Samus

	Super Smash Bros. fighter; Zero Suit Samus
Game appearances
	Super Smash Bros. Brawl; Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS; Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Special moves
	Neutral: Paralyzer ; Side: Plasma Whip ; Up: Plasma Wire (SSBB), Boost Kick ; Down: Flip Jump ; Final Smash: Power Suit Samus (SSBB), Gunship (SSB4), Zero Laser (SSBU)
Battle entrance
	Appears in a electrical discharge (SSBB); Leaps out of her Gunship

	Super Smash Bros. fighter; Samus
Game appearances
	Super Smash Bros.; Super Smash Bros. Melee; Super Smash Bros. Brawl; Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS; Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Special moves
	Neutral: Charge Shot ; Side: Missile ; Up: Screw Attack ; Down: Bomb ; Final Smash: Zero Laser
Battle entrance
	Samus steps out of a Save Station.

Samus
	; Artwork of Samus from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Full name	Samus Aran
Species	Human (augmented with Chozo and Metroid DNA)
First appearance	Metroid (1986, Metroid series); Captain N: The Game Master (1989, Mario-related media)
Latest appearance	Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)

“I'm resting up for Mother Brain.”

—Samus, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Samus Aran is an occasional crossover character in the Super Mario franchise and the main protagonist of the Metroid series. She is an intergalactic bounty hunter that was orphaned at a young age and raised by the avian Chozo race. They infused her with their own DNA so that she would tolerate their harsh planet, and trained her in combat so that she could use the Power Suit. After venturing out as a young woman, Samus briefly served as a member of the Galactic Federation, after which she decided to become a contracted bounty hunter.

The first Metroid game was developed by Nintendo R&D1, the studio that had developed Super Mario Land and the Wario Land series. Samus was designed by Wario creator Hiroji Kiyotake.^[1] Comics involving Wario have occasionally made explicit references to Samus, potentially alluding to their shared studio history.

History[edit]

Nintendo Comics System[edit]

Although absent from the animated television series Captain N: The Game Master, Samus does appear as a major character in the comic book adaptation of Captain N released under the Valiant Nintendo Comics System.

Yoshi[edit]

Samus appears in the audience of the Shogakukan guidebook released for Yoshi, on page 59. The book explains some aspects of Yoshi's life and biology. The description implies Samus is a mutual friend of Yoshi, Mario, and Luigi.

Super Mario-kun[edit]

Super Mario-kun Volume 10 is an adaptation of Mario & Wario. After Wario's Bulldog is crashed into the ground by Yoshi, he uses to wreckage to create his own version of Samus's Power Suit and takes on the title "Super Wariroido".

Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash[edit]

Samus Doll

In Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash, Samus makes a cameo appearance in the form of the Samus Doll, a central element to the story. When both Mario and Wario are considering what to get Princess Toadstool for her birthday, they remember her thinking the doll was cute when passing by the toy store on the way to the park. However, both of them are told someone with "a big, black mustache" bought the last doll and try to sabotage each other, though in the end Luigi is the one who bought the doll for the princess.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

Cameo of Samus Aran in the royal castle's guest room in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

Samus Aran rests.

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake, Samus can be found sleeping in the guest room in the Mushroom Castle after obtaining the fifth Star Piece. If Mario talks to her in the Japanese version, she half-consciously says「オモロイド」(Omoroido), a play on「メトロイド」(Metoroido, Metroid) and「おもろい」(omoroi, interesting) referencing the Japanese「メトロイド　オモロイド」(Metoroido Omoroido, effectively "Metroid Funroid") marketing tagline first used for Metroid II: Return of Samus. In the English version of the same dialogue, she instead says that she is "resting up for Mother Brain."

A toy of Samus also appears in the toy box in the room at the top of Booster Tower.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Samus appears in all six games in the Super Smash Bros. series. She is a heavy character but falls at a slow speed, giving her "floaty" jumps and aerial movement like in the sidescrolling Metroid games. Samus's moveset is designed around extensive use of her projectiles and other weapons, along with a number of hand-to-hand moves and short-range cannon blasts. Several of her moves make use of her arm cannon, while her special moves are all based on the equipment she obtains in the Metroid series.

Super Smash Bros.[edit]

SmashWiki article: Samus (SSB)

Samus in Super Smash Bros.

Samus is one of the default characters in the original Super Smash Bros. Her appearance is based upon the Varia Suit as it appears in Super Metroid. In the game's single player mode, she is fought on the Planet Zebes stage.

Samus's standard special move is the Charge Shot, which allows her to charge up a blast and fire it. Her up special move is the Screw Attack, in which she jumps up with an electric barrier around her to damage opponents. Her down special is the Bomb, in which she turns into the Morph Ball and drops a bomb. In addition, Samus uses the Grapple Beam as her grab move, which gives her a ranged grab.

