History Videogame / Metroid

** Among the humans we have Adam, James, Lyle, Ian, K.G. (Keiji), Anthony... and Samus.
** [[RealityIsUnrealistic Samus is actually the feminine version of the Irish name Shamus.]]

** Perhaps also, one who ''is'' an island, in a metaphorical sense -- one who is isolated, existing and subsisting as an entity unto herself. Samus does pretty much always operate alone, without any outside aid or companionship (except for briefly in the beginning of ''Corruption''.

* AmbidextrousSprite: Averted in all 2-D games after the first; Samus has different sprites for all directions. In fact, this may only be played straight by the NES version; in commercials for the Famicom game, she has unique sprites for facing left and right.

Though Samus herself has never appeared on television (except in commercials), Mother Brain was featured as the BigBad of the Nintendo-themed animated series ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N: The Game Master]]''. (Reportedly, the production staff actually ''[[DidNotDoTheResearch didn't know about Samus]]''); the comic book adaptation introduced her as the SixthRanger[=/=]TheLancer. A live-action feature film based on the franchise was optioned after ''Metroid Prime'' was successful, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen but appears to have lapsed]].

* DeathIsCheap: Ridley has died six times in the course of eight games, and twice more outside of canon. He's probably going to die again in ''Other M.'' And yet, he keeps coming back EVERY. FREAKING. TIME.

** In Other M, she almost lampshades this when she's extremely distressed that no matter how many times she puts him down, he just keeps coming back. Considering he killed her parents, she is entitled to be a little upset.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Doors except Return because of monochrome, in which case they're Missile doors.

* WombLevel: The innards of the Leviathans in "Prime 3", though that's more of a case of 'Womb Boss Chamber'. Phaaze is a living planet, too, though only a few parts of what we see of Phaaze is definitely organic.

* ChargedAttack: Charge Beam, Shinespark.

** The last bits of Metroid: Zero Mission [[spoiler:The defeat of Mother Brain is spoiled by space pirates shooting you down. And you're suit is lost. Then you get a better one [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome which is followed by the annihilation of every Space Pirate on the Mothership.]]]]

** Te Phazon Suit from the Omega Pirate in the first Prime. ''Metroid Prime 3'' has Samus gain the Ice Missiles, Plasma Beam, Grapple Voltage, and all the Phazon upgrades this way.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: Samus herself suffered this problem until about ''Metroid Zero Mission.'' She was usually a blonde -- except when her hair was brown, green, or [[DarkSkinnedRedhead Dark Skinned Purple]] -- and her various facial features and overall style of rendering fluctuated somewhat. However, once ''Zero Mission/Prime 2'' hit, her appearance seemed to standardize.) ''Fusion'' could be explained by her having surgery.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In the 3rd chapter of the manga, Samus - a newly recruited Galactic Federation Police Officer - and two fellow officers Mauk and Kreatz are sent to the planet of Jigrad on a recon mission to monitor the Space Pirates' activities there. Samus finds out the Pirates are using human children as slave labor. Instead of reporting their findings and waiting for orders, Samus jumps in and massacres the Pirates before they can execute a child for being "unfit" for labor. She and her team are later scolded by [[DaChief Chief Hardy]] on the mission's completion, but Samus is praised by the Jigradian people for her help.
* SeaMonster: The boss Serris is a sea serpent with SuperSpeed. Before Serris, there was ''Super'' miniboss Botwoon, who was a serpent like Serris who sped up as he took damage, and could spit acid spread-shots.
** There's also Draygon, the boss of Maridia.

* ShapeShifterBaggage: Samus herself with the morph ball but the shape shifting is not actually the worst thing about it(is the issue of vision) nor is it the most glaring example, that goes to the X parasites. They not only multiply impossibly fast but they can take on new, often large forms nearly instantly.
* SharkTunnel: These are a common feature in the newer games, starting with the tunnel between Brinstar and Maridia in ''Super Metroid'', and including the underwater tunnel in Sector 4 in ''Fusion,'' the skywalk between Chozodia and the Pirate Mothership in ''Zero Mission,'' and the skywalk from Magmoor to Phazon Mines in ''Prime.'' All of them can be shattered with power bombs to allow free travel between the two areas.
* [[HesBack She's Back]]: In ''Zero Mission''. After [[spoiler:getting shot down and losing your Power Suit]]? Running and hiding from just about everything. After [[spoiler:the Chozo Trial boss fight]]? The Hunter, who sends waves of terror throughout the Space Pirate legions, is reborn, more powerful than ever.
** Hell, the ''first'' thing you do when you get your suit back is clear a small group of Pirates in one shot with your shiny new Plasma Beam. Revenge is sweet.

