Phazon Hopper

A Phazon Hopper is a Phazon-mutated creature that appears to be a Hopper.
==Description==
Compared to natural Hoppers, Phazon Hoppers are larger, stronger, more resilient to damage, and much more aggressive. Phazon Hoppers have gained purple coloring and a large spike on their backs, along with a hard, crystallized Phazite shell that covers their bodies, granting them better armor than their non-mutated cousins. They also have developed the ability to enter Hypermode; when this happens, every hop they take will produce a small Phazon shockwave.
Phazon Hoppers can be found on the G.F.S. Valhalla and planet Phaaze, in these rooms: Hangar A Access, Security Access, MedLab Alpha, Xenoresearch Lab, Metroid Cavern, Entry Canyon, and Drop Shaft.
==Species==
Given the Phazon Hopper's name, appearance, and morphology, it can be reasonably assumed that they are mutated Hoppers. This follows other Phazon-mutated versions of creatures seen throughout Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, such as Phazon Nightbarbs and Phazon Pillbugs. Accordingly, the English version of the game's Logbook directly compares the Phazon Hopper to other Hoppers.
However, Phazon Hoppers bear a remarkable resemblance to Hopping Metroids in appearance and behavior, and both species are spawned from burrow openings. Furthermore, while Hoppers appear exclusively on Bryyo, Phazon Hoppers are never seen there, appearing instead only on the Valahalla and Phaaze. This is not addressed in the English version, and the similar Phazon-induced mutations of Metroids and Hoppers may simply be an instance of convergent evolution. Conversely, in the Japanese version of Metroid Prime 3, Phazon Hoppers are actually referred to as an advanced stage of the Phazon Metroid, with the Hopping Metroids being the intermediate larval stage of a Phazon Hopper.In the Japanese version of Metroid Prime 3, the logbook entry of Phazon Hopper says "A Phazon Metroid further mutates, giving birth to an arthropod", and the entry of Hopping Metroid says "Due to the Phazon Hopper species generated by the Phazon mutation, it is a larva born by its own reproductive system." If the above is taken as canon, these mature Phazon Hoppers have their own reproductive system and may be responsible for laying the blue, mutated Metroid Eggs seen in the same game. It may be worth noting that Phazon Hoppers on Phaaze always share their rooms with either Phazon Metroids or Hopping Metroids, which may implicitly support their relationship. Furthermore, on the G.F.S Valhalla, the only other place they are found, there are a substantial number of Phazon Metroids.
==Official data==
===Logbook entry (English)===
===Logbook entry (Japanese)===
==Development Data==
Internal files list the creature's name as Super Hopper. Its model name is Super_Metroid_Hopper. This name likely refers to the fact it is a more powerful (super) version of the regular Metroid Hopper. The model name itself is also a reference to the game Super Metroid.
==Trivia==
*Phazon Hoppers make a sound somewhat resembling the bark of a dog.
==Gallery==
LogbookEntry jp PhazonHopper.JPG|Japanese scan, referencing Phazon Metroids.
Phazon Hopper spawner.png|Phazon Hopper-producing burrow openings in Metroid Cavern.
Super Hopper model (side).png|Side-view.
==Notes and References==
ja:フェイゾンホッパー
Category:Phazon
Category:GFS Valhalla
Category:Phaaze
Category:Hopper Family
Category:Poisonous Flora, Fauna, and Fungi
Category:Hive creatures
Category:Creatures that can enter Hypermode