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This article is about Dark Samus' appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Dark Samus.
Dark Samus joins the battle as Samus's echo fighter. With floatier movement, it's a little different from Samus--and it doesn't roll when dodging or jumping. If you look closely, you can see that its bombs and missiles look a little different, too.
—Description from the Super Smash Blog.

Dark Samus (ダークサムス) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, representing the Metroid series. Her inclusion as a newcomer was revealed during the Ultimate-centric Nintendo Direct on August 8th, 2018. She is classified as Fighter #04ε, as she is the Echo Fighter of Samus.

How to Unlock[]

  • Play VS matches, with Dark Samus being the 50th fighter unlocked.
  • Clear Classic Mode with Samus or any character in her unlock tree, with Dark Samus being unlocked after Incineroar.
  • Have Dark Samus join the party in World of Light.

In the first two methods, Dark Samus must be fought and defeated on Frigate Orpheon.

Moveset[]

Attributes[]

  • As an Echo Fighter, she shares the same attacks and stats as Samus; as such, Dark Samus is also a heavily defensive fighter fitting in the Zoner-archetype. With that said, there are a few slight differences the separate them from each other:
    • A majority of Dark Samus' animations are very different from Samus. This is most notable in her walking and dashing poses, as her floaty stance allows her to completely evade certain low attacks (such as Mario's Dash attack), while Samus can't at all.
    • With the exception of Missile and Bomb, all of the Phazon-based attacks Dark Samus can perform have an electric affect on them; this means that she cannot detonate bombs from a distance or harm the Yellow Pikmin.
  • Much like Samus, Dark Samus can Wall jump and perform a Tether recovery with her Grapple Beam.

General Moveset[]

Note: The gifs used are not accurate representations of their standard knockback settings from 0%
Attack Damage Description
Dark Samus Jab SSBU
Jab - Straight / Cannon Hammer
Straight: 3%
Cannon Hammer: 8%
A punch with her hand, followed by a forearm club with her Arm Cannon.
Dark Samus Grab & Pummel SSBU
Grab & Pummel - Grapple Beam & Grab Chop
Pummel: 1.3% Grab: Uses her Grapple Beam. It is one of the slowest grabs in the game.
Pummel: Repeated palm strikes.
Dark Samus Edge Attack SSBU
Edge Attack
9% A legsweep as she climbs up.
Dark Samus Front Floor SSBU
Front Floor Attack
7% A low grounded spin kick.
Dark Samus Back Floor SSBU
Back Floor Attack
Sweeps both in front of and behind her with the Arm Cannon.
Dark Samus Trip Attack SSBU
Trip Attack
5% A shin kick in front of her, followed by a back kick behind her.
Dark Samus Dash Attack SSBU
Dash Attack - Shoulder Tackle
Full hit: 10%

Late hit: 6%

A shoulder tackle / shoulder charge. Possibly based on Samus' Shinespark ability from Super Metroid.
Aerials
Dark Samus Neutral Air SSBU
Neutral Aerial - Turning Kick
First hit: 10%

Second hit: 9% (full) / 8% (late)

An aerial roundhouse kick that hits on either side of Dark Samus. The second hit has a sweetspot. Resembles the aerial Counter Attack from Metroid: Other M.
Dark Samus Up Air SSBU
Up Aerial - Drill Kick
Hit 1: 3%
Hits 2-4: 1.3%
Hit 5: 4%
A diagonal corkscrew kick that can hit multiple times.
Dark Samus Forward Air SSBU
Forward Aerial - Aerial Fire
Hit 1: 3%
Hits 2-4: 1.6%
Hit 5: 5%
Fires off five mini explosions from the Arm Cannon in a slow downward arc.
Dark Samus Back Air SSBU
Back Aerial - Sobat
Clean hit: 14% (foot) / 12% (leg)

Late hit: 9%

A fast and powerful back kick.
Dark Samus Down Air SSBU
Down Aerial - Meteor Drop
Full hit: 14%

Early / late hit: 10%

Swings her Arm Cannon in an arc while facing downwards. It has a sweetspot that can Meteor Smash.
Dark Samus Grab Air SSBU
Grab Air Attack - Midair Grapple Beam
4%
Early: 2.5%
Fires the Grapple Beam. It cannot grab opponents in the air but can grab ledges.
Tilts
Dark Samus Up Tilt SSBU
Up Tilt - Heel Kick
On grounded opponents: 13%
On aerial opponents: 12%
A wide axe kick. It can Meteor Smash grounded opponents and horizontally launch aerial opponents.
Dark Samus Side Tilt SSBU
Forward Tilt - Spin Kick
Foot: 10%
Leg: 9%
Body: 8%

