Social Lower Norfair

[meleebrawler]

Just found this video that goes through Ridley's whole moveset:

The footage isn't always the clearest, but it's something. Few things:
-Love the rapid jab. For me the super extended rapid jab at the left side of Green Greens was actually the hypest part of the invitational.
-It's not entirely clear, but looks like he actually holds his tail with his hand when stabbing forward with it in F-tilt. If so, that's both hilarious and awesome.
-Up Smash is surprisingly acrobatic.
-Back air kick seems a little out of place, but hey, so do DK's kicks to me. His legs are so tiny compared to his arms.

Above all though, I like how Ridley uses his tail the most (Rapid jab, F-tilt, D-tilt, N-air, F-air, Pummel, U-throw and Down Special). Throughout his appearances it's consistently been one of his most dangerous tools so it seems fitting. I also like how most tail attacks are stabs instead of swipes. Adds to the brutality aspect.

Well, he does have his claws for slashing, and I imagine the tail generally has too much slack to make swinging as effective as thrusting.

What surprises me is how much he uses his wing spikes in his attacks (I think those are what he used on Mario in the trailer), seeing how he seldom uses wings in actual attacks in Metroid games. In fact, if you interpret the third hit of his gentleman jab as hitting with the side of his head, he uses literally every single spiky protusion on his body as weapon at some point.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Well, he does have his claws for slashing, and I imagine the tail generally has too much slack to make swinging as effective as thrusting.

What surprises me is how much he uses his wing spikes in his attacks (I think those are what he used on Mario in the trailer), seeing how he seldom uses wings in actual attacks in Metroid games. In fact, if you interpret the third hit of his gentleman jab as hitting with the side of his head, he uses literally every single spiky protusion on his body as weapon at some point.

He grabbed Mario's head with a hand and crushed his skull

 

[IronTed]

Ridley was one of the most heavily discussed specific conversations on Twitter.

This is incredible, especially considering how small Metroid is as a franchise overall. This also confirms that yes, Ridley is very popular/well known (but reasonable people knew that). I definitely never expected this though.

 

[AndreaAC]

IronTed xD I know that picture you got there is pretty old, but I can't stop trying not to laugh when I see it, even more considering the artist made the TUUUUUUBES Space Pirates if i'm not mistaking.

 

[Dhragen]

now that i am thinking about Ridley standing up taunt.....if ultimate gets mods....

....imagine Ridley with Pichu model, oh no.....

 

[SmashKeks]

now that i am thinking about Ridley standing up taunt.....if ultimate gets mods....

....imagine Ridley with Pichu model, oh no.....

The Ridley model swaps are going to be legendary. I just know it.

 

[Arcanir]

Ridley was one of the most heavily discussed specific conversations on Twitter.

So based on this, Ridley is more discussed then games like Kingdom Hearts 3, Fallout 76, Last of Us 2, Mario Aces, Elder Scrolls, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and the Resident Evil 2 remake.

Now that's popularity if he's making waves like that.

 

[UltimateWario]

First Ridley, now Vento Aureo.

2018 is the Year of the Meme.

 

[Cosmic77]

I'm still having trouble trying to adjust to Ridley being in Smash. I've always had a "here's how he could work" argument ready to fire whenever a detractor came to cause trouble. Now I don't even have to bother.

It's weird. It's definitely a nice change, but I also kinda miss it, especially now that it's gone forever. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost sad that we'll never have another "too big" argument.

...Almost.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost sad that we'll never have another "too big" argument.

Don't worry, the next one's already here:

"K.Rool is too irrelevant for Smash."

 

[True Blue Warrior]

Don't worry, the next one's already here:

"K.Rool is too obscure to be popular among the general Smash fanbase."

Fixed for maximum accuracy.

 

[Aetheri]

Waluigi is too WAAH for Smash!

 

[NintenRob]

Skull Kid is too one off for Smash.....


Am I doing it right?

 

[AndreaAC]

Waluigi is too WAAH for Smash!

This is making me wonder how are even the Waluigi threads doing right now after seeing the riot in other places outside of here...

But oh well.

 

[Seanp12]

Waluigi is too WAAH for Smash!

Waluigi is too WAAH for this sinful earth.

 

[Diem]

Chibi-Robo is too obscure/unpopular for Smash. Except sadly it's kinda true...

 

[OmegaX5000]

Chibi-Robo is too obscure/unpopular for Smash. Except sadly it's kinda true...

...Now I kind of want to see Chibi-Robo playable just because of this. That, and Zip Lash was a fun game.

