Assuming you're serious and not just being a smartass, here's the 'I picked my nose with a blowtorch' version. 1) Samus first met Ridley when she was barely out of diapers. 2) This meeting was right as he was starting the attack on the planet she was at. 3) Samus' greeting was to try and make a new friend. Ridley's was to try and tear the toddler to bits because he's a dick like that. 4) During the attack, he toasts her mom in a fireball as incidental damage, and eventually her dad kamikaze's Ridley's capital ship to drop right on his noggin. 5) Ridley BARELY survives it, and has to eat whatever protein he can get his hands on. This includes Samus' friends and mom most likely. He didn't even like the taste. Did I mention he was a dick? 6) WAAAY the fuck later, Samus is a card-carrying badass. Baby Doom Slayer more or less. 7) After finding out that some of her most trusted adults after point 4 are now baddies, this dick rocks up to the party. 8) She has a freakout and her suit depowers because of it. Ridley takes a while to recognize her, since he did a LOT of murdering and needs a moment. 9) When he DOES remember her, he taunts Samus, and informs her of point 5, and starts asking her thoughts on which body part Samus' mom contributed to. Did I mention that he was a dick?
Ridley is a cool inverse of the "But for me, it was Tuesday" trope. Whereas many villains show their cruelty by committing too many atrocities to remember a specific one, Ridley shows his cruelty by reminiscing on every single atrocity he committed.
Ridley: and this it that time I murdered little Tim’s mother and father on his birthday and then him….hahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhaha Space pirates: hahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhah
The best part is how opposite Ridley is to Aamus. Its cannon that Samus cares alot for life and has a soft spot for various animals, and even baby metroids. And Ridley is the complete opposite feeding into his wrath and gluttony, just killing anything he wants to kill. It says alot about Samus and her kind animal life loving nature that she interacts with ridley at a young age, and how its contrasted by Ridley immediately wanting to kill a helpless child.
I think it's also a nice contrast to Raven Beak (who is also a fantastic villain and a huge bastard IMO). Samus spares the baby Metroid because she cares about others. Raven Beak though? He spares Samus only because he sees her as a tool for his megalomanical plans and his lust for power. He doesn't care about anyone else but him, not his fellow Chozo, not even his own tribe. Heck, he even calls her "daughter" simply because she has his DNA and expect her to obey him without question and he has no problem killing and cloning her.
Also, here's a piece of hidden lore... Ridley adores cute things. He loves actively destroying their innocence and hearing the cries of the "pure" the most.
One more thing to note about the scene where he goes to kill Samus as a child. It's how it plays out. Samus learned only a little while ago that Old Bird, the Chozo, wasn't scary and she could be friends with him. When she encountered Ridley, she didn't see the mayhem going on, just that there was this big dragon thing. She introduces herself and fights back her fear, despite Ridley asking her "Aren't you afraid of me?" She continues to talk to him, even mentioning that she's not afraid and that they could be friends, and of all things, Ridley is almost saddened at how this little girl has no comprehension of the danger she's in. Speaking in an unsettlingly kind voice, Ridley replies "I'm sorry, but, we can't be friends." Samus of course asks him why, and *THIS* is when he reveals his true colors and happily announces "BECAUSE, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE." The plasma shot he intended to shoot at Samus only didn't hit her because Samus' mother shouted her name, and it caught Ridley's attention long enough for him to switch targets and instantly incinerate her. He could have killed Samus without her knowing there was anything to be afraid of, but he purposefully lulled her into a false sense of comfort before throwing her into fear JUST because he wanted to hear her scream before she died.
@@Jaymotions It really is. So many subtle moments too, such as showcasing how Samus has the severe aggression issues that the Chozo, both Thoha and Mawkin, tried to keep in check, but has NONE of the mental training to curb it. This enables her to be more powerful than any Chozo, but it also makes her a danger to anything and everything around her as the first showcase is when she tears apart one of the "indestructible" robots with one hand. A later instance is when she is with the Galactic Federation and is under orders to arrest a pirate who is running a slave ring. She just didn't know it was a CHILD slave ring and any child who passed a sensor and wasn't tall enough was deemed useless and killed. After breaking up the ring, Samus personally goes after the leader, who's crawling backwards from her and he goes under the sensor, not having it sound off. Samus is distracted when she goes through it and it sounds off., only for her to look at the ringleader and point her armcannon at him. "If the signal doesn't go off, they are to be disposed of. Isn't that right?" It took one of her allies to yank her arm enough to throw off her aim and NOT punch a hole in that guy's head that they were supposed to arrest. This eventually leads to SAMUS deciding she can't be in the Galactic Federation and Adam approves of this since her role as a Hunter lets her bypass all sorts of Federation rules and lets her just get things done.
@@legionbeast This all teases at a future Metroid game where the Galactic Federation are the villains leading to full on war between Samus and them which hopefully leads to a reformation of the federation and Samus been pardoned of all the crimes she was wrongfuly accused for since the destruction of the BSL station.
His own Smash Reveal did him more justice than the scene in Other M. Although it does somewhat rely on knowing Metroid lore they definitely give Ridley more emotion and show more that he isn’t just some scary monster by having him kill Mario and MegaMan and twirl Mario’s hat almost as if he’s taunting Samus that he just got another kill under his belt
the hat twirl, if i recall correctly, was also to mock mario, as the twirl is something commonly associated with mario’s most recent outing at the time of that trailer, super mario odyssey.
And also how he picks them off one by one, exploiting the verticality of the arena and his own agility to go for kill shots every time. He also recognised that Mega Man was mechanical, hence why he went for something reminiscent of a chokehold with Mario, whereas with Mega Man he just impaled him. It goes to show that not only is Ridley cunning and ruthless, he's intelligent. And the fact that behind the face of a monster is a mind that can rival the brightest in the galaxy
Ridley is definitely not only what made Samus who she is but is the one that possesses a true physical and psychological threat to her. Just his very appearance fills her with the intense fear she felt reliving those terrifying memories of her childhood coupled with absolute rage at the monster who savagely butchered her friends and parents. Every victory against him fills her with relief and closure until the next fight.
Lord freeza, as well. First time you see freeza? He has someone executed with no hesitation. Jumps straight to earth after his defeat for some petty revenge plot that doesn't work out Gets revived, decides to train, immediately starts with the invasion Next time he comes back to earth, decides a sucker punch is the best form of handshaking
Other Neat things about Ridley Samus is the sole survivor from his raids making it the only failure in his murder pass time that he has not fixed yet. Also with the amount of Time Ridley had and him wiping entire planets clear of life it is very possible that his kill count of sentient life is in the trillions. Let that sink in for a moment. This random Space Pirate Dragon has just for the fun of it one of the highest kill count in ALL of fiction surpassing many death gods, destroyers of worlds and other overpowered calamities.
Not to be that guy, but Rick Sanchez has literally destroyed an entire universe (itself containing another universe) on-screen, and it's implied he has done that many more times off-screen.
@@Ironsnake345ify You can be that guy. Doesn't change the fact that Ridley still rivals it but his method was a LOT less efficient setting time aside to savoir his kills 1 planet at a time.
Just the fact that it starts out with her trying to befriend him, and him actually seeming almost saddened by it... It hammers home that he's not just a mindless killing machine, but a sentient creature, with actual emotions... it's just that he cares more about his own gain, than about anything else. That and him later taunting her like that, makes him an incredibly satisfying villain to watch.
I think less out for his own gain....And more out for riding a high of pleasure. The money is just a gig. the murder and suffering is what he loves. He recognizes and seemingly can be saddened by the level of cruelty he commits, but his love for suffering is so deep that his own sadness only makes him want to do it more.
Ridley is a non-person with a fundamentally different conscious experience from our own. Its understanding of emotions and empathy has the purpose of maximizing the fear and pain it can inflict. It is not a victim to our weakness, it understands it to feed on our misery better.
Why Ridley is better than most villains Thanos- has a weird reason to kill but cares for the ecosystem Eggman- has a stupid reason to kill and doesn’t care for the ecosystem Ganondorf- He has a semi normal reason to kill and could care less about the ecosystem Ridley- The f*cks an ecosystem? This human flesh ain’t shit
@@Icantfindagoodname that was only in the infinity gauntlet comic he’s done way worse for far less he’s done way more sadistic shit then people think so you and the op are wrong
Eggman's reason for wanting to kill Sonic, in one version at least iteration, is actually really interesting. In the IDW comics, Eggman explained that he could carpet bomb Sonic any time he wants and be done with it. But he doesn't want to just kill Sonic, he wants to prove that he's better than him.
I’d love that, but I don’t think they ever will. If they didn’t do it in other m where it made the most sense I don’t think they will start now. Heck I bet it was hard for them to even get Samus to speaks her one line in Dread.
They didn't to Mother Brain or any other "monster" boss in the series so it wouldn't be fair for Ridley to suddenly speak while all other beast monsters remained indefinetly mute.
Ridley is borderline Berserk villain evil. and if the manga was for more mature audiences i have no doubt we would have seen him doing horrible things, ripping people to shreds, burning people alive, impaling people on his cool Xenomorph tail and eating corpses (Like Samus`s mom). it`s horrible to think about so imagine SEEING it.
Do note that most of the backstory presented in the manga ALREADY EXISTED within manuals and one off comics released alongside previous games, we already knew Ridley killed Samus's parents by the time Fusion came out. The metroid manga simply compiled all of that important information into a single definitive package (minus the final chapter that summarizes Zero Mission that definitely isn't canon).
On the one hand, Metroid dread understood that the old staples- metroids, Ridley- their stories were told. We’d mined them for pathos and bringing them back after their parts were done would strain believability. But I REALLY want to see Samus give him the Dread treatment, dispatch him just as brutally as the other bosses. Break his jaw first so he can’t eat to regenerate.
