Torizo

is a term used to refer to hostile animated Chozo Statues.
==Description==
There are three Torizos that appear in Super Metroid, located in Crateria, Ridley's Hideout, and Tourian. The first two guard key upgrades and attack intruders such as Samus Aran.
It is unexplained why Torizos are hostile towards Samus despite the latter being a close friend and adopted child of the Chozo race. Based on their in-game purpose and the Chozo Lore entry "Statuary", the Torizos are a type of security units created to guard their creators' technology and block access to certain areas, similar to the Ruins Test. Alternatively, it is possible they may have gone rogue and/or fallen under Space Pirate control, thus explaining the third sentinel's presence in Tourian, or perhaps their programming simply predates Samus' birth.
The name "Torizo" has only been used to refer to Chozo Statues that are hostile. There are other animated Chozo Statues that appear in Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, but these assist Samus in her mission and do not hinder her, and therefore are not considered Torizo.
===Crateria===
thumb|left|The Torizo located in Crateria
The first one to be encountered is located in Crateria. It is unofficially dubbed the "Bomb Torizo" because of the upgrade it is holding. At first, it appears to be a normal Chozo Statue, but upon acquiring the Bomb, the door becomes locked and the Torizo rises, shedding its stone shell and leading to the boss battle.
It attacks by spitting numerous bombs which resemble Item Spheres. If Samus shoots these before they land, they yield health drops and ammo. Its second attack consists of triggering close-range explosions as it swipes the air in front of it with its claws; the length of its arms are high enough to hit Samus if she tries to jump over it. Finally, it can also send yellow waves of energy by swinging its arms one after the other, requiring Samus to carefully dodge them. Occasionally, the Torizo will jump backwards to reposition itself against a wall before unleashing one of its projectile attacks.
After she inflicts a certain amount of damage to both its chest and head, both sections will explode and a seemingly organic fluid starts "bleeding" out from both wounds. Despite missing its head, the Torizo will continue to attack by walking back and forth at a quicker pace as it attempts to ram against Samus. The Morph Ball enables Samus to move harmlessly between the Torizo's legs, in particular during its headless phase. Once the Torizo is destroyed, the door will unlock and Samus can leave.
During Samus's escape from Zebes at the end of the game, she can optionally make a detour and return to the Torizo's room, where the Etecoons and Dachora can be found. Although the wall where the Torizo was formerly situated is otherwise indestructible, it can now be destroyed with the Hyper Beam, allowing the creatures to access to an unseen ship leading to their own escape from Zebes.
===Ridley's Hideout===
The second Torizo is a golden variant found in Ridley's Hideout, where it guards the Screw Attack. This one is stronger, faster, and more durable. As it receives damage, its golden appearance will become increasingly dull, indicating that it is almost defeated. The Golden Torizo is capable of dodging Missiles, and will even catch and throw Super Missiles back at Samus. The most effective method for dispatching this Torizo is by using charged shots.
===Tourian===
The husk of the third Torizo is found in the rebuilt Tourian, as one of many creatures that fell prey to the Giant Metroid. Unlike the other two Torizos, this one is already found in an upright position instead of mimicking a sitting Chozo Statue. The slightest touch will cause it to crumble to a pile of dust.
== Possible reference in Metroid Prime ==
Exclusive to the original NTSC version of Metroid Prime is a Chozo Lore entry titled "Statuary" which gives minor insight on the ancient race's work on their statues. Detailing some as merely being decorative while others possess subtle influence on the environment around them, and finally those that are guardians. The guardian type may be referring to the Torizo sentinels, as the text describes them being "[...] as terrible as they are beautiful. Those who respect and honor these relics will know the friendship of the Chozo. Those who deface or destroy them will know our wrath, unfettered and raw."
The text may also be referring to the Chozo head busts overlooking the Artifact Temple within the same game, as these eventually shoot red beams at Meta Ridley until he fell off the edge of the temple after his battle against Samus. These head busts and the Torizo are the only kind of statues built by the Chozo to be capable of hostile action.
