Ridley


 * This article refers to the recurring boss. For other uses of the name Ridley, see Ridley (Disambiguation).

Ridley (リドリー) is a high-ranking Space Pirate, the archenemy of Samus Aran, and one of the most common recurring characters in the Metroid series, appearing in almost every Metroid game except for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid II: Return of Samus, and Metroid Prime Hunters. Ridley's appearance is considered similar to a skeletal dragon with glowing eyes. Ridley is known for being very defiant and persistent; though Samus has defeated him many times, he always manages to return and do battle with her, either through his healing abilities, cloning or robotic enhancements. Ridley is considered to be the main antagonist of the series despite being a central character in some games.

Despite his fearsome and bestial appearance, Ridley is known to be highly intelligent and is shown to even be capable of speaking in the manga; with his intelligence, he was also evidently capable of building a synthetic construct made in his own image. He is known to have a bloodthirsty personality and takes great personal enjoyment in destruction. Though he often appears in different forms, through scans found in the Metroid Prime sub-series and events portrayed in Metroid: Other M, it is confirmed that every incarnation of Ridley before both the latter game and Metroid Fusion is indeed the same being (save for Robot Ridley), from the manga to Corruption and Super Metroid despite his multiple defeats, some of which involve his body exploding. In most games he appears in, he has been the second-to-last or third-to-last boss, save for Zero Mission and Other M; however, Robot Ridley is the final boss in the former game.

The manga also has revealed that Ridley is extremely adept at survival. Ridley was capable of healing his wounds by eating human flesh, as illustrated in the manga in a part where he stated that he survived the destruction of his flagship by consuming the bodies and cells of the dead humans in K-2L.

Metroid/Zero Mission
In Metroid for the Famicom and NES, Ridley is about Samus' height, if slightly taller, and merely hops around throwing zigzagging fireballs at her. Samus can use any weapon her Power Suit possesses to damage him. His fireballs however are indestructible and excel as a defense mechanism, destroying any long-range weapon and nullifying the blast from Bombs on contact. Once Samus defeats him, 75 missiles are added to her maximum amount.

In Zero Mission, Ridley is one of Zebes' guardians that must be defeated in order for Samus to access Tourian. Ridley is initially offworld at the time Samus infiltrates the base, but returns with his ship by the time she reaches Lower Norfair.

Samus eventually locates Ridley in his subterranean base, Ridley's Lair. Ridley is much taller and more agile than in the original Metroid. He flies around and tries to kill Samus with his "classic attacks" first seen in Super Metroid, though are noticeably far less chaotic and his tail is less maneuverable. Ridley will often spit out different-sized fireballs in a variety of ways, but these can be destroyed with any weapon. He is also capable of using his crushing grip and fireballs in a combined form to heavily damage Samus. When she defeats him, she is allowed to leave with the Unknown Item she had obtained just before the battle.

Ridley Robot, created in the creature's likeness, guards the Space Pirate Mother Ship. The Robot serves as the end boss of Zero Mission. After Samus explores the Mothership, the nearby Chozo ruins, and recovers her lost Power Suit, she eventually stumbles upon the mechanized version of Ridley which she must destroy in order to leave the ship. After its destruction, it activates a self-destruct mechanism that obliterates the Mothership.

Super Metroid
Ridley is first fought in the Ceres Space Colony, holding in his hand the container with the last Metroid inside it. After a short duel, he escapes the colony with the Metroid and goes back to planet Zebes. Samus finds him in his lair in the deep, central part of Norfair. Samus must defeat him again as one of the bosses to unlock access to Tourian. With the loss of the armor plating from his previous forms, Meta Ridley and Omega Ridley, he is now vulnerable to many different types of weapons, from any angle. His previous forms demanded that he be shot in the chest or mouth only; however, Ridley has the ability to use his invulnerable tail to shield himself against any attack, including breaking through the near invincible Screw Attack. In addition to defense, he uses his tail for unique offensive attacks, many of which would be seen in future releases of Metroid games, such as the whip and pogo stick-like attacks. Body slams, indestructible fireballs and damaging grips are also used in battle. When defeated in Norfair, Ridley's body breaks apart and every individual piece combusts and disintegrates. After Samus kills Mother Brain, Zebes explodes, taking Ridley's remains with it. Metroid: Other M states that this defeat marks the first true death of Samus's arch-nemesis; Ridley had survived all his defeats chronologically taking place prior to Super Metroid.

