(A/N: Tabuu from Super Smash Bros vs. Culex from Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars. Two powerful and mysterious interdimensional beings from alternate universe that seek to take over other dimensions. Who will win?)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"TABUU vs. CULEX"
INTRODUCTION
Wiz: There have been no shortage of alien invasions across various media, and all have proven to be problematic for the residents of the invaded world.
Boomstick: But when those invasions are from beings that come from of alternate dimensions, you've got a whole new list of problems on your hand. Like you do with these two interdimensional invaders.
Wiz: Tabuu, a being from the Subspace dimension who seeks to absorb the Smash world into his own.
Boomstick: And Culex, a Dark Knight from another dimension sent to invade the Mario world. He's Wiz, and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, powers, and abilities to find out who would win a Death Battle.
TABUU
Wiz: The world of Smash, a pocket dimension in the Nintendoverse that brings together different characters from different series to compete for the top position and the honor to fight Master Hand and Crazy Hand.
Boomstick: And it was all fun and games until it was invaded by a bunch of WALL-E looking robots.
Wiz: Actually, Boomstick, they were supposed to be the Robotic Operating Buddies that were meant to act as toy accessories for the Nintendo that translated flash information.
Boomstick: Accessories my ass. That's freakin' WALL-E.
Wiz: In any case, these robots were all the unwilling recruits of a powerful interdimensional being who had set his sights set on the Smash world, which was connected to the other worlds in the Nintendoverse, which would allow the eventual take over all of the Nintendoverse. This invader was known only as Tabuu.
BACKGROUND:
Age: unknown
Height: approximately 20'6 (estimate/varies)
Cataclysmic Energy Being
Name is a pun on "taboo"
The ruler and embodiment of the Subspace dimension
Seeks to absorb other worlds into Subspace
Possesses a moveset similar to Marx (Kirby Super Star)
Boomstick: He may look like a Dr. Manhattan rip-off with butterfly wings, but he's got power in spades. The dude is totally OP.
Wiz: Hailing from a pocket dimension known as Subspace, Tabuu wasn't just its ruler, he was the literal embodiment of it made flesh. Well, sort of flesh anyway.
Boomstick: So what, he was a both a resident of Subspace and actual Subspace?
Wiz: Actually, it's more along the lines that he was a physical manifestation of it, kind of like its core if you will. And as the embodiment of this dimension, he was unable to leave it himself.
Boomstick: And apparently Subspace was a little small for him, so he decided to take over all other worlds, beginning with the World of Trophies. That's the official name of the Smash world by the way.
Wiz: This was done by creating an army of Shadow Bugs, which are made of a primordial substance that Tabuu created from Mr. Game & Watch in order to create his army of soldiers made up of several different kinds of creatures, and even dark copies of different Nintendo characters, all of which are technically part of Subspace, and therefore part of Tabuu's essence.
Boomstick: But Tabuu didn't just have evil clones on his side, he was also able to recruit different villains from different series to his cause and get them to take out the heroes and other characters from different series.
Wiz: He did this by capturing and controlling Master Hand, the embodiment of creation in the Smash world, who, along with Crazy Hand, the embodiment of destruction, serve as its gods.
Boomstick: You know someone is a badass when they can take control of a freakin' god and use them like a puppet.
POWERS AND ABILITIES:
Attacks – Off Waves, Rapid Chop, Eye Lasers, Explosive Teleport, Electrical Shield, Pinpoint Explosion, Bullet Rain, Self Projection
Weapons – Dark Laser Dragon Cannon, Chain of Light, Energy Blade, Shuriken Boomerang
Transformation attacks – Shark Spear and Golden Bracket
Flight
Teleportation
Size alteration
Manipulation/deception
Dimensional entity physiology
Spatial construction, creation, mimicry, manipulation, and devouring
Entity creation
Ergokinesis
Space generation
Self-detonation
Petrification (turning Smash characters back into trophies)
Energy beams
Attack reflecting barrier
Wiz: With Master Hand under his control, Tabuu used him to recruit the villains and have them carry out his demands, all while keeping himself and his true intentions hidden.
Boomstick: Which basically involved using his robot slaves to set off these dimensional bombs that swallowed whole sections of the Smash world and trapped them in these dimensional bubbles.
Wiz: Once enough sections of the Smash world were trapped within these bubbles, Tabuu would then absorb them into himself and make them a part of Subspace, his ultimate goal apparently being complete dimensional takeover by spreading Subspace to all other worlds and consuming them to make them a part of Subspace, and therefore himself, allowing him to rule over everything.
Boomstick: Which is why he targeted the Smash world. It's sort of the access world to all the other worlds in the Nintendoverse that connects them all together. So once Tabuu took over the Smash world, he could then spread everywhere.
Wiz: And once Tabuu had taken over most of the Smash world, he became arrogant enough to reveal himself, and then proceeded to absorbs all the sections of the Smash world he had taken over.
Boomstick: But the Nintendo characters weren't going to stand for that. Once Tabuu showed them that he was literally pulling Master Hand's strings, they put their differences aside and they all stood together against him, even the villains he had recruited once they saw it wasn't actually Master Hand they were obeying.
