Tabuu

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Tabuu
File:Tabuu.jpg
Full name	Tabuu
Species	Unknown
First appearance	Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

Tabuu is the final boss of the Subspace Emissary mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He resembles a human, though he is transparent, possesses red eyes, and houses a strange object inside of him. He is the creator and ruler of the land of Subspace and the Subspace Army. His name is a reference to the word "taboo", which means unacceptable or improper by society's terms.

History

The Subspace Emissary

Tabuu, through the manipulation of Master Hand, recruits Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wario as well as technology such as R.O.B.s and the Halberd to help his Subspace Army integrate the world into Subspace, beginning with the Midair Stadium, where Mario and Kirby are fighting, with Peach and Zelda watching along with many fans. The Halberd appears after their battle. As the sky turns blood-red, the ship releases Shadow Bugs, which combine to form the army. After Mario and crew defeated them all, the Ancient Minister dispatched a subspace bomb, Mario is shot into the sky, and Petey Piranha put Peach and Zelda into cages. Though Kirby destroyed Petey and released the princesses, Wario appeared under orders to capture them. Wario turned one of the princesses into a trophy and escaped as the stadium was sucked into subspace, making it the first location to be destroyed. The Halberd next ascended into Skyworld and took control of the area using the army. Fox attempted to neutralize the threat, but his ship was hit by the Halberd and crashed in the jungle.

The subspace army continued to spread across the world, wiping out all resistance and reducing entire areas to barren wastelands. Numerous R.O.B.s were also being sacrificed as more and more areas fell victim to the subspace. Bowser in the meantime was given orders to embark on a scheme to capture the Kongs. Armed with a cannon, Bowser ordered his army to take over the jungle and steal Donkey Kong's banana hold in order to draw the Kongs out. The plan worked well and Donkey Kong was turned into a trophy and captured. Bowser had DK chained to a subspace transport vehicle to be taken to the base. Bowser attempted to do the same to Diddy Kong and Fox, even employing a clone of himself to aid, but they both managed to escape. The invasion intensified as the Halberd continuously spread the army into other areas, including a dense forest where Link and Yoshi resided at the time.

As the story progressed, the Ancient Minister felt increasingly bad about what was happening as more and more of his friends were being killed for Tabuu's warped ambitions. Knowing what fate awaited him and the remainder of his people if they refused to cooperate, the minister had no choice but to serve those who ruined his life. The Ancient Minister continued to plant subspace bombs across the world. On one such occasion he was pursued by Mario and Pit, but managed to escape. He planted the bomb on a battlefield after the army wiped out all opposition. The bomb went off as the army seized Marth's castle and took the armory to use as weapons of their own. Marth met up with Meta Knight and Ike who joined forces but were unable to capture the minister.

Bowser continued to perform Ganondorf's will and captured either Peach or Zelda, turned her into a trophy, and even used the shadow bugs to make an evil clone of her to aid the army. The clone was soon after destroyed by either Mario and Pit or Link and Yoshi, all of whom soon joined forces against the strengthening evil. Wario in the meantime captured Ness in a ruined zoo, one of the many areas devastated by the subspace army, with the help of Porky. With Ness in his captivity, Wario placed both Ness's and the princess's trophy in a subspace vehicle and drove it to search for more fighters to turn into trophies. Eventually though, Wario lost two of his trophies to King Dedede when he left them unattended to capture Luigi's trophy, which was planted there by King Dedede. The King took both trophies along with Luigi's and escaped with the subspace vehicle, leaving Wario to report his failure to Ganondorf. Tabuu ordered Ganondorf to track down the stolen trophies and throw the location that they are found in into subspace. Ganondorf was able to obtain the coordinates of the stolen trophies and provided them to Bowser. Bowser did as he was told and attacked the King's castle while Dedede was putting his newly invented badges on the stolen trophies, causing the entire roof to cave in and knocking out Dedede.

