Dharkon

Dharkon, also known as Dāzu (ダーズ) in Japanese, serves as the embodiment of chaos and darkness and acts as one of the two primary antagonists in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's story mode, World of Light. Opposing Galeem, who seeks to create a new world, Dharkon aims to corrupt it, bringing forth his destructive agenda. He commands an army of Crazy Hands, which he uses to annihilate the Master Hands after his emergence. Dharkon becomes the central antagonist of the World of Dark, appearing after Galeem is defeated.

Names	Dharkon, Dāzu, Darz (ダーズ)
Gender	Male
Race	Cataclysmic entity, Embodiment of Chaos and Darkness
Occupation	Lord of Dark
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

Dharkon shares a striking resemblance to Galeem, though with a darker and more chaotic design. At his center lies a glowing green-blue eyeball that shifts to a menacing red hue as his health diminishes. This ominous core is surrounded by a mass of black-and-red tentacles, which ripple and transform into various forms to launch attacks on his enemies. The tentacles' fluid, unpredictable movements reinforce Dharkon's chaotic nature, contrasting Galeem's radiant and orderly design.

Personality

Dharkon embodies chaos, malice, and corruption. He is ruthless, driven solely by his desire to spread darkness and dominate all existence. Unlike Galeem, who seeks to reshape the universe in his own vision of perfection, Dharkon’s goals are rooted in destruction and subjugation. He thrives on conflict and destruction, commanding an army of Crazy Hands and dark Spirits to enforce his will and crush his adversaries.

Dharkon’s methods are cunning and brutal. He capitalizes on Galeem’s initial defeat to seize control, taking advantage of weakened fighters and corrupting what remains of the light. His actions demonstrate a relentless pursuit of power and a lack of mercy toward both his enemies and former allies, as seen when he destroys Galeem’s Master Hand clones in his quest for supremacy.

While Dharkon exudes an air of menace and dominance, he is not invincible. His aggression can make him reckless, ultimately leading to his downfall when confronted by the determined fighters. In his final moments, Dharkon’s desperation and fury are evident as he unleashes his full power, refusing to yield until completely eradicated.

Biography

Dharkon first emerges as a looming threat after Galeem is defeated by the fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's World of Light story mode. Sensing the downfall of his counterpart, Dharkon launches a surprise assault, taking control of Galeem’s remaining Puppet fighters and commanding a formidable army of Crazy Hands, which rival Galeem’s Master Hands. Overpowered, Galeem retreats, recognizing his vulnerability. Rather than chasing the weakened lord of light, Dharkon withdraws to a chaotic dimension known as the Dark Realm to consolidate his power and prepare for Galeem’s inevitable return.

The fighters, seeing Dharkon as the greater immediate threat, pursue him into the Dark Realm. Dharkon commands an army of dark Spirits, enslaved fighters, and bosses, including empowered versions of Marx, Dracula, and Ganon, to obstruct their progress. Despite these formidable obstacles and a horde of Crazy Hand clones, the fighters prevail. Forced into a direct confrontation, Dharkon appears for battle, showcasing an aggressive combat style surpassing that of Galeem. However, the fighters manage to defeat him once again. Enraged and weakened, Dharkon retreats to the Final Battle realm.

Sensing Dharkon's vulnerable state, Galeem returns from his earlier retreat, launching a counterattack against his dark rival. The fighters follow closely behind, navigating a battlefield where the forces of light and dark clash. As the fighters destroy the spirits and clones of both Master Hand and Crazy Hand, they eventually free the original Hands. Recognizing a shared enemy in both Galeem and Dharkon, the Hands open a rift in reality, splitting the dimension between the two cosmic antagonists. At this point, the story’s conclusion hinges on the player’s choices, determining the ultimate fate of Galeem, Dharkon, and the world they sought to control.

Confronting Galeem

If the player chooses to confront Galeem and successfully defeats him, Dharkon’s dominance escalates. Darkness spreads uncontrollably throughout the final battle realm as Dharkon asserts his overwhelming power. Dharkon mercilessly destroys Galeem’s Master Hand clones and binds Galeem with chains, repeatedly impaling the lord of light. Galeem is left completely at Dharkon’s mercy, while the fighters, consumed by the darkness, collapse lifelessly to the ground. The screen turns to static before fading to black, signaling Dharkon’s complete victory. The corrupted world is engulfed in perpetual darkness, with Dharkon’s malevolent eye looming over a lifeless, desolate realm.