I mean hey, the team behind dread was originally gonna remake Fusion, if they ever do it again maybe we can see a proper aggressive duel to the death between Neo-Ridley and Samus as the final canonical time we see Ridley
Lots of fans wondered why Ridley was always second fiddle and never the main villain. Well, this manga explains it perfectly. It's much more fun to be second in command
Samus' trauma makes sense in the manga because it's the first time she's seen Ridley in years. However by the time of Other M, she's encountered and defeated Ridley 4 times (5 if you count Samus Returns). So her freezing up like that doesn't really fit her character.
Perhaps it’s the fact that by this point Samus believed she had killed him for good, so seeing him again reborn by a secret Federation project brought the fear back. Like “ I Killed you. I watched you die! There was nothing left of you! How are you still ALIVE?!” and Samus not just feeling fear again but feeling that no matter what she does… she can’t kill him and that just makes it scarier. Still though even if that was the case the reveal in the game didn’t do a very good job of showing it. The games never showed her afraid before. So showing her afraid without some context (at least for those who don’t follow the lore) the reveal and the fear , as you said, makes no sense other than “Hey players, guess who’s back for like the 6th time”
It's basically like this, she built walls around her trauma to fuel it to combat Ridley. Once she finally kills him she let's those walls crumble a bit, as there isn't anything to cause her a panic attack over it again, untill m:om. And because she didn't have those walls as strong as before she has a panic attack.
In my opinion, the scene would’ve been way better if instead of fear and panic, it was just absolute rage at the fact that Ridley survived. Hesitation upon seeing him, rage upon processing the fact he’s still alive. And she just *loses* her shit and wails upon him with no remorse.
It’s the one thing people tend to forget about Ridley. Just because he doesn’t talk (much) does not mean he isn’t incredibly smart. He is the leader of the Space Pirates for a reason. And it ain’t because he’s stronger than them (although he is) He’s smart enough to know where to attack, when, and how to inflict as much damage as possible.
Good ass video. You perfectly captured what makes Ridley... Ridley. He's a relentless phantom who embodies the violence she cannot escape. It says something that the last time she encounters him (Fusion) is in the game where she finally makes peace with part of her past. Also, shoutout to the scene in the manga where Mother Brain sets a field full of butterflies on fire to teach Samus a lesson
Mind you that "Ridley" wasn't the real one but an X parasite clone of another Ridley clone cc created in the Bottleship research station. The real Ridley's been canonically dead since Super Metroid 3 back in 1994.
I was going through the "One Villainous Scene" playlist and was disappointed by the lack of video game villains, then I found this video, I love Ridley so I just had to click as soon as I spotted it, Also I want to do a vid for this series an contribute to it with my own favourite villain but I think it's too late but idk (it would also be my first video so I'm kind of nervous to do it anyway)
Dude thank you so much! The video really was a labor of love so it’s nice to see it wasn’t for nothing! Also, DO IT. Everyone has a first video, so why not?
But that's why we love him, he *loves* the slaughter, enjoys every town burned, innocent impaled, crushed, or laserbeamed to death. Why not do the least destructive thing and kill the ones in your way? Nope, where's the fun in that? Oh wait, that feels familiar for some reason...
@@javiervasquez625I thought Sylax's beef was with the Galactic Federation. What *personal* beef would he have with Samus?! _(GOD, Metroid Prime 4 can't come out fast enough)_
Can't believe I hadn't found this video till now. Thank you for putting some appreciation on this super underrated manga. I think you really nailed why Ridley is so compelling
Exquisite. This character, this depiction, this cruel, sadistic bastard was captured and showcased in silence with pure effectiveness for his Smash Ultimate trailer, showing it COULD be done with no words. He plucks off and kills Mega Man in the same manner he mortally wounded Gray Voice. He crushed Mario's head in the same grab he gave Samus, then he toys with Samus in that special jovial sadism by twirling Mario's hat around. Another thing that is important for folks to know is that his lack of speaking in the games isn't some oversight. Ridley has no monologues, he has no grant plan to expose. He's out to kill and you're dead before you realize you're in his sights.
For a villain to be memorable, there’s a few ways to go. Thanos was memorable without being directly connected to the heros, because he forces the heros to overcome their character flaws. A great villain needs to facilitate specific character flaws the hero has to overcome. Otherwise we get the “why do we care” villains.
If they ever make a Metroid movie, it would be a massive disservice to not take Samus's rivalry with Ridley seriously. Any encounter needs to be the most scared and/or the most angry Samus gets in the entire movie
"It was I who killed your parents. I fed on your mother while she was STILL ALIVE." --Kingdok, the Bone comics Something about this just reminds. E of the space dragon
I think that Ridley scene in Other M would have worked better if Ridley started taunting and mocking Samus' inability to fully destroy him, how she can never get rid of him, how he will always be there to hunt her, and even if he does die it will never bring back the people she lost. He could even bring up the whole mother thing and imply that every time he dies by Samus hands so does, she. This would have given some much needed context on why Samus fears Ridley so much, but why her PTSD kicks in again. That scene relied too much on people, haven read the manga before had which was a very poor decision
He died for good when Zebes exploded back in Super Metroid 3 so it makes sense that they would clone him instead of bringing back for the millionth time out of cool callback's sake. Truth be told all the Lore surrounding Ridley only works by dismissing the games entirely and only focusing on the manga's depiction of the character given the ever constant butt kicking Samus has been giving him since the original Metroid game. With so many defeats at Samus's hands his role in her backstory becomes completley diluted making him a complete joke of a character devoid of ANY discernible substance beyond "that one bad guy who keeps coming back".
Personally, I would've had Ridley provoke Samus into a sheer bloodlusted rage. After everything else that she's cared about has died, HE still lives. Imagine her just laying missile after missile into him, going full tunnel vision. But Ridley isn't stupid. Even his title tells you that. He's the CUNNING God of death. So while she's seeing red, Ridley gets a surprise attack that does critical damage to her. THEN the scene plays out.
"At least pay your respects" I knew ridley was an evil space pirate, who killed samus' people, but I didn't know his savagery went that deep! Ridley may be a giant purple space dragon, but he gots that DOG in him.
It's crazy he was confident and vicious towards samus through out the games but after every defeat he slowly starts to go mad and even starting to fear dying by the hands of samus by the end of super metroid
Imagine bringing entire planets to total extinction again and again, yet the one kid you were aiming for miraculously got out alive, and consistently becomes the biggest threat your existence time and time again. You would start to become a paranoid mess
The fact that Ridley has become the singular most iconic villain in the franchise despite almost never being the “main” villain in any installment really says a lot about his character imo. Remember that video “The Problem With Ridley”? With the Scottish guy lamenting that our favorite space dragon sadist has been reduced to “he killed Samus’s parents” instead of being well-crafted to “compliment _Metroid’s_ themes and progression”? Like… I agree that it’s a gross oversimplification, but I don’t see Ridley as having become so memorable beforehand because of game design. At least, not that specific aspect of it. One of my favorite things about the _Metroid_ games is how it implements environmental storytelling, including environmental characterization, and prior to the manga’s release, every encounter with Ridley still felt personal, with _Prime 1_ and _Super_ in particular making a big point of building him up from the very beginning. Even after you kill him in _Super,_ he still gets the last laugh when you head to the room where you would normally get your post-boss power-up and instead find the baby Metroid’s broken case (and a hidden E-Tank); and even after grounding him in _Prime,_ he’s still incredibly mobile and brutal and you only definitively win thanks to old Chozo intervention. Hell, even the NES game, though underwhelming in its presentation, gives Ridley a personal touch with the manual’s claim that he’s originally _from_ Zebes (though it hadn’t yet been established that Samus also grew up on Zebes, it still made him unique among the other bosses since Kraid didn’t have that distinction and Mother Brain also hadn’t exactly been established as having already existed there yet). And you witness it firsthand. You enter his lair in _Super Metroid,_ see that he’s deliberately set it up to deface the Chozo ruins and plaster his mug over the entrance like the egotistical piece of shit he is, and you’re like “this fucking asshole.” And he’s unique in that there’s almost never a pattern to follow or a trick to his fights (Omega Ridley being the one exception); you just unload your entire arsenal into him. It’s _cathartic._ But yes, the manga is very much where he _really_ gets to shine, finally getting a voice and personality to match his intimidating presence and just add to the brutality of his relationship with Samus (and give him lines like “Why is my ship on fire?” and “That explains the stench of noradrenaline” lol). Plus, now it’s not just personal for Samus, it’s personal for Ridley. She’s the one that got away. Sure, her parents’ deaths are something he enjoys having over her, but, for me at least, that’s nothing compared to how *_pissed off_* he is that Samus survived. Because, like it or not, familial themes have always been a part of _Metroid,_ from the first main antagonist being literally called “Mother” Brain, to Samus’s bond with the baby Metroid after killing its actual mother, to what ended up happening in _Dread,_ and you could even argue for Dark Samus being like an evil twin. The way I see it, Ridley is then like the mean older brother who never wanted a baby sister and was actually being 100% serious whenever he said he wanted to get rid of her. Ridley may be dead for real now (maybe) but he’s been a central and inextricable part of Samus’s life (and she of his) for so long it still feels like they’re kinda stuck together even though you can *feel* how much they hate each other. Modern Ridley is not a great villain for killing Virginia Aran and indirectly causing Rodney Aran’s death, nor is he a great villain for game design reasons. He’s a great villain for his connection to our hero. The little girl he straight-up tried to murder in cold blood that one time only for everything to come crashing down around him. Their adversarial relationship is just. So special and fascinating to me and I love them. 💜
As much as I enjoy villains with lofty goals and understandable motives I also enjoy it when a villain is just allowed to be evil and relish in it, Ridley is a great example of that Just an evil basterd to his core that thrives on death and destruction, you could call it cheesy and simplistic but if it’s done well it makes for a truly terrifying and iconic villain like Ridely He’s the one Metroid villain that’s been in almost every game yet he’s never been the main antagonist and that’s something special in my eyes
Well he was the main antagonist in Prime 1 on a technicality. The Metroid Prime itself up until stealing Samus's suit was just a mindless beast stuck in the Chozo temple.