Metroid: Other M
Samus tracks a Mystery Creature that molted from Little birdie into the Geothermal Power Plant in an effort to finish it off, believing that it has metamorphosed into a more powerful form after finding a second molted skin. The creature emerges from the shadows as Ridley, and Samus battles him once more.

Like his predecessor, the Ridley clone is equipped with some of the original's "classic" attacks, as well as a few new moves of his own. His main form of attack is to swipe Samus with his claws, as well as whip her with his tail. Both attacks can be dodged with the SenseMove. Ridley will also breathe a short-ranged burst of flame if Samus is close enough, and can also charge up a large stream of fire. Ridley's most devastating attack is to charge at Samus and, if successful, drag her along the wall (reminiscent of his battle Super Smash Bros. Brawl), causing major damage (this attack can be predicted as he will raise his left hand to grab her). After this, Ridley will stop for a moment and prepares to breathe fire at her at point-blank range to knock her back onto the battlefield and deal more damage to her, though this allows Samus to fire a charged shot at him.

Ridley also has two aerial attacks at his disposal. His first move consists of stabbing the Hunter with his tail, then attempting to crush her from above. Well-timed SenseMoves can dodge this assault. His other attack consists of charging up a huge fireball and firing it at the center of the arena, creating a large shockwave that must be jumped over.

Once Samus has inflicted enough damage to Ridley, the Pirate leader will fall over, stunned and vulnerable to a Lethal Strike, where Samus grabs hold of Ridley and fires a charged shot down his throat. After performing a Lethal Strike, Ridley will immediately counter with a new move: he will harden his skin and gain a darker look, rendering him invulnerable to Samus' Plasma Beam shots. Samus can either wait until the effect wears off or fire a Super Missile at him, returning him to normal immediately. After hardening his skin, he will immediately fly up to unleash a fireball to the ground, though while he hardens his skin Samus can charge and fire a Super Missile at him before he can fly.

Interestingly, as Ridley takes damage, his body becomes more and more ravaged. Once Ridley has taken sufficient damage, he will fall over, unconscious, but quickly gets back up and escapes, where he is later killed by a Queen Metroid.

Personality and traits
While Ridley is commonly misinterpreted by players as a destructive beast, the official Metroid manga delved a great deal deeper into the persona of the Space Pirate General. Ridley first appeared in chapter one, where his violent disposition and love of death and destruction are made apparent when he orders his entire legion of Space Pirates to annihilate the peaceful inhabitants of K2-L as he looked on. His ability for cruelty is further made concrete when he attempts to kill a small girl who tries to befriend him; killing her mother while trying to shield the child. He, like many of his Space Pirate brethren, also believes in the superiority of certain races over others, counting himself among the privileged elite species and seeing the "lower" races as something only to exterminate.

Despite these bloodthirsty tendencies, Ridley has shown to be an intelligent and competent battle tactician, orchestrating a great many successful battles, as well as proving a serious threat on his own. Interestingly, his traits as a competent leader seem to even be on a genetic level, as his clone, who was raised without any education (making him feral), was seemingly leading various creatures into attacking Adam Malkovich's squad while he handled Samus alone in his adolescent form. However, his quick temper and his arrogant belief that nothing can defeat him often undermines these qualities, leading to a great many defeats for him as well.

Ridley also seems to grudgingly show respect to those that are natural at commanding others, such as when Gray Voice is ordering the Pirate Troops to their battle stations; Ridley, taken aback, smirks at being told by Gray Voice to attend to his job and sarcastically addresses him as "Sir Military Commander" when he flies off.

