Editing Dark Samus

{{forfighter|SSBU=y}}

|caption=[[File:MetroidSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>Official artwork of Dark Samus from ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 3: Corruption}}''.

|firstgame=''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime|game}}'' (2002, cameo)<br>''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}'' (2004)

|lastappearance=''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime Remastered}}'' (2023, cameo)

|species={{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid|species}}/{{s|metroidwiki|Human}} hybrid (cybernetically augmented with the {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon Suit}} and naturally infused with {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon}}){{ref|a}}

|gender =Female{{ref|b}}

|placeoforigin={{s|metroidwiki|Tallon IV}} ({{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime|specimen}})<br>{{s|metroidwiki|Phaaze}} (Phazon)

'''Dark Samus''' ({{ja|ダークサムス|Dāku Samusu}}, ''Dark Samus'') is a character from the {{uv|Metroid}} series. Born from the monstrous [[metroidwiki:Metroid Prime (specimen)|Metroid Prime]] and data stolen from [[Samus Aran]]'s {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon Suit}}, Dark Samus is an embodiment of the toxic mutagen {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon}}, serving as the primary antagonist of the [[metroidwiki:Metroid Prime: Trilogy|''Metroid Prime'' trilogy]]. She is one of Samus's greatest foes, alongside [[Ridley]] and [[Mother Brain]].

After making cameos as a [[trophy]] and [[sticker]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', and as a trophy and [[Assist Trophy]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', Dark Samus became a playable Fighter in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.

[[File:SSBU spirit Dark Samus.png|thumb|left|150px|Official artwork of Dark Samus in ''Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''. This design is the basis of her trophy design in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', and inspired some features of her design in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

In ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime}}'', the titular creature and final boss, [[metroidwiki:Metroid Prime (specimen)|Metroid Prime]], was defeated by [[Samus Aran]] within the {{s|metroidwiki|Impact Crater}}. It lashed out at Samus and stole her {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon Suit}} upgrade before dissolving into a pool of Phazon. While Samus evacuated the collapsing crater, Metroid Prime had, unbeknownst to her, exited the battle in a new form. In a post-credits stinger scene, an armored hand emerged from the same Phazon pool, signaling the rebirth of Metroid Prime as a Phazon-based cyborg: Dark Samus. This hybrid acquired all of Samus' abilities, as well as a human-like sapience. However, she was also obsessed with consuming Phazon, a trait retained from her time as Metroid Prime.

Dark Samus, as she would come to be known by the Space Pirates, is mentioned by the Pirate Logs in ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}''. They initially assume she is Samus wearing a new suit, but are disturbed as she only cares about absorbing the Phazon mined on {{s|metroidwiki|Aether}}. Her meddling results in the Pirates' operation being discovered by the Galactic Federation, leading to Samus' arrival. Dark Samus attacks Samus on sight, and the two fight multiple times across Aether. Once Samus defeats the {{s|metroidwiki|Ing}} and triggers the dimensional collapse of Dark Aether, Dark Samus interrupts her escape. Overloaded by Phazon, she holds her own against Samus despite the latter's powerful {{s|metroidwiki|Light Suit}}, but is ultimately bested again. She then disintegrates after failing to steal Samus' Light Suit, and appears to perish in Dark Aether.

Following her defeat, ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 3: Corruption}}'' opens with Dark Samus' remains being unknowingly collected by the Space Pirates, allowing her to reconstitute in one of their Phazon transports. She absorbs all Phazon aboard the ship, which further develops her sapience alongside streamlining her physical body. Thanks to this sapience, Dark Samus brainwashes the Pirates with Phazon and initiates a new goal: galactic conquest via the spread of Phazon. Leading the brainwashed Pirates, including a revived [[Ridley|Meta Ridley]], Dark Samus begins by capturing {{s|metroidwiki|Aurora Unit 313}}, a Federation supercomputer, and implants it into {{s|metroidwiki|Phaaze}}, the sentient planet that is the source of all Phazon. Through this conduit, Dark Samus controls the spread of Phazon by launching Phaaze's {{s|metroidwiki|Leviathan}}s, living Phazon asteroids that corrupt the planets they strike into Phazon wastelands. She targets key Federation planets to cripple their galactic defenses.

Although Samus stops one of the Leviathans before it strikes {{s|metroidwiki|Norion}}, Dark Samus corrupts her and three other bounty hunters ({{s|metroidwiki|Rundas}}, {{s|metroidwiki|Ghor}} and {{s|metroidwiki|Gandrayda}}) with Phazon. The other hunters ultimately fall victim to Phazon corruption, forcing Samus to fight and kill each of them on her journey across multiple planets to destroy three key Leviathans. In the finale, Dark Samus confronts Samus for the final time on Phaaze, first in direct combat and then after merging with Aurora Unit 313. Samus destroys 313 and, because of its symbiotic connection to both Dark Samus and Phaaze, seemingly destroys Dark Samus and renders all Phazon inert.

{{Trophy

|name=Dark Samus

|image=Dark Samus - Brawl Trophy.png

|desc=A twin image of Samus, encountered near the beginning of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Dark Samus is identical to Samus in every way but color--she even uses similar attacks. There are many theories on the origin of Dark Samus, but none are proven. Dark Samus uses Phazon for energy and can absorb it to heal damage. Samus encounters Dark Samus a number of times.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=GCN|game1=Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}

}}

! Name

! Game

! Effect

! Fighter(s)

| {{StickerHead|Samus|Zero Suit Samus}}

Dark Samus appears as an Assist Trophy in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. Unlike her trophy in ''Brawl'', she uses her design from ''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption''. Some of Dark Samus' attack animations are similar to {{SSB4|Samus}}', such as her down tilt and her up smash. She hops around with long jumps, attacking with three different moves:

* Her second attack sees her firing four homing energy spheres into the air. Each sphere deals 6% and has moderately low knockback.

