Chozo Statue

:This article is about the statues holding power-ups. For other uses, see Chozo Statue (Disambiguation).
 
Chozo Statues (referred to as Artifactor Statues in the Metroid II: Return of Samus manual) are statues made by the Chozo, which were put on planets to observe their sentient inhabitants. The Chozo Statues often help Samus Aran in her quests by offering upgrades for her Power Suit that help her defeat enemies. An aggressive subcategory known as the Torizo resemble the Chozo Statues, however these will not only move around, but also attack Samus.
Some statues can be destroyed, but most are impervious to damage. They seem to have limited sentience, possibly containing Chozo spirits of sorts. This is supported by the Meta Ridley boss battle in Metroid Prime, where the statues surrounding the Cipher retaliate and blast him into an abyss at the battle's conclusion. Some statues' eyes, and sometimes other parts on their body, glow bright yellow.
==Creation and function==
Scans found in the NTSC version of Metroid Prime indicate that only the most skilled Chozo crafters are able to create statues. The statues themselves are often seen bearing Item Spheres in their talons, but may have other abilities, including (but not limited to) data storage, healing and limited mobility. Ones on SR388 also hold Big Aeion Orbs after their respective items are acquired, similar to Aeion Ability Artifacts.
Chozo Statues also frequently serve as sentinels of the Chozo's secrets, and have been implied to have a rudimentary awareness of their surroundings. Some statues are even able to come to life and attack intruders: Known as Torizo, these mechanical guardians are equipped with weaponry to punish those who would defile the secrets of the Chozo. The Torizo also seem to contain bodily fluids, suggesting a partially organic nature; however, it is unknown whether this is the case for all Chozo statues.
Interestingly, the statues in Metroid: Zero Mission interact with Samus's beams in a particular fashion, namely that the statues stop the Wave Beam, which cannot pierce organic matter, but are pierced by the Plasma Beam, which can. This suggests that the statues in the game contain an organic interior.
The NTSC Chozo Lore called Statuary states, "As we have done for millennia, we Chozo work constantly on our statuary. The statues are our sentinels: blind but ever watchful, they are and have always been, repositories for our most precious secrets and strongest powers. The crafting of each is a long and sacred process, performed only by those Chozo who have lifetimes of experience in such things. We have left these relics on planets across the solar system. Some are merely reminders: silent emblems of the Chozo that serve as icons of peace in lands that know only war. Others wield subtle strength, exerting their influence in ways beyond the understanding of mortal creatures. Still others are guardians of our secret ways, and these can be 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."
==Appearances==
In Metroid: Zero Mission, several statues will be empty-handed and initially be standing on their feet, waiting for Samus to use her Morph Ball to fit in the palm of their hands; this will result in the statues indicating the location of other statues which hold Power-ups on her map of Zebes. Afterward, they will cautiously sit down and immediately recharge Samus's health and weapon ammo before closing their eyes and loosening their grip on her. If a Power-Up was obtained prior to reaching a related standing statue (most commonly by Sequence Breaking), the Statue in question will remain in a seated position upon first encounter with it and will behave like the other sitting statues. With the exception of the Chozo Statue holding the Power Grip upgrade, all other statues in the game can recharge Samus's suit and weapons. Interestingly, the one holding the Power Grip has a very unique look compared to the rest, and might be based on Metroid Prime 's designs. The statues holding the Unknown Items have a slightly different look to the others; they are weathered and slightly damaged looking, and look rather more pointed and aggressive than the others with slightly larger shoulders. All other statues appear in an identical design to one another and each statue has a unique coloration for the item it holds (along with its accompanying hint statue, if any). A song plays when using a Chozo Statue to locate an item. The intended order of the standing Chozo statues is thus:
Statue color 	Room 	Points to
Grey 	Overhang corridor, Brinstar 	Long Beam
Bronze 	Chozo Statute chamber, Brinstar 	Bombs
Blue 	Second guide chamber, Brinstar 	Ice Beam
Green 	Norfair's upper-right path, Norfair	Speed Booster
Red 	First guide chamber, Brinstar 	High Jump Boots
Gold 	Varia shrine, Norfair 	Varia Suit
Purple 	Corridor No. 3, Brinstar 	Wave Beam
White (destroyed)	Broken Statue room, Norfair 	Screw Attack
A Chozo Statue appears in Metroid Fusion, but it is actually an X Parasite mimicking one. The Fake Chozo Statue implies that Chozo Statues are partially organic in nature, as the X-Parasites can only mimic biological organisms. There is also what seems to be an X-infected Torizo called the Nettori.
thumb|256px|A Chozo Statue in Super Metroid.
