Why is Zero Suit Samus so overly popular? Also, how would you make her more likable?

[Darthrai]

Why does everyone in the Smash fandom apart from SJW's love Zero Suit Samus? She's the most popular female in the game (maybe behind Power Suit Samus) and is the most hyped future amiibo. I find her to be unappealing due to her oversexualization - she basically ditches all the "cool" and "badass" aspects of Samus to become a stereotypical space dominatrix who shoves her ass in the camera and shows off her curves every chance she gets. Instead of feeling like the "shoot first, ask questions later" type like Samus has always felt, she feels like the type who would flirt with her opponents before beating them.

I mean, to make her a more appealing character, maybe Smash should show off more character traits of hers that don't just revolve around sex appeal. That's one of the disadvantages of not having a story mode. As an idea: ZSS would be a genuinely likable character if, say, she showed off her heroic, headstrong and threatening nature more, and was also humorously oblivious to her own sexiness, maybe being completely clueless when the male characters flirt with her.

Also, get rid of that whip. If she fought with lightsabers or something along with her gun, it'd be way cooler and less annoyingly suggestive.

 

[David Viran]

You are asking to change her move set to. The whip makes zss have a unique and interesting move set. What do you mean personality just because she has curves and all that doesn't mean she not all about shooting first and ask questions later. Actually I would go to say she seems to be even more like like that I mean just look at her face that's a face where you say something to her you will probably get the crap beat out of you.

 

[Darthrai]

You are asking to change her move set to. The whip makes zss have a unique and interesting move set. What do you mean personality just because she has curves and all that doesn't mean she not all about shooting first and ask questions later. Actually I would go to say she seems to be even more like like that I mean just look at her face that's a face where you say something to her you will probably get the crap beat out of you.

I actually had a really cool idea - her paralyzer shouldn't only function as a gun and a whip, but as different weapons such as a sword/lightsaber too. So it'd still be a whip for her usual moves that use it (side special and grab), but she can use it as a sword for her smashes or something for that extra "cool" factor.

And yeah... feels more like you'd get the crap beat out of you while she shoves her lady parts everywhere and taunts you by flirting with you. I know she has curves, and that's fine, but EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of her battle poses is suggestive/sexual in some way and meant to show off her features.

Her taunts and victory poses also all seem that way, they all suggest "look how sexy and cool I am". I'd be all for replacing them with something more badass and in-character.

All in all, my objection to ZSS is that she's almost entirely defined by her sexy body - and how the entire fanbase successfully falls for it. No significant personality traits, no super-cool weapons, just boobs and butt and a weapon designed to evoke BDSM.

 

[David Viran]

I actually had a really cool idea - her paralyzer shouldn't only function as a gun and a whip, but as different weapons such as a sword/lightsaber too. So it'd still be a whip for her usual moves that use it (side special and grab), but she can use it as a sword for her smashes or something for that extra "cool" factor.

And yeah... feels more like you'd get the crap beat out of you while she shoves her lady parts everywhere and taunts you by flirting with you. I know she has curves, and that's fine, but EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of her battle poses is suggestive/sexual in some way and meant to show off her features.

Battle poses in mid battle I think her moves look sweet. I love the over exaggerated animation of foot stooling off of down special. I love the animation of uair lookes so dramatic. And her taunts come off as cocky and confident like just dising people. Her Victory pose where she does all the flips is not really sexual. Flashing all her lady parts every where how could they not make her look like that as it's pretty noticeable no matter what she does.

 

[Rezbit]

Honestly, the only things I would change about her are her bland Metroid : Other M personality and her alternate costumes. If she had more costumes like the NES Metroid "second quest" outfit, it would be amazing. When I play her in Smash, the only costume I'll play is the Metroid Fusion sportswear, because skin tight leotards are terrible and honestly, it's far more sexualizing than her sportswear.

