\(purely chosen off what I've consistently seen around this subreddit and elsewhere. Completely unscientific.)*

This poll is inspired by the influx of new fan rosters people are creating. The consensus in fan spaces seem to be trending more towards wanting characters in the Mario family rather than crossovers. After viewing many of these rosters, I have generally found that these 6 characters tend to show up very often. I'd like to discuss thoughts on the likeliness of these characters. I've shared my thoughts on their chances below:

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PROFESSOR E. GADD

A strange old man in a white lab coat.

Pros:

• Has maintained relevance since his first appearance in Luigi's Mansion.
• Multiple appearances and cameos in spinoffs.
• Important role in Super Mario Sunshine, even if indirectly.

Cons:

• No playable appearances yet, may be seen as more of a helper role.
• Canonically doesn't have the strength to ghost hunt anymore. May be considered "too frail" to logically join the race.

KING K. ROOL

King of the Kremlings. Sworn enemy of the Kongs.

Pros:

• Main villain of the Donkey Kong series.
• Strong enough fanbase to revive the character outright.
• Appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has increased his overall relevance.
• Has had a playable role in a Mario game before.
• Has been playable in a racing game before.

Cons:

• Whatever kept him from showing up in the Retro Studios DK games may still be in place.
• Nintendo may be waiting for a new DK game until he shows up again.
• Other DK characters may take priority.

CRANKY KONG

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Wise elder of the Kong clan.

Pros:

• Has major appearances in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
• Is playable in the former.
• Has made consistent appearances since his debut in DK media.
• Is also canonically the original Donkey Kong in game lore.

Cons:

• Other DK characters may take priority.
• Nintendo may not want too many Kongs.

CAPPY

Mario's ally in stopping Bowser's wedding.

Pros:

• Major appearance in Super Mario Odyssey.
• Also playable with the second player in the same game.

Cons:

• Overshadowed by Pauline's appearance in terms of fan and developer response.
• Hasn't done much else since his debut game.
• Might go the way of F.L.U.D.D. and never appear again after serving his role.

TOADSWORTH

Princess Peach's right hand man.

Pros:

• Major appearances in Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Party 7, alongside many smaller appearances in the Gamecube and Wii eras.
• Is Peach's parallel to Kamek.
• Owns the Parade Kart in Mario Kart Double Dash.
• Has been playable in a few spinoffs.

Cons:

• Has been missing in new games since Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
• Currently only appears in ports and remakes of titles he was previously in.
• Rather infamously absent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
• May be considered "too frail" to be in a kart at high speeds.

PRINCE FLORIAN

Prince of the Flower Kingdom.

Pros:

• Major role in the recent Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Cons:

• May be considered "too small" to realistically be in a Kart.
• May not be considered to appear again like F.L.U.D.D.

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So those are my thoughts. This isn't like a ranking, I just wanted to list their "Pros" and "Cons", and the weight of these can vary from person to person. Do you agree or disagree with my bullet points? Do you think any of them will show up in the game when it comes out? And for this poll, which of them do you think is the most likely?

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