Blinky

Blinky (ブリンキー Burinkii), also known as Akabei in Japanese and nicknamed Shadow, is the leader of the Ghosts and the arch-enemy of Pac-Man. He is also portrayed as the most aggressive ghost who always chases Pac-Man, and is hard to shake once he starts. He is known to have a short temper, and is good friends with Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. He also has a daughter named Yum-Yum.
While originally the main antagonist in the first Pac-Man arcade game, his antagonistic role of the franchise has largely been diminished to an ally in recent incarnations, though he is still considered the series de-facto main antagonist in remakes of the first game and by older fans.
== History==
===Arcade Games===
====Pac-Man====
Blinky first appeared with Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, the other members of the Ghost Gang, in Pac-Man. He starts out of the Ghost Home in the center of the Maze.
Blinky is the most persistent of the original four; he is the most aggressive ghost in the arcade games, and is always directly targeting Pac-Man when in "chase" mode (thus his nickname, Shadow, as in he "shadows" or follows Pac-Man). When the ghosts are in "scatter" mode, Blinky typically occupies the top-right corner of the maze.
After Pac-Man eats a number of Pac-Dots, Blinky will continuously accelerate; this state is colloquially known as "Cruise Elroy". The number of Pac-Dots that Pac-Man must eat in order for Blinky to become Cruise Elroy gets lower and lower as the game progresses. In certain later games, Blinky's "Cruise Elroy" state is triggered by how long the character remains on the maze rather than the remaining Pac-Dots.
Blinky follows a similar role in these subsequent games:
*Ms. Pac-Man
*Jr. Pac-Man
*Super Pac-Man
*Pac & Pal
*Pac-Man Arrangement (1996)
*Pac-Man Arrangement (2005)
*Pac-Man VR
*Pac-Man: Adventures in Time
*Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze
*Pac-Man Championship Edition
*Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
*Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
*Pac-Man Battle Royale
* Pac-Man 99
====Pac-Land====
Pac-Land features Blinky and the other ghosts as they try to stop Pac-Man using cars, buses, UFOs, and planes. No ghost is stronger than the other in this game, and the only one who acts differently from the others is Sue.
====Pac-Mania====
NOTE: In Pac-Mania, Blinky and Clyde's colors are swapped. For more information, see Clyde and Blinky error.
Carrying over his cowardly persona from Pac-Land, Blinky behaves as Clyde typically would in the original Pac-Man, but he has switched colors with him as well.
===Pac 'n Roll===
Blinky and the ghosts appear in Pac 'n Roll as enemies. They team up with Golvis in order to get rid of Pac-Man after their previous defeats. Although Blinky, Inky, and Clyde weren't completely interested in getting revenge, they went along with Pinky's plans due to her bossiness.
After the destruction of Golvis's UFO, Blinky and the others watch Pac-Man on a television in the middle of the ocean. The ghosts then discover the reason Golvis was imprisoned was because of his clumsiness, not because of his power, much to their annoyance.
Pac-Man Party Royale
Blinky is an enemy ghost in Pac-Man Party Royale. If set, he spawns in the center of the maze, targeting one of four Pac-Men, trying to catch them. If he catches a Pac-Man, that Pac-Man will become a ghost and Blinky will stop for some time, then continue to move to target another Pac-Man.
===Pac-Man World series===
NOTE: In the Pac-Man World trilogy, Blinky and Clyde's names are swapped. These appearances are going by their color rather than their name. For more information, see Clyde and Blinky error.
====Pac-Man World====
Blinky appears in the second cutscene, holding a burlap sack with Ms. Pac-Man inside it, who he kidnapped believing it was Pac-Man. He also appears in Toc-Man's Lair as one of the four roaming ghosts. He also appears as an enemy in some levels.
====Pac-Man World 2====
Blinky is the fourth boss in Pac-Man World 2, as one of the ghosts who unintentionally released Spooky. Blinky fights from a machine which attacks using fireballs and fiery blades (mounted on the bottom of the machine, which may knock Pac-Man off the stage). He is invulnerable to Rev-Rolls; Pac-Man must bounce on the glass cockpit to destroy it. He later appears in a huge submarine called the Megawhale with the other ghosts, in a final attempt to stop Pac-Man from reaching Ghost Island.
====Pac-Man World 3====
In Pac-Man World 3, Blinky is a playable character, and teams up with Pac-Man. He can attack using a ghostly screech called "Sonic Boo".
He is first mentioned by Orson, who tells Pac-Man to find all of the Ghost Gang in the Spectral Realm. Pac-Man only finds Pinky, who tells him that Erwin is using Inky and Clyde for power, and has connected them to an energy-sucking machine used to power Erwin's robots.