As a fighter, I think she's represented very well. She's a Human-Chozo hybrid with super strength and jumping capabilities. Though the boosters help her with the latter in Smash 4, she fits the bill perfectly otherwise.

See, I don't like Zero Suit Samus at all because she's a top tier character. I love her because she's exactly what I would expect from Samus in a fighter. Samus in her Power Suit, however, is a disappointment to someone like me, who idolizes the Metroid series. It's so underwhelming by comparison to what Samus is truly capable of and especially underwhelming when you see that Zero Suit Samus is a much better fighter than Power Suit Samus in Smash.

 

[David Viran]

Honestly, the only things I would change about her are her bland Metroid : Other M personality and her alternate costumes. If she had more costumes like the NES Metroid "second quest" outfit, it would be amazing. When I play her in Smash, the only costume I'll play is the Metroid Fusion sportswear, because skin tight leotards are terrible and honestly, it's far more sexualizing than her sportswear.

As a fighter, I think she's represented very well. She's a Human-Chozo hybrid with super strength and jumping capabilities. Though the boosters help her with the latter in Smash 4, she fits the bill perfectly otherwise.

See, I don't like Zero Suit Samus at all because she's a top tier character. I love her because she's exactly what I would expect from Samus in a fighter. Samus in her Power Suit, however, is a disappointment to someone like me, who idolizes the Metroid series. It's so underwhelming by comparison to what Samus is truly capable of and especially underwhelming when you see that Zero Suit Samus is a much better fighter than Power Suit Samus in Smash.

She definitely does not have her other m personality in Smash bros.

 

[Darthrai]

Battle poses in mid battle I think her moves look sweet. I love the over exaggerated animation of foot stooling off of down special. I love the animation of uair lookes so dramatic. And her taunts come off as cocky and confident like just dising people. Her Victory pose where she does all the flips is not really sexual. Flashing all her lady parts every where how could they not make her look like that as it's pretty noticeable no matter what she does.

To be honest, I don't think your arguments are really well-developed - they just come across as blind worship of ZSS, which is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. And her "cocky" and "confident" taunts just add to the whole "sexual" thing.

Honestly, the only things I would change about her are her bland Metroid : Other M personality and her alternate costumes. If she had more costumes like the NES Metroid "second quest" outfit, it would be amazing. When I play her in Smash, the only costume I'll play is the Metroid Fusion sportswear, because skin tight leotards are terrible and honestly, it's far more sexualizing than her sportswear.

As a fighter, I think she's represented very well. She's a Human-Chozo hybrid with super strength and jumping capabilities. Though the boosters help her with the latter in Smash 4, she fits the bill perfectly otherwise.

See, I don't like Zero Suit Samus at all because she's a top tier character. I love her because she's exactly what I would expect from Samus in a fighter. Samus in her Power Suit, however, is a disappointment to someone like me, who idolizes the Metroid series. It's so underwhelming by comparison to what Samus is truly capable of and especially underwhelming when you see that Zero Suit Samus is a much better fighter than Power Suit Samus in Smash.

Well, a saving grace of hers is that she isn't voiced by Jessica Martin.

Anyway, yeah. You're right about how well her strength and agility are well-represented. Maybe Metroid fans can see that in her a bit better, but unfortunately I feel that they're completely overshadowed by her sexual fanservice aspects. If you think about it, it feels like the developers tried making her come across as strong, skilled, dangerous AND sexy, but the sexy ended up dominating everything else.

 

[David Viran]

To be honest, I don't think your arguments are really well-developed - they just come across as blind worship of ZSS, which is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. And her "cocky" and "confident" taunts just add to the whole thing.



Well, a saving grace of hers is that she isn't voiced by Jessica Martin.

Anyway, yeah. You're right about how well her strength and agility are well-represented. Maybe Metroid fans can see that in her a bit better, but unfortunately I feel that they're completely overshadowed by her sexual fanservice aspects. If you think about it, it feels like the developers tried making her come across as strong, skilled, dangerous AND sexy, but the sexy ended up dominating everything else.