He has also frequently displayed a very sadistic sense of humor, evidenced by his various comments against Samus upon their first meeting since K2-L. Ridley even goes so far as to taunt her by saying that he may have eaten and incorporated the cells of her mother's corpse into his body and sardonically wonders what part her cells reside in. He then proceeds to bring his foot down on Samus, angrily saying "At least pay your respects!"; referring to her dead mother, showing just how much joy he takes in the suffering of others. This sadism can also be seen in Other M, as Ridley toys with Samus before being interrupted by Anthony.

Powers and abilites
Ridley has proven to be a fierce opponent in battle. While fighting hand-to-hand, Ridley primarily makes use of his lethal claws, talons, and tail. Ridley is also capable of breathing plasma in battle, either in the form of large fireballs, or a large stream. His wings enable him to fly at fast speeds to outrun opponents. Ridley also possesses physical strength sufficient enough to grab Samus with one hand and drag her along the wall, as evident in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid: Other M. He is also shown to be adept at survival, able to heal himself by consuming others and incorporating their cells into his body. In Metroid: Other M, Ridley's clone displays the ability to change the pigments of his skin and harden it, making him immune to Samus' beam attacks. While in this hardened state, Ridley's attacks also gain greater speed and strength. He also appears invisible or camouflaged when encountered in Super Metroid, also likely an ability resulting from his ability to change the pigments of his skin.

Ridley is infamous for his uncanny ability to cheat death on many occasions. He is referred to as the "Cunning God of Death" in the official artwork. Notable occasions of this are:


 * His survival of the destruction of K2-L by consuming the bodies of the dead humans.
 * His survival from his defeat on Zebes and "resurrection" as Meta Ridley.
 * Having survived his fall on the Impact Crater by seemingly fusing with Phazon and later transformed into Omega Ridley after his defeat on Norion.
 * In Super Metroid, he returns with a purely organic body.
 * He is unintentionally cloned by the Galactic Federation.
 * An X Parasite mimicks his DNA, transforming him into Neo Ridley.

Metroid: Zero Mission interview
"Though there are many secrets in the Metroid series, my instant thought is why is Ridley preserved in the freezing chamber? What was the Galactic Federation planning to do with him?"
 * Yoshio Sakamoto: "For the time being, I don't know. Maybe it will be revealed in the near future?"

Metroid manual
"It's the head of Mini-Boss Hideout II. It jumps up 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!!!"

Official Nintendo Player's Guide
"It attacks Samus by spewing fireballs. A missile attack is very effective, but if you have the wave beam, it would be a good idea to use the beam continuously while jumping through the lava."

Super Metroid manual
"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."

Official Metroid: Zero Mission website


"Extremely dangerous! Enormous wing-span and long, whip-like tail. Moves very fast and attacks with alarming ferocity. Emits fireballs of gas from elongated beak. Will try to pick up enemies and crush them with razor-sharp talons. Vulnerable to Super Missiles. DANGER LEVEL: VERY HIGH."
 * "Powerful wings"
 * "Razor sharp talons"
 * "Elongated beak"

Cameo appearances
thumb|250px|right|Ridley makes a cameo appearance in the background of a Metroid: Other M-themed stage in Dead or Alive Dimensions.
 * Ridley appeared in the Captain N: The Game Master comic stories Welcome to Videoland, Money Changes Everything (in name), Breakout, and When Friends Fall Out (as a flashback) based on his original concept art. In Breakout, he impersonated Judge Racklas, who is of his own species, after Mother Brain had all of her own crimes reattributed to Princess Lana. Packs of creatures similar to him attack the heroes on Metroid in the episodes Metroid, Sweet Metroid and GameBoy.
 * Ridley is on the box and cartridge art for Super Metroid, which also appears in WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii, in the microgame Super Nostalgic Entertainment System.
 * As part of another collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja, Ridley and his signature theme make a cameo appearance in Dead or Alive Dimensions. He attacks characters from the background of the Geothermal Power Plant arena, and is killed by a Power Bombing Samus when a sound is made in the mic.
 * Ridley appears in Nintendo Land as an animatronic boss in Metroid Blast, and as a prize. Its description is "Violent, villainous, and highly intelligent, Ridley is Samus's nemesis, commander of the Space Pirates, and the galaxy's greatest threat. Attack him from the back when he's stunned."