Bowser turned King Dedede into a trophy and recaptured the princess's trophy. Though he was pursued by Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, and Kirby, Bowser was able to use the princess's trophy as a shield and escaped on his Koopa Car. The R.O.B.s arrived at the same area and threw King Dedede's castle into subspace with another bomb. The princess was taken to the Halberd where she was locked up in a cage along with the other princess to be cloned. With the princesses secured, the army continued their plans and threw numerous other locations into subspace, even forming tanks to self-destruct to form subspace and throw the heroes off guard. While many complications rose in Tabuu's plans with King Dedede interfering along with the heroes, his main objective was going exactly as planned. The construction of the Gunship was almost complete and Tabuu's success seemed assured at its' completion. Wario in the meantime attempted to atone for his failure, as well as release his anger, by attempting to turn Lucas and the Pokémon Trainer into trophies. This effort was in vain and Wario was defeated and ended up turning into a trophy himself. He was eventually absorbed into subspace by one of the subspace bombs when it detonated.

Bowser continued to capture the heroes and succeeded in turning Diddy Kong into a trophy and making a clone of him. He attempted to do the same with Fox, but Falco intervened and destroyed Bowser's dark cannon. Bowser fled as Diddy Kong was turned back to normal and the three of them defeated his dark clone. Falco dropped Diddy Kong on the subspace vehicle that held Donkey Kong and succeeded in saving him. Donkey Kong, Diddy, Olimar, and Captain Falcon defeated the Primids aboard the vehicle and infiltrated the subspace army base. Samus was also in the base and released Pikachu from his torture and they found Samus's suit after destroying the cloned copies. They both encountered the murderous Ridley, but managed to destroy the beast as well and make their way into the bomb factory. Samus and Pikachu eventually met up with DK, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, and Olimar, who joined forces against the Ancient Minister.

Meta Knight and Lucario in the meantime managed to infiltrate the Halberd. They met up with Snake who aided them in releasing Peach and Zelda who were locked up in cages after defeating their clones. Star Fox started another assault on the vessel only to be foiled by Zelda in her Sheik disguise. Fox realized that Zelda did so to save the innocent people aboard and they started a truth. All the heroes aboard defeated Game and Watch who eventually saw the error of his ways and converted sides. Meta Knight then regained control of his ship, causing the blood-shot clouds to disappear. With this, the subspace army no longer had any subspace bugs to use and their transportation was taken from them.

The villains saw all this as a minor annoyance as much of the world was already under their control and once the Gunship was prepared, the world would be at their mercy. Once the Gunship was prepared, Tabuu in the guise of Master Hand ordered Ganondorf to command all the remaining R.O.B.s to detonate all the subspace bombs and blow up the island in order to form a big enough portal for the Gunship to travel through. As Donkey Kong, Diddy, Samus, and others confronted the Ancient Minister, Ganondorf appeared as a hologram. He ordered for the R.O.B.s to detonate all the remaining bombs. The Minister, realizing he has nothing left to lose, attempted to stop them. They seemed willing to listen at first, but Ganondorf used a control to override their programs and follow his orders.

The robots started detonating the bombs, but the minister continued to fight them off. Infuriated, Ganondorf ordered for them to attack him to which they obeyed by shooting lasers at the minister and eventually setting him on fire. All the bombs were set into motion as Ganondorf became drunk on laughter. Ganondorf then sent and ordered a group of Auroros to destroy the heroes, but the minister's robes, symbolic of his forced servitude, burnt off completely and revealed him to be another R.O.B., who helped fight off the robots. After apologizing to his fellow robots for all that has happened, he attempted to stay behind out of remorse but was forced to leave by the heroes. They all were able to escape from the island as it was destroyed and sent into subspace, destroying Meta Ridley in the process. This created a humongous portal, which all the heroes saw as they finally all joined together to form one big team.

