LogFAQs > #979050448

Pikachu - Look, I know we're sick of seeing Pokemon on these things but I think Pikachu has one of the most fascinating Contest Histories of any character. First two years he looks like a complete doofus. Then mid-00s Pokemon hate kicks into full gear and he disappears completely for three years. He returns in 2007 and I take a look at the bracket and think, "You know what? Pokemon hate is pretty much done, and he's in a pretty good position here... I'm gonna send him to the Sweet Sixteen!" And dammit I called it. He goes on a repeat tour the very next year, taking down defending champ L-Block in the process in a match that I once again called, and has since become a serious threat in these things and on any given Sunday is even a legitimate upset pick against some of the weaker Noble Niners like Sonic and Mega Man. That's a turnaround worth celebrating.

Bowser - Though 3- and 4-way matches seem to be a bit of an Achilles' heel for him, in 1v1s you'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistent high-midcarder than Bowser. With the exception of the afformentioned multi-way contests, he's looked impressive in almost every match he's been in, even in losses. He's got a very strong W-L record that includes victories over other strong midcarders like Sora, Kirby and Ryu, and he's even given N9ers Snake and Crono a bit of a scare at times.

Auron - Like Bowser, Auron is a high-midcarder with an impressive W-L record who you can consistently count on to win at least 1 or 2 matches per year and is a solid pick to go on a deep run in a balanced bracket. He may not even be the strongest non-Cloud/Sephy FF character (if it wasn't Tifa before, it probably is now), he has, for so long, been an extremely strong character whose perennial presence in the contest has never really seen any fatigue the way other characters of similar strength often find. He's certainly beatable, but if you're a Ganondorf/Kirby/Ryu/Luigi/Squall/etc-tier character looking for a chance to take on a N9er, having Auron in your division should make you at least a little nervous.

Mega Man X - I'm pretty sure the only reason MMX isn't amongst the Noble 9 (thus making them the Terrific Ten) is because he was excluded from the first few contests due to CJayC mistakenly believing him and Mega Man to be the same character (a fair mistake for someone who isn't familiar with the series). Since he debuted he has consistently been one of the most powerful near-elites/high midcarders capable of taking down the vast majority of the field with ease and going toe-to-toe with Noble Niners and other near-elites. He's put up extremely impressive numbers against Mario, Crono, and even Link, and tried his best to stave off the juggernaut that was Draven.