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Ridley

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For fighter info, see Ridley (SSBU). For boss info, see Ridley (SSBB). For his cybernetically-enhanced form, see Meta Ridley. For the Japanese smasher, see Ridley.
Ridley
Official artwork of Ridley from Super Metroid, the basis of his appearance in most Super Smash Bros. games.
Concept art of Ridley's clone from Metroid: Other M, the basis of his appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

MetroidSymbol.svg
Official artwork of Ridley from Super Metroid and his clone from Metroid: Other M.
Universe Metroid
Debut Metroid (1986)
Smash Bros. appearances SSB
Melee
Brawl
SSB4 (Wii U only)
Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Metroid Prime Remastered (2023)
Console/platform of origin Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom Disk System)
Species Unknown
Gender Male
Place of origin Zebes[1]
Created by Makoto Kanoh
Designed by Hiroji Kiyotake
Article on Metroid Wiki Ridley

Ridley (リドリー, Ridley) is a character from the Metroid series, and a major antagonist throughout the majority of the series, in which he generally acts as one of the later bosses. A draconic creature hailing from Zebes, Ridley is a vicious, yet highly intelligent member of the Space Pirates, and is one of its most prominent leaders, alongside Mother Brain. He is also the arch-nemesis of the Metroid series' protagonist, Samus Aran.

Ridley made his debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a boss in Adventure Mode, returned as a stage hazard in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and transitioned into a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Origin[edit]

Ridley as he appears in Super Metroid, which inspired his design in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Ridley, also known by the identifier Geoform 187, is one of the main antagonists of the Metroid series, the other being Mother Brain. His appearance varies slightly across the series, but he is generally a large, winged alien that resembles a dragon or pterosaur. In spite of his bestial appearance and fearsome mannerisms, he is by no means a mindless animal, but a high-ranking Space Pirate that is sapient and, in some material, capable of speech.

Ridley is directly connected to Samus Aran's past. In the Metroid e-manga, he led a Space Pirate ambush on an Afloraltite mining expedition on K-2L, where Samus lived. He attacked her, but ended up killing Virginia Aran, Samus' mother, when she jumped between the two to save her. Rodney Aran, Samus' father, then detonated the Afloraltite, killing himself and several Space Pirates, and forcing Ridley to flee.

In Metroid, Ridley is a leader of the Space Pirates on planet Zebes. He, Mother Brain, and the Space Pirates stole and cloned the eponymous Metroid creatures for galactic domination. Ridley, however, was surprised to find the little girl from years ago, now a grown woman, came to defeat him. In the remake Metroid: Zero Mission, he had also created a robot replica of himself called Mecha Ridley. However, this robot was unfinished before fighting Samus, when it was destroyed.

Ridley returned in Metroid Prime, revived as the cyborg "Meta Ridley". In this new form, Ridley oversaw the experiments of Phazon on the wildlife of Tallon IV aboard the Frigate Orpheon. This backfired, as the creatures mutated into Parasite Queens that escaped captivity and ransacked the ship. Meta Ridley encountered Samus aboard the frigate, fleeing to Tallon IV below while she gave pursuit. They then clashed at the Artifact Temple, where the Chozo architecture turned on Meta Ridley and struck him with several lasers to the chest, knocking him into the Impact Crater.

Meta Ridley returned with an improved armorskin after Dark Samus took control of the Space Pirates in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Meta Ridley led the Pirate assault on Norion, but was defeated by Samus. Upon retreating to the Space Pirate Homeworld, Meta Ridley was exposed to massive amounts of Phazon inside the Leviathan, mutating into Omega Ridley. This powered-up form became the Leviathan guardian and fought Samus, but he was again defeated and subsequently cleansed of Phazon.

In Metroid: Samus Returns, Ridley arrived on planet SR388 just as Samus returned to her ship with the Baby Metroid in tow. Ridley's body was still partially healing with cybernetic prosthetics, now known as "Proteus Ridley". After an arduous battle, Proteus Ridley was left incapacitated on the planet's surface as Samus fled for the Ceres Station to deliver the Baby Metroid.

