Tabuu is a playable unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. 6, being the main antagonist and final boss of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary. He is a god-like entity who lives in a dimension known as "Subspace", being unable to leave it for an unexplained reason. Wanting to create an orderly world with him as the leader, he decided to merge the World of Trophies with his own, using his Chains of Light in order to control the all powerful Master Hand like a puppet and trick Bowser, Ganondorf and Wario into doing his bidding. If it wasn't for a certain blue penguin's special brooches, his plans wouldn't have been thwarted, either.
Attributes[]
Tabuu is a powerful boss-like character, being a Powerhouse who boasts several different attacks who are either very deadly, reach out very far, or a combination of the two. His Final Smash in particular is one of the strongest in the entire game, dealing extreme amounts of knockback, being rather hard to dodge and reaching across the entire stage. Since he can use his Up Special to rapidly reposition himself across the entire stage, Tabuu acts like a threat at any range.
His main weakness is that most of his attacks are easily telegraphed and quite laggy, meaning that paying close attention to what he's doing and dodging at the right time are the keys of countering Tabuu. In addition to that, he doesn't have many get-off-me tools, meaning that anyone that can rush him down (just like Sonic in that one cutscene) can cause some serious trouble to him.
- Jumps: 2
Crawl: No
Wall Jump: No
Wall Cling: No
Gimmicks[]
- Hover: After performing a jump, Tabuu can hover in mid-air for a short amount of time.
- Tether Grab: Tabuu can use his grab in mid-air in order to damage opponents and grab onto ledges from afar.
- Tabuu teleports for his dodges and get-up animation.
Moveset[]
Ground Attacks[]
| Input | Image | Name | Description | Reference |
 Jab |
|
Tabuu Shot | Tabuu slashes in front of himself twice, before causing several small energy bullets to rain down from his hand, dealing multiple hits of damage before launching the caught opponent away with an explosive energy ball. | Tabuu's Tabuu Shot attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dash Attack |
|
Tabuu Charge | Tabuu turns his arm into a blade and charges forward, before performing a rising slash. One of Tabuu's few ways of keeping his foes away. | Tabuu's Tabuu Charge attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Ledge Attack |
|
Tabuu Fire | Tabuu teleports back onto the stage, before pointing forward and creating a short line that explodes in a burst of energy. Useful for keeping particularly cheeky opponents away. | Tabuu's Tabuu Fire attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Floor Attack |
|
Tabuu Burst | Tabuu flies back up with a burst of energy surrounding him. Deals no damage but pushes opponents quite far. | A typical Burst animation in Arc System Works fighting games. |
Tilt Attacks[]
| Input | Image Pose | Name | Description | Reference |
 Side Tilt |
|
N/A | Tabuu uses one of his Chains of Light like a whip, whipping it forward for massive range and solid damage. | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Up Tilt |
|
N/A | Tabuu turns his arm into a blade and swings it upwards, dealing solid damage. | N/A |
 Down Tilt |
|
N/A | Tabuu snaps his fingers, creating a burst of energy around himself that deals low damage but comes out fast. | Master Hand's Snapper attack from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. |
Smash Attacks[]
| Input | Image Pose | Name | Description | Reference |
 Side Smash |
|
Blade Charge | Tabuu morphs into a shark-like creature with a circuit board pattern and charges a short distance forward. Deals massive damage but is the laggiest of Tabuu's moves. Its distance can be increased by charging the move. | Tabuu's Blade Charge attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Up Smash |
|
Subspace Portal | Tabuu creates a portal that summons a giant, uppercutting fist. Despite looking really threatening and boasting a good vertical range, it doesn't deal much damage. | N/A |
 Down Smash |
|
Tabuu Smash | Tabuu repeatedly slashes the area around him, dealing multiple hits of damage before launching the caught opponents away with a giant slash. His second most laggiest move, being beaten only by his Side Smash. | Tabuu's Tabuu Smash attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
Aerial Attacks[]
| Input | Image Pose | Name | Description | Reference |
 Neutral Aerial |
|
Discharge Attack | Tabuu's Subspace core (?) splits itself into four and creates an electrical field around himself. Deals multiple hits of damage. | Tabuu's Discharge Attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Forward Aerial |
|
N/A | Tabuu summons his wings and slams them forward, as if attempting to clap with them. The sheer strength of the clap is enough to propel him backwards. | N/A |
 Back Aerial |
|
Shadow Laser | Tabuu summons a draconic cannon that fires a laser behind himself, propelling him forward. The laser is rather powerful but takes half a second to charge, making this aerial one of his laggiest ones. | Tabuu's Shadow Laser attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Up Aerial |
