Character Sheet: Ridley

RIDLEY

And now, let's take a quick break to go over our new characters from the six games that fall under the "Metroid" label (no Primes or remakes). As you can see, we have twenty (or twenty-five to be more accurate, but we'll get to those. They are:

1. Samus Aran

2. Adam Malkovitch

3. Mother Brain

4. MB*

5. Ridley

6. Kraid

7. Raven Beak

8. SA-X

9. Space Pirate

10. Kihunter

11. Metroid

12. X-Parasite

13. Autoad

14. Chozo Soldier

15. Robot Chozo Soldier

16. EMMI

17. Torizo

18. Phantoon

19. Nightmare

20. Metroid Queen

Ridley is my favorite. Of all time. Not even just in Metroid. I wanted him so badly in Smash, and I was over the moon when I got him. He is, in many ways, the true villain of the Metroid series, the leader of the Space Pirates and a cruel, conniving sadist who formed an alliance with Mother Brain to wipe out the Chozo and massacred Samus's parents right in front of her purely out of spite. He's also a giant purple space dragon, which is awesome too.

Already, we have a lot to work with for him, including his flight, his fireballs, his ability to hop on his tail like a pogo stick, his tendency to grab his opponents with his claws and slam them into the wall or ground, and his ability to attack with his tail (both sweeping and stabbing). It should be noted as well that his clone from Metroid: Other M went through several life stages, including a small fuzzy baby form, then a large hairy lizard form, before finally reaching his adult stage. I have to assume that Ridley prime went through a similar metamorphosis in his life.

Here's the movesets I came up with:

Standard B: Fireballs

He will shoot out a string of fireballs that will bounce forward, just like his iconic attack.

Side B: Dragon Slam

Just like in Smash, he will grab the nearest opponent and then slam them into the ground, sliding forward with them in lieu of a wall to do it with.

Up B: Dragon Flight

He will launch upward at high speed on his draconic wings.

Down B: Tail Stab

Just like in Smash (because I love it as a move), he will stab his tail forward, with a heavily damaging sweet spot.

Final Smash: Ridley's Rage

Although his final smash from Ultimate is not directly pulled from anything, it mirrors his theming and his battles with Samus so well that I can't not use it.

Entrance: He will swoop in from the background and roar.

Taunts: Up, he will throw his head back and roar loudly. Side, he will grasp a jar with a Metroid inside it. Down, he will get down on all fours and splay his wings menacingly.

Kirby Hat: His little purple head with wings.

Kart: Based on Zebesian tech.

Special Move: He will grab another kart and then slam them along the track for a stretch.

Spirit Battle: A giant battle on Norfair.

Victory Screen: He will land and let out a victorious screech as the sky turns dark.

Losing Screen: He will burst into flames and screech in agony as he falls down into the depths.

Color Swaps: His standard purple, his red from various marketing, his old Metroid 1 look, his Metroid Other M look, Neo Ridley from Fusion, his hairy juvenile form from Other M, a gold look, a black look reminiscent of Meta Ridley.

Thanks for reading! Next up, his monster-in-crime, Kraid.