In Super Metroid, Ridley's body had completely healed, so he kidnapped the Baby Metroid from Ceres. Samus chased him back to planet Zebes, where there was a rebuilt Pirate base. Samus battled Ridley as one of the guardians to Tourian, defeating him a final time. When Mother Brain's death caused the destruction of Zebes, Ridley's remains were consumed in the blast, supposedly marking the true death of Samus's longstanding nemesis.

However, Ridley's legacy lived on. In Metroid: Other M, Ridley was unintentionally cloned via a DNA sample from Samus' armor after their battle in Super Metroid. The result was initially a small creature dubbed "Little Birdie", which Samus encountered on the Bottle Ship. Later on, it evolved into a Mystery Creature that ambushed Samus before being repelled by Galactic Federation soldiers. After escaping, he evolved into his most recognizable form. Samus met the reborn Ridley in the Geothermal Power Plant, going into a state of shock until Anthony Higgs supposedly sacrificed himself to protect her. Samus fought the cloned Ridley, but he escaped once more, only to be cornered by a Queen Metroid and drained into a lifeless husk.

In Metroid Fusion, the husk of Ridley's clone appeared, cryogenically frozen, on the Biologic Space Labs research station. Samus discovered it halfway through her mission, watching it shatter as an X Parasite copied his DNA. Samus later encountered the X-mimic as the mutant "Neo-Ridley" and defeated it, presumably ending Ridley for good.

In Super Smash Bros.[edit]

Ridley in Super Smash Bros.

Ridley appears on Planet Zebes, flying in the background. His appearance is based off of his Super Metroid sprite.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Ridley makes a cameo appearance in Melee in a fight with Samus for a Metroid during the opening movie.

Ridley has a cameo in the opening movie of Super Smash Bros. Melee, fighting Samus, when Samus jumps over him and shoots several missiles. As the opening movie was part of the game's initial reveal, this scene led to fan speculation that Ridley would be a playable character, though this ended up not being the case. Like in Super Metroid, Ridley is carrying the baby Metroid's capsule, though unlike in Super Metroid, Samus has both the Varia Suit and Missiles.

Trophy[edit]

Ridley trophy from Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Ridley's trophy in Melee
Ridley
The head of the Space Pirates on Zebes, Ridley soars through space on wicked wings. Ridley may look like a mindless monster, but he's actually quite intelligent. After the SR-388 incident, where Samus captured the infant Metroid, Ridley took the Space Academy by storm, annihilating the complex and taking the Metroid back.
Metroid (8/89)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Ridley
RidleyBrawl.jpg
MetroidSymbol.svg
A boss in Brawl
Universe Metroid
Location The Research Facility II

In an interview with the gaming magazine Nintendo Power, when asked if Ridley was considered as a playable fighter in Brawl, Masahiro Sakurai replied that making Ridley playable would have been impossible without putting their best efforts into it. He commented that Ridley may have been "a little slow" as a fighter.[2]

Hacking of Brawl reveals incomplete Assist Trophy data for Ridley; presumably, Ridley was initially planned as an Assist Trophy but was instead included as a boss.

A remix of Ridley's theme from Super Metroid and Meta Ridley's theme from Metroid Prime both appear in Brawl, the latter being directly ported from the game. In addition, Ridley's lair in the Metroid series, Norfair, is featured as a stage.

Role in the Subspace Emissary[edit]

Ridley is the fifth boss in the Subspace Emissary. Samus and Pikachu must fight him at the end of the Research Facility II. In the cutscene prior to the battle, Ridley ambushes and grabs Samus, flying upward and scraping her along the walls. Pikachu breaks Samus free from Ridley's grasp using Thunder. In the first battle, Ridley has higher health and uses moves ranging from claw swipes to a move similar to Rayquaza's ExtremeSpeed to a tail swipe across the entire stage. Meta Ridley, his form in Metroid Prime, later attacks Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Samus, Pikachu, and R.O.B..