The Gunship entered into the Smash World through the newly formed portal and immediately fired the cannon and sent an area into subspace. Ganondorf and Bowser were controlling the vessel and were pleased that the Gunship functioned properly. Just as they prepared to send more areas into subspace, Ganondorf spotted the Halberd. Realizing that the heroes have taken it back from them, Ganondorf ordered the Gunship to destroy it. The Gunship continuously fired at the Halberd until it finally exploded. The heroes were able to survive however and charged at the Gunship. The heroes dodged the Gunship's attacks as Kirby flew his vehicle straight through the ship's cannon, causing a huge explosion. The explosion at the cannon base started a chain reaction that destroyed the whole ship. Ganondorf and Bowser were angered, but calmly walked back into Subspace, escaping the heroes once more. All the heroes followed them and prepared for the final showdown in the dimension that started it all, Subspace.

File:Brawl Taboo2.jpg

Tabuu using his Off Waves.

Suffering a humiliating defeat, Ganondorf and Bowser entered Subspace to seek out the Master Hand whom they have been trying to please. Finally prepared to usurp all the power, Ganondorf first betrayed Bowser and turned him into a trophy before approaching the Master Hand and bowing before him. However, just as Ganondorf prepared to launch an attack on Master Hand and overthrow him, Tabuu then revealed himself and the Chains of Light he had been using to control the Master Hand. Ganondorf, enraged that the circumstances of his plans have changed, tried to free Master Hand, simply for the sake of defeating the being himself, and defeat Tabuu. Tabuu easily overwhelmed Ganondorf and turned him into a trophy with a single attack. However, Ganondorf fell back on Master Hand with enough force to sever Tabuu's strings of light and freed him in the process. Master Hand, in a weakened yet vengeful state, then attempted to attack and destroy Tabuu. However, Tabuu reflected his attack easily and Master Hand flew back and hit the ground. As Master Hand is not a playable character, he simply lied there, wounded and possibly dead.

The heroes arrived and immediately noticed Tabuu, who spread his ethereal wings and released his ultimate attack: Off Waves, which instantly returned every fighter to their trophy form. Tabuu then used the energy of all the lands sent to Subspace to create his own world known as The Great Maze. When all seemed lost, Luigi, King Dedede, and Ness returned back to their original states thanks to the brooches the King had invented. They soon arrived in Subspace and, along with Kirby who is revived by one of Dedede's badges, returned all the heroes back to life.

Ganondorf, Bowser, and Wario realized that they all shared a common enemy with the heroes, Tabuu. Knowing that they have nothing further to gain by fighting the heroes now that their master is dead, the trio decided to put aside their differences for the time being and work together with the heroes to destroy Tabuu before he destroys them. The heroes and villains were forced to travel through Tabuu's maze in order to reach him for a rematch. As they traveled, they learned that Tabuu had resurrected all the previous monsters fought and even created dark clones of the heroes and villains based on detailed analysis's made by the subspace army. The clones were made to guard the maze from intruders. The heroes managed to destroy them all and made their way into Tabuu's residence for the final showdown. As they all arrived Tabuu once again spread his wings and was ready to attack the heroes when Sonic the Hedgehog appeared from seemingly nowhere and attacked Tabuu, shattering his wings. This caused Tabuu to lose his ability to turn the fighters into trophies, but his wings were still capable of causing significant damage to the heroes.

File:TabuuStrings.jpg

Tabuu and his chains of light.

All the characters, now including Sonic the Hedgehog, faced Tabuu for the Final Battle. Tabuu proved to be an incredibly powerful opponent, having numerous powerful abilities and skills. Though he proved to be more than formidable, Tabuu was no match for the collective might of all the fighters in the end and was defeated. He screamed a painful shriek as his spirit shattered and his grip on all the worlds taken into subspace was lost and returned to the Smash World along with all the characters. Tabuu was ultimately destroyed and Subspace and its army were sealed off from existence forever, ending Tabuu's plans and threat. The only area that was not returned was the Floating Island of the Ancients due to the effect of so many subspace bombs going off at once. Instead a glowing X from the rays of the sun set was in place of the floating island, paying homage to the R.O.B.s. This made the Ancient Minister the last of his kind unfortunately, his entire race wiped out by Tabuu and his warped desires. Despite this tragic loss, the heroes and villains now as temporary allies watched the setting sun, reveling in their accomplishment as the Tabuu cast on their world was corrected.

