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Samus Aran (JP) is the main protagonist of the Metroid series, making her first appearance in the Nintendo Entertainment System video game Metroid.
An intergalactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran is clothed in a Power Suit constructed by the Chozo race. Samus Aran has appeared in various Metroid games on many of Nintendo's systems. Notably, Samus Aran is a groundbreaking character for her role in Metroid.
The player was deliberately led to believe that Samus was naturally a male or a cyborg. At the end of the game, however, Samus revealed her true self and it was shown that she was in fact a very beautiful young woman, a first for the video game industry.
Now one of the most iconic female characters, Samus' games have raised the bar in quality and sell phenomenally. In the series, she is often hired by the Galactic Federation to halt the progress of the Space Pirate's plans and is oftentimes involved in the extermination of the Metroid species.
In the games, she has been infused with the DNA of Chozo to gain a greater resistance to various environments and that of the Metroid to counter the effects of the X virus. She wears a blue suit underneath her power suit that is commonly referred to as the Zero Suit. Samus is usually seen in this particular suit at the end of the games post Metroid Zero Mission, though more recently she is shown in the suit at various points in the game due to the well known fact of Samus' gender.
History[]
Fictional biography[]
Samus Aran after completing the game.
Samus was born on the planet known simply as K-2L, which was an Earth colony. Her parents were Rodney and Virginia Aran. Ridley, a Space Pirate commander, ordered an attack on K-2L in an attempt to dissuade Earth colonists from space exploration. This attack killed all the colonists on K-2L to include Mr. & Mrs. Aran. However, Samus was later saved by the Chozo, an ancient race of bird-like creatures, and took her in.
Because their planet, Zebes, had an environment that was not suited for humans, she was injected with Chozo DNA, which would help her resist it. Although the Chozo were an advanced race, they had lost many of their fighting abilities due to their commitment to pacifism. Samus had martial instincts, which she likely inherited from her parents. She became an admirable woman, and when she grew older, a group of Chozo elders gave the young woman a power suit which they personally crafted. With this suit, she would be able to protect the galaxy in which they live.
To follow this destiny of hers, she went to the Galactic Federation. There, they ordered her to head down to planet Zebes, where currently a group of Space Pirates had been producing colonies of Metroids, considerably one of the most dangerous species in the entire galaxy. When there, she had to completely stop production of the species, and defeat the Space Pirates once and for all. However, it was ultimately not the last time that they'd meet. In her next chronological mission, Samus followed Ridley down to Tallon IV in the events that took place in Metroid Prime. There, she found a large amount of a potentially dangerous substance called Phazon.
To rid of the planet of it's Phazon sources, she is forced to defeat the antagonistic Metroid Prime. However, this was not the last time that Phazon would appear in the series. Following the events that took place in Prime, she is ordered by the Galactic Federation to retrieve eight ancient artifacts that were known to hold some sort of "Ultimate Power". However, word got around of this power, and six other feared bounty hunters went out to get it for themselves, each with their own reasons. Nevertheless, Samus is able to withstand the hoard of bounty hunters and ultimately succeed in her goal.
In the events that took place in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus is sent down to planet Aether in order to save a team of Galactic Federation members. She soon finds out that the team was killed by a species known as the Ing, and that the remains of the behemoth known as Metroid Prime have formed into a doppelganger that greatly resembles herself, though clearly more blue. Not only must she defeat this new source of Phazon, but she's also been asked by the Luminoth to save their species as well. She completes both of these tasks, but in the next chapter of Samus' story, things takes turns for the worse as Dark Samus returns, stronger than ever.
Samus Aran as she appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
The events from Echoes continue onto the next game in the series, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. In this game, Samus, along with three other bounty hunters, get infected by Phazon after Dark Samus corrupts them on the planet known as Norion. Not only has Dark Samus done this, though she also infects multiple different planets with a Phazon-based life form, the Leviathan Seed, launched from a planet that is completely Phazon based (Phaaze).
