Honestly, and don't everyone hate me... Hero. And not just for the goofy RNG elements (though that is part of the fun).
Here's how I find characters I like — just look squarely at their special attacks. You've got 4 - neutral B, side B, up B, and down B. You need to find at LEAST 3/4 to be useful to be a solid character, and 4/4 to be useful to be a main. My preference is to have at least one ranged attack, a good recovery, and a down B that isn't garbage. Hero is one of the only ones that has everything I want, and then some. Plus a devastating side A smash attack and some other good quick sword attacks with range. He's awesome. And he's from one of my favourite series too.
I'm quickly getting better with Banjo and really enjoying the chaos he brings to matches too. Basically, this Fighter's Pass turned Smash from a game I thought was pretty good, to one of my favorite games out right now.