Super Smash Bros.
In Super Smash Bros., Ridley appears occasionally in the background of Planet Zebes.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ridley appears briefly fighting Samus in the opening cutscene. Ridley can be seen holding the capsule containing the Metroid Hatchling from Super Metroid in his talons. He also has a trophy in the game.

Trophy
"The head of the Space Pirates on Zebes, Ridley soars through space on wicked wings. Ridley may look like a mindless monster, but he's actually quite intelligent. After the SR-388 incident, where Samus captured the infant Metroid, Ridley took the Space Academy by storm, annihilating the complex and taking the Metroid back."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ridley appears as a member of the Subspace Army and a boss during the Subspace Emissary, in which Samus and Pikachu must fight him. In the cutscene prior to the battle, Ridley ambushes and grabs Samus, flying upward and scraping her along the walls. Pikachu breaks Samus free from Ridley's grasp using Thunder. In the first battle, Ridley has higher health and uses moves ranging from claw swipes to a move similar to Rayquaza's Extremespeed to a tail swipe across the entire stage. The tail swipe can do major damage (The move can do around 70% damage if the other person is at 0% damage) on harder difficulties and the extreme speed move is a main killing move. He flies from one side to the other and is similar in style to Master Hand in the way of how it attacks and then pauses.

Ridley later attacks Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, Captain Olimar, Samus, Pikachu, and R.O.B. as they are all escaping on the Falcon Flyer. In this fight, he is in his "Meta Ridley" form from Metroid Prime as he pursues. His attacks include firing missiles and energy beams from his mouth, diving at the player, and pounding on the Falcon Flyer in an attempt to send the player off-screen. During this fight, the player has only two minutes to defeat Meta Ridley.

Ridley is later resurrected by Tabuu, the main villain of the game, to fight the player in the final level, The Great Maze (oddly, Ridley and Meta Ridley are both resurrected as separate beings).

Trophy
"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."

Metroid(1986) Super Metroid (1994)

Meta Ridley: '"The meta form of Ridley, revived using the Space Pirates' genetic engineering and cybernetic technologies. His thin chest plate--and weak point--is protected by a highly resistant membrane. Meta Ridley is highly mobile and features a multimissile system, a bomb launcher, and powerful wings. Ice attacks are particularly effective in dealing damage to him.

Metroid Prime (2002)

Stickers in Brawl

 * Ridley - Metroid [Darkness] Attack +30 (Ganondorf)
 * Ridley - Metroid: Zero Mission [Arm] Attack +25 (All)