Wiz: Unfortunately for them, Tabuu wasn't just a brilliant strategist, but also a very capable fighter. And after he absorbed the different sections of the Smash world, forcing the characters to make their way through the maze of Subspace and battle his minions, they soon found themselves with their hands full against Tabuu and his many abilities.
Boomstick: And trust me when I say that this guy can fight. He can shoot lasers from his eyes that are even more powerful than Master Hand's finger laser, and he can even grow in size to make them bigger, or shoot balls of energy that can deliver 400% damage. He can manifest an electric shield that can also be used to attack with, and use this purple sphere inside himself that he split into electric fragments that have a vacuum that'll suck you in and can instantly KO characters with low recovery, even if they have zero damage since this can deliver 200% damage to them. He'll shoot magic bullets of energy or send out damaging projections of himself, or he can just point to certain areas to causes fiery explosions. He can even teleport and cause explosions where he teleports.
Wiz: Such attacks aside, Tabuu is even capable in hand-to-hand combat, and even makes use of several weapons. He can manifest an energy blade to attack with, or will lash out with a chain of light, which is also what he used to control Master Hand, and he possesses a shuriken boomerang and a dragon-shaped cannon that will fire a powerful dark laser.
Boomstick: If all that wasn't enough, Tabuu even has some transformation abilities. Not only can he grow in size, he can turn into a wide shark-like spear-head to take down anything in his path, or he'll change into a gold bracket that will grab you and throw you down, which can even result in a one-hit knockout.
Wiz: But Tabuu's most powerful attack would definitely be his Off Waves attack. This involves sending out three powerful shockwaves that are completely unblockable that will do massive damage, shattering a perfect shield and immediately knocking out the player, even those who are under the effects of a Metal Box or who have become giant.
Boomstick: So if you see Tabuu spread those wings of his, you better perfectly time your air dodges, otherwise you're going flying off the screen, because this attack can't be avoided, and blocking isn't going to do much good. It really is an OP move.
Wiz: We actually witness Tabuu use this attack when the Smash characters first encounter him. Upon unleashing it, he instantly reduces everyone present to their inanimate trophy forms.
Boomstick: Which is basically the equivalent of killing them. Or at least knocking them not.
Wiz: Well, not necessarily. See, since the Smash world is the World of Trophies, everyone in it are essentially trophies. Specifically, these trophies act as avatars for the Nintendo characters in order to interact with the each other in the Smash world. Upon, quote-unquote, dying, or getting knocked out, these trophy bodies will return to their inanimate state until their base is pressed, allowing the characters to inhabit them once more.
Boomstick: Yeah, but that was before Sonic damaged his wings in a sneak attack. After that, Tabuu was only able to use his Off Waves every eighth move for an instant knockout, which is still pretty OP if you ask me.
Wiz: During the final battle with Tabuu, six characters are allowed to enter his territory to do battle with him, where they will need to reduce his health down to zero or deliver enough damage to him in order to trap him in a trophy, both tasks of which are nearly impossible.
FEATS:
Captured, took control of, and defeated Master Hand
Took over the Isle of the Ancients
Invaded the Nintendoverse
Reduced all Smash characters to trophies with a single attack
Absorbed numerous sections of the Smash world
Created an army made of Shadow Bugs
Manipulated Ganondorf, Bowser, Wario, R.O.B., Petey Piranha, Porky Minch, and Ridley into doing his bidding
Boomstick: Yeah, no kidding. After Galeem and Dharkon, Tabuu is the strongest being in the entire series, even stronger than the Hands, Giga Bowser, or Master Core. Hell, he was even able to one-shot knock out Master Hand by using his shield to reflect his attack. You heard that right, the guy took out a freakin' god with a single move, and didn't so much as flinch. Though to be fair, Master Hand was pretty weakened at that point.
Wiz: Tabuu does indeed show that he's very powerful. Not only in battle and with his ability to create minions, but also in his dimensional takeover. And defeating him is no easy task, as he's able to take quite literally any attack any of the fighters throw at him and won't so much as flinch.
Boomstick: And this guy is taking hits from the likes of Mario, Sonic, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Link, Ness, Samus, and more. And some of these guys are ranked at universal levels. Master Hand certainly is. And considering Tabuu basically made the white-gloved god his personal puppet, it's no wonder he was able to conquer so much of the Smash world.
Wiz: If you think about it, this may not even be the first world or dimension he's taken over, as it's implied that he took over the Isle of the Ancients, which is how he was able to enslave R.O.B. and his fellow robots and force them to do his bidding. So there's really no knowing just how many worlds he's conquered before breaking into the Smash world. It's even possible that some of the soldiers he creates with his Shadow Bugs are copies of different species from the worlds he's taken over, as are some of the bosses you face, such as Galleom and Duon.
Boomstick: And considering that you face off against a lot of powerful baddies that Tabuu is either controlling, recruited, or created copies of, that's pretty badass, especially considering that everyone who came from Subspace came from him. Kind of like how your body has things like white blood cells and such, only he's a whole pocket dimension.
Wiz: Which, of course, means that once Tabuu goes, so does all of Subspace since its part of him. After you manage to destroy or trap him, not only will Subspace and all of Tabuu's creations disappear, all the sections of the Smash world that he had consumed return to normal, as does everyone and everything else he affected.
