Samus Aran

Samus Aran (, Samus Aran) is the protagonist of the series. A human woman raised by the bird-like people, Samus is the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, frequently working with the to fight against fearsome villains such as the s. Samus is widely praised as one of Nintendo's most iconic heroes, and a groundbreaking example of proactive, powerful female protagonists in gaming.
As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Samus has been featured as a playable character throughout the series.
==Origin==
Samus Aran debuted in (1986) for the Nintendo Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. The original game concepts for Metroid were done by director Makoto Kanoh and designer Hiroji Kiyotake. Samus is an intergalactic bounty hunter who is fearless in the face of danger, willing to take on enemies much larger than herself to ensure peace in the galaxy. Her determination is only matched by her selflessness, as she often spares the weak and aids the downtrodden even without compensation. Samus mostly acts as a silent protagonist and avatar for the player — however, she is occasionally given spoken dialogue or monologues, with her level of expressiveness varying between games. This carries over to her incarnations in Super Smash Bros., where Samus is completely silent (save for the Galactic Avenger event description in SSB4, written as if spoken by her) and her Zero Suit self has a small number of spoken lines. attempted to portray Samus with more explicit emotions; however, the approach was poorly received by fans and critics, discouraging this characterization in future games. Titles such as Metroid: Samus Returns would revert Samus to her traditional silent depiction, using body language to convey her personality.
The first game saw Samus on her initial mission on the planet , sent to stop the s from harnessing the dangerous s. Samus successfully carried out the mission by defeating Kraid, Ridley, and finally Mother Brain, the mechanical lifeform controlling the Space Pirate hideout. The game kept Samus's gender a secret (with the intent of surprising gamers after they completed it); even the game's English instruction manual refers to Samus as a male. However, clearing the game quickly unlocks an ending where Samus would remove her Power Suit to reveal a bikini, and the well-known "JUSTIN BAILEY" cheat code would allow her to be playable in a leotard. Since then, almost every game in the series would depict an unsuited Samus in some way, typically as part of an ending sequence. In the game's remake, , an epilogue allows the player to play as Zero Suit Samus for the first time.
In , Samus is sent to , the homeworld of the Metroids, to exterminate them all after they were deemed too dangerous to exist. Samus accomplishes this mission, destroying even the , but after completing this task, the last Metroid egg hatches and the infant bonds to Samus as though she were its mother. Samus chooses to spare the baby Metroid and take it with her. The game's story is retold and expanded upon in the remake , most notably by having Samus and the baby Metroid be confronted by Ridley before leaving the planet.
In , with the last Metroid in captivity, the galaxy is at peace. Galactic Federation scientists study the Metroid, but just as Samus leaves the Ceres Colony, it is attacked, and Samus returns to witness Ridley making off with the infant Metroid. Samus chases him to Zebes where she once again defeats Kraid, Ridley, and other Space Pirates, but is attacked by a giant Metroid on her way to Mother Brain. The giant Metroid, in reality the grown infant, recognizes Samus at the last minute and flees. In a final epic battle, Samus is overcome by Mother Brain's new mechanical body, but she is saved by the baby Metroid's sacrifice. Using the Hyper Beam the baby Metroid had taken from Mother Brain, Samus avenges the baby and kills Mother Brain, escaping Zebes as the entire planet explodes.
A Nintendo Power comic adaptation of Super Metroid was the first depiction of Samus's backstory, which was later expanded in the Monthly Magazine Z . These comics established that Samus was born on the mining colony K-2L to parents Virginia and Rodney Aran. When Samus was 3 years old, her parents were away when the visited; one named Old Bird befriended her. After the Chozo left, the colony was raided by the Space Pirates led by Ridley. He attempted to kill Samus, inadvertently killing Virginia instead as she leapt in the way. Rodney then detonated the volatile mineral Afloraltite, sacrificing himself to destroy the Pirates and bury Ridley under rubble. Old Bird and the Chozo returned to find Samus as the sole survivor of the incident. They chose to adopt the orphaned girl and took her to planet Zebes. As she grew, she was infused with their DNA, trained with them in combat, and was given a Chozo Power Suit. Eventually, Samus left the planet and joined the Galactic Federation. She was present for the Space Pirates' occupation of Zebes, in which she reconciled her troubled relationship with her guardian Gray Voice before his death at the hands of Ridley. Samus later left the Federation due to her distaste for authority, as well as a personal dispute with her superior officer, Adam Malkovich. Samus became a lone bounty hunter, and developed a reputation as the best in the galaxy.
