Ice Climbers

The Ice Climbers (アイスクライマー, Ice Climber), individualized as Popo (the boy in blue, ポポ) and Nana (the girl in pink, ナナ), are the titular main protagonists of Nintendo's popular video game series of the same name, created by Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985.
True to their name, the Ice Climbers are fundamental partners in justice, though each Ice Climber is differentiated from each other primarily by the color of their parkas. The duo consists of an elder twin boy dressed in an indigo Inuit parka who is the leader, and a younger twin girl dressed in a pink Inuit parka who is the follower and accompaniment, respectively. Fittingly, the Ice Climbers, true to their epitome as pioneer mountaineers, seek to scale various mountains, yet must also avoid various obstacles and antagonists in their route to each summit. In order to successfully accomplish each level, they must catch a vegetable-stealing condor. In their glory days, the duo pursued the aforementioned condor who, peculiarly, had possession of cucumbers, eggplants, and various other vegetables, while fending off Polar Bears, Nitpickers and Topis along their routes.
The Ice Climbers are voiced by Sanae Kobayashi, who also voiced Kaede from Elfen Lied.
==Appearance==
Together, the Ice Climbers both wear wintertime Inuit parka outfits, have shade brown chin-length hairstyles, blushing pink cheeks visible on their faces, and are proficient in using their hammers, their primary weapon for defense. The duo also wears brown gloves, white boots with wooden soles and cleats underneath them, attached by blue (Popo) and pink (Nana) boot-straps, and have long black eyes that are almost typically depicted with a white shine. Thus, these traits collectively make them somewhat identical to Kirby. Additionally, their boots and hammers also appear to be covered in light powdered snow.
Popo is the elder leader of the mountaineer duo, being a young, light-skinned boy who typically wears an indigo/blue Inuit parka outfit. He has spiky brunette hair that stops near his eyes. His parka's hood resembles the Freeze Copy Ability's hat Kirby can collect. The coloration for most of his clothing ranges from indigo-to-blue, similar to the colorations of Yuri's hairstyle.
Nana is the younger companion of the mountaineer duo, being a young, tomboyish and light-skinned girl who typically wears a pink/light magenta Inuit parka outfit. Her parka's design matches that of her brother, but she has smoother hair that parts near the middle. The only major difference between Nana and her brother is that most of her clothing replaces Popo's blue/indigo coloration scheme with pink/light magenta, similar to the colorations of Natsuki's hairstyle. On the official box artworks for the Japanese and PAL versions of Ice Climber, Nana (the only individual of the duo to make a depicted appearance on the box arts) instead is depicted as blonde instead of brunette.
==Personality==
True to their quintessential designs in Ice Climber, the Ice Climbers are overall playful and energetic mountaineers who are entertained by climbing summits and routing through icy mountaintops. As shown in their franchise, the Ice Climbers are heroic and brave - proven when they chase after the vegetables. Despite their extreme youth, the Ice Climbers have surprisingly high intelligence and are proficient in brawling and/or fighting antagonists, by landing heavy blows using their main weapons (their primary means of defense), their wooden mallets/hammers. However, the Ice Climbers are often self-aware and oblivious at times, due to possessing cryokinesis and climbing the glacial peak leading to the Great Fox and the Halberd while being unaware of it, respectively.
Additionally, when the Ice Climbers meet up with Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he flies ahead of them and the mountaineers angrily follow him behind; taking it as a challenge. This shows that they find joy in climbing mountains and like racing other people to the top. Despite being fighters, the duo don't like watching fights or arguments, as shown in the Subspace Emissary where Meta Knight and Lucario prepare to fight each other while the Ice Climbers spectate in fear before becoming relieved after their reconciliation. 
As an archetypical tag-team duo, the Ice Climbers, themselves, have an incredible dependence on each other for almost all situations. Popo and Nana have reliance on each other for teamwork to achieve full level of their fighting prowess and combat, which often leads to occasional trouble: antagonists can receive the free opportunity to easily separate them if the Ice Climbers are reckless, and if under the absence of one climber, the remaining climber will be drastically hindered in combat and skills; in turn, Popo and Nana's skills are at their best when combined, so their levels of prowess are half as effective alone.
