With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's introduction of Spirits, a wide variety of beloved video game characters are represented through the playable cast and different rulesets to evoke their personalities and abilities. Below are notable examples of the different spirits you fight and how their battles reference their origins. Expect spoilers for all represented franchises.
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Spirits from Other Nintendo Games
Astral Chain
- The hero is Chrom fought on Omega Fourside, with a metal Dark Pit spamming arrows playing his Arrow Legion.
- The heroine is a Zero Suit Samus equipped with a Black Hole and often firing her Paralyzer. A metal Shulk joins as her Sword Legion. They're fought on Omega Final Destination, representing the Astral Plane.
- Kyle starts as a fight against three black-garbed Sheiks playing various Hermit gang members, and they're spread out around New Pork City, alluding to the hiding places they occupy around the district. Once they're taken out, Cloud playing Kyle himself shows up to end the fight.
- Lappy is a fight against a giant Isabelle on Fourside with the music for Balloon Fight playing, generally playing into the aesthetic of a big dorky police mascot known for handing out balloons in a major metropolitan area. Isabelle will also occasionally turn invisible, as a reference to the Stealth Hi/Bye routine Lappy repeatedly pulls on you during the initial tour of the station.
- Bayonette (from the Japan-exclusive V2, and not to be confused with Bayonetta) is a dusty Dark Samus allied with a normal Samus in her Fusion colors, representing the colors on the mech. Samus wearing her Fusion suit also counts as a Stealth Pun, as Bayonette is the result of a fusion between two smaller Robos: Spear and Lance.
- Ray Mk II is an enhanceable spirit that can become Ray Mk III. Also noteworthy is that it is, for all intents and purposes, flat-out given to the player once they reach the military base, referencing how the Ray of each game is always given to the player as their first Custom Robo.
- Dillon can be summoned with the help of a Sandshrew (an armadillo-like Pokémon) and Wheelie (who has a Rolling Attack similar to Dillon). The battle against Dillon's spirit is against Sonic in Midgar, an urban metropolis similar to the arenas in Dead Heat Breakers.
- Russ' spirit battle has the player pitted against Fox with a Rocket Belt equipped, which references how Russ is a woodland mammal who constantly rides a flying vehicle throughout the series. Also, his spirit battle taking place on Gerudo Valley could be a reference to the Dillon's Rolling Western games' wild western-setting.
- Tethu is represented by a red Young Link who starts the battle equipped with a Gust Bellows, a stand-in for Tethu's Green Gale ability. The battle is fought in the desert-themed Gerudo Valley as a substitute for Wakuto Canyon. Lastly, the location for his spirit in Adventure mode is the dark area of the Sacred Land, which resembles an area attacked by Chaos in his home game.
- Esna, as a water spirit, grants immunity to lava floors. Her spirit battle is against a cyan Mewtwo, matching her bluish-white colors, while his Final Smash meter charges faster than normal, as Mega Mewtwo Y vaguely resembles Esna's body shape. The stage used is Mushroom Kingdom II, meant to represent the pool of water Esna lives in.
- Garet is represented by Roy, a fellow fire-using Warrior. His stage has all of the floor covered in lava.
- Jenna is represented by a Zelda who favors her side special (Din's Fire), and is accompanied by Isaac as an Assist Trophy, possibly referencing the fact that the two are married with a child in Dark Dawn.
- Isaac requires the player to defeat his fellow party members before he spawns: Garet (a red Roy as noted above), Ivan (a green Robin), and Mia (a blue Palutena). In addition, his Assist Trophy spawns as well. The fight takes place on the bridge segment of Wuhu Island, possibly in reference to Mt. Aleph which borders Isaac's hometown. His enhanced form is that of his adult appearance in Dark Dawn.
- Felix, a Venus Adept like Isaac, is represented by Marth. The fight is occasionally interrupted by earthquakes.
- Matthew, Isaac and Jenna's son from Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, is represented by Chrom in a battle where nothing but Hotheads spawn. Hotheads are fiery creatures (a nod to his mother's Mars Adept abilities) that travel along the ground (a nod to Matthew's and his father's Venus Adept abilities).
- Old Man Lobber is a set of 4 Warios that favor their grabs, which reference That One Attack in his boss fight.
- The Mermaid is against a pink female Inkling who heals damage over time, as the Mermaid's role in the Starfy games is to heal him to full health.
- Starfy himself is actually summoned through the cores of the rest of his friends (Lobber, the Mermaid, and Moe).
NES Sports Games
- The Pitcher & Batter from Baseball are represented by Ness as the batter, and two Lucases as the pitcher and catcher. Ness starts the battle equipped with a Home Run Bat and will swing for the fences with frequent side smashes, while pitcher!Lucas will throw Beastballs at you.
- The Hockey Players are a team of Dr. Mario, Luigi, and DK resized to match the short, tall, and fat hockey players respectively. The fight also takes place on a slippery Pokémon Stadium 1 to simulate a hockey rink.
- The Volleyball Player is a team of Wii Fit Trainers that spam their Side B, which heavily resembles a Volleyball spike.
- The Toy-Con Robot pits you against two Mii Brawlers, a large one in a robot outfit to represent the robot itself and a normal one wearing the Labo set to represent the player. You have to target the mii controlling the robot to win as the robot is as indestructible as he is in his home game. As a spirit, it improves the power of fist attacks due to those being it's main attack.
- The Toy-Con Car is a stamina battle against Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings who all spam their car like side-B. The stamina part while odd, might reference the limited amount of fuel the player has while driving the car.