@@CassiusStelar The Space Pirates were really the overarching antagonists of Prime 1. You have to deal with them at almost every corner of the map, or at least, the results of their rampant experimentation on the local wildlife and Phazon. Ridley’s just getting accustomed to his new cyborg body until the showdown at the temple.
@@CassiusStelar Not really? The Space Pirates operate as a "hive mind" with Mother Brain and Ridley only serving as "commanders" with a minor role leading the organization as seen in both the original Metroid and Super Metroid 3. The *race* known as "Space Pirates" operates independently to Ridley's commands.
@@javiervasquez625 that's literally not how this works in canon at all? They arent a race, they're a collective of several races including the original "zebesians" (who arent native to Zebes in the slightest), the Prime Pirates who still go unnamed, Kraid's species and Draygon's species, and the humans from Zebes Invasion Order who arent canon but still deserve to be mentionsed
Ridley reminds me of Frieza, as they're both sadistic space tyrants who are disrespectful to even their soldiers. Just that Ridley doesn't task his soldiers to missions like Frieza and instead bulldoze towards it and doesn't have a end goal (while Frieza wants to attain immortality and rule the universe) Edit 1: Scratch that, I think they're very disrespectful in their own way. Ridley targets his victims' weaknesses without mercy or respect, while Frieza enslaves species, actively talk down on those who dare to confront him and blows up their planets the moment he's done with them.
I believe a good villain is not just a hero's equal. A REALLY good villain is one that breaks the hero. Their name causes the hero chills, the sight of them causes a panic attack and the villain speaking of the past triggers some PTSD. I believe that is what makes them a real threat. From what you spoke of in the manga, sounds like it would make a GREAT backstory to age up the writing if need be. It's a shame I don't know Metroid lore so this was lost on me but I can appreciate it now I know the lore to it.
Not necessarily. The villain just has to be super threatening to someone. And the hero might just be one of the few people that go after them rather than avoid them.
This is my introduction to Ridley as a character👀 Thank you. I love lesser known obscurities being important in well-known franchises. It just goes to show how much there is to love in the art of story telling😄
Found this by searching ridley randomly oh boy am I glad I did, good stuff and super underrated video. Ridley is such a good villain, cruel and sadistic villains always really do it for me.
Thanks for providing a link to the manga. At some point, I would really like to take the time to read it myself. Also, I wonder if a mainline Metroid sequel could both bring back Ridley’s legacy in a different way (without resurrecting/cloning him) and let Samus’ backstory with him finally be shown in an actual game. *These below are some ideas I happened to brainstorm, for how one might try to do this, if you happen to be interested…* 1.) There could be a 2D sequel that takes place shortly after Metroid Dread. Samus could be exploring further into remote uncharted regions of the galaxy, due to her not being on best terms with the Galactic Federation since Metroid Fusion, plus wanting to practice controlling her new Metroid powers in peace. 2.) One major subplot could involve Samus discovering that Ridley was just one member of a whole race, albeit an exceptionally powerful and savage member, and she has just ventured into their territory. As she faces other members of Ridley’s kind and learns more about them, she also gains more knowledge of Ridley’s past, which in turn helps her find more personal closure. 3.) If Ridley’s species were to be given an official name in the canon lore, they could be called “Byakhee”. It would be a clear nod to those winged aliens from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, which could travel across the vacuum of space to make other planets into their hunting grounds. 4.) The Byakhee themselves could be established as a warrior culture similar to the Yautja from “Predator”, driven by an ambiguous “Blue-and-Orange Morality”. But while they are not exactly benevolent, it could also be established that Ridley himself was dishonorable and psychopathic, even by his own species’ standards, to the point of murdering other Byakhee. 5.) To explain why Ridley was the only one of his kind to appear until now, it could be suggested that Ridley lived apart from the rest of his race like an exiled criminal. But once he came across the space pirates, he relished in their culture, which gave him nonstop opportunities to slaughter and pillage as their mercenary and later their general. This bit of exposition would lead into a flashback, which recreates that whole scene from the manga where Samus meets Ridley for the first time. 6.) There could be additional flashbacks reenacting the other scenes you showed in your video. One of those flashbacks could even turn into a boss fight, if Samus had to undergo another trial similar to the one in Zero Mission. Said trial could force her to confront a memory of Ridley and battle it (similar to how the Joker was used in Batman: Arkham Knight). 7.) Whenever Ridley speaks with Samus during those reenactments, the dialogue between them could actually be in the Chozo language, just like the conversation between Samus and Quiet Robe. This could help it feel more stylistically consistent with Metroid Dread. 8.) New characters could be introduced as other members of Ridley’s kind, each with their own distinctly different designs. When Samus starts to have run-ins with them, one such boss fight could involve her fending off two Byakhee at once, using her veteran experience against the more powerful and ferocious Ridley. 9.) However, one such Byakhee could come to respect and admire Samus, especially after learning that she destroyed Ridley, whom the others loathed and feared. It could reach a point where that individual becomes her ally against the story’s main threat, in contrast with Raven Beak, a member of the Chozo race who turned evil. Samus eventually being on better terms with one of them could also contrast with how badly her attempt to befriend Ridley as a naïve child went, thus adding an extra sense of closure for her.
I’ve always loved Ridley. I’ve always thought that he had an awesome design and had a terrifying presence in every Metroid game, but damn I never knew Samus and Ridley had this past history together and that Samus found him this terrifying. Great vid talking about this, would love to see more vids like this from you!!!
Hearing you describe it makes me picture an entire level based on his attacking a city. He could appear like your typical kaiju just raining destruction, until he catches sight of Samus. Then he just starts taunting and ridiculing her as you desperately try to survive or save civilians. That would be epic
Dude, I came across the manga out of boredom and curiosity as a teen. Back then, I didn’t know much about the Metroid series aside from what I found in Samus via Smash Bros. Yet, after looking into it, Ridley is TERRIFYING in the manga and in the game series. He just hits differently compared to other antagonists. He's so good!😤
@Jaymotions tell me about it. As a gamer and writer, looking up certain characters helps me get certain perks in personality traits. Ridley is one I can compare with a certain OC I've been experimenting with since the pandemic named Ricardo Blackmore. He enjoys hunting humans for pleasure for his own wicked experiments. As an artist, the deep shadows on Ridley really sell him as this mysterious or threatening character. I do the same with Ricardo, and, honestly, he's been interesting to work on since 2018/19. I may use more of Metroid for inspiration, but we'll see into the future. The game series is so exciting and suspenseful.😁
Well done on the video!! Never read the manga and did not know about the backstory to Samus and Ridley's relationship. This makes their encounters so much more worthful!!
When Raven Beak first appeared as a Chozo villain in Dread, I half expected him to peel his skin off and have it actually be Ridley, cause Ridely almost always appears and cause that is totally something he would do to get under Samus' skin.
King.j.rool: you talk to him Bowser: no you talk to him King.j.rool: ok we both talk to him Bowser: ok fine Bowser: hey Ridley welcome to the evil reptiles Ridley: back the f**k up before I blast fire in your face King.j.rool: ok we go
I’m so glad others are talking about this incredible manga. It’s a must read for any Metroid fan, and makes this fantastic series so much better. Nintendo’s manga’s are all really good. The Zelda ones are absolutely fantastic in particular, and those have all been officially localized. Making them easy to find.
I only heard mentions of this from some fanfics when I was getting into the Metroid fandom... To think this was cannon and not just some creative flare was really beyond from what I was able to expect.. Thanks for bringing this to my knowledge.
You made a fantastic video! I LOVED the depth of your analysis as you explored Samus and Ridley's history. I wanted to be horrified of the scene's retelling, but I was so excited about Ridley's voice acting at the same time! Awesome work! I've read the manga twice, and the art style's intensity definitely cemented the grittier nature of the manga. I deliberately read it before I played Other M (being aware of its reputation already), so I understood what was happening with the Ridley scene. Obviously, the execution wasn't great, but it didn't bother me in the sense of "What the heck? Samus has fought Ridley a dozen times already!" which is what many fans were probably thinking. I WILL say, I genuinely thought Ridley's entrance in Other M looked scary! I thought your comparison between the two scenes was amazing, too! I appreciated that you didn't simply bash Other M, but instead went into detail of why the manga's scene worked and why Other M's didn't. It might not be on the same level of depth as the Zero Mission manga, but another critically underrated Metroid manga is the "Samus and Joey" series, also available on Metroid Database! It goes out of its way to make Samus look as epic as humanly possible at all times, tells awesome and even heartfelt stories, and even her kid sidekick Joey gets a great character arc without compromising Samus's spotlight. I'm personally *extremely* passionate about this series, so I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for more Metroid content outside the games!
Now this is something to learn from. What a fantastic video essay! Ridley (and Metroid as a whole) is underrated and usually pushed to the side among Sci-Fi franchises, when he truly deserves more attention. This essay perfectly put into words why he’s so effective… and the voice actors actually did fantastic! Excellent work, and easy subscription! Looking forward to more, and to sitting down and listening to the Transformers video!
