Official Tabuu Discussion

[WarxePB]

NOTE: This thread CAN AND WILL contain MASSIVE SPOILERS for those of you who haven't completed SSE. While I'm sure that's a rarity right now, I won't risk it. So READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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Okay, I think we got rid of the noobs.

Anyways, this thread is the "official" (as official as anything is on the Internet) discussion of the Subspace Emissary's final boss, Tabuu.
Tabuu is an original creation made specifically for SSE. According to his trophies, he was born in a vastly foreign realm, has great leadership skills, and has great power (enough to reduce about 30 fighters to trophies instantly, extract and manipulate Shadow Bugs to form a limitless army, and even control Master Hand, the so-called "god" of the Smash world).
But there's still many things we don't know about him. Why is he trying to bring the Smash world into Subspace? What's his motivation in the first place? Why does he have an eye... thing in his chest? These are questions unanswered in the game, so it falls to us, the fans, to come up with our own theories about him.

It doesn't matter how speculative your theory is; as long as it doesn't directly violate what we do know about him, post it here.

 

[LEDrabbit]

Tabuu is, as far as I can tell, simply Japanese katakana for the word taboo.

Taboo:
noun
1. A ban or an inhibition resulting from social custom or emotional aversion.
2.
a. A prohibition, especially in Polynesia and other South Pacific islands, excluding something from use, approach, or mention because of its sacred and inviolable nature.
b. An object, a word, or an act protected by such a prohibition.

dunno if that helps any, just some info on his name. What exactly IS subspace? if it's his domain, maybe he just wants to control everything.

 

[Young_Link808]

maybe when he created all the fighters it got too chaotic so he decided to destroy them all and restart again?

(lol just like FE: RD)

 

[Conan]

One theory I saw was that , like master hand could be a child playing with the trophies

(Which was kind of hinted at in SSB64) Tabuu is the childs stepfather who beats the child and scatters his toys....

wouldn't explain anythilng else, and sounds weird, but I liked that theory

 

[Young_Link808]

One theory I saw was that , like master hand could be a child playing with the trophies

(Which was kind of hinted at in SSB64) Tabuu is the childs stepfather who beats the child and scatters his toys....

wouldn't explain anythilng else, and sounds weird, but I liked that theory

lol that was funny and actually makes sense but then again remember that cutscene in the SSE when tabuu lost control of master hand and it charged towards tabuu but got its but whooped

maybe he captured him to do all his biding

 

[BlueYoshiPinkShoes]

Well, if there's a Smash 4, and if there's SSE 2, than I'm fairly certain all questions will be answered.


Tabuu for Smash 4!

=D

 

[Jeff Highwind]

I say he's the evil version of Tron, gone tyrant in order to fill the last villain spot in Brawl but what do I know?

I do wonder though about somthing his trophy said:
"He used the stolen worlds in order to create his great maze"

While that may not be the exact quote, was this the main reason Tabuu went nuclear terrorist on nintendo-land?

 

[WarxePB]

I don't believe that. He uses Subspace Bombs to draw worlds into Subspace, manipulates Master Hand and its creations, creates an army, and basically does everything in his power just to make a maze? Obviously, that's what he does, but I don't think that's all of it.

The theories about Tabuu being the parent to Master Hand make sense, but in order to prove that, we need to know the exact nature of Master Hand itself. Master Hand is supposed to be the spirit of creativity, yet in his Brawl trophy, it says something to the effect that Master Hand has gained a power that borders on absolute - the word "gain" implies that he didn't have it before. I figure that, however Master Hand gained his power, is similar to how Tabuu gained his, though Tabuu gained it through Shadow Bugs.

It's never directly stated within the games, but Master Hand is the "god" or "guardian" of the Smash world, and it's his job to create, expand and maintain it. It doesn't really matter how Master Hand came to be, or the source of its power, but let's say that it uses "Creation Energy" to create Trophy Stands. These trophies are then given a body, a personality and unique abilities - they become Smash fighters.
Now, let's say that Tabuu is a dimensional traveler. He one day stumbles upon the Smash world, and quickly becomes envious of Master Hand's Creation Energy. He researches the nature of Master Hand's power, but is unable to harness it in any way - he does, however, find an "anti"-Creation Energy, found inside Mr. Game & Watch, which he calls "Subspace Energy". This Subspace Energy takes the form of Shadow Bugs, which Tabuu manipulates into Primids and other beings. Wanting to test Subspace Energy's power for himself, he injects himself with Shadow Bugs - this gives him power rivalling Master Hand, allowing him to create his own realm, Subspace.
With his great power, he manages to take control of Master Hand. However, since he's based off of Subspace Energy, he is unable to use Master Hand's power in any form - this explains why he doesn't just unmake the Smash world and be done with it. He does, however, and Master Hand for some epic mindgames (getting Bowser, Wario and Ganondorf to work for him), and uses his near-limitless number of Shadow Bugs to create the Subspace Army. Then, for whatever reason, he creates a maze for the remaining heroes to go through to defeat him.