Angled -
Foot: 11%
Leg: 10%
Body: 9%

A wheel kick or roundhouse kick that can be angled. More power is concentrated at her foot.
Dark Samus Down Tilt SSBU
Down Tilt - Earth Blaster
12% Thrusts the Arm Cannon forward while kneeling and fires a small explosion.
Throws
Dark Samus Up Throw SSBU
Up Throw - Grappling Cannon
Grab: 5%
Throw: 7%
Hoists the opponent upward and blasts them high.
Dark Samus Forward Throw SSBU
Forward Throw - Grappling Throw Front
10% Throws the opponent forward in a whipping motion.
Dark Samus Back Throw SSBU
Back Throw - Grappling Throw Back
Swings the opponent behind her.
Dark Samus Down Throw SSBU
Down Throw - Grappling Throw Down
5% Throws the opponent downward in a whipping motion. Can be used as a combo starter.
Smash Attacks
Dark Samus Up Smash SSBU
Up Smash - Cover Fire
Hits 1-4: 3%
Hit 5: 6%
An anti-air attack where she fires five small consecutive explosions in an overhead arc. It cannot hit grounded opponents unless they are next to her.
Dark Samus Forward Smash SSBU
Side Smash - Arm Cannon Knuckle
Arm Cannon: 12%
Explosion: 14%

Angled Up -
Arm Cannon: 13%
Explosion: 15%


Angled Down -
Arm Cannon: 11%
Explosion: 13.5%

An exploding thrust of the Arm Cannon, similar to Mario's Forward Smash. It can be angled up or down.
Dark Samus Down Smash SSBU
Down Smash - Spinning Low Kick
Front: 10%
Back: 12%
A legsweep kick that can Semi-spike.

Special Moves[]

Dark Samus' Special Moves
Ultimate
Standard Special Charge Shot
Side Special Missile
Up Special Screw Attack
Down Special Bomb
Final Smash Phazon Laser

On-screen appearance[]

Dark Samus will emerge from a wormhole; it resembles the portals used by the Leviathans in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Idle Poses[]

Taunts[]

Victory Screens[]

  • The pose Dark Samus assumes in her first victory screen is based on a similar pose she performs during her battle introduction in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
  • Dark Samus creates a Dark Echo during her second screen; their overall animation also resembles her battle intro in Corruption.
  • In the third screen, Dark Samus' eyes will flash through her visor. This is possibly based on the SA-X's intro in Metroid Fusion.

Aesthetic[]

  • Beyond the Taunts and Idle poses, the rest of Dark Samus' non-attack animations are completely different from Samus, which include jumping, free falling, turning, braking, and item shooting. Different sound effects are also appropriately used to account for some of these changes.
  • To reference her Phazon biological makeup, all of the explosions she produces from certain attacks will be in various shades of neon blue.
  • When hit, Dark Samus will emit sparks. She shares this trait with other metallic characters (Samus, R.O.B., and Mega Man).

Classic Mode: The Great Poison Given Form[]

DarkSamusSSBUCongrats

Dark Samus' congratulatory picture

Dark Samus' Classic Mode pits her against protagonists while she is teamed up with their dark/evil/corrupted counterpart, referencing her ability to corrupt organic beings through Phazon. The title alludes to this as well, as "The Great Poison" is what the Chozo called Phazon in the Chozo Lore on Tallon IV during Metroid Prime. The song "Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes" will play during the end credits.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 SSBU Link Stock Icon (0 Default)Link Hyrule Castle "Hyrule Castle (Outside)" SSBU Zelda Stock Icon (Alt 5)Zelda is a CPU ally, referencing her possession by Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and by Malladus in Spirit Tracks.
2 SSBU Chrom Stock Icon (0 Default)Chrom and SSBU Lucina Stock Icon (0 Default)Lucina Arena Ferox "Power-Hungry Fool" SSBU Robin Stock Icon (Alt 6)Robin is a CPU ally, referencing their future self's possession by Grima in Fire Emblem Awakening.
3 SSBU Ryu Stock Icon (0 Default)Ryu Suzaku Castle "M. Bison Stage Type B" SSBU Ken Stock Icon (Alt 7)Ken is a CPU ally, referencing his transformation into Violent Ken after being brainwashed by M. Bison in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos and Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers.
4 SSBU Squirtle Stock Icon (0 Default)Squirtle, SSBU Charizard Stock Icon (0 Default)Charizard, and SSBU Pikachu Stock Icon (0 Default)Pikachu Saffron City "Battle! (Team Galactic)" SSBU Ivysaur Stock Icon (0 Default)Ivysaur is a CPU ally; while no notable Ivysaurs have been possessed or corrupted in any Pokémon game, this might instead be a reference to its ability to learn a large amount of Poison-type attacks. Pokémon Trainer will not be present.
5 SSBU Mario Stock Icon (0 Default)Mario, SSBU Peach Stock Icon (0 Default)Peach, and SSBU Daisy Stock Icon (0 Default)Daisy Princess Peach's Castle "Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion (Brawl)" SSBU Luigi Stock Icon (Alt 5)Luigi is a CPU ally, referencing his time being brainwashed by Nastasia and becoming Mr. L in Super Paper Mario, or being possessed by Lucien the tennis racket in Mario Tennis Aces.
6 SSBU Samus Stock Icon (0 Default)Samus and SSBU Ridley Stock Icon (0 Default)Ridley Norfair "Vs. Ridley (Brawl)" This match is a free-for-all.
7 Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand (and Crazy Hand on Intensity 7.0 and higher) Final Destination "Master Hand" (against Master Hand)

