Master Hand
| Master Hand | |
|---|---|
 Master Hand has the exact appearance of a white fingered glove | |
| Game series | Super Smash Bros. |
| First game | Super Smash Bros. (1999) |
| Created by | Masahiro Sakurai |
| Voiced by | Various
|
Master Hand is a character from Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. He was created by Masahiro Sakurai. He is a floating disembodied hand wearing a right-hand glove. He appears as a boss in every Super Smash Bros. game in the single-player mode (titled Classic Mode from Super Smash Bros. Melee onward), starting with the first game, Super Smash Bros. (1999). In the story of the games, he sets up the fights between the different characters. His left-hand partner, Crazy Hand, first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001).
Concept and design
[change | change source]He is a floating white glove that can perform many attacks. He can shoot bullets from his fingers, fire lasers, and use other special moves.[1] He was created by Masahiro Sakurai and first appeared in Super Smash Bros. (1999) for the Nintendo 64.[2]
Master Hand is usually fought on a stage called Final Destination, a flat platform in space found in every Super Smash Bros. game.[2]
Sakurai had earlier made a game for the Super NES called Kirby Super Star (1996). That game has a boss called Wham Bam Rock who fights using its hands. Sakurai said he did not mean to copy this idea when he made Master Hand, but some parts of the earlier boss were reused.[2]
Master Hand has had different voice actors. Jeff Manning voiced him in the first game. Dean Harrington voiced him in Melee (2001). Pat Cashman voiced him in Brawl (2008). Since Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014), he has been voiced by Xander Mobus. The voice actor also speaks as the announcer in each game, and also voices Crazy Hand.[3][4]
Appearances
[change | change source]In the opening scene of Super Smash Bros., he places toy versions of characters like Mario and Kirby onto a stage. The toys then come to life and fight.[5]
When fighting Master Hand, he cannot be knocked off the stage. Players must defeat him by lowering his health to zero.[6]
On harder difficulty levels of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Master Hand fights together with Crazy Hand, who moves in a more wild and unpredictable way.[1] In Melee, players found a glitch that lets them control Master Hand.[7]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode, Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Master Hand gives orders to the villain Ganondorf. He is later revealed to be under the control of the true antagonist, Tabuu; once he breaks free, he attempts to fight Tabuu, but is defeated.[5]
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, if the player defeats Master Hand under special conditions, he turns into a stronger form called Master Core. He can change to several different forms: Master Giant (a huge body), Master Beast (a monster), Master Edges (a group of swords), and Master Shadow (a dark copy of the player's character). On the Wii U version, he can also become Master Fortress, a giant maze-like body that the player must go inside and destroy from the inside. The games also feature a new mode called Master Orders, where Master Hand gives the player different challenges to complete.[8]
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Master Hand appears in the World of Light story mode. At first, he is controlled by the villain Galeem, who makes many copies of Master Hand to fight against another villain, Dharkon. Dharkon also makes copies of Crazy Hand. When the real Master Hand and Crazy Hand are defeated, they break free from Galeem’s control. This helps open the way for the player to defeat both Galeem and Dharkon. Near the end of World of Light, the player can control Master Hand in a special battle against many copies of Super Smash Bros. fighters.[9]
Master Hand and Crazy Hand also appear as bosses in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (2004). After defeating them, Kirby can copy their powers.[10]
Reception
[change | change source]Master Hand has been well liked by critics and players. Readers of IGN voted him one of the 10 best video game bosses.[11] Writers from Den of Geek said his battle is memorable because he does not follow the same rules as normal characters.[6]
Some writers have discussed what Master Hand might represent. Some think he represents the player. Others think he represents the game’s creator, Masahiro Sakurai, or the game developers.[5] Writer Erik Fredner said Master Hand could be seen as a link between the real world and the game world. He wrote that fighting Master Hand might represent the player overcoming their own limits.[12]
In the book Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames, authors Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux wrote that Master Hand may represent the people who made the game, including Sakurai and Satoru Iwata. They also wrote that a glitch in Melee that lets players control Master Hand shows players breaking the rules made by the developers.[13]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 Potter, Aaron (March 6, 2006). "Super Smash Bros. Melee FAQ". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Sakurai, Masahiro. "アンケート集計拳!!". Nintendo. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Penwell, Christopher (January 30, 2021). "We're Pretty Certain Master Hand Is The Announcer In Super Smash Bros". TheGamer. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Palmer, Lauren (September 18, 2023). "Here's a List of Every Persona 5 Video Game Crossover". Siliconera. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Richman, Olivia (May 2, 2022). "What is the secret story behind Master Hand in Smash?". InvenGlobal. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- 1 2 Freiberg, Chris (November 27, 2022). "The Best N64 Boss Fights Ever". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (July 1, 2010). "The Super Smash Bros. Secret That Took 7 Years To Unlock". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ↑ Dyer, Mitch (23 October 2014). "Master Orders & Crazy Orders Modes Announced for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U". IGN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (December 12, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The World of Light true ending". Shacknews. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ↑ Latshaw, Tim (May 5, 2015). "Feature: A Fit-To-Burst History Of Kirby Games". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ↑ Davis, Justin; Thomas, Lucas M. (November 7, 2014). "The Greatest Video Game Bosses of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on July 21, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Fredner, Erik (November 19, 2014). "What is Master Hand and why does it hate us?". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Boluk, Stephanie; LeMieux, Patrick (April 4, 2017). Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452954165. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