Excellent video! I definitely appreciated the comparison between the manga and Other M, explaining in detail why the former worked and the latter did not. I'm a little surprised that you left out a certain detail during Ridley's attack on three-year-old Samus that makes it far more despicable. When Ridley first sees Samus, he ignores her and turns his attention back towards the Space Pirates' raid. Then, when Samus tries to befriend him, his first response is NOT to immediately kill her. Instead, he has a sad look in his eyes and he gently tells her that they cannot be friends. "You're so cute. I'm sorry miss, but... that's impossible! Because... YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!" And THAT'S when he suddenly lunges at her to kill her. There are many ways to interpret this scene. Some fans believe that Ridley had a fleeting moment of genuine sympathy for the little girl, but he treated this sympathy as a weakness and therefore had to eliminate it by killing her. Others (myself included) see it as Ridley using crocodile tears to trick Samus, lulling her into thinking that he might reciprocate her kindness, in order to make it all the more terrifying when he suddenly shows his true colors... all just for his own sick sadistic amusement. Either way, whether it's genuine or not, it shows that Ridley has more layers than just a vicious killer. I guess it's not part of the "one" villainous scene that's the focus of this video, but you do mention the scene multiple times while highlighting how the manga characterizes Ridley, and to me this moment adds a lot of nuance to Ridley.
I definitelly buy the "crocodile tears" when Ridley is speaking softly and appearing to reciprocrate Samus' kindness. But the "sad face" everyone mentions? To me personally, that always felt like Ridley was just genuinelly going *_"Is this nigga serious?!"_* He's in disbelief that this little thing is actually trying to befriend him, embarassed even, probably thinking _"(I am so glad none of my Pirates are around, or they would never stop laughing for the night)"._
ridley is far more of what you would describe despair when it comes to how he is. (Also you don't have to play Other M you can just look up ridley's transformation from it and then play Fusion.)
That line where he mocks her, telling her she maybe ate her mother and then looking down at his body, pointing at parts and saying: „Is she here? Or maybe there?“
Manga Ridley might be one of the greatest villains ever written and brings Ridley a lot of lore and backstory to the games even. Other M...Let us ignore this regression of it all. It could have worked, if there was one thing. If Ridley talked and killed her crew, while mocking her. And how he could be back, well just excuse that by saying that his species is a hive mind and once he dies his mind get's sent to the next in line to continue his destruction. For Samus' PTSD, just say that it was due to the fact that she thought Ridley was dead for good this time. And most importantly, the 1 way this scene were the greatest in Other M, show scenes of the Manga in the game. Have us play as a young Samus as she walks up to Ridley, unaware of the death going on in her village, and show that her mother and father died through Ridley just causing havok for the sake of fun. And, a small bonus fight at the start where we fight against Ridley at their second encounter, it would just elevate it all to the max
Not to forgot that samus after that situation at 3 year old, she was raised by mastermind, Mother Brain who was behind Ridley's actions because she controls Space Pirates behind the scenes and add Ridley's ridiculous sadism, makes them strong power couple Mother Brain has her own ambitious but what makes Ridley effective villain and big bad is just he wants violence and see the world burn by his actions
@@TheitTheit-pf4sm Yeah, notice how the villain he mentioned for Kirby was Dedede, but there are other Kirby villains that are eldritch abominations that almost destroyed the entire universe (or al least an aspect of it) just because. They may look cutesy and all, but the lore is insane.
I loved playing Metroid when I played it as a kid in Walmart while my parents shopped. It was one of the most engaging games I had ever played, and the story puzzles kept me always thinking about the next time I would play. I never did get to learn too much before life changed for me and I no longer had the opportunity to play Metroid. Thank you so much for this detailed review of Ridley and Samus's relationship, and on Ridley's character!
I admit seeing Ridley like this really shows just how much of a monster he is… And it makes Dark Samus and Phazon scarier. Why? Because even he ended up falling under control!!
@@CalamityLegend Wouldn’t that mean he gave up his free will to Dark Samus? Which is more likely to have drove him to that point? Pure vengeance? Needing to survive? Wanting more power? Or a combination of multiple or all?
@@LovelyCinccino Either that, or the Phazon is just powering him up, so he maintains his moral agency and knows exactly what he’s doing. But either way, it is his goal to kill Samus
I really want to see this animated, either by a fan or in an official adaptation. In fact an official Metroid anime that starts from the manga’s beginning and goes through Dread would be great.
Alright too many pretentious big words. Moving right along to the next video.
Thank you for your input Mr. N, please enjoy your shame pin
Assuming you're serious and not just being a smartass, here's the 'I picked my nose with a blowtorch' version.
1) Samus first met Ridley when she was barely out of diapers.
2) This meeting was right as he was starting the attack on the planet she was at.
3) Samus' greeting was to try and make a new friend. Ridley's was to try and tear the toddler to bits because he's a dick like that.
4) During the attack, he toasts her mom in a fireball as incidental damage, and eventually her dad kamikaze's Ridley's capital ship to drop right on his noggin.
5) Ridley BARELY survives it, and has to eat whatever protein he can get his hands on. This includes Samus' friends and mom most likely. He didn't even like the taste. Did I mention he was a dick?
6) WAAAY the fuck later, Samus is a card-carrying badass. Baby Doom Slayer more or less.
7) After finding out that some of her most trusted adults after point 4 are now baddies, this dick rocks up to the party.
8) She has a freakout and her suit depowers because of it. Ridley takes a while to recognize her, since he did a LOT of murdering and needs a moment.
9) When he DOES remember her, he taunts Samus, and informs her of point 5, and starts asking her thoughts on which body part Samus' mom contributed to. Did I mention that he was a dick?
@@ember3579 I'm sorry, you say something?
Nappa moment
@@TheMightyN Bajookie shame
That levels up ridley's evil by a notch or two "killing her parents was a happy accident, he was aiming for the child"
Holy shit ridley really hates children.
@@thedragonthatlovesskittles7132 Death to EVERYTHING!!
@@DeadlockDrago Y E S
@@DeadlockDrago Bring the fuel to stack the fire! Pile the bodies ever higher!
@@MagnustheValiant For the God of
Death is rising
And your blood is what I crave!
Ridley is a cool inverse of the "But for me, it was Tuesday" trope. Whereas many villains show their cruelty by committing too many atrocities to remember a specific one, Ridley shows his cruelty by reminiscing on every single atrocity he committed.
Considering how much he's killed, this awesome sick bastard has likely for a dictionary full of atrocities that keeps on growing.
@Sir Embrum49 The Great Moth Dude probably opens it up when he's bored and laughs with his fellow space pirates over the various atrocities he's done
Ridley: and this it that time I murdered little Tim’s mother and father on his birthday and then him….hahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhaha
Space pirates: hahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhah
@@deanherring3622 That is something Ridley would absolutely do too, probably has done several times before 💀
@@lancethedecayedguardian2719 yep
The best part is how opposite Ridley is to Aamus. Its cannon that Samus cares alot for life and has a soft spot for various animals, and even baby metroids. And Ridley is the complete opposite feeding into his wrath and gluttony, just killing anything he wants to kill.
It says alot about Samus and her kind animal life loving nature that she interacts with ridley at a young age, and how its contrasted by Ridley immediately wanting to kill a helpless child.
I think it's also a nice contrast to Raven Beak (who is also a fantastic villain and a huge bastard IMO). Samus spares the baby Metroid because she cares about others. Raven Beak though? He spares Samus only because he sees her as a tool for his megalomanical plans and his lust for power. He doesn't care about anyone else but him, not his fellow Chozo, not even his own tribe. Heck, he even calls her "daughter" simply because she has his DNA and expect her to obey him without question and he has no problem killing and cloning her.
Also, here's a piece of hidden lore... Ridley adores cute things. He loves actively destroying their innocence and hearing the cries of the "pure" the most.
@Blackveil Vaal Hazak bruh, right?
Good point.
@@wiilov nah that's demented even for him
One more thing to note about the scene where he goes to kill Samus as a child.
It's how it plays out. Samus learned only a little while ago that Old Bird, the Chozo, wasn't scary and she could be friends with him. When she encountered Ridley, she didn't see the mayhem going on, just that there was this big dragon thing. She introduces herself and fights back her fear, despite Ridley asking her "Aren't you afraid of me?" She continues to talk to him, even mentioning that she's not afraid and that they could be friends, and of all things, Ridley is almost saddened at how this little girl has no comprehension of the danger she's in. Speaking in an unsettlingly kind voice, Ridley replies "I'm sorry, but, we can't be friends." Samus of course asks him why, and *THIS* is when he reveals his true colors and happily announces "BECAUSE, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE." The plasma shot he intended to shoot at Samus only didn't hit her because Samus' mother shouted her name, and it caught Ridley's attention long enough for him to switch targets and instantly incinerate her. He could have killed Samus without her knowing there was anything to be afraid of, but he purposefully lulled her into a false sense of comfort before throwing her into fear JUST because he wanted to hear her scream before she died.
What an asshole. The manga is so dang good man
@@Jaymotions It really is. So many subtle moments too, such as showcasing how Samus has the severe aggression issues that the Chozo, both Thoha and Mawkin, tried to keep in check, but has NONE of the mental training to curb it. This enables her to be more powerful than any Chozo, but it also makes her a danger to anything and everything around her as the first showcase is when she tears apart one of the "indestructible" robots with one hand. A later instance is when she is with the Galactic Federation and is under orders to arrest a pirate who is running a slave ring. She just didn't know it was a CHILD slave ring and any child who passed a sensor and wasn't tall enough was deemed useless and killed. After breaking up the ring, Samus personally goes after the leader, who's crawling backwards from her and he goes under the sensor, not having it sound off. Samus is distracted when she goes through it and it sounds off., only for her to look at the ringleader and point her armcannon at him. "If the signal doesn't go off, they are to be disposed of. Isn't that right?"