I wasn't completely sure on what you were exactly taking about so it ended up being a mess about a lot of stuff. Wait are you denying that she doesn't come off as cocky and confident. If not then what does she come off as. And could you give me more examples of how I came off a a blind zss lover.

 

[Xcano]

If we're going to complain about overly-fanserviced characters we should be talking about Palutena, but that's off-topic so...

 

[Darthrai]

I wasn't completely sure on what you were exactly taking about so it ended up being a mess about a lot of stuff. Wait are you denying that she doesn't come off as cocky and confident. If not then what does she come off as. And could you give me more examples of how I came off a a blind zss lover.

Essentially, the cockiness and condescension adds to the whole sexy dominatrix-like air she gives off. And basically, you were expressing praise for all her battle poses and how she's such a wonderful character without actually backing up your claims with evidence of how they're "cool" rather than "sexual".

If we're going to complain about overly-fanserviced characters we should be talking about Palutena, but that's off-topic so...

Hoo boy, ZSS is FAR more fanservicey than Palutena. Palutena does have fanservice (especially her side taunt), but for ZSS it's basically her entire character and the entire point of her character. Also, note how Palutena's body isn't as unrealistically proportioned.

 

[David Viran]

Essentially, the cockiness and condescension adds to the whole sexy dominatrix-like air she gives off. And basically, you were expressing praise for all her battle poses and how she's such a wonderful character without actually backing up your claims with evidence of how they're "cool" rather than "sexual".



Hoo boy, ZSS is FAR more fanservicey than Palutena. Palutena does have fanservice (especially her side taunt), but for ZSS it's basically her entire character and the entire point of her character. Also, note how Palutena's body isn't as unrealistically proportioned.

Her taunts also show control and show personality as she actually talks. Confidence usually leads to control because lack of confidence usually means lack of self control. I never said her battle poses weren't sexual I said they are more than that but you keep looking solely into the sexual stuff.

Her character is a lot more than only fan service as she brings a very unique moveset and ways to play. Your focusing a lot on looks when their is more to offer. Also I don't get the fanservice thing because Smash bros all about fanservice.

 

[Darthrai]

Her taunts also show control and show personality as she actually talks. Confidence usually leads to control because lack of confidence usually means lack of self control. I never said her battle poses weren't sexual I said they are more than that but you keep looking solely into the sexual stuff.

Her character is a lot more than only fan service as she brings a very unique moveset and ways to play. Your focusing a lot on looks when their is more to offer. Also I don't get the fanservice thing because Smash bros all about fanservice.

I wish she'd talk more, but not as much as in Other M (and not in the same way). It'd show us more glimpses of her actual personality rather than just "I'm too cool and sexy for everything". And how is twirling your whip in the air or saying "Try me" or "You're mine" not suggestive in some way? Or how about that victory pose where she raises one of her legs high in the air so you get a good look at her crotch?

And yes, Smash Bros. is all about fanservice, but this is SEXUAL fanservice we're talking about. We have one of the coolest and most iconic characters in all of gaming, reduced to a stereotypical dominatrix BUT IN SPACE AND IN BLUE SPANDEX INSTEAD OF BLACK LEATHER!!!, and this is enough to put her into the top 10 or even top 5 most loved Smash Bros. characters. Sure she can be fun to play, but most of her attacks either involve her doing overly twisty, impossible battle poses that emphasize her boobs and curves and butt, or have her flailing her whip around like she's ready to dole out some "punishment" for your sexual pleasure.

Basically, if they removed most of Palutena's battle quotes and replaced them with purring and sexual-sounding moans, gave her more attacks where she shows off her features (kicks come to mind), increased her bust size, and made her staff more of an innuendo, she'd suffer from the same problem. I love Palutena, but her sexiness wasn't what won me over - it was the fact that she actually has a PERSONALITY that makes her amusing and endearing and the kind of person/goddess who'd be fun to be around. That's why I say making ZSS come across as more of a strong, protective figure in Smash rather than a BDSM dungeon master would help her case a lot.

