Zero Suit Samus

Zero Suit Samus
Official artwork of Zero Suit Samus from Metroid: Other M.
Universe	Metroid
Debut	Metroid: Zero Mission (2004)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Metroid: Other M (2010)
Console/platform of origin	Game Boy Advance
Species	Human (Enhanced with Chozo DNA, later fused with Metroid DNA)
Gender	Female
Place of origin	Born on Earth colony K-2L, raised on Zebes.
Created by	Makoto Kanoh
Designed by	Hiroji Kiyotake
Voice actor	Alésia Glidewell
Article on Metroid Wiki	Zero Suit Samus

Zero Suit Samus (ゼロスーツサムス, Zero Suit Samus), often abbreviated as ZSS, 0SS or Zamus is Samus Aran without her Power Suit, i.e. with her Zero Suit. The name is taken from Zero Mission, the first game to feature the form-fitting suit.

Character Description

Zero Suit Samus as she appears in Metroid: Zero Mission.

While Samus has been shown without armor since the original Metroid, usually as part of an ending sequence, the Zero Suit first appeared in Metroid: Zero Mission, a remake of the original Metroid for Game Boy Advance. The original Metroid allowed Samus to be playable in a leotard using the well-known "JUSTIN BAILEY" cheat code; Zero Mission expanded on this by incorporating a playable suitless Samus into the game's narrative for the first time, granting her a unique style of stealth-based gameplay. The Zero Suit covers Samus completely from neck to toe in a blue form-fitting body suit with pink Chozo markings on her back, left breast, and hands. While wearing it, Samus' long blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail with a red tie. Although quicker and more agile without her suit, she is also less armed, her only weapon being her Paralyzer. In Brawl and SSB4, the Paralyzer can also turn into a Plasma Whip, giving it some offensive capability.

In Zero Mission, following Samus' defeat of Mother Brain, Samus escapes the base on Planet Zebes and sheds her Power Suit prior to piloting her Gunship. However, Space Pirate ships shoot her down back onto Zebes' surface, leaving her without her Power Suit. She then infiltrates the nearby Space Pirate compound while in her body suit and armed with only her emergency pistol, and soon escapes the planet via a Space Pirate ship.

Samus in the Zero Suit appears very briefly during ending sequences for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. In Corruption, Samus is shown briefly in her Zero Suit during the opening scene before she activates the Varia Suit inside her ship. In both of these instances she deactivates her Varia Suit before or while entering her ship. She is also wears the Zero Suit in the ending of Metroid Prime Hunters; this suit is glossier with a more subdued color and less markings, and also features a green glowing segment at the base of the neck, but the suit does not cover her hands.

Samus also appears in her Zero Suit in many scenes in Metroid: Other M. In the beginning of the game, she activates her Power Suit by pressing the Chozo sigil on her breast. Her Power Suit is shown to deactivate when she is under emotional or mental distress, such as before the fight against Ridley in the Pyrosphere, or after dying. For the second time in the series, she is playable in her Zero Suit during the timed escape sequence at the end of the game, where she must escape a ship undergoing a self-destruct sequence, once again while equipped with the Paralyzer. Samus' appearance in the Zero Suit has changed drastically from previous games. She now has a beauty mark, is shorter in height and has a slimmer build, sports a smaller and thinner ponytail, and has green eyes rather than the blue eyes she had previously. She wears a new Zero Suit that features a shinier and more aesthetically segmented design, complete with wedged heels. She also wears a holster around her thigh for holding her Paralyzer. In flashback sequences, she is shown wearing her original Zero Suit, albeit with a harness around it.

Aside from the Zero Suit itself, Samus has been shown in other types of clothing when outside of her Power Suit, typically revealing sportswear. Two such outfits (taken from Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission) appear as alternate costumes for Zero Suit Samus in SSB4.

In Metroid canon, Samus is very vulnerable without her Power Suit and must rely on stealth, rather than her usual combat, to attain her objectives. However, much like fellow bounty hunter Captain Falcon, Zero Suit Samus is depicted in the Super Smash Bros. series with an original, highly physical martial arts fighting style, complete with Smash-specific design elements and weapon features.

In Super Smash Bros.

A reflection of Samus in her helmet can be seen in her "Congratulations!" screen. Also, when Samus is shot by a Ray Gun or hit by one of Pikachu's electric attacks, a faint outline of a female polygon can be seen, representing her suitless self.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Though Zero Suit Samus did not appear in the game, a special trophy called Samus Unmasked shows Samus with her helmet in her hand. Multiple events in Japan allowed players to obtain the trophies, but no such events occurred elsewhere. The NTSC and PAL versions still have the trophies in its data, however, and the trophy can be obtained with Action Replay.

