I don't mind the 5 year gaps, per se. It's really up to Namco and the community to keep the game alive. If Namco supports the game w/ maybe a yearly balance patch, new characters, etc, and ppl still play, then a 3-year life span would be easy and ideal, w/ a 2-year down time for development.
This is why I kind of have Cassandra and Seong Mi-na in a hanging in the balance limbo on whether they would be included in the roster. They have an equal chance to be there or not be there but there doesn't seem to be enough room for the both of them. Seong Mi-na also has stronger ties to Hwang, who probably won't make it in, but Yun-seong has ties to Talim, who is all but confirmed.
Then we've got Zasalamel, and most probably Talim...
It's always possible, of course, but I figure that Yun-seong is implicitly confirmed, just personally. If not Yun-seong, really her only options are to tag along with Team Kilik, which I don't see happening, or Sophitia, who being a central pillar might not be the best choice if Talim wants to have any spotlight. I really don't think Talim is a Yoshimitsu person; that would be an incredibly strange duo. Mitsurugi always rides solo, and Siegfried and Nightmare is generally a 1v1.
I've already asked. No word back yet about that. Replacing him with a different/new rapier user would be a bigger slap in the face though, let's be honest.
This would be a good time to support your statement. Cassandra was a special char in Smash Court Tennis 2, but so was Raphael.
Lol I suppose you can say she's top 20 in popularity easily. She managed to make the instructional manga for SC4 along with Hilde, so thats something worth mentioning
In SoulCalibur III-IV, Raphael, but that doesn't really apply here... maybe Taki gets tempted? She is on the right side of the selection screen, implying some relation to Soul Edge, perhaps.
Zasalamel is immortal and operates in the shadows. This is why when I saw him in SC6 I knew he wouldn't conflict with the established lore which is something that can't be really said about the others unless you cover the time period which they appear.
Like Mi-Na in Soul Edge or Hwang in Soul Calibur, he seeks Soul Edge to defend Korea. I wouldn't judge this as wrong reasons. He simply doesn't believe that "Sword of Salvation" is evil.
Mitsurugi should change slot with Taki, since he is seeking for power, unlike her who wants to destroy Soul Edge ...
I don't use Raphael, but having Cassandra in the game and Raph out is an illogical nonsense. We have few slots left, they must be filled with chars who have an iconic own style.
Other than Raphael (maybe) ending up out of the game, there is nothing weird about any of the facts you mentioned. Quite simply, Kilik and Astaroth are more interesting than their counterparts, while Cassandra is interesting enough for people to want to tolerate her style's similarity to Sophitia's.