In , Samus is assigned to escort a research expedition on SR388. There she is infected by an , and subsequently crashes when she passes out at the wheel of her ship. Unconscious, parts of her suit are surgically removed by the Galactic Federation due to the X Parasites infecting it. Her life is saved only when she is given the , made from the baby Metroid's cells, giving her Metroid-like qualities such as immunity to X Parasites and weakness to cold. Soon afterwrads, Samus is sent to the BSL Research Station with a computer companion to investigate a disaster. There, she encounters an X Parasite mimicking her Power Suit called the SA-X, and a host of other X Parasites. Learning that a rogue Federation branch plots to clone Metroids as a bioweapon and secure the X Parasites for the same purpose, Samus resolves to destroy both the station and planet SR388 to prevent such an outcome. With the help of her computer ally, who is revealed to be a digital copy of Adam Malkovich, Samus sends the BSL crashing into SR388, escaping after absorbing the SA-X and defeating an escaped Omega Metroid.
In , set between Metroid and Metroid II, Samus investigates a Space Pirate distress call from the Frigate Orpheon. She discovers the Pirates had been studying a new form of mutagen called , and encounters the reconstructed Meta Ridley. Samus pursues Meta Ridley to the planet Tallon IV, where she learns that a Chozo colony had lived there and a meteorite had struck on the planet long ago, warping a Metroid into an evil creature known as Metroid Prime. Samus searches through Tallon IV, uncovering not just Space Pirate research on the Phazon mutagen and Metroid Prime itself, but Chozo lore as well, detailing their spiritual way of life before their demise. Samus opens the way to the meteorite, defeating Meta Ridley at the entrance, and seemingly defeats Metroid Prime despite it stealing her Phazon Suit upgrade.
In , Samus is sent to the Alimbic Cluster after the Galactic Federation intercepts a message claiming that "Ultimate Power" lies in the center. Samus explores four separate areas: Alinos, Arcterra, Vesper Defense Outpost, and the Celestial Archives, and secures the Octoliths, keys to the Infinity Void, where the ultimate power was said to be. Other bounty hunters named Sylux, Trace, Noxus, Spire, Kanden, and Weavel, stand in her way, each seeking the ultimate power for their own. The message turns out to be a trap, an attempt by the monstrous being Gorea to escape imprisonment. Samus, after securing an ancient Alimbic superweapon called the Omega Cannon, vanquishes Gorea and earns the respect of the Alimbic people.
In , Samus is sent to the planet known as Aether to find a lost group of Galactic Federation troopers. She learns another Phazon meteorite had struck Aether, splitting it in two at the dimensional level: one dimension of regular Aether and the other an oppressive world called Dark Aether, which boasted a literally corrosive atmosphere of evil. Samus explores the planet, destroying the dark Ing creatures and reclaiming the light of Aether for the native Luminoth species. She also encounters Dark Samus, a doppelganger of herself born from her Phazon Suit and the remains of Metroid Prime. With the help of the Luminoth, Samus stands against the Emperor Ing, destroys Dark Aether and apparently Dark Samus as well.
In , Samus and three other bounty hunters, Rundas, Ghor, and Gandrayda, are hired by the Galactic Federation to heal the Aurora Units across the galaxy, which are infected by Phazon. However, Dark Samus, now leading the Space Pirates, plots to corrupt the entire galaxy with Phazon. On Norion, Dark Samus "corrupts" Samus and the three bounty hunters with Phazon, so the Federation attempts to harness it using PED systems. However, the hunters succumb to Dark Samus' influence, forcing Samus to trek across three planets, Bryyo, Elysia, and the Space Pirate Homeworld, to kill the corrupted hunters and complete their missions. Samus and the Federation then travel to the planet Phaaze, the origin of all Phazon, where Samus finally destroys Dark Samus and renders all Phazon inert. As Samus flies off into space, a mysterious ship (later confirmed to be Sylux) follows her.
 marks Samus' first role in the series as a supporting character. Samus is hired to investigate the Bermuda System, a three-planet system with abandoned Galactic Federation resources. As the mech suit-equipped members of Federation Force are already undertaking missions there, Samus occasionally intervenes to assist them. Samus eventually discovers that the Space Pirates are building the battleship Doomseye to attack Federation headquarters; however, she is kidnapped and brainwashed, and serves as the game's final boss under Space Pirate control. Once freed from the brainwashing, Samus helps the Federation troopers escape from the Doomseye and rescues them from the void of space with her gunship.
In , set just after Super Metroid, Samus responds to a distress signal from a research station called the BOTTLE SHIP. There she runs into Adam Malkovich, her former commander from the Galactic Federation, and his platoon, including her old colleague Anthony Higgs. They discover that the BOTTLE SHIP was run by Federation staff creating illegal bioweapons cloned from Zebes, such as the Space Pirates and Ridley, but something went terribly wrong. Samus later discovers that the remains of the baby Metroid from her suit were used to clone Metroids as bioweapons. In order to control them, they created an android based on Mother Brain called MB, but she staged a bioweapon rebellion on the ship. In the end, Adam sacrifices himself to kill the Metroids, Samus defeats the Queen Metroid, and the Galactic Federation kills MB. Samus leaves the BOTTLE SHIP with Anthony and Madeline Bergman, MB's creator. Later, the Galactic Federation chooses to self-destruct the BOTTLE SHIP. Samus is allowed to return for Adam's helmet, which she succeeds in after facing Phantoon. Samus escapes before the station explodes.