Trophy description

It's said that the orphaned Samus Aran was raised by the few survivors of the Chozo race. They armed her with a Power Suit and taught her the ways of advanced combat; even burdened with her heavy suit, Samus is as graceful as a butterfly. In the Metroid series, it was standard that Samus would remove her helmet and armor if you cleared the game fast enough.

• Metroid, 8/89

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Zero Suit Samus in Brawl.

Zero Suit Samus is a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Her playstyle has been described by many as being similar to Sheik, in that she possesses many quick and acrobatic moves and transforms from another character. Equipped with a paralyzing laser gun that has the ability to transform into a plasma whip (an ability original to Brawl), Zero Suit Samus retains Samus' tether recovery capabilities. Her appearance is based on her design from Metroid: Zero Mission. She is ranked 9th on the tier list in B tier.

She can chainstun Fox, Falco, and Wolf from 0% - ~100% with her down smash, because those characters fall so fast that they hit the ground before they can do anything at these lower percentages.

Trophy

Zero Suit Samus trophy in Brawl.

Samus Aran without her mighty Power Suit. In this condition, she does not have the firepower she's famed for but is in full possession of the agility and athleticism she gained through her childhood training with the Chozo. Without the armor, she's also much, much faster. The weapon she carries is a self-protection device known as a Paralyzer that stops enemies cold.

: Metroid: Zero Mission

Stickers

Name	Game	Effect	Characters
Running Zero Suit Samus	Metroid: Zero Mission	AttackWeapon+025 Attack +25	Samus Zero Suit Samus
Zero Suit Samus	Metroid: Zero Mission	AttackLeg+009 Attack +9	Samus Zero Suit Samus

Running Zero Suit Samus (Metroid: ZM)

Zero Suit Samus (Metroid: Zero Mission)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Zero Suit Samus returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4, though this time she is her own character separate from armored Samus, no longer transforming after performing the Zero Laser. Like with her armored form, she has been given a new design to reflect her appearance in Metroid: Other M, although she retains general aesthetic elements of her Zero Mission design as well as her voiced lines from Brawl. She now wears a pair of Jet Boots, which give her the ability to perform multiple new kicking attacks.

Zero Suit Samus is ranked 2nd on the tier list, making her one of three characters in S tier. She possesses a formidable air game, partly due to her up aerial allowing her to effectively juggle opponents. Her quick speed and Paralyzer also grants her a particularly powerful punishing game. She also has a strong combo game, being capable of dealing large amounts of damage quickly or even earning early KOs. Despite all these positives, Zero Suit Samus suffers from a terrible grab game due to her grab's slowness, making her highly vulnerable to getting punished if whiffed, as well as low weight, making her easy to KO. However, her strengths are agreed to outweigh her weaknesses, and she has secured very strong tournament representation and results.

Trophies

Zero Suit Samus

Samus is far from helpless when her Power Suit is deactivated. Sure, she loses a lot of the moves and weapons she had access to before, but her Jet Boots pick up the slack! She also has the Paralyzer, a versatile weapon that can shock her rivals or change into a Plasma Whip to grab edges and enemies.

Without her Power Suit, Samus Aran may not have her usual strength, specials moves or over-powered arm cannon, but her Jet Boots definitely kick things up a notch in their own way. The Paralyzer, her gun, does just what you'd expect it to, but it can also turn into a whip for attacking and grabbing onto edges while falling.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Zero Suit Samus (Alt.)

Zero Suit Samus's up special Boost Kick involves a series of fast kicks that end with a swift, sideways-launching one. A perfectly executed attack will hit eight times! Her down special Flip Jump can bury a grounded fighter in the dirt. She can kick midflip by pressing the special button.

Zero Suit Samus's Boost Kick up special finishes with a swift sideways kick. If you start the move close to an opponent, you can hit them up to eight times and launch them sideways! Her main down special, Flip Jump, buries opponents if you land on them at the end of it. Alternatively, press the button again mid-flip for a drop kick.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

Gallery

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  Suitless Samus in Super Smash Bros.

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  The "Samus Unmasked" trophy

Trivia

• Zero Suit Samus is the only character in the entire Super Smash Bros. series to possess two tethers.
• Zero Suit Samus and Jigglypuff are the only characters in the Super Smash Bros. series to receive new special moves invoking helplessness in subsequent installments of Smash despite debuting in the series without any. After her debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Zero Suit Samus received the Boost Kick as her up special in Super Smash Bros. 4 which renders her helpless after usage.
• Zero Suit Samus is the only character that functions as a change of armor and weapons from another character.
• Zero Suit Samus is voiced by Alésia Glidewell in English for all regional versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 despite her being voiced in Other M, the most recent Metroid release prior to SSB4, by Jessica Martin in English and Ai Kobayashi in Japanese.