King Kihunter

The King KihunterMetroid: Other M Premiere EditionSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U is a large insectoid encountered by Samus Aran in the Biosphere's Biological Experiment Floor aboard the BOTTLE SHIP. It is a form of Kihunter that operates as the dominant specimen of a Kihunter Nest.
==Description==
The King Kihunter is a large, maggot-like creature with a pinkish-white hue and a golden brown underbelly. It has six hooked, branch-like limbs with spines on its back. It bears little resemblance to the normal Kihunters.
The King Kihunter on the BOTTLE SHIP lives inside of a massive Kihunter Nest suspended in the Biological Experiment Floor's lower level, where it is surrounded by Zeros, Kihunters, and Whipvines. Once the Whipvines are destroyed and the nest cracks open, the King Kihunter is revealed alongside an entourage of Kihunters. It constantly summons more Kihunters to defend itself, but cannot directly attack Samus.
When Samus kills the King Kihunter, both its body and the inside surface of the hive shrivel and turn grey, suggesting an intimate connection between the King Kihunter and its nest. According to Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition, the nest is a protective shell that is not part of its body.
With the King Kihunter dead, the remaining Kihunters in the nest fly away, and Little Birdie feeds on its honey. Samus then receives her assignment from Commander Adam Malkovich to go to the Biosphere Test Area, and a door unlocks to let her out of the Biological Experiment Floor.
==Official data==
===Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition===
; Bosses (pg. 18)
:King Kihunter
:"As you might expect, the King Kihunter is heavily protected by several Kihunters. It also lives inside a large King Kihunter protective shell that hangs overhead and is suspended by several Frondana plants. To expose the King, first, destroy the swarms of Kihunters. With the protective Kihunters out of the way, turn your attention to the Frondana plants supporting the King's shell and destroy them, too. When the shell comes crashing down, it will crack open and expose the King. Blast through several more waves of Kihunters, then pop the King with a few missiles to destroy him."
===Nintendo Official Guidebook for Metroid Other M===
"The King Kihunter in the Kihunter Nest. It can't move, but the other Kihunters surround it to protect it."
===Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy===
"Like social insects in real life, Kihunters function as a colony, possessing a hierarchy and assigned roles. The easiest comparison is to bees, which they also closely resemble. This gigantic insect seems to be the leader of the cloned Kihunter colony that appears in Metroid: Other M, similar in status to a bee colony's queen."
==Trivia==
*The exact role(s) of a King Kihunter is left unknown. Despite having characteristics similar to a queen of a eusocial colony, the title of "King" in the creature's name implies it to be in fact male. It is therefore unlikely to be the one spawning Zeros. It is possible that he's the only reproductive male in the nest, making his life mostly dedicated to mating. However, its death has no devastating impact on the Kihunter population on the BOTTLE SHIP, as Super Kihunters are seen even during Samus' return to the ship after the credits.
**His symbiotic connection to the nest suggests that his other roles consist of providing not only shelter for his lesser kin, but also food, using his body as a living food storage vessel similar to the repletes of honeypot ants.
*Internal files in the game refer to the King Kihunter as if it were the queen.
**In the Latin American versions of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, this creature's trophy is called Queen Kihunter (Reina Vespuloide).
*The environments surrounding Spore Spawn and Nettori also shrivel up and turn into a darker color when the aforementioned creatures are defeated, quite similar to the King's death.
*While it can be assumed that King Kihunters exist naturally outside the BOTTLE SHIP, it is unconfirmed if they are part of the Space Pirates faction along with their fellow Kihunters.
==Gallery==
JP Other M Guide 163.jpg| Nintendo Official Guidebook for Metroid Other M page 163.
SSB4WiiUTrophyKingKihunter.png| Wii U trophy.
Boss_kingkihunter1.jpg|Official art from the Extras menu in Metroid Other M.
==References==
ru:Королевский Ки-Охотник
Category:Bosses
Category:BOTTLE SHIP
Category:Biosphere
Category:Kihunter Family
Category:Intelligent Species
Category:Trophies
Category:Deceased