It took one of her allies to yank her arm enough to throw off her aim and NOT punch a hole in that guy's head that they were supposed to arrest.
This eventually leads to SAMUS deciding she can't be in the Galactic Federation and Adam approves of this since her role as a Hunter lets her bypass all sorts of Federation rules and lets her just get things done.
God damn I need to read the manga that sounds good as hell
@@legionbeast This all teases at a future Metroid game where the Galactic Federation are the villains leading to full on war between Samus and them which hopefully leads to a reformation of the federation and Samus been pardoned of all the crimes she was wrongfuly accused for since the destruction of the BSL station.
@@javiervasquez625Samus was still on good terms with the Federation after Fusion, as shown in Dread.
His own Smash Reveal did him more justice than the scene in Other M. Although it does somewhat rely on knowing Metroid lore they definitely give Ridley more emotion and show more that he isn’t just some scary monster by having him kill Mario and MegaMan and twirl Mario’s hat almost as if he’s taunting Samus that he just got another kill under his belt
Goddamn. After watching this video and you mentioning that, it makes a LOT more sense.
the hat twirl, if i recall correctly, was also to mock mario, as the twirl is something commonly associated with mario’s most recent outing at the time of that trailer, super mario odyssey.
"Yet another two people you could gave saved. Shame, isn't it?"
And also how he picks them off one by one, exploiting the verticality of the arena and his own agility to go for kill shots every time.
He also recognised that Mega Man was mechanical, hence why he went for something reminiscent of a chokehold with Mario, whereas with Mega Man he just impaled him.
It goes to show that not only is Ridley cunning and ruthless, he's intelligent. And the fact that behind the face of a monster is a mind that can rival the brightest in the galaxy
You guys are ridiculous lol. Can’t say anything positive about Other M. Such an over hated game for no reason.
Ridley really pulled a
“That’s why yo mama dead, “
*vine boom*
@@MemeFlavoredJam "Dead as hell"
@JadeTheProtogen1 "What shoes she got on?"
@@ubermaster134” what shoes she got on her casket?”
@@OliviaHurley-x6x”that’s why yo granny ain’t got no knees”
Ridley is definitely not only what made Samus who she is but is the one that possesses a true physical and psychological threat to her. Just his very appearance fills her with the intense fear she felt reliving those terrifying memories of her childhood coupled with absolute rage at the monster who savagely butchered her friends and parents. Every victory against him fills her with relief and closure until the next fight.
@iytdominotikoh shit that's actually a pretty dope comparison
@@bandawin18what was it?
@@chasethemaster3440 completely forgot
The best way to make an irredeemable monster work as a character is to make them entertaining as hell
Freddy Krueger comes to mind.
@@WindyREDPanda Or Jack Horner
@@carbodude5414 or Lord Dominator
@@memescoffee3173
Or Syndrome.
Lord freeza, as well.
First time you see freeza? He has someone executed with no hesitation.
Jumps straight to earth after his defeat for some petty revenge plot that doesn't work out
Gets revived, decides to train, immediately starts with the invasion
Next time he comes back to earth, decides a sucker punch is the best form of handshaking
To quote another RUclipsr
“For Ridley, killing isn’t a job. It’s an honor.”
It's a pleasure to him
Like if you took Bowser and glued Majora's mask to his face.
Ridley in the games: Just some friggin' space dragon.
Ridley in the expanded universe: The Joker to Samus' Batman with a sprinkling of Joe Chill.
So Jack Nicholson's Joker?
Ridley: "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
@@matthew74111 I can definitely see that, lol
So Jack Napier?
I think I prefer the space dragon.
I was legitimately not sure if this video was fanfiction the first 10% of it.
Other Neat things about Ridley
Samus is the sole survivor from his raids making it the only failure in his murder pass time that he has not fixed yet.
Also with the amount of Time Ridley had and him wiping entire planets clear of life it is very possible that his kill count of sentient life is in the trillions. Let that sink in for a moment. This random Space Pirate Dragon has just for the fun of it one of the highest kill count in ALL of fiction surpassing many death gods, destroyers of worlds and other overpowered calamities.
Bro he's literally frieze 2.0
He's earned that "Cunning God of Death" nickname.
Not to be that guy, but Rick Sanchez has literally destroyed an entire universe (itself containing another universe) on-screen, and it's implied he has done that many more times off-screen.
@@Ironsnake345ify Does he enjoy it though? Does it fuel his desire to keep doing it for the heck of it?
@@Ironsnake345ify You can be that guy. Doesn't change the fact that Ridley still rivals it but his method was a LOT less efficient setting time aside to savoir his kills 1 planet at a time.
Just the fact that it starts out with her trying to befriend him, and him actually seeming almost saddened by it...
It hammers home that he's not just a mindless killing machine, but a sentient creature, with actual emotions... it's just that he cares more about his own gain, than about anything else.
That and him later taunting her like that, makes him an incredibly satisfying villain to watch.
"Is... is that a human child? Does it want to be my friend?? Damn."
"I'm going to almost regret killing this one."
I was always fascinated by that panel, the mere second of him second guessing what he's about to do...before going absolute ham on this little kid. XD
I think less out for his own gain....And more out for riding a high of pleasure. The money is just a gig. the murder and suffering is what he loves. He recognizes and seemingly can be saddened by the level of cruelty he commits, but his love for suffering is so deep that his own sadness only makes him want to do it more.
Ridley is a non-person with a fundamentally different conscious experience from our own. Its understanding of emotions and empathy has the purpose of maximizing the fear and pain it can inflict. It is not a victim to our weakness, it understands it to feed on our misery better.
@@MRDLT00"Am I really going to slaughter this innocent child for fun?"
"Of course I am!"
Why Ridley is better than most villains
Thanos- has a weird reason to kill but cares for the ecosystem
Eggman- has a stupid reason to kill and doesn’t care for the ecosystem
Ganondorf- He has a semi normal reason to kill and could care less about the ecosystem
Ridley- The f*cks an ecosystem? This human flesh ain’t shit
And then there's comic Thanos-I'M IN LOVE WITH DEATH SO EVERYTHING MUST DIE
So yeah Thanos is a stimp
@@Icantfindagoodname that was only in the infinity gauntlet comic he’s done way worse for far less he’s done way more sadistic shit then people think so you and the op are wrong
This human flesh is food. Love how this human combined their guts with thyme and oregano. How tasty
Eggman's reason for wanting to kill Sonic, in one version at least iteration, is actually really interesting. In the IDW comics, Eggman explained that he could carpet bomb Sonic any time he wants and be done with it. But he doesn't want to just kill Sonic, he wants to prove that he's better than him.
@Ghost in the Sea he's actually tried to carpet bomb Sonic before, in sonic 3
It didn't work
They really need to give ridley a voice in one of the games, a scene like this fully voice acted in a modern game would be awesome
I’d love that, but I don’t think they ever will. If they didn’t do it in other m where it made the most sense I don’t think they will start now. Heck I bet it was hard for them to even get Samus to speaks her one line in Dread.
The closest we've gotten to that is that one Link Vs Ridley animation.
It fits Ridley's character really well and the voice acting is great
I would TOTALLY dig for that! If I heard Ridley speak, I would get CHILLS up my spine (only IF you get the right voice to do him).
No that would be awful
They didn't to Mother Brain or any other "monster" boss in the series so it wouldn't be fair for Ridley to suddenly speak while all other beast monsters remained indefinetly mute.
Samus be like:
You burn my house to the ground.
Ridley: Shrugs
Samus: My family is death, why should I do?
Ridley: Shrugs
Ridley is the definition of "Evil for evils sake"
Ridley is borderline Berserk villain evil. and if the manga was for more mature audiences i have no doubt we would have seen him doing horrible things, ripping people to shreds, burning people alive, impaling people on his cool Xenomorph tail and eating corpses (Like Samus`s mom). it`s horrible to think about so imagine SEEING it.
@@thememeilator2633 that would be a one way ticket to PTSD
Do note that most of the backstory presented in the manga ALREADY EXISTED within manuals and one off comics released alongside previous games, we already knew Ridley killed Samus's parents by the time Fusion came out.
The metroid manga simply compiled all of that important information into a single definitive package (minus the final chapter that summarizes Zero Mission that definitely isn't canon).
For Samus, it was when her parents died and her whole life changed. For Ridley, it was Tuesday
Perfection
Samus: you killed my parents, my planet, Everyone. You are a monster
Ridley: do you have any idea how little that narrows it down.
A Tuesday he remembers with perfect clarity like all the rest of his slaughters.
For Samus, it was when her life changed.
For Ridley, it was when his lifespan was cut drastically.
...but what a splendid Tuesday it was.
On the one hand, Metroid dread understood that the old staples- metroids, Ridley- their stories were told. We’d mined them for pathos and bringing them back after their parts were done would strain believability.
But I REALLY want to see Samus give him the Dread treatment, dispatch him just as brutally as the other bosses. Break his jaw first so he can’t eat to regenerate.
I wanna see em duke it out MK style
Just wanna see her go full metroid on him 😤
May also want to incinerate the corpse so he cant be vat revived or cyberized, again.
I mean hey, the team behind dread was originally gonna remake Fusion, if they ever do it again maybe we can see a proper aggressive duel to the death between Neo-Ridley and Samus as the final canonical time we see Ridley
@@lancethedecayedguardian2719 terrible idea for the remake: SA-X free roaming.