Boomstick: I tell you, Wiz, I'm a big Smash fan, and I'm open to new things for the series, but I certainly wasn't expecting an invader from another dimension leading to a full game adventure. Thank you, Sakurai, you're truly my hero.
Wiz: Yes, Tabuu certainly made for an interesting surprise villain. It should be noted though that we never actually saw his destruction, meaning that he could have survived the battle. And if he did, who knows, we just might see this powerful god-like, interdimensional invader again someday.
CULEX
Wiz: During the age of Super Nintendo, everyone's favorite plumber came out in a game unlike any he had been in before. And in it he faced off against a powerful invader from another dimension who had a love for weapons and war.
Boomstick: And his name was Smithy, this robot Santa Claus lookalike warlord. But if you want an even tougher challenge for Mario's first RPG, then head back to Monstro Town, get your hands on the Shiny Stone, and open the sealed door for the toughest fight in the whole game.
Wiz: For within this door is the entrance to another realm, and that's where Mario and company will meet the Dark Knight of Vanda known as Culex.
BACKGROUND:
Age: Unknown
Height: approximately 25'5 – 30'1 (estimate)
Interdimensional invader Dark Knight of Vanda
Chosen to fight for the Dark Mage
Comes from a 2-D alternate dimension (implied Final Fantasy)
Made of matter and antimatter
Consumes space and time Emanates dark energy
Always mumbles about "Crystal-this" and an "Evil-that"
Claims to embody time and hold the power of creation
Seeks to face the strongest knight
Shares his name with a genus of mosquito
His Japanese name, Kurisutarā, is derived from "crystal(er)"
Boomstick: What the hell am I even looking at? I mean, it's a badass design for sure, but what the hell is he supposed to be? Part demon, part bug, part ghost, part crystal, part… Seriously, what the hell is he?
Wiz: Well, the name "Culex" is actually a type of mosquito, but as for what he actually is, it's hard to say, as very little is known about him. He does claim that he consists of both matter and antimatter, and he does seem to emanate dark energy.
Boomstick: Yeah, that all sounds really cool, but again, what is he supposed to be!?
Wiz: Well, we can't really say, as he's unlike any being we've seen in the Marioverse before. Which actually makes sense since Culex is actually from another dimension, which is implied to be the Final Fantasy dimension. Or at least alludes to it.
Boomstick: A Super Mario and a Final Fantasy crossover? I'm here for it.
Wiz: Whatever realm Culex comes from, according to him, he has made his way to Mario's world on orders of the Dark Mage to fight on his behalf. He's described as being a timeless overlord made of pure evil.
Boomstick: So I'm guessing that makes him some kind of interdimensional invader.
Wiz: This does seem to be the case. However, Culex's realm is apparently very different from Mario's, as he and the residents of his world are two-dimensional beings, and as such, he's rather baffled by the three-dimensional beings of Mario's world. In fact, he actually discovers that Mario's world is uninhabitable for him and his kind, so it would actually be pointless to invade.
Boomstick: And thank God for that. Can you imagine an entire army of creatures like Culex? They'd send everyone running for the hills.
Wiz: Yes, however, out of a desire to understand the three-dimensional beings of Mario's world, before he leaves, he wishes to fight the Mario world's strongest knight. And who better than Mario himself?
Boomstick: Not just him though, but also two other members of his party, either Bowser, Peach, Mallow, or Geno. Speaking of which, when are we going to get more of Geno? That dude was awesome.
Wiz: Focus, Boomstick.
Boomstick: Yeah, yeah, back to the demon, bug-man thing. I'm not letting the Geno thing go though.
POWERS AND ABILITIES:
Attacks – Shredder, Flame Stone, Dark Star, Meteor Blast
Fire Crystal attacks – Drain, Flame, Mega Drain, Flame Wall, Corona
Water Crystal attacks – Crystal, Diamond Saw, Ice Rock, Blizzard, Solidify
Earth Crystal attacks – Blast, Storm, Sand Storm, Water Blast, Boulder
Wind Crystal attacks – Lightning Orb, Bolt, Electroshock, Static E!, Light Beam, Petal Blast
Flight
Various magical abilities
Teleportation
Dimension travel
Reality alteration
Creation
Lifeforce absorption
Time and matter consumption
Precognition/clairvoyance (past and future)
Omnipresence
Pocket dimension creation
Element, space-time, matter, antimatter, weather, light manipulation
Fourth Wall awareness (knows he's in a game)
Quartz Charm
Wiz: Out of all the enemies Mario and his friends face in the game, Culex is the most powerful and the most difficult to defeat, even surpassing the final boss, Smithy, and even the optional side boss, Jinx.
Boomstick: Well, yeah, no wonder. According to him, he can see the past and the future, and even consumes time itself, and says that he'll consume Mario and his friends. Oh, and he can also apparently teleport since he fades into the battle screen rather than already being there waiting for Mario and his friends or coming in later. And when he does, prepare for the fight of your life.
