Galeem

Galeem (キーラ, Kiira), the lord of light, serves as one of the two main antagonists (alongside Dharkon) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's story mode, World of Light. Galeem seeks to create a new world by eliminating the inhabitants of the old one, transforming them into spirits, and reanimating them as spirit-possessed puppet fighters. Commanding an army of Master Hands, Galeem disintegrates them into beams of light that spread across the galaxy, turning nearly every character into spirits. Only Kirby manages to escape this fate, fleeing via Warp Star. Galeem’s counterpart is Dharkon.

Names	Galeem, (キーラ, Kiira), The Lord of Light
Gender	Male
Race	Unknown
Occupation	Lord of Light
Origin	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (December 7, 2018)
Alignment	Evil
Age	Unknown
Created By	Masahiro Sakurai, Shinya Saito, Yoshito Higuchi, Tetsuya Otaguro, Yusuke Nakano
Height	Not Stated
Weight	Not Stated

Appearance

Galeem's core is a radiant sphere of light that intensifies in brightness as his health diminishes. Surrounding this core are multiple wings, tinted in red, blue, white, and yellow, which can shift and transform to aid him in attacks.

Personality

Galeem is depicted as a merciless and absolute force of destruction, demonstrating no empathy or hesitation in his pursuit to reshape reality. Driven by an unwavering desire to create a new world, Galeem regards life as expendable, wiping out nearly every fighter and creature across the universe with relentless efficiency. His actions are cold and calculated, showing no signs of remorse as he manipulates spirits, enslaves fighters, and recreates them as puppet minions under his control.

Despite his serene, radiant appearance, Galeem embodies a paradox; while physically embodying light, his actions are profoundly sinister, creating an unsettling contrast between his divine outward form and his destructive intent. Galeem also displays a persistent ambition, even returning after his initial defeat to confront Dharkon, suggesting a resilience and determination to reclaim dominance, regardless of the cost. Galeem's lack of direct interaction with the fighters further emphasizes his role as a godlike figure, distant and detached from the lives he controls.

Biography

Galeem initiates the events of World of Light by launching a devastating assault on the World of Smash, targeting both heroes and villains alike. At the former resting place of the Isle of the Ancients, the fighters witness Galeem absorb his Master Hand army and unleash them as a wave of golden energy rays. Despite their efforts to evade and destroy the beams, each fighter is ultimately disintegrated. Only Kirby narrowly escapes, using his Warp Star to teleport out of reality a moment before the beam overtakes him. With Kirby gone, Galeem proceeds to annihilate the rest of the planet’s inhabitants, then rapidly expands to consume the entire universe. In the wake of this destruction, Galeem constructs a new realm known as the Light Realm.

The Light Realm — Prologue

With his new world complete, Galeem gathers the unconscious bodies of the fighters, using a magical golden liquid to form puppet versions of each one. He forces the Spirits of the fallen to possess these puppet fighters, binding them to his will. Additionally, he places the defeated fighters under mind control, scattering them across the Light Realm. From the northern part of the realm, hidden behind an impenetrable shield, Galeem observes his new domain. Meanwhile, Kirby embarks on a quest to save the fighters, battling puppet fighters along the way and freeing several characters, including Mario, Pit, and either Villager, Sheik, or Marth. When the puppet and possessed fighters fail to halt Kirby’s progress, Galeem deploys powerful foes—Giga Bowser, Galleom, and Rathalos—to defeat him. However, the fighters prevail, freeing Bowser from his dark control.

With the defeat of his summoned bosses, Galeem’s shield shatters, leaving him vulnerable. Desperate to protect himself, he summons a Master Hand, but it is swiftly defeated. Weakened, Galeem faces the fighters in direct combat, employing his full range of attacks. In the end, he is overwhelmed and falls, battered and unable to continue the fight.

