Metroid Hatcher

The Metroid Hatcher is a Phazon Metroid further mutated by Phazon. It features four long tentacles which it can use to drain the life energy of creatures, much like Hunter Metroids. It is one of the very few breeds capable of reproduction.
==Physiology==
As noted by the Logbook, the Metroid Hatcher has lost the Phazon Metroid's ability to phase. This implies that the Metroid Hatcher is a direct evolution of the Phazon Metroid, rather than an evolved form of the Hopping Metroid, which lacks phasing abilities or flight. Therefore, the Metroid Hatcher and Hopping Metroid may be separate branching paths of the Phazon Metroid's life cycle.
The Metroid Hatcher no longer has a translucent membrane protecting its organs, but instead an extensively developed, Phazite-like shell. Four tentacles dangle from underneath it, and a mouth is now located at the front. The Metroid is mostly purple in color, with several locations such as the sharp ends of its body covered in blue while its oral cavity features a slight pink coloration. Its frontal pair of tusks and central upper horn are highly reminiscent of the Alpha and Gamma Metroids from the natural SR388 strain.
The Metroid Hatcher's maw is triangular in shape. Whenever it closes, the horizontal bottom of its mouth are pulled together to form a vertical slit. Despite being outlined with sharp teeth, the Metroid Hatcher does not seemingly use its oral cavity for offensive purposes. Regardless, it is from this singular opening that the creature spawns Phazon Metroids.
Metroid Hatchers are the only known species of Metroid to possess a heart; nearly all other types instead possess nuclei. The heart is located at the core of its head, protected by its shell.
==Battle==
The Metroid Hatcher's main methods of attacks involve the use of its tentacles, either by spinning around violently as it attempts to whip Samus, or by latching onto her to drain her life energy. The former is used more frequently and is capable of inflicting incredible damage to Samus quickly. The latter attack is used when at close enough distance, and if struck directly by a reaching tentacle, Samus must struggle through sheer physical strength to escape the Metroid's siphoning grip (or it will eventually let go after a certain amount of time has passed). If Samus is grabbed while in Morph Ball, she is unable to break free from its draining grasp. Should Samus survive this energy drain, the beast will fling her far outward. In both the Valhalla and Norion battles, Samus must also be wary of the nearby pitfalls in the area. Both of its main attacks do not occur in rapid succession, allowing Samus to monitor the creature carefully. The Metroid Hatcher may also attempt to sway quickly in order to throw off Samus's aim at its tentacles.
Ironically, these very tentacles are also the key to defeating the creature; their glowing tips are vulnerable to weapons and once they have been sufficiently harmed, they will retract into the Metroid's shell in order to heal. Unable to use its tentacles, it will resort to spinning randomly ahead all across the battlefield, likely as a means to maintain some distance from Samus (this spin acts as minor contact damage, being less devastating without the tentacles). Occasionally, it will pause to release a Phazon Metroid from its mouth as a defensive measure, or it will spin again. Samus must shoot at the creature's mouth whenever it pauses its spinning, which is indicated by the mass release of blue smoke from its mouth. Enough shots will stun the Hatcher, allowing one of its tentacles to be pulled out of its shell and torn off completely with the Grapple Lasso. If it is not quickly stunned during the spawning phase, the tentacles will fully heal and the creature will simply return to its attack phase. If Samus latches onto but fails to rip off a tentacle, the Hatcher will immediately regenerate and strike a brief pose before repeating its pattern. The Phazon Metroids should be dispatched quickly as well, otherwise they may prove to be a great hindrance to Samus throughout the battle. When a tentacle is successfully torn off, blue blood will temporarily jet from the wound and the Metroid will extend its remaining tentacles to attack Samus, requiring her to repeat the process. Ripping off all four tentacles will kill the Metroid Hatcher.
Hypermode can prove effective during the fight. Having Hypermode active prevents Samus from receiving any energy loss from the Hatcher's attacks (before Corruption mode kicks in), though forceful knockback will still occur with the spinning tentacle attack. The Phazon Beam can easily eliminate a tentacle, with its Charge Beam allowing for rapid elimination against all of them. It can also stun the head quickly in very few shots. The Hyper Ball is a good method to simultaneously damage all tentacles at once. However, if the Metroid Hatcher latches onto Samus in Morph Ball mode, she will be unable to do anything until it decides to throw her. Seeker Missiles are also effective against the tentacles, as each individual tentacle can be targeted with the homing weapon. The head however cannot be locked onto using Seeker Missiles. A well placed Screw Attack will instantly eliminate one or multiple tentacles if aimed underneath the body/head of the creature. This is useful during the spinning attack of the Hatcher, though Samus may still receive damage from the heavy blow if not quick enough to activate it. Each time a tentacle is successfully ripped off by the Grapple Lasso, an item drop may occur. Both this and Phazon Metroids provide Samus with a small opportunity to replenish her Hypermode reserves.
Once Samus has received both the X-Ray Visor and the Nova Beam, she can use them in conjunction to aim and shoot directly at a Hatcher's heart. The X-Ray Visor allows her to see the organ through the Phazite shell, while the Nova Beam's properties enable it to travel through the shell unhindered. This will effectively kill any Hatcher in a single, anticlimactic hit.
Metroid Hatchers are fought at three locations: in the Metroid Creche on the Space Pirate Homeworld, in the Aurora Chamber on the Valhalla, and in Generator B on Norion. The one in the Generator B lives in a corrupted area, and can be fully healed by the Phazon in it. The Hatcher encountered in the Valhalla will always be encountered with the Nova Beam due to Samus needing it to enter the room. 