Wiz: Culex possesses a variety of different attacks that are quite powerful. He can launch a large fireball that falls from the sky, unleash an explosion of swarming stars to attack all opponents at once, or use his Dark Star attack to summons a giant shadow star known as a Ztar to crush his enemies, and is actually the most powerful magic attack in the entire game.
Boomstick: But if you think you can just increase your own strength to beat him fast or increase your defense to withstand his attacks, then you better keep dreaming. Culex can hit all fighters with a pink light that cancels out any status benefits. So that strategy goes out the window. And I certainly hope you're not planning on exploiting his weaknesses, because, get this, the guy doesn't have any. In fact, he's actually strong against fear, poison, sleep, mute, and critical ailments.
Wiz: Not even this is the limit of Culex's power. During battle, he will actually summon forth four different sentient element crystals to assist him in battle. These crystals consist of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, each one powerful in their own right. In fact, these crystals seem to be part of Culex, possibly as an extension of himself, or are at least fueled by his power, seeing as if you somehow manage to defeat him before the crystals, they'll just disappear without needing to actually be defeated.
Boomstick: Which is not an easy thing to do, seeing as each of them have their own powerful attacks. The Fire Crystal can shoot big or small fireballs, zap opponents with a ray of light, summon a ball of energy that flashes destructive light, or even consume everything with a massive wall of fire. As for the Water Crystal, it can shoot big or small chunks of ice or crystal, freeze its opponents in stalagmites of ice, cause and entire blizzard, or summon forth two giant snowflakes that act as buzz saws to cut its opponents down.
Wiz: For the Earth Crystal, it can cause a series of small explosions, or summon forth a stream of blue energy. It can also summon forth a sand storm that induces fear to cut defense and attack power in half, conjure up powerful spouts of water, or manifest a rock and mud avalanche. And then there's the Wind Crystal, that–
Boomstick: That should really pick a different name based on its attacks. It can summon forth a ball of electricity that expands into an electric dome, strike an opponent with lighting, hit opponents with an electric shock that encases them in a ball of electricity, or completely consume everything in electricity. And then, for some reason, it can summon a rainbow bubble that will put to sleep whoever it pops on, or cause a swarm of petals that turns everyone into mushrooms. See what I mean about the name? It's called the Wind Crystal, but where are all the wind attacks? They should have swapped colors with the Earth Crystal and called it the Electric or Thunder Crystal.
FEATS:
Fought Mario and two party members (Peach, Bowser, Mallow, Geno)
Saw into Mario and company's past and future
Was chosen by the Dark Mage to invade the Marioverse
Casually hopped dimensions
Created a pocket dimension for himself
Was unharmed after being defeated by Mario and company
Surpassed Smithy and Jinx in terms of strength and durability
Manifested sentient elemental crystals out of nothing
Transported a pocket dimension
Survived and fought in an inhabitable world for his kind
Broke the Fourth Wall (acknowledged that he was in a game)
Shook off Geno's instant kill Geno Whirl attack
Wiz: Although Culex is incredibly powerful and beating him and his crystals is no easy feat, if you do manage to defeat him, he surprisingly displays a level of respect towards Mario and his friends. Despite being a supposedly evil invader from another dimension, Culex does seem to follow a code of honor and seems to have a noble mannerism. He acknowledges Mario and his companions' strength and positive energy, and even rewards them with a Quartz Charm.
Boomstick: And believe me, it's worth fighting him for that prize. Not only does it half the damage the holder receives, it also increases their attack power by 50%, and prevents instant death from single-hit knockout attacks. So it's not just bragging rights that you get for beating him. And by the way, that Quartz Charm has nothing to do with Culex surviving Geno's one-hit KO attack since all bosses can. Even his Element Crystals are immune to instant KO attacks. So you better make sure you're prepared to fight him before you do, because Culex will show no mercy.
Wiz: However, once you defeat him, Culex will declare Mario to be the champion knight before lamenting how the two of them could not be mortal enemies, and stating how he will return when he gains solidity of the third dimension before he and his pocket dimension disappear back to his realm.
Boomstick: And let's hope that day never comes, because Culex really shows why he was the chosen knight of the Dark Sage. He can fight against Mario and two of his companions at once and just shake off their attacks like they're nothing. And let me tell you, their attacks are not nothing.
Wiz: He can withstand the power of Mario and Bowser's strength, weapons, and fire attacks. And while Peach specializes mostly in defense and healing, he can shake off her attacks as well, including those of Mallow, who possesses the power to control the weather and even the heavens that he can use to attack with, and Geno's various star attacks and numerous different forms of artillery power, including a blast from a miniature sun.
Boomstick: Man, forget the small-scale stuff, he can even tank Geno's Geno Whirl attack, which does 9,999 damage for an instant kill, and but doesn't even affect Culex at all. Now that's bad ass. And don't even get me started on all the assist items Mario and company can use to attack with. We're talking fire bombs, ice bombs, star storms, and more. And then there's attacks from weapons like hammers, shells, musical instruments, chain chomps, and gun and cannon fire. Sure the damage will eventually add up to his defeat, but the fact that he can withstand these attacks and keep coming like nothing happened is really saying something. Hell, even after you beat him, he just respectfully peaces out.