Samus' goal here is to obviously destroy all of these sources, and to defeat Dark Samus, aka Metroid Prime, once and for all. Samus succeeds in the battle and the planet Phaaze was ultimately destroyed thus purging all known sources of Phazon from the universe, including the corruption that had grown inside Samus. Following the events in Prime, Samus is finally finished dealing with Phazon, though once again must go onto the topic of the deadly Metroid species. The events of Metroid II: Return of Samus shows that she is sent once again to SR-388 in order to completely obliterate all Metroid species.
After seemingly doing so, she stumbles upon a single Metroid egg that soon enough hatches into a baby Metroid. The baby then views Samus as its mother, and thus Samus in turn feels a compassion for it and decides not to kill it. She brings it with her so that a group of scientists can perform research on it, though in the events of Super Metroid, Ridley once again returns. In Super Metroid, Ridley raids the scientist's ship, and steals the baby Metroid. After saving the baby from Ridley, Samus is attacked by an enhanced Mother Brain, though at the last moment Samus is saved by the infant Metroid, who kills itself just to save Samus, who manages to ultimately kill off Mother Brain and escape.
Sometime after the events of Super Metroid, Samus receives a distress signal from an enormous space station dubbed the Bottle-Ship. Upon further investigation Samus meets with her old team from her army days, including her old commander, Adam Malkovich. The station had been overrun by various creatures kept there for experimentation into bio-weaponry, a subject that not only angers but frightens Samus Aran. The researchers there had cloned various deadly species native to various planets that Samus had explored in the past, including Zebesian Space Pirates, the SR388 parasitic Metroid species and also Ridley her mortal enemy.
Samples taken from her power suit were used to clone these species and although illegal, the Galactic Federation had decided to initiate these experiments at the cost of many lives. After much hardship and loss, Samus defeated the various inhabitants of the ship, including a Metroid Queen. Both Samus and her former colleague Anthony Higgs helped reveal the situation to the Federation (it seemed a secretive group within the Federation had permitted these experiments illegally) and they therefore decided the Bottle-Ship was too dangerous to leave unattended and decided to have it destroyed.
However, before the destruction of the station. Samus returned, claiming to be searching for something she had left behind. Eventually Samus reaches the control room and battles with an enormous replica of Phantoon, an enemy previously fought on the planet Zebes during Super Metroid. She is sent, once again, to SR-388. When there, she is attacked by a species known as X-Parasites. The X infests her central nervous her system, and knocks her unconscious, sending her ship into an asteroid. Luckily, her ship ejected the escape pod before impact.
Biologic's Space Labs recovered the vessel and brought it back to Galactic Federation Headquarters. One scientist suggested that they inject Metroid DNA into her body, which would in turn destroy the X Parasite and pieces of her armor was taken to the lab for research, but an incident occurs when the X infecting pieces of her Power Suit had taken on a hostile copy of Samus Aran, known as SA-X which then attacks the lab. Concerned about the situation, Samus goes out to investigate the incident. At the end of the game, she disobeys orders and destroys the ship in which all of the X Parasite are stationed, knowing fully well that they could be a drastic danger for the entire galaxy. Using the ship's propulsion mechanism, she crash-landed the station into the nearby SR388 (which the station was orbiting) to ensure the complete extinction of the X parasite species. However, it would later be found that the X-Parasites have not truly been annihilated as they had believed.
A video footage of a live X-Parasite on the remote planet ZDR was sent to the Galactic Federation, which prompts them to send seven E.M.M.I. research robots to investigate this, but they had lost communication when they suddenly went quiet. Because of her immunity to X-Parasites as a result of the Metroid transplant, Samus was sent there to find out the truth. Upon arrival, Samus encounters a powerful Chozo Warrior waiting for her at Artaria and she is soon defeated by him and she was merely rendered unconscious and had her power-ups stolen from her. She later learns that the E.M.M.I. have been captured and reprogrammed to attack her on sight and only the temporary Omega Cannon from its Central Unit is her only hope of destroying them.
