Editing Ridley

{{ArticleIcons|ssb=y|melee=y|brawl=y|ssb4-u=y|ultimate=y}}

{{forfighter|SSBU=y}} ''For boss info, see [[Ridley (SSBB)]]. For his cybernetically-enhanced form, see [[Meta Ridley]]. For the Japanese smasher, see {{Sm|Ridley}}.''

{{Infobox Character General

|name = Ridley

|image = {{tabber|title1=Super Metroid|content1=[[File:Ridley sm Artwork.png|250px|Official artwork of Ridley from ''Super Metroid'', the basis of his appearance in most ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.]]|title2=Other M|content2=[[File:MOM Ridley Concept Art.png|250px|Concept art of Ridley's clone from ''Metroid: Other M'', the basis of his appearance in ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''.]]}}

|caption = [[File:MetroidSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>Official artwork of Ridley from ''[[Super Metroid]]'' and his clone from ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid: Other M}}''.

|firstgame = ''{{b|Metroid|game}}'' (1986)

|games = ''[[SSB]]''<br>''[[Melee]]''<br>''[[Brawl]]''<br>''[[SSB4]]''<br>''[[Ultimate]]''

|lastappearance = ''{{iw|mariowiki|Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition}}'' (2024)

|console = Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom Disk System)

|species = Unknown

|homeworld = {{s|metroidwiki|Zebes}}<ref>Only in the original ''{{b|Metroid|game}}'' manual is Ridley described as a native of Zebes. This is not referenced again in later story materials, which depict Ridley and the Space Pirates as having conquered Zebes after it was originally inhabited by Chozo.</ref>

|interwiki = metroidwiki

'''Ridley''' ({{ja|リドリー|Ridorī}}, ''Ridley'') is a character from the {{uv|Metroid}} series. He is a major antagonist throughout the majority of the games, in which he generally acts as a climactic boss. A draconic creature hailing from {{s|metroidwiki|Zebes}}, Ridley is a vicious and highly intelligent member of the {{s|metroidwiki|Space Pirate}}s, working as one of their most prominent leaders alongside [[Mother Brain]]. He is also the arch-nemesis of the ''Metroid'' series' protagonist, [[Samus Aran]].

 

Ridley made his debut in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' as a [[boss]] in {{SSBB|Adventure Mode}}, returned as a stage hazard in {{forwiiu}}, and transitioned into a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.

[[File:Ridley.gif|thumb|left|Ridley as he appears in ''Super Metroid'', which inspired his design in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series.]]

Ridley, also known by the identifier "Geoform 187" or his title "The Cunning God of Death", is a recurring antagonist in the ''Metroid'' series. His design varies across the series, but he is generally a large, winged alien that resembles a dragon or pterosaur. Despite his bestial appearance and fearsome mannerisms, he is by no means a mindless animal, but a high-ranking {{s|metroidwiki|Space Pirate}} that is sapient and, in some appearances, capable of speech.

Ridley is directly connected to [[Samus Aran]]'s past. In the ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid e-manga}}'', he led a Space Pirate ambush on an Afloraltite mining colony on {{s|metroidwiki|K-2L}}, where the young Samus lived. He inadvertently killed her mother {{s|metroidwiki|Virginia Aran}} when she attempted to save her daughter. {{s|metroidwiki|Rodney Aran}}, Samus' father, then sacrificed himself by detonating the Afloraltite to destroy the Space Pirates, momentarily defeating Ridley. A decade later, Ridley met a teenage Samus on her new home of planet {{s|metroidwiki|Zebes}}, murdering one of her adoptive {{s|metroidwiki|Chozo}} guardians, {{s|metroidwiki|Gray Voice}}, during the Space Pirate invasion.

In the original ''{{b|Metroid|game}}'', Ridley is a leader of the Space Pirates on planet Zebes. He, [[Mother Brain]], and the Pirates stole and cloned the eponymous {{b|Metroid|creature}}s for galactic domination. Ridley, however, was surprised to find the teenage girl from years ago, now a grown woman, had come to face and defeat him. In the game's remake ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid: Zero Mission}}'', he had also created a robot replica of himself called {{s|metroidwiki|Mecha Ridley}}. However, this robot was unfinished before Samus destroyed it.

Ridley returned in ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime}}'', revived as the cyborg "[[Meta Ridley]]". In this new form, Ridley oversaw the experiments of {{s|metroidwiki|Phazon}} on the wildlife of {{s|metroidwiki|Tallon IV}} aboard the [[Frigate Orpheon]]. This backfired, as the creatures mutated into {{s|metroidwiki|Parasite Queen}}s that escaped captivity and ransacked the ship. Meta Ridley encountered Samus aboard the frigate, fleeing to Tallon IV below while she gave pursuit. They then clashed at the {{s|metroidwiki|Artifact Temple}}, where the Chozo architecture turned on Meta Ridley and struck him with several lasers to the chest, knocking him into the {{s|metroidwiki|Impact Crater}}.