In , set after Metroid Fusion, Samus is dispatched to the planet ZDR by the Galactic Federation, having received evidence of X Parasites there despite their supposed extinction. The Federation had sent E.M.M.I. robots to investigate, but they lost contact, leaving it up to Samus as the only being immune to the X Parasites. Soon after arriving on ZDR, Samus is overpowered by a hostile Chozo named Raven Beak, though her body's mysterious reaction makes him spare her. As she recovers and explores the planet, Samus encounters the E.M.M.I., which now seek to kill her. A friendly Chozo, Quiet Robe, warns Samus of Raven Beak's plot to dominate the galaxy using the power of the Metroid DNA in her body. As she continues, Samus' Metroid abilities begin to awaken, one of many side effects of the "Metroid" vaccine. This culminates in Samus developing the Metroid Suit and attaining tremendous power, destroying Raven Beak, the X, and ultimately, all of ZDR. Samus' new power almost dooms her when she nearly destroys her ship too, but an X-mimicked Quiet Robe restores her original condition, allowing her to escape.
==In Super Smash Bros.==
===As a playable character===
Samus makes her first appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series in the original Super Smash Bros. as a starting playable character. Samus is a heavy, yet floaty character. Her design is based off her appearance from Super Metroid. Her neutral special move is the Charge Shot, which can fire small blasts that do little damage; but when it is charged to full power, it is quite devastating. Her up special is the , which causes Samus to shoot up in the air, spinning her around very fast. Her down special is the , which can be used for a recovery through using it to air stall. However, Samus is considered one of the weaker characters in the game due to her lack of combo attacks, and being the only character in the game who cannot pull off a zero-to-death combo via natural combos. This has lead to her position on the current tier list, where she is ranked 8th out 12 at the top of the C tier.
Samus' in-game character description reads as follows:
:Samus Aran
:Samus Aran is the toughest bounty hunter in the galaxy. Using a special suit powered by the technology of the bird people which allows her to execute daring acrobatic feats, Samus pursues the airborne life form, , throughout the universe.
:Works:
:* (NES),
:*Metroid II: Return of Samus (GB),
:*Super Metroid (SNES)
==In Super Smash Bros. Melee==
===As a playable character===
Samus returns as a starting selectable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, in which her moveset has been tweaked. Her design is still based off her Super Metroid appearance. Her new side special move is the Missile. Samus's tier list placement is much higher than in the previous game (11th out of 26, in the B+ tier) due to her improved projectiles and edgeguarding capabilities, as well as a hugely improved recovery with many options, including bomb recovery and the wall grapple.
===Trophies===
Samus as a playable character is featured on three trophies. Her normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with her on any difficulty, and her Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. The only other trophy that features Samus is the Samus Unmasked trophy. However, this trophy is only obtainable via special events or by hacking.
==In Super Smash Bros. Brawl==
===As a playable character===
Samus returns in Brawl, with an embellished design based on . After using her Final Smash, the , her Varia Suit will fall off, thus making her become . Her color can be changed to resemble the color schemes of some of her other suits, like the or . When her suit color is changed in such a way, her color also changes and has different markings on the back. Her tier ranking is far lower than it was in Melee (32nd out of 38, in F tier) due to her severely nerfed KO power and projectiles.
===Trophies===
Samus has many trophies about her, including her main one that is awarded each time is completed with Samus on any difficulty.
===Stickers===
Name 	Game 	Effect 	Fighter(s)
Dark Suit Samus 	 	Attack +16 	
Gravity Suit Samus	Metroid: Zero Mission	Attack +11 	
Samus 	Metroid Fusion 	Resistance +16	
Samus 	 	Attack +18 	
Samus 	 	Attack +15 	
==In Super Smash Bros. 4==
===As a playable character===
Samus returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Her appearance now matches the design used in Metroid: Other M, albeit with minor cosmetic additions. However, she can no longer turn into , who is now a separate character.
Currently, Samus places 36-37th out of 54 characters on the Smash 4 tier list in the D tier (tying with ). While her Charge Shot gained KO power and had its speed increased, she had seemingly not improved much since Brawl. However, Samus received many helpful buffs in game updates, with the most noteworthy being update 1.1.5, which increased her air speed and noticeably improved her dash attack, forward tilt, forward aerial, and tether grab. Charge Shot and Missile also saw their start-up lag reduced, strengthening her camping options. Thanks to the buffs Samus has gained through updates, she is now considered to be better than how she was in Brawl and during the early days of Smash 4.
