Spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are characters that have lost their physical forms, and act as collectible power-ups that can be equipped to fighters to grant them special abilities in battle. They are featured prominently in the game's Adventure Mode, World of Light, where the characters are shown being reduced to this form through disintegration from Galeem's attack. Spirits consist of characters from various Nintendo and third-party franchises, and can be seen as similar to stickers from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and equipment from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, while they also replace trophies from earlier installments.

The main method to obtain spirits is through spirit battles, in which players fight a CPU-controlled fighter "possessed" by a specific spirit. The battle conditions for each spirit battle reflect the character of the spirit. Two types of spirits can be obtained: primary and secondary. Primary spirits boost the fighter's basic abilities (attack, shield, and throw), while secondary spirits are equipped on top of primary spirits and grant the fighter specials skills, such as increased jumping, or equipping them with a specific item.

After beating a spirit-possessed fighter, the next screen shows the fighter dazed and surrounded by a round, spinning shield, where the player has a chance to obtain the spirit by firing a gun through the opening of the shield. If the player times the shot correctly, the spirit is acquired. If the player unsuccessfully hits any part of the shield, it is broken off and they do not win the spirit, though the damage carries over to the next battle.

Spirits have levels, which they get after winning battles or after being fed Snacks, which are gained after winning a Spirit Battle with a weaker Spirit than the opponent. After reaching the 99th level, the Spirit evolves.