back to my whole yin/yang themes analysis
I said Galeem (who here uses he/him pronouns) represents the Yang and Dharkon (she/her pronouns here) represents the Yin right?
Let’s go into it more now and go into a deeper analysis of their dualities than just light and dark.
Yang - it’s themes and symbolism
Common themes associated with the Yang are:
Aggressiveness - Galeem is the first to attack and does so without restraint or mercy, vaporizing everyone he sees.
Fire - Fire produces light. Mario, Roy and Captain Falcon are under Galeem’s control, and use mostly fire based attacks. Palutena, who’s under Galeem’s control, also has a fire attack. There’s also Pokémon Trainer with Charizard. Ironically, Incineroar and Ken are under Dharkon’s control following Galeem’s first defeat.
Air/Sky - Galeem floats in the air a lot. There are a lot of Spirit battles in the first area with strong wind gusts. There are areas in the sky and in space. Fox, Falco, Pit and Palutena have an affinity for the sky. Peach can float. A lot of other fighters here are great aerial fighters with the exception of Little Mac and Dr. Mario.
Hard/Rigid - Galeem is a glowing white core surrounded by metallic prismatic “wings” that retain the same shape. He looks synthetic.
Masculinity - mostly male characters and spirits are found in the World of Light or otherwise on Galeem’s side in the final fight, though there are some notable female ones. The aforementioned Mario, Roy and Captain Falcon, as well as Snake, Bowser, Ryu, Marth, Wii Fit Trainer (can be either gender), Pokémon Trainer (can be either gender), Villager and Inkling (can be either gender), Shulk, Simon, Pit, Link and some others. Sheik can be considered a masculine woman, as can Samus to a certain extent. There’s also too many male Spirits I can’t be cheesed to write here. But I will say that Destruction/Purification is considered a masculine force too.
Expanding - the first area is vast.
The Sun/Day - Solgaleo is a Spirit on Galeem’s side in The Final Battle area. It appears to be daytime everywhere in the first area. Daytime is associated with bustling activity and noise, so there’s areas full of life like jungles and cities. Plants need sunlight to grow, hence Lip’s spirit being found here and her special field ability.
Heart/Emotion - somewhat tied to aggressiveness. Most of the spirits and fighters found in the first area are passionate and driven by the heart, like Shulk, Little Mac, Yoshi, Ness, Isabelle, Link, Lucas and Lucario, or otherwise hot headed like Bowser and King Dedede, and the Mythra Spirit in the final battle area on Galeem’s side.
Science - some fighters found here are scientifically inclined, like Snake, Captain Falcon, Mega Man, Zero Suit Samus and Shulk. There are several high tech looking areas like the base and the weird teleport area. Galeem’s wings have a holographic appearance like the back of a CD.
Summer/Heat - Light is associated with heat. There are volcano and beach/island areas.
Dominance - this one is probably more meta than the other themes. Of the 7 Original to Echo duos (
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), all the originals (first half of each duo) are under Galeem’s control. In addition, in the first area, Master Hand throws a LOT of obstacles in your path, forcing you to traverse the world some more.
Forged bonds/ “the blood of the covenant” - a lot of the fighters and spirits trapped in the first area are characters that can be perceived as having friendships and romantic relationships forged with experiences. Like Ness and Lucas (throwback to SSE), Mario and Peach, (depending on your interpretation) Snake and Samus, Fox and Falco, and Villager and Isabelle. Of course, some friends/lovers are on opposite sides too, such as Link and Zelda, Peach and Daisy, Ryu and Ken,
and one of my popularly headcanoned ships I fangirl about don’t @ me (Spoiler: it’s Falconcina) have all been separated from each other.
Energy - The first realm seems full of life, lots of city like areas and some Spirits are needed to clear some obstacles.
Yin - it’s themes and symbolism
Passiveness - Dharkon waits until Galeem is defeated the first time to claim (most of) the fighters we didn’t see in the first area for herself.
Water - Bodies of water grow darker the deeper you go. Greninja and Corrin are found in the Mysterious Realm in the World of Dark. There’s also the Azura Spirit in the same Realm, found just before Corrin. King K. Rool is a crocodile, which is an aquatic creature. Ironically, Squirtle, part of Pokémon Trainer, is under Galeem’s control. Also, you’re required to dive into a lake to unlock the path to Young Link in the Sacred Realm.
Earth - Dharkon’s tendrils look a lot like tree branches. She also seems constantly “rooted” and the tips look like roots. Her eye can also be interpreted as a seed. Her goal is to grow her reach and corrupt everything, like an all consuming plant. The Sacred Realm has lots of trees and forests. There are patches of desolate earth everywhere. Most of the fighters here are better ground fighters, including Richter and Chrom (some are better suited for the air like Sonic, Daisy and Cloud.
heh...get it? CLOUD? ...ok I’ll stop) Some spirit battles in the World of Dark have earthquakes.
Soft/Flexible - Dharkon is comprised of a demonic eye with fleshy organic tendrils that bend freely to her will.
Femininity - More female characters (Fighter or Spirit) are found in the world of Dark or are on Dharkon’s side in the Final Battle area, even though there are some males. Bayonetta, Daisy, Lucina, Zelda, (if you count her) Dark Samus, Robin and Corrin (who can be either gender), Rosalina. Richter and possibly even Ike can be considered slightly feminine men. For spirits there’s the aforementioned Azura, Mecha-Fiora, Risky Boots, Impa, Saria and so on. Also, Corruption/Chaos is considered a feminine energy.
Contracting - the second area is smaller than the first. In addition, you are unable to zoom out in the main non-portal areas of the World of Dark.
The Moon/Night - Lunala is a spirit on Dharkon’s side in The Final Battle area. Night is associated with supernatural forces, which explains Dracula’s Castle and all the Spirits found there as well as the Dracula boss. It also explains Luigi’s presence there, as a throwback to the Luigi’s Mansion games.
Mind/Logic - somewhat tied to passiveness. most of the fighters and spirits found in the second area are logical, calm thinkers, like Zelda, Mewtwo, Ike and Robin, or otherwise cool headed like Sonic, Meta Knight, Lucina and Cloud. The Mysterious Realm area also tests the player’s knowledge.
Magic - some characters found on Dharkon’s side are magically inclined, like Ganondorf, Robin, Rosalina and Bayonetta. Magic is associated with the mind. Dharkon herself looks like an embodiment of dark magic.
Winter/Cold - Darkness is associated with cold, since the absence of light leads to the absence of heat. Incineroar can be found in an area with ice patches. Some Spirit battles have icy floors.
Submission - all 7 Echoes are under Dharkon’s control. Refer to “Dominance” under Yang for more explanation. Also, unlike in the first area, Crazy Hand does very little if at all to hinder your progress.
Familial relationships/ “the water of the womb” - some of the fighters and spirits found in the second area are family, such as Chrom with Lucina and Robin (female Robin can be Chrom’s wife); Corrin with the Azura spirit before them (Azura is their cousin); and the Dunban and Mecha-Fiora spirits are both found in the Sacred Realm (they’re siblings; despite regular Fiora’s spirit being in the World of Light) as well as the Donbe and Hikari Spirit (they’re also sibs). Of course like with the forged bonds, some family members have been separated, like Mario and Luigi; Bowser and Bowser Jr.; and Simon separated from his descendant Richter.
Stillness - the second area seems very quiet and lifeless. No spirits are needed to clear any obstacles; instead, they are solved by clearing your mind and solving puzzles.