Wiz: One thing is for sure, if the day ever does come where Culex returns and acclimates to Mario's world, it will likely mean very dark times for those in the Marioverse.
THE BATTLE
In the depths of Subspace, Tabuu hovers alone. He suddenly looks up as he senses an intrusion, and Culex appears before him.
Culex: "Greetings. I am Culex, Dark Knight of Vanda. I would like to challenge your strongest knight. Will you accept my challenge?"
Tabuu doesn't answer and simply cocks his head to the side.
Culex: "You are wise to hesitate. Without any weapon or armor, you have no chance."
Suddenly, Tabuu lashes out with his chain of light. Tabuu dodges out of the way, avoiding the attack, then looks back at Tabuu.
Culex: "You will enter combat with me?"
In answer, Tabuu manifests his wings and flaps them outward before they disappear. Culex takes this as an acceptance of his challenge.
Culex: "En garde!"
FIGHT!
Tabuu begins teleporting to different spots before suddenly appearing in front of Culex. He begins rapidly chopping, and Culex holds up his hands to block the blows, each one sending out a shockwave of energy with every impact. When Tabuu ceases, Culex delivers a punch to his face, knocking him back, then flies at him and delivers a series of punches.
He suddenly hits air as Tabuu disappears, reappearing a short distance behind him. He begins sending out projections of himself in different directions, and they blast against Culex until he's knocked out of range. He retaliates by holding his hands over his head and creating a giant fireball that he sends flying at Tabuu. It blasts against him, and Tabuu goes spinning through the air.
He suddenly disappears and reappears behind Culex. Culex turns around and throws a punch, but Tabuu disappears and reappears behind him again. Culex turns to try to hit him again, only to have Tabuu vanish once more. This repeats several more times before, as Culex turns to punch, Tabuu delivers his own punch, striking Culex in the jaw.
Culex jolts back, and Tabuu appears next to him and punches him again. He repeatedly teleports around him, throwing a punch before disappearing again. This is done several times before he delivers one final punch that sends Culex spinning backwards. He gains control of his momentum though and holds up his fists as he looks around. From high up above, Tabuu comes flying down and slams his balled-up fists down on Culex, sending him crashing to the ground.
As Culex starts to get up, Tabuu materializes his shuriken boomerang. He flings it down at Culex as he rolls over. Seeing the shuriken boomerang coming at him, he disappears, and the weapon becomes embedded in the ground. Culex reappears beside Tabuu, and as Tabuu turns to him, slams his fist into his face. Tabuu goes spinning backwards, but disappears and reappears right-side up.
Holding out his hand, Tabuu suddenly materializes a large cannon with a shark-shape design. He fires a massive beam of dark energy, and Culex holds up his hands to block as the beam collides with him, pushing him back. The beam dies down and Tabuu's cannon disappears.
Culex shakes his head and looks back at Tabuu, who's hovering in the air a distance away. He raises his hand, pointing a finger to the sky, then at Tabuu. From up above, a large black star appears and comes flying down. Tabuu looks up just before it hits him, and he goes crashing to the ground, crushed beneath the Dark Star. It flies up before coming down on him again and then again before disappearing.
Culex floats above Tabuu and raises his hand, creating another massive fireball above him that he sends flying at Tabuu. Tabuu looks up as it comes at him, and disappears, and the fireball explodes against the ground. He reappears a short distance away from Tabuu and lashes out with his chain of light. It coils around Culex and Tabuu uses it to slam him on the ground several times before retracting it, leaving Culex on the ground.
While Culex is down, Tabuu manifests a sword of red energy, then swoops down to strike Culex. He misses though as Culex disappears and reappears in the sky. Tabuu looks up at him as Culex summons another Dark Star and sends it down at him. But then Tabuu suddenly grows massively large in size, becoming a giant, and smacks the black star away. He then begins firing lasers from his eyes at Culex.
Culex disappears out of the lasers' path and reappears elsewhere. Tabuu turns to him, and the lasers follow his line of vision, waving around in the air like searchlights. Culex maneuvers around the lasers and flies down towards him, dodging and teleporting away from the beams as he approaches.
Culex: "I am matter. I am antimatter. I can see your past. I can see your future. I consume time. And I will consume you!"
He flies right up to Tabuu and drives his fist into his forehead, causing him to stumble back. He then holds out his hand, and a pink beam of light surrounds Tabuu, causing him to shrink back down to his normal size. Tabuu looks down at himself, then back at Culex, and resumes firing his eye lasers, this time in bursts. Culex swerves around to dodge them as he flies towards Tabuu and slams his elbow into his face.
Tabuu goes spinning backwards, but regains control of his momentum and turns back to Culex. His wings suddenly manifest and he starts drawing in energy. As he does this, Culex holds up his hands and creates another giant fireball. Tabuu unleashes his Off Waves attack, and Culex launches the fireball at the wave of energy that comes at him. The fireball explodes against it, but spares him from the first wave. Tabuu unleashes another one, and Culex teleports away and reappears behind it. The third wave, however, collides with him, and Culex goes flying backwards.