 

[Raz92]

maybe tabuu represents the playstation! it has come to destroy nintendo, BUT WE WONT LET IT!!!!

dumb theory, but possible

 

[Young_Link808]

he does, however, find an "anti"-Creation Energy, found inside Mr. Game & Watch, which he calls "Subspace Energy".

wait a min when in the game did it say there was anti creation energy in Mr. game & watch?

 

[Jeff Highwind]

maybe tabuu represents the playstation! it has come to destroy nintendo, BUT WE WONT LET IT!!!!

dumb theory, but possible

No we already established he's the Xbox 360 when he used the RRoD's in his boss fight.

 

[yoonkwun]

When fighting Tabuu at the end, why doesn't he just instantly turn you into a trophy?

 

[PCHU]

Nope, you can dodge/ sidestep it.
It's easy, just time it right.
Or, get hit by the first ring, fly out of the screen range, and after the other rings are over, make your way back to the stage.
I did!

Anyhow, I think that Tabuu could be Playstation, or SONY, because he's all technical-looking.
Plus, there's a rivalry going on, so Nintendo interacting with SONY would be a TABOO.
See?
I think that I'm on target.


Or, it could be your standard last boss, with no hints or clues whatsoever.
I h8 those games, but I think Smash is still great.

 

[Raz92]

I think that I'm on target.

dont you mean I'M on target

 

[Jeff Highwind]

Nope, you can dodge/ sidestep it.
It's easy, just time it right.
Or, get hit by the first ring, fly out of the screen range, and after the other rings are over, make your way back to the stage.
I did!

Anyhow, I think that Tabuu could be Playstation, or SONY, because he's all technical-looking.
Plus, there's a rivalry going on, so Nintendo interacting with SONY would be a TABOO.
See?
I think that I'm on target.

I dont think Evil Knievel could've made that jump.

 

[Raz92]

I dont think Evil Knievel could've made that jump.

were better than evil knievel

 

[Impact009]

The first thought that came into my head when I saw him was Tron. My thoughts eventually trailed to Tron Bonne in MvC2 and Mega Man Legends.

If only it represented a rivalry between SSBB and MvC2, then that would be interesting... That's not my theory though. I think it's more direct and less symbolic.

 

[Deleted member]

wait a min when in the game did it say there was anti creation energy in Mr. game & watch?

Here ya go:

Embodiments of a primordial substance that can take the form of any number of lesser Subspace foes. They can also copy the forms of trophies to create evil doppelganger versions of them. The mysterious substance inside Mr. Game & Watch can be extracted endlessly. Once Tabuu discovered this, he used Mr. Game & Watch to create the Subspace Army.

 

[smasherboy13]

Wow. How do you get the shadow bug trophy?

 

[Deleted member]

Beat boss mode on Normal. I got the description from Brawlcentral.

 

[Nixis]

maybe tabuu is jut some random evil perosn who appeared out of nowhere and decided to attack everyone.

you would think that someone this powerful would have been heard by Mario or Link, or someone...
i doubt the programmers of SSB thought this far. Probably just made him up to... kill stuff.

 

[Chaosblade77]

The trophies state that Tabuu's master plan is to create the great maze. This definitely has the potential to be true, as we still lack a motive and don't understand exactly what the maze is.

On the other hand, we see trophies that don't give us the full story all the time. While technically correct, they leave a lot of ends untied, probably to prevent spoilers for other games. I can't see why Sakurai would want to leave the ending of SSE open though...

 

[Jeff Highwind]

On the other hand, we see trophies that don't give us the full story all the time. While technically correct, they leave a lot of ends untied, probably to prevent spoilers for other games. I can't see why Sakurai would want to leave the ending of SSE open though...

ohmygawd, Tabuu's the villain for the Wii Kirby game.

 

[Indignant]

Why does any teller of a narrative leave the ending ambiguous? OPPORTUNITY FOR A SEQUEL! Yes!

We may yet see more of Tabuu...did anyone notice how "Dead" Master Hand looked...he never turned into a trophy...just sat on the ground like a dead spider.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Tabuu might've been a former god of the Smash World until he was surpassed by Master Hand.

Angry about this, he attacks and conquers the land of the Ancient Minister and began controlling Master Hand as well.

