| Ghosts | |
|---|---|
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In-game sprites of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde (clockwise from top-left) from Pac-Man. | |
| Universe | Pac-Man |
| Debut | Pac-Man (1980) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs (2024) |
| Console/platform of origin | Arcade |
| Species | Ghost |
| Gender | Male (Blinky, Inky, Clyde) Female (Pinky) |
Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde (アカベエ, Akabei, ピンキー, Pinky, アオスケ, Aosuke, and グズタ, Guzuta), collectively referred to as the Ghosts (モンスターズ, Monsters), are recurring enemies in the Pac-Man series. They are red, pink, cyan, and orange, respectively.
Origin
The four ghosts are prominent recurring elements in the Pac-Man series. Starting from the original arcade game, they are persistent enemies that Pac-Man must avoid while eating dots in each maze. However, if Pac-Man consumes a Power Pellet, the ghosts will become scared, turn blue, and run away; in this state, Pac-Man can eat them for additional points, which causes them to turn into eyeballs and retreat. The ghosts cannot be permanently defeated, as they will return to normal after being eaten, or otherwise after the Power Pellet's duration expires. A set of cutscenes, known as "Coffee Breaks", depict the conflict between Pac-Man and the Ghosts, eventually showing Blinky's "clothes" ripping off, unveiling a bizarre pale-skinned creature with two feet and no legs, arms, or hands beneath. While additional ghosts have been introduced in subsequent Pac-Man titles, the four introduced in the original game have remained the most iconic, and thus have made the most appearances.
The ghosts were originally envisioned as more generic "monsters", but most players — particularly outside of Japan — interpreted them as being ghosts. Starting with early home ports such as the Atari 2600 version, American-made Pac-Man installments more concretely establish them to be ghosts; the 1982 Hanna-Barbera cartoon would refer to them as "ghost monsters" to help bridge the gap. The ghosts are still referred to as "monsters" in Japanese material, even in American-developed games like Pac-Man World which lean much more heavily into their ghostly nature (for example, originating from "Ghost Island" and appearing to inhabit graveyards and haunted houses).
In Smash, the ghosts' depiction is based off of the 8-bit sprites from the original Pac-Man. All four of them have unique personalities and movement patterns, which are recreated in their Assist Trophy:
- Blinky is the red leader of the ghosts, otherwise known as Shadow. His movement pattern involves chasing Pac-Man aggressively, often trailing directly behind him; he also receives a speed boost twice per round. As a result, his later appearances are often characterized as hot-headed, determined, and conceited. His name is occasionally switched with Clyde, making Blinky the cowardly orange ghost.
- Pinky is the pink ghost, otherwise known as Speedy. Her movement pattern involves getting ahead of Pac-Man and ambushing him in collaboration with Blinky. She is generally shown to be sly and cunning, and she harbors an unrequited crush on Pac-Man. In the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Pinky is male and portrayed as the strongest but least intelligent of the ghosts.
- Inky is the cyan ghost, otherwise known as Bashful. His movement pattern involves aiming for a location based on Blinky's distance from Pac-Man, generally resulting in him shying away from the two. In later appearances, he is often portrayed as clumsy and timid.
- Clyde is the orange ghost, otherwise known as Pokey. His movement pattern involves mimicking Blinky's movement until reaching a certain distance from Pac-Man, then retreating to the bottom-left corner of the stage. In later appearances, he is generally depicted as an easygoing, cowardly ghost. His name is occasionally switched with Blinky, making Clyde the aggressive red ghost.
The original four, known collectively as the "Ghost Gang", has been depicted as taking varying roles in following Pac-Man media, from villains, to allies, to harmless tricksters — typically they're portrayed as underlings to a greater threat, a role first established for them (like many other elements of the modern Pac-Man universe) in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
The Ghosts appear in three major capacities in these games.
As an Assist Trophy
When summoned via an Assist Trophy, the Ghosts will wander around the stage trying to make contact with an opponent fighter. They deal 10% damage, cannot be shielded, and speed up several seconds before they despawn, notified by a change in pitch of their "wandering" tone. Unlike other Assist Trophies, they simply zoom offscreen instead of disappearing. Each ghost exhibits similar behavior as they did in the original arcade game: Blinky takes the shortest route to nearby enemies, Pinky tries to move in front of them, Inky moves opposite to Blinky, and Clyde moves randomly.
As a moveset element
Pac-Man uses the Ghosts for his smash attacks, holding Blinky in front of him for his forward smash, Inky above him for his up smash, and Pinky and Clyde on either side of him for his down smash. The Ghosts are considered to be disjointed hitboxes, and as a result, hitboxes that hit them do not harm Pac-Man himself. Ghosts also appear in two of Pac-Man's taunts. Pac-Man's up taunt Namco Roulette can summon a scared ghost in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, while Blinky and Pinky appear in his down taunt.