Lots of fans wondered why Ridley was always second fiddle and never the main villain. Well, this manga explains it perfectly. It's much more fun to be second in command
He works better that way
Chaotic evil to a T
Samus' trauma makes sense in the manga because it's the first time she's seen Ridley in years. However by the time of Other M, she's encountered and defeated Ridley 4 times (5 if you count Samus Returns). So her freezing up like that doesn't really fit her character.
I feel if that game took place earlier in the timeline it would make better sense
If anything, I'd think she'd feel a bit angry.
"Why wont you stay dead, you bastard!"
Perhaps it’s the fact that by this point Samus believed she had killed him for good, so seeing him again reborn by a secret Federation project brought the fear back. Like “ I Killed you. I watched you die! There was nothing left of you! How are you still ALIVE?!” and Samus not just feeling fear again but feeling that no matter what she does… she can’t kill him and that just makes it scarier. Still though even if that was the case the reveal in the game didn’t do a very good job of showing it. The games never showed her afraid before. So showing her afraid without some context (at least for those who don’t follow the lore) the reveal and the fear , as you said, makes no sense other than “Hey players, guess who’s back for like the 6th time”
It's basically like this, she built walls around her trauma to fuel it to combat Ridley. Once she finally kills him she let's those walls crumble a bit, as there isn't anything to cause her a panic attack over it again, untill m:om. And because she didn't have those walls as strong as before she has a panic attack.
In my opinion, the scene would’ve been way better if instead of fear and panic, it was just absolute rage at the fact that Ridley survived. Hesitation upon seeing him, rage upon processing the fact he’s still alive.
And she just *loses* her shit and wails upon him with no remorse.
The Starscream esque voice for Ridley is a nice touch
I've never thought of Ridley like this until watching this video.
That one line... that infamous line made me think one thing... *YOU BASTARD.*
Now I know the whole truth. I always knew he was a monster. I just never knew he was an INTELLIGENT one. VERY intelligent.
You also now know that for Samus she didn't just "bump" into Space Pirates and stop them. She had a legit vendetta against them.
Yea, it all makes a lot more sense now.
It’s the one thing people tend to forget about Ridley. Just because he doesn’t talk (much) does not mean he isn’t incredibly smart.
He is the leader of the Space Pirates for a reason. And it ain’t because he’s stronger than them (although he is)
He’s smart enough to know where to attack, when, and how to inflict as much damage as possible.
Good ass video. You perfectly captured what makes Ridley... Ridley. He's a relentless phantom who embodies the violence she cannot escape. It says something that the last time she encounters him (Fusion) is in the game where she finally makes peace with part of her past.
Also, shoutout to the scene in the manga where Mother Brain sets a field full of butterflies on fire to teach Samus a lesson
Mind you that "Ridley" wasn't the real one but an X parasite clone of another Ridley clone cc created in the Bottleship research station. The real Ridley's been canonically dead since Super Metroid 3 back in 1994.
You know in retrospect her shit talking little birdie suddenly feels so much more meaningful.
Ridley radiates black Air Force energy - he’s a menace to society just like you explained and detailed in the video - great work!
I was going through the "One Villainous Scene" playlist and was disappointed by the lack of video game villains, then I found this video, I love Ridley so I just had to click as soon as I spotted it,
Also I want to do a vid for this series an contribute to it with my own favourite villain but I think it's too late but idk (it would also be my first video so I'm kind of nervous to do it anyway)
Dude thank you so much! The video really was a labor of love so it’s nice to see it wasn’t for nothing! Also, DO IT. Everyone has a first video, so why not?
Technically Ganondorf also got a video but yeah.
@@chadpeterson5698 yea there was a couple of video game ones but not many
But that's why we love him, he *loves* the slaughter, enjoys every town burned, innocent impaled, crushed, or laserbeamed to death. Why not do the least destructive thing and kill the ones in your way? Nope, where's the fun in that?
Oh wait, that feels familiar for some reason...
Familiar you say 👀
Ridley is truly Samus Archenemy a rivalry Built on Hatred.
Wish Sylax and Ridley were to team up imagine how cool it would be to have both Samus rivals fighting together side by side against the bounty hunter.
@@javiervasquez625I thought Sylax's beef was with the Galactic Federation. What *personal* beef would he have with Samus?! _(GOD, Metroid Prime 4 can't come out fast enough)_
Can't believe I hadn't found this video till now. Thank you for putting some appreciation on this super underrated manga. I think you really nailed why Ridley is so compelling
Exquisite. This character, this depiction, this cruel, sadistic bastard was captured and showcased in silence with pure effectiveness for his Smash Ultimate trailer, showing it COULD be done with no words. He plucks off and kills Mega Man in the same manner he mortally wounded Gray Voice. He crushed Mario's head in the same grab he gave Samus, then he toys with Samus in that special jovial sadism by twirling Mario's hat around.
Another thing that is important for folks to know is that his lack of speaking in the games isn't some oversight. Ridley has no monologues, he has no grant plan to expose. He's out to kill and you're dead before you realize you're in his sights.
i love how gray voice and mother brain are like "bro you have to take a fucking chill pill" while seeing samus getting berated by ridley
For a villain to be memorable, there’s a few ways to go. Thanos was memorable without being directly connected to the heros, because he forces the heros to overcome their character flaws. A great villain needs to facilitate specific character flaws the hero has to overcome. Otherwise we get the “why do we care” villains.
Other Nintendo Villains:"...…Ridley, what the f*ck"
Ridley:”What?! You don’t do that?”
Ganondorf would be laughing his ass off and taking notes
@@masonasaro2118 He would, yeah
Louie: When do we get the free food?
If they ever make a Metroid movie, it would be a massive disservice to not take Samus's rivalry with Ridley seriously. Any encounter needs to be the most scared and/or the most angry Samus gets in the entire movie
"It was I who killed your parents. I fed on your mother while she was STILL ALIVE."
--Kingdok, the Bone comics
Something about this just reminds. E of the space dragon
Oh absolutely!
Yeah, that series went from "looney toons" to "lord of the rings" real fast
Who tf is “E”?
@@anthonynixon3706 i meant to type "me" but my fingers rebelled
I think that Ridley scene in Other M would have worked better if Ridley started taunting and mocking Samus' inability to fully destroy him, how she can never get rid of him, how he will always be there to hunt her, and even if he does die it will never bring back the people she lost. He could even bring up the whole mother thing and imply that every time he dies by Samus hands so does, she.
This would have given some much needed context on why Samus fears Ridley so much, but why her PTSD kicks in again. That scene relied too much on people, haven read the manga before had which was a very poor decision
I agree 100%. I believe the decision to make it a clone was the first misstep that shot the scene in the foot
So, in other words, to have Ridley be the Sephiroth to Samus's Cloud. Makes sense.
He died for good when Zebes exploded back in Super Metroid 3 so it makes sense that they would clone him instead of bringing back for the millionth time out of cool callback's sake. Truth be told all the Lore surrounding Ridley only works by dismissing the games entirely and only focusing on the manga's depiction of the character given the ever constant butt kicking Samus has been giving him since the original Metroid game. With so many defeats at Samus's hands his role in her backstory becomes completley diluted making him a complete joke of a character devoid of ANY discernible substance beyond "that one bad guy who keeps coming back".
The baby the baby the baby
Personally, I would've had Ridley provoke Samus into a sheer bloodlusted rage. After everything else that she's cared about has died, HE still lives. Imagine her just laying missile after missile into him, going full tunnel vision. But Ridley isn't stupid. Even his title tells you that. He's the CUNNING God of death. So while she's seeing red, Ridley gets a surprise attack that does critical damage to her.
THEN the scene plays out.
"This franchise not only defined my love for the MetroidVania genre" I think this franchise defined the MetroidVania genre
Ridley is not an agent of chaos he IS chaos.
"At least pay your respects" I knew ridley was an evil space pirate, who killed samus' people, but I didn't know his savagery went that deep! Ridley may be a giant purple space dragon, but he gots that DOG in him.
It's crazy he was confident and vicious towards samus through out the games but after every defeat he slowly starts to go mad and even starting to fear dying by the hands of samus by the end of super metroid
Imagine bringing entire planets to total extinction again and again, yet the one kid you were aiming for miraculously got out alive, and consistently becomes the biggest threat your existence time and time again. You would start to become a paranoid mess
The fact that Ridley has become the singular most iconic villain in the franchise despite almost never being the “main” villain in any installment really says a lot about his character imo. Remember that video “The Problem With Ridley”? With the Scottish guy lamenting that our favorite space dragon sadist has been reduced to “he killed Samus’s parents” instead of being well-crafted to “compliment _Metroid’s_ themes and progression”? Like… I agree that it’s a gross oversimplification, but I don’t see Ridley as having become so memorable beforehand because of game design. At least, not that specific aspect of it.
One of my favorite things about the _Metroid_ games is how it implements environmental storytelling, including environmental characterization, and prior to the manga’s release, every encounter with Ridley still felt personal, with _Prime 1_ and _Super_ in particular making a big point of building him up from the very beginning. Even after you kill him in _Super,_ he still gets the last laugh when you head to the room where you would normally get your post-boss power-up and instead find the baby Metroid’s broken case (and a hidden E-Tank); and even after grounding him in _Prime,_ he’s still incredibly mobile and brutal and you only definitively win thanks to old Chozo intervention. Hell, even the NES game, though underwhelming in its presentation, gives Ridley a personal touch with the manual’s claim that he’s originally _from_ Zebes (though it hadn’t yet been established that Samus also grew up on Zebes, it still made him unique among the other bosses since Kraid didn’t have that distinction and Mother Brain also hadn’t exactly been established as having already existed there yet).
