My point is that getting sequel after sequel of NMH feels completely unnecessary. Travis as a character is already explored in a very thorough way in the manner that he handles sex and violence in the first game, and any further inspection of him as an individual is a bit like retreading old ground.
That said, I wouldn't be opposed to him in Smash , even if I believe his moveset would be very derivative.
I mean, like I said, NMH2 didn't convince me there was more to go with the character, but TSA proved me wrong.
Being a deconstruction of toxicity is absolutely one of NMH1's biggest strengths, but with that element of the character having been shed, the thing TSA did such a good job exploring was pathos and legacy through his character and his relationship to the escapism. It posed the tough question of what it is that drives creators and the connection we have to their work. When Suda pointed out that TSA was made as a tribute to video games, that in retrospect felt a bit like his traditional attempts at subterfuge given that the full product basically felt way more like it was a reflection of the experiences that got him, and most likely many other similar creators, to the point that they are. It's an extremely poignant story which Travis serves as the perfect protagonist for because of how much games dominated his life, and it had the most believable depiction of growth in the process that proved to me the character is absolutely worth keeping around.
A character doesn't end just because their first outing had a sharp point behind it. If it can prove its worth, it's far from unnecessary and I'd say said worth has absolutely been proven. If I hadn't known any better after beating the game, I would have thought that TSA could easily serve as Suda's retirement game, but it's clear he still has a lot more to give.