In Super Metroid, some Chozo Statues will help Samus navigate her environment. For example, one in the Wrecked Ship carries Samus past a bed of spikes and into a passageway leading to the Gravity Suit; another found in Ridley's Hideout drained the lava out of the room to allow further progression, granting access to the Gold Torizo mini-boss battle, the Screw Attack, and ultimately, Ridley. Interestingly, this statue in Ridley's Hideout will not activate unless Samus has the Space Jump, requiring her to use a glitch on the other side of the room leading to the Screw Attack in order to access it.
Throughout the Metroid Prime trilogy, items were rarely placed in the hands of Chozo Statues. Several appear in Metroid Prime, with designs unlike any seen before in the 2-D Metroid games. While the majority of them merely serve as decorations, the most notable is the large monument statue that gives Samus access to the Ice Beam, a Chozo Artifact, and an Energy Tank in the Hall of the Elders. This statue is also gifted with the ability to perform physical movements and is guarded by several Chozo Ghosts. Worthy of noting are the statues in the Artifact Temple that were capable of dealing the final blow to Meta Ridley by shooting red beams from their eyes.
thumb|right|250px|A Chozo Statue in the Powerworks pod of Skytown, in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, most of the statuary of the Chozo serve once again as ornaments. However, there are two statues that stand out from the rest: one is found at the entrance to SkyTown which has been shrouded by Phazon Vines, and another that holds the Spider Ball in the Powerworks. The statue that holds the Spider Ball is in the typical Chozo Statue position and appears to be wearing the Varia Suit. This is the second occurrence of a Chozo Statue holding an item in the Prime series, the first being the statue holding the Chozo Artifact of Strength.
In Metroid: Samus Returns, once the item in a Chozo Statue's hand has been retrieved, it will be replaced by a Big Aeion Orb, which will restore Samus's Aeion Gauge. Area 2 has four statues total, the largest number of Chozo Statues out of all the areas in SR388. Interestingly, the shoulders of Chozo Statues in Samus Returns resemble the round pauldrons of Samus' Varia Suit. In addition to traditional Chozo Statues, Samus also comes across Aeion Ability Artifact statues which feature a large Chozo Statue in the background shining light onto the head of a large bodiless mechanical Chozo statue, which Samus can only enter using the Morph Ball. This statue head will "swallow" Samus when she grabs the Aeion ability causing her to come out the back where she incorporates the power of the Artifact into her Power Suit. The light shining from the other statue in the background disappears.
Chozo Statues also appear in Metroid Dread on ZDR. In addition to the traditional statues, the ones that hold an Item Cube stand upright and are modeled after the Aeion ability power-up in their hands: the Phantom Cloak's statue depicts the Chozo concealing itself with its cloak, the Flash Shift's statue has a nimble-like appearance, and the Pulse Radar's statue holds a map above its head. Some traditional Chozo Statues are surrounded by Butterflies before Samus scares them away with her presence, but these are not observed on the Aeion statues. Unlike Metroid Fusion, the X are not known to have infected or mimicked any Chozo Statue in Dread, including the one in their quarantine site of Elun that holds the Plasma Beam.
==Destroyed Statues==
===Metroid: Zero Mission===
*One of the statues in Metroid: Zero Mission in Norfair is broken and cannot be repaired. The reason of its demise is unknown but it appears to have meant to lead Samus Aran to the Chozo Statue that held the Screw Attack as both statuaries were identically colored. Throughout Zero Mission, both the statue that pinpointed a location for Samus and the one holding the item indicated on the map by the initial statue shared the same colors. The unknown items and the Screw Attack were the only upgrades that had no initial statues to indicate their position (the latter's was destroyed).