Ridley and his Meta Ridley form are resurrected by Tabuu, their true leader, in The Great Maze to face down the heroes. Oddly enough, they are resurrected as separate beings.

As a playable character[edit]

Main article: Ridley (SSBB)

Like all Brawl bosses, Ridley can be played as in Boss Battles through hacking, which will assign debug controls to Player 3. The moveset assigned is notably quite incomplete, missing a few attacks and having glitches with others. Ergo, he is much weaker than in his true boss appearance.

Moveset[edit]

Wolf fighting Ridley in Brawl.

Ridley spends most of his time in the air over the abyss. Characters with strong aerials have an easier time, but in a pinch, up smashes can be used. Most of his attacks are either relatively slow or well telegraphed, which means that staying alert can help the player avoid a lot of damage. The hardest attacks to dodge are his claw sweep (not his tail sweep) and loop-de-loop, but by paying attention to his attack order, they can be predicted. Ridley has a move during his battle similar to Dyna Blade in Kirby Super Star. He stomps on the ground, then takes to the background and jets straight ahead into the camera view and flies up. He had done this before during a fight with Samus in Super Metroid, but he did so to escape instead of attack. A similar type of attack was employed by Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime. It is similar to Master Hand and Crazy Hand's Jet attack.

On higher difficulties of The Subspace Emissary, defeating Ridley usually earns something valuable.

Like all bosses, Ridley can be controlled with hacks in Boss Battles Mode. The start button will, like all bosses, self-destruct him.

Move Input Description Move Number
Blasting Roar A/B Ridley roars and flaps his wings violently, which causes the wind to appear that pushes the player back slightly. Damage can be taken by making contact with his head as this starts. 2
Flying Stomp A+D-Pad Ridley lands then jumps up, and then drops down, trying to stomp on the player. Because Ridley always drops down on the same spot the player was when Ridley jumped up, it can be dodged by running to the opposite end of the stage. Notably, this is the only aiming boss attack that will still aim for the player when the boss is controlled via hacks. 3
Claw Sweep A+D-Pad Ridley flies low and sweeps the stage with his claws. He screeches before this, unless being controlled by a human. 2
Fly Off A+D-Pad/D-Pad
OR B+D-Pad/D-Pad
Ridley initiates Slamming Rush, but if he is controlled by a human, he can't complete it, being stuck off-stage. The move can be repeated to move further away from the stage. He can still return to the platform with moves like Flying Stomp and Background Ram. 1
Background Ram B+D-Pad Ridley jumps up and then flies toward the player from the background, similar to Master Hand's jet attack, but with an erratic flight pattern. Unlike Master Hand's attack, Ridley will aim both horizontally and vertically, but it locks its target location considerably earlier, and so will usually miss if the player is continuously moving. 3
Tail Sweep B+D-Pad Ridley scrapes the stage with his tail. At low percentages, it covers half the stage. At higher percentages, it covers the whole stage, sometimes turning around at the end to double back. Sometimes he will use this attack twice in a row. It can be easily dodged by jumping over his tail. 1 or 2
Slamming Rush Unusable Ridley flies off the screen, then rushes at the player horizontally. Oddly, he seems to charge at a random speed each time, regardless of difficulty. It can be dodged by sidestepping, air dodging, roll dodging, or jumping over/under with good timing. 1
Loop-De-Loop Unusable Ridley does a loop-de-loop and damages anyone who makes contact. This can be dodged by jumping into the middle of the loop, where he will just circle the player. 1

Origin of attacks[edit]

Most of Ridley's attacks are completely made up for Brawl; however, there are a couple of attacks that are somewhat retained from the Metroid series. The attack that Ridley does when he flies into the background of the stage and tries to ram into the player looks very similar to how Ridley flew away at the beginning of Super Metroid. Also, in Super Metroid, Ridley will often use his tail as a weapon by whipping it at Samus. In Brawl, Ridley does use his tail as a weapon, but not as a whip.