Darkness Rises

With Galeem defeated, a new threat emerges. Shattering the sky, Dharkon, the lord of darkness, arrives, quickly destroying Galeem's remaining Master Hands and casting the world into darkness. Realizing he cannot withstand both Dharkon and the fighters, Galeem retreats. Dharkon seizes control over Galeem’s puppet fighters, dragging them into his own Dark Realm. Galeem remains absent until the fighters confront Dharkon; weakened in their battle, Dharkon attempts to escape, but Galeem, having regained strength, reappears and pursues him, with the fighters chasing both.

The Final Battle

Galeem and Dharkon engage in a climactic showdown, their forces weakened by their mutual damage and the fighters’ efforts. Mario and the other fighters intervene, systematically eliminating the puppet fighters and clones of Master and Crazy Hand. Upon destroying the clones, the real Master and Crazy Hand reveal themselves, as both Galeem and Dharkon have exhausted their resources. As the fighters press on, they free Bayonetta and Palutena and ultimately defeat Master and Crazy Hand, freeing them from the control of both lords. Recognizing their shared enemy, Master and Crazy Hand open a dimensional rift between Galeem and Dharkon, setting the stage for the final confrontation. The outcome depends on the player's decisions, leading to different possible endings.

Confronting Galeem

If the player chooses to battle and defeat Galeem, Dharkon’s power overtakes him, darkening the realm of the final battle. Dharkon kills Galeem’s Master Hand clones and ruthlessly impales Galeem with chains, leaving the lord of light utterly subdued. Meanwhile, Mario and the other fighters are engulfed by darkness, collapsing as if lifeless. Dharkon’s influence spreads, solidifying his dominance.

Confronting Dharkon

If the player instead battles and defeats Dharkon, Galeem’s power surges, illuminating the battlefield. Galeem swiftly kills Dharkon’s Crazy Hand clones and fires upon Dharkon repeatedly, tearing him apart until he disintegrates. With Dharkon gone, Galeem turns his focus to the fighters, releasing a wave of light that traps and consumes them, once more claiming the universe for himself.

Choosing the Middle Path

If the player follows Master Hand and Crazy Hand through the rift, Master Hand enters first, battling and defeating fifty puppet fighters powered by Galeem and Dharkon. With Master Hand weakened but victorious, the fighters proceed, with three fighters managing to reach Final Destination where Galeem and Dharkon are locked in battle. In a last effort to destroy one another—and the fighters—the two lords summon six powerful bosses. Despite the onslaught, the fighters overcome all six with minimal injuries and confront Galeem and Dharkon in a final three-way battle for the universe. Although Galeem and Dharkon possess godlike power, they are ultimately defeated by the fighters. Falling from orbit, the two entities crash into the ocean that once held the Isle of the Ancients, restoring balance to the world. With Galeem and Dharkon defeated, the Spirits are freed and return to the real world. The fighters, left in the remnants of the World of Light, prepare to rebuild.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: 3-A, possibly Low 2-C

Powers and Abilities:

• Superhuman Physical Characteristics
• Space Survival (Can fight without issue in space)
• Flight (His core naturally levitates off the ground, can quickly fly away as a beam of light)
• Light Manipulation (His core constantly produces light and can release a burst of light. Can cover the stage with waves of light. Can shoot many large lasers. Can release two to four orbs that produce powerful, slow-moving shockwaves which cannot be shielded against. Possibly finished off a weakened Dharkon with his light completely destroying his body)
• Electricity Manipulation (Can create a large blue sphere of light, which breaks apart into three to six smaller spheres that attempt to home in on the player)
• Deconstruction, Biological Manipulation and Absorption (Deconstructed and absorbed the internal energy of dozens of Master Hands)
• Spatial Manipulation (Warped space, creating what appears to be a black hole)
• Manipulation
• Attack Reflection Negation and Forcefield Negation (The rays of light themselves are capable of resisting Attack Reflection due to Zelda, Mewtwo and Palutena's reflective moves all failing to work on them.)
• Pseudo-Soul Manipulation (Caused multiple beings to lose their bodies and become spirits, although these aren't real souls as multiple individuals can share the same spirit, ghosts can have spirits too, etc. They are hundreds of spirits separated from their bodies and Galeem can manipulate them)
• Power Mimicry & Creation (Copied the Smash fighters appearance and powers in empty puppets. Eventually did the same to Kirby despite not having him captured)
• Morality Manipulation (Forced the spirits to take control of the bodies he made to do his bidding while they still keep most of the fighting style of the original owners of the bodies. Controlled dozens of Master Hands)
• Fire Manipulation & Summoning (Can spit fireballs with enemies to battle inside)
• Forcefield Creation (Remained in a protective shield that was slowly weakened by the defeat of his minions until it disappeared)
• Teleportation (Can teleport around the battlefield leaving and emerging in a small burst of light)
• Body Control and Bodily Weaponry (Can manipulate his body offensively, detaching and reincorporating his wings in many ways)
• Duplication (Can divide his core in 3. Able to create duplicates of the Smash fighters in combat to assist him)
• Explosion Manipulation (Can make X Bomb like explosives)
• BFR (He and Dharkon sent the Smash fighters to battle all the bosses in the game. Can send them to battle to boss if they hit a projectile meant to do that)
• Possibly Enhanced Senses (Galleem and Dharkon noticed the Smashers despite them being very far away)