Trivia

 * Ridley's name is likely derived from Ridley Scott, the director of the first film of the Alien film series, from which Metroid games are stated to have taken a lot of inspiration. His first appearance in Metroid also bears resemblance to the Xenomorph creatures from the same series.
 * Another characteristic that Ridley shares with the Alien series is that his tail (especially the tip) is very similar to that of the Xenomorph, the signature antagonist of the Alien series.
 * While they have speaking roles in the manga and comics, Ridley and the Space Pirates have never displayed this ability in-game. A likely explanation is that the sounds Ridley and the Pirates make in-game are the Space Pirate language, translated for the reader's benefit in the manga.
 * Metroid: Other M confirms that the original Ridley, despite all of his previous defeats, had always survived each encounter. It is only in Super Metroid where the original space dragon was killed for the first time.
 * In every non 3-D game he is involved in, Ridley's fireballs have an uncanny resemblance to Mario's 2-D fireballs. Whether or not this similarity is intentional is unknown.
 * Ridley's fireballs are invulnerable to all of Samus's weapons in the NES Metroid, Super Metroid and Fusion. The latter two games chronologically take place after NES's remake (Zero Mission) and Prime 3 in which his fireballs could be easily destroyed, suggesting his later incarnations had gotten rid of their vulnerability.
 * Ridley is the only other character besides the SA-X, Mother Brain, Fusion's Omega Metroid and Dark Samus to best Samus in a fight by canon. In the Super Metroid intro, Ridley is able to incapacitate Samus long enough to steal the last Metroid and accomplish his mission, though if a player is skilled enough, Ridley can be somewhat defeated. The result is Ridley losing his grip on the Baby's canister and dropping it, but quickly grabs it again and flees.
 * Similar to other major villains in other Nintendo game series like Bowser or Ganondorf, Ridley is the most common reappearing villain in the Metroid series, as he has appeared in every Metroid game to date except for Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime Hunters.
 * Ridley is capable of being bipedal, shown in Metroid Prime 3 in the cut-scene at the beginning of the battle, when Omega Ridley walks up to Samus and attempts to bite her and in the second phase of the battle: once she destroys the joints on his Phazite armor and his weak spot is exposed, he stands on two feet and clumsily walks around swiping at Samus as she blasts his chest with Phazon energy from Hypermode. Also, in Metroid Prime, he stumbles on two legs as the Chozo spirits blast at his exposed chest cavity. However, he also stands on his two feet during the battle when Samus fires a round into his mouth exposing his chest. While preparing his charge attack, he stands on his feet as well. In Other: M he is also seen standing on two legs while roaring at or grabbing Samus, he also moves on two legs while trying to swipe at her with his arms.
 * In all of his 2-D appearances, his wings are curiously smaller than his body size, logically making them unlikely to even lift Ridley off the ground, and yet he soars through the air with ease (even his X-Parasite mimic). His 3-D appearances and manga rectify this mystery by giving him wings that exceed his main body. This is likely to prevent him from taking up most of the screen in his fights.
 * In the Pirate Command sector of the Pirate Homeworld, images of Ridley can be found on the glowing orange monitors.
 * The Lethal Strike Samus uses on Ridley in Other M is very similar to the way she defeats Meta Ridley in Corruption: both times she grabs him and fires into his throat.
 * A possible explanation for Ridley's color changes throughout the series may be due to an ability to control the pigments in his skin in a way similar that some octopus use to camouflage. When Samus first enters his arena in Super Metroid, Ridley is not visible at first. Ridley's eyes soon open in front of Samus, and he becomes fully visible before soaring into the air; this also occurs in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption after Samus attempts to reactivate a generator. Finally, on the Pirate Homeworld he had pigmentation that matched the Leviathan interior though this could be attributed to Phazon corruption.
 * Ridley's signature music was originally used as a generic boss fight background music in Super Metroid, but in later games, it has been associated solely with Ridley. Although there have been variations of Ridley's theme in each game (different tempo, extra beats, etc.), the music's rhythm and sound are consistent and used for every incarnation except for his very first boss fight in the original Metroid.
 * Meta Ridley can be seen on Nintendo Monopoly representing Tennessee Avenue for $180, though the property is simply referred to as "Ridley".
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, partial in-game data exists for a Ridley Assist Trophy, but it is not in-game. It was likely scrapped in development.
 * Nintendo Power: There was a rumor at one point about Ridley being playable. Was that ever a consideration?