Later, Pac-Man finds Blinky caught in a cage and mocks him; Blinky declares that he'd rather be left in the cage than be mocked. When Pac-Man releases him and tells him about Erwin's siphons, Blinky agrees to help him, albeit temporarily. He then helps Pac-Man in various battles, and later single-handedly defeats Spectral Fiend (an ally of Erwin's) and one of Erwin's siphons.
===Animated Series===
In the 1982 animated series, Blinky appears alongside Pinky, Inky, Clyde, and Sue. He works with Mezmeron in attempt to stop Pac-Man and seize the Power Pellets. Here he is depicted as slow-witted and cowardly; this was the first (and only) time he was portrayed as such. He also has grammar problems.
===Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures===
Blinky made an appearance in the Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV series. Rather than an enemy of Pac-Man, he (along with Pinky, Inky and Clyde) act as Pac-Man's allies. Like in some other media, Blinky seems to act as the leader of Ghost Gang. He is depicted as having a rivalry of sorts with Inky. He's the oldest of the ghosts and as seen in the episode The Pac Be With You, Blinky was once a master of Pac-Fu before losing his body and was even more skilled than the legendary Master Goo.
===Other appearances===
====Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures====
Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde appear as enemies for Pac-Man, petrifying him whenever they appear. Unless Pac-Man is able to get a Power Pellet, he will faint. Occasionally, the others will leave important items behind after they are eaten. Once their leader, the Ghost Witch of Netor is defeated, Blinky and the others fly off.
====Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness====
Along with the other ghosts, Blinky was recruited by the witch Mesmerelda to stop Ms. Pac-Man from finding the four Gems of Virtue. Blinky and the ghosts fail in their mission, allowing Ms. Pac-Man to defeat Mesmerelda and restore Pac-Land.
====Pac-Man World Rally====
Blinky appears as a playable racer in this game. He is a medium-weight, and wears green goggles. Blinky is also featured in the stage Ghost Mansion.
====Pac-Man Party====
Blinky appears as a playable character in Pac-Man Party. In the game, he aids Pinky, Inky, and Clyde in stealing cookies from Mr. Cookie. At the end of the game though, it is revealed that they never stole the cookies, and that they were actually given to them by Mr. Cookie himself to test Pac-Man and his heroism.
====Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (video game)====
Blinky, alongside his other three cohorts, appear in the video game adaptation of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures as an ally of Pac-Man.
====Pac-Man 256====
In Pac-Man 256, Blinky, unlike the other ghosts, behaves very much like he did in the original game(s), constantly chasing Pac-Man. Blinky reverses direction when blue.
====Mario Kart series====
Blinky has appeared as a playable racer in several Mario Kart games, specifically the arcade ones. Alongside Mario and all his friends, he is joined by Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. He does not appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.
====Super Smash Bros. series====
Blinky makes a handful of cameos in several Super Smash Bros. titles, all of which are in his 8-bit form. He is incorporated into Pac-Man's moveset as his side-smash, and he can also be summoned as an Assist Trophy. In Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U, he and Pinky are also part of Pac-Man's taunt; both of them are replaced with Fairies in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
In the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS stage "Pac-Maze", Blinky appears as a stage obstacle. He behaves similarly to the original arcade game.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Blinky reprises his roles as a part of Pac-Man's moveset and Assist Trophy. He also appears as a part of Ghosts spirit, which represents original four ghosts. In the Ghosts Spirit Battle, Blinky is represented by red Kirby.
====Amazing Katamari Damacy====
:Main article: Amazing Katamari Damacy
In Amazing Katamari Damacy, Blinky, alongside Pac-Man, is part of a constellation.
===Film===
====Wreck-It Ralph====
Blinky, along with Pinky and Inky, make a cameo in Wreck-It Ralph at Game Central Station.
====Pixels====
While Blinky himself did not appear in the movie, the red ghost car from Pac-Man's scene assumed his role, and had "BLINKY" as its license plate. This car was driven by Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler).
== Characteristics==
====Appearance====
Blinky is a red-colored ghost. He has big eyes, and often has an angry expression. He is typically limbless within games, but some incarnations show him with arms, sometimes with orange gloves as well.
In the TV series and Pac-Land, Blinky wears a wide-brimmed hat, and has a somewhat cowardly and afraid expression rather than being angry. In Pac-Man Party and Ghostly Adventures, he has a protrusion to the top of his head (which he calls his "hairdo") and blue eyes; his arms are also stubbier.
====Personality====
Blinky is the most determined of the ghosts, and the leader of the Ghost Gang. He is often depicted as the most intelligent and most conceited of the quartet. He is also the most aggressive ghost in all "maze-oriented" Pac-Man games, relentlessly chasing Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man. Though Pac-Man (under most circumstances) is an enemy of all of the ghosts, Blinky is his main nemesis among them; however, some games depict this as a form of friendly antagonism.