During her expedition and entering Ferenia, she studies a mural of the Chozo which included the one that ambushed her earlier. She is suddenly attacked by a purple E.M.M.I. and was almost killed when another Chozo deactivates it. After their encounter, the Chozo introduces himself as Quiet Robe, the only member of the Thoha Tribe alive and he explains what is happening and tells her that the Chozo who attacked her was Raven Beak of the Mawkin Tribe and he explains the harrowing tale of both Thoha and Mawkin and Raven Beak's ambitions that led to the genocide against the Thoha and only Quiet Robe was left alive as a Thoha is needed to control the Metroids as Raven Beak saw the species as a symbol of power, enough to rule the universe with an iron fist, but an X outbreak affecting his soldiers forced him to put it on hold and by the time he finally contained the X, Samus had already eradicated the Metroids, but he learned that Samus is carrying the Metroid DNA within her. He reveals that the E.M.M.I. have been hacked for the purpose of taking it from her to revive the species. Samus assures him that she won't let it happen and Quiet Robe opens the gate in Burenia to allow entry into Ghavoran and deactivates the remaining E.M.M.I., but he is suddenly killed from behind by a Robot Chozo Warrior. Following the fight that ensued, Samus continues her journey. Later, after leaving Elun where the X have been contained, the parasites have been released on all of ZDR and a red X infects Quiet Robe's body which then reactivates the E.M.M.I. which Samus would have to once more engage when gaining the Omega Cannon. The orange E.M.M.I. came close to impaling her when her Metroid powers have activated and drained it of energy.
When Samus reaches Itorash, Raven Beak's stronghold, "ADAM" tells her that she has Thoha DNA, which slowed her Metroid transformation down significantly as well as Mawkin DNA, which grants her greater physical prowess. It then begins behaving suspiciously when it told her that now that she became a Metroid, she can fulfil her destiny to rule the galaxy with him and submit to him. Samus saw through the ruse and destroys the wall with her missile, revealing Raven Beak behind it and he was impersonating ADAM the whole time. Raven Beak is also revealed to have also been the one who donated some of his DNA to her when she was younger when he addresses her as his daughter. The fight breaks out between them with Raven Beak prevailing over her and lets her know that she is of no use to him since he can still easily make clones of her to strengthen his army. As Samus briefly passes out, her Metroid power spirals out of control to the point where her Gravity Suit turns into a Metroid Suit and she swipes her left arm at him, shattering his helmet as she drains his energy in a shriek of rage. This also affects Raven Beak's stronghold as it crashed into Hanubia below. Samus stands up relatively unharmed while Raven Beak is wounded and weakened from the experience. A purple X infects Raven Beak's body and mutates into a monstrous hybrid of himself and Kraid, which Samus uses the Hyper Beam twice to reduce Raven Beak X to its original form and again to completely destroy it. The impact that Itorash made caused a chain reaction that rendered the planet highly unstable and on the verge of destruction. Samus makes it back to her ship, but the real ADAM forbids her from touching any of the ship's controls in her humanoid Metroid form as she would risk draining it of energy. When all hope seems lost, Quiet Robe X appears before her and allows her to absorb him to allow her full control of her transformation once again and is able to use her ship safely and as ZDR explodes, Samus's ship is seen flying away unscathed.
Development of the character[]
Samus Aran first appeared in the NES game Metroid, a title that was intended to be a mixture between two of Nintendo's biggest franchises: Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Makoto Kanō created the character while Hiroji Kiyotake designed her. The game contained many references to the movie Alien, and Samus Aran was made a female to reflect the gender of the lead character of the film franchise. Apparently, the character wasn't initially female, but midway through development, one of the designers thought it would be a cool idea to change the character's sex.
Concept art from Metroid Prime.