Meta Ridley returned after [[Dark Samus]] took control of the Space Pirates in ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 3: Corruption}}''. He led the Pirate assault on {{s|metroidwiki|Norion}}, but was defeated by Samus. Upon retreating to the {{s|metroidwiki|Space Pirate Homeworld}}, Meta Ridley was exposed to massive amounts of Phazon inside the {{s|metroidwiki|Leviathan}}, mutating into "{{s|metroidwiki|Omega Ridley}}". This powered-up form became the Leviathan guardian and fought Samus, but he was again defeated and disappeared.

In ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid: Samus Returns}}'', Ridley arrived on planet SR388 just as Samus returned to her ship with the Baby Metroid in tow. Ridley's body was still partially healing with cybernetic prosthetics, now known as "{{s|metroidwiki|Proteus Ridley}}". After an arduous battle, Proteus Ridley was left incapacitated on the planet's surface as Samus fled for the Ceres Station to deliver the Baby Metroid.

In ''[[Super Metroid]]'', Ridley's body had completely healed, so he kidnapped the Baby Metroid from Ceres. Samus chased him back to planet Zebes, where there was a rebuilt Pirate base. Samus battled Ridley as one of the guardians to Tourian, defeating him a final time. When Mother Brain's death caused the destruction of Zebes, Ridley's remains were consumed in the blast, supposedly marking the true death of Samus's longstanding nemesis.

 

However, Ridley's legacy lived on. In ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid: Other M}}'', Ridley was unintentionally cloned via a DNA sample from Samus' armor after their battle in ''Super Metroid''. The result was initially a small creature dubbed "{{s|metroidwiki|Little Birdie}}", which Samus encountered on the {{s|metroidwiki|Bottle Ship}}. Later on, it evolved into a {{s|metroidwiki|Mystery Creature}} that ambushed Samus before being repelled by Galactic Federation soldiers. After escaping, he evolved into his most recognizable form. Samus met the reborn Ridley in the Geothermal Power Plant, going into a state of shock until {{s|metroidwiki|Anthony Higgs}} supposedly sacrificed himself to protect her. Samus fought the cloned Ridley, but he escaped once more, only to be cornered by a {{s|metroidwiki|Queen Metroid}} and drained into a lifeless husk.

 

In ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Fusion}}'', the husk of Ridley's clone appeared, cryogenically frozen, on the {{s|metroidwiki|Biologic Space Labs}} research station. Samus discovered it halfway through her mission, watching it shatter as an {{s|metroidwiki|X Parasite}} copied his DNA. Samus later encountered the X-mimic as the mutant "{{s|metroidwiki|Neo-Ridley}}" and defeated it, presumably ending Ridley for good.

[[File:Ridley SSB.png|thumb|150px|Ridley in ''Super Smash Bros.'']]

Ridley appears on [[Planet Zebes]], flying in the background. His appearance is based off of his ''Super Metroid'' sprite.

[[File:RidleyMeleeCameo.png|thumb|Ridley makes a cameo appearance in ''Melee'' in a fight with Samus for a Metroid during the opening movie.]]

Ridley has a cameo in the [[opening movie]] of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', fighting {{SSBM|Samus}}, when Samus jumps over him and shoots several missiles. As the opening movie was part of the game's initial reveal, this scene led to fan speculation that Ridley would be a playable character, though this ended up not being the case. Like in ''Super Metroid'', Ridley is carrying the baby Metroid's capsule, though unlike in ''Super Metroid'', Samus has both the {{s|metroidwiki|Varia Suit}} and [[Missile]]s.

 

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

|universe = {{uv|Metroid}}

In an interview with the gaming magazine ''{{s|wikipedia|Nintendo Power}}'', when asked if Ridley was considered as a playable fighter in ''Brawl'', Masahiro Sakurai replied that making Ridley playable would have been impossible without putting their best efforts into it. He commented that Ridley may have been "a little slow" as a fighter.<ref>http://sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/</ref>

Hacking of ''Brawl'' reveals incomplete [[Assist Trophy]] data for Ridley; presumably, Ridley was initially planned as an Assist Trophy but was instead included as a boss.

===Role in the Subspace Emissary===

Ridley is the fifth boss in the Subspace Emissary. {{SSBB|Samus}} and {{SSBB|Pikachu}} must fight him at the end of [[The Research Facility II]]. In the cutscene prior to the battle, Ridley ambushes and grabs Samus, flying upward and scraping her along the walls. Pikachu breaks Samus free from Ridley's grasp using {{b|Thunder|Pokémon}}. In the first battle, Ridley has higher health and uses moves ranging from claw swipes to a move similar to [[Rayquaza]]'s ExtremeSpeed to a tail swipe across the entire stage. [[Meta Ridley]], his form in ''Metroid Prime'', later attacks {{SSBB|Donkey Kong}}, {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}}, {{SSBB|Olimar}}, Samus, Pikachu and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}

Ridley and his Meta Ridley form are later resurrected by [[Tabuu]] in [[The Great Maze]] to face down the heroes. Oddly enough, they are resurrected as separate beings.

===As a playable character===

''For Nintendo 3DS'' marks Ridley's only complete absence from a ''Super Smash Bros.'' title.