Powers and Abilities

Off Waves: During this attack, Tabuu appears in the background and opens up his wings which proceeds to release three red shock waves. These shock waves deals very high damage and knockback, enough to one-hit KO on normal and higher difficulties in SSE and on very hard and intense difficulties of Boss Battles. To avoid the shock waves, a character must either roll or sidestep dodge with accurate timing. If playing as Pokémon Trainer, or Zelda/Sheik using Down B the instant Tabuu extends his wings also works. The player can also Perfect Shield, despite the fact that the attack is unblockable. The effects of a Metal Box will help resist this attack, in which case, the character is only slightly pushed.

File:TabuuTrans.jpg

Side Spear.

Dark Cannon: Tabuu appears on one side of the stage and takes out a Dark Cannon, which fires a powerful laser that can only be dodged with a jump.

Side Spear: Tabuu transforms into a wide spear and attacks sideways with one swipe.

Chain of Light: Tabuu takes out a yellow chain, grabs the character, swings them around and slams them onto the ground for high knockback. This move uses the same type as chain that he used on Master Hand.

Dual Eye Lasers: Tabuu transforms into a giant version of himself and appears on either the left or right side of the stage, before unleashing red lasers from both his eyes. They mostly work the same way as Master Hand's lasers, including leaving their user vulnerable to attacks, but Tabuu's lasers are significantly more powerful, and are different in that they only take effect at the point of contact with the stage. They can be avoided by running to the edge of the stage where Tabuu is located.

Energy Blade: Tabuu appears mid-air on one side of the map and attacks the stage with a curved swipe of a red energy sword. It is avoided by jumping.

Teleport: Tabuu teleports around the area and appears at a set spawn position which is randomly decided from the large amount of spawn points available. He also sometimes teleports behind the character and attacks.

Teleport Explosion: Same as his normal teleportation move, but it creates a red explosion everywhere he teleports.

Electrical Shield: Tabuu teleports to a random area and releases energy from the object inside him to circle around him like a shield and attack.

Rapid Claw: Tabuu teleports behind the character and rapidly slashes the area near the character. The attack has less range than the visible shockwaves would indicate.

File:Tabuu3.jpg

The Golden Brackets.

Golden Bracket: Tabuu transforms into two brackets and flies across the stage, grabbing the character (if he's not avoided) and slamming them onto the stage. On Intense difficulty, this attack is a one-hit KO.

Pinpoint Explosion: Tabuu points at five locations which will blink. Those locations will explode after a second, damaging anyone who did not move away in time.

Bullet Rain: Tabuu appears in a random area in the air and fires a series of small, magical bullets. Tabuu concludes this attack with a powerful energy blast, all of which is avoided by staying behind him.

Shuriken Boomerang: Tabuu appears on one side of the stage and throws a round boomerang which crosses the stage twice before he catches it. This is avoided by jumping and using Up-B (depending on character) to avoid the second swing.

Self Projection: Tabuu pauses in midair and sends out copies of himself in all directions. Characters will take damage if they make contact with a projection.

Character Depiction

While his presence is not known until the end of the game, Tabuu's actions were responsible for all the chaos sweeping in the Smash World. While next to nothing is known about his past, Tabuu is shown to care for nothing but power. Tabuu plans to merge the world with his own dimension to create a brand new world under his complete control. Hiding within the dark realms of Subspace, Tabuu manipulated numerous villains in his pursuit of power. Master Hand, Ganondorf, Bowser, Wario, Mr. Game & Watch, and Ancient Minister are just some examples of the beings he has used through various means for his goals. He recognized Master Hand's authority and used it to prey on the power envy all the villains have to create an army made up of the most evil beings.

File:SubspaceIntro-Tabuu.png

Tabuu, master of operations, manipulation, and deception.