After the developers took a vote, it was decided that this was the appropriate approach to the character, and that it wouldn't be until the end of the game until they would reveal the truth behind her. After her successful appearances in Metroid and its two sequels, Samus Aran went on a major hiatus until she appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 by Kirby creators HAL Laboratory.
It was then prior to the launch of the GameCube that Nintendo would announce that they would revisit the franchise, and would give the responsibility over to new found developer Retro Studios. A brief trailer was shown beforehand, and the game became one of the most talked about game. Early screens of the game didn't look very appealing, but soon enough after the switch to a first person perspective, the design would take a dramatic turn. Upon release, the game would be lauded as one of the greatest titles of all time.
That game was Metroid Prime. Andrew Jones designed the new character for the game while Gene Kohler modeled her. Jones not only made the concept art for the character, though also designed all of her suits in the title. Before Andrew Jones crated his Samus, a concept artist by the name of Mike Sneath did some work but it ultimately didn't fall through. The concept he created was the Samus that was originally shown in the trailer, and while the reactions by the fans were great, when the two new designers got on board they were asked to redesign her from scratch.
Outside appearances and cameos[]
Super Smash Bros.[]
Samus in Brawl.
Samus is a recurring character in the Super Smash Bros. series. She appeared in the first game, where she was able to execute multiple attacks. Multiple stages were based on the Metroid games, and an item named Screw Attack, that causes any player to perform multi-hit attacks.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, multiple trophies were modeled after various themes from the Metroid series. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Samus would transform into Zero Suit Samus after performing her final smash, which would send an immense laser across the stage.
Once performed, the intense power from the gun would cause her suit to overheat, thus destroying it and revealing her Zero Suit form. Zero Suit Samus is a separate playable character, too. She can be played as once Samus Aran performs her final smash, or if a player presses the shield button (Z on the Wii controller) when selecting Samus. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, Samus and Zero Suit Samus return as separate characters, though Samus is also more designed around her Other M appearance, looking less bulky.
Specials[]
- Neutral Special: Charge Shot
- Side Special: Missile
- Down Special: Bomb
- Up Special: Screw Attack
- Final Smash: Zero Laser
Alternate Costumes[]
Samus has 7 alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Her costumes from right to left starting with the top pic are the Varia Suit, the Fusion Suit, the Gravity Suit from Super Metroid, the Dark Suit, the Gravity Suit from Metroid Prime, an original Green suit, the Light Suit and one based on Dark Samus.
Cameos[]
- In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Samus can be sleeping in a bed in one of the game's inns.
- In Famicom Wars, Samus is one of the CO's of Donut Island.
- The game Galactic Pinball for the Virtual Boy is said to take place in the Metroid universe, and was Gunpei Yokoi's last Nintendo published game. Samus makes appearances in the title.
- In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Samus makes an appearance at the end of a stage.
- In Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, Samus is one of the stones or statues Kirby can transform into while Kirby has rock abilities.
Equipment[]
Samus Aran features some of the most advanced equipment, weapons and armor in any Nintendo video game series. She travels the galaxy using her starship made by the Galactic Federation, though the machine was equipped with missiles in the events that took place in Corruption. With her ship, she could call for raids on specific points that would almost certainly kill the opponent(s) in question.
As a young adult, the Chozo constructed a Power Suit to prevent intense environmental issues and powerful opponents from damaging her. Throughout the series Samus improved the suit greatly, though she'll usually lose these upgrades by the time of a new video game for whatever reason. Zero Suit Samus is basically Samus Aran without her power suit. She first appeared in this type of form as a playable character in Metroid Zero Mission.
Suits[]
During the course of the series, Samus has donned many different suits. In some video games she'll acquire various suit enhancements and upgrades, and subsequently the appearance of the suit will change along with it. The following are suits Samus has worn in the video games:
- Power Suit: Samus' starting suit in most games. It is a standard suit without many upgrades, though it is capable of being "powered up" by items found in-game.
- Varia Suit: The most common suit that Samus wears. The Varia Suit will reduce damage given to her and will allow her to venture through hot and cold environments (In Dread, it does not protect her against the cold). This is the suit Samus wears in the Super Smash Bros. series.