==History==
===Ice Climber===
Implied by the game's title, the Ice Climbers have climbed a variety of mountains throughout the entire lifespan of Ice Climber. In their glory days, they pursued the aforementioned condor who, peculiarly, had possession of cucumbers, eggplants, and various other vegetables, while fending off Polar Bears, Nitpickers, and Topis along their routes while climbing the mountains the duo passes by.
In Ice Climber, the player controls a child in a blue Inuit parka and wielding a mallet as the default first player, Popo, and in a two-player cooperative mode, a second feminine Ice Climber in a pink parka, Nana, becomes a simultaneous second-player character. The Ice Climbers are motivated into jumping up through vertical, platform-heavy "glacial mountain" stages when all of their vegetables are stolen by a giant condor that retreats to the top of each stage, and along their routes, they must smash blocks of ice either by jumping into them from underneath or using their mallets. In addition to forming random ice stalactites that fall down from above, several varieties of antagonists native to the mountains threaten to reduce an Ice Climber's limited stock of lives: a flying bird, titled the Nitpicker, an upright-walking Polar Bear that wears pink shorts and sunglasses, and a Topi, which undergone an infamous alteration from a seal to a rotund, yeti-like creature in the Western version, perhaps to avoid potential accusations of endorsing animal cruelty (in that the game depicts humans bludgeoning live seals for a point reward). Furthermore, the arcade version includes a pair of enemies which were omitted from the NES release: the Bee, which wields a spear and flies across the screen, and the Butterfly, which replaces the Condor in some levels. The upper half of all stages is an antagonist-free "bonus" stage in which the Ice Climbers have the opportunity to navigate a tricky set of platforms, collect vegetables for points, and potentially jump up to and grab the condor's talons (or the Butterfly's feet in some levels in Vs. Ice Climber) at the mountain peak, all for a massive point-bonus.
==Other Media==
===Super Smash Bros. Series===
====Super Smash Bros. Melee====
The Ice Climbers made their debut appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series, after a total of sixteen years from the release of their original installment of their series, Ice Climber. The Ice Climbers are a dual-controlled pair of fighters, making them unique compared to the other fighters. They, as a singular entity, are one of the 14 default characters available from the start. As a duo-dynamic pair of fighters, the partner duplicates whatever the leader performs. If the following Ice Climber is KO'd during the current stock, the remaining Ice Climber's fighting prowess is only half as effective; vice versa, however, if the leading Ice Climber is KO'd before the partner, the partner will be rendered KO'd as well.
====Super Smash Bros. Brawl====
The Ice Climbers make their official reappearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as playable characters and being available at the start of the game. In addition to retaining their moveset and attributes from Super Smash Bros. Melee, their own designs have been aesthetically altered, and the duo have received a final smash, titled Iceberg.
===== The Subspace Emissary =====
During the events of the Subspace Emissary, the Ice Climbers are first playable in the Glacial Peak, climbing a mountain leading to the Halberd and the Great Fox battling against each other in the sky. Upon noticing Meta Knight flying past them, they see this as a challenge, angering them and leading to the duo racing him to the top of the mountain while fending off a sizeable portion of the Subspace Army along their route to the top. When the Ice Climbers and Meta Knight reach the top of the mountain, they find a meditating Lucario there (waiting for Meta Knight and the Ice Climbers' arrival), who challenges Meta Knight to a battle, while the Ice Climbers spectate in fear. After the fight, the victor revives the trophicated loser, and Meta Knight and Lucario reconciliate, relieving the Ice Climbers. However, relief was short-lived, as the Halberd crashes the Great Fox into the mountain. Meta Knight and Lucario manage to board the Halberd, and the Ice Climbers are knocked back to the ground towards Marth, Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, and Ike. After the Ice Climbers defeat a portion of the Subspace Army (with the assistance of Mario, Kirby, Pit, Link and Yoshi), the Ice Climbers team up with the other fighters.
The Isle of Ancients has been engulfed by a plethora of activated Subspace Bombs, and the ten fighters notice this (Ice Climbers among them). After annihilating the Subspace Gunship with the assistance of the Falcon Flyer (containing Samus Aran, Pikachu, Olimar, Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, and R.O.B.) and the reowned Halberd (retaken by Meta Knight, Lucario, Solid Snake, Peach, Princess Zelda/Sheik, Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, and Mr. Game & Watch), the Ice Climbers and the other fighters invade the Subspace. 