===As an alternate costume===

Dark Samus' color scheme is also the basis of one of Samus' [[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Samus|alternate costumes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://miiverse.nintendo.net/replies/AYMHAAACAAAYUKllULyh8Q |title=Director's Room |accessdate=2016-02-05 |author=Masahiro Sakurai |date=2014-09-03 |publisher=Miiverse |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017180512/https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAADMUKl_zHGQzw |archivedate=2017-10-17 |quote=…And here she is in the color schemes of the Gravity Suit from Metroid Prime, Green Samus (a regular in the Smash series), the Light Suit, and Dark Samus. A total of eight colors.}}</ref> In the [[Galactic Avenger]] [[Event Match]], this color scheme is used to simulate Samus battling Dark Samus. Similarly, the color scheme appears in the [[Final Battle Team-Up]] co-op Event Match that features several playable antagonists as opponents.

{{clr}}

|name=Dark Samus

|image-3ds=DarkSamusTrophy3DS.png

|image-wiiu=DarkSamusTrophyWiiU.png

|desc-ntsc=This terrifying creature is made of Phazon. Along with regenerative abilities, she can also brainwash her victims and clone herself. Summoned into Smash Bros., she resembles Samus Aran and mimics some of her moves, firing Arm Cannon blasts, launching homing energy blasts, or even unleashing Phazon.

|desc-pal=An exceptionally strong and terrifying being made of Phazon. She's able to regenerate, brainwash her victims and even clone herself. When summoned in this game, she'll either fire rapid shots from her Arm Cannon, launch homing energy blasts, or unleash Phazon across the surrounding area, depending on where her target is.

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=GCN|game1=Metroid Prime 2: Echoes|release1=11/2004|console2=Wii|game2=Metroid Prime 3: Corruption|release2=10/2007}}

}}

{{clrl}}

Dark Samus appears as a [[newcomer]] in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', and was formally announced alongside {{SSBU|Simon}}, {{SSBU|Richter}}, {{SSBU|Chrom}}, and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} during the ''Super Smash Bros.'' [[Nintendo Direct|Direct]] on August 8th, 2018.<ref name=Direct>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kQWJrjRV4 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct 8.8.2018]</ref> According to [[Masahiro Sakurai]], Dark Samus and Chrom were included because of significant fan demand from overseas and Japan, respectively.<ref name=Sakurai>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2018/08/22/more-information-about-the-smash-direct-sakurais-famitsu-column-vol-561/ "More Information about the Smash Direct" Sakurai's Famitsu Column Vol. 561]</ref> Unlike in ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4'', Dark Samus' design is a combination of her organic features and color scheme from ''Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' and her redesigned Phazon Suit from ''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption''.

As an [[Echo Fighter]] of {{SSBU|Samus}}, Dark Samus is virtually identical in regard to function, although she does deviate from Samus in a few ways.<ref name=Direct/> As with other Echo Fighters, she has different animations, taunts, and victory poses (including a distinct victory fanfare).<ref name=Sakurai/> Unlike Samus, Dark Samus' rolls do not involve her transforming into a {{s|metroidwiki|Morph Ball}}, but are compensated with slightly less ending lag. She also uses Phazon in her moveset, which is indicated by blue flames with the [[electric]] [[effect]] for all [[Missile|but]] [[Bomb (Samus)|two]] of Samus' respective [[flame]]-based moves, and dark blue energy for both [[Charge Shot]] and [[Phazon Laser]] (her version of the {{b|Zero Laser|Samus}}).

{{clr}}

===Spirit===

SSBU spirit Dark Samus.png|265. '''''Dark Samus'''''

**She is also the only playable former assist character to have made an appearance in the series prior to her appearance as an assist character, as she appeared as a trophy and a sticker in ''Brawl''.

*Dark Samus' ''Brawl'' trophy description is not entirely accurate. If the player achieves 100% completion in ''Metroid Prime'', a cutscene will play that shows Metroid Prime's essence being reborn into Samus' stolen {{iw|metroidwiki|Phazon Suit}}. However, this fact is only hinted at in-universe from Samus' first {{iw|metroidwiki|logbook}} scan of Dark Samus in ''Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''.

*Dark Samus is the second moveset [[clone]] in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to also be a canonical clone of the character she is derived from. The first is [[Dark Pit]].

**Unlike Dark Pit, she is a cybernetically enhanced hybrid instead of a genetically identical clone, and is a villain instead of an anti-hero.

*Dark Samus and [[Kazooie]] are the only playable fighters whose games of origin were neither released first in Japan nor worldwide, with both (''Metroid Prime 2'' and ''Banjo-Kazooie'', respectively) releasing in North America first.

 

:1.{{note|a}}During [[Samus Aran]]'s final battles against Dark Samus in ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes}}'' and ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 3: Corruption}}'', Samus' {{iw|metroidwiki|logbook}} scans mention that Dark Samus, upon absorbing significant levels of {{iw|metroidwiki|Phazon}}, becomes comprised purely of Phazon.

:2{{note|b}}Although the {{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime|specimen}} has no definitive gender, Dark Samus is considered female because of her unintentional absorption of a sample of Samus Aran's DNA. On a related note, Dark Samus is described with female pronouns consistently in Samus' logbook scans and in her own ''Super Smash Bros.'' trophies.