One of Samus's alternate costumes is based upon the Gravity Suit; while the one officially noted as the Gravity Suit appears similar to the in-game sprite in Super Metroid, her purple costume resembles the suit in official artwork. In addition, while not based upon any aspect of the Metroid series, her green costume is referred to as "mass-produced Samus," a reference to the Gundam franchise.

Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

SmashWiki article: Samus (SSBM)

Samus as she appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Samus is once again a default character. In Adventure Mode, Samus is faced during the first portion of stage 4, which is set in Brinstar.

Most of Samus's moves are carried over from the previous game, while she has been given a side special move, the Missile, in which she can fire either a homing missile or a Super Missile. The Grapple Beam can also now be used to cling to walls. Samus's down tilt is now a downwards blast with her arm cannon.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

SmashWiki article: Samus (SSBB)

SmashWiki article: Zero Suit Samus (SSBB)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Samus's moveset is unchanged, though the Grapple Beam has once again been altered to act as a tether recovery rather than a wall grab. Her Final Smash, the Zero Laser, involves her firing a large beam of energy at opponents, though afterward the Power Suit falls apart, leaving Samus as Zero Suit Samus; the pieces, however, can be picked up and thrown. Zero Suit Samus can regain the Power Suit by using her Final Smash, Power Suit Samus. The player can also instantly remove the Power Suit at any time during battle by quickly alternating Samus's up and down taunts, or at the beginning of a battle by holding down the shield button on the controller when selecting Samus on the character select.

One of Samus's new alternate costumes in this game is based upon the Fusion Suit from Metroid Fusion, while another is based upon the Dark Suit from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Zero Suit Samus is swifter and more agile than her armored form, though lighter and easier to KO. In this state, Samus fights using a gun that can stun opponents and also turn into an energy whip. Zero Suit Samus's standard special move is the Paralyzer, in which she fires a blast from the gun that can stun opponents. Her side special is Plasma Whip, in which she fires a whip to the side that deals more damage at the tip. Her up special is Plasma Wire, in which she fires the whip directly up, damaging opponents above her multiple times and forcing them back toward the ground. Finally, her down special is Flip Jump, in which she leaps up into the air at an arc in the direction she is facing and lands facing the opposite direction; this can be followed up with a downward kick that acts as a meteor smash. Similarly to Samus, Zero Suit Samus's grab also uses the Paralyzer's whip, which gives her an extended grab; this and her up and side specials can all be used as tether recoveries.

Players can also turn into Zero Suit Samus from normal Samus mid-battle by executing her up, down, and up taunts in rapid succession.

By using Zero Suit Samus's Final Smash, Power Suit Samus, she transforms back into her armored form. During the transformation, electrical sparks are emitted from the suit, repeatedly damaging and launching nearby fighters.

The Subspace Emissary[edit]

Samus's snapshot in The Subspace Emissary

Samus begins the Subspace Emissary in her Zero Suit, infiltrating a sinister laboratory. After making her way through it, she encounters Pikachu trapped within a strange device that harnesses its electrical energy to provide power to the complex. Seeing that the device causes Pikachu pain, Samus breaks the machine. In thanks, Pikachu helps Samus continue through the lab. Eventually, the pair come across Samus's Power Suit within a tank. However, two clones of Samus, wearing the purple Gravity Suit, approach them, prompting Samus and Pikachu to battle. When they are defeated, an alarm begins to wail, and the R.O.B. Squad approaches. Samus regains her Power Suit and blasts her way through them, along with Pikachu.

As they attempt to escape the complex, however, Ridley strikes without warning, snatching up Samus and attacking her. Pikachu uses Thunder to free her, and the two face off against Ridley.

After escaping from the facility, Samus and Pikachu discover another Subspace Army base producing Subspace Bombs. The two infiltrate it, and after fighting their way through, discover the Ancient Minister in a room filled with Subspace Bombs. The allies prepare to battle, but the Ancient Minister does not seem to want to fight them. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, and Captain Olimar then break into the room, and all of them, including Samus, witness the Ancient Minister defy Ganondorf's commands. As a result, the R.O.B. Squad fires upon him, burning off his robe and revealing that he is a R.O.B., as well. It turns out that all of the R.O.B.s had beem forced to work with the Subspace Army, with the main R.O.B., the Master Robot, as their leader. The rest of the R.O.B.s activate all the Subspace Bombs in the room, forcing all of them to escape. As they rush to the exit aboard Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer, Meta Ridley races after them. The group defeats the space dragon once more, and escapes just before R.O.B.s' island home is engulfed in Subspace.

