No Pokemon in the base roster makes sense when, outside of Inkling (who's too big to skip) and Isabelle (who's a semi-clone), all of the new characters are old fan favorites (Ridley, K. Rool, Isaac, Banjo) and obscure weirdos (Chorus Kids, Mach Rider, Geno).
New Pokemon, new Fire Emblem, ARMS, Xenoblade - "relevant" and way more lucrative as DLC, I think than, more niche stuff. Even the third parties are pretty low-key, just Echoes, Simon, and Geno. Saving Monster Hunter and Sora/Erdrick/Whoever for DLC is a much smarter bet.