Okay so. In the ask, you say Tabuu's method of control involves Shadow Bugs surrounding the trophy but...when did this happen?? Of all the Shadow Bug fighter clone fights in Subspace emissary, the bugs copy the trophy briefly before making the clone happen slightly after. We've seen this with Diddy Kong, the princesses twice, and Bowser at the very least. Each case the trophy was typically elseware, whether a few feet away or miles away in the halberd or in Bowser's possession. Sorry if that ramble made no sense. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think Shadow Bugs were ever used to 'control' a fighter. I think Master Hand was really the only character Tabuu ever had control over in that sense.
It did happen once with Mr. Game & Watch soooorta? After Snake kicks the army of Game & Watches out of the Halberd's helm, the shadow bugs used to form them forms Duon, and after Duon's defeat the shadow bugs scatter and leave Mr. Game & Watch's trophy behind. So an argument could be made for Mr. Game & Watch being under Tabuu's control before that, or he could've just been contained within Duon somehow.
Looking back on footage though, it does seem like most shadow clones of fighters are separate from the original fighters. That plus Mr. Game & Watch being used to farm Shadow Bugs rather than Tabuu just having them on hand leads me to agree that Tabuu doesn't really control others all that much. He much prefers to terminate them.