 

[David Viran]

I wish she'd talk more, but not as much as in Other M (and not in the same way). It'd show us more glimpses of her actual personality rather than just "I'm too cool and sexy for everything". And how is twirling your whip in the air or saying "Try me" or "You're mine" not suggestive in some way? Or how about that victory poses where she raises one of her legs high in the air so you get a good look at her crotch?

And yes, Smash Bros. is all about fanservice, but this is SEXUAL fanservice we're talking about. We have one of the coolest and most iconic characters in all of gaming, reduced to a stereotypical dominatrix BUT IN SPACE AND IN BLUE SPANDEX INSTEAD OF BLACK LEATHER, and this is enough to put her into the top 10 or even top 5 most loved Smash Bros. characters. Sure she can be fun to play, but most of her attacks either involve her doing overly twisty, impossible battle poses that emphasize her boobs and curves and butt, or have her flailing her whip around like she's ready to dole out some "punishment" for your sexual pleasure.

There seems to be no reason for ANYONE to be a fan of ZSS other than being attracted to her and her being a good character to use in Smash. I can't see why so many girls cosplay as her, is it because they genuinely like her or because they want attention from fanboys?

Again I never said her taunts didn't have suggestive themes I was saying that they actually do add to her character. No matter what movement she does there will always something to see persay. You will always find something if you are just looking for it, she can't cover up her entire body so other people won't look there will always be those people and I choose to look past her looks and into what makes her a strong character. I didn't main her because she looks pretty i mained her because I love the way she plays and ask any zss main they will say the same thing.

 

[DeLux]

ZSS is overly popular?

News to me lol

 

[Duzzzyy]

I haven't seen a single ZZS on For Glory in over 100 games, not sure if it's just my luck or something but, I don't feel like she's all that popular at all.

Edit: Oh wait, I met one, who constantly did downair outside of stage or downb'd out of the map and failed the recovery.

 

[Vinylic.]

Them dash attacks tho.

and those sweet, sweet dash grabs and grounded up specials.

 

[Chaleb]

Honestly a lot of your complaints seem made-up. She has nothing to suggest her to be overly flirty (literally it's just her one taunt, which I see as being in good fun), and in contrast she actually makes very little noise in general besides grunts. She's pretty quiet in general which plays well with her established cool and calculated type personality.

Yes, she's has a great body, but that's always been Metrioid canon anyway, and it makes sense for her to be in a lot of those poses because she's meant to be seen as quick and flexible. Her victory poses are actually quite tame (you mentioned that she shows off everything in the camera which really just doesn't happen unless you look for it yourself).

Some of it might be fan service indeed, but the notion that that takes away from her character is dumb IMO. She acts like she normally does, and looking good =/= negative things.

 

[Tobi_Whatever]

1. She is not overly popular. It's a miracle to even see one at a tournament.

2. Smash Bros. is a fan service game. Zero Suit Samus is a fan service character.

3. Samus without her suit was used to be a reward for good players. Of course later interpretations are going to be sexualized, even though the Zero Suit was an attempt to make her less sexualized without her suit.

4. There is nothing wrong with sexualizing video game characters as long as they stay in-character and Samus does this.

5. Don't speak about Other M. No one should speak about Other M. Ever.

 

[Reila]

You lost me at SJW. I don't take people who use this term seriously.

Anyways, the first step to make Samus a better character is to throw the hideous "Zero Suit" in a fire and never use it again in a Metroid game.

You want to have Samus as a character in Metroid and Smash, but without her robotic suits?

Other M's lack of quality aside, this design is easily the best thing to come out from said game. It makes her look strong and in a way, sexy (but without turning her into a stupid fanservice character). Also, short hair is awesome. I am sure I would be maining the hell out of her if she had this design instead of "ZSS" design in Smash.