** A non-enemy creature in ''Super Metroid'' has a turtle like shell that flies around while spinning. Likely a nod to {{Gamera}}. Or possibly Bowser.
*** Its offspring look strikingly similar to [[SuperMarioBros Buzzy Beetles]].

** In-universe example: [[spoiler:The final boss fight of Fusion. You get reduced to 1HP in a single swing (no matter your remaining health prior to this), and then someone shows up to save your hide. That creature gets killed, Samus gets a new upgrade (including a new beam), and you beat the unholy tar out of whatever you were fighting. There are some discrepancies, but the similarities to ''Super Metroid'' are astounding.]]

* SpaceMarines: In Prime. Space Army in [[MetroidOtherM Other M]]. Both are [[BadassArmy okay]], just not as badass as Samus.

** In addition to that: do you know what you get when the peaceful, spiritual race bird race actually trains someone to fight, and gives them the technology to do so? You get ''[[{{Badass}} Samus]] [[OneManArmy Aran]].''

** In Other M, maybe [[spoiler:MB when you know her past and the reason of her rampage.]]

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: This occurs in every Metroid, but perhaps the most gratifying moment is in ''Zero Mission'' when, after running for your life from Space Pirates with nothing but your [[EmergencyWeapon Emergency Pistol]] and defeating the Chozo Ghost, Samus' unknown items transform into the Plasma Beam, Gravity Suit, and Space Jump Boots. At this point, you can finally kill the Space Pirates, and with ease I might add.

* TheUndead: Coverns (Three skulls stuck together), Phantoon (Huge malevolent spirit allied with the Pirates), Chozo Ghosts, Dark Marines, and Skeleton Crocomire.
* UndergroundLevel: The setting of a good majority of ''Super Metroid''.
** All of the action in ''Metroid II'' takes place in the caverns of [=SR388=]. The only part of the surface the player sees is the immediate area around Samus' ship, and the hills behind it at the end of the game.
*** The first Metroid is entirely underground as well. Most of the games have significant amounts of this.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Samus nearly succumbs to this in the third chapter of the manga. On the planet of Jigrad, Samus saves a group of slaves from the Space Pirates. When confronted by Samus, the last remaining Space Pirate pleads with her to show mercy. Driven by her memories of her homeworld K-2L being mercilessly razed by the Space Pirates, Samus is about to murder the last Space Pirate in cold blood when the sound of a small girl crying snaps her out of her rage. Shortly thereafter, the small child thanks Samus for saving her, and Samus tells her that she saved her as well from becoming just as much of a merciless killer as the Space Pirates.]]
** [[spoiler:Also applies to the ending of ''Metroid II''. In ''Metroid II'', Samus is charged with the task of eradicating the Metroids once and for all. After destroying the Metroid Queen, Samus finds a newly hatched Metroid. Despite knowing that Metroid is a Chozo word for "ultimate warrior", she still can't bring herself to kill a child.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Samus almost attempts one in ''Fusion'' [[spoiler:by detonating the self-destruct charges on BS-L to destroy the X-Parasites aboard; herself included, if necessary. The AI Adam, however, informs her that doing that would be stupid, as it would not destroy the X on Planet [=SR388=], and only serve to destroy the X's greatest obstacle: Samus. A different plan is then created, which destroys all the X in both locations and allows Samus time enough to escape the station.]]
** In OtherM, [[spoiler:Adam Malkovich]].
** And, of course, [[spoiler:the Baby Metroid in ''Super Metroid'']].

* HumiliationConga: By the time the end credits for Super Metroid start scrolling, Ridley has been blown up, Mother Brain has been blasted to oblivion and crumbled to dust, all of the Metroids are gone, and the space pirate base ('''all of it''') has been vaporized in a planetary apocalypse.

* LoadBearingBoss: At least one in every game which will inevitably result in the destruction of a nearby planet (if not the planet under Samus' feet).
** ...except Metroid II. At least, during the course of the game...

* PosthumousCharacter: Adam Malkovich is technically this, although ''Fusion'' puts an odd spin on it. ''Other M'', which takes place before ''Fusion'', will show him before his death.
* PowerCrystal: The ''{{Lensman}}''-like hand crystal on the back of her left hand. Originally just a visual effect, ''Zero Mission'' made it integral to use of the Power Grip, and ''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'' has it as the source of the Grapple Beam.

