Super Smash Bros. Fighters – Metroid