==Official data==
===Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide===
TORIZO
===Super Metroid Players' Guide===
"Torizo is the first major adversary you will face but he shouldn't prove too much of a hurdle. He first appears as a chozo statue, identical to the others you encounter earlier on. This time, however, he will spring to life as soon as you grab the missiles he holds. Morphing into ball form is useful when trying to avoid his swipes but it's unlikely that you'll be able to defeat him without sustaining some damage.
Fortunately, he's not very resilient and if you keep pumping shots into him you should be able to win. Unlike the other guardians in the game who only have certain weak spots, it doesn't matter where you hit Torizo - any shot that connects is a good shot! Don't start firing until he starts walking towards you, though, as until then, he's invulnerable."
This description erroneously states that the Torizo Statue was holding Missiles. It was in fact holding the Bomb item.
===Nintendo Power Volume 95===
;TORIZO
:"The first boss character won't last long. He comes to life automatically after you take the bombs. The stones he throws contain energy and Missiles. If you blast them you shouldn't run out. Shoot the Torizo in the face with your blaster or anywhere with Missiles."
==Trivia==
*There are two bosses in Metroid Fusion called Elephant Bird and Nettori, which seem to be X-mimicked Torizo or Chozo Statues. This, along with the first Torizo in Super Metroid leaking out what appears to be bodily fluids, supports the theory that these statues are robots built with organic properties.
*A Torizo can also be seen walking around the Planet Zebes: Brinstar stage of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It immobilizes itself once in a while and takes the pose of a normal Chozo Statue. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the statue is inanimate.
*Using a technique fan-dubbed "arm pumping", it is possible to skip the first Torizo while still collecting the Bomb. If Samus returns to the Torizo later in the game, a single charged Plasma Beam blast will instantly kill the boss. Skipping this Torizo is only physically possible to perform on PAL region versions of the game.
*As the first Torizo is breaking out of its shell, an eerie theme can be briefly heard, which is played nowhere else in the game. The actual battles with the Torizos use the Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Ridley, Draygon) theme, which would later become exclusively associated with Ridley.
*The Japanese names for Torizo and Chozo Statue are identical, with "Torizo" as a separate term being an addition made by the English translation.
**The name "Torizo" is used in an early development map of Super Metroid, in reference to the Golden Torizo. However, this may have simply been an early romanization of "Chozo".
**Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide states that "Torizo and Chozo basically mean the same thing", but this is incorrect. The Japanese name for Torizo is , which literally means "bird-person-statue", whereas Chozo is , which literally means "bird-person-tribe". The guide presumably meant to say that "Torizo and Chozo Statue basically mean the same thing".
*Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide and Super Metroid Players' Guide both refer to Torizos with male pronouns.
*Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide groups both Torizos together in the Enemy Data section. Consequently, it recommends the use of Super Missiles despite this item being unobtainable until after the Bomb is collected from the first Torizo.
*Concept artwork in Metroid Mission Logs shows a ZDR Chozo Statue disconnecting from its tubes, standing up, and walking towards Samus, suggesting that Torizo was planned at one point to appear in Metroid Dread. In the released game, both Robot Chozo Soldiers and Chozo Soldiers come in ordinary silver and stronger golden variants, which may be a subtle reference to the Torizo and Golden Torizo.
==Gallery==
Smart_torizo02.jpg|Artwork of a red Torizo
M3 design Torizo.png|Concept art
SMGTorizo.png|Page about Torizo from Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide
Torizo SM guide.png|Closeup of the guidebook's illustration
SM Torizo Statue.gif|Torizo disguised as a Chozo Statue
SM Torizo Throwing Bombs.gif|Torizo launching bombs at Samus
SM Golden Torizo Crescent-Shaped Blasts.png|Golden Torizo
File:Dead Torizo.png|The dead Torizo in Tourian drained of its energy
BrinstarTorizo.png|The Torizo on Planet Zebes: Brinstar.
Sakurai_Metroid_34_post.jpg|The Torizo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
==References==
it:Torizo
ja:鳥人像
ru:Торизо
Category:Bosses
Category:Statues
Category:Zebes
Category:Crateria
Category:Ridley's Lair
Category:Tourian
Category:Chozo technology
Category:Androids
Category:Robots
Category:Rogue
Category:Food
Category:Deceptive