They then meet up with Mario, Link, Kirby, Pit, Yoshi, the Ice Climbers, Marth, Ike, Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, Meta Knight, Princess Peach, Zelda, Lucario, Snake, Fox, Falco, and Mr. Game & Watch. All of them witness a Subspace Gunship emerge from Subspace. Samus's ship is among the ones that attack it.

Samus, along with all the other characters except for King Dedede, Luigi, and Ness, is turned into a trophy by Tabuu. Her trophy is obtained by Dedede's team, and she subsequently joins everyone else in The Great Maze, where they eventually defeat Tabuu.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]

SmashWiki article: Samus (SSB4)

Samus on the boxart of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Samus is once again a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Her appearance in this game has been changed to be based on the design of the Varia Suit seen in Metroid: Other M, though with additional and changed details, such as the vents in her armor and an opaque visor. While her moveset has not been changed, Samus's Power Suit no longer falls apart to turn her into Zero Suit Samus after using her Final Smash, as the two have been made completely separate characters.

In addition to her existing alternate costumes, Samus has been given two new ones: one based on the Light Suit from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and one based on Dark Samus, who also appears as an Assist Trophy.

Zero Suit Samus reappears in these games as an independent character, after the removal of in-battle transformation moves. Her overall appearance has been somewhat altered, still using her general design from Metroid: Zero Mission while also taking elements from her appearance in Metroid: Other M. As a result of being a separate character, she has a different Final Smash involving her Gunship, from which the player can blast opponents with twin laser cannons, aiming the targeting reticle with the control stick. For her general moveset, she adopts different footwear, her boots now featuring a pair of jet boosters on the heels, which enables her kicking moves to be more powerful and have an electricity effect. These Jet Boots have also replaced her up special move, Plasma Wire, with Boost Kick, which uses the jet heels to boost herself into the air while kicking.

Zero Suit Samus receives significant improvements: her mobility and combo ability have been improved and her tilt attacks and forward smash deal more damage. However, her overall damage output is lowered, many of her attacks have smaller hitboxes, some of her moves have increased lag, and she no longer has access to her Power Suit pieces.

Zero Suit Samus also has two additional alternate costumes, based upon her appearances during the endings for Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

SmashWiki article: Samus (SSBU)

Samus's stock icon

Samus returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, retaining her design from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. For the first time, Charge Shot can be charged in midair, thus increasing its effectiveness. Her movements are also slightly faster, and some of her attacks deal more damage or are stronger overall, including her throws: for her new up throw, she does not use the Grapple Beam anymore, as she now tosses the opponent above her and fires a shot from her Arm Cannon. Furthermore, Zero Suit Samus dons the Varia Suit during her new Final Smash. For her eighth alternate costume, instead of one resembling Dark Samus, Samus's suit is black with a yellow visor; this is due to Dark Samus being an Echo Fighter of Samus.

She also appeared in the reveal trailer for Ridley, alongside Mario and Mega Man as they explore an area reminiscent of Tourian. However, Ridley appears and defeats Mario and Mega Man, making Mario lose his hat in the process and taunts Samus by twirling it.

Zero Suit Samus also returns, this time as an unlockable playable character, retaining many of her moves from the previous installment, as well as continuing to be considered a separate fighter from Samus. For her Final Smash, instead of attacking fighters directly from her Gunship, she rides on top of it while wearing the Power Suit and fires a laser very similarly to Samus's Zero Laser from the background, which can be aimed with the on-screen reticle. This makes her one of the few fighters that have appeared since Super Smash Bros. Brawl to have a different Final Smash in each appearance (along with King Dedede, Pit, and R.O.B.).

Zero Suit Samus benefits from universal changes: her mobility is even faster, her short hop timing is reduced, the landing lag in her aerials are reduced, the reintroduction of directional air dodging aids her recovery, and the ability to use any ground attack out of a run and her aerials on ladders come with merits. However, her combo potential has been reduced, with her down throw in particular having increased ending lag, while her down smash keeps opponents paralyzed for a shorter time.

Classic Mode routes[edit]

By completing Samus' Classic Mode route, it is possible to unlock Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Pit, Incineroar, Dark Samus, Cloud, Wario, or Dark Pit.