- The Toy-Con VR Goggles features a yellow ROB whose head looks a little bit like the VR goggles while assisted by a red and blue Mii Gunners wearing the LABO headsets to represent the Joy-Cons. Yuri Kozukata appears as an assist trophy during the battle referencing the Camera add-on for the goggles as well as her holding the Camera Obscura similar to the goggles. Dragoon parts appear which when assembled, create a reticle which is aiming from the direction of the screen's view as if the player is looking through the goggles. As a Support Spirit, it prevents the screen from flipping, as none of the VR games require the player to be looking through them upside-down.
- Professor Riggs, Plaise, and Lerna are represented by a yellow Dr. Mario, a small red Young Link, and a blue Bayonetta respectively. Fitting as Riggs is a hard worker that loves solving problems, Plaise is an energetic kid, and Lerna is both the tallest and the most book smart out of the three. They also get stronger over time, referring to their dedication to modifying and improving their toy-cons.
- Andy is represented by a red Doctor Mario alongside a horde of tiny Snakes, as an homage to a Mech rush. The enemy heals periodically mirroring Andy's CO power.
- Olaf is represented by the Ice Climbers on Summit where the floor is frozen. The player also has reduced movement speed after a while. This represents Olaf’s CO power, where he creates a snowstorm that slows the enemy army down. The Ice Climbers also start with a Steel Diver, which represents the Submarine unit.
- Eagle is represented by a blue Captain Falcon who's armed with a long-range Staff at the start of the battle. As Eagle specializes in commanding aerial units, the fight takes place aboard the Arwing over Corneria, with lots of ranged weapons spawning.
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan / Elite Beat Agents
- The Ouendan Cheerleaders are a trio of blue-suited Isabelles who favor neutral air attacks (pom poms) and get stronger after a while, as the targets of the Ouendan/EBA do when they're cheered on enough. "Ring a Ding" plays during their fight to represent the licensed pop soundtrack from their home game. As a spirit, the Cheerleaders start you off with a Super Launch Star, a reference to the EBA's star-shaped insignia.
- The Elite Beat Agents themselves are three black-suited Mii Swordfighters fought in Saffron City, referencing the urban setting that most of their missions take place in. "Escape from the City" plays during this fight, being the closest-sounding song to "Walkie Talkie Man", the song of the first stage in EBA. Like with the Ouendan Cheerleaders, their attack power increases after a while.
- The Chorus Kids are represented by a trio of constantly singing Jigglypuff. They fight in the Wii Fit Studio, as a nod to their rhythm game's white background. Each one is incrementally larger than the last to give the (very brief) illusion of perspective.
- Munchy Monk is represented by Ken, who spends most of the battle going after the many food items that appear throughout. The three gray Kirbys accompanying him represent dumplings, Munchy's Trademark Favorite Food, and the battle takes place on the Spirit Train, the closest thing there is to the train he rides in Rhythm Heaven Fever.
- For the Reporter and Wrestler, the Wrestler is represented by Pikachu Libre in the Boxing Ring, and the Reporter is represented by the constant presence of Assist Trophy Yuri Kozukata.
- Baxter and Forthington are represented by Duck Hunt (as Baxter, the dog) and Incineroar (Forthington, the cat), fighting atop the light planes from Pilotwings as a nod to the planes they fly in. To replicate the badminton birdie being swatted back and forth, the stage is littered with throwable items that are frequently used against you.
- The Sumo Brothers are a giant red and blue Donkey Kong with increased physical power. They taunt a lot (referring to their posing), the ground periodically shakes throughout the battle (referencing their stomping), and their theme music is that of another fellow sumo wrestler: E. Honda.
- The Sick Beats Doctor is a Dr. Mario (who also examines and eliminates harmful viruses) on a Wrecking Crew stage covered in a poisonous cloud.
- To summon the Wandering Samurai, you'll need to have the Sakura Samurai and some Ghosts for him to cut down.
- Karate Joe is represented by a Ryu who favors using smash attacks, and his punches and kicks are stronger as well, as Joe's training regimen includes punching and kicking hard objects like pots, barrels and bombs, which are referenced by the crates and barrels which spawn.
- The Ring Fit Trainees are a pair of male and female Wii Fit Trainers who can breathe fire. The battle takes place in Golden Plains to match the setting of the game.
- Dragaux is an Incineroar who will turn metal and giant when at high damage. The only items that are spawned are food since he is burning a lot of calories from exercising a lot. The fact that Incineroar, instead of someone like Bowser or King K. Rool, represents him foreshadows that he's not really a bad guy after all.
- Ring is a Wii Fit Trainer representing the trainee holding a Gust Bellows (Representing Ring's ability to let out gusts of wind) accompanied by an invisible Bayonetta (Whose Wicked Weaves resemble the energy limbs created by the Fit Skills). You must defeat the Wii Fit Trainer in order to count as a victory, since the Trainer is using Ring to stay fit. His spirit grants an increase in physical attacks since he is your exercise trainer.
- Coraline from Ultimate Angler is an Isabelle who favors her side special (Fishing Rod), and is fought on the boat section of Wuhu Island. She is accompanied by a Mii Gunner wearing a sailor's cap, representing the player. Her ability granting the player a boomerang is likely the closest you can get to a fishing rod; casting and retrieving.
- Shinobu, from Ninja Launcher, is a battle against a Sheik and a Mii Swordfighter that constantly launch themselves at you with Bullet Bills.
- Nico Fire, the host of Slot Car Rivals, is represented by a yellow Ness who is accompanied by two very fast characters: Fox and Sonic, who are even more uncontrollably fast thanks to the spirit's side effect. Also, the battle is fought on the fast-moving cars in Big Blue, and you need to ride Pico's Wild Goose to even reach him.
