Gold fighter


 * "Golden" redirects here. For the New Hampshire smasher, see Smasher:Golden.

Gold is a transformation that appears in and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fighters affected by this transformation are referred to as gold fighters. It originates from the universe.

Gold fighters deal 1.5× more knockback to opponents from direct attacks and throws, but projectiles are unaffected. In for Nintendo 3DS only, the fighter will not flinch or receive knockback. When granted by collecting 100 coins on Golden Plains or by summoning Xerneas (in Ultimate), the effect is accompanied by a damage output multiplier, indicated by a red particle effect around the affected fighter. The aesthetic effects of the transformation, such as the metallic appearance and muted voice clips, are similar to that of a Metal Box. In some Spirit Battles, the opponent is gold.

The Metal Killer spirit skill deals increased damage to gold fighters, treating them just like metal fighters. Conversely, Metal Slash does not treat gold fighters as metal fighters, dealing 1% damage instead of an Instant KO.

In Spirit Battles

 * Conditions in italic aren't listed on the Spirit Battle preview screen.

Origin
The effect originates from the power-up, introduced in , which allows Mario to transform into. Gold Mario is a variant of the transformation that allows Mario to shoot golden fireballs which turn breakable blocks and enemies into coins.

Trivia

 * In Spirit Battles, gold fighters will not have the red aura and rainbow flare around them, to indicate that their damage output is not buffed. However, if they use their Final Smash, they will temporarily lose their gold status, and upon regaining it, the red aura and flare will appear as well, although their damage output still isn't buffed.
 * The "Transformation Duration" Spirit skill increases the duration of the gold status from Golden Plains, but not from Xerneas.