"Master Hand / Crazy Hand" (against both Hands)

Role in World of Light[]

World of Light Dark Samus location

Dark Samus' location in World of Light

Dark Samus is absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, though she was vaporized and captured by Galeem alongside the rest of the cast (excluding Kirby) when the world was engulfed in light.

Dark Samus is not found until the story's final map, The Final Battle, where she is under the control of Dharkon. Her rescue is mandatory, as it will lead into a fight with Crazy Hand and the subsiquent reveal of Palutena's location.

Fighter Battle[]

No. Spirit Type Power Stage Song
04ε Dark Samus SSBU Grab Spirit 12,500 Frigate Orpheon (Omega Form) "Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes"

Palette Swaps[]

Dark Samus Palette (SSBU)
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (0 Default)
Blue
An amalgam of her designs in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 1)
Green
Could likely be made to match with Samus' green palette swap.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 2)
Purple
Based on Gandrayda from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Noxus from Metroid Prime Hunters.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 3)
Red
N/A
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 4)
Yellow
Resembles the Golden Torizo from Super Metroid.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 5)
Grey
Resembles concept art of Dark Samus from Echoes.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 6)
Black
Resembles Orange Phazon from Metroid Prime, a Demolition Trooper from Corruption, and Spire from Hunters.
SSBU Dark Samus Stock Icon (Alt 7)
Pink
Resembles Zazabi from Metroid Fusion.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • According to Masahiro Sakurai, Dark Samus' inclusion was due to her overseas popularity.
  • Dark Samus is one of two fighters to have previously been an Assist Trophy, the other two being Little Mac and Isabelle.
  • Dark Samus is the only Echo Fighter:
    • based on a starter character
      • She is also the second Echo Fighter to be based on another woman, the first being Daisy.
        • Much like the case with Daisy and Peach, Samus loses her palette swap based on Dark Samus to better differentiate between the two.
    • who is mandatory to unlock in World of Light to beat it as all the others are optional
    • who can Wall Jump.
    • to be a villain
      • She is also the second playable female villain, following Wendy O. Koopa.
  • Dark Samus is the first fighter to be created by an American studio, being Retro Studios.
  • Much like her fellow Metroid villain Ridley, Ultimate marks Dark Samus' first time being playable in any game.
  • When Dark Samus is moving while holding a shooting item, footsteps can still be heard despite her ability to float.

Navigation[]

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Newcomers Banjo & Kazooie  · Byleth  · Chrom  · Daisy  · Dark Samus  · Hero  · Incineroar  · Inkling  · Isabelle  · Joker  · Kazuya  · Ken  · King K. Rool  · Min Min  · Piranha Plant  · Pyra/Mythra  · Richter  · Ridley  · Sephiroth  · Simon  · Sora  · Steve  · Terry
MetroidSymbol Metroid universe
Characters Samus Aran (64  · Melee · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Zero Suit Samus (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Ridley (Ultimate)
Dark Samus (Ultimate)
Side Characters Bosses Ridley  · Meta Ridley
Assist Trophies Metroid  · Dark Samus  · Mother Brain
Mii Fighter Costume Samus Aran
Background characters Ridley  · Kraid  · Parasite Queen
Stage Hazards FG II-Graham  · Joulion  · Zero  · Ridley
Enemies Geemer  · Kihunter  · Metroid  · Reo
Stages Planet Zebes  · Brinstar  · Brinstar Depths  · Norfair  · Frigate Orpheon  · Pyrosphere
Brinstar Escape Shaft
Item Screw Attack
Music List of Music (Metroid series)
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Metroid series)
Spirits List of spirits (Metroid series)
Masterpieces Metroid  · Super Metroid
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