- Iris Archwell, from Monster Manor, is represented by a female pink-haired Villager with a Mii Brawler ally on the haunted Luigi's Mansion stage. As the house is full of ghosts, everyone randomly turns invisible.
- Crispin from Feed Mii is the resident cooking expert Link in a white apron like tunic. However, the real threat is the curry-filled Mii Swordfighter with him as Crispin and the player's job is to feed the Find Mii heroes, not be the hero themselves.
- The Dark Emperor from Find Mii II is represented by a giant green Ridley with super armor and an aggressive fighting style. On the Find Mii stage, you may also have to deal with the real Dark Emperor as a Background Boss. In addition, Dark Emperor's goal in Find Mii II was to swallow all the light in the world and plunge the world into darkness, hence why he is a spirit under Dharkon's Command.
Other
- Kyle Hyde is a battle against Snake in a black attire with fog rolling in, referencing the character sprites being black and white. The battle occurs in Fourside, serving as a nod to the sequel's setting in the city.
- Alexandra Roivas is a battle against Zero Suit Samus wearing a black outfit, set on Luigi's Mansion; after she takes about 50% damage, the screen inverts. Alexandra spent the entirety of her home game in the gothic Roivas mansion, and one of the more iconic sanity effects in Eternal Darkness was the tendency for the character to suddenly be walking on the ceiling upon entering a room. Additionally, both characters were played by Jennifer Hale.
- The battle with Lip features a Mii Swordfighter with Lip's outfit wielding, of course, Lip's Stick. She is accompanied by a Jigglypuff who represents Furifuri, a round rabbit who appears on Lip's stage in Panel de Pon and is often seen sleeping, as Jigglypuff can do with Rest.
- Muddy Mole is represented by a Donkey Kong who favors his side special. The battle takes place in the Great Cave Offensive, which spawns plenty of Pitfall items, leaving ample opportunities for both fighters to get trapped in pits.
- Captain Rainbow himself is Captain Falcon and starts out as Nick, who can be enhanced into his super hero alter ego. He's fought in the Fountain of Dreams where star-based items spawn, since dreams and wishes were major themes in his home game. Takamaru also fights by his side, referencing how he appears in the game.
- The Urban Champion Fighter is a timed battle against Little Mac on an Ω version of New Donk City Hall, where Little Mac is unable to jump, just as the characters in Urban Champion are locked to the ground as they fight. If the battle takes too long, then Kapp'n arrives with his bus to try and take the player away as a reference to the police car that will shop up when the timer runs out and arrest the fighter who's closer to their side of the screen.
- Looksley, from the DSiWare game Looksley's Line-Up is represented by Isabelle (her dog ears being the closest thing in the game to Looksley's rabbit ears without using the Bunny Hood) and a male Villager. Since his game is a Hidden Object Game, everyone occasionally turns invisible.
- Ashley Robbins is a fight against a red Isabelle with an invisible Villager (representing the ghostly "D") as her partner. The stage the battle takes place on, Luigi's Mansion, is representing the Edward family's mansion on Blood Edward Island.
- Ryota Hayami is represented by Shulk wearing his Reyn-inspired outfit and is fought in the jet-ski section of Wuhu Island, referencing Ryota's career as a jet-ski racer. After a short while, the stage also becomes rather slippery, most likely to simulate how you're surrounded by water.
- Akari Hayami is represented by a red Wii Fit Trainer on the Summit, a mountainous stage with slippery platforms that occasionally tilts to one side to give off the illusion of zooming down a mountain slope.
- Drake Redcrest is a fight against a taunting Captain Falcon as both have similar designs and as an action hero, Drake is known for his amazing poses. He's also joined by a little metal R.O.B. to stand in for Chibi-Robo and is fought in the living room, where he would patrol at night.
- Wonder Blue is the blue swordsman Chrom backed up by some Villagers to reference the Unite Morphs the game is known for. Also, only Chrom must be defeated, since the characters not being controlled by the player can only be temporarily knocked out in 101.
- The ST Falcon is a Samus (in her Metroid Fusion suit to match the blue painting on the Falcon) on Port Town: Aero Dive where nothing but Super Scopes appear.
- Tempo's fight pits you against a Fox with a Home-Run Bat (representing Tempo's musical staff) on Pac-Land (representing the auto-scrolling nature of Tempo's home game). The damage done by reflected projectiles is boosted during this fight, a reference to how bosses in HarmoKnight are harmed by reflecting their own attacks back at them.
- Mach Rider is represented as a Captain Falcon armed with a Super Scope to represent the blaster on the Mach Rider's bike. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Mach Rider medley was an alternate BGM on the F-Zero-themed Big Blue stage.
- Mallo is a Jigglypuff who favors using grabs and throws, since Mallo's gimmick is that he can only push and pull blocks in his home series.
- Rusty Slugger is represented by Duck Hunt, who spends most of the fight attacking you with Home Run Bats.
- The above's Japanese counterpart Inuji Darumeshi uses Beastballs instead. Also note that the Duck Hunt in both matches the color of each spirit and the background takes place in a Battlefield Fourside and Saffron City to match the ascetics of an American and Japanese city respectively.
- Musashi from Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a Young Link who favors his side special, in place of tossing plates at the enemy. Since sushi plates haven't been an edible food item since Brawl, rice balls will periodically spawn instead. The background music is also "Gourmet Race" from Kirby's Super Star, which played during a food-themed minigame.
- The Sakura Samurai is a light blue Villager armed with a Killing Edge, matching both his preferred weapon and cartoonish design. The stage is also Suzaku Castle, which looks a lot like the area the first boss from his game is found; fittingly, that same boss track is playing too.
