Alright, folks are in big guessing mode, so I'm going back to this guessing thing, using my usual guessing method that has served me well so far: Narrative and character connections. I've had a surprisingly good hit rate so far using this method(no one's been 100% but it's been solid), so I figure I'll keep using it.
So here are my final guesses for who will be filling out these last teams. I feel like the six we get will come from these:
Basically, this is who has connections to who we have in, OR the potential Sound Beach stage(but see below.) I just listed everyone pretty objectively here. Some characters are connected to more, other less, but they all have connections(Adel is connected to both Heidern AND Ash, while Duo Lon and Shen are more Ash-connected, etc.)
Oh yeah, here's an interview with Famitsu: It states that we will be getting two more 'surprises' which I'll get to at the end, what I think that means(spoiler: two pre-XIV characters.)
So let me first address the two elephants in the room I see mostly when it comes to the discussion: the Sound Beach stage and last game's DLC:
Sound Beach Night:
This stage was featured in Blue Mary's trailer, which released a week before the delay was announced. This is sort of important to recognize; since it has not been seen SINCE Mary's trailer, as well. The fact is these trailers are probably made somewhat ahead of time-while I can't say for sure how much, but I'd say 3-4 weeks if I had to guess, going by the time Luong's was uploaded at the same time as Mary's, which happened two weeks before her own trailer. So knowing all of this, Mary's trailer was probably getting made before the delay was happening.
Which meant that this stage may be connected to one of the DLC teams, if one of those teams were originally planned for the roster but had to be pushed back. I can't say for sure, and I doubt we'll ever find out regardless, but this is just a hunch I have given how we have never seen that stage again since then.
Now, I still feel there is a chance this is the last stage! But I'm saying it *might be* tied to a DLC team instead, so I'll be giving more than one set of guesses.
Last Game's DLC:
While I myself once thought we'd be getting all the DLC main cast, I no longer think that's the case for several reasons. For one, in about every interview I've seen, they've discussed this game as if it is following a heavy narrative. They discuss 'Key Characters' to the storylines, and make a big point of showing important saga characters.
The DLC has a few characters which, while people might LIKE them, are not important to the sagas.
Plus, as listed above, we're getting 'a couple more surprises.' Now I've narrowed this down as said above, but that also puts a big damper on this theory. On TOP of that, it requires things like Kula being DLC(highly unlikely; no, not impossible, but guessing and predictions are based on likelihood and I don't see it as likely) to make room, as well as things like Rock teaming with Yamazaki, which, while not impossible, needs a lot of behind the scenes stuff and I'm failing to see how this connects with the important saga stuff at all.
FINALLY, I feel like the push on important sagas re: Heroes and Rivals, that's another reason I think Kula won't be DLC-she's the rival of NESTS.
Do I think some DLC will be main still? Yeah, I think if Heidern gets his own team Whip will be there likely with him, but I think Rock is going to be KOF's version of Baiken so they can just keep selling him, I don't see Najd back due to the fan character thing and I feel like Oswald is someone else that could end up sitting this out totally without being sold again.
So with those two things out of the way, here are my guesses, again, based on the character relationships and narrative above:
Rivals Team: Isla, Delores(Braids Lady's apparent name), Kukri.
This is simply because Kukri seems to be aligning with them narratively. Heidern wouldn't just join them to investigate I think-if he had to investigate them, he'd do it through someone else since otherwise it's far too "HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KOFFERS?" I can't really think of anyone else who can fit them atm, since the 2 surprises do not lean toward new characters thanks to how some of it was translated. Also, Kukri's clothing designs matches that of the braids lady(and they both have long, bluish-white braids, funny that), so I almost feel like they could be connected. So this is my guess for this. (Backup: Kukri will be with Ash and Betty, like the original guesses have been doing, including my own-I changed my own after Gamescom.)
K' Team: Most likely K', Kula, and Maxima. ALTERNATELY: Possibly K', Kula, and maybe Heidern, IF Heidern doesn't have his own team. I do NOT think Kula is likely DLC like some, because I feel that breaks the narrative they've been pushing of Important Saga Characters, and I believe that each main Saga Team will include at least the Hero and the Rival of each saga, which means K' and Kula. Keep in mind I am firmly and thoroughly in the 'DO NOT SEPARATE K' TEAM, THEY COME AS A SET' camp, but I *have* to allow for the Heidern possibility.
I know people like to guess Whip here, but I'm just far too iffy about Kula being DLC. I just feel like it doesn't fit the narrative, and I feel like she's not a DLC type. I think they're going to put the Hero and Rival on the team, at least. If Whip isn't with Heidern, she may end up DLC later.