|
Eye Laser | Tabuu looks upwards and fires a pair of lasers from his eyes. The lasers hit quite far but don't deal much damage, making them a useful tool for juggling opponents. | Tabuu's Eye Laser attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Down Aerial |
|
Clone Attack | Three silhouettes of Tabuu fly downwards at a randomized angle below him, exploding upon making contact with something. The number decreases with every time the move is used in one singular hop. | Tabuu's Clone Attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
Grabs & Throws[]
| Input | Image Pose | Name | Description | Reference |
 Grab |
|
Chain Throw | Tabuu uses a Chain of Light to grab an opponent from afar. | Tabuu's Chain Throw attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Pummel |
|
N/A | Tabuu tightens the grip on the caught opponent. | N/A |
 Forward Throw |
|
N/A | Tabuu spins the opponent around before slamming them into the ground, causing them to bounce forward. The most damaging of Tabuu's throws. | Tabuu's Chain Throw attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. |
 Back Throw |
|
N/A | Tabuu spins the opponent around before deliberately letting them go, sending them flying backwards. The most combo-friendly of his throws. | N/A |
 Up Throw |
|
N/A | Tabuu tosses the opponent into the air, before summoning several other Chains of Light and stabbing them several times with them, launching them further upwards with each stab. | N/A |
 Down Throw |
|
N/A | Tabuu slams the opponent into the ground, causing them to bounce back up. The least powerful of his throws, but also a good combo starter. | N/A |
Special Moves[]
| Input | Image | Name | Description |
 Neutral Special |
|
Tabuu Boomerang | Tabuu summons and throws a three-winged shuriken that flies forward before returning to sender. The shuriken travels quite far and deals multiple hits of damage, but can be easily dodged by jumping. Additionally, due to being counted as a projectile, it can be reflected and turned against its owner. |
 Side Special |
|
Movement Throw | Tabuu transforms into a golden reticle-like thing that resembles two brackets and charges forward. If he hits an opponent, he will carry them inside of him and slam them into the ground after a short while. While rather powerful, it is rather risky to use as Tabuu will be left wide open for attacks should it whiff. |
 Up Special |
|
Teleport | Tabuu simply teleports in the held direction. He can do this up to two times before entering freefall. If he lands on a solid platform after his second teleport, he will have some brief ending lag. |
 Down Special |
|
Subspace Breach | Tabuu creates a Generator enemy from The Subspace Emissary, causing Mites to appear onto the stage and attack opponents. While their attacks deal solid damage, their small size and weight make them easy to KO, making them more of a distraction in order to power up one of Tabuu's more powerful moves. Only one Generator may be placed down at a time. |
 Final Smash |
|
Off Waves | Tabuu teleports to the center of the stage and spreads out his wings, before releasing three shockwaves from his chest that expand through the entire stage. These shockwaves deal enough knockback to instantly KO any foe regardless of percentage and cannot be Parried, but can at least be dodged with the right timing. Upon releasing this attack, Tabuu becomes weaker for the remainder of the stock. |
Poses, Animations & Others[]
On-screen appearance[]
| Pose | Reference |
| Tabuu teleports onto the stage. | N/A |
Idle Poses[]
| Pose | Reference |
| N/A | N/A |
Taunts[]
| Pose | Reference |
| Tabuu crosses his arms. | N/A |
| Tabuu charges up energy with both of his arms. | N/A |
| Tabuu produces a random trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, before crushing it in his palm. | N/A |
Victory Poses[]
| Pose | Reference |
| Tabuu flies upwards with his wings, before performing the same animation he does during his Final Smash. | N/A |
| Tabuu is seen smiling while using his Chains of Light, before the camera pans up to reveal him controlling Master Hand with them. | N/A |
| Trophies of Tabuu's opponents fall from the sky, before the camera pans up to reveal him. | N/A |
Music Victory Theme: A somber remix of the Super Smash Bros. Brawl main theme.
- Losing Pose: Tabuu stands there with his arms crossed, not even facing the camera.
Skins & Costumes[]
| Number | Reference Image | Description |
| Default | 
|
Tabuu's default appearance. |
| Alt 1 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 2 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 3 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 4 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 5 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 6 |
|
TBA |
| Alt 7 |
|
TBA. |
Trivia[]
- Tabuu is the second Super Smash Bros. boss to become a playable character, with the first being Ridley.
- He is also the first playable character to hail from the series itself.