- The pig from Cubivore is a fight against a bunch of pink Yoshis on the Duck Hunt stage, representing the game's setting, a field with cubic grass and plants. The Yoshi's get stat boosts after eating, referencing the game's main mechanic of eating other animals to get stronger. To further the connection, the only food that spawns during this fight is grilled steak.
- Raymond Bryce is a battle against Fox fought on Fourside, where you have to contend with strong winds and constant earthquakes, a couple of the numerous natural disasters you have to deal with in the game.
- The fish from Balloon Fight is represented by a blue King Dedede who favors using his Inhale move. While you won't be killed instantly if Dedede tries to eat you, you will have to deal with the actual big fish while fighting him on the Balloon Fight stage.
- Elena, a priestess, is a Palutena fought on the Great Plateau Tower to allude to the tower where she lives over the course of the game. Every now and then, a bunch of meat appears on the stage and she'll become stronger from eating it, resembling the conditions of her curse.
- Diskun, the mascot for the Famicom Disk System (an add-on for the Japanese Famicom that used re-writable disks to play games) is represented by a one-on-four battle against Young Link, Pit, Samus and Simon, as all of their series (The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Metroid and Castlevania) first made their debut in this format before being released on regular cartridges.
- Zael is represented by Simon, with a Lucina ally standing in for his love interest, Calista.
- The protagonists from Magical Vacation are a male and female Villager who favor using items that represent some of the main magical elements in their game: Fire Flowers (fire), Freezies (water), Lightning Bolts (lightning), Pitfalls (wood/earth), and Gust Bellows (wind).
- The Maruhide Shop Owner from Trade & Battle: Card Hero is represented by Mario, whom he greatly resembles. The only items that will appear in his Spirit battle are Assist Trophies, which act as stand-ins for the different monsters/cards in his game.
- Vince from Art Academy appears as a Mii Swordfighter wearing his costume (complete with paintbrush sword). Before you can fight him, you have to face off against an Inkling who favors his side Smash (Inkbrush) attack, and the Vince assist trophy.
- The fight against Harry takes place in the Boxing Ring against Mega Man and a wireframe Little Mac to represent Harry and his robot, respectively. Wireframe Little Mac represents the sort-of 3D rendering of the game on the Virtual Boy while Mega Man resembles Harry wearing his gear to control the robot as well as the Boxing Ring greatly resembling where fights took place. The spirit itself increases Fist Attacks as a reference to the gameplay.
- Magkid is represented by Kirby on the Pictochat stage, which is a reference to the fact that Slide Adventure Magkid required a physical add-on included with the game for the DS to play.
- Sukapon is represented by a Mii Gunner wearing a bear outfit, who represents his creator, Dr. Little Emon, although Sukapon himself appears as an assist trophy. The fight takes place in the Coliseum stage, which stands in for the stadium seen in the first world of the game.
- The spirit battle for Orville, the main protagonist of the Wii RPG Takt of Magic, has the player fight against Robin, who is teamed up with a blue Pit and a red Zelda. Both allies reference party members in the game: Pit represents Samuel, an archer in blue, while Zelda represents Charlotte, a mage in red. The spirit battle taking place on Pictochat is also a reference to the gameplay of Takt of Magic, where the player must draw runes in order to perform magic spells.
- The spirit battle for the Commander from X uses a wire frame Little Mac, as he appeared as such in his debut. Him giving the Staff item, a shooting weapon, could also serve as a slight nod to the VIXIV, the ship the player pilots throughout the series. Assist Trophy Andross likely represents his antagonistic role in the sequel, X-Scape on DSiWare, not to mention his appearance in X-Scape also greatly resembes SNES Andross due to X-Scape's art style.
- Henry Fleming is played by a red Captain Falcon to play off of Henry's eagle-based Animal Motifs, while the Rage Blaster he starts the fight with and the gun items that spawn references Code Name: STEAM's focus on firearms. The fight takes place in New Pork City, likely referencing the London streets from the game's first missions, with Trouble Brewing II naturally being the battle theme. Henry's ability as a Support powers up fire and explosion damage as a nod to his own special weapon, the Eagle Strike.
- The Pocket Football Player is a team of eleven Villagers, referencing the amount of players that comprise a soccer team provided none are sent off. They fight you in Pokémon Stadium, which stands in for a soccer stadium, and, of course, the only items that spawns in are soccer balls.
Spirits from Third-Party Games
- The 13 Sentinel Pilots are one long gauntlet against thirteen giant R.O.B.s set in the Battlefield form of Fourside, representing the 1980's cityscape of Tokyo.
- Bomberman is represented by Young Link on the Wrecking Crew stage. Young Link favors his down special, which is, you guessed it, bombs. The music track is Bomb Man's theme from Mega Man, who coincidentally was originally named Bomber Man before Capcom was forced to shorten the name because of this character predating him. Bomberman himself even shows up as an assist trophy.
- Sagi is represented by Roy, another teenage swordsman. The red Corrin that fights with him is likely meant to represent his friend Guillo, who also has stretchable limbs and uses energy ball attacks. The Timer items that appear during the battle are probably references to the frequent Mental Time Travel the party ends up doing throughout the game.
- Milly is represented by a Lucina who starts the battle with an Ore Club, as Milly fights with a pair of maces.
- Seth & Gloria are a Mii Swordfighter with Chrom's wig and Dunban's outfit and Zelda. Both of them can heal when they attack and when they have high damage to simulate the White Mage job. They also get increased defense in reference to the White Mage's Protect spell. The only items that appear are swords, in reference to the Vanguard job which is one of the first jobs obtained.
- Elvis & Adelle are Robin and Sheik with Robin also playing as the Black Mage job since Elvis is the original holder of the Black Mage Asterisk in that game and Sheik as the monk since she fights bare handed. During the battle they both get increased attack.