In the Hanna-Barbera series, Blinky is considered shy, cowardly and slow-witted. Despite occasional bravado and confrontational attitude when tasked with harrassing Pac-Man, Blinky's cowardice is most often shown when Pac-Man has just eaten a Power Pellet and Blinky tries to run away to avoid being eaten by Pac-Man, albeit to no avail. Blinky is also shown to have grammar problems on occasion, though his grammatical problems are a result of his cowardice. He tends to admit defeat when in a defenseless position, and sometimes undergo a nervous breakdown in the process, however, he never feels remorse for his actions in the slightest, and is simply driven by a mere desire for self-preservation and avoid chomping.
In Pac-Man World 2 and 3, Blinky has less angry expression. He later wears with green goggles in the 2006 racing game Pac-Man World Rally. 
In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Blinky is still the de-facto leader of the Ghost Gang, but is now an ally and friend of Pac-Man rather than a pseudo-antagonist. Despite this, there have been occasions where he has enjoyed frightening and picking on Pac-Man, and has also shown to enjoy upsetting Pac-People the most out of the four ghosts, showing that even as an ally, he still possesses mischievous tendencies. He can sometimes be arrogant and snarky. He is also a Pac-Fu master who genuinely believes in the code of Pac-Fu thus he never once mentioned his skills or showed them until The Pac Be With You.
== Trivia==
*During the development of the original Pac-Man, Namco president Masaya Makamura wanted the game to have all of the ghosts be red. Toru Iwatani knew he wanted the ghosts to be colorful, so he held an informal poll among his colleagues. Absolutely no one chose the red-only option.
*In the (partially) published source code of Pac-Man Ghost Zone, there is data for a ghost named "Pierre". This ghost appears similar to Blinky, but with a mustache, teal gloves, and a teal hat.
*Blinky's Japanese name, "Akabei" (アカベイ) is derived from "Aka" (赤), the Japanese kanji for "red."
*On certain promotional material for Pac-Mania, Blinky is identified as the "Approaching Monster" (迫っかモンスター Semakka Monsutā).[1]
==Gallery==
===Character Artwork===
Pacman-tc-ghost0.png|Pac-Man Trading Cards
Blinky 80s merchandising.png|Merchandising, 1980
Blinky in Pac-Man (TV Series).png|TV Series
Pacland-blinky.png|Pac-Land
Blinky-pacmania.png|Pac-Mania
Blinkym1.png|Merchandising, 1980s
Ghostred.jpg|Pac-Man World
Characters-style-guide-ghost-blinky-1.png|Characters and Logo Style Guide - Pac-Man (1990s?)
-Pac-Man-World-3-PC- .jpg|Pac-Man World 2
Clydes Machine.png|Pac-Man World 2 (in his Caldera)
Images-2.jpeg|Pac-Man World 3
1799650-929534 20051012 screen019.jpg|Pac-Man World 3
Blinky Flexing (Pac-Man World 3 Alternative Official Artwork).jpg|Pac-Man World 3
Blinky PNR.jpg|Pac 'n Roll
Blinky 3D.jpg|Pac 'n Roll
Blinkygp.jpg|Mario Kart Arcade GP
BlinkyRally.jpg|Pac-Man World Rally
953781-blinkygp2.jpg|Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Pac man merchandising ghosts 2000s blinky 2.png|Merchandising, 2000s
180px-New blinky.jpg|Pac-Man Party
Pac-man app classic lost all lives.png|Pac-Man + Tournaments
Pac-Man And The Ghostly Adventure's Blinky.png|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Tumblr ml3pcuXUPI1rcbwivo5 1280.jpg|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Scared Blinky (Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 Official Render).png|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2
Blinky-monsters.png|Pac-Man Monsters (standard)
Blinky171i.png|Pac-Man Monsters (Blinky icon)
Duke Blinky172i.png|Pac-Man Monsters (Duke Blinky icon)
Car Blinky.jpg|Pac-Man Monsters (Car Blinky)
Obstructive Car Blinky.jpg|Pac-Man Monsters (Obstructive Car Blinky)
Baby Car Blinky.jpg|Pac-Man Monsters (Baby Car Blinky)
Baby Car Blinky334i.png|Pac-Man Monsters (Baby Car Blinky icon)
Dash Car Blinky.jpg|Pac-Man Monsters (Dash Car Blinky)
Pactune-blinky-1.png|Pac-Tune
Pactune-blinky-2.png|Pac-Tune
Blinky-mrmpm.png|Mega Run meets Pac-Man
Bnei-job-blinky.png|Merchandising, 2010s
