Dredhed

The Dredhed^[1] is a species found on ZDR in Metroid Dread.

Description[]

The Dredhed lives primarily in Dairon, appearing in the marine ecosystem that connects to Burenia by Shuttle, as well as the caves connecting to Ghavoran via Elevator; it can also be found in the E.M.M.I. Zone after E.M.M.I.-04SB is defeated. It floats slightly above the ground and slowly flies back and forth. When it encounters Samus Aran, it turns towards her, opens its jaws, and lunges to bite her; however, this leaves it susceptible to a Melee Counter. It may try to feint by moving away from Samus before lunging, likely in an effort to catch her by surprise and throw off her Melee Counter timing. The tentacles on its backside can be damaged by ordinary Beam weaponry, but its head is impervious and requires Missiles or Charge Beams.^[2]

After the X Parasites are released from quarantine in Elun, all Dredheds become infected by the X. This does not change their appearance or behavior, aside from releasing X Parasites upon their demise. In addition to their natural habitats, the X assume the form of Dredheds in Hanubia during their final effort to stop Samus from escaping the self-destructing planet.

Variants[]

Sakai[]

The Sakai^[1] is an underwater variant of Dredhed found in the depths of Burenia. The Sakai has a very similar appearance to Dredhed, but with a purple and yellow color scheme, and behaves almost identically to its flying cousin. In addition, its body appears to be electrified as it swims, although it remains vulnerable to the Melee Counter.

A Sakai is first glimpsed during Samus's first visit to Burenia, swimming in the background and lunging at a window in an attempt to attack her; it is identifiable by its silhouette and distinct bioluminescent tentacles.^[3] However, Sakai cannot be directly encountered or fought until after the X Parasites are released from Elun.

Trivia[]

The name "Dredhed" appears to be a pun on the words "dread" and "redhead", the latter referring specifically to the creature's red-colored head.
The Dredhed bears some resemblance to Drogyga, with both ZDR creatures having tentacles and similarly-shaped armored red-colored mouths.