- Allen, the main character of Culdcept Revolt, is represented by Shulk, with King K. Rool and Ridley as allies. To replicate the experience of a Cepter summoning monsters to the field, only Assist Trophy items will spawn.
- Culdra, as a goddess who is responsible for the existence of the game's world, is a Palutena with increased magic attacks. You also get a buff in magic or PSI-related attacks.
- In general, if you purchased the Cuphead Mii Gunner costume, all of these battles will use "Floral Fury" as background music, as can be expected. Otherwise, each battle has different jazz or jazz-inspired songs that are already in the Smash soundtrack (specifically "Final Results - Wii Party U" for Cuphead, "Clu Clu Land" for Mugman, "Flashes of Fear" for the Devil, and "Jungle Level Jazz" for King Dice), fitting with the jazzy style that most of the Cuphead soundtrack has.
- Cuphead himself is, depending on if you download the Cuphead Mii costume, either a red Mega Man or a Mii Gunner in a Cuphead costume; for the former, it is the closest to his run-and-gun fighting style without making the DLC Mii costume part of a non-DLC spirit fight. He's fought on (Omega) New Pork City, whose flashy-but-empty design fits the glitzy Inkwell Hell casino where Cuphead gambled his soul away. The fight is a Stamina match, as with all the fights in Cuphead. Cuphead is accompanied by three giant Princess Peaches who spawn one after the other, most likely representing the three phases of any given boss but especially Sally Stageplay, who she resembles closest with her parasol attacks. The Peaches also evoke the parry mechanic of Cuphead via the pink heart effects that accompany several of Peach's attacks, as all the parriable objects in Cuphead are pink.
- Mugman is either a blue Mega Man or a Mii Gunner wearing a Cuphead outfit. Being the game's co-op character, he's accompanied by a red Mega Man/another Mii Gunner Cuphead, again representing Cuphead. He's fought on Garden of Hope, most likely representing the first half of Inkwell Isle (and possibly Cagney Carnation's flowery arena specifically). Both of the Mega Men/Gunners have Screw Attacks equipped, changing their jumping animations to match the spinning jump animations they had in the original game, as well as giving their jumps an attack property akin to the Hatchet charm. They'll both get a Sudden Final Smash after a little while, which in the case of the Mii Gunner variation of the fight, gives them a long ranged laser attack akin to the first Super Art that they can obtain, which has them fire a large horizontal stream of liquid out of their heads that works much the same. Both fighters favor their neutral special, which on both possible characters is a shooting attack. Mega Man’s Metal Blade is most like the Roundabout or Peashooter. The Mii Gunner Mugman is equipped with the Charge Blast, similar in function to the Charger. Mii Gunner Cuphead is equipped with Laser Blaze, which is more like the Peashooter.
- King Dice is a Mii Swordfighter wearing a fancy suit and a Chibi-Robo hat to approximate his appearance. He's accompanied by six white-colored Mr. Game And Watches, representing the marching card minions that he sends out during his boss fight, who only use their Judge attack, which is likewise a gamble of a move, trying into his motif of The Gambler. He's fought on WarioWare; the Microgames fit his casino arena, which repeatedly changes venue to allow for the different battles that are a part of his signature Boss Bonanza.
- The Devil is represented as Mewtwo in his darkest color scheme. Mewtwo's general shape evokes The Devil's lanky body, tail, and horns, and his rounded limbs somewhat resemble the Inkblot Cartoon Style of animation, and he's equipped with Death's Scythe to act as his pitchfork. He is fought on Castle Siege's underground pit of fire, similar to The Devil's arena, and Bomberman joins the battle to fill the playing field with bombs and flames to make things as hard as the Devil's final boss battle. The spirit itself increases your power and resistance to energy and projectile attacks, which is fitting for the final boss of a run-and-gun game.
- Bullet Walker is a stamina battle against a giant R.O.B. equipped with a Super Scope, which is joined by two more: a red R.O.B. equipped with a Beam Sword and a black R.O.B. with a Rage Blaster. The reinforcements correspond to Crimson Lord and Diablo, two of Brigadier General's seconds-in-command within Bullet Works. Once they're KO'ed, a smaller Ganondorf playing B.G. himself ends the fight with another Super Scope.
- High Line is represented by a Mecha-Ridley who is assisted by Jeff, fought on the Halberd. Ridley starts with a Jet Pack equipped, and your character has a Back Guard. After Ridley is KO'ed, a smaller Zero Suit Samus joins the fray, playing its pilot Guns Empress. If you look closely, Samus has a metal effect on her, spoiling that Empress isn't entirely human.
- Kloster starts with a pair of Dark Samuses equipped with Jet Packs (Grief's seconds-in-command, Regret and Gloom). A third equipped with a Ray Gun (Grief himself piloting Kloster) joins once they are KO'ed, and finally a smaller Snake playing Grief in person ends the battle. Dark Samus is used as a template because of the Terrors' association with Femto, a corruptive energy source very similar to Phazon. The Frigate Orpheon resembles the core of the Oval Link where the final battles against Regret, Gloom, and Grief are held.
- Radiant Gleam is represented by a Mii Gunner wearing the Ray Mk III costume to resemble one of the game's Arsenals, fought in a stamina match. The Moon will fall on the players, as a fragment of the moon did in the game's backstory. Another reason for Mii Gunner to represent this battle is that Radiant Gleam's pilot is implied to be the Rookie, another customizable protagonist.
- Yuri Kozukata is represented by Zelda on the Luigi's Mansion stage, a typical haunted house, with the Yuri assist trophy in constant play.
- Mio & Mayu Amakura's fight is similar to the above, but with Peach and Daisy standing in for the twins.