After Ganondorf's betrayal against Bowser and Tabu defeating Ganondorf (as well as Master Hand), the fighters eventually confront Tabuu. Unfortunately, Tabuu trophicates the rest of the fighters once again using his off waves, including the Ice Climbers. However, the duo were miraculously revived by Kirby (who was revived by eating a Dedede Brooch), and accompanies Ness, Luigi, King Dedede and the rest of the fighters into the Great Maze and not only finally defeating Tabuu, but also successfully wiping out the Subspace into nonexistence and saving the world.
====Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Super Smash Bros. for Wii U====
The Ice Climbers do not make their reappearance as playable characters for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, although the duo is regulated in both versions as a collectible trophy. According to Masahiro Sakurai, the Ice Climbers were fully functional and playable in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but because of Nintendo 3DS's lack of hardware power, the Ice Climbers were ultimately scrapped from both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4, so that they share the same roster because Sakurai did not want version-exclusive characters. Additionally, they were deemed as "low-priority" characters since it was unlikely that the duo would receive a new game in their series.
====Super Smash Bros. Ultimate====
Alongside the rest of the entire veterans of the Super Smash Bros. series, the Ice Climbers make their ultimate reappearance to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as unlockable characters, being formally announced within the game's E3 2018 trailer on June 12th, 2018.
=== WarioWare Series===
====WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!====
Popo, the duo's leader, makes a cameo in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, making an appearance in the microgame, titled the original game's same name "Ice Climber." In this microgame, Popo has to travel to the top of the mountain and grab the condor.
====WarioWare: Twisted!====
Popo makes a reappearance as a cameo in WarioWare: Twisted!, with his primary mission to smash the oncoming antagonists with his hammer.
====WarioWare Gold====
Popo makes a reappearance in WarioWare Gold, in the microgame, "Ice Climber." The player's objective is to grab onto the condor before time runs out. On the third-level difficulty, he has to reach the eggplant before time runs out.
==Trivia==
* The Ice Climbers are one of the two archetypical tag-team characters to appear in the Super Smash Bros. series. The other is considered - Rosalina & Luma.
** Unlike Banjo & Kazooie and Duck Hunt, the Ice Climbers are simultaneously controlled by the player in a separate manner instead of singular.
* The Ice Climbers are the only characters to appear in multiple Super Smash Bros. installments before being scrapped, then returning to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The reason the Ice Climbers were scrapped from SSB4 is due to the consistent technical issues that Masahiro Sakurai and the development team faced when attempting to make them function properly in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
** During Palutena's Guidance regarding the Ice Climbers, however, Pit assumes that their absence in SSB4 was due to illegal teaming, in which this dialogue is a humorous reference to the aforementioned reason above for the Ice Climbers' absence in Smash 4.
** The Ice Climbers cease to return as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. 4, but then made a cameo as being relegated to a collectible trophy. In a column for the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai claimed that technical limitations of the Nintendo 3DS prevented their inclusion; the two were reportedly difficult to implement on the system, and since the characters were unlikely to have a new game in their series, Sakurai deemed the Ice Climbers "low-priority" characters. While they were fully functional on the Wii U, Sakurai decided to scrap them in order for the roster to be identical for both installments.
* Popo makes cameos without Nana in WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$, WarioWare: Twisted, and WarioWare: Touched. However, both Ice Climbers appear as cameos in WarioWare: Get It Together! when playing the "Ice Climber" microgame with two players.
* Contrary to popular belief, the pair are not siblings. In an interview with Masahiro Sakurai, he has referred to the pair as "childhood friends like boy-and-girl pair" and goes on to say that their relationship is “more than friends, but less than lovers.”
* The Ice Climbers have never unequipped their hoodies or gloves, not even revealing their full hairstyles.
** This is potentially the case: they are referred to as “eskimos.”
* On the official box artworks for the Japanese and PAL versions of Ice Climber, Nana (the only one of the duo to make an official appearance on the box artworks) is depicted with blonde hair, although in the game, she and Popo's hairstyle coloration were restricted to black hair. In their later appearances in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they have brunette hairstyles.
* In various languages, Popo's name is altered to "Pépé." This is because "popo" means "buttocks" in Turkish and "poop" in Spanish.
** In German, "Popo" is a basic slang term for "butt" when translated to English.
== References ==
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