Metroid: 10 Things You Need To Know About Ridley

If you want some interesting trivia facts about Ridley, the infamous Metroid villain and leader of the Space Pirates, then we have you covered.

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Ridley is not only one of the most infamous villains in the Metroid series, but he’s also one of the best in Nintendo’s very impressive roster. After debuting in the series’ very first game, Ridley has been a constant thorn in Samus’ side, continuing to be a worthy opponent to one of gaming’s greatest heroines.

His hulking frame, deadly arsenal, and long-standing hatred for Samus make him a worthy adversary, and that’s not even taking into account his ability to keep bouncing back no matter how many times he’s defeated. Here are some facts you need to know about the Leader of the Space Pirates.

10 Ridley Is The Main Antagonist Of The Metroid Series

After appearing in 1986s Metroid, Ridley has appeared in nearly every installment of the franchise, as well as making cameos in numerous other Nintendo properties such as Nintendo Land. He is the big bad of the Metroid series, and as a result, is constantly appearing to try and thwart Samus’ plans.

Funnily enough, despite being considered a main antagonist in the series, he has only been the final boss once, nearly always acting as a secondary antagonist in his appearances. He’s still Samus’ arch-enemy though, perhaps due to the personal history between the two.

9 He Destroyed Samus’ Home Planet K-2L

Ridley’s first encounter with Samus took place years before the first game in the series. He was responsible for the attack on her home planet, K-2L, that led to the death of both of Samus’ parents and the destruction of the planet itself.

Ridley would later claim that he survived his injuries sustained during the Space Pirate’s attack by eating human flesh, even suggesting to Samus that he could have eaten her mother. It’s obvious then why Samus has a grudge towards the General.

8 Zebes Is His Home Planet

Ridley was born on the planet Zebes, the setting of the original Metroid game. Zebes also happens to be the planet Samus was raised on after she was adopted by the Chozo, an avian species that were responsible for the creation of the Metroids.

After Samus defeats Mother Brain for the second time, the planet is blown up after a self-destruct sequence is triggered. Little is known about Ridley’s mysterious past before he joined the Space Pirates aside from this small detail regarding his birthplace.

7 He’s The Leader Of The Space Pirates

After years spent rising up the ranks of the Space Pirates, Ridley is able to become the leader of the faction. The Space Pirates are one of the most commonly seen enemies across the Metroid series, appearing nearly as frequently as Ridley himself.

Despite his brutish appearance, Ridley is highly intelligent and has the ability to speak. The Space Pirates underneath him are incredibly loyal, or scared, either way, they’re always willing to carry out the commands given to them by their Commander.

6 He’s Known For His Ability To Cheat Death

Ridley is known as ‘The Cunning God of Death’ for good reason, having managed to survive numerous encounters with Samus, even though in several he is seen exploding into tiny pieces. Somehow though Ridley is able to come back and fight Samus again, each time with a new look, and the burning desire to finally defeat his arch-nemesis.

This survivability is definitely helped by the cybernetic modifications made to his body, with his apparent ‘genetic flaws’ being fixed by Chozo technology. This still doesn’t really explain how he came back from exploding though, we’ll just call it video game logic and move on.

5 He Does Eventually Die In Super Metroid

No one can escape death, and eventually, Ridley meets his demise at the end of Super Metroid. Rather fittingly, the Space Pirate General dies on his home planet, Zebes, after a long and bitter fight with Samus.

Having lost all his cybernetic enhancements, this version of Ridley was much more vulnerable to Samus’ attacks. Eventually, Samus is able to overpower Ridley and kills him for the first time. This version of Ridley would never be seen again in the Metroid series. So far that is…

4 He’s Appeared In Every Super Smash Bros. Game

Ridley has appeared in every Super Smash Bros. game, although he only became a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He even has his own stage and was one of the boss fights included in the Subspace Emissary campaign in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

His Smash design is based on the one seen in Super Metroid, with some elements taken from his Metroid: Other M appearance. His addition to the game came after years of pleading from fans, especially those in the Western hemisphere.

3 There Have Been 13 Different Forms Of Ridley

Every reappearing villain goes through a design change at some point, but Ridley has appeared in 13 different forms over the years. Each one comes off the back of another defeat to Samus.

His numerous forms included the Ridley Robot (Metroid: Zero Mission), Meta Ridley (Metroid Prime Series), and Neo Ridley (Metroid Fusion). He’s also been cloned too. Nintendo is all too aware of how popular Ridley is and, as such, is always looking for ways to reinvent one of its most iconic villains.

2 He May Appear In Metroid Dread

The latest game to be announced in the Metroid series, not much is known about the plot of Metroid Dread so there is nothing that rules out Ridley making another appearance. It likely wouldn’t be Ridley himself, but the possibility of an E.M.M.I version of the villain isn’t the most outlandish prediction in the world.

He’s only been absent in two games across the entire series, Metroid II and Metroid Prime 2, so his chances of appearing are pretty high. Plus Nintendo is rereleasing his amiibo ahead of the game’s launch, perhaps hinting at his presence in the game.

1 In The First Stage Of His Life Cycle, He Is A Docile Bird-Like Creature

Samus meets this so-called ‘Little Birdie’ during the events of Metroid: Other M, determining the small creature wasn’t a threat before heading on with her mission. In reality, this small creature is the first stage of Ridley’s life, with it eventually evolving into Ridley after 2 stages of evolution.

His cute appearance led to the scientists on the Bottle Ship adopting him as a pet, unaware of the fact that he had been created from Ridley’s own DNA. He doesn’t seem to recognize Samus upon meeting her either, calling into question whether this clone of Ridley has any memory of his past self.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/metroid-ridley-facts-trivia/