Navigation menu
Ridley
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
This article is about the antagonist of the Metroid series. For more uses, see Ridley (disambiguation).
Ridley is a recurring dragon-like antagonist in the Metroid series, appearing in all but three Metroid games (Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes). He is the leader of the Space Pirates' military. Ridley appears in different forms such as his normal form and his Omega Ridley form. In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Samus fights his meta form and Omega form. In the official Metroid manga, Ridley is capable of speech. Ridley's most recent appearance is to be on Metroid: Other M. Aside from main-series Metroid games, Ridley has also appeared in every Super Smash Bros. game (though two are cameos) and the Metroid manga.
Ridley Throughout the Series
Ridley's main form is an armored and highly powerful Space Pirate leader. He, however, is not the Space Pirates' ultimate authority, as Mother Brain takes that role.[citation needed]
Metroid
First appearing in the original Metroid, he was the second guardian to Tourian. Like Kraid, he is found in his own hideout. The battle is relatively simple and, with good positioning, Samus can defeat him without taking any damage. After he is defeated, the path to Tourian and Mother Brain opens up.
Metroid: Zero Mission
Ridley also makes an appearance in Metroid: Zero Mission, and is larger than he was in the original game. Ridley first appears leading Space Pirates onto the planet Zebes in ships.
Ridley's skin color is brown in this game, but changes as he takes damage. His appearance and screeches are almost identical to his X counterpart in Metroid Fusion. His attacks are similar to his attacks in Super Metroid. A mechanized Ridley also appears during Samus's Zero Mission known as Mecha Ridley.
Super Metroid
In Super Metroid, Ridley appears much larger than his past form and has many more attacks. In the beginning of the game, he kills the scientists of the Ceres Space Colony and, after a brief duel with Samus, captures the Metroid Hatchling. Much later, Samus encounters him again in the depths of Norfair. He is the fourth and final boss needed to open the path to Tourian. Expecting to locate the infant Metroid, Samus finds all but the creature's broken stasis chamber and an Energy Tank. It is unknown how or why Ridley's enhancements in the Prime series were removed.
Metroid: Other M
Ridley appears again in Metroid: Other M. This Ridley, however, is definitely not the same Ridley Samus has encountered before then. This Ridley explains to Samus and the Federation about the creature Ridley's life cycle.
Samus meets Ridley in a small, meek form seemingly harmless form known as Little Birdy. When Samus meets the infant Ridley, she doesn't recognize the threat it holds and leaves it alone. After venturing through parts of the Bottle Ship, Samus battles King Kihunter. After defeating the Kihunters in King Kihunter's nest, the creature appears, devouring the fallen enemies. This frightens Samus to a degree, however she continues without destroying Ridley. This creature later sheds its skin, reviving as a much larger creature.
This more threatening creature is known as Mystery Creature. This creature is one possible cause of Lyle Smithsonian's death. Samus fights the creature and manages to damage it alongside Anthony's Plasma Cannon. Mystery Creature escapes to Sector 3 of the Bottle Ship. Adam Malkovich orders Samus to follow the escaped creature. She is, however, obstructed from her path. Through more venturing, Samus finds another shed skin of Ridley.
She finds Mystery Creature attached to a wall, leading her to believe that the creature has changed once more. She later finds the creature Ridley in a room with Anthony. This adult form of Ridley frightens Samus and sends her to a state where she cannot even control her Power Suit. Her suit is deactivated, leaving her exposed, however Anthony distracts Ridley enough to allow Samus enough time to regain sane consciousness. This comes at a cost, as Ridley pushes Anthony into a large pool of lava.
Samus then battles this adult Ridley. Adam authorizes use of the Super Missiles to allow Samus to let lava fill the room so that the platform she stands on rises. Throughout the battle, Ridley uses many attacks seen elsewhere in the Metroid series. Even an attack only before used by Ridley in a scene from Brawl's Subspace Emissary where Ridley drags Samus across a wall is used here. Ridley uses his tail to dive down towards Samus and uses his Plasma Breath to attack her. After taking enough damage, Ridley will hide in a black shell. This shell can only be destroyed by Samus's Super Missiles. Upon defeat, the severely damaged Ridley once again retreats.
Ridley retreats near Room MW. Here, he is killed by Queen Metroid and sapped of energy. Samus later meets his carcass, letting her know that there is a creature more fearsome than Ridley.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros.
In the original Super Smash Bros., Ridley only cameos in the background of the Zebes stage.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Although Ridley does not appear during Melee gameplay, he does make an appearance in the opening scene. Ridley screeches toward Samus as she sends a Missile his way.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Ridley appears as a boss along with Meta Ridley. Like other bosses, Ridley can be fought in the Subspace Emissary and in Boss Battles. In Adventure Mode, Ridley first appears crushing Samus against a wall. This seems to affect her suit, but she is unaffected during battle nonetheless. In both battles, Samus is present. Ridley appears as the boss of The Research Facility (Part II) and Meta Ridley in The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II)
Other Games
Dead or Alive: Dimensions
In the upcoming game Dead or Alive: Dimensions on the Nintendo 3DS, Ridley has been shown as a hazard in one battle stage. His involvement involves both spit-firing a fireball at the fighters, dealing damage to both of them, and also taking a character that falls over the edge of the arena and grinds him or her against the wall surrounding the enclave with his talons, which also deals damage.