- Arthur is a primary spirit that boosts Item Throw, referencing how he (almost) always throws his weapons in his home series. For his battle, it starts with a Mii in his costume (if it was purchased, otherwise he wears the Black Knight's costume from Fire Emblem) being fought in Spear Pillar's Omega form. He'll often use a projectile, throwing items often spawn on the stage, and he is eventually joined by a red Ridley playing a Red Arremer.
- Zagreus is a stamina battle against Chrom, another manly swordsman who lacks a sleeve on his shirt, in Dracula's Castle, a dark and creepy citadel akin to the House of Hades (which, as a Shout-Out to Castlevania, also happens to have a flying Medusa head as a resident) that serves as his home game’s Hub Level. He starts with low health and poor AI, but he respawns twice, gaining more health and smarter AI each time, representing the Roguelike properties of his home game, the permanent health upgrades he can gain via the Mirror of Night, and his signature Auto-Revive-granting Death Defiances. He also occasionally gains Sudden Final Smashes, akin to the God Call Boons that serve as Limit Breaks. Additionally, Chrom’s Final Smash is a technique named Aether; in Greek Mythology, which Hades is primarily based on, “Aether” is said to be the pure essence that the gods breathed like how mortals breathe air.
- Power Pro-Kun, Aoi Hayakawa, and Mamoru Ikari are a trio made up of Ness with a Home-Run Bat, a Villager and Toon Link fought in Pokémon Stadium to function as a baseball stadium. Beastballs often spawn as well.
- Duran & Angela starts with a pair of small yellow Kirbys wearing Bunny Hoods on Gaur Plain, playing a pair of Rabites. Once they're defeated, a green-clad Roy and a Zelda enter the fray as the main duo, with Ramblin' 'Shrooms often spawning as a stand-in for Mushbooms. The stage represents Rabite Forest; the first post-prologue area of the game, which is filled with Rabites and Mushbooms. Roy's Back Shield represents the shield Duran carries, and his burning sword represent's Duran's ability to learn Spell Blade magic. Zelda likewise relies heavily upon magic, much like Angela herself. Angela is also a princess, like Zelda
- Kevin & Charlotte is an orange Incineroar paired with a female Robin on Hyrule Castle 64. After a moment, their power will increase and they will start recovering health. Incineroar represents Kevin's beast form, and his penchant for grappling and throwing enemies in his special moves. The power represents either his power increasing at night, or his access to Moon magic, which boosts power. Charlotte is a slightly smaller-than-normal Robin, since she's the shortest of the heroes. She carries a Star Rod, as a stand in for the magical flails that Charlotte wields. She favors using Robin's special moves, which are magic. The healing effect represents Charlotte's strong healing magic. The stage could either be the Priest's building in the Holy City of Wendel (where Charlotte lives), or the Beastman Castle in Ferolia (where Kevin lives).
- Hawkeye & Riesz is Sheik and a Mii Swordfighter dressed in Peach's Hair fought on Great Bay. Sheik fits Hawkeye's Dark class paths, which turn him into a Ninja. The Mii Swordfighter prefers special moves; specifically a lunging attack meant to look similar to Riesz's lance thrusts. The stage is often shaken by an earthquake; this is likely meant to reference the volcanic Beuca Island. The heroes end up on the island shortly before the volcano erupts and try to find a way off the island, which shakes violently as the eruption grows closer. They do so when they find a friendly giant turtle creature (Vuscav) who can carry them across the ocean (similar to the giant turtle on the Great Bay stage).
- Palico has you fight three different Pikachus with one holding a Bob-omb and the other two holding a sword of some kind (Beam Sword and Killing Edge) since Felynes are one of the most intelligent species of monsters. The only items that appear are the Pit Falls since they don't usually die in their home series but instead run away by digging underground.
- Palamute is a Duck Hunt holding a Killing Edge who has increased speed and preferring dash attacks, accompanied by a Mii Swordfighter who has the Hunter Outfit if downloaded (a ninja outfit otherwise since the outfit in promo images for Monster Hunter: Rise looks very similar to a ninja) since in Monster Hunter Rise, you can be accompanied by these Canyne variations.
- Magnamalo is a Giant Bowser with uncontrollable speed and can increase his Attack and Defense periodically. As this is a giant monster, the battle is a stamina one to simulate how much time it’ll take to kill one. The uncontrollable speed references Magnamalo's attacks, many of which involve strafing at high speeds while slinging projectiles, or using bursts of hellfire to send itself hurtling through the air like a rocket.
- Razewing Ratha is a Charizard and a Mii Swordfighter who both have increased attack. If you download the Rathalos outfit, the Swordfighter will wear it (he just wears a ninja headband otherwise). The Mii Swordfighter represents the Rider while Charizard is Ratha, the Razewing Rathalos that is a part of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The increase in attack shows throughout the story on how Ratha continues to get stronger.
- Travis Touchdown is a Mii Swordfighter. Depending on whether you download his outfit, he is either wearing said outfit or is wearing a Captain Falcon helmet with a t-shirt to show that he's an otaku. When the fight starts, you have to face both Sheik and Peach before the Swordfighter appears. Sheik represents the female ninja Shinobu while Peach is Bad Girl, an assassin wearing a princess dress. He can be enhanced into his Full-Armor Travis appearance in No More Heroes 3.
- FU (who curiously has his real name as Jess-Baptiste VI in part of his spirit name) is a black Mewtwo who releases a Deoxys and later on, Ghirahim will appear to assist him. As FU is an alien, it makes sense for him to be accompanied by an extraterrestrial Pokémon, black holes being the only item available, and the fight taking place in Final Destination. As for the appearance of Ghirahim, they are very similar in both appearance and personality.