Blinky stock updated 2020.png|Merchandising, 2010s
Blinky stock art sprite.png|Merchandising, 2010s
==="Ghost Gang" Group Artwork ===
File:Stecker 3.png|Pac-Man
Hbpacmanghosts.png|TV Series
Pacmancerealghosts.png|Pac-Man Cereal
Pac-Land Ghosts.png|Pac-Land
File:NG Namco Community Magazine (Quarterly Issue 7) - October 25th 1984 0005.png|Pac-Land on NG - Namco Community Magazine Issue 7
File:Ghosts good.png|Pac-Mania
Bpic.png|Merchandising, 1980s
Ghosts-0.png|Merchandising, 1980s
Bpic2.png|Merchandising, 1980s
Ghostsmidway.png|Merchandising, 1980s
Pm2ghost.png|Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Ghosts2.png|Pac-In-Time
Pac-man merchandising ghosts 2000s pinky 2.png|Merchandising, 2000s
Ghosts.png|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde (Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures Official Render).jpg|Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Pactive card play.png|"Be Pac-Tive!!" artwork, 2021
File:Pactive valentine's.jpeg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" Valentine's Day artwork, 2022
Pac man world re pac ghost gang.png|Pac-Man World Re-Pac
===Other Group Artwork===
Big boy.png|Pac-Man
Untitled-2-0.png|Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man
Pac man and gil namco 30th anniversary.png|Namco 30th Anniversary
File:Pac-mania all about monsters.jpg|Pac-Mania
File:ManiaMSX.png|Magazine cover promoting the Pac-Mania MSX2 port
File:MagazinePreviewPM2.jpg|Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures on EGM Issue 51
File:Goldenmaze-group.png|Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze
Pac-Man New Game Redesigns Survey.jpg|Blinky along with Pac-Man, Inky, and Pinky's redesigns used in a survey by the official Namco's Facebook post (2012)
Rugby-pacman-blinky.png|Merchandising, 2010s
Running-pac-blinky.png|Merchandising, 2010s
BePactive-Main.png|"Be Pac-Tive!!" artwork, 2020
Pacman-41st-1.jpg|Pac-Man 41st anniversary artwork
Pacman-41st-2.jpg|Pac-Man 41st anniversary artwork
Pactive video call.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" artwork, 2021
File:Physical pactivity.jpeg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" artwork, 2021
Pactive thanksgiving.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" Thanksgiving artwork, 2021
File:Pactive new years eve 2021.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" New Year's Eve artwork, 2021
File:Pactive st patricks day 2022.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" St. Patrick's Day artwork, 2022
File:Pacmanchristmas2022.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" Christmas artwork, 2022
File:Pacmanchristmas2022bw.jpg|"Be Pac-Tive!!" Christmas artwork (B&W), 2022
File:Pac man new years 2023.jpeg|"Be Pactive!!" New Years Day artwork, 2023
File:Pacman new years 2024.jpg|New Years Day artwork, 2024
File:Blinky Inky Clyde White Day.jpeg|White Day artwork, 2024
===Ghostly Adventures Stills ===
Preapre to chomp Pac-Man!.png
PATGA Cartoon Screenshot 49.jpg
PATGA_Cartoon_Screenshot_48.png
PATGA_Cartoon_Screenshot_26.png
Pac-Man-and-the-ghostly-adventures-pac-man-and-the-ghostly-adventures-34928389-960-540.png
Inky Blinky Pinky and Clyde in space.PNG
===Wallpapers===
Merch-JP-1990s-namco-EGS-pacman-postcard-0.jpg|Merchandising, 1980s
File:Pacmanworldcarnivalrender.jpeg|Pac-Man World
PAC-MAN wallpaper03a 1600x1200.jpg|Merchandising, 2010s
Pac man world re pac phone wallpaper toc man and ghosts.jpg|Pac-Man World Re-Pac
===Sprites===
File:Blinkysprite.gif|Pac-Man (arcade)
File:BlinkySprite2600MsPacMan.png|Blinky (2600 and 5200 ports of Ms. Pac-Man) Sprite
File:BlinkySprite5200.png|Blinky (Atari 5200/Atari 8-bit/C64 (Pac-Man)/Amstrad CPC) Sprite
He is a... Slug?.png|He is a... slug?
== References ==
es:Blinky
Category:Characters
Category:Ghosts
Category:Males
Category:Villains
Category:Enemies
Category:Allies
Category:Heroes
Category:Bosses
Category:Ms. Pac-Man: Maze Madness
Category:Pac-Man World Rally
Category:Pac 'N Roll
Category:Pac-Man Party
Category:Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Category:Former Pac-People
Category:Ghost Family
Category:Parents
Category:Reformed Characters