Spirit

Characters shown as spirits

“	Spirits are characters that have lost their physical forms. Equipping your fighter with spirits will power them up with all sorts of new abilties. Wondering how many kinds of spirits there are? You'll have to see for yourself!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Spirits are a type of power-up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They are also featured in Adventure Mode: World of Light, where they assist the fighters in defeating Galeem. Spirits can be seen as similar to stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and equipment in Super Smash Bros. 4, while they also replace Trophies from earlier installments as the successor.

Spirits are characters who lost their bodies through disintegration (due to Galeem's attack) and were transformed into souls, which were then trapped into Puppet Fighters and made to do Galeem's bidding. There are 1297 spirits in the game; an incomplete list of them can be found here.

Spirit Classes

Spirits are separated by their strength which is referred to as "classes".

• ★☆☆☆ Novice (standard strength)
• ★★☆☆ Advanced (a bit stronger)
• ★★★☆ Ace (especially powerful)
• ★★★★ Legend (in a league of their own)

Spirit Types

“	There are two kinds of spirits. Primary spirits boost the physical abilities of the fighter you equip them to, while support spirits provide special skills. Try out different combinations to power up your fighters!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Primary Spirits

Each fighter can only have one Primary Spirit assigned at a time. The Primary Spirit will enhance the fighter's stats. Primary Spirits have strengths based on their type, and grant an advantage against spirits that their type is strong against. However, they will also impose a weakness against the type of Spirit that they are weak against. Some Primary Spirits also add secondary modifications like a Support Spirit.

“	Primary spirits come in different types: Attack, Shield, and Grab. Attack has an advantage over Grab, Grab has an advantage over Shield, and Shield has an advantage over Attack. Try to equip spirits that are strong against your opponent's spirit team!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

There is also a fourth type, Neutral, which is not strong or weak against any other type.

Support Spirits

Certain Primary Spirits have slots, which can be filled by Support Spirits. The Support Spirits will give fighters passive bonuses such as starting with an item, resistance to certain damage types or status effects, added abilities, and more. They can be useful when encountering traps that appear in certain Spirit Battles, such as winds that constantly push fighters or floors that put any fighter to sleep on contact. The fighter can equip up to three Support Spirits at a time depending on how many slots the Primary Spirit has, although some Support Spirits can take up more than one slot. Support Spirits are also divided into types like Primary Spirits, but only during Spirit Battles where they are equipped by an enemy Puppet Fighter.

Fighter Spirits

Fighter Spirits are based on an existing playable character in the game, and cannot be equipped. Rather, they simply exist to allow the players to enjoy the art and descriptions. They are earned by completing Classic Mode with the indicated fighter. With some exceptions, the Fighter Spirits generally use the fighter's artwork from their franchise of origin. Characters with significant alternate costumes will have fighter spirits based on them as well, such as Male Wii Fit Trainer and each of the Koopalings; this does not include Wire Frame Little Mac or classic Link.

Master Spirits

Master Spirits are another type of Spirit that cannot be equipped, except by the Puppet Fighter possessing them in a Spirit Battle. Once unlocked, Master Spirits run facilities that can be used by up to four other spirits at a time. These facilities include Gyms (which level up spirits), Explore (which bring back rewards), and Dojos (which teach styles to spirits). Master Spirits have dialogue boxes, though certain spirits (such as Kraid) communicate unintelligibly and therefore have provided translations. Like Secondary Spirits, Master Spirits are only assigned types when used by puppet fighters in Spirit Battles.

Master Spirits can be found and battled throughout Adventure Mode: World of Light. Once unlocked, the option to interact with them is added to the Collection menu.

• Doc Louis: unlocks the Gym, which provides a steady gain of EXP to assigned spirits.
• Toadette: Allows exploration of Ruins for 2 hours, which mainly provides Spirit Points and a low amount of EXP.
• Charlie: Allows exploration of Caves for 6 hours, which mainly provides items that can be used in the Spirit Board, as well as a decent amount of EXP.
• Linebeck: Allows exploration of Jungle for 10 hours, which mainly provides Snacks and a large amount of EXP.

All Dojos provide a Style to spirits who are left with them, which grants additional stats to the spirit when equipped to a Fighter. It takes time to learn the style, but a cost of 500 Spirit Points can be provided to immediately teach the style.