Moveset gallery[edit]

HP and damage taken[edit]

HP Values Lowest difficulty Below-middle difficulty Middle difficulty Above-middle difficulty Highest difficulty
The Research Facility (Part II) 306.36 331.8 350.88 376.32 408.12
The Great Maze 241 263 278 301 325
Round 1-3 4-6 7-9 1-3 4-6 7-9 1-3 4-6 7-9 1-3 4-6 7-9 1-3 4-6 7-9
Boss Battles 130.4 136.6 150.6 143 152 168.8 156.5 168.5 187 170 185 209.1 206 229 258.5
  EffectIcon(Normal).png EffectIcon(Slash).png EffectIcon(Electric).png EffectIcon(Freezing).png EffectIcon(Flame).png The icon for the grass effect. EffectIcon(Water).png EffectIcon(Darkness).png EffectIcon(Aura).png Specials: Direct Specials: Indirect
Damage taken ×1.0 ×1.0 ×1.1 ×1.3 ×0.7 ×1.0 ×1.3 ×1.0 ×1.0 ×1.0 ×0.9

Like all bosses in Brawl, Ridley gains an additional ×0.6 damage resistance modifier when fought in co-op mode, effectively gaining 67% more health. This modifier is applied whenever the second player is in-game and is no longer applied if the second player loses all their stocks.

Trophy[edit]

Ridley trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Ridley's trophy in Brawl
Ridley
NTSC The leader of the Space Pirates. He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature. He plans to steal the baby Metroid from Samus for his own use. Ridley utilizes wings for a full range of flight and attacks with fireballs from his mouth and whips of his tail. As the culprit behind the murder of Samus's parents, the connections with Samus run deep.
PAL A high-ranking official of the Space Pirates. He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature. He plans to steal the baby Metroid from Samus for his own use. Ridley utilizes wings for a full range of flight and attacks with fireballs from his mouth and whips of his tail. As the culprit behind the murder of Samus's parents, the connections with Samus run deep.
NES: Metroid
SNES: Super Metroid

Stickers[edit]

Name Game Effect Fighter(s)
Ridley Metroid AttackDarkness+030EffectIcon(Darkness).png Attack +30 Ganondorf GanondorfHeadSSBB.png
Ridley Metroid: Zero Mission AttackArm+025TypeIcon(Hand).png Attack +25 All charactersRandomHeadSSBB.png
Brawl Sticker Ridley (Metroid).png
Ridley
(Metroid)
Brawl Sticker Ridley (Metroid Zero Mission).png
Ridley
(Metroid: Zero Mission)

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]

Ridley alongside Zero Suit Samus inside the Pyrosphere.
Source: Smash Boards.
Ridley as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, joining forces with his arch-rival Zero Suit Samus.
The shadow of a dragon-like creature on Pyrosphere, which was the first visible confirmation of Ridley's appearance.

Following Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's release and the day prior to the American release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Sakurai stated that Ridley's size was a factor in his exclusion from the playable roster, despite being aware of significant fan demand for the character. Sakurai felt that scaling the character down, as well as other necessary changes like having to prevent him to be able to fly freely, would make him less threatening than he appears in the Metroid games, thus providing an inaccurate portrayal of his original role as a dangerous boss.[3]

When Sakurai first revealed the Pyrosphere stage for for Wii U, he mentioned that a character from "Samus' past" may appear at any second. Furthermore, Ridley's shadow appeared on the stage in the April 2014 Nintendo Direct. Ridley was ultimately confirmed to appear as a stage hazard in the for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza, over a year after Pyrosphere was revealed.