===Attacks===

*Moves across the ground while slashing 3 times, damaging any fighter in Ridley's path. 25% (First Hit) 10% (Second hit) 20% (Third Hit)

|desc-pal=Samus's long-standing rival in battle. In this game, he's a common foe to all the fighters in the Pyrosphere stage. However, if you manage to launch him or knock him over, he'll become an ally to whoever dealt the last blow. If you can defeat him during a timed battle, you'll get +1 KO out of it!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Metroid|release1=08/1987|console2=SNES|game2=Super Metroid|release2=04/1994}}

{{Trophy

|name=Little Birdie

|image=LittleBirdieTrophyWiiU.png

|desc-ntsc=It may be hard to believe, but this is a younger version of the infamous Space Pirate Ridley. No matter how cute he is, don't think that you can love him and take him home—his next form is lizard-like with a sharp tail, and he has no problem turning his caring owner into a tasty snack!

|desc-pal=Everyone knows Ridley as a terrifying evil space dragon, but would you have guessed he looked like this as a baby? He's kind of cute and creepy at the same time. Don't let his innocent act fool you into thinking he'd make a nice pet, though – once he sheds his skin and enters his reptile phase, you'll just become his next meal!

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Metroid: Other M|release1=09/2010}}

{{clrl}}

|image=MysteryCreatureTrophyWiiU.png

|desc-ntsc=What once was a cute little bird has changed into a lizard-like creature. It still has some white feathers from its previous form, but that's where the similarities end. Is there something in its blood that drives it to confront Samus whenever possible? Her parents were Ridley's victims, after all.

|desc-pal=If Little Birdie is Ridley's cute baby years, this must be his awkward teenage phase. The feathers on his back are the only real clue that it's the same creature. Is there something in Ridley's genes that make him hate Samus so much? The original Ridley killed her parents, and now this one is out to get her too!

{{Main|Ridley (SSBU)}}

[[File:Ridley SSBU.png|thumb|Ridley, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

After many years of only appearing as either a boss or a cameo in the ''Smash'' series, Ridley finally makes his playable debut as an unlockable newcomer, being revealed during the Nintendo E3 Direct on June 12, 2018. His inclusion as a playable fighter was largely cemented by popular demand both within the previous installment's [[Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot|Fighter Ballot]] and long afterward, particularly in the West.

Much like Zero Suit Samus in both ''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate'', Ridley uses a composite design original to the ''Smash'' series; in his case, he is primarily based on his appearance in ''Super Metroid'', with some embellishments and elements that his clone in ''Metroid: Other M'' featured, resulting in a more realistic and detailed design compared to his design in ''Brawl''. Meta Ridley is also featured as an alternate costume for Ridley. An official Ridley [[amiibo]] was confirmed the same day as his reveal and launched alongside the game itself.

 

! Base [[File:Equipment Icon Power Badge.png|20px|Power]]

! Max [[File:Equipment Icon Power Badge.png|20px|Power]]

 

 

*Ridley's tail is the only invulnerable part of Ridley's body in every ''Metroid'' game in the series following the first. However, in ''for Wii U'', his tail counts as part of his hurtboxes.

*Ridley had historically been a strong contender for the fan community's most-wanted playable character; an official survey on the Japanese version of ''Brawl''{{'}}s [[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] featured Ridley receiving four separate requests from fans to be playable, with only [[King Dedede]] having more (with five).<ref>http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=71872</ref><ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20061107182538/www.smashbros.com/jp/toukou/index.html</ref> Requests for the character increased even further for ''SSB4'', leading to another boost to the character's popularity. A significant number of players, however, had opposed the inclusion of Ridley, primarily under the claim that including the character would require scaling him down to an unrealistic size; as a result, "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ridley-is-too-big Ridley is too big]" had become an in-joke in the community, particularly in reference with other characters that would require significant scaling for ''Smash Bros.'' appearances.

**Ridley's character trailer tagline in ''Ultimate'', "Ridley Hits the Big Time!", is likely a jab at the aforementioned meme regarding his size.

**In his home series, Ridley was at his smallest in the original NES game ''Metroid'', where his hunched posture makes him only slightly taller than Samus. According to senior localization manager Nate Bihldorff, this was a major inspiration for Masahiro Sakurai when Ridley was scaled down for ''Ultimate''.<ref name=RidleyNES/>

*In ''SSB4'', Ridley is the only non-playable character to have a unique stock icon in the final build of the game. Strangely, the icon derives from his ''Brawl'' design.

*In ''Brawl'', Ridley is unable to shoot fireballs as he did as an attack in past ''Metroid'' games, although Meta Ridley is capable of doing so. Ironically, Meta Ridley never had the ability to shoot fireballs, instead possessing the ability to fire a long beam of plasma from his mouth.

*In ''Ultimate'', Ridley became the first [[boss]] in the series to become a playable character.

*Ridley is currently the tallest playable character to date, succeeding Samus in ''SSB'' and Bowser since ''Melee''.

 

[[Category:Stage hazards]]

[[Category:Trophies (SSBM)]]

[[Category:Trophies (SSBB)]]

[[Category:Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)]]

[[es:Ridley]]