Yes the year is 2026, and yes, I am still collecting Amiibo. What started out as Nintendo capitalising on the toys-to-life trend has become a niche little corner of Nintendo's business.
With the rate that they are being released, Nintendo has a good audience for these neat little collectibles. There are SO many Amiibo, from all corners of the Nintendo back catalogue, as well as from third party game series too.
Even though we have everything from Mario and Zelda, to Sonic and Cloud Strife, there are still many game characters that I would personally love to have immortalised as Amiibo on my shelf.
Luigi (Luigi's Mansion)
Luigi's Mansion has three games under its belt, and it is absolutely criminal to me that there is no representation within the Amiibo line-up. We have basic Luigi Amiibo, which offer nothing but the bare minimum in poses and personality. In fact, we haven't had a new Luigi Amiibo specifically in quite some time. He is often considered the forgotten brother, mistreated by his Japanese corporate overlords, and it is about time they showed us that isn't the case. Luigi's Mansion is great inspiration for a really iconic Amiibo, We could see the green plumber with his Poltergust equipped on his back. He could be walking tentatively with the nozzle in hand, or even be mid-fight, sucking up a ghost, making a great action shot. How have we not had this Amiibo yet?
Professor E. Gadd
Sticking with Luigi's Mansion, the eccentric Elvin Gadd, would make an adorable and interesting Amiibo. In the games, he is the inventor of the Poltergust, the device Luigi straps to his back to capture ghosts. At times, he can come across as a bit suspicious and creepy, and seems to delight in putting Luigi in scary situations. At the end of the day though, he is serious about clearing the ghosts, restoring order and helping Luigi anyway he can. His hair and look are perfect for figure form, and he could even have gadgets lying around at his feet, much like in the picture above.
Kiryu Kazama/ Goro Majima (Yakuza/Like A Dragon)
The Yakuza/Like a Dragon games have a long history on PlayStation, but since its popularity boomed in the west, the series has made the jump to Xbox, PC and Switch without a second thought. Two of the most famous characters are protagonist Kiryu Kazama, and his long-time rival/bromance Goro Majima. The two characters are instantly recognisable and would make very interesting Amiibo figures, especially with their clothing choices, tattoos and possible poses. Emanating an aura prior to a heat move or mid-bicycle twirling with some 'street thugs' would make for amazing collectibles.
Axel (Streets of Rage)
As a massive fan of the original Streets of Rage games on the Sega MegaDrive, I would love to see one of my most nostalgic titles get the Amiibo treatment. There are other characters in the game that could become Amiibo (if you want to make them all Sega/Nintendo, I'm not complaining) but Axel is probably the most iconic. Now, he has a couple of looks, he has his older version which is shown above and is prevalent in the latest game in the series, Streets of Rage 4. Or he can have his more youthful, early 90s, less haggard look. Personally, I'd prefer the Streets of Rage 2 era, but it is more likely they would make something more contemporary if they did. Imagine Axel striking his bare knuckle pose, a fiery uppercut showcasing his strength and power.
Zagreus/Melinoë (Hades)
Zagreus and Melinoë are the two protagonists and siblings of the games Hades and Hades 2 from Supergiant Games. These games were first released on PC, but both have had timed console exclusivity on the Switch and Switch 2 respectively. This shows that Nintendo values the games, the developer and the brand, and that the games have a mind-share of gamers, to associate them with Nintendo consoles. Both are really cool and interesting characters, and their detail and looks would translate well to Amiibo figures.
Mario (Super Mario Sunshine)
Being Nintendo's mascot, their main man, Mario is well represented in the Amiibo sphere, but one glaring omission is his adventures to Isle Delfino. Mario's version in Super Mario Sunshine might be one of his most interesting to date. Equipped with the F.L.U.D.D, his task, and his sentence for a crime he didn't commit was to traverse the island cleaning up the goo that had plagued and vandalised the inhabitants. The simple inclusion of this device paves the way for some inventive poses, like having a spray of water ascending Mario into the air and almost off the base of the Amiibo.