Like Samus and Zero Suit Samus, Ridley matches his physical appearance from Metroid: Other M. In battle, Ridley will appear and attack players. He will use attacks based on where opponents are standing. Damaging Ridley enough will cause him to fight alongside the fighter. Damaging him enough after he joins a player's side will KO him, adding another point to the player's KO total, even if he is on the player's side. Ridley may gather energy from the purple vats under the ledges, increasing his strength. Curiously, his stock icon (used in the KOs row of the results screen) is of his Brawl artwork.

Ridley's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, also reused in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.MetaRidleyHeadSSB4-U.png
Part of the MediaWiki software. For use in {{ImageCaption}}Part of the MediaWiki software. For use in {{ImageCaption}}
Left: Ridley's head icon in SSB4.
Right: Unused Black Ridley variant.

For Nintendo 3DS marks Ridley's only complete absence from a Super Smash Bros. title.

Attacks[edit]

Ridley shooting a fireball.
  • Launches a fireball. 12%
  • Moves across the ground while slashing 3 times, damaging any fighter in Ridley's path. 25% (First Hit) 10% (Second hit) 20% (Third Hit)
  • Goes into the background, and charges into the foreground, which will hurt fighters who come into contact with Ridley. This is the first move Ridley will use whenever he appears, as he enters using it. 30% (Sweetspot) 12% (Sourspot)
  • Stomps onto the ground. 15%
  • Lets out a roar. This can push back opponents.
  • Performs a single slash while darting to the other side of the stage. 15%
  • Shoots his tail through the stage while clinging through the ledge. Ridley can do this up to three times. He only uses this after increasing strength. 25%
  • Shoots out a much bigger fireball. After it lands, a shockwave of fire will spread across the ground Only uses this after increasing strength. 30% (Fireball)
  • Shoots out three fireballs at once.

Trophy[edit]

Ridley's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Ridley
NTSC Samus's long-standing rival in battle. In this game, he's a common foe to all the fighters in the Pyrosphere stage. However, if you manage to launch him or knock him over, he'll become an ally to whoever dealt the last blow. Defeating him in a timed battle nets you +1 KO.
NES: Metroid (08/1987)
SNES: Super Metroid (04/1994)
PAL Samus's long-standing rival in battle. In this game, he's a common foe to all the fighters in the Pyrosphere stage. However, if you manage to launch him or knock him over, he'll become an ally to whoever dealt the last blow. If you can defeat him during a timed battle, you'll get +1 KO out of it!
NES: Metroid (01/1988)
SNES: Super Metroid (07/1994)
Little Birdie's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Little Birdie
NTSC It may be hard to believe, but this is a younger version of the infamous Space Pirate Ridley. No matter how cute he is, don't think that you can love him and take him home—his next form is lizard-like with a sharp tail, and he has no problem turning his caring owner into a tasty snack!
Wii: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)
PAL Everyone knows Ridley as a terrifying evil space dragon, but would you have guessed he looked like this as a baby? He's kind of cute and creepy at the same time. Don't let his innocent act fool you into thinking he'd make a nice pet, though – once he sheds his skin and enters his reptile phase, you'll just become his next meal!
Wii: Metroid: Other M (09/2010)
Mystery Creature's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Mystery Creature
NTSC What once was a cute little bird has changed into a lizard-like creature. It still has some white feathers from its previous form, but that's where the similarities end. Is there something in its blood that drives it to confront Samus whenever possible? Her parents were Ridley's victims, after all.
Wii: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)
PAL If Little Birdie is Ridley's cute baby years, this must be his awkward teenage phase. The feathers on his back are the only real clue that it's the same creature. Is there something in Ridley's genes that make him hate Samus so much? The original Ridley killed her parents, and now this one is out to get her too!
Wii: Metroid: Other M (09/2010)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

As a playable character[edit]

Main article: Ridley (SSBU)
Ridley, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

After many years of only appearing as either a boss or a cameo in the Smash series, Ridley finally makes his playable debut as an unlockable newcomer, being revealed during the Nintendo E3 Direct on June 12, 2018. His inclusion as a playable fighter was largely cemented by popular demand both within the previous installment's Fighter Ballot and long afterward, particularly in the West.

