Ridley

Template:Character-infobox Ridley is a space pterodactyl, the leader of the Space Pirates, and one of the main villains in the Metroid series of video games. He is directly responsible for the murder of Samus Aran's mother and partially responsible for the death of her father. In several instances, Ridley appears as an upgraded cybernetic version of himself called Meta Ridley. In addition to the Metroid series, Ridley has made an appearance in all four games in the Super Smash Bros. series, as well as in Nintendo Land in animatronic form.

History

Super Smash Bros. series

In Super Smash Bros., Ridley can occasionally be seen flying in the background of the Planet Zebes arena.

Ridley fighting Samus Aran in the opening cinematic of Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Ridley also makes a brief appearance in the opening cinematic of Super Smash Bros. Melee, where he can be seen battling his archenemy, Samus Aran. A trophy of Ridley can also be obtained in this game.

Ridley fighting Samus in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Ridley is fought twice in the Subspace Emissary. The first time he is encountered, he is fought by Samus and Pikachu. As the two reach the exit to The Research Facility, where her Power Suit had been held, Ridley appears without warning and snatches up Samus. Roaring, he slams her into a wall and drags her along it. Pikachu comes to Samus's rescue, hitting the space dragon with a Thunder attack, after which the battle begins. Ridley fights similarly to Master Hand, using many brutal physical attacks. When he is defeated, he falls off the arena. Ridley is next fought in The Great Maze with any characters that have been rescued throughout the Subspace Emissary. He uses the same attacks and is defeated in the same fashion as before. Remixes of Ridley's theme music from various Metroid games can be optionally played in the Frigate Orpheon stage.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Ridley is a stage hazard boss on the Pyrosphere stage. His physical appearance, like Samus', is based on his appearance from Metroid: Other M. Once attacked enough by a player, Ridley allies with that player, and attacks the other players. He can also transform into Meta Ridley by absorbing enough energy. He can be defeated, and, as if he was a character, defeating him will reward the player with a K.O. point; he can be defeated by his own ally as well.

Nintendo Land

The animatronic Ridley, from Nintendo Land.

In Nintendo Land, an animatronic Ridley appears as a recurring antagonist in the Metroid Blast attraction. Ice Ridley, a version of Ridley unique to this game, also appears.

Trophies

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Name	Image	Game	Description
Ridley	File:Trophy232.PNG	Metroid 8/89	The head of the Space Pirates on Zebes, Ridley soars through space on wicked wings. Ridley may look like a mindless monster, but he's actually quite intelligent. After the SR-388 incident, where Samus captured the infant Metroid, Ridley took the Space Academy by storm, annihilating the complex and taking the Metroid back.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Name	Image	Game	Description
Ridley		NES Metroid	The leader of the Space Pirates. He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature. He plans to steal the baby Metroid from Samus for his own use. Ridley utilizes wings for a full range of flight and attacks with fireballs from his mouth and whips of his tail. As the culprit behind the murder of Samus's parents, the connections with Samus run deep.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Name	Image	Appears In	NTSC-U Description	PAL Description
Ridley		NES Metroid (08/1987) SNES Super Metroid (04/1994)	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. Defeating him in a timed battle nets you +1 KO.	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!
Little Birdie		Wii Metroid: Other M (08/2010)	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!	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!
Mystery Creature		Wii Metroid: Other M (08/2010)	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.	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!

Trivia

• Ridley appears in Nintendo Monopoly, in which he takes the place of Tennessee Avenue. He costs $180.
• Ridley's trophies in Brawl and Melee both state that he is the head of the Space Pirates on Zebes. This is false however, with the real head being Mother Brain.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the only game in the Super Smash Bros. series to not reference Ridley in any way.