And you witness it firsthand. You enter his lair in _Super Metroid,_ see that he’s deliberately set it up to deface the Chozo ruins and plaster his mug over the entrance like the egotistical piece of shit he is, and you’re like “this fucking asshole.” And he’s unique in that there’s almost never a pattern to follow or a trick to his fights (Omega Ridley being the one exception); you just unload your entire arsenal into him. It’s _cathartic._
But yes, the manga is very much where he _really_ gets to shine, finally getting a voice and personality to match his intimidating presence and just add to the brutality of his relationship with Samus (and give him lines like “Why is my ship on fire?” and “That explains the stench of noradrenaline” lol). Plus, now it’s not just personal for Samus, it’s personal for Ridley. She’s the one that got away. Sure, her parents’ deaths are something he enjoys having over her, but, for me at least, that’s nothing compared to how *_pissed off_* he is that Samus survived.
Because, like it or not, familial themes have always been a part of _Metroid,_ from the first main antagonist being literally called “Mother” Brain, to Samus’s bond with the baby Metroid after killing its actual mother, to what ended up happening in _Dread,_ and you could even argue for Dark Samus being like an evil twin.
The way I see it, Ridley is then like the mean older brother who never wanted a baby sister and was actually being 100% serious whenever he said he wanted to get rid of her. Ridley may be dead for real now (maybe) but he’s been a central and inextricable part of Samus’s life (and she of his) for so long it still feels like they’re kinda stuck together even though you can *feel* how much they hate each other.
Modern Ridley is not a great villain for killing Virginia Aran and indirectly causing Rodney Aran’s death, nor is he a great villain for game design reasons. He’s a great villain for his connection to our hero. The little girl he straight-up tried to murder in cold blood that one time only for everything to come crashing down around him. Their adversarial relationship is just. So special and fascinating to me and I love them. 💜
As much as I enjoy villains with lofty goals and understandable motives
I also enjoy it when a villain is just allowed to be evil and relish in it, Ridley is a great example of that
Just an evil basterd to his core that thrives on death and destruction, you could call it cheesy and simplistic but if it’s done well it makes for a truly terrifying and iconic villain like Ridely
He’s the one Metroid villain that’s been in almost every game yet he’s never been the main antagonist and that’s something special in my eyes
Well he was the main antagonist in Prime 1 on a technicality. The Metroid Prime itself up until stealing Samus's suit was just a mindless beast stuck in the Chozo temple.
@@CassiusStelar The Space Pirates were really the overarching antagonists of Prime 1. You have to deal with them at almost every corner of the map, or at least, the results of their rampant experimentation on the local wildlife and Phazon. Ridley’s just getting accustomed to his new cyborg body until the showdown at the temple.
@@windrider2190 he's their leader. He's calling the shots. Bro, he's the villain
@@CassiusStelar Not really? The Space Pirates operate as a "hive mind" with Mother Brain and Ridley only serving as "commanders" with a minor role leading the organization as seen in both the original Metroid and Super Metroid 3. The *race* known as "Space Pirates" operates independently to Ridley's commands.
@@javiervasquez625 that's literally not how this works in canon at all? They arent a race, they're a collective of several races including the original "zebesians" (who arent native to Zebes in the slightest), the Prime Pirates who still go unnamed, Kraid's species and Draygon's species, and the humans from Zebes Invasion Order who arent canon but still deserve to be mentionsed
Ridley reminds me of Frieza, as they're both sadistic space tyrants who are disrespectful to even their soldiers. Just that Ridley doesn't task his soldiers to missions like Frieza and instead bulldoze towards it and doesn't have a end goal (while Frieza wants to attain immortality and rule the universe)
Edit 1: Scratch that, I think they're very disrespectful in their own way. Ridley targets his victims' weaknesses without mercy or respect, while Frieza enslaves species, actively talk down on those who dare to confront him and blows up their planets the moment he's done with them.
4:58
"Hello, my name is Samus Metroid. You killed my parents, prepare to die."
I believe a good villain is not just a hero's equal. A REALLY good villain is one that breaks the hero. Their name causes the hero chills, the sight of them causes a panic attack and the villain speaking of the past triggers some PTSD. I believe that is what makes them a real threat. From what you spoke of in the manga, sounds like it would make a GREAT backstory to age up the writing if need be. It's a shame I don't know Metroid lore so this was lost on me but I can appreciate it now I know the lore to it.
Absolutely! I think thats why death from the new puss in boots was such a hit. Thank you!
So what you mean is that you like it when your favourite character suffers, not what the villain brings
Not necessarily.
The villain just has to be super threatening to someone. And the hero might just be one of the few people that go after them rather than avoid them.
This is my introduction to Ridley as a character👀
Thank you. I love lesser known obscurities being important in well-known franchises. It just goes to show how much there is to love in the art of story telling😄
Found this by searching ridley randomly oh boy am I glad I did, good stuff and super underrated video.
Ridley is such a good villain, cruel and sadistic villains always really do it for me.
Dang did this guy give the poor girl PTSD.
Yes he did.
Samus may have won in the physical battle but ridley won in the mental battle.
@@vielvladimirvaldez6917 She might blow him up and shoot him in the face but it won't un-devour her parents.
Thanks for providing a link to the manga. At some point, I would really like to take the time to read it myself. Also, I wonder if a mainline Metroid sequel could both bring back Ridley’s legacy in a different way (without resurrecting/cloning him) and let Samus’ backstory with him finally be shown in an actual game.
*These below are some ideas I happened to brainstorm, for how one might try to do this, if you happen to be interested…*
1.) There could be a 2D sequel that takes place shortly after Metroid Dread. Samus could be exploring further into remote uncharted regions of the galaxy, due to her not being on best terms with the Galactic Federation since Metroid Fusion, plus wanting to practice controlling her new Metroid powers in peace.
2.) One major subplot could involve Samus discovering that Ridley was just one member of a whole race, albeit an exceptionally powerful and savage member, and she has just ventured into their territory. As she faces other members of Ridley’s kind and learns more about them, she also gains more knowledge of Ridley’s past, which in turn helps her find more personal closure.
3.) If Ridley’s species were to be given an official name in the canon lore, they could be called “Byakhee”. It would be a clear nod to those winged aliens from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, which could travel across the vacuum of space to make other planets into their hunting grounds.
4.) The Byakhee themselves could be established as a warrior culture similar to the Yautja from “Predator”, driven by an ambiguous “Blue-and-Orange Morality”. But while they are not exactly benevolent, it could also be established that Ridley himself was dishonorable and psychopathic, even by his own species’ standards, to the point of murdering other Byakhee.
5.) To explain why Ridley was the only one of his kind to appear until now, it could be suggested that Ridley lived apart from the rest of his race like an exiled criminal. But once he came across the space pirates, he relished in their culture, which gave him nonstop opportunities to slaughter and pillage as their mercenary and later their general. This bit of exposition would lead into a flashback, which recreates that whole scene from the manga where Samus meets Ridley for the first time.
6.) There could be additional flashbacks reenacting the other scenes you showed in your video. One of those flashbacks could even turn into a boss fight, if Samus had to undergo another trial similar to the one in Zero Mission. Said trial could force her to confront a memory of Ridley and battle it (similar to how the Joker was used in Batman: Arkham Knight).
7.) Whenever Ridley speaks with Samus during those reenactments, the dialogue between them could actually be in the Chozo language, just like the conversation between Samus and Quiet Robe. This could help it feel more stylistically consistent with Metroid Dread.
8.) New characters could be introduced as other members of Ridley’s kind, each with their own distinctly different designs. When Samus starts to have run-ins with them, one such boss fight could involve her fending off two Byakhee at once, using her veteran experience against the more powerful and ferocious Ridley.
9.) However, one such Byakhee could come to respect and admire Samus, especially after learning that she destroyed Ridley, whom the others loathed and feared. It could reach a point where that individual becomes her ally against the story’s main threat, in contrast with Raven Beak, a member of the Chozo race who turned evil. Samus eventually being on better terms with one of them could also contrast with how badly her attempt to befriend Ridley as a naïve child went, thus adding an extra sense of closure for her.
I can already see that happening, I hope we can get a new Metroid game like what was described in the future
I’ve always loved Ridley. I’ve always thought that he had an awesome design and had a terrifying presence in every Metroid game, but damn I never knew Samus and Ridley had this past history together and that Samus found him this terrifying. Great vid talking about this, would love to see more vids like this from you!!!
"She just has a phobia of purple pterodactyls"
Sees Terry from Iggy's Egg adventure:
Suit deactivates
I was about three minutes in before I decided to pause and read it. Thank you for putting a link in the description!
Hearing you describe it makes me picture an entire level based on his attacking a city. He could appear like your typical kaiju just raining destruction, until he catches sight of Samus. Then he just starts taunting and ridiculing her as you desperately try to survive or save civilians. That would be epic
Dude, I came across the manga out of boredom and curiosity as a teen. Back then, I didn’t know much about the Metroid series aside from what I found in Samus via Smash Bros. Yet, after looking into it, Ridley is TERRIFYING in the manga and in the game series. He just hits differently compared to other antagonists. He's so good!😤
It really is such a gem! They did him so good :)
@Jaymotions tell me about it. As a gamer and writer, looking up certain characters helps me get certain perks in personality traits. Ridley is one I can compare with a certain OC I've been experimenting with since the pandemic named Ricardo Blackmore. He enjoys hunting humans for pleasure for his own wicked experiments.
As an artist, the deep shadows on Ridley really sell him as this mysterious or threatening character. I do the same with Ricardo, and, honestly, he's been interesting to work on since 2018/19.
