: Galeem creates "Puppet Fighters"—soulless copies of the heroes—and infuses them with "Spirits" from other video games. Kirby must travel across a massive world map to rescue his friends and free the trapped spirits.

This was the series' first cinematic narrative. An army of "Shadow Bugs" led by the begins detonating Subspace Bombs to tear the world apart and drag pieces into the dark realm of Subspace .

Explore the history and gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. story modes through these deep dives and walkthroughs: The COMPLETE Super Smash Bros Story Timeline Explained YouTube · MojoPlays A video about Smash Ultimate's Story Mode (World of Light) YouTube · An Actual Egg

In the early games, the "story" is presented as a child playing with toys. The fighters are literal dolls or trophies brought to life by , an entity representing the creative force of the creator. Battles take place in a dream-like world where the primary goal is simply to prove who is the strongest. The Subspace Emissary (Brawl)

: Later, a dark entity named Dharkon emerges, representing chaos and darkness, leading to a three-way war between Light, Dark, and the Smash fighters.