Is Samus a woman?
23067300#8
Samus returns to the research center, where she finds the body of the "Deleter", who is revealed to be James Pierce, and the mummified remains of Ridley. She also discovers the survivor Adam mentioned, and defeats a Queen Metroid. Samus pursues the survivor, who reveals herself to be the real Madeline. Madeline explains that the woman Samus met earlier was MB, an android created to establish a relationship with the Metroids. Betrayed by the scientists and Madeline, MB telepathically commanded the Space Pirate special forces to attack those on board and had managed to propagate the Metroids in Sector Zero. Samus and Madeline are then confronted by MB herself. A group of Federation troopers rushes into the room, and MB summons the Bottle Ship's most dangerous creatures to attack. Madeline stops MB, who is then destroyed by Federation soldiers. The colonel compliments Samus's efforts but orders a soldier to escort Samus back to her ship; the soldier reveals himself as Anthony, the only surviving member of the 07th Platoon. Samus, Madeline and Anthony leave for the Galactic Federation headquarters in Samus's gunship.
Metroid: Other M
18456928#18
Samus was one of the first major female protagonists in a video game. Although Toby Masuyo ("Kissy") from Namco's "Alien Sector" ("Baraduke") predates her by one year as a female protagonist, 2013's "Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition" declared Samus as "the first playable human female character in a mainstream videogame", and as being "enduringly" popular, noting that sales of the "Metroid" series has exceeded 17.44 million copies as of September 2012. As a woman in a male-dominated role, Samus has been widely considered a breakthrough for female characters in video games.
Samus Aran
23067300#7
After returning to the Pyrosphere to follow the reptilian creature, Samus discovers that it is actually a juvenile stage of the dragon-like Ridley. Anthony draws Ridley's attention and challenges him, but is seemingly killed. Unable to save Anthony, Samus battles Ridley, who subsequently escapes. As Samus leaves the Pyrosphere, she realizes she cannot contact Adam. Samus pursues the "Deleter" to the Bioweapon Research Center, where she meets the young woman from before, who introduces herself as "Madeline Bergman." Madeline reveals that the scientists were propagating the Metroids in the Bottle Ship, reproduced from the remnants of the infant Metroid found on Samus's power suit after her return from Zebes. Madeline also explains that an artificial intelligence named "MB", based on Mother Brain, was created to control the Metroids, harbored in a secret area known as Sector Zero, a recreation of Tourian. Samus heads to Sector Zero, but Adam stops her from entering, warning her that the Metroids in Sector Zero cannot be frozen. Adam states his intention to enter Sector Zero to set off its self-destruct mechanism and cause it to detach from the Bottle Ship. Before leaving, Adam commands Samus to defeat Ridley and secure the safety of a survivor in "Room MW" of the Bioweapon Research Center. Despite her pleas, Adam leaves Samus for Sector Zero, sacrificing himself in the process.
Metroid: Other M
18456928#24
Nevertheless, much of Samus' media reception came from her sex appeal. GameTrailers named Samus number one on a 2006 list of the top ten women of gaming, and number three among top ten "gamer babes" in 2007. GameDaily ranked Samus seventh on a list of the top "hottest game babes", describing her as "a refreshing change of pace, a tough, no-nonsense warrior that isn't afraid to remove her famous orange and yellow power suit and let her hair down, especially to reveal her skin-tight clothing." She was further listed on GameDaily's list of "hottest" blondes in video games, described as both one of Nintendo's most famous protagonists as well as a "curvaceous, drop-dead-gorgeous woman," and used to illustrate the "smart and sexy heroine" concept on their list of top video game archetypes. In 2008, Spike placed Samus on the top of their list of "video game vixen" as "a foxy broad that conceals her curves inside a weapon of death and destruction," while MSN India listed her as one of "the best-looking game characters with perfect figures." In 2009, UGO.com ranked Samus as 11th on a list of the top "girls of gaming" and as the "eighth-hottest sci-fi girl", also including her in the 2011 list of 50 video game "hotties".