I may use more of Metroid for inspiration, but we'll see into the future. The game series is so exciting and suspenseful.😁
Most highly anticipated comeback ever!
People will say that the manga is not Canon, but Other M was literally just took elements of the manga and Fusion and put them together
I've loved Ridley ever since I first saw him in smash bros brawl, now I love him more
Brawl was my first ridley encounter too!
Same
Well done on the video!! Never read the manga and did not know about the backstory to Samus and Ridley's relationship. This makes their encounters so much more worthful!!
Duuuude I've been such a big Metroid fan ever since I got Fusion as a little kid, but I never knew any of this. Awesome video
When Raven Beak first appeared as a Chozo villain in Dread, I half expected him to peel his skin off and have it actually be Ridley, cause Ridely almost always appears and cause that is totally something he would do to get under Samus' skin.
King.j.rool: you talk to him
Bowser: no you talk to him
King.j.rool: ok we both talk to him
Bowser: ok fine
Bowser: hey Ridley welcome to the evil reptiles
Ridley: back the f**k up before I blast fire in your face
King.j.rool: ok we go
King J Rool
I’m so glad others are talking about this incredible manga. It’s a must read for any Metroid fan, and makes this fantastic series so much better.
Nintendo’s manga’s are all really good. The Zelda ones are absolutely fantastic in particular, and those have all been officially localized. Making them easy to find.
I only heard mentions of this from some fanfics when I was getting into the Metroid fandom...
To think this was cannon and not just some creative flare was really beyond from what I was able to expect..
Thanks for bringing this to my knowledge.
I’m glad I found this video, because this put my love for Ridley and his complete psychotic character into words that I could never find.
Ridley is cruel and merciless character. He just a maniac.
You made a fantastic video! I LOVED the depth of your analysis as you explored Samus and Ridley's history. I wanted to be horrified of the scene's retelling, but I was so excited about Ridley's voice acting at the same time! Awesome work!
I've read the manga twice, and the art style's intensity definitely cemented the grittier nature of the manga. I deliberately read it before I played Other M (being aware of its reputation already), so I understood what was happening with the Ridley scene. Obviously, the execution wasn't great, but it didn't bother me in the sense of "What the heck? Samus has fought Ridley a dozen times already!" which is what many fans were probably thinking. I WILL say, I genuinely thought Ridley's entrance in Other M looked scary!
I thought your comparison between the two scenes was amazing, too! I appreciated that you didn't simply bash Other M, but instead went into detail of why the manga's scene worked and why Other M's didn't.
It might not be on the same level of depth as the Zero Mission manga, but another critically underrated Metroid manga is the "Samus and Joey" series, also available on Metroid Database! It goes out of its way to make Samus look as epic as humanly possible at all times, tells awesome and even heartfelt stories, and even her kid sidekick Joey gets a great character arc without compromising Samus's spotlight. I'm personally *extremely* passionate about this series, so I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for more Metroid content outside the games!
Thank you so much! I love when I can get good feedback, and I loved Samus and Joey! I'm surprised to see someone else who read it
Now this is something to learn from. What a fantastic video essay!
Ridley (and Metroid as a whole) is underrated and usually pushed to the side among Sci-Fi franchises, when he truly deserves more attention.
This essay perfectly put into words why he’s so effective… and the voice actors actually did fantastic! Excellent work, and easy subscription! Looking forward to more, and to sitting down and listening to the Transformers video!
Excellent video! I definitely appreciated the comparison between the manga and Other M, explaining in detail why the former worked and the latter did not.
I'm a little surprised that you left out a certain detail during Ridley's attack on three-year-old Samus that makes it far more despicable. When Ridley first sees Samus, he ignores her and turns his attention back towards the Space Pirates' raid. Then, when Samus tries to befriend him, his first response is NOT to immediately kill her. Instead, he has a sad look in his eyes and he gently tells her that they cannot be friends. "You're so cute. I'm sorry miss, but... that's impossible! Because... YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!" And THAT'S when he suddenly lunges at her to kill her.
There are many ways to interpret this scene. Some fans believe that Ridley had a fleeting moment of genuine sympathy for the little girl, but he treated this sympathy as a weakness and therefore had to eliminate it by killing her. Others (myself included) see it as Ridley using crocodile tears to trick Samus, lulling her into thinking that he might reciprocate her kindness, in order to make it all the more terrifying when he suddenly shows his true colors... all just for his own sick sadistic amusement. Either way, whether it's genuine or not, it shows that Ridley has more layers than just a vicious killer.
I guess it's not part of the "one" villainous scene that's the focus of this video, but you do mention the scene multiple times while highlighting how the manga characterizes Ridley, and to me this moment adds a lot of nuance to Ridley.
Its one of my favorites! I'm also surprised I didnt use the scene actually, must have slipped my mind
I definitelly buy the "crocodile tears" when Ridley is speaking softly and appearing to reciprocrate Samus' kindness.
But the "sad face" everyone mentions? To me personally, that always felt like Ridley was just genuinelly going *_"Is this nigga serious?!"_* He's in disbelief that this little thing is actually trying to befriend him, embarassed even, probably thinking _"(I am so glad none of my Pirates are around, or they would never stop laughing for the night)"._
ridley is far more of what you would describe despair when it comes to how he is.
(Also you don't have to play Other M you can just look up ridley's transformation from it and then play Fusion.)
That line where he mocks her, telling her she maybe ate her mother and then looking down at his body, pointing at parts and saying: „Is she here? Or maybe there?“
I‘ll always remember it
Damn. This I the best villain in fiction for me now....... and now it makes me want to play metroid now. Damn it
And he still haunts her mind, even in death.
Ridley's appearance in Smash is proof enough that he's just really, really evil. Lol.
Manga Ridley might be one of the greatest villains ever written and brings Ridley a lot of lore and backstory to the games even. Other M...Let us ignore this regression of it all. It could have worked, if there was one thing. If Ridley talked and killed her crew, while mocking her. And how he could be back, well just excuse that by saying that his species is a hive mind and once he dies his mind get's sent to the next in line to continue his destruction. For Samus' PTSD, just say that it was due to the fact that she thought Ridley was dead for good this time. And most importantly, the 1 way this scene were the greatest in Other M, show scenes of the Manga in the game. Have us play as a young Samus as she walks up to Ridley, unaware of the death going on in her village, and show that her mother and father died through Ridley just causing havok for the sake of fun. And, a small bonus fight at the start where we fight against Ridley at their second encounter, it would just elevate it all to the max
I will never forget my reaction when I read that scene. Ridley shot his way up to one of my top video game villains because of it
All hail the Cunning God of Death
Ridley is the reason why samus responds to even slightly dangerous creatures by immediately obliterating them.
What a charming fellow.
Not to forgot that samus after that situation at 3 year old, she was raised by mastermind, Mother Brain who was behind Ridley's actions because she controls Space Pirates behind the scenes and add Ridley's ridiculous sadism, makes them strong power couple
Mother Brain has her own ambitious but what makes Ridley effective villain and big bad is just he wants violence and see the world burn by his actions
The fact that he ate her parents too not because he was hungry but just for the lols is sick af for a villain.
How in the hell do we live in a universe where this thing is in the same game as mario and kirby
Kirby villains aren’t anywhere near as scary as anything in Metroid but Kirby fights some pretty scary giant bleeding eyeballs
@@TheitTheit-pf4sm Yeah, notice how the villain he mentioned for Kirby was Dedede, but there are other Kirby villains that are eldritch abominations that almost destroyed the entire universe (or al least an aspect of it) just because. They may look cutesy and all, but the lore is insane.
That thumbnail looks like it's looking for his Beloved Ocelotte
I loved playing Metroid when I played it as a kid in Walmart while my parents shopped. It was one of the most engaging games I had ever played, and the story puzzles kept me always thinking about the next time I would play. I never did get to learn too much before life changed for me and I no longer had the opportunity to play Metroid. Thank you so much for this detailed review of Ridley and Samus's relationship, and on Ridley's character!
Ridley was such a good character that he got added to smash
I just found this video. Samus has been one of my favorite characters ever. I really enjoyed this, thank you.
If only they made a game with Ridley acting like he does in the Manga. It would be instant gold.
I absolutely love the depiction of his voice and the way he speaks. Almost a more savage, vicious, and more cruel version of commander starscream.
So glad this wasn't about the game we Metroid fans don't like talking about.
It isn't JUST being a giant purple space dragon that makes you a great villain, but it does help.
6:34 Can’t help but laugh and smile at this darkly funny joke XD
Thank you! Xd
I admit seeing Ridley like this really shows just how much of a monster he is…
And it makes Dark Samus and Phazon scarier. Why? Because even he ended up falling under control!!
Actually Ridley was fused with Phazon, implying that he did so willingly
@@CalamityLegend Wouldn’t that mean he gave up his free will to Dark Samus?
Which is more likely to have drove him to that point? Pure vengeance? Needing to survive? Wanting more power? Or a combination of multiple or all?
@@LovelyCinccino Either that, or the Phazon is just powering him up, so he maintains his moral agency and knows exactly what he’s doing.
But either way, it is his goal to kill Samus
THE RETURN ... ALSO
YEET
Wonderful voice acting! You made Ridley sound so sinister!
We need a official Metroid anime.
Couldnt agree more!
@@Jaymotions Can't wait to see that overgrown skeksis in an official anime.
Short version: he murder her parents
I really want to see this animated, either by a fan or in an official adaptation. In fact an official Metroid anime that starts from the manga’s beginning and goes through Dread would be great.
I didn’t even know Ridley could talk
Dammit, as much as I love Metroid, I need to read this. What kind of Metroid fan am I if I missed out on this manga?