* RecurringBoss: SA-X in Fusion, though it's not really a boss until near the end of the game. Ridley may be a better example, considering he appears in almost every game, and twice in ''Corruption.'' Also, [[spoiler:Metroid Prime, the final boss of its titular game, comes back as Dark Samus for the second and third games of the trilogy]].

** This could also be seen as one of Samus' main motivations, especially against Ridley, who personally killed her mother right in front of her when she was four years old. The entire series could be seen as a bit of this trope against the Space Pirates and [[ArchEnemy Ridley]].
** While all of Super Metroid is a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, the last bits of Metroid: Zero Mission are as well. [[spoiler:Specifically, after you regain the Power Suit after getting shot down by Space Pirates after defeating Mother Brain. A whole lot happens after the defeat of Mother Brain in that game. The music shifts from sneaking and/or alert music to the triumphant main theme after you get the Power Suit, and also, the three unknown upgrades activate. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome This is followed by the annihilation of every Space Pirate on the Mothership.]]]]

** In a way, both ''Metroid'' and ''Super Metroid'' (and possibly even ''Fusion'') qualify. Metroid and Super Metroid both take place on Planet Zebes. Samus ventures into the planet once, defeats Ridley, Kraid, and Mother Brain, and escapes before the planet blows up. In Super Metroid, the end to the original trilogy, Samus ventures into the planet again, kills Ridley, Kraid, Phantoon, Draygon, and Mother Brain, and escapes before the planet (and the escape shaft from the original game is once again part of the route) blows up. ''Fusion'', however, provides two different kinds of book ends. The end to the original trilogy had [[spoiler:the baby metroid heal you and give you the weapon to defeat the final boss, basically saving your life and giving you the weapon to eradicate Mother Brain. In ''Fusion'', the baby Metroid's DNA cures Samus of the X-Parasite infection (saving her life), and makes her able to absorb the X to heal her and replenish her supplies (giving her the weapon to eradicate the X).]] And there's also the ending, in which the SA-X, which you have been both chasing and running away from since the beginning of the game, [[spoiler:saves your life, heals you, and gives you the weapon to eradicate the Omega Metroid.]]

** Same goes for Dark Samus in the ''Prime'' series: the more beat-up she gets, the more glowy Phazon innards start showing. And then the same thing starts happening to Samus herself in ''Corruption.'' Let's just say it isn't pretty.
** On that note, being inside the Leviathans isn't very soothing. It's like walking around inside a living heart.

** In a way, both ''Metroid'' and ''Super Metroid'' (and possibly even ''Fusion'') qualify. Metroid and Super Metroid both take place on Planet Zebes. Samus ventures into the planet once, defeats Ridley, Kraid, and Mother Brain, and escapes before the planet blows up. In Super Metroid, the end to the original trilogy, Samus ventures into the planet again, kills Ridley, Kraid, Phantoon, Draygon, and Mother Brain, and escapes before the planet blows up. ''Fusion'', however, provides two different kinds of book ends. The end to the original trilogy had [[spoiler:the baby metroid heal you and give you the weapon to defeat the final boss, basically saving your life and giving you the weapon to eradicate Mother Brain. In ''Fusion'', the baby Metroid's DNA cures Samus of the X-Parasite infection (saving her life), and makes her able to absorb the X to heal her and replenish her supplies (giving her the weapon to eradicate the X).]] And there's also the ending, in which the SA-X, which you have been both chasing and running away from since the beginning of the game, [[spoiler:saves your life, heals you, and gives you the weapon to eradicate the Omega Metroid.]]

Spinoffs include"

''For the page on the Metroid Prime sub-series, click [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime here]]. For Metroid: Other M, click [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM here]].''

* NotSoDifferent: Samus [[spoiler:the last Metroid and sole survivor of K2-L and a bloodthirsty killing machine against space pirates, and Ridley, the last Space Dragon, bloodthirsty killing machine against humans.]]

* NotSoDifferent: Samus [spoiler:the last Metroid and sole survivor of K2-L and a bloodthirsty killing machine against space pirates, and Ridley, the last Space Dragon, bloodthirsty killing machine against humans.]]

* SerendipityWritesThePlot: The appearance of the Varia Suit in ''Super Metroid'' and onwards is the result of the Game Boy's lack of color. In the original NES game the Varia Suit was denoted by a change in color of Samus' suit but since the Game Boy didn't have enough color to differentiate, the suit itself became physically different after obtained in ''Metroid II''. The larger shoulders became the trademark of the Varia from then onwards.