonic?
Is Scorpion in Smash an uphill battle? Sure. But it's far from an impossible one.
The Lucas situation was for the specific game not being released internationally, but Mortal Kombat doesn't have that problem, as Mortal Kombat 1-4 did release in Japan, on Nintendo systems and in arcades. So it's not really the same deal.
Sakurai is practically a walking encyclopedia of gaming history. And also a self-professed arcade monster in the 90's - there's that infamous story about him making someone else's date cry at an arcade by destroying them at KoF. And that would've been right at the time when Mortal Kombat arcade machines would've been available in Japan, before their ban. To say that the franchise would be alien to him is doing him a disservice.
Plus, Sakurai has always emphasized the "dream match" aspect of Smash Bros. We've seen him champion that when adding Sonic by playing up Mario vs. Sonic, when adding Cloud by having his poster feature him and Link clashing, and with Hero by making a big deal about the different protagonists being able to interact. Hell, he just reiterated it again when talking about the reveal of additional DLC. Do you really think he'd be unaware of the desire for Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat, one of the most requested gaming crossovers this side of Mario vs. Sonic?
Is Scorpion in Smash an uphill battle? Sure. But it's far from an impossible one.