Vorash

This is a featured article.

Vorash
Concept art of the Vorash
Featured in	Metroid: Other M
Knownlocales	Sector 3 / Pyrosphere
Known worlds	BOTTLE SHIP
Attacks	Lava projectiles Giant jaws (instant kill)
Weakness	Eyes, mouth and bulbous underside.
Battle music	The Burning Lava Fish

Vorash (バラモーク Baramōku) is a creature featured in Metroid: Other M. It is a large, fish-like being that inhabits the lava-filled areas of Sector 3 / Pyrosphere onboard the BOTTLE SHIP.

Encounters

After being instructed by Commander Adam Malkovich to follow a purple monster into Sector 3, Samus enters the main tunnel of the Pyrosphere, and notices a large creature jumping out of the lava in the distance. As she nears the end of the tunnel, the creature suddenly jumps out of the lava in an attempt to ingest Samus. She quickly uses her SenseMove to evade it, but the creature tears a hole in the tunnel, blocking her way back. If Samus fails to avoid Vorash's jaws, it will be an instant Game Over, as the creature will devour her.

After the incident, Samus is forced to enter the lower level of the tunnel room, exposing herself to the area's superheated temperature, which slowly reduces her energy. Samus attempts to cross via igneous platforms in the lava, but is once again attacked by Vorash, which follows Samus all the way to the end of the room, trying to catch her in its jaws repeatedly.

Battle

Artwork of Samus battling the Vorash

Much later, while Samus is again tracking the purple creature, Samus encounters and battles Vorash in the Blast Furnace Observation. It leaps out of the lava, and Samus must SenseMove away from its boulder attacks. To damage it, she must fire at its eyes, then pull it onto the platform using the Grapple Beam, thanks to the Grapple Point it ate earlier lodged in its mouth. She can then damage its underside. After enough damage is taken, Vorash swallows the Grapple Point, forcing Samus to attack during its leaping or charging attacks to finish it off. Samus can also grapple onto the remaining Grapple Point, which causes Vorash to jump out of the lava. If timed correctly, Vorash will eat the Grapple Point and Samus can defeat it in the same manner as she fought it earlier. Upon its defeat, the creature sinks into the lava, and is never seen again.

If Samus dies during the battle, a checkpoint will place her at the start of it. If the game is turned off or not continued on the Continue Screen, Samus will respawn from the last Navigation Booth.

Official data

Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition

Bosses (p. 19)

Vorash

"Vorash, the lava whale, is an elusive opponent that can hide from your attacks. Capable of seeking refuge in the lava, Vorash ducks back into the lava after attacking. You must be quick to strike whenever its head is exposed. Fire Charge Beams at the monster's face. When it opens its mouth, use your Grapple Beam to yank it out of the lava and attack the whale's belly. Focus your attacks on Vorash's belly whenever it exposes it until the creature is dead."

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Trophy

"A large, fishlike monster that's more at home in an ocean of lava than underwater. Defeating it may seem like an impossible task at first, but Samus Aran knows how to persevere. By firing her Grapple Beam into its mouth, she pulls it out of the lava like a master angler, leaving it writhing helplessly on land."

Trivia

• The creature's name contains the Latin root -vore, which means "to eat".
  • This ties into Vorash's intense fixation on devouring Samus. It first attacks her while she is running through a corridor almost as soon as she enters the Pyrosphere. It then chases her relentlessly when she makes her way down into the lava pathway, diving out of the lava many times in an attempt to pull her into its jaws. When she returns to the Pyrosphere, Vorash is anticipating her entry into the Blast Furnace Observation and eats a Grapple Point that falls from a tunnel Samus is in, presumably believing it is her.
• Vorash's pattern of attack is somewhat akin to other liquid-dwelling bosses of the series, such as the Serris and the Chykka's larval phase.
• Vorash shares many physical features to an extinct carnivorous species called Mosasaurs, making the latter a possible source of inspiration in the former's design.
  • Additional sources of inspiration may come from creatures existing within the Metroid series. Vorash's red body and fin-like appendages on its sides resemble the Squeept's. Its numerous orange-yellow eyes is akin to the Crocomire's. Finally, its split jaw is somewhat similar to the Scarp.
• The theme of Vorash (which also plays while escaping Sector Zero) is named The Burning Lava Fish in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Samus Archives Sound Selection and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Gallery

Samus dodging the Vorash in the E3 2009 trailer.

Vorash leaps in the background.

Samus barely evades the Vorash upon their first meeting.

Samus is chased by the Vorash.

Samus escapes Vorash's mouth.

Vorash swallows the Grapple Point.

Vorash attempts to eat Samus as she swings from a Grapple Point.

The Vorash emerges from the lava of the Blast Furnace Observation to snap Samus up, with her narrowly escaping its jaws.

Samus "fishing" for Vorash with the Grapple Beam

Samus pulls the Vorash out of the lava

Samus viewing the creature in Search View.

Samus Lethal Striking Vorash.

Samus performs a Lethal Strike on Vorash.

Gallery Mode

Concept art of Vorash's lair.

Size comparison between Vorash and Goyagma

Nintendo Official Guidebook for Metroid Other M

Vorash Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U