Master Hand

Master Hand
File:Various28 080225awk1.jpg
A boss in	SSB, SSBM, SSBB
Universe	Super Smash Bros.

For the trophy, see Master Hand (trophy).

Master Hand (マスターハンド, Masutā Hando) is a glove-like entity who acts as the creator of the Super Smash Bros. universe and is also the creator of the World of Trophies. He is the final boss of the 1P Game in Super Smash Bros., the final boss of the Classic Mode in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the final boss of Classic mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Master Hand's origins are unknown, and his and Crazy Hand's purpose is undiscovered. But both Hands are in a dualistic conflict of create and destroy. Speculation went around after the release of the original Smash Bros. that Master Hand was supposed to be the Nintendo character Glover.

Appearances

Super Smash Bros.

Official Artwork for Master Hand in Super Smash Bros.

In Super Smash Bros., Master Hand is the final opponent of the 1P Game. He resides in a level aptly called Master Hand's Residence by fans. He uses his size and shape to his advantage - he slaps, punches and flicks the player around.

Master Hand can't be defeated by normal means; instead, he has 300 HP which must be depleted. Once 0 HP is reached, he explodes into the background, and the character is turned back into a doll.

Master Hand also appears in the opening cinematic. He positions two random characters on a table, and after carefully positioning everything, he counts to three on his fingers, snaps his fingers, and changes the table into a stage resembling Peach's Castle, bringing the dolls to life.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

File:MasterHand.jpg

Master Hand trophy in SSBM.

Super Smash Bros. Melee sees Master Hand taking a similar role - he is the final boss of the 1-player Classic mode, and has a set HP which must be depleted to win. There are, however, a few changes made to him. His moveset is slightly altered, and his HP is altered based on the difficulty (for example, he only has 150 HP when fought on Very Easy mode, where SSB had him fixed to 300 regardless of the mode).

The game also introduced Crazy Hand, Master Hand's left-handed alter ego. When the two are on the field at the same time, they can perform powerful combination attacks. Crazy Hand appears when set conditions are met.

The two Hands also appear in [hard mode] and they must be defeated together.

Master Hand does not appear in the opening cinematic, though his trophy elaborates his role in the Super Smash Bros. universe.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

File:Various28 080225awk1.jpg

Master Hand's official Brawl artwork.

Master hand is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He reprises his role as the final boss of Classic mode. His attacks are very similar to that of his Melee form with some changes. The amount of HP he has is still dependent on the difficulty as well. Crazy Hand also returns in Classic Mode, if certain conditions are met.

Role in the Subspace Emissary

Master Hand in the Subspace Emissary.

Master Hand also appears in the Subspace Emissary, as Ganondorf's and Bowser's boss. Soon after a Subspace Bomb is used on a castle, Ganondorf receives new orders from Master Hand, which he gets via a TV screen.

However, when all of the characters arrive in the Subspace world, Master Hand turns out to be Tabuu's puppet. Ganondorf attacks Tabuu, but is easily knocked back, though while he falls he breaks Master Hand's strings, thus freeing him. Master Hand too attempts to strike Tabuu, but just like Ganondorf, is defeated with little effort. Being a being different from the playable characters, he does not change into a trophy, and simply lies there motionless.

Knowing that he would be able to use Master Hand to recruit fighters to aid him in his goals, Tabuu enslaved Master Hand with the chains of light some time before the plot of the Subspace Emissary begins. Indeed, his trophy suggests that Master Hand himself is not inherently evil, or he disliked the fact that there was someone stronger than him.

Other appearances

Master Hand and Crazy Hand also appear in the Gameboy Advance game Kirby and the Amazing Mirror and they are both the area bosses of Candy Constellation, and both must be defeated simultaneously. However, the concept of the Hands may have come from a boss called Wham Bam Rock from Kirby Super Star, who attacked Kirby with a stone hand.

As a character

Though there are several "cheats" that supposedly allow Master Hand to be played as a normal character, all of them are false - the only methods of controlling Master Hand are through a cheating device such as a GameShark or Action Replay or using the cheat menu on certain emulators. As expected, playing as Master Hand causes a few problems - he can cause random crashes, and depleting his HP freezes the game.

None of the move names are official.

Super Smash Bros. moveset

Note that Master Hand's moves will automatically target the highest-numerical player other than himself (Player 1 or 2 in most cases)

Move	Name	Notes
A	Poke	Master Hand pokes the air twice. The second poke is more powerful. Inflicts 8-26%.
A>	Slam	Master Hand makes a fist and slams into the player. Does 20% to player.
Forward Smash	Gun	Master Hand makes the shape of a gun, and fires sets of 2 bullets. It fires 1 set if above 100 HP, and three sets if below. 5% each.
A^	Drill	Master Hand flies up, then slams down while spinning in a drill-like fashion. 1-25%
Up Smash	Ram	Master Hand flies off the screen, then appears in the background as a fist. He attempts to slam into the player, then flies back onto the stage from the top of the screen. 16%
Av	Sweep	Master Hand makes several sweeping motions. The amount of motions depend on the size of the platform. 12%
Down Smash	Crush	Master Hand flies off the top of the screen, then appears in the background. He attempts to flatten the player. 16%
B	Walk	Master Hand "walks" using his pointer and middle fingers. When he reaches his opponent, he "kicks" them. 18%.
B^	Jet	Master Hand makes a vaguely plane-like shape, then flies into the background. He attempts to fly into the player, then flies in from the right. If the player makes contact with him when he is taking off, they will be burned launched downwards. 12-16%
B>*	Slap	Master Hand makes a slapping motion across the platform. 16%
Bv	Punch	Master Hand hovers over the target, then quickly punches down. 8-24%

* B> attacks were not given to "normal" characters until Melee.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Master Hand can only be controlled if set to Player 3. Also note that the directions are pressed on the D-Pad, not the Control Stick.