 

[Duzzzyy]

"It is possible that the Zero Suit is mixed of Chozo technology, as it is shown to have their symbol implanted on it while Samus is capable of equipping and removing the Power Suit via the symbol. It is likely that the "symbols" on her back, breast and hand are energy-matter converters, transforming the Power Suit and any upgrades into pure energy and storing it via a mental command. When it receives another mental command, it releases the energy, which then reverts to its natural, corporeal form."

It's not canon but even if it isn't true, it's surely a big part of her Power Armor since it has Chozo markings and it glows up when she materializes her suit. I strongly disagree on the notion of throwing her Zero Suit into the fire, since wearing a skin tight suit under her Power Armor makes sense. You wouldn't wear a knight armor or a Power Armor naked, would you? Even less so, use regular clothes that would impair movement more and be bulkier, you're looking for perfection and optimization.

I can somewhat agree on having the Other M outfit in the Smash Bros. games as long as the canon games remain unaffected. People get too worked up over the Zero Suit.

 

[DeLux]

Can I close this thread yet or is this valuable discussion to all of you? lol

 

[Tobi_Whatever]

You lost me at SJW. I don't take people who use this term seriously.

Anyways, the first step to make Samus a better character is to throw the hideous "Zero Suit" in a fire and never use it again in a Metroid game.

You want to have Samus as a character in Metroid and Smash, but without her robotic suits?

Other M's lack of quality aside, this design is easily the best thing to come out from said game. It makes her look strong and in a way, sexy (but without turning her into a stupid fanservice character). Also, short hair is awesome. I am sure I would be maining the hell out of her if she had this design instead of "ZSS" design in Smash.

The Zero Suit is perfectly fine. Shes supposed to wear it below the Power Suit. It has to be skin tight.

Can I close this thread yet or is this valuable discussion to all of you? lol

Close it please. I see this discussion every single ****ing day on a certain image board.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

I can somewhat agree on having the Other M outfit in the Smash Bros. games as long as the canon games remain unaffected. People get too worked up over the Zero Suit.

I suppose Zero Suit Samus has always been controversial.

Oh and to answer the topic, honestly speaking, whilst Zero Suit Samus is a pretty popular character, she's not that insanely popular within the fandom.

 

[Duzzzyy]

Can I close this thread yet or is this valuable discussion to all of you? lol

Kill it, with napalm.

 

[Daisy101]

Can I close this thread yet or is this valuable discussion to all of you? lol

Sure thing! Actually i think OP just dont get the idea behind of the Zero suit in general for Samus.

 

[Tobi_Whatever]

Sure thing! Actually i think OP just dont get the idea behind of the Zero suit in general for Samus.

There there, don't give him stupid ideas please.
I don't want to see this crap at all if possible.

 

[Darthrai]

You lost me at SJW. I don't take people who use this term seriously.

Anyways, the first step to make Samus a better character is to throw the hideous "Zero Suit" in a fire and never use it again in a Metroid game.

You want to have Samus as a character in Metroid and Smash, but without her robotic suits?

Other M's lack of quality aside, this design is easily the best thing to come out from said game. It makes her look strong and in a way, sexy (but without turning her into a stupid fanservice character). Also, short hair is awesome. I am sure I would be maining the hell out of her if she had this design instead of "ZSS" design in Smash.

To be honest, so would I. It should have been an alternate outfit of hers along with her swimsuit alts. Coupled with her honestly great hair (she'd undoubtedly keep the long hair), she'd actually look very cool and really attractive without seeming overly sleazy.

 

[Daisy101]

Of course it wasn't for be mean or rude my sorry. am just tired see thread like this in general.