Blinky in Pac-Man's forward smash.
Inky in Pac-Man's up smash.
Pinky and Clyde in Pac-Man's down smash.
Blinky and Pinky in Pac-Man's down taunt.
A scared ghost in Pac-Man's up taunt.
As a stage hazard
The Ghosts appear as damaging hazards on the Pac-Maze stage. By collecting 100 Pac-Dots, a player can spawn a Power Pellet and therefore make them vulnerable, though they remain dangerous to other players.
Trophies
The single and collective Ghosts trophies appear in both versions, while the TURN-TO-BLUE trophy is exclusive to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the single and collective trophies are part of the PAC-MAN and SUPER PAC-MAN & PAC-LAND Trophy Boxes, respectively.
- Ghosts (PAC-MAN)
Each of the four types of ghost in PAC-MAN behaves a bit differently. In Smash Bros., they appear in 8-bit form and move around the stage in their own quirky way, tormenting the fighters. The longer they chase you, the faster they move—and even if you get a Power Pellet and defeat them, they'll be back soon enough!- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980)
- Arcade: SUPER PAC-MAN (1982)
Each of the four types of ghost in PAC-MAN behaves a bit differently. In this game, they appear in 8-bit form and move around the stage in their own quirky way to torment the fighters. The longer they chase you, the faster they move - and even if you get a Power Pellet and defeat them, they'll be back soon enough!- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980 (JP))
- Arcade: Super PAC-MAN (1982 (JP))
- Blinky
-
A red ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. The way he incessantly follows PAC-MAN earned him the nickname Shadow. When you get further in the stage, he also gets a terrifying speed boost! In Smash Bros., he appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's side smash. -
A red ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. The way he incessantly follows PAC-MAN earned him the nickname Shadow. When you get further in the stage, he also gets a terrifying speed boost! In Smash Bros., he appears in PAC-MAN's side smash. - Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980)
- Arcade: SUPER PAC-MAN (1982)
- A red ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series, noted for the way he incessantly follows PAC-MAN. When you get further in the stage, he also gets a speed boost, which can be quite terrifying! In this game, he appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's side smash.
- A red ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series, noted for the way he incessantly follows PAC-MAN. When you get further in the stage, he also gets a speed boost, which can be quite terrifying! In this game, he appears in PAC-MAN's side smash and as part of an Assist Trophy.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980 (JP))
- Arcade: Super PAC-MAN (1982 (JP))
- Inky
- A blue ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series...sometimes. He's also known as Bashful, since he moves around indecisively depending on whether PAC-MAN is nearby. In Smash Bros., he appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's up smash.
- A blue ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series...sometimes. He's also known as Bashful, since he moves around indecisively depending on whether PAC-MAN is nearby. In Smash Bros., he appears as an assist trophy and in PAC-MAN's up smash.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980)
- Arcade: SUPER PAC-MAN (1982)
- A blue ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series...some of the time. He has a tendency to move around indecisively depending on whether or not PAC-MAN is nearby. In this game, he appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's up smash.
- A blue ghost that chases after PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series...some of the time. He has a tendency to move around indecisively depending on whether or not PAC-MAN is nearby. In this game, he appears in PAC-MAN's up smash and as part of an Assist Trophy.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980 (JP))
- Arcade: Super PAC-MAN (1982 (JP))
- Pinky
- A pink ghost that strategically targets PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. She's also known as Speedy, as she can anticipate PAC-MAN's moves and get ahead of him quick enough to ambush him. In Smash Bros., she appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- A pink ghost that strategically targets PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. She's also known as Speedy, as she can anticipate PAC-MAN's moves and get ahead of him quick enough to ambush him. In Smash Bros., she appears as an assist trophy and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980)
- Arcade: SUPER PAC-MAN (1982)
- A pink ghost that strategically targets PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. She can anticipate PAC-MAN's moves and get ahead of him quick enough to ambush him with a pincer attack. In this game, she appears in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- A pink ghost that strategically targets PAC-MAN in the PAC-MAN series. She can anticipate PAC-MAN's moves and get ahead of him quick enough to ambush him with a pincer attack. In this game, she appears in PAC-MAN's down smash and as part of an Assist Trophy.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980 (JP))
- Arcade: Super PAC-MAN (1982 (JP))
- Clyde
- An orange ghost that doesn't really chase after PAC-MAN all that much in the PAC-MAN series. Instead, he likes to just wander around, doing his own thing. He's also known as Pokey, and in PAC-LAND he appears as a tough and speedy enemy. In Smash Bros., he shows up in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- An orange ghost that doesn't really chase after PAC-MAN all that much in the PAC-MAN series. Instead, he likes to just wander around, doing his own thing. He's also known as Pokey, and in PAC-LAND he appears as a tough and speedy enemy. In Smash Bros., he shows up in[sic] as an assist trophy and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980)
- Arcade: SUPER PAC-MAN (1982)
- An orange ghost that doesn't really chase after PAC-MAN all that much in the PAC-MAN series. Instead, he chooses to just wander around, doing his own thing. In PAC-LAND he appears as a tough and speedy enemy. In this game, he shows up in the PAC-MAZE stage and in PAC-MAN's down smash.