After the R.O.B.s and the Minister accepted defeat from Tabuu, they obeyed whatever Tabuu said despite the fact that they despise him.

The Minister felt too timid to face Tabuu again, but eventually conquered his fear and tried to retaliate.

When the fighters fought Tabuu and destroyed him, he was never heard of again.

 

[TakDragon7]

Yeah. Tabuu is insanely hard on Normal. He has that one move that just kills ya whether you are dodging or not.

 

[Raz92]

maybe tabuu is jut some random evil perosn who appeared out of nowhere and decided to attack everyone.

you would think that someone this powerful would have been heard by Mario or Link, or someone...
i doubt the programmers of SSB thought this far. Probably just made him up to... kill stuff.

he probably just is a random guy they made up to kill people, but its funner to think of crazy ideas :D


DARN YOU NINTENDO FOR NOT CLARIFYING!!!!!!!

 

[SETHMASTEROFPKMN]

my theory:

Okay, we ahve Master hand, which was CLEARLY shown to play with the plushies in SSB. This suggests Master Hand is the hand of the child playing with the plushies. In SSBM they become trophies, but they remain essentialy the same.

What other all mighty beings exist in this world? Crazy Hand, that's who!

The incarnation of destrcution, or something like that, Crazy Hand is neuotic and bent on crushing the Smash Warriors, while Master Hand fights them and YET created them.

My theory is that Master Hand is manuevering the good guy (i.e. a child holding a Goku action figure) and Crazy Hand is the evil (frieza). Either way, they come from the same whole being. but what made Crazy Hand so crazy? i think it can be inferrered that Tabuu is the "conciusness" of whatever made Crazy Hand crazy. When Tabuu surroundes himself with the pieces of NintendoLand, he is surrounded by his own world. Ever heard of that? In your own little world? Subspace is so vague and empty look, it bears resemblence to the inside of someone's mind (when showed in a cartoon of course).

So, Tabuu is the kid immersing himself in his own world, for reasons we do not fully understand (Huh? Cause his world is the Smash World, that's why! Who wants this world?). Master Hand is kind of the original kid: The kid with an overactive imagination but still has contact with the outside world. Master Hand knows that if he doesn't come out of his own little world, Tabuu (and Master Hand, and Crazy Hand, and the kid, and the Smash Warriors) will all be destroyed in time. So, in the kids mind, what his POSITIVE imagination has manifested (Master Hand and the Smash Fighters), and therefore his true self, fights Tabuu (and alternate personality, or perhaps just the kids unwillingness to face reality in physical form).

At the very end of SSE, you see everyone looking out on a rising sun. The dawn of a new world, the real world.

Was that too complex? lol

 

[PCHU]

I think you hit the bull's eye.

 

[Raz92]

my theory:

Okay, we ahve Master hand, which was CLEARLY shown to play with the plushies in SSB. This suggests Master Hand is the hand of the child playing with the plushies. In SSBM they become trophies, but they remain essentialy the same.

What other all mighty beings exist in this world? Crazy Hand, that's who!

The incarnation of destrcution, or something like that, Crazy Hand is neuotic and bent on crushing the Smash Warriors, while Master Hand fights them and YET created them.

My theory is that Master Hand is manuevering the good guy (i.e. a child holding a Goku action figure) and Crazy Hand is the evil (frieza). Either way, they come from the same whole being. but what made Crazy Hand so crazy? i think it can be inferrered that Tabuu is the "conciusness" of whatever made Crazy Hand crazy. When Tabuu surroundes himself with the pieces of NintendoLand, he is surrounded by his own world. Ever heard of that? In your own little world? Subspace is so vague and empty look, it bears resemblence to the inside of someone's mind (when showed in a cartoon of course).

So, Tabuu is the kid immersing himself in his own world, for reasons we do not fully understand (Huh? Cause his world is the Smash World, that's why! Who wants this world?). Master Hand is kind of the original kid: The kid with an overactive imagination but still has contact with the outside world. Master Hand knows that if he doesn't come out of his own little world, Tabuu (and Master Hand, and Crazy Hand, and the kid, and the Smash Warriors) will all be destroyed in time. So, in the kids mind, what his POSITIVE imagination has manifested (Master Hand and the Smash Fighters), and therefore his true self, fights Tabuu (and alternate personality, or perhaps just the kids unwillingness to face reality in physical form).

At the very end of SSE, you see everyone looking out on a rising sun. The dawn of a new world, the real world.