Tabuu was shown to be a being that manipulated every single individual who served him in some shape or form. He took control of the Ancient Minister to not only serve him but have his people become members of the army as well. Tabuu used the R.O.B.s to the fullest of their abilities, using them as assassins for his army and to create weapons of mass destruction based on their technology to further his goals. All the equipment that Tabuu provided to his army was also stolen or made by beings under his forced control. Many army soldiers were clones made from captured originals while the rest were created from shadow bugs from the manipulated Game & Watch. Samus's suit and Star Fox's reflector technology were also stolen and even one of the power sources of the Subspace base was made from a captured Pikachu. The Master Hand himself proved to be no match for the villain and was turned into a literal puppet. This all contributes to Tabuu's character as a master of operations who sees other beings and things as pieces to be set in place for a game of deception.

Tabuu also showed much patience as he studied the world and all the characters to see which ones would be suitable to lead the army. This undoubtedly took much time as all his plans and operations were carried out very carefully and smoothly. It is this patience that allowed Tabuu to enlist the help from three of the most well known and evil Nintendo villains, Ganondorf, Bowser, and Wario. Ganondorf's murderous cunning, Bowser's brute strength, and Wario's mischievous methods proved to the perfect combination for Tabuu to serve as a leadership for his army. Tabuu however had no concern or regard for them in the slightest, only using them until their usefulness had run its course. Ganondorf and Master Hand, who seemed to have even been murdered, were both dispatched when their use was over. While Tabuu dispatched his servants when they served their purposes, he made clones of them so that their powers and abilities would not be wasted and be under his complete control.

Tabuu symbolizes a great evil and this is conveyed by his acts such as his mass murder of the Ancients known as the R.O.B.s, all to insure his own benefit and success. Other such acts he has committed included abduction, theft, destruction, torture, blackmail, manipulation, deception, and much more in order to further his desire and lust for power. He is also shown to take the depression of others and use it to control the beings themselves. The Ancient Minister is a perfect example of such a manipulation, having many of his friends and family murdered by Tabuu and the rest held hostage to be used, as collateral to ensure the minister will cooperate. This hints that Tabuu has no true emotions, or does not care for them in the slightest, but knows how to use them to his advantage.

Tabuu has also shown to be extremely intelligent, making complicated plans and able to use others while never making his presence known until the appropriate moment. He seems to also be very technologically advanced, having created doomsday devices such as the Subspace Gunship, bomb, and cannon as well as creating the bomb factory and the Subspace Base. His trophy also states that he is a master of operations and has great leadership skills, shown by the mass amounts of villains he was able to rally for his cause. Other than what is shown in the story and in the trophy information, Tabuu is a complete mystery. His past is shrouded in darkness and his very species, other than a spirit of sorts, is unknown as well.

Ultimately Tabuu showed to be a villain with high intelligence, patience, and a lust for power. He had no empathy for anybody, even those who served him loyally, only seeing them as tools to be manipulated for the greater good; the conquest of the entire world. His plans would have succeeded had it not been for the invention of Dedede's badges, the collaboration of all the heroes and villains, and Sonic's sudden attack.

Trophy Information

Name	Image	Game	Description
Tabuu	File:BrawlTrophy128.png	Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl	The ruler of Subspace and master of operations. Tabuu controls Master Hand with chains of light to excise this world and build up his great maze. He used Shadow Bugs to form Subspace and manipulates the servants of Master Hand to his heart's content. Born in a vastly foreign realm, he also possesses great leadership powers. Tabuu... No name is more suitable.
Tabuu (Wings)	File:BrawlTrophy129.png	Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Tabuu with wings extended. The dreadful energy surges cast from these wings instantly turn all fighters back into trophies. Knowing this, King Dedede assembles all able-bodied troops and sets a timed device on each of them. This device is a brooch that, after the designated time runs out, revives all fighters wiped out by Tabuu.

The Tabuu trophy is earned by use of a Trophy Stand. To get the Tabuu (Wings) trophy, the player must clear the Boss Battles game mode with every playable character.

Trivia

• Tabuu's move set is very similar to Marx's move set from Kirby Super Star.
• In the Boss Battles game mode, Tabuu's Off-Waves are not capable of making 1-hit KOs on the Easy, Normal, and Hard skill levels.
• Tabuu is the only boss who has a snapshot in the Subspace Emissary.

References

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