- Alfyn and Therion’s battle features a poisoned floor on Distant Planet with Dr. Mario and Sheik as opponents, while their melee blows heal them on contact. Dr. Mario and the poison represent Alfyn, who’s an apothecary and can poison foes with the Apothecary Skill Empoison. Sheik and the lifesteal effect represents the sneaky Therion, who can use HP Thief. Distant Planet also resembles Clearbrook, Alfyn’s hometown.
- Ophilia and H'aanit's battle is against Palutena, Pit, and Wolf on Summit. They have buffed ranged damage attacks, can crit at random, and heal at high damage. Ophilia is represented by Palutena as Ophilia is a religious person who uses a staff in battle, while Pit and Wolf represent H'aanit and her trusted feline companion Linde. The buff to ranged attacks reflects both being ranged fighters through magic and bows, while the healing references Ophilia being a healer. Summit references Ophilia's home range the Frostlands, which is located near where H'aanit starts.
- Tressa and Cyrus are represented by a pink haired female Villager and a male Robin. For Villager representing the merchant Tressa, she is the closest there is to playing as a merchant since she buys and sells various items in her game, while both Robin and Cyrus are magic users who enjoy studying. During the battle, there is heavy wind, since Tressa is a wind magic user. The battle takes place in Luigi's Mansion which represents Yvon's Birthplace.
- Olberic and Primrose are represented by Bayonetta who favors air attacks, and at the start of the fight the Black Knight is summoned, representing Olberic while fighting in the Coliseum. Bayonetta has a similar physical appearance design to Primrose and is a seductive person, while the Black Knight is a knight of Daien, making him fit Olberic who was a former knight. The Black Knight representing Olberic allues to Primrose's Allure and Summon mechanic, allowing her to summon allies in battle like how an Assist Trophy works. Coliseum references Olberic's second episode where he fights in a coliseum.
- Rayman is a battle against Sonic, who represents Rayman's windup punch (with his side smash) and big sneakers, and a Sukapon assist trophy that represents his Floating Limbs as well as his friend Globox.
- Chris Redfield is a fight against Snake and Richter, representing Chris and his partner Piers Nivans in Resident Evil 6, in Fourside's Battlefield stage, reflecting 6's urban setting of Lanshiang. Firearms will continually spawn as well.
- Jill Valentine is Wii Fit Trainer equipped with a Ray Gun. If you take too long to defeat her, an unflinching Ganondorf playing the Tyrant shows up. They're fought in Luigi's Mansion, harkening back to Resident Evil's famous Spencer Mansion.
- Leon Kennedy is a stamina battle against three slow-moving Villagers with three lives each, representing the Ganados of Resident Evil 4, who constantly catch you in their nets, referencing the Ganados' grab attacks. Eventually Fox, representing Leon himself, shows up and spams his blaster, which is a pistol much like what Leon starts the game with. The fight occurs in the Gerudo Valley stage, which has the same dusty abandoned look as the Village section, with explosives spawning often. The music is the Psycho Bits battle theme from Metroid Prime: Hunters, whose techno beats are similar to the music of the mode "The Mercenaries".
- Albert Wesker is a Captain Falcon fought on Norfair's Omega stage, harkening to the infamous battle in Resident Evil 5 between him and Chris in the depths of a volcano. Falcon will also turn metallic and invulnerable throughout the fight, referencing how his One-Winged Angel form only had two small weak points that had to be exploited.
- Kunio is a Mii Brawler decked out in a special white recolor of the Toad costume so that it better resembles his iconic white gakuran, and often uses his special moves. He's fought on Moray Towers and is occasionally powered up as befits his Hot-Blooded nature. Periodically in the fight, a slew of rice balls will drop on the battlefield, referencing the various foods he can eat to increase his stats.
- Riki is a blue-shorts-wearing Little Mac fought on Saffron City. His power will occasionally increase similarly to Kunio's.
- Ryuichi & Ryuji is a pair of Ryus fought on Wrecking Crew's Battlefield form and often spamming their Hurricane Kicks and Focus Attacks. Killing Edges spawn throughout the battle.
- Goda is a green Donkey Kong fought in Onett with a yellow Diddy partner wielding an Ore Club playing his sister Saori, who he wants to protect. He often uses his side special, because Goda himself had a headbutt as a special attack.
- Sakuna is a female Villager who holds a Death's Scythe and has increased attack with rice balls appearing periodically. Scythes can be used for harvesting rice and Sakuna is the goddess of harvesting, and the increase attack is because rice is the source of her powers.
- Kokorowa is Zelda accompanied by two R.O.B.s who favors her down specials. As the goddess of inventions, it does make sense for her to fight alongside two robots and her down special can assemble the phantom like she is building it.
- Tama is Kirby who favors air attacks and once defeated, comes back invisible holding a sword, as a stand in for Tama's form as the sword the Blade of Hoshidama.
- Shantae is a battle against Zero Suit Samus in her orange Zero Mission outfit, since both characters are from the Metroidvania genre, sport a ponytail, and exposed midriffs. The battle takes place on the Pirate Ship stage, referencing her encounters with pirates in her series. Transformation type items are also set to spawn, alluding to Shantae's own transformation abilities. In World of Light, she is found on an island area, calling back to her protecting Sequin Land, which has been shown to be an island.
- Risky Boots is a Daisy on the Pirate Ship as a reference to being a pirate herself. Bob-ombs rain periodically, hinting at her preference of using explosives, and ironically, being defeated using them in many of her fights. What's more interesting is that in Adventure, she's found guarding the spirit of K. Rool, who once assumed the role of pirate as well.