 

[L9999]

As far as I know she is not that popular in competitive play. But I think that because ZeRo won Invitational, all the noobs pick ZSS because she is "OP." In online hate I every ZSS player in existence. All they do is either at the start of the match do dash attack, spam paralyzer, or dash grabs. It gets so old and I always kill them. Also they ALWAYS D-Air into the stage/KO themselves. And apparently they don't know tether recoveries. They are very boring. And sorry for those who DO play ZSS well. In character is pretty obvious why she is so popular, she wears a black leather skin tight outfit or underwear that totally reveals her midriff and legs and do the obvious, expose buxom and butt. But the skin tight suit does it already anyways. I don't see the issue with the whip becuase she only uses it as SB, U smash and taunts. I don't care about the heels honestly, they look impractical as PK Flash/Back Slash/Ganon Punch but is better to have them be ROCKET heels, than plain ol' *** heels. In visuals I don't care because the characters are seen from far away, I don't know if in the Wii U you can see everything, haven't played it yet. To end this wall of text, she is overrated thanks to sexy/ZeRo won Invitational.

PD: I don't hate ZeRo.

 

[David Viran]

As far as I know she is not that popular in competitive play. But I think that because ZeRo won Invitational, all the noobs pick ZSS because she is "OP." In online hate I every ZSS player in existence. All they do is either at the start of the match do dash attack, spam paralyzer, or dash grabs. It gets so old and I always kill them. Also they ALWAYS D-Air into the stage/KO themselves. And apparently they don't know tether recoveries. They are very boring. And sorry for those who DO play ZSS well. In character is pretty obvious why she is so popular, she wears a black leather skin tight outfit or underwear that totally reveals her midriff and legs and do the obvious, expose buxom and butt. But the skin tight suit does it already anyways. I don't see the issue with the whip becuase she only uses it as SB, U smash and taunts. I don't care about the heels honestly, they look impractical as PK Flash/Back Slash/Ganon Punch but is better to have them be ROCKET heels, than plain ol' *** heels. In visuals I don't care because the characters are seen from far away, I don't if in the Wii U you can see everything, haven't played it yet. To end this wall of text, she is overrated thanks to sexy/ZeRo won Invitational.

PD: I don't hate ZeRo.

I rarely ever see zss's online and everytime I do your right they're not to good. She is not overrated because their are not many zss mains and some people really believe she is overrated, like more than the people that think she is better than she is.

 

[Tobi_Whatever]

As far as I know she is not that popular in competitive play. But I think that because ZeRo won Invitational, all the noobs pick ZSS because she is "OP." In online hate I every ZSS player in existence. All they do is either at the start of the match do dash attack, spam paralyzer, or dash grabs. It gets so old and I always kill them. Also they ALWAYS D-Air into the stage/KO themselves. And apparently they don't know tether recoveries. They are very boring. And sorry for those who DO play ZSS well. In character is pretty obvious why she is so popular, she wears a black leather skin tight outfit or underwear that totally reveals her midriff and legs and do the obvious, expose buxom and butt. But the skin tight suit does it already anyways. I don't see the issue with the whip becuase she only uses it as SB, U smash and taunts. I don't care about the heels honestly, they look impractical as PK Flash/Back Slash/Ganon Punch but is better to have them be ROCKET heels, than plain ol' *** heels. In visuals I don't care because the characters are seen from far away, I don't know if in the Wii U you can see everything, haven't played it yet. To end this wall of text, she is overrated thanks to sexy/ZeRo won Invitational.

PD: I don't hate ZeRo.

Your online experience is on the point and I get a good chuckle out of every ZSS I meet.
The thing is she isn't overrated. People just say that she is good without even knowing her strengths and weaknesses.
Honestly, I think she is overrated in a public environment and underrated in a competitive environment.

Spoiler

Also I'm pretty sure she wears latex and not leather.

 

[InfinityCollision]

Can I close this thread yet

Please. Thread is dumb as all hell.

Spoiler

Also I'm pretty sure she wears latex and not leather.

Blame the overly shiny Wii U art style for that. Her suit looks fine on 3DS, Wii U has that really weird sheen on everything.