Round	Opponent(s)	Rule	Stage	Song
Samus: Another Planet, Another Bounty
1	Wolf	N/A	Brinstar	Title Theme - Metroid
2	Giant King K. Rool	N/A	Brinstar (Ω)	Brinstar Depths
3	R.O.B. ×6	Horde Battle	Brinstar Depths	Brinstar (Melee)
4	Giant Ridley	N/A	Norfair	Vs. Ridley
5	Mewtwo, Bowser, Charizard		Norfair (Ω)	Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
6	Dark Samus		Frigate Orpheon	Vs. Parasite Queen
Final	Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)		Final Destination	Master Hand Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)
Zero Suit Samus: Grapplers! Whips! Claws!
1	Young Link, Toon Link	N/A	Skyloft	Dark World (for 3DS / Wii U)
2	Ivysaur		Spear Pillar	Pokémon Gym/Evolution - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue
3	Dark Samus		Brinstar Depths	Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior
4	Yoshi		Peach's Castle	Super Mario World Medley
5	Simon, Richter		Dracula's Castle	Simon Belmont Theme (The Arcade)
6	Little Mac (wire-frame costume) ×6		75 m (Battlefield)	Tunnel Scene - X
Final	Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)		Final Destination	Master Hand Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)

WarioWare series[edit]

Samus also appears in the WarioWare games, where she appears in microgames based on the Metroid games.

Microgames Samus prominently appears in include:

Metroid (WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!)
Metroid-Morph Ball (WarioWare: Twisted!)
Metroid-Samus (WarioWare: Twisted!)
Metroid (WarioWare: Touched!)
Metroid Prime 2 (WarioWare: Smooth Moves)
Metroid (WarioWare: D.I.Y.)
amiibo Tap (WarioWare Gold)
Super Metroid (WarioWare: Get It Together!)
Metroid Dread (WarioWare: Move It!)

Samus Aran is the theme of the 14th Miiverse Sketch Masterpiece Collection video, a promotional series of videos for Game & Wario in which the WarioWare cast comments on drawings made in the game's Miiverse Sketch mode; Samus's video is commentated by 9-Volt.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Samus's Gunship occurs in the background of Busted Bayou, leaning on a large tree and presumably crashed.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Samus outfit for Mii, unlocked via amiibo (Mario Kart 8)

The Samus outfit for Miis

Samus Aran makes a cameo appearance in the Wii U title, Mario Kart 8 - specifically, after the version 3.0 update and returns to be available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Her image appears alongside many other Nintendo and third-party characters' images on the Mii Racing Suits screen. As such, she is one of the characters whose amiibo can be scanned on the Wii U GamePad, in order for the Samus suit to become available; both the Samus and Zero Suit Samus amiibo can be used to unlock the costume. This suit customizes the player's Mii clothing.

Super Mario Maker[edit]

A Costume Mario representing Samus is available for Mario in Super Mario Maker. The player can unlock the Samus costume either by scanning her amiibo onto the GamePad, or by completing the 100 Mario Challenge. Her sprite in this game is a new one based upon her modern appearance. All of her sound effects are taken from the Famicom Disk System version of the original Metroid, and when Samus runs at full speed she turns into the Morph Ball. Samus's pose when pressing is her aiming her cannon at the screen.

Zero Suit Samus also appears as a Costume Mari. Her sound effects are taken from Metroid: Zero Mission; the theme that plays when the game is loaded plays when the Mystery Mushroom is collected, the theme that plays when an item is obtained plays when the level is completed, and the death sound is played when the player loses a life with the costume on.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]

Scanning an amiibo of Samus in Yoshi's Woolly World and its remake unlocks the playable Samus Yoshi. Its pattern resembles her orange Power Suit, with the visor splayed across the Yoshi's nose. The Zero Suit Samus similarly unlocks the Zero Suit Samus Yoshi.

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Samus's helmet (referred to as "Space Warrior Mask") appears as an origami headpiece in Shogun Studios. Mario wears it and holds his arms like Samus's Arm Cannon while the "Samus Appears" fanfare and the arm cannon sound effect from Metroid plays. Bob-omb comments that the style does not really fit "Big M", but would be perfect on "some other kind of M".^[2]

Other appearances[edit]

The results screen for the Western-only Nintendo Entertainment System release of Tetris features Samus Aran as part of a band composed of herself, Donkey Kong, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser. She is playing the cello. Samus in particular appears when the player has completed height 2 of Game B's ninth level.

Metroid is the basis for Metroid Blast in Nintendo Land, where Miis are dressed in Samus's Power Suit to fight waves of robotic enemies either on foot or from the air. On foot, the Miis can fire her Arm Cannon, enter into her Morph Ball form, and use the Grapple Beam. Charging up her Arm Cannon allows the Mii to fire bombs. From the gunship, the Miis can fire missiles.

Unused appearances[edit]

Samus was originally going to appear in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, where she tries a sample of Bean Juice at Starbeans Cafe. She, along with other Nintendo characters, was replaced by Professor E. Gadd, whose role was expanded from his intended appearance in the game.^[3] She was also the only character besides E. Gadd to have the blend she was tasting explicitly stated in the cut dialogue (Hoolumbian, in Samus's case).

Profiles and statistics[edit]