===Metroid Prime===
*Although no Chozo Statues were shown to be broken in Metroid Prime, one of the Chozo Lore entries in the NTSC, "Statuary", located at the Artifact Temple, alluded to how the various Chozo-created monuments, should they be broken, would have the Chozo supply their "raw and unfettered" wrath on the ones responsible, which was later confirmed when Meta Ridley was blasted off the Artifact Temple by the present Chozo Statues in retaliation for his destroying the artifact totems. The lore was ultimately removed in later versions of the game.
===Metroid II: Return of Samus===
*A broken statue appears in Phase 9 on SR388 of Metroid II: Return of Samus shortly before entering the Metroid nest, located directly under the Queen Metroid's chamber. It lacks a head, which is on the ground nearby, with the Item Sphere containing the Ice Beam right behind its body. It is possible that the Metroids, perhaps the Queen herself, were aware of the item being held by the statue and knowing the danger it posed for them, attempted to destroy it. This destroyed statue is not seen in Samus Returns, as the Ice Beam is permanently obtained earlier in Area 1.
===Metroid: Samus Returns===
*In Area 1, Samus finds the Statue that once held the Spider Ball destroyed by a cave-in, while she finds its Item Sphere containing the Spider Ball under some nearby rubble.
*In Arachnus' room in Area 2, Arachnus' ball form can be found curled up in a Chozo Statue's hands presumably after consuming the Item Sphere containing the Spring Ball. Arachnus will jump up and destroy the statue if Samus approaches or attacks it, though it will leave behind the Spring Ball when it is killed.
*Samus comes across a damaged Chozo Statue in Area 4, with its upgrade missing. Shortly after, she narrowly escapes the Diggernaut mining robot, which drops the Space Jump after believing it has killed her. It can be inferred that the Diggernaut destroyed that statue and took the item, either intentionally or unintentionally. The way this particular statue is destroyed, with its head resting on the floor several feet away, is reminiscent of the destroyed statue in Phase 9 from the original game.
*In Area 6, Diggernaut is seen sucking in the Power Bomb upgrade from another Statue using its vacuum ability, destroying the statue completely in the process.
===Super Metroid===
*A statue gets destroyed by the first Torizo in Crateria as it breaks out of the statue.
===Metroid Dread===
*A much larger Chozo Statue in Corpius' room is destroyed when the defeated Corpius crashes into it. This statue presumably held the Item Cube for Phantom Cloak, which instead ended up embedded in Corpius's tail.
*Although it does not appear in the released game, concept artwork in Metroid Mission Logs shows a weathered Chozo statue with a broken arm.
==Official data==
===Metroid II: Return of Samus manual===
;Artifactor Statue
:"This is a relic of an ancient civilization. This statue holds the item sphere."
===Metroid II: Return of Samus Virtual Console manual===
;Artifactor statue
:"These sacred relics of an ancient civilization hold item spheres in their hands."
===Super Metroid manual===
;CHOZO STATUES
:"The ancient bird people of Zebes are immortalized in the form of several statues scattered throughout the planet. By firing on the balls that are held by many of these Chozo statues, you'll reveal special items."
===Metroid: Zero Mission manual===
;Chozo Statues
:"Chozo Statues often hold items.Change to Morph Ball form on a statue's palm to have all energy, Missiles, and Power Bombs filled to the maximum. "
===Metroid: Zero Mission on-screen messages===
"Energy Tank recharge complete."
"Weapons and energy fully restored."
===Super Smash Bros. Melee===
"These statues, which provide power-ups to Samus and have some connection with her Power Suit, have been found in many places, most notably Zebes. The Chozo boasted the most advanced civilization in their galaxy. Some say that when they could advance no further, they chose to withdraw and observe other life forms."
===Super Smash Bros. Brawl===
*Chozo Statue Metroid II: Return of Samus- [Aura] Attack +25 (Lucario)
===Nintendo Land===
"The highly advanced Chozo were once a great civilization, but this greatness cost them dearly and resulted in their ultimate demise..."
===Metroid: Samus Returns website===
;Chozo Statues
:"Bizarre remnants of a past civilization that hold helpful Item Spheres you can use."
===Metroid: Samus Returns manual===
;Chozo Statues
:"Remnants of an ancient civilization. Hit the Item Spheres in their hands to reveal the items they're guarding."
===Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide===
;INHABITANTS & ECO SYSTEM OF SR388 - CHOZO RELICS (p. 25)
:CHOZO STATUES
:"Statues of the ancient Chozo Empire can be found throughout the planet's interior. This wouldn't be all that strange or interesting, were it not for the orbs, known as Item Spheres, that most possess. Should you grab one, your Power Suit gains an upgrade. This is incredibly useful, but it raises the question: was it common for Chozo to utilize Item Spheres themselves?"
==Other appearances==
===Super Smash Bros.===
The recurring Planet Zebes: Brinstar stage has a Torizo in its background that sits down every so often (after walking in the background), assuming the pose of an authentic Chozo Statue. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the statue does not move at all.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, a Chozo Statue appears as a trophy.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Chozo Statue has a sticker based on its Return of Samus artwork. It can be applied to boost Lucario's aura attacks.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Chozo Statue appears as an Advanced class Support Spirit, once again using its artwork from Return of Samus. When equipped with a Primary Spirit with at least one free support slot, it provides the Shooting Attack ↑ attribute, increasing the strength of projectiles.
The Chozo Statue Spirit can be unlocked in World of Light, where it can be found in the Gerudo Desert area of the Sacred Land, or via the Spirit Board. In either instance, the Spirit possesses a Samus Puppet Fighter using her Dark Suit alternate costume. The battle takes place on the Planet Zebes: Brinstar stage, with Brinstar Depths (Melee) (which includes a remix of Silence, the theme associated with Chozo Statue item rooms) serving as the background music. The Samus Puppet Fighter is equipped with a Screw Attack at the start of the battle, and Screw Attacks are the only items that will spawn during the match. Throughout the battle, the Samus Puppet Fighter primarily uses its Special Moves (Charge Shot, Bomb, Missile/Super Missile, and Screw Attack), which are all derived from upgrades that can be acquired from Chozo Statues.
The Chozo Statue can be sent back to the real world, leaving behind its core. This core can be combined with the core of a Metroid to summon the Fusion Suit Spirit. This references the fact that the Fusion Suit is created from a mixture of Chozo technology and Metroid DNA.
===NES Remix===
NES Remix includes a Chozo Statue Miiverse stamp.
===Nintendo Land===
A Chozo Statue with a blocky appearance makes a cameo appearance in the Nintendo Land Metroid Blast attraction. Found in the Ice Sector, the statue sits in the exact same way as a statue in the 2D Metroid games. Although it does not hold an Item Sphere, an item pickup can usually be found directly in front of it.
The Chozo Statue is also a randomly unlocked prize from the pachinko game. Situated in front of Metroid Blast, it does not have a special function when activated.
===In other media===
*In the Captain N: The Game Master episode "Metroid Sweet Metroid", Kevin and Duke discover a statue while exploring Metroid. The statue is holding an Item Sphere, which Kevin uses to fight a Skree. While it hardly resembles a Chozo, this statue plays an identical role to the Chozo Statues in Metroid, and is therefore likely intended to be representative of one.
*In the House M.D. episode "Occam's Razor", House can be seen playing Zero Mission on his GBA SP several times. In two of these scenes, Samus is shown rolling into the hand of the first Chozo Statue in the game, apparently causing a Game Over.
*The video game Guacamelee! features "Choozo statues", a reference to the Chozo Statues.
*The statue from which the knight receives the Shade Cloak in Hollow Knight is a tribute to the Chozo Statue.
==Development notes==
As with many other elements of the Metroid series, the Chozo Statues are thought to be inspired by the Alien film series. Specifically, they resemble the fossilized Space Jockey seen in the original film.
In Zero Mission, there are unused additional cutscenes triggered when morphing into the hands of the Chozo Statues in "Kraid's reliquary" and "Ridley's reliquary". Both would have pointed to the entrance to Tourian. These scenes can be viewed here.
==Gallery==
===Metroid===
Samus artwork 15.png
File:MZIO page 77.JPG|A possible Chozo Statue holding the Varia Suit in Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order
File:Ice Beam Chozo Statue Famiken Ryu.png|Famiken Ryu
Long Beam Famiken Ryu.png|An alternate design in Famiken Ryu
Captain N Chozo Statue.png|Captain N: The Game Master
Nintendo1991Calendar-04-March.jpg|1991 The Power Game Calendar
===Metroid II: Return of Samus===
M2 Phase 9 Destroyed Statue.gif|A destroyed Chozo Statue in Phase 9
Code 2.png|Super Game Boy Player's Guide
===Super Metroid===
Chozo Statue Walker.png|Sprite(Standing)
Fistcrush.jpg|Super Metroid Japanese guide.