Solo moves

Move	Name	Notes
A^	Jet	Master Hand makes a vaguely plane-like shape, then flies into the background. It attempts to fly into the player, then flies in from the right. 10-30%
A>	Ram	Master Hand flies off the screen, then appears in the background as a fist. It attempts to slam into the player, then flies back onto the stage from the top of the screen. 34%
Av	Crush	Master Hand flies off the top of the screen, then appears in the background. It attempts to flatten the player. 30%
B^	Lasers	Master Hand shoots a laser beam from each of his fingertips. Only the endpoints do damage. 9% each
B>	Gun	Master Hand makes the shape of a gun, and fires sets of bullets. It fires 1 set if above 100 HP, and three sets if below. 10% (one set) 6% (three sets)
Z^	Grab	Master Hand grabs his opponent and begins to crush them. They can escape by button mashing, but, if they fail to do so, Master Hand will toss them away. 13%/crush, then 18-20% afterwards.
R<	Poke	Master Hand pokes the air three times. The third poke is more powerful. 7-34%
R>	Punch	Master Hand hovers over the target, then quickly punches down. 24%
Rv	Slap	Master Hand slaps the ground. 26%
R^	Drill	Master Hand flies up, then slams down while spinning in a drill-like fashion. 1-48%
L^	Slap	Master Hand makes a slapping motion across the platform. 25%
Lv	Walk	Master Hand "walks" using his pointer and middle fingers. When he reaches his opponent, he "kicks" them. 10-30%

Moves used in conjunction with Crazy Hand

MH (Master Hand) and CH (Crazy Hand) must both press the input shown to trigger the combination attack.

MH input	CH input	Move	Notes
Y<	Y>	Applaud	A shockwave is released that puts the player to sleep, then the two hands clap together five times.
Y^	Y^	Double Punch	The two hands punch together.
Y^	Yv	Catch	Crazy Hand punches across the stage and is caught by Master Hand. A shockwave that deals shadow damage is released at impact.

Useful Combination Moves

Certain moves can be used in conjunction with each other to cause massive amounts of damage.

MH Input	CH Input	Combo Name	Notes
A^	Av, A<	Double Jet	Not exactly the most useful combo, but still fun if pulled off right.
Av	R>	Dual Smash	When done one right after the other at just the right moment, the player will dodge the first hand, but get hit by the other.
B^	B^, B>, B<	Twin Laser	When both laser moves are used together, the player will have a hard time dodging the lasers without staying in the center of the arena.
B>	Bv	Unique Traits	Useful for when the enemy is dazed or stuck in something, but easily blocked, reflected, or dodged otherwise.
Lv	L<	Walking Death	Another combo the player will have a hard time dodging, and even recovering if it hits right.
R<	Rv	Dual Poke	Avoidable, but causes good damage if hit right. Also freezes the enemy if Crazy gets in the third hit.
Z^	Z^, Z>, Z<	Twin Grab	Somewhat avoidable, but still useful.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

• Drill Attack will almost always hit the player
• At the end of the Jet Technique will end at where it started rather than stopping all the way to the other side of the stage
• Most special effects of the moves (e.g. sparkles from the Grab) has been taken out
• A new attack: a close range flick
• With Crazy Hand, during the start of the Applause attack, characters will be hit by Fan effect when in the air.
• No freeze frame from Ram either hit or miss
• Laser attack will move forth and back once
• Walk is faster
• Damage taken from Master Hand's attacks is dependent on the difficulty level
• When using his Gun attack he will never shoot more than 1 bullet

Attack Order

Brawl

First Move

• Sweep
• Lasers
• Punch
• (Double Punch)

Second Move

• Drill
• Grab
• Gun
• (Applaud)
• (Double Punch)
• (Catch)

Third Move

• Ram
• Jet
• Crush

Fourth Move

• Grab
• Walk
• (Applaud)

Fifth Move

• Slap
• Poke

Trophy Info

A being tied to the link between this world, where trophies fight, and the world beyond. The meaning of his existence is unknown, as are his goals, but he seems to have obtained (and kept hidden) a power that borders on absolute. He also seems to feel a certain joy in challenging chosen warriors who've claimed many victories. He waits even now in Final Destination.

Trivia

• Master Hand's interactions with Tabuu in the Subspace Emissary has created some debate over his true nature, especially whether or not he can be "killed".
• Master Hand's entrance laugh strongly resembles a stereotypical "evil villain" laugh.
• If Luigi attacks Master Hand, Crazy Hand, or Petey Piranha in SSBB with his up-special move on a perfect angle, they can be defeated no matter what damage level.

See also

• Crazy Hand
• Final Destination