Tabuu's power dies down and his wings disappear. He then holds out his arms and then brings them inward. From all around, a swarm of Shadow Bugs flow towards him. They bunch up and merge together, creating a number of soldiers for Tabuu. On the ground, Culex looks up and sees Tabuu surrounded by a large group of soldiers. He disappears as he pushes himself up, reappearing in the sky across from Tabuu and his soldiers.
Letting out a battle cry, Culex holds up his arms and then brings them down, and his four element Crystals manifest around him. Tabuu cocks his head to the side curiously and then holds out his hand. His soldiers fly towards Culex and his Crystals. The Fire Crystal floats forward and a red beam emits from it that begins gyrating all around its surface. The Subspace soldiers jolt back as the ray of light passes over them, getting burned by it. Then the Wind Crystal floats forward and unleashes a wave of electricity. All of Tabuu's soldiers and even Tabuu himself seize up as they're electrocuted.
Culex swipes his hand through the air, and his Crystals begin flying rapidly around. They slam into different Subspace soldiers while they're stunned, and even strike Tabuu. He recovers though and points to five different spots. A moment later, explosions occur where he pointed, and Culex and each of his Crystals are hit by an individual blast, the latter four going flying.
Tabuu's soldiers all fly at Culex and latch onto him, holding him in place. Tabuu then suddenly transforms, becoming a giant spearhead shaped like a shark fin. He then flies at Culex, smashing into him and sending him flying backwards. Culex recovers as Tabuu returns to normal, and his Crystals rejoin him as Tabuu's soldiers return to his side.
The Earth Crystal attacks, conjuring up a sand storm that flows over Tabbu and his soldiers, pelting them with waves of sand. His soldiers start trembling fearfully, but Tabuu remains unaffected. His chain of light appears in his hand, and he moves to whip it, but the Water Crystal flies forward, unleashing a flash of light, and Tabuu and several of his soldiers are instantly frozen in ice.
The soldiers that hadn't been frozen fly towards Culex, and the Wind Crystal manifests a multicolored bubble that floats towards the group of soldiers and pops over them, causing them to fall asleep. Tabuu suddenly breaks free of the ice and lashes out with his chain of light, ensnaring the Wind Crystal, and flings it to the ground. He then teleports directly in front of Culex before disappearing again, but this time when it disappears, he creates an explosion as he teleports away, and Culex gets blasted back by it.
Tabuu teleports to and away from each Crystal, leaving an explosion behind for each of them to be caught up in, except for the Wind Crystal, which flies back up into the air and flashes. A bolt of lightning comes down and strikes Tabuu, and he jolts back from the bolt. The Fire Crystal then summons forth a ball of energy that shoots out a beam of destructive light that strikes down several Subspace soldiers, causing them to break down into Shadow Bugs once more.
Tabuu looks at his deteriorating soldiers and holds out his hand. All the soldiers are reduced to Shadow Bugs once more. They regroup, forming into two separate masses, and these masses manifest into Galleom and Duon. Tabuu points at Culex, and the two giant robots begin firing upon him. Culex and his Crystals disappear out of the attacks' paths and reappear elsewhere, and Culex holds out his hand. The Wind Crystal flies forward and summons up a storm of flower petals that blows over Tabuu and the two robots, and suddenly all three of them turn into mushrooms.
The Fire Crystal moves in and summons forth a wall of fire. One of the mushrooms suddenly turns back into Tabuu and teleports away, avoiding the flames, but the mushrooms of Galleom and Duon are burned to ashes. He reappears away from the flame wall, and the Water Crystal flies at him. It summons forth two giant snowflakes that fly towards Tabuu like buzz saws.
Tabuu creates a barrier that the two snowflakes slam into, and they're sent flying away from him. As his barrier disappears, the Crystals surround him and begin circling around him as Culex hovers in front of him a distance away. He manifests a giant fireball and throws it at Tabuu.
From within the core inside Tabuu, a series of sparks fly out of his body and begin flying around him. They shield him from Culex's fireball as it explodes against a spark, and at the same time, his core begins sucking in Culex and the Crystals like a vacuum. Culex resists, but the Crystals are drawn in, and the sparks flying around Tabuu collide with them, blasting the Crystals back. And as Tabuu's attack dies down, he lashes out with his chain of light, striking all four Crystals and knocking them away.
Culex points to the sky, then at Tabuu, sending down a Dark Star. Tabuu teleports away though, and the attack misses. He reappears in front of Culex and begins sending out energy duplicates of himself in all different directions that blast into Culex. As the projections keep coming, Culex suddenly unleashes an explosion of stars that swarm over Tabuu. This knocks Tabuu away from him and causes Tabuu to cease his attack.
The Crystals come up behind Tabuu as he regains his momentum. The Fire Crystal launches a large fireball that blasts against Tabuu, and the Water Crystal manifests and launches three small crystal bunches, followed by a giant block of ice that smashes against him. The Wind Crystal launches a white orb that explodes into a dome of electricity upon hitting Tabuu, and then the Earth Crystal manifested an avaluanch of boulders above Tabuu that come raining down on him, carrying him down to the ground and burying him. Culex hovers down towards the pile of rocks, and Tabuu suddenly appears on top of it and looks up at him.
Culex: "A little off, eh?"