Super Metroid Manga 2.png|Super Metroid manga
NP051.jpg|A mile-high piloted Chozo Statue appeared in Blood of the Chozo
===Metroid: Zero Mission===
Chozo Statue manga.png|Metroid: Volume 2
ZMChozoStatue.png|A Chozo Statue sitting.
ZeroMission ChozoStatues.png|The two kinds of Chozo Statues in Zero Mission.
Chozo Statue Sprite 2.gif|A standing Chozo Statue
Item powergrip.gif|"Chozo reliquary"
1288.jpg|The Power Grip Chozo Statue.
914982 20040220 790screen129.jpg|Chozo Statues in the background of Chozodia.
Chozo-chac-mool.jpeg|This statue is inspired by Chac-Mool.
===Metroid Prime===
Mh9GB.jpg|Hall of the Elders (James Dargie)
ChozoTotem.jpg|Hive Totem, aka "Chozo Totem" (James Dargie)
Phendranastatue.PNG|Metroid Prime art of a statue in the Phendrana Drifts
===Metroid Prime 3: Corruption===
Skytown arch.png|Concept art
Fillerskytownweb.jpg
Spideyballroom.jpg|Powerworks concept art
Chozoweb-1-.jpg
Chozofiller.jpg
Met10--screenshot_viewer_medium.jpg|A Chozo Statue at the entrance to SkyTown, Elysia.
Chozostatue.jpg|The statue that holds the Spider Ball in Corruption
Powerworks Matt Manchester 9.JPG|The statue holding the Spider Ball.
===Metroid: Samus Returns===
File:Metroid Samus Returns - Chozo Statue.png
Metroid Samus Returns Chozo Statue (Area 1) Broken Chozo Statue (Spider Ball Statue Chamber Missile Tank).png|Broken Spider Ball Chozo Statue in Area 1 in Metroid: Samus Returns
Metroid Samus Returns Chozo Statue Varia Suit (Power Suit Upgrade).png|Chozo Statue in Area 2 holding the Varia Suit in Metroid: Samus Returns
File:Metroid Samus Returns Varia Suit (Ice Beam) Full Body Varia Suit (Cutscene).png|Chozo Statue in the background of the Varia Suit cutscene in Metroid: Samus Returns
MSR Area 4 Broken Chozo Statue Close Up.jpg|The Chozo Statue destroyed by Diggernaut in Area 4
MSR Area 4 Broken Chozo Statue Background.jpg|Samus investigating the broken Chozo Statue.
Metroid Samus Returns Chozo Statue (Area 6) Power Bomb Statue (Diggernaut Vacuum Destruction).png|The Diggernaut's vacuum destroying the Power Bomb Chozo Statue in Samus Returns.
Odin-fernandez-moreno-artifactor-low.jpg|Odín Fernández renders, which refers to them as "Chozo Artifactors", a nod to its name in the Metroid II manual.
Odin-fernandez-moreno-artifactor.jpg
===Metroid Dread===
Metroid Dread Chozo Statue and Item Sphere.png
Metroid Dread Item Room with Varia Suit.png
Metroid Dread Item Room with unidentified item.png
Metroid Dread Wide Beam Room.png
Metroid Dread Bomb Room.png
Dread PhantomCloak Statue.png|Chozo Statue meant to hold the Phantom Cloak
Dread FlashShift Statue.png|Chozo Statue holding the Flash Shift
Dread PulseRadar Statue.png|Chozo Statue holding the Pulse Radar
Metroid Dread Pulse Radar Room.png
===Super Smash Bros. and related media===
Chozo Statue.jpg|The Chozo Statue trophy from Melee
NL Ice Sector Chozo.jpg|A Chozo Statue in the Ice Sector in Nintendo Land.
SSBU Metroid Spirit Board.png|A Chozo Statue on the Spirit Board
SSBU Chozo Statue Spirit Battle.png|The Chozo Statue Spirit using a Samus Puppet Fighter
it:Statua Chozo
ru:Статуя Чозо
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