• Ryoma: Can teach the Demon Style, granting a Major Increase to Offense and a Major Decrease to Defense.
• Cap'n Cuttlefish: Can teach the Land Style, increasing Ground Power and Move Speed while lowering Air Power and Jump.
• Peppy Hare: Can teach the Air Style, increasing Air Power and Jumo while decreasing Ground Power and Move Speed.
• Copper & Booker: Can teach the Brick-Wall Style, granting a Major Increase to Defense and a Major Decrease to Offense.
• Darunia: Can teach the Boulder Style, increasing Defense and Move Speed while decreasing Offense and Jump.
• Honey Queen: Can teach the Big-Bee Style, increasing Defense, Jump, and Weight while decreasing Offense and Move Speed.
• Dr. Stewart: Can teach the Runner Style, granting a Major Increase to Move Speed and a Major Decrease to Jump.
• Gravity Man: Can teach the Gravity Style, granting a Major Increase to Jump and a Major Decrease to Move Speed and Fall Speed.
• Kraid: Can teach the Tank Style, increasing Offense and Defense while decreasing Move Speed and Jump.
• Wii Balance Board: Can teach the Lightweight Style, increasing Move Speed and Jump while decreasing Offense, Defense, and Weight.
• Riki: Can teach the Strategist Style, increasing Special-Move Power while decreasing Attack Power, Throw Power, and Item Attack.
• Dyntos: Can teach the Equipment Style, increasing Item Attack and Healing Amount while decreasing Attack Power, Special-Move Power, and Throw Power.
• Zangief: Can teach the Overthrow Style, increasing Throw Power, Grab Range, and Grab Power while decreasing Attack Power, Special-Move Power, and Item Attack.
• Kat & Ana: Can teach the Ninja Style, providing a Major Increase to Throw Power, Grab Power, Item Attack, Move Speed, and Fall Speed, as well as a Major Decrease to Attack Power, Special-Move Power, Defense, and Weight.
• Slowpoke: Allows a Spirit to forget their currently used Style.

All shops require Spirit Points to purchase their wares, and restock after a number of battles are fought.

• Timmy and Tommy: Unlocks Timmy and Tommy's, which tends to stock spirits somehow related to Items.
• Sheldon: Unlocks Sheldon's Place, which tends to stock spirits somehow related to Weapons.
• Anna: Unlocks Anna's Emporium, which tends to stock spirits somehow related to Equipment.
• Funky Kong: Unlocks Funky Kong's Shack, which tends to stock more Transportation Vehicle spirits.
• Beedle: Unlocks Beedle's Tent, which tends to stock spirits that are living organisms.

Spirit Battles

“	Spirit battles have various conditions that may remind you of the character you're battling. If you manage to win one of these matches, you'll get a chance to capture the spirit for yourself!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Most spirits can be obtained via Spirit Battles, which appear similar to the thematic missions seen in Event Matches and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's Special Orders. Battles can be selected from the Spirit Board, containing up to ten spirits to challenge. The Spirit Board will cycle out new spirits after a short period of time. Each Spirit Battle contains unique challenges and rules. The spirits that are battled against will be paired with puppet fighters of a similar personality and/or appearance, with the battle's rules, conditions, stage and music track often being reflective of the spirit itself. During all battles against spirits, the Final Smash Meter will be active, and certain spirits can make the gauge fill up faster. A spirit can be acquired by defeating its respective puppet fighter, then attacking the fighter in a shooting-style minigame. There is a shield that prevents the spirit from being acquired; however, the damage to the shield carries over to the next time that spirit is encountered. Before each Spirit Battle, the two sides' strength will be compared. The higher the player's advantage over the spirit, the easier the battle will be, but fewer rewards will be earned if the player's strength is significantly greater than the spirit's.

There are consumable items one can earn or purchase to make the spirit obtaining process easier. Examples include restocking the Spirit Board or rerolling the board, and items that make the shooting mini-game easier.

One can also battle other players locally in versus matches with spirits equipped, working in a similar manner to character customization from Super Smash Bros. 4.

Raising Spirits

Inkling equipped with the spirits of Gooey, Lip, Nabbit and the Ouendan.

The player can let spirits return to their worlds in exchange for their cores, which can be combined to summon new spirits. Spirits can level up by training in the gym, learn a style that alters their stats in the dojo, or hunt for treasure. If the spirits are sent for treasure, the process will continue even if playing another mode or if the system is powered off. Some spirits can upgrade to a different spirit once their level is maxed out. New facilities can be unlocked by defeating puppet fighters containing master spirits in World of Light to further modify spirits.

Spirits can also be released; while this removes the spirit, the core a released spirit leaves behind can be used to create a new spirit when combined with other cores.

Spirits can also power up Figure Players, but will be permanently consumed.

Trivia

• Despite the lore referring to spirits as characters, some spirits (such as Samus' Gunship, the Shine Sprite, and Snake's cardboard box) are based on inanimate objects instead of characters.
• Alter egos and other versions of playable characters, such as Kaptain K. Rool or Mario and Luigi in their Mario Tennis Aces outfits, also appear as spirits, despite not being separate characters.
• The amount of spirits in Ultimate surpasses the amount of Stickers in Brawl as there were only 700.

See also

• Conditions (Spirit Battles)