Samus Aran
54294485#6
Samus lands on the surface of SR388 and explores the planet, travelling through its caverns. She encounters the Metroids in different evolution stages, growing from small jellyfish-like creatures to large reptilian beasts. After killing most of the planet's Metroids, Samus finds and destroys the Queen Metroid. Shortly afterward, Samus discovers a Metroid egg that hatches in front of her. The Metroid hatchling immediately imprints onto Samus, thinking she is its mother. Refusing to eliminate the infant hatchling bonded to her, Samus has completed the mission. As Samus and the infant Metroid reach the planet's surface to return to her gunship, they are attacked by a half-mechanical Ridley. After a long battle, Ridley is defeated, and Samus and the Metroid hatchling leave the planet together in her gunship. In a post-credits scene, a Hornoad is seen wandering on the planet's surface, gnawing at Ridley's discarded mechanical claw before being infected by an X parasite.
Metroid: Samus Returns
18456928#27
Paul O'Connor, the lead game designer for Sammy Studios and a fan of the "Metroid" series, remarked that players empathize and identify with Samus because she is often rewarded for indulging in her curiosity. The book "Videogames and Art" noted that in the original "Metroid" the player is not briefed on Samus's past or future; the only interaction that they have with the character is by being her through gameplay, while bits of information can be gleaned from the handbook and through concept art, adding, "Samus is very rare for the character intimacy gained solely through game play and for her stasis and then drastic change," referring to the revelation that she is a woman. Former mixed martial artist and actress Ronda Rousey told GameSpot in a 2016 interview that she "always wanted to be Samus" if a live-action "Metroid" film is made.
Samus Aran
18456928#22
In 2002, Justin Hoeger of "The Sacramento Bee" opined that "unlike most other female video game characters, Samus isn't some husky-voiced bimbo in tight leather included only for sex appeal. Samus is tough, silent, heavily armed and spends most of her time in a bulky suit of high-tech Power Armor." That same year, however, an article in the "Toronto Star" retorted that the "sexual politics" surrounding Samus and the "Metroid" series needed to stop, arguing that the original "big crazy shock to the gaming public" was "some seriously misspent energy" as she "is not a woman for the benefit of the sweaty/excited crowd, and neither is she a standard-bearer nor a courageous leader in the struggle for video game civil rights. She is a supremely talented action figure, and in the closeups on her helmet you can kind of see that she wears mascara, but that is all."
Samus Aran
18456928#6
The series' co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto recalled, "We were partway through the development process when one of the staff members said 'Hey, wouldn't that be kind of cool if it turned out that this person inside the suit was a woman?'" The developers voted on the concept, and it passed. The game's instruction manual refers to Samus as if she were male to obscure her real sex until the end of the game. Sakamoto noted that during the course of the "Metroid" series, developers constantly try to express Samus' femininity without sexually objectifying her. Samus' image was based on actress Sigourney Weaver in her role as Ellen Ripley from "Aliens", and actress Kim Basinger from "9½ Weeks" and "My Stepmother Is an Alien". Sakamoto and Kiyotake said that the character's last name "Aran" was taken from Edson "Aran"tes do Nascimento, the birth name of the famous football player Pelé.
Samus Aran
18456928#29
According to "GamePro", while "Other M"s story and Samus' monologues did not compel them, "it helped contextualize her entire existence" which developed the character to "an actual human being who's using the vastness of space to try and put some distance between herself and the past." 1UP.com's Justin Hayward found the portrayal "lifeless and boring" and "nonsensical". GamesRadar wrote that "Other M" painted Samus, widely considered a strong female lead character, as "an unsure, insecure woman who desperately wants the approval of her former [male] commanding officer." "Game Informer" listed her 1st on their list of the top ten "dorks" of 2010, citing her "lame backstory" in "Other M".
Samus Aran
18456928#3
Instances of Samus appearing without the Power Suit occur mainly in cutscenes, most notably post-game screenshots featuring her in more revealing clothing, which are unlocked depending on difficulty level, game completion, and/or play time. "" introduced the Zero Suit, a form-fitting jumpsuit that she dons beneath the Power Suit. In "", the Zero Suit is revealed to be capable of almost instantly materializing the Power Suit from within itself. Although the "Super Metroid Player's Guide" describes Samus as a muscular woman who is tall and weighs without her Power Suit, her height and weight were slightly mistranslated. In actuality, these measurements are while she is wearing her Power Suit, as confirmed by an official Nintendo page detailing her Power Suit's capabilities. Other games that feature Samus without her Power Suit, such as "Metroid Fusion", "", and "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U", reaffirm her aforementioned musculature, albeit lean instead of bulky.
Samus Aran