Samus Aran | |
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Metroid character | |
Samus Aran in her Varia Suit, as she appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
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First game | Metroid (1986) |
Created by | Makoto Kano |
Designed by | Hiroji Kiyotake |
Voiced by (English) |
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Voiced by (Japanese) | Ai Kobayashi (Metroid: Other M) |
Portrayed by | Chisato Morishita (Metroid: Zero Mission commercial) |
Samus Aran (Japanese: サムス・アラン Hepburn: Samusu Aran) is the protagonist of the Metroid science fiction action-adventure game series by Nintendo. She was introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid.
Samus Aran is an ex-soldier of the Galactic Federation who turned into a galactic bounty hunter, usually fitted with a powered exoskeleton that is equipped with weapons such as directed-energy weapons and missiles. Throughout the series, she executes missions given to her by the Galactic Federation while hunting the antagonistic Space Pirates and their leader Ridley, along with the parasitic energy-draining organisms called Metroids.
Samus has appeared in every Metroid video game and has also been featured in media outside of the series, including in the Super Smash Bros. series and in the comic book version of Captain N: The Game Master. She is well known as one of the earliest female protagonists in video game history and has remained a popular character over thirty years after her first appearance.
Samus Aran is typically seen wearing the Power Suit, a powered exoskeleton which protects her from most dangers she encounters and can be enhanced by power-ups collected during gameplay. In regard to offense, the Power Suit boasts the Arm Cannon, which can fire various energy beams, charge beams to shoot an extra-powerful blast, or launch a limited number of missiles. The Power Suit can also be reconfigured into a small, spherical form called the Morph Ball, which allows her to roll through tight areas, such as tunnels, and use Bombs. The Power Suit is also equipped with a Grapple Beam, which can be used to tether onto objects to cross large distances, such as chasms. Additionally, its visor can be used to scan objects to learn more about them, a feature that has been used since Metroid Prime. Aside from her Power Suit, Samus is also in possession of a Gunship, which is used in the games to save progress and restore her health and ammunition.