- Gravity Suit: Allows Samus to walk freely underwater and, in some games, lava. In water her vision is increased with the Gravity Suit (Metroid Prime), as well as reduces damage given to the character. In Metroid Dread she can run freely underwater, reduces the damage she takes, and it negates the damage she takes from lava itself and extreme cold.
- Fusion Suit: The suit Samus wears in Metroid Fusion.
- Phazon Suit: Increased resistance to attacks, resistance to Phazon and the inclusion of a Phazon Beam. She eventually loses it to the Metroid Prime where it would be reborn as Dark Samus.
- Dark Suit: Increased resistance to Dark Aether.
- Light Suit: Increased resistance to poisons and immunity to Dark Aether.
- PED Suit: Phazon related Hyper attacks.
- Metroid Suit: The suit that formed at the result of Samus's Metroid powers going out of control. This dangerous suit will cause any foe that comes in contact with her to be completely drained of energy, meaning that Samus is invincible in this state. This is available during the very final stage of her battle against Raven Beak's X form and the escape sequence that follows. Quiet Robe's X form allows her to neutralize her powers.
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
| Main article: Samus Aran/gallery |
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Origin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Samusu Aran | サムス・アラン | |
| Español | Samus Aran
|
From her Japanese name. | |
| Portugués | Samus Arão
|
From her Japanese name. | |
| Italiano | Samus Arano
|
From her Japanese name. | |
| Sicilianu | Samus Arannu
|
From her Japanese name. | |
| Sardinianu | Samus Aran
|
From her Japanese name. | |
Trivia[]
- Samus' precise age has never been revealed in any game or by Nintendo. With the Japanese Prime site even stating that her age is unknown. Other M concept art reveals that in her early years of around the time of the K-2L attack, that she is "4-6 years old,"[4] contradicting early media saying it happened when she was three, and in her Federation military period, she is "15-17 years old.[1]
- It is plausibly assumed that Samus was inspired by Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley from the Alien series. Her relationship with the Metroid is comparable to Ripley's relationship with a surviving LV-426 colonist named Rebecca "Newt" Jorden. Like the Baby, Newt dies in the sequel, Alien3, and just like Samus, Ripley feels guilt over her death. Unlike Ripley, Samus has never shown to be traumatized by the Metroids she faces on her various missions.
Related[]
References[]
| Metroid series | |
|---|---|
| Metroid series | Metroid (NES Classics) • II: Return of Samus • Super Metroid • Fusion • Zero Mission Other M • Samus Returns • Dread |
| Metroid Prime series | Metroid Prime (New Play Control! • Remastered) • 2: Echoes (New Play Control!) • Prime Hunters • Prime 3: Corruption • Prime 4 Prime Pinball • Prime: Trilogy • Federation Force |
| Related | Nintendo • Retro Studios • Samus Aran • Super Smash Bros. • Nintendo Land Gunpei Yokoi • Kensuke Tanabe • Yoshio Sakamoto |
| Metroids | |
|---|---|
| Natural line | Metroid Larva • Alpha Metroid • Gamma Metroid • Zeta Metroid • Omega Metroid • Queen Metroid |
| Phazon line | Miniroid • Phazon Metroid • Hopping Metroid • Metroid Hatcher |
| Phazon mutants | Fission Metroid • Hunter Metroid |
| Created by external means | Dark Tallon Metroid • Mochtroid |
| Unique specimens | Metroid Prime/Dark Samus • Samus Aran |
| Final bosses in Metroid | |
|---|---|
| Metroid series | Mother Brain • Queen Metroid • SA-X • Omega Metroid • Ridley Robot • Melissa Bergman • Phantoon • Proteus Ridley • Raven Beak |
| Metroid Prime series | Metroid Prime • Emperor Ing • Dark Samus • Gorea • Aurora Unit 313 • Master Brain • Samus Aran |