Plasma Scream

Plasma Scream (, Destroy Beam) is 's Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Overview
After letting out a roar, Ridley dashes straight forward. If anyone collides with Ridley during this dash, a cutscene will initiate, where up to 2 players that were hit are sent to outer space and crash onto Samus's Gunship, which then flies away. Ridley intercepts the Gunship and readies a devastating plasma beam, which destroys the ship in a giant explosion, hurting everyone caught in the fire. If the opponent reaches 100% damage or higher by the end of the Final Smash, they will be instantly KO'd; otherwise, they will be sent towards the ground in tumble. Regardless, after the cinematic ends, the characters are returned to the stage. The Gunship can be seen crashing in the background, ablaze.

Though only a maximum of two opponents can be directly affected by the Final Smash in its entirety, the initial dash can hit additional opponents if close enough.

Origin


Though Ridley has had the ability to spew fire since the beginning of the series, it was not until Metroid Prime where he, as Meta Ridley, gained the ability to fire laser beams from his mouth, in the form of the Kinetic Breath Weapon.

Samus's gunships have been damaged or destroyed on a few occasions in the past, though none have been caused by Ridley. In Metroid: Zero Mission, after Samus is ambushed by Space Pirates as she was escaping planet Zebes, a shot from an enemy spacecraft pierces her original Gunship and causes it to crash back into the surface, destroying it and leaving Samus stranded without her Power Suit. Then, in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, in which Samus uses her current Gunship (and the one seen in Ridley's Final Smash), a lightning bolt from Aether's corrupted atmosphere damages the ship and causes Samus to make an emergency landing and crash into a cave, though the ship manages to survive and was able to fully auto repair by the end of Samus' adventure through the planet. In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Samus uses a different gunship, which fellow bounty hunter Ghor, corrupted by Dark Samus, pummels and violently throws against a wall, but was able to escape before battle and had completed auto repairs sometime after Samus defeated Ghor. Finally, in Metroid Fusion, the X Parasites that has infected Samus in SR-388 causes her to fall unconscious mid-flight, causing her current Gunship to careen into an asteroid field and being destroyed for good, but not after the auto-ejection system saves her from the same fate.

The attack is likely a manifestation of Ridley's intense hatred and opposition against Samus. Lasting through multiple resurrections even in instances where his new incarnation had not yet met Samus, killing her has always been one of his greatest obsessions and ultimate goals.

The way in which the Gunship attempts to flee to save the fighters aboard it during the Final Smash is somewhat reminiscent of the ending to Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Trivia

 * In Ridley's reveal trailer, he screams just before firing the attack. He doesn't do this in the final game, however.
 * In the E3 demo, if an opponent reached 100% damage or higher by the end of the Final Smash, they would be Screen KO'd instead.