Ash Team: This gets a little more complicated since it's based on where Heidern is. I think Ash and Betty are two, with Betty being one of the possible 'surprises'(despite being one of the most predicted characters). The final member I feel like will either be Duo Lon, Shen, Adel, or Oswald, if Adel is not on Heidern's team(see below.) All of these characters have narrative ties to that saga(the former two teaming with Ash, Adel as the co-protagonist of the saga). Duo Lon, Adel or Shen would ALL tick the 'Surprise' button, since they're all pre-XIV, and quite popular at that.
Oswald isn't impossible here, but I feel like Duo Lon or Shen have better narrative ties to Ash and Betty if Adel is with Heidern; Oswald only teamed one time with Ash, and it was for convenience, and he doesn't really know Betty, either. That being said, if Betty IS considered one of the 'surprises', and Adel's over with Heidern? Yeah, Oswald might fit here after all, even WITH his flimsier narrative ties. But again, that depends if Betty is considered a 'surprise' or not. Which we have no idea. She won't surprise ME, but maybe others feel differently.
Adel being the 3rd would cover Protag, Rival, and Co-Protag very well(even nailing the Joker, Queen, and King songs from XI while they're at it.)
Heidern: I believe Heidern has a good chance of having his own team, and narratively, Whip and Adelheid would be his two most appropriate teammates. He's had a thing going with Adel for ages which I've posted pictures of before but I will again just because:
He was meant to be playable in XIII but had to cut him because of resources, he's popular, and he's very possibly tied to the story right now. So for me I feel like if Heidern has his team, this is whose gonna be on it, IMHO, and Adel CERTAINLY ticks the 'Surprise' button, as said. That said, yes, I could see him on another team-K's team more likely, but he COULD end up as the third on Ash, in which case, again, see the Sound Beach section(this is far less likely though, I think.)
There is a chance, as I said, Adel ends up the third with Ash/Betty, in which case I can't say the 3rd if Heidern's on his own team. I don't think it would be anyone too special, though-possibly just someone from XIV who could be crammed there. (THAT being said, if Adel is with Ash/Betty, I do not think Heidern is getting his own team as much. It's a big connection thing.)
Sound Beach Night: IF Sound Beach Night ends up as a team in the MAIN roster, I think it'll likely be Kim's(Gang-Il, Jhun, the latter especially if Heidern is with Ash, or if Heidern is with K' and they use Oswald for the third on Ash), or some sort of Yamazaki/Billy based team, or maybe Rock or something, but I...kinda feel like Rock, again, is going to be their 'Baiken' in which I feel like they're just going to be selling him. So if this stage belongs to a team, I'm feeling the Kim/Jhun/Gang-Il combo since that covers a potential 'Surprise.' If Heidern's with K', Adel's with Ash, then this team would probably be all made up of XIV characters who might fit the stage.
But I'm kinda admittedly leaning toward Heidern getting his own team, thanks to how the cover has him set up next to Ash(a team leader), and K'(a team leader.)
DLC Set 1: Kim's team will be one if he's not on the Sound Beach thing, and I think we'll find Angel somewhere here too. Keep in mind I sort of believe these two teams were meant for the main roster, but ended up cut because none of the other characters/teams really could be due to the heavy focus on narrative.
Yes, I think Kim can be DLC. Mai was console only in XI, after all, as was Robert. I don't think he's 100% safe.
DLC Set 2: Really depends on things, but I think if Duo Lon or Shen don't get used, we could see that Dragon Spirit team with them and Kensou? Possibly a non-canon boss team, as well, where they just smash together three fav bosses like Geese, Rugal and Goenitz in a not-narratively likely but totally off the books team.
A team with Rock/Shingo or something is also possible and would probably sell gangbusters. In fact I'm pretty sure we'll see Rock and Shingo show up *somewhere* on DLC, I just dunno if it'll be in the first group or the second.
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Anyway, those are my guesses. Again, I've had a pretty good guess rate so far-I've hit most of the characters and even like five of the teams(I had guessed King on AoF on my first pass even! Only teams I missed were Agents, GAW and WT and even those I had nailed who two would be together, though to be fair that wasn't too hard. I also said that we wouldn't be getting too many XIV newcomers back on the initial roster-and it seems that I was, indeed, correct there as well.
I could totally be wrong here, though-wouldn't be the first or last time(I and many have been wrong on how big the initial roster would be, for example) but this is what I'm sticking with since the guessing method has worked alright so far.
I guess we'll see in a couple months? (You know they're going to drag this out, heh.)