While possessing Galeem's Puppet Fighters Spirits can grant theses abilities:

• Statistics Amplification and Transformation (All Spirits boost the overall power of the user. Various Conditions in Spirit Battles boost the enemy in different ways such as amping their stats when injured or turning them metal, gold or giant)
• Statistics Reduction (Various Spirits reduce the stats of the The Player such as their lowering jumping power or making them easier to launch)
• Invisibility (Certain Spirits can make the Puppet Fighter invisible permanently or during random intervals)
• Gravity Manipulation (Certain Spirits can reduce or increase the gravity of the battlefield)
• Healing (Certain Spirits can allow the Puppet Fighter heal upon shielding attacks, passively over time, or after taking heavy damage)
• Attack Reflection (Certain Spirits equip the Puppet Fighter with a Franklin Badge, which they will never drop)
• Limited Invulnerability (Certain Spirits allow the Puppet Fighter to become invincible for a short span of time)
• Limited Fire Manipulation, Electricity Manipulation, Limited Poison Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Adhesive Manipulation, and Sleep Manipulation (Certain Spirits can affect the stage by adding various effects to the floor and platforms such as adding lava, electricity, ice which induces the Frozen status condition, sticky gray goop which slows down the player and lowers their jump height, purple bubbling goop which deals poison damage, and a Slumber Floor which induces the Asleep status condition)
• Air Manipulation (Certain Spirits can cause heavy winds which can blow fighters off stage)
• Minor Earth Manipulation (Certain Spirits can cause earthquakes which causes grounded fighters to trip)
• Minor Weather Manipulation (Certain Spirits can cover the battlefield in a heavy fog making it hard to see. Certain Spirits can also make this fog poisonous)
• Likely Perception Manipulation (Certain Spirits can flip the players screen)

Attack Potency: Universe level, possibly Universe level+ (Absorbed energies from many of his Master Hands to shoot rays of light that expanded to crush the universe in short periods of time. Appears to do the same with a charged attack in an alternative ending. Fought evenly against Dharkon. Can fight the fighters amplified by Spirits of Palkia and Arceus, the former of whom controls all of space and the latter of whom appeared from nothing and created the world and sky). Can ignore conventional durability in many ways

Speed: Massively FTL+ (489,014,356,725 c. His rays of light covered the galaxy at those speed, keep up with those who could react, dodge and outrun them, although this was done briefly)

Lifting Strength: Class M (Should be far superior to a spiritless King Dedede

Striking Strength: Universe level, possibly Universe level+ (Scaling from Dharkon, who could restrain and impale him. Can harm Smashers Dharkon and with his wings)

Durability: Universe level, possibly Universe level+ (Can take numerous hits from both spirit empowered fighters and Dharkon)

Stamina: Superhuman (Can endure long battles between against the Smashers and Dharkon. Is never shown to get tired)

Range: Hundreds of Meters (His attacks can cover a majority of the stage and beyond. Could fight Dharkon from a considerable distance away) up to Universal (His light can cover the entire universe)

Standard Equipment: Spirits, Master Hand's (Is always accompanied by an army of Master Hands)

• Can Create/Summon: Puppet Fighters, Giga Bower, Galleom, Rathalos

Intelligence: Unknown

Weaknesses: His core will be left vulnerable after taking a significant amount of damage.

