Ridley

Lore & Background

Ridley, also known in-universe by the alias Cunning God of Death, is an evil and aggressive draconic extraterrestrial who became Samus Aran's archnemesis after murdering the latter's parents as he led a Space Pirate raid on her home planet. Though destroyed numerous times by Samus, he is repeatedly resurrected through various means. Originally appearing as a subordinate of Mother Brain, he returns in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in his cybernetic Meta Ridley form, commanding the Space Pirates himself. Ridley is killed during the events of Super Metroid, though a clone of him introduced in Metroid: Other M persists after his death. The director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, stated in an interview with Nintendo Power that the development team considered including Ridley as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl but decided against the idea due to creative difficulties. In an interview with IGN about Ridley's exclusion from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Sakurai argued that reducing Ridley's size, wingspan or mobility to include him as a fighter would not be true to the character, who is supposed to be a 'truly threatening presence' that could only be correctly portrayed as a stage boss unencumbered by a fighter's size and balance restrictions. Sakurai said that high demand from players inspired him to add several playable characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including Ridley.

In Their Own Story

Ridley has been a popular character suggestion in the Super Smash Bros. series from fans, with demand for his inclusion dating back to Melee. In a 2008 issue of Nintendo Power, Masahiro Sakurai stated his reluctance to include Ridley in the series for a variety of reasons. This resulted in a vocal fanbase for the character, which took the form of both ironic internet memes and genuine support for his inclusion. Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson believed the appeal of Ridley lay in Ridley's status as a 'legacied' Nintendo character, as well as how the Metroid franchise lacked significant representation on the roster of the Super Smash Bros. series. His initial lack of inclusion also resulted in widespread negative response on the Internet, especially when it was revealed that he was not playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Many fans were also upset due to his lack of inclusion while other characters with high similarities to pre-existing characters on the roster (such as Kid Icarus character Dark Pit) were included. Polygon writer Ryan Gilliam discussed Ridley's long-standing popularity with the Super Smash Bros. fanbase, which he believed to have started in the form of rumors in the early 2000s. He found Ridley to be a popular character with fans due to his history not only in Metroid's fanbase, but also in Smash's fanbase due to the long-lasting desire for Ridley to be included in the series. Due to Sakurai's reluctance to include Ridley in the series, a popular internet meme was created about Ridley being 'too big' for Smash.

Reader's Guide

Ridley appears in the Super Smash Bros. crossover fighting game series in many of its installments. He appears in a cameo in both Super Smash Bros. and Melee, and acts as a boss opponent in Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He later appears as a playable character in Ultimate. The director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, stated in an interview with Nintendo Power that the development team considered including Ridley as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl but decided against the idea due to creative difficulties. In an interview with IGN about Ridley's exclusion from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Sakurai argued that reducing Ridley's size, wingspan or mobility to include him as a fighter would not be true to the character, who is supposed to be a 'truly threatening presence' that could only be correctly portrayed as a stage boss unencumbered by a fighter's size and balance restrictions. Sakurai said that high demand from players inspired him to add several playable characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including Ridley.

Did You Know?

• Ridley is believed to be named after Ridley Scott, director of the 1979 film Alien, which has been described by character designer Yoshio Sakamoto as a 'huge influence' on the world of the Metroid series.
• Mike Sneath, one of three senior character artists for Metroid Prime, was responsible for designing the Meta Ridley version of Ridley seen in Metroid Prime, and it took him about '20 to 25 days' to model and texture Meta Ridley.
• The director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, stated that the development team considered including Ridley as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl but decided against the idea due to creative difficulties.
• Sakurai argued that reducing Ridley's size, wingspan or mobility to include him as a fighter would not be true to the character, who is supposed to be a 'truly threatening presence'.
• Ridley has been a popular character suggestion in the Super Smash Bros. series from fans, with demand for his inclusion dating back to Melee.