 * Sakurai: I think that would probably be pretty impossible. [Laughs] If we had put our best efforts into it, we may have been able to do it. But he might have been a little slow. Would that be all right? [Laughs]


 * Zero Mission concept art shows a new form of Ridley known as Ridley-2 (or perhaps Ridley-Z). This form has an extra clawed hand on the tip of his tail, and his arms and wings are merged.
 * Ridley is referred to as the "Cunning God of Death" in his Zero Mission official art.
 * Many of Ridley's attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl are similar to those of Dyna Blade, a giant birdlike boss from the Kirby series.
 * Ridley seems to be the only creature capable of triggering Samus' PTSD. However, this is only displayed in Other M, in which Samus had been left emotionally vulnerable from the Baby's death; in all previous and subsequent encounters, both Samus and Ridley have coldly attacked each other without mercy.
 * Metroid: Other M is the only game where Ridley's upper jaw is not longer than the lower one, and is also the only game where it points upwards, not down.
 * Ridley appears to be ambidextrous. In Metroid Prime and Corruption, whenever he prepares to charge at Samus or grab her, respectively, he uses his left. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid: Other M, he uses his right hand.
 * Ridley does not seem to need oxygen to live. Metroid Prime clearly portrayed him flying out into space without any gear as he escapes the Orpheon, though this may be due to his cybernetics. Additionally, the Super Metroid Comic features him exiting out into space and his Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy states that he flies through space with his wings; the last two sources are not considered canon however.
 * There is no explanation on how he is able to fly in an environment which does not contain air or gas, a necessary medium for any creature with wings to take flight; he is nevertheless seen flapping his wings. In the case of Meta Ridley, his wings, which seem to be energy-based, might have some significance to this.


 * Ridley's blood is green, as shown in Other M. This is a common trope for alien creatures in science fiction environments. However, Ridley's blood is shown to be red in Corruption during the boss battle on Norion before he falls down the shaft.
 * Despite being shown to be a male through the logbook scans in Metroid Prime, Retro Studios designer Mike Sneath refers to Ridley as a female.
 * Metroid: Other M reveals that Ridley's vision is tinted green, possibly as a result of nictitating membranes that cover and protect his eyes.
 * In Metroid: Other M, if Samus takes too long to locate and blast the Magma-eruption port, Ridley's plasma breath will rain down on her, knocking her out of Search View.
 * In Metroid: Other M, if Samus attacks Ridley with regular shots, he may leap back and roar at her.
 * In Metroid: Other M, if Samus's Energy drops to 0 while Ridley scrapes her along the wall, the Game Over does not immediately initiate; Ridley will still continue his attack but Samus cannot do anything and is vulnerable to Ridley's plasma breath. The Game Over sequence initiates once Samus hits the floor.
 * In Metroid: Other M, the majority of Ridley's attacks can easily defeat Samus in one hit on Hard Mode.
 * Throughout his appearances, Ridley had at least three different vocalizations. In Super Metroid, his vocalizations were based on that of a bird of prey such as a falcon or a hawk. In Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission, Ridley (or in the case of Fusion, Ridley-X) gave shrieks similar to either a parrot or the giant bird from the Sci-Fi cult classic The Giant Claw. In both the Metroid Prime subseries and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he was given a typical dragon's roar.

Appearances

 * Metroid
 * Metroid (1986 manga)


 * Super Metroid
 * Super Metroid commercial
 * Super Metroid (Manga)
 * Super Metroid (Nintendo Power comic)
 * Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide


 * Metroid Fusion
 * Metroid Prime
 * Metroid Prime (Comic)
 * Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide
 * Metroid Prime Official Strategy Guide (Brady)
 * Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide


 * Metroid (2002 manga)
 * Metroid Zero Mission
 * Samus & Joey: Volume 1
 * Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc
 * Metroid Prime Pinball
 * Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
 * New Play Control! Metroid Prime
 * Metroid Prime Trilogy
 * Metroid Prime Trilogy art booklet


 * Metroid: Other M
 * TV Commercial :60 Spot

Crossover Appearances

 * Captain N: The Game Master
 * Money Changes Everything (Mentioned.)
 * Breakout
 * When Friends Fall Out (Flashback)


 * Super Smash Bros.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee
 * WarioWare: Smooth Moves
 * Super Nostalgic Entertainment System


 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions
 * Nintendo Land

Gallery
For concept art, see Ridley's Gallery.