- King Knight is a yellow King K. Rool with a star rod equipped. Being (self-proclaimed) royalty, King Knight would obviously possess the vicious reptile who has a gold crown and style, and the Star Rod is supposed to be the scepter that he uses for his attacks. His stage is the Mushroom Kingdom U, whose different locations represent different stages found in Shovel Knight: Acorn Plains is the Plains of Passage, Rock Candy Mines is the Stranded Ship, Meringue Clouds is the Flying Machine, and Slide-Lift Tower is the Clockwork Tower.
- Plague Knight is Doctor Mario, who starts the battle with a Bob-omb and favors attacking with explosives. Both characters are types of doctors, and using different explosive items references how Plague Knight uses different bomb concoctions to attack in his story campaign. His stage is the Unova Pokémon League, which is castle-like in appearance and represents the Explodatorium, his boss stage, which heavily resembles a fortress castle.
- Specter Knight is Richter who starts the battle with a Death's Scythe and increased movement speed. The Death Scythe is a reference to Specter Knight's main weapon and the speed references his Dash Slashes in his playable incarnation. His being Richter references Richter getting brainwashed in Symphony of the Night and helping to revive Dracula, like how Specter Knight's (then Donovan) actions caused Shield Knight to get possessed and turned into the Enchantress, sparking the entire plot of Shovel Knight. Him being battled on the Bridge of Eldin that periodically has a gap in its center after a while refers to the manner of his death, falling a long way through a collapsed floor. Also, his particular coloring gives him a red bandanna, referring to his red cloak, but it also resembles a similar one his friend Luan wore.
- Dr. Wright is a group of Villagers, representing Sims, fought in New Donk City's Omega form. The Dr. Wright assist trophy often spawns, and the Villagers often use their grabs and down-B's, as if they were taking part in a public works project. His spirit grants the player an Ore Club, since its wind attack is similar to the popular tornado disaster from the SimCity series.
- O-Tetrimino (otherwise known as Square) is represented by a Yellow Kirby, as the O-Tetrimino is yellow in most incarnations and Kirby is round like an O. The character choice also ends up calling to mind O, another yellow ball representing the O-Tetrimino, from the Puyo Puyo crossover. Kirby has a tendency to use his down special while airborne, becoming a block that descends from up above, and is joined by a Thwomp, which follows the same principles. The only item to appear is a POW Block, a square like the O-Tetrimino.
- It is also, in contrast with the I-Tetrimino, the weakest of the Tetris spirits. This can be due being the only tetrimino that can't rotate, and therefore being harder to find a gap where you can fit them. It also can't make more than two lines at a time and since they can't rotate you can't make advanced techniques with them like the T-Spin or S-Spin, so you can´t score as many points as with other tetriminos.
- L-Tetrimino & J-Tetrimino are represented by an orange-clad Luigi, as the L-Tetrimino is orange in most incarnations and Luigi wears an L on his cap. Luigi is joined by the Waluigi assist trophy, the vertically flipped L he's associated with resembling an upside-down J-Tetrimino. Occasionally, the controls will reverse, and the spirit's effect is to grant immunity to this, alluding to the L- and J-Tetrimino being mirror images.
- I-Tetrimino (otherwise known as Line Piece) is represented by a trio of Corrins, as Corrin's Dragon Lunge produces a spear as long and thin as the I-Tetrimino itself. One of the Corrins will spawn with a Poké Ball containing Attack Forme Deoxys, whose tendrils and Hyper Beam attack are all long, thin lines. The TV Color-Game 15 assist trophy regularly appears, two elongated vertical rectangles batting a square around. The battle is on 75m Omega, the platform being made of three horizontal elongated rectangles. Notably, the I-Tetrimino has the most power of all the Tetrimino spirits, as it's the only way to clear four lines at once, it's the only way to make a Tetris.
- S-Tetrimino & Z-Tetrimino are represented by green Samus and red Zero Suit Samus. The S-Tetrimino is typically green while the Z-Tetrimino is typically red, and "Samus" begins with S while "Zero Suit Samus" begins with Z. Zero Suit Samus also has a curvy figure, just like the shape of the S and Z-Tetriminos. The battle is on the Slide Lift Tower phase of Mushroom Kingdom U, the sliding platforms frequently taking the shape of the S- and Z-Tetriminos as they shuffle around. The only items that spawn are Screw Attacks, whose insignia resembles an S-Tetrimino.
- T-Tetrimino is represented by pink R.O.B., which is as close to the T-Tetrimino's natural purple hue as possible with R.O.B.'s color selection. R.O.B.'s base and spine resemble an upside-down T. R.O.B. favors his down smash where he spins in place, which alludes to the T-Spin, an advanced technique in Tetris where you can rotate a T-Tetrimino into a space it fits in after you set it down. This battle is on Flat Zone X's Battlefield form, as the platform positioning of a Battlefield stage is like an upside-down T. But this battle has screen flipping, making ROB and the stage's platforms resemble a right-side-up T.
- The choice of stage (Flat Zone X) also seems to be a tip of the hat to Puyo Puyo Tetris, where the game’s main antagonist was named Ex (X in the original Japanese), and was the Tetris King whom the character of Tee was to succeed.
- Akira is Ryu accompanied by the Akira assist trophy, set on Omega Coliseum in a stamina battle, similar to Street Fighter spirit battles, but unlike them, the gravity is higher to represent the moon jumping in Virtua Fighter 1.
- Lotus is Bayonetta decked out in dark blues and blacks, fought on the Frigate Orpheon— the aesthetic of the stage mimics Corpus ships, while the Infested are represented by the Parasite Queen. A Grey Fox assist trophy will periodically spawn throughout the match, acting as a Tenno she would issue orders to in her home game. Her spirit also enhances into her true Sentient form of Natah.