Was that too complex? lol

my god.... it makes so much sense its kinda scary....

still think it would be funnier if it was sony

 

[Nixis]

lemme get this straight. the entire smash world is manipulated by a kid. the right hand of the kid represents the good, creating side, Master Hand, and the left hand represents destruction, or Crazy Hand. The kid's mind is split into two alternate personalities; one being Tabuu, the representation of evil and destructionn, in a "living" form, like Crazy Hand, but exists mentally in the kid's head more than physically like Crazy Hand. Am i getting this right?

i guess it makes sense... but then i think crazy hand would also be in the plot of the SSE, wouldn't you think? which brings me up to another topic. if crazy hand is "evil" and master hand is "good", then why do they team up together in classic, and why does master hand fight you in the first place in classic? also, tabuu couldn't be the entire consciesness of the kid, or else Master hand couldn't have been created. so wouldn't there be a being equal to tabuu, but representing the "good conscience"? plus, why would Master Hand be afraid of the destruction of the world? Tabuu doesn't want to destroy it, he just wants to cover it in Subspace. What is Subspace anyway...? and if the fighters are physical trophies and Tabuu is part of a person's mind, how can they even come close to each other?

I think the normal world is the normal, physical world the smashers are used to, and subspace is the area of the kid's mind.

finally, i must conclude that this "kid" has serious, serious issues. no existing human can have there mind split so perfectly. thats where the main problem of this theory is. its till probably the closest to the truth though.

 

[GreenMarth]

i personally think youre looking way to deeply into it and if someting doesnt make sense...i mean hey...its a GAME

but theres some interesting stuff there

 

[Nixis]

its not like we... well I think that all this is actually true. It's just fun. And if there is a sequel, I'll be happy that i predicted corrctly.

 

[RedMage8BT]

Tabuu couldn't just turn them back into trophies because Sonic damaged his wings.

I thought the Ancient Minister was the master of the Smash Bros. world, not Master Hand.

 

[Young_Link808]

I thought the Ancient Minister was the master of the Smash Bros. world, not Master Hand.

since the ancient minister is rob he cant be the master of the smash bros world

 

[FallenAngelPit]

hmm, I'v got a pretty good non-child theory, if you care to listen.
first and last: tabuu. now, his trophy description says hes from another land, he was a good leader, and, most of all, powerful. also, as his name implies, be was banished, because in my opinion, he was too powerful. why? he descovered subspace, and tried to take over his world. thus, he was banished. now, im not talking about subspace bombs, just the ability to go from world---->subspace.
now, the definition of subspace (just from a vauge memory, mind you) is a place between and the universes, so this is how he finds the smash world. then, he makes 3 major descovorys- shadow bugs, master hand, and ROB's/subspace bombs, in that order. he uses shadow bugs too control master hand, then master hand to control the ROB's (quick ROB summary; hand made g.dorf threaten the ROB's with the subspace army so he could use it/them to invent evil things, they pobably invented the trophy guns)
...
rest of theory tomorow afternoon, someone send me a pm so I don't forget.
good night.

farewell

 

[Pokémon Trainer]

Actualy... The Ancient Minister WAS the master of the Smash World...

The commander of the Subspace Army who uses Subspace Bombs to tear up this world. He was once lord of this world, living on the floating Island of the Ancients with many robots--but the robots were taken hostage on Tabuu's orders. Now that their home's a bomb factory, the robots carry out their functions while enduring deep sadness caused by the loss of their colleagues.

And Tabuu was known by the Smash Warriors [or atleast King Dedede] before the time of Adventure Mode.

Going by what the Tabuu trophy says... Tabuu wanted to challenge the Smash Warriors in the ultimate battle...

And since Master Hand and Crazy Hand appears in more than just the Smash World and the Real World... I believe that they were followed by Tabuu from the Mirror World back into the Smash World.

Also... To me, Final Destination looks like it is in Subspace. [All three Final Destinations.]

Everything I have seen so far leads back to the Pokémon universe...
The ability to warp space and travel though dimensions is held by the Pokémon universe's Dialga and Palkia. Not to mention that by looking at it from a real world view, none of this would be possible without Pokémon.


So many mysteries...
So few answers...

 

[KyUuKyUu]

To sum up what the child theories are talking about

the kid is schizophrenic

edit: or has dissociative identity disorder (as if someone was going to correct me on it, but anyway >_>)

 

[PCHU]

I'm telling you, it's SONY!

I mean, it's a freaky old guy with OHKO moves, plus he introduced a little something called BLOOD in this game, if you look at Master hand after he gets freed.
Plus, it's more violent than any other smash brothers.
They powered down our favorites, then introduced new characters like Ike, who can PARALLEL Bowser in terms of power.
Plus, Ike is pretty fast for all that power.

So, SONY/Tabuu came in after Melee, and made things more realistic.

 

[DeuceBlade]

Tabuu is a psychotic butterfly in a tron costume.