- An orange ghost that doesn't really chase after PAC-MAN all that much in the PAC-MAN series. Instead, he chooses to just wander around, doing his own thing. In PAC-LAND he appears as a tough and speedy enemy. In this game, he shows up in PAC-MAN's down smash and as part of an Assist Trophy.
- Arcade: PAC-MAN (1980 (JP))
- Arcade: Super PAC-MAN (1982 (JP))
- TURN-TO-BLUE
- The colorful ghosts in PAC-MAN generally act as pursuers, chasing down the hero as he searches for food. But feed the hero a Power Pellet, and now it's the ghosts' turn to run! They take on this new form as they run for their ghostly lives. In Smash Bros., these scaredy-ghosts will appear in the PAC-MAZE stage if you grab a Power Pellet.
- The colourful ghosts in PAC-MAN usually act as pursuers, chasing down the hero as he goes in search of food. But feed him a Power Pellet, and now it's the ghosts' turn to run! They take on this new form as they flee for their ghostly lives. In this game, too, you can see the ghosts in this form if you grab a Power Pellet in the PAC-MAZE stage.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
As an Assist Trophy
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The Ghosts reprise their role as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The background now turns blue when they appear, and they can now be attacked and defeated. They all share a single health pool; as a result, while it is difficult for a fighter to defeat the ghosts with melee attacks, other forms of damage (such as projectiles or other Assist Trophies) can easily KO the group if even a single ghost is hit with enough damage. When one of the four ghosts is defeated, the other three ghosts will turn to blue and run away. They cannot appear on Boxing Ring, Brinstar, Coliseum, Dream Land GB, Flat Zone X, Frigate Orpheon, Green Greens, King of Fighters Stadium, Lylat Cruise, Midgar, Moray Towers, Mute City SNES, New Pork City, Norfair, Pac-Land, Pilotwings, Pirate Ship, Port Town Aero Dive, Princess Peach's Castle, Prism Tower, Spirit Train, Town and City, and WarioWare, Inc.
As a moveset element
The Ghosts also reprise their role as part of Pac-Man's moveset. Additionally, a vulnerable ghost still appears in Pac-Man's Namco Roulette taunt. However, Blinky and Pinky no longer appear in his down taunt, being replaced by fairies from Pac-Land.
Pac-Man using his forward smash on Kalos Pokémon League.
Spirits
Primary spirit
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 948 |  |
Ghosts |  |
★★ | 3 | 1504 | 6017 | 654 | 2617 | 850 | 3400 | No Effect | PAC-MAN Series |
Support spirit
| No. | Image | Name | Class | Cost | Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 949 |  |
TURN-TO-BLUE | ★ | 1 | Trade-Off Speed ↑ | PAC-MAN Series |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
モンスターズ | Monsters |
 English |
Ghosts | — |
 French |
Fantômes | Ghosts |
 German |
Geister | Ghosts |
 Spanish |
Fantasmas | Ghosts |
 Italian |
Fantasmi | Ghosts |
 Chinese |
Ghosts | — |
 Korean |
Ghosts | — |
 Dutch |
Spoken | Ghosts |
 Russian |
Привидения | Ghosts |
Trivia
- While the Ghosts appear in two different ways (a stage hazard in SSB4, and an Assist Trophy in SSB4 and Ultimate), only the stage hazard Ghosts on Pac-Maze are able to be consumed, as stage-generated Power Pellets grant a unique buff that turns them blue. As such, Pac-Man's abilities that generate Power Pellets (specifically, his side special and both game's versions of Super Pac-Man) do not allow him to consume Ghosts.
 Pac-Man universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Pac-Man (SSB4 · SSBU) |
| Assist Trophy | Ghosts |
| Stages | Pac-Maze · Pac-Land |
| Trophies and Spirits | Trophies · Spirits |
| Music | SSB4 · Ultimate |
| Masterpiece | Pac-Man |