Attacks and Techniques

• Cross Bombs: Galeem creates small, plus-shaped explosive objects similar to X Bombs. These can be destroyed before they detonate. In his first phase, Galeem creates three bombs that detonate simultaneously; in his second phase, he produces six that explode in a staggered sequence.
• Drill Pierce: Galeem summons two to six drill-like objects that slam into the ground, meteor-smashing airborne targets. In his second phase, he increases the number to eight, attacking in sets of four.
• Heat Seeker: In the second phase of his second fight, Galeem fires a homing projectile that explodes upon impact, creating a large blast radius.
• Laser Net: Galeem generates damaging purple lines that can be avoided by positioning within a gap. During his second phase, he increases the number of beams and attacks twice.
• Lens Flare: Galeem releases two or four orbs that create shockwaves covering the entire screen, requiring precise dodging. Fewer orbs appear on lower difficulty or when Dharkon is present. This attack only appears in the second phase of his second fight.
• Mirror Image: Galeem disappears and expands his wings, summoning light puppet fighters to support him. These self-destruct upon expiration, damaging fighters nearby. Light puppets battle dark puppets, or vice versa. In the first fight, two fighters are summoned; in the second fight, three are summoned. If Dharkon is present, both disappear until most clones have self-destructed.
• Giant Optic Orb: Galeem creates a large blue light orb that splits into smaller, homing spheres. Four appear in his first phase, six in the second, and only three when Dharkon is present.
• Radiant Photonic Wave: Galeem generates two light waves with a safe gap between them. Contact inflicts radiant damage. This attack is exclusive to the second phase of his second fight and always initiates this phase. When Dharkon is present, Galeem covers the upper screen while Dharkon covers the lower. If Dharkon is stunned, Galeem only targets the top.
• Piercing Beam: If Dharkon is stunned, Galeem transforms his wings into a spear, piercing Dharkon’s core to inflict significant damage. Players nearby will also take damage.
• Tri-eye Shot: Galeem splits his core into three spheres that fire a barrage of reflectable energy. This appears in the second phase of his first fight and both phases of his second.
• Giant Circle: Galeem becomes a massive circle with rotating saw-blade objects, moving across the screen and limiting player movement. Players must attack Galeem's core to push him back; otherwise, he retreats automatically. This attack appears in the final climbing section against Galeem and Dharkon, with the saw blades absent on Very Easy.
• Super Drill: Galeem’s wings appear and sweep across the screen, destroying platforms in their path. This attack only occurs in the final climbing section in the fight against Galeem and Dharkon. It is omitted on Very Easy difficulty.

Trivia

• Galeem is initially introduced with neutral pronouns, but spirit instructions refer to him with masculine pronouns.
• His English name "Galeem" is derived from the word "gleam," aligning with the light motif of the story mode.
• Galeem’s Japanese name, Kiira, is a play on the Japanese onomatopoeia "kira kira" (meaning "shining") and the English word "killer."
• Galeem shares notable similarities with Tabuu: both are supernatural antagonists controlling an army of constructs and wielding power over Master Hand. However, while Tabuu enslaved Master Hand, Galeem absorbed him and created clones. Both also wipe out nearly all characters with a single attack, sparing only Kirby, who ultimately frees his allies.
• Unlike Tabuu, Galeem appears at the beginning of the game rather than the end.
• Galeem’s character is ironically composed of light, despite his malevolent nature.
• In Sephiroth's trailer, Galeem reappears only to be destroyed by Sephiroth in a single blow, suggesting he may have survived the events of World of Light.
• Galeem's core is a sphere of light, but a faint central glow, resembling a pupil, is visible within, paralleling Dharkon’s eye/core design but in a light-based form.