 

[CamZilla94]

Once I finish these Monster Hunter paintings I'll have to draw up a Ridley piece. All of this art is motivating.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Waluigi fans seem to think they are the new Ridley fans because "Ridley was a meme, right?"

But the thing is, Ridley became a meme because he was popular. While Waluigi was a meme and became popular because of it.

 

[TonyMyOnly]

We got our boy in, we don't have any reason to **** on Waluigi fans or any other character fans. Sure some are being childish and dumb but plenty of Ridley fans were stupid as well.

 

[Yoshisaurus Rex]

I honestly don't remember Ridley supporters ****ing on Sakurai's Twitter when he didn't get in but I could be wrong.

 

[Arcanir]

Saw IntelliHeath post this over at ResetERA:

In one of his victory poses. Ridley does a quick, "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" slasher smile as he turns to the camera.

Not really noteworthy. I just thought it's a nice little touch that gives light to that fact that Ridley is an intelligent, yet bloodthirsty psychopath. pic.twitter.com/oCW8LzBwOW

— The Mighty Bacson (@MrBaconJam) June 21, 2018

Who says Ridley isn't emotive?

 

[Yoshisaurus Rex]

Saw IntelliHeath post this over at ResetERA:

In one of his victory poses. Ridley does a quick, "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" slasher smile as he turns to the camera.

Not really noteworthy. I just thought it's a nice little touch that gives light to that fact that Ridley is an intelligent, yet bloodthirsty psychopath. pic.twitter.com/oCW8LzBwOW

— The Mighty Bacson (@MrBaconJam) June 21, 2018

Who says Ridley isn't emotive?

Such a happy, sadistic space dragon.

 

[KingBroly]

I like that Sakurai is doing what so many Metroid developers haven't done with Ridley.

 

[PixelPasta]

Hey everyone! I made a song to celebrate Ridley's long-awaited inclusion into the Smash family - I thought you Ridley fans might enjoy this! Its an orchestral medley of a few themes associated with Ridley: "Vs. Ridley" and "Lower Norfair" from Super Metroid, and "Ridley's Hideout" from the original Metroid!

I've dedicated this one to all of you, I really hope you like it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUmmYToQNg4

 

[Eldrake]

I like that Sakurai is doing what so many Metroid developers haven't done with Ridley.

I do hope that devs for future Metroid games learn from this and make sure Ridley shows off his personality and cunning somehow even if he still fights like he usually do. They don't even have to give him a voice actor, just have him emote visibly to show that he's fully enjoying whatever atrocity he's committing.

 

[VodkaHaze]

Spring Man was introduced too early to added in the game until they include him as DLC.

Waluigi fans seem to think they are the new Ridley fans because "Ridley was a meme, right?"

But the thing is, Ridley became a meme because he was popular. While Waluigi was a meme and became popular because of it.

I've personally wanted Waluigi playable in Smash before Brawl was released. I think he'd make a great fighter.

 

[meleebrawler]

I like that Sakurai is doing what so many Metroid developers haven't done with Ridley.

The personality traits that make Ridley who he is also kind of limit the potential roles he can take in a Metroid game.
He's almost never the main driving force of a given plot despite being Samus's archenemy because he simply has
no long-term plans or goals beyond causing mayhem. The one time he kicked off one in Super, it was under orders from Mother Brain.

Until we get a Ridley spin-off that shows what he does during his spare time (that isn't in intensive care from Samus's latest thrashing), he
won't be much more than a personal driving force for the bounty hunter.

But we can always take solace in knowing that, like his stint as the mainstay of the Pirate's security force, pummeling Smash fighters
will be something that he will certainly relish.

 

[IronWarrior94]

I've always had an idea for a Metroid game where Ridley takes the role of main antagonist.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

A game where you travel from space colony to space colony, torturing and killing civilians and to recover health, just consume their corpses instead of picking up power ups.

 

[Aetheri]

Coincidentally I was thinking of sort of this origin story for Ridley that I think could be interesting...

Perhaps his race and the chozo were in the middle of this huge war and the chozo using their advanced technology was able to wipe out the entire race of space dragons with Ridley being the only survivor.

 

[AndreaAC]

Coincidentally I was thinking of sort of this origin story for Ridley that I think could be interesting...

Perhaps his race and the chozo were in the middle of this huge war and the chozo using their advanced technology was able to wipe out the entire race of space dragons with Ridley being the only survivor.

I read something similar to that long ago in that fanfiction.net place but it had a weird twist and whatnot. Would be interesting to know what's his origin exactly. Or maybe not to leave it to one's imagination and interpretation.

 

[meleebrawler]

I've always had an idea for a Metroid game where Ridley takes the role of main antagonist.

