What do y'all think would be the basis for someone being DLC and not included in the actual game? And aside from that, what would be some factors that would keep a character from being DLC and being included in the game? (Not being popular enough, conflicts with the actual timeline, etc.)
I feel like the base roster's preferential treatment is given first and foremost to those with story relevance and series staples, so as to not be linked to SoulCalibur V, since it would appear that they realize that that was a nightmare and shouldn't be repeated. They're also going back to SoulCalibur II for inspiration, while the baseline for the story is SoulCalibur I, which will continue to SoulCalibur II, which then also includes SoulCalibur III-IV by osmosis, because they take place within the same year. That said, earlier leaks said I-III, excluding IV, so the likelihood of Hilde, Algol, and Dampierre making it in for the base roster seems a much lower chance.
Those who would be considered for DLC would be those with unique fighting styles or those with significant fanbases where marketability would be high. So a prime candidate for DLC would be Setsuka, who has little to no story relevance, but has a unique and iconic fighting style, and tons of people would want to buy her. Hilde could also make a great DLC candidate since she wouldn't have to be in the story yet her fighting style remains quite unique. Amy is another, though her fighting style is derived from Raphael, her fanbase is high enough that she would absolutely sell like hotcakes.
I hope not, but the Korean cast might actually be cut out of the base roster completely, because they have never really been all that relevant to the story, and 2/3 of them have their styles represented by other characters. The main credence for this comes from the leak that said that Seong Mi-na might not make it in. Seong Mi-na came first, but Kilik totally eclipsed her style. Hwang was a Mitsurugi/Xianghua clone and was phased out by Yun-seong, who has the true Chinese Sword style, and the only one who isn't really represented by another character. That didn't stop them from mixing his weapon and some moves into Leixia for SoulCalibur V, however. Still, I could see a scenario where they include Hwang, Seong Mi-na, and Yun-seong as a DLC bundle.
Li Long, Algol, and Dampierre might could make it in as DLC, but their fanbases are much lower, though at least for Le Bello, they seem more vocal.
Depending on how far they're willing to stretch for DLC characters, it's also possible that Z.W.E.I. and Viola would also be considerations, since they both have unique fighting styles, they're the only part of SoulCalibur V I could really see making a return for SoulCalibur VI.