Ridley's Life-Cycle
Ridley's life-cycle consists of at least 3 stages, it is currently unknown if Ridley's life-cycle proceeds any further than that.
Little Birdie
- Main article: Little Birdie
The first form of Ridley's life-cycle is a rather docile plant eater. It is white and furry with rather bird-like legs, bat-like face and ears, and a small beak-shaped mouth.
The creature later becomes aggressive and has developed a carnivorous diet. The creatures beak-like mouth has also enlarged. This is possibly what happens shortly before the creature molts its skin.
Mystery Creature
The second of Ridley's life-cycle has dramatically changed from its previous stages:
- It has grown to be at least 4-5 times its previous size.
- It has begun to shed its fur and grow scales.
- Its beak has become even more pronounced.
- Its tail has grown to at least 6 feet and now sports a blade at the tip.
- Its eyes have become reptilian in nature.
- It has become quadrupedal and grown claws.
Adult Ridley
Stage 3: The third, and most likely final, stage of Ridley's life-cycle.
Ridley's Alternate Forms
Mecha Ridley
- Main article: Mecha Ridley
Mecha Ridley is a mechanized embodiment of Ridley. It is the final boss of Metroid: Zero Mission and appears in the Space Pirate Mother Ship. Mecha Ridley is a robot designed by Ridley, but is fought at an incomplete stage, lacking wings and legs. [2] Mecha Ridley's destruction prompts a self-destruct sequence of the Space Pirate Mother Ship.
Meta Ridley
- Main article: Meta Ridley
In Metroid Prime, Meta Ridley appears right as Samus is going to place the Chozo Artifacts at the Artifact Temple. He destroys the main entrance to the Impact Crater and engages Samus in a battle. She must defeat Ridley in order to gain access to the Impact Crater and Metroid Prime.
In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Meta Ridley makes a very brief entrance to the battle at Norion after a Galactic Federation Marine exclaims "What the heck is that?" He next appears when Samus is rolling through a maze of tubes in Morph Ball mode. He attempts to kill her by firing lasers but is unsuccessful. He finally appears in an actual boss fight after Samus activates Generator C in Norion to enable the Planetary Defense System. He was hiding at the top of the generator and knocked Samus and himself down the shaft under it. His weak spots are his chest and hands. After dealing sufficient damage to Ridley, Samus escapes the shaft with the assistance of Rundas.
Omega Ridley
- Main article: Omega Ridley
Omega Ridley appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in the Pirate Homeworld to protect the Leviathan. Omega Ridley took another form change after he, as Meta Ridley, was defeated on Norion. Once Omega Ridley is defeated, Samus obtains the Hyper Grapple and she is free to overload the Leviathan core to destroy the Leviathan itself. Although Omega Ridley was killed and seemed damaged beyond repair, Ridley appears in Super Metroid, despite being chronologically after the events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
Ridley X
- Main article: Ridley-X
Ridley X is the X-form of Ridley, appearing in Metroid Fusion. It is created after an X Parasite absorbs abilities from Ridley's carcass. His attacks range from shooting fireballs to hitting Samus with his tail. Strangely, Ridley X's voice clips were carried over to Metroid: Zero Mission.
Data
Manuals
Trophy Info
- Ridley:
- The leader of the Space Pirates. He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature. He plans to steal the baby Metroid from Samus for his own use. Ridley utilizes wings for a full range of flight and attacks with fireballs from his mouth and whips of his tail. As the culprit behind the murder of Samus's parents, the connections with Samus run deep.
Sprites
Trivia
- Ridley is referred to as "Cunning God of Death" by the official Metroid: Zero Mission website.
- A form of Ridley has appeared in nearly all games, not appearing only in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid II: Return of Samus.
- Ridley's gender is difficult to follow. In some scans, such as Meta Ridley's Coruption logbook entry, refer to Ridley as male while other data, such as manual data, refer to Ridley as a neutral "it".
Gallery
See this article's gallery for artwork and screenshots of Ridley.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "It's the head of Mini-Boss Hideout II. It jumps into the air and breathes fire. It's the original life form of the planet Zebes and is controlled by Mother Brain. Destroy it and you win 75 missile blasts!!!" Metroid Instruction Booklet, Pg 39
- ↑ A Q&A with Yoshio Sakamoto on Metroid Database
- ↑ "(The Boss of Norfair)
Ridley headed the mission to the Space Colony and stole the Metroid Hatchling. It whips out at enemies with its long tail and spits fire while flying through the air." Super Metroid Instruction Booklet, Pg 30