Much like Zero Suit Samus in both SSB4 and Ultimate, Ridley uses a composite design original to the Smash series; in his case, he is primarily based on his Super Metroid appearance, with some embellishments and elements that his clone in Metroid: Other M featured, resulting in a more realistic and detailed design compared to his design in Brawl. Meta Ridley is also featured as an alternate costume for Ridley. An official Ridley amiibo was confirmed the same day as his reveal and launched alongside the game itself.

Spirits[edit]

Fighter spirits[edit]

Primary spirit[edit]

No. Image Name Type Class Slots Base Power Max Power Base Attack Max Attack Base Defense Max Defense Ability Series
291
SSBU spirit Omega Ridley.png
Omega Ridley
Attack
★★★★ 2 4260 10652 2311 5778 1708 4271 Weight ↑ Metroid Prime Series

Support spirit[edit]

No. Image Name Class Cost Ability Series
289
SSBU spirit Little Birdie.png
Little Birdie ★★ 1 Stats ↑ after Eating Metroid Series

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name
Japan Japanese リドリー, Ridley
UK English Ridley
France French Ridley
Germany German Ridley
Spain Spanish Ridley
Italy Italian Ridley
China Chinese 利德雷, Ridley
South Korea Korean 리들리, Ridley
Netherlands Dutch Ridley
Russia Russian Ридли
Portugal Portuguese Ridley

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Ridley's tail is the only invulnerable part of Ridley's body in every Metroid game in the series following the first. However, in for Wii U, his tail counts as part of his hurtboxes.
  • Ridley had historically been a strong contender for the fan community's most-wanted playable character; an official survey on the Japanese version of Brawl's Smash Bros. DOJO!! featured Ridley receiving four separate requests from fans to be playable, with only King Dedede having more (with five).[5][6] Requests for the character increased even further for SSB4, leading to another boost to the character's popularity. A significant number of players, however, had opposed the inclusion of Ridley, primarily under the claim that including the character would require scaling him down to an unrealistic size; as a result, "Ridley is too big" had become an in-joke in the community, particularly in reference with other characters that would require significant scaling for Smash Bros. appearances.
    • Ridley's character trailer tagline in Ultimate, "Ridley Hits the Big Time!", is likely a jab at the aforementioned meme regarding his size.
    • In his home series, Ridley was at his smallest in the original NES game Metroid, where his hunched posture makes him only slightly taller than Samus. According to senior localization manager Nate Bihldorff, this was a major inspiration for Masahiro Sakurai when Ridley was scaled down for Ultimate.[4]
  • In SSB4, Ridley is the only non-playable character to have a unique stock icon in the final build of the game. Strangely, the icon derives from his Brawl design.
  • In Brawl, Ridley is unable to shoot fireballs as he did as an attack in past Metroid games, although Meta Ridley is capable of doing so. Ironically, Meta Ridley never had the ability to shoot fireballs, instead possessing the ability to fire a long beam of plasma from his mouth.
  • In Ultimate, Ridley became the first boss in the series to become a playable character.
  • Ridley is currently the tallest playable character to date, succeeding Samus in SSB and Bowser since Melee.

References[edit]

  1. ^ In the original Metroid manual, Ridley is described as a native of Zebes. However, this is not referenced again in later story materials, which depict Ridley and the Space Pirates as having conquered Zebes after it was originally inhabited by Chozo.
  2. ^ http://sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ a b Gordon, Justin (2018-07-24). Masahiro Sakurai designed Ridley in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate based on his appearance in the original Metroid for the NES. EventHubs. Retrieved on 2018-10-26.
  5. ^ http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=71872
  6. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20061107182538/www.smashbros.com/jp/toukou/index.html