Dharkon (ダーズ Dāzu?, , lit. Darz), is a god-like entity and one of the two main antagonists of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Adventure Mode: World of Light. He is described as the "Embodiment of Chaos and Darkness" in the World of Light. His goal, similar to that of his light counterpart Galeem (who opposes him), is to corrupt the universe in his own image.
Physical Appearance[]
Dharkon looks very similar to Galeem, but his core is a green-blue eyeball which turns red when his health is low and he is surrounded by black-and-red vines which can transform to help him attack his opponents.
Role in World of Light[]
After Galeem's first defeat, Dharkon appears from a portal in the sky, commanding an army of Crazy Hands. After the Crazy Hands briefly fight Galeem's Master Hands and win, Galeem proceeds to flee. Dharkon proceeds to take control of the remaining captive fighters and Spirits and creates a world of darkness.
Dharkon is summoned following the defeat of Ganon, Marx, and Dracula in the Dark Realm. Following Dharkon's first defeat, he proceeds to flee into the final world, with Galeem following soon after. In the final world, Galeem and Dharkon wage war against each other, but are also seeking to destroy the fighters.
If only Galeem is defeated during the Final Battle, Dharkon destroys Galeem's army, enchains and impales him and engulfs the fighters and the world in darkness. Mario also dies, resulting in one of two bad endings.
If only Dharkon is defeated during the Final Battle, Galeem turns into a black hole again and engulfs the fighters in a bright light. Galeem takes over the entire universe again.
If both Galeem and Dharkon are confronted, following Master Hand and Crazy Hand being freed from control and conquering the battlefield, the pair continue to battle each other along with their puppet fighters and bosses before turning their attention to the fighters in a three-way battle. Once both Dharkon and Galeem are finally defeated, they fall into the sea and explode, freeing all the spirits from their control.
Attacks[]
Dharkon's eye is the only place he can be damaged. He can be stunned, which drops the eye on the stage for several seconds. After his health falls below half, Dharkon's sclera color will shift to dark violet.
Note that many attacks' characteristics, such as a number of projectiles fired, vary depending on both Dharkon's health, which battles it is and the difficulty of World of Light. Also, certain attacks are never used in certain battles.
During the final battle with Galeem and Dharkon, both bosses will deliberately target the player. However, owing to their status as mortal enemies, they can also damage each other; if one is stunned, the other will seize the opportunity to take a potshot. Regardless, only the player can deal the final blow.
Spirit[]
No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slot | Ability | Series |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1,106 | Dharkon | Neutral | ★★★★ | 0 | Bane of Light | Super Smash Bros. Series |
Trivia[]
- Dharkhon took his theme mostly from the fourth verse of Lifelight, the main theme of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- Dharkon's name is a corruption of the word "darken", similarly to how Galeem's name is a corruption of "gleam".
- It could also be a combination of the words "dark" and Gnosticism, which designates the demons of Darkness in Manichaeism, a religion based on the belief of eternal struggle between the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness.
- It could come from the Latin term Archōn, Archontos, which means "ruler".
- Dharkon's appearance of being an organic mass of tentacles resembles Azathoth, a being featured in the Cthulhu mythos. Along with his single slitted eye, the boss could also be compared to Marvel Comics' Shuma-Gorath and Yog-Sothoth from the Cthulhu mythos.
- Dharkon also bears resemblance to the Malice from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, due to his color scheme.
- The Rage Blaster weapon bears a striking resemblance to Dharkon's tentacles.
- Interestingly, Dharkon's eye always follows the fighter during his battle. This makes him the only boss in the Smash Bros. series with this distinction, as even his light-themed counterpart Galeem (apparently) does not track the player.
- Dharkon appears in the Hero's reveal trailer, where Link and the 4 incarnations of the Hero battle his puppet fighters.
- This marks his formal public reveal, as unlike Galeem, he didn't appear in any other trailers, the website, or the opening movie.