He points at Tabuu, and the Earth Crystal flashes. Several waterspouts burst up all around Tabuu before a massive one erupts beneath him, launching him into the air. The Water Crystal then summons forth a blizzard that it sends down towards him, but Tabuu suddenly disappears and reappears above Culex and the Crystals. He begins firing down magic bullets at each of the Crystals before firing an energy blast at Culex.
His attacks blast all five of them, and Tabuu suddenly transforms into a golden bracket. He flies at the Crystals, snatching them up one after another, then throws them at Culex, and they bounce off him. Tabuu then flies at Culex, snatching him up as well, and throwing him down to the ground. Culex slams into the ground so hard he bounces off it and up into the air again. Tabuu changes back to normal and does a flip in the air while bringing his foot down, kicking Culex back to the ground. He lies there in a daze, his Crystals lying a distance away.
Up in the air, Tabuu's wings appear, and he begins gathering energy. Culex pushes himself up and waves his Crystals over. They rise from the ground and fly over to him as Tabuu unleashes the first of his Off Waves. The Earth Crystal brings down a large light blue beam of energy in front of them that the Off Wave collides with. The second Off Wave comes, and the Fire Crystal summons forth a flame wall for it to collide with.
When the third Off Wave comes, Culex and his Crystals disappear. They reappear in front of Tabuu, behind the Off Wave. Culex throws a punch into Tabbu's face, knocking him back, then goes after him and begins slashing at him with his claws before slamming his fist into Tabuu's chest, sending him flying backwards.
Tabuu recovers and transforms into his spear form and flies at them. He plows through the Crystals and Culex, knocking them in different directions, then resumes his true form. He turns back to Culex and thrusts his hand out. Chains of light appear out of thin air and fly at Culex, burying into his back like grappling hooks. Culex tenses up as Tabuu takes control of him.
The Crystals act, flying at Tabuu. The Water Crystal collides with Tabuu's head, and the Fire Crystal flies past him, hitting him with a fireball as it does so. The Wind Crystal pauses above him and rains down some sparks followed by a bolt of electricity that consumes Tabuu in an electric ball, and the Earth Crystal comes up next to him and flashes, causing an explosion to occur in front of Tabuu.
Culex breaks free of the chains of light and teleports across from Tabuu. Tabuu lashes out with a new chain of light, swinging it over his head like a lasso, whipping the four Crystals to knock them away, then swings it at Culex. Culex catches it though and manifests a giant fireball that he sends at Tabuu, blasting him back.
Tabuu teleports away and appears behind Culex, who turns to face him, only to receive a punch to the jaw. Tabuu then unleashes a series of chops on Culex that send out shockwaves of energy before teleporting above him and firing lasers from his eyes that strike Culex and pushes him to the ground. The Crystals come flying at him and he manifests his shuriken boomerang and throws it at them. They maneuver around it and move to crash into him, and he smacks each of them away and catches his shuriken boomerang as it comes back to him.
The Crystals regather above him, and shoot a fireball, a bolt of lightning, an ice cluster, and a beam of blue light. Tabuu teleports above them and creates a blade of energy that he uses to strike them with, sending them flying in different directions. Then Culex comes flying up at him and throws a punch. Tabuu erects a barrier that Culex's fist slams against, and the force of the impact reflects back at him, and he goes flying downward once more and crashing to the ground.
Tabuu manifests his cannon and fires a massive beam of energy down at Culex. The Earth Crystal suddenly flies over moves in the attack's path just above Culex. The energy beam collides with it. It endures the attack for several moments before it suddenly shatters, and the beam continues down and hits Culex, resulting in an explosion.
As Tabuu's cannon disappears, he looks down as the blast settles, revealing Culex laying on the ground, and his remaining three Crystals fly over to him. Tabuu's wings appear, and he begins to gather energy. Down below, Culex lifts himself up and sees Tabuu gathering power for his next attack. He rises off the ground, and then launches himself up at Tabuu.
As Tabuu finishes gathering energy, he unleashes his Off Waves attack. Culex flies up to him and teleports avoiding the first wave, reappearing closer, then does so again to avoid the second and then third wave. He then holds his hand out towards Culex and his Crystals fly past him. Each of the Crystals smashes through Tabuu's wings, shattering them and sending him spinning backwards.
He regains his control of his momentum, and Culex suddenly appears in front of him. He thrusts his hand forward, stabbing it straight into Tabuu's chest. He grasps Tabuu's core and rips it out of him. He holds it over his head and crushes. This causes Tabuu to begin thrashing about in agony, and Culex holds his hand out towards him as his Crystals return to his side.
The Wind Crystal uses its Petal Blast, and Tabuu turns into a mushroom again. This is followed by the Fire Crystal sending a ball of fire at the mushroom, and it catches fire. Then the Ice Crystal summons forth a pair of large snowflakes that slice the burning mushroom in two. The two burning halves of the mushroom fall from the sky and drop to the ground. Culex then points to the sky and then down at the burning mushroom halves, and a Dark Star comes falling down, crashing into them and causing an explosion from the impact.
Culex looks on as the dust settles, and only a burnt crater is left behind with no sign of Tabuu. Culex turns his back on the crater as his Crystals return to his side and crosses his arms in satisfaction.