===Battle Statistics===
Veteran Mode
Attack 	Damage Output
Contact damage 	5 HP (when not spinning with tentacles)
Spinning (with tentacles)	30 HP, briefly flinches Samus. Causes heavy knockback, forcing Samus to heavily scream.
Energy siphon 	
==Logbook entry==
==Development Notes==
Ilya Nazarov designed and modeled the Metroid Hatcher.
The creature's internal name is MetroidHatcher (no space).
==Trivia==
*The Grapple Voltage and Hyper Grapple have no effect on the creature.
*The Metroid Hatcher is the first boss in the Metroid series that can be killed in one shot without any cheats. If one counts the E.M.M.I. from Metroid Dread as bosses, E.M.M.I.-01P is the second as it is destroyed with a single shot from the Omega Blaster, but if they are not counted, the Metroid Hatcher remains the only one where this is true.
*When viewing the creature face-front, its body resembles a face or helmet. Its overall shape and body also strongly resembles a Leviathan Seed.
*The Hatcher's tentacles, as well as the creature's movement patterns and attacks, are directly reminiscent of the Hunter Metroid. Interestingly, both Hunters and Hatchers are advanced stages of their larval forms, the Tallon Metroid and Phazon Metroid, respectively. This may not be a coincidence, as Phazon Metroids themselves are mutated Tallon Metroids.
**The tentacles are also shared with early Metroid larva art in the original game and the Nintendo Comics System.
*The Metroid Hatcher is one of the few Metroid species capable of spawning other Metroid creatures. It shares this trait with the Queen Metroid, Metroid Prime, and (to an extent) the Fission Metroid.
*When regrowing its tentacles, its blue part of its head expands. The shape of the expanded organ resembles a Phazon Metroid's body.
*All three Metroid Hatchers can be ignored or skipped completely while speedrunning: The wing containing Generator B on Norion is a completely optional area, so the Hatcher there can be ignored completely (however, this Hatcher must be defeated if the player wishes to obtain all 9 Energy Cells); the same goes for the one on the Pirate Homeworld, since it's only necessary to destroy it to retrieve an Energy Tank and unlock a shortcut. The Hatcher in the Aurora Chamber on the Valhalla is automatically encountered after restoring power to the room's systems (by using 2 Energy Cells); however, it can be avoided by simply running to the upper exit of the room (doing this will cause the Hatcher to wait by the upper doorway until the player returns, when it can again be avoided by heading directly to the lower door). A Sequence Break can allow Samus to skip triggering the creature's presence altogether.
*The Metroid Hatcher shares its battle theme with skirmishes against Crawlmines and Crawltanks, and "Jolly Roger" Drones.
*The Metroid Hatcher is the only stage of the Phazon Metroid life cycle (including Phazon Hopper, according to the Japanese version) that does not appear on Phaaze.
*A Metroid Hatcher's spinning attack bears a slight resemblance to Aurora Unit 313's spinning attack.
*Curiously, the Nova Beam's shots will pass through the entire creature except for its tentacles. It is also possible to blindly fire at it with Nova Beam blasts without using the X-Ray Visor and still kill the creature instantly.
*There is a possibility the Metroid Hatcher could be classified as an "Unfreezable Metroid". This is due to its body/head and its tentacles being immune to the freezing properties of Ice Missiles (though these parts still receive damage from them).
**It should be noted however that the Ice Beam was not present during the events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
==Gallery==
Metroid_Hatcher_at_Generator_B.png|The Metroid Hatcher encountered at Norion's Generator B.
Metroid_Hatcher_4.jpg|The Hatcher on the Homeworld emerges.
Metroid_Hatcher_3.jpg|The Hatcher's spinning attack (Pirate Homeworld).
Metroid_Hatcher_2.jpg|The Hatcher on the Valhalla.
Metroid Hatcher face close-up.png|Close-up.
Samus Damage Heavy Grapple Lasso Left Arm.png|Samus receives heavy damage from the Hatcher's spinning attack.
Metroid Hatcher Energy Siphon tentacle Hypermode.png|Energy siphon attack.
Metroid Hatcher Energy siphon Morph Ball Hypermode.png|The Hatcher dangles a Hyper Ball Samus over Generator B's pit.
Metroid Hatcher fling.png|The Metroid Hatcher flings a Morph Ball Samus.
Metroid Hatcher spawn.png|The Hatcher spawns a Phazon Metroid.
Metroid Hatcher Generator B Stunned Hyper-Mode.png|The creature is temporarily stunned, allowing Samus to use her Grapple Lasso.
Metroid Hatcher ripped.png|A tentacle is ripped. Its blue blood spews outward as the creature screams in pain.
Metroid Hatcher Tentacle Regeneration.png|The creature expands its inner-back organ as it regenerates its limbs.
Metroid Hatcher X-Ray Visor.png|The Metroid Hatcher viewed with the X-Ray Visor.
Metroid Hatcher X-Ray (Zoom).png|The Hatcher's Heart is targeted using the X-Ray Visor.
Generator B Metroid Hatcher explodes.png|A Metroid Hatcher explodes upon being defeated.
Possible_Leviathan.jpg|Artwork of a Metroid Hatcher.
Frk97.jpg|Possible Danny Richardson concept art.
MBjWj.jpg|Possible Danny Richardson concept art.
MetroidHatcher model (frontside).png|Model (frontside)
MetroidHatcher model (backside).png|Model (backside)
ru:Метроид-Наседка
Category:Bosses
Category:Metroids
Category:Norion
Category:GFS Valhalla
Category:Pirate Research