===As a costume===
Outside of her role as a playable character, Samus's helmet is available as headgear for all three Miis in the base game, while her Varia Suit serves as the basis of a downloadable content costume for s. Buying the Varia Suit costume will automatically unlock the helmet if it hasn't been unlocked already. Nintendo also released a QR code for those who wish to have the exact Mii used in the costume's advertising.
===Trophies===
==In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate==
===As a playable character===
Samus is playable once again as a starting character, using her design from Super Smash Bros. 4. Samus has received numerous changes that drastically change her playstyle from Smash 4, making her more of a powerhouse character with a stronger projectile game. Furthermore, Zero Suit Samus dons the Varia Suit during her Final Smash, using the same model as the playable version.
Aside from the two playable incarnations of Samus, multiple versions of her appear as Spirits, including the Fusion Suit and Gravity Suit.
===As a costume===
Samus' outfit for the Mii Gunner returns from the previous game, now being available from the start as a customization option.
===Spirits===
====Fighter spirit====
SSBU spirit Samus.png|264. Samus Aran
====Primary spirits====
No. 	Image	Name	Type	Class	Slots	Base 	Max 	Base 	Max 	Base 	Max 	Ability 	Series
270 	 	 	★★★ 	3 	2707 	8123 	1291 	3874 	1216 	3648 	Shooting Items Power ↑	Metroid Series 	
272 	 	 	★★ 	2 	1704 	6837 	784 	3145 	920 	3692 	 	Metroid Prime Series	
273 	 	 	★★★★	2 	4840 	12103	1810 	4526 	2399 	5999 	Healing Shield 	Metroid Prime Series	
274 	 	 	★★ 	2 	1458 	5837 	810 	3243 	540 	2162 	Shooting Items Power ↑	Metroid Series 	
1,497	 	 	★★★ 	3 	3,087	9,265	1,673	5,019	1,186	3,560	Shooting Items Power ↑	Metroid Series 	
====Support spirits====
No.	Image	Name	Class	Cost 	Ability 	Series
269	 	★★ 	1 	Lava-Floor Resist	Metroid Series 	
271	 	★★★ 	2 	Poison Immunity 	Metroid Prime Series	
==Gallery==
SSB4 Mii Fighter Samus Armor.jpg|Samus's Armor as a Mii Gunner costume
==Names in other languages==
==Trivia==
*In Smash 64 and Melee, the announcer pronounces the first syllable of "Samus" as /sɑ/ (as in "saw"). However, in Brawl onwards, it's pronounced /sæ/ (as in "Sam"). This change in pronunciation is consistent with the way "Samus" is pronounced in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Other M.
*Samus's floaty nature in the Smash Bros. series is an approximation of her physics in the first three Metroid games, which were all released prior to the original Super Smash Bros. Later Metroid titles give her a significantly faster falling speed, but that has not carried over into Smash.
*Samus has the longest dodge duration in the Super Smash Bros. series.
*Samus has the shortest height when rolling due to her decreasing in size when shifting into her Morph Ball form.
*As of Melee, Samus is the heaviest character that can wall jump.
*Samus and are the only two playable characters to appear in another character's Final Smash in the same installment (' version of and 's Pair Up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), although in Samus' case, this is due to the fact that both characters are the same individual.
**If separate installments are counted, Palutena shares this trait; she appeared in 's Final Smash in Brawl, then became playable in SSB4, with 's Final Smash being changed accordingly.
*Samus is the first ever female playable character in the series as well as the only female playable character to appear in every installment.
*While Samus' face is normally obscured by her helmet (a feature of the suit's visor in Other M), her face can be seen through her visor in some Subspace Emissary cutscenes, 's promotional artwork, and 's reveal trailer, using the same facial model as her Zero Suited self in all cases.
*Samus has never officially used her basic as an alternate costume in any Smash Bros. game, in spite of how much she's worn it in her home series. It is only seen in her Classic trophy in Melee and its own trophy in Brawl.
*As of Melee, Samus (along with her Echo Fighter Dark Samus in Ultimate) is the heaviest female character by default; conversely in Brawl, her Zero Suited self is the lightest female character.
*Samus is the first character to be a standalone character in one game and become a transformation fighter in the next game. She and Zero Suit Samus are also the only transformation fighters to not transform through down special.
*In the official one-shot manga The Nintendo All-Stars Free-For-All! Smash Brothers, Samus assumes the role of a henchman to Phantom X, the main antagonist of the manga. She, along with Link and Fox McCloud, decided to create these alter egos so the other characters can stop bickering and unite as friends against a common enemy.
==References==
 
Category:Stickers
Category:Spirits
Category:Trophies (SSBM)
Category:Trophies (SSBB)
Category:Trophies (SSB4-3DS)
Category:Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)
es:Samus Aran