Culex: "Farewell, champion knight. Perhaps in another time, another game, we may have been mortal enemies."
KO!
All around, Subspace begins to break down. Culex glances around at the collapsing dimension before nodding to his Crystals, and he and them disappear.
OUTCOME
Boomstick: There can be only one Dark Knight, and this time it ain't Batman.
Wiz: This battle was rather hard to determine, a good deal in part due to Culex being from an RPG battle style game while Tabuu is from a fighting game, but looking at each of their skills and abilities, Culex had quite a few advantages over Tabuu.
Boomstick: Like the fact that he outnumbered him with his crystal sidekicks.
Wiz: Seeing as the Element Crystals are seemingly extensions of Culex himself, or at least are powered by him, they technically count as part of his own power, even if they're individually sentient. And while Tabuu has his own minions he can create with his Shadow Bugs, Culex's Crystals are vastly more powerful and more durable than any of the soldiers that Tabuu created, with the exception of Galleom and Duon. Even so, Culex's Crystals still prove to be more powerful than either of them.
Boomstick: Yeah, and with those Crystals on his side, they gave Culex a much greater variety of attacks.
Wiz: Speaking of which, with both Culex and Tabuu being beings of energy, they both possessed a variety of abilities dealing with such. In Culex's case though, he actually feeds on energy, which actually gives him a pretty big advantage over Tabuu, especially with his ability to see through time.
Boomstick: No kidding. Being pretty much omnipresent gave Culex a major edge, and it basically took Tabuu using his teleportation out of the equation, especially since Culex could also teleport, and even move through space and time to hop dimensions, while Tabuu was stuck in Subspace.
Wiz: These abilities of Culex would also pretty much render Tabuu's most powerful attack to be useless against him. Being able to see through time, Culex would pretty easily be able to figure out that Tabuu could only use his Off Waves attack every eight moves. And with his ability to teleport or move through space and time, it would allow him to rather easily be able to avoid the Off Waves, especially since they take time to charge.
Boomstick: But Culex couldn't just end the battle right away by having his Wind Crystal use its Petal Blast to turn him into a mushroom since Culex has the ability to transform, even if that may be a little stretch in logic. Nor could he use his Wind Crystal to put Tabuu to sleep since we've seen that Tabuu is immune to such attacks, like how he's unaffected by Jigglypuff's Sing. But Culex had plenty of other abilities that he could use to defeat him with.
Wiz: There's also a notable power gap between the two. While it's true that Tabuu has faced off against some of the most powerful Nintendo characters, Culex has as well, seeing as he fought against Mario, Peach, and Bowser.
Boomstick: And don't forget about Mallow and Geno, who are just as strong as those three. And one of them can control the weather while the other one is a literal star possessing a doll that came down from the heavens to save the world. Plus, Culex was completely unaffected by instant kill attacks like Geno's Geno Whirl. So even if Tabuu had been able to hit him with his Off Waves, it may not even have affected him.
Wiz: There's also Culex's Quartz Charm to consider. While it's true that this is an item used by Mario and his friends, it is Culex who gives it to them upon his defeat.
Boomstick: And that baby halves any damage the holder takes, increases their attack by 50%, and prevents instant death from attacks that deliver it. That there's evidence enough that Culex would definitely be able to survive Tabuu's Off Waves, even if his own resistance wasn't enough.
Wiz: It should also be noted that unlike Tabuu, Culex faces off against three opponents at once. And while it is possible, though extremely difficult, to defeat Tabuu using only a single character, it will take at least two in order to defeat Culex. Even with all three characters, Peach's numerous healing and resurrection abilities, and several healing items, status altering items, and attack items, it's still very difficult to defeat Culex, and there's a good chance that you will lose some characters and need to resurrect them.
Boomstick: There's also the kinds of attacks used too. The Smash characters may be strong, but these are just avatars, not the real characters with their real attacks, and so they're only limited to their Smash attack moveset.
Wiz: Whereas Mario and his party possess a number of attacks that are far stronger than the ones used in Smash, which can also be amplified through support items to alter the kinds of attacks, and increase attack power and defense. This shows us that the Mario, Peach, and Bowser that Culex faces are far stronger than the ones that Tabuu faces, and he fights them at the same time.
Boomstick: At least Mario. You can swap out Peach or Bowser for Geno or Mallow, but they're all at the same level of power as our favorite plumber. I wouldn't recommend getting rid of Peach though, because you're going to need the healing and resurrecting that she can provide. Getting rid of what's essentially your white mage is not a good idea, especially when you're up against someone like Culex.
Wiz: Tabuu did indeed possess a great amount of power, but Culex's various abilities and superior powers showed that when it comes down to being the ultimate interdimensional invader, there can be only one.
Boomstick: Hey, that's my joke, Wiz, not cool.
Wiz: The winner is Culex.
TRIVIA
Both Tabuu and Culex are beings made of pure energy.
Both are interdimensional invaders from alternate dimensions.
Both possess a variety of energy-based and magic attacks.
Both have the power of flight and teleportation.
Both are the most powerful characters in the games they appear in.
Both face off against Mario characters.
Both can absorb matter.
Both are capable of dimension hopping.