Pray tell, what kind of plot did you have in mind for our beloved space dragon to take part in?

Coincidentally I was thinking of sort of this origin story for Ridley that I think could be interesting...

Perhaps his race and the chozo were in the middle of this huge war and the chozo using their advanced technology was able to wipe out the entire race of space dragons with Ridley being the only survivor.

Interesting, but Ridley has never really shown to hold any more malice towards the Chozo than he does to any other race... at least not before
statues of them blasted him into a crater in Prime and/or he learned of Samus's association with them. His defacement of Chozo property in Lower
Norfair could just as easily be seen as justified precaution or just trying to tweak off Samus.

Several things contributed to the downfall of the Chozo, but Ridley was only involved due to following Mother Brain. If there are other members
of Ridley's race, I'd imagine he'd be the outcast to their otherwise neutral ways.

 

[IronWarrior94]

Pray tell, what kind of plot did you have in mind for our beloved space dragon to take part in?

I had this idea for a game where you(Samus) go off on a mission to check out a seemingly backwater planet outside of GF jurisdiction due to a report of large amounts of SP activity there. You find out that surprisingly, Ridley himself is at the head of their operations, and discover that the planet in question is actually his homeworld. Ridley, with the help of the Space Pirates, is attempting to resurrect his species after most of them were killed off by an unknown highly advanced race many years ago due to their hostile nature and the threat they posed to the galaxy if they ever got to the point of attaining space travel. As you traverse the planet, you slowly discover the history of Ridley's race and his own origins, like where he stood amongst his fellow space dragons.

 

[NintenRob]

Hey everyone! I made a song to celebrate Ridley's long-awaited inclusion into the Smash family - I thought you Ridley fans might enjoy this! Its an orchestral medley of a few themes associated with Ridley: "Vs. Ridley" and "Lower Norfair" from Super Metroid, and "Ridley's Hideout" from the original Metroid!

I've dedicated this one to all of you, I really hope you like it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUmmYToQNg4

Nice, I really like it. I wouldn't seeing something similar in Smash.


But we also really need lower norfair by itself.

 

[Seanp12]

Since everyone's sharing ideas for Riddles's backstory, here's mine:

Ridley's species were the original inhabitants of Zebes (like one of the old manuals used to assert, if I recall correctly, though nothing's corroborated it since), and their regenerative abilities occur via beta radiation from a particular organ within the body. When they're injured, the organ activates and its beta rays cause stem cells (or the alien equivalent) to copy themselves and adapt to whatever part of the body they're supposed to replace.

When the Chozo colonized Zebes, they struggled to destroy Ridley's species by conventional means, so they studied one of the bodies to find a weakness. Noticing the beta radiation organ, they had two inspirations. The first was to use what they learned about the Zebesian natives' biology for a method of controlled reproduction of their still-in-development bioweapon on SR388 that would become the Metroids (given that they didn't anticipate the queen metroids or other evolutions). The second was to create a virus that would reprogram the Zebesian natives' cells to be destroyed when exposed to beta radiation. Once the virus had infected its host, any wound would become lethal, as the beta radiation organ activated and continued destroying cells (akin to an autoimmune disease).

Ridley, however, was born with a genetic defect (mentioned offhandedly in the Zero Mission manga) that caused his beta radiation organ to be malformed and nonfunctional. As a result, Ridley couldn't regenerate automatically, but had to consume fresh flesh to restore himself. On the other hand, he was immune to the Chozo's artificial plague and so was able to escape Zebes while the Chozo believed his species was extinct.

Years later, when he returned to Zebes with the Space Pirates, Gray Voice corrected his defect, hoping to infect him with the virus. He never got the chance, but then Sammy blasted the stuffing out of Ridley to the point that he couldn't regenerate fast enough and the organ was destroyed again. Enter Meta Ridley, follow Phazon, and you know the rest.

Also, Ridley holds no special hatred for the Chozo, but that's because he's the stinkin' Cunning God of Death and he couldn't care less what happened to his species. He's here to kill people and eat Samus's parents, and he's all out of Samus's parents.

 

[PixelPasta]

Nice, I really like it. I wouldn't seeing something similar in Smash.


But we also really need lower norfair by itself.

Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

I totally agree. A Lower Norfair remix is long overdue.

 

[OmegaX5000]

He's here to kill people and eat Samus's parents, and he's all out of Samus's parents.

That made me laugh so much more than I thought it would.

 

[itsaxelol]

Anyone think it's weird they basically copy and pasted, of all characters, Donkey Kongs bair Kingsfoot for Ridley? Ridley has a giant tail and wings, why is he using a kick?

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Having a tail and wings doesn't remove the need for legs