Confronting Dharkon

If the player confronts and defeats Dharkon instead, the tables turn in favor of Galeem. The realm of the final battle is flooded with blinding light as Galeem’s power surpasses Dharkon’s. Galeem eradicates Dharkon’s Crazy Hand clones and unleashes a devastating assault that disintegrates Dharkon. With his rival vanquished, Galeem directs his attention to the fighters. Without offering any chance of escape, Galeem releases a cataclysmic wave of light, engulfing the fighters and the entire universe, reestablishing his reign over all existence.

Choosing the Middle Path

Opting to follow Master Hand and Crazy Hand into the rift leads to a more balanced confrontation. Master Hand enters the rift first, defeating fifty puppet fighters created from the combined power of Galeem and Dharkon. Exhausted but undeterred, the fighters continue their pursuit. Three fighters manage to ascend to orbit, where they confront Galeem and Dharkon locked in combat at Final Destination. In a desperate attempt to overpower each other and the fighters, the two entities deploy their strongest bosses. However, the fighters overcome all six bosses with minimal injuries, forcing Galeem and Dharkon into direct combat with the fighters.

In the climactic three-way battle for the fate of the universe, the fighters achieve the impossible by defeating both gods. Galeem and Dharkon fall from orbit, crashing into the ocean where the Isle of the Ancients once stood. With their demise, the Spirits are freed, returning to their rightful dimensions, and balance is restored to the universe. The fighters, left amidst the ruins of the World of Light, stand together, ready to rebuild and usher in a new era of hope.

Attacks and Techniques

• Crushing Shade: involves Dharkon transforming his tentacles into a hammer to attack Galeem's core if Galeem is stunned. This attack damages both the Lord of Light and players standing near his core.
• Spark Serpent: send a tentacle snaking around the arena, coated in dark energy, with his eye trailing close behind. In his second phase, the tentacle’s length increases, making it harder to evade.
• Necrotic Photonic Wave: covers two sides of the screen with dark energy, leaving only a shifting safe zone. This move rapidly damages any fighter who touches the waves. Dharkon uses this attack only during his second phase in his second fight. If Galeem is present, they split the screen, but Dharkon covers the bottom alone if Galeem is stunned.
• Shadow Eruption: creates beams of darkness that erupt from the ground near the player's location, with their appearance signaled by Dharkon's eye flashing purple.
• Shadow Shape: spawns dark puppet fighters that self-destruct after a set time, damaging nearby players. These puppet fighters, created only during his second phase, can attack Galeem's clones when both bosses are present.
• Tangled Rush: sees Dharkon sending his tentacles through portals, damaging anyone in their path. He uses this move more frequently in his second phase. Tentacle Drill involves Dharkon striking the player with up to five consecutive tentacles, with his eye exposed after the final strike.
• Thorn Spray: unleashes a barrage of energy bullets from the top left corner of the screen, with damage increasing the closer the player is. In his second phase, Dharkon finishes this attack with a massive blast of dark energy.
• Temporal Rift: A tentacle slash that creates a red line across the screen, slowing down any characters it touches. In his second phase, he creates two intersecting lines for a more challenging effect.
• X Bomb: summons small explosive objects that detonate in X-shaped beams of darkness. He creates more bombs in his second phase, and in his second fight, the bombs detonate at staggered intervals.
• Thorn Wheel: transforms Dharkon into a giant circular shape with saw-blade-like objects orbiting him. This move limits player movement during the climbing section of the final battle against Galeem and Dharkon.
• Tentacle Drill 2: features Dharkon's tentacles destroying platforms as they sweep across the screen. This move appears only in the final climbing section on Easy difficulty and above, adding another layer of challenge to the climactic battle.

Trivia

• Dharkon's English name is derived from the word "darken," highlighting his embodiment of darkness. In Japan, he is known as Darz. His name may also reference "archon," an ancient Greek term meaning "ruler." In Manichaean cosmology, archons are demonic entities within the Prince of Darkness, who invaded the world of light from the realm of darkness.
• Dharkon's design includes a single eye that actively tracks the player's location, making him unique among Super Smash Bros. Ultimate bosses. His tentacles, black and red in color, resemble the Rage Blaster item. His appearance and themes evoke classic Lovecraftian horrors such as Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth, and Marvel's Shuma-Gorath.
• In the reveal trailer for the Hero, Dharkon makes a brief cameo, suggesting the scene takes place during the events of World of Light. Additionally, Galeem's reappearance and subsequent death in Sephiroth's trailer imply that both Dharkon and Galeem might have survived the events of the story mode. The alternate endings in World of Light further suggest that the Hero's trailer aligns with the dark ending, while Sephiroth's could follow the light ending.