Ghosts

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde (, Akabei,, Pinky, , Aosuke, and , Guzuta), collectively referred to as Ghosts (, Monsters), are recurring enemies in the  series. They are red, pink, cyan, and orange, respectively.

Origin
The four ghosts are prominent recurring elements in the Pac-Man series. Starting from the original arcade game, they are persistent enemies that Pac-Man must avoid while eating dots in each maze. However, if Pac-Man consumes a Power Pellet, the ghosts will become scared, turn blue, and run away; in this state, Pac-Man can eat them for additional points, which causes them to turn into eyeballs and retreat. The ghosts cannot be permanently defeated, as they will return to normal after being eaten, or otherwise after the Power Pellet's duration expires. A set of cutscenes, known as "Coffee Breaks", depict the conflict between Pac-Man and the Ghosts, eventually showing Blinky's "clothes" ripping off, unveiling a bizarre pale-skinned creature with two feet and no legs, arms, or hands beneath. While additional ghosts have been introduced in subsequent Pac-Man titles, the four introduced in the original game have remained the most iconic, and thus have made the most appearances.

In Smash, their depiction is based off of the 8-bit sprites from the original Pac-Man. All four of them have unique personalities and movement patterns, which are recreated in their Assist Trophy:


 * Blinky is the red leader of the ghosts, otherwise known as Shadow. His movement pattern involves chasing Pac-Man aggressively, often trailing directly behind him; he also receives a speed boost twice per round. As a result, his later appearances are often characterized as hot-headed, determined, and conceited. His name is occasionally switched with Clyde, making Blinky the cowardly orange ghost.
 * Pinky is the pink ghost, otherwise known as Speedy. Her movement pattern involves getting ahead of Pac-Man and ambushing him in collaboration with Blinky. She is generally shown to be sly and cunning, and she harbors an unrequited crush on Pac-Man. In the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Pinky is male and portrayed as the strongest but least intelligent of the ghosts.
 * Inky is the cyan ghost, otherwise known as Bashful. His movement pattern involves aiming for a location based on Blinky's distance from Pac-Man, generally resulting in him shying away from the two. In later appearances, he is often portrayed as clumsy and timid.
 * Clyde is the orange ghost, otherwise known as Pokey. His movement pattern involves mimicking Blinky's movement until reaching a certain distance from Pac-Man, then retreating to the bottom-left corner of the stage. In later appearances, he is generally depicted as an easygoing, cowardly ghost. His name is occasionally switched with Blinky, making Clyde the aggressive red ghost.

In Super Smash Bros. 4
The Ghosts appear in three major capacities in these games.

As an Assist Trophy
When summoned via an Assist Trophy, the Ghosts will wander around the stage trying to make contact with an opponent fighter. They deal 10% damage, cannot be shielded, and speed up several seconds before they despawn, notified by a change in pitch of their "wandering" tone. Unlike other Assist Trophies, they simply zoom offscreen instead of disappearing. Each ghost exhibits similar behavior as they did in the original arcade game: Blinky takes the shortest route to nearby enemies, Pinky tries to move in front of them, Inky moves opposite to Blinky, and Clyde moves randomly.

As a moveset element
uses the Ghosts for his smash attacks, holding Blinky in front of him for his forward smash, Inky above him for his up smash, and Pinky and Clyde on either side of him for his down smash. The Ghosts are considered to be disjointed hitboxes, and as a result, hitboxes that hit them do not harm Pac-Man himself. Ghosts also appear in two of Pac-Man's taunts. Pac-Man's up taunt Namco Roulette can summon a scared ghost in, while Blinky and Pinky appear in his down taunt.

As a stage hazard
The Ghosts appear as damaging hazards on the Pac-Maze stage. By collecting 100 Pac-Dots, a player can spawn a Power Pellet and therefore make them vulnerable, though they remain dangerous to other players.

Trophies
The single and collective Ghosts trophies appear in both versions, while the TURN-TO-BLUE trophy is exclusive to. In, the single and collective trophies are part of the PAC-MAN and SUPER PAC-MAN & PAC-LAND Trophy Boxes, respectively.

As an Assist Trophy
The Ghosts reprise their role as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The background now turns blue when they appear, and they can now be attacked and defeated. They all share a single health pool; as a result, while it is difficult for a fighter to defeat the ghosts with melee attacks, other forms of damage (such as projectiles or other Assist Trophies) can easily KO the group if even a single ghost is hit with enough damage. When one of the four ghosts is defeated, the other three ghosts will turn to blue and run away. They cannot appear on Boxing Ring, Brinstar, Coliseum, Dream Land GB, Flat Zone X, Frigate Orpheon, Green Greens, King of Fighters Stadium, Lylat Cruise, Midgar, Moray Towers, Mute City SNES, New Pork City, Norfair, Pac-Land, Pilotwings, Pirate Ship, Port Town Aero Dive, Princess Peach's Castle, Prism Tower, Spirit Train, Town and City, and WarioWare, Inc.

As a moveset element
The Ghosts also reprise their role as part of 's moveset. Additionally, a vulnerable ghost still appears in Pac-Man's Namco Roulette taunt. However, Blinky and Pinky no longer appear in his down taunt, being replaced by fairies from Pac-Land.

Trivia

 * While the Ghosts appear in two different ways (a stage hazard in SSB4, and an Assist Trophy in SSB4 and Ultimate), only the stage hazard Ghosts on Pac-Maze are able to be consumed, as stage-generated Power Pellets grant a unique buff that turns them blue. As such, Pac-Man's abilities that generate Power Pellets (specifically, his side special and both game's versions of Super Pac-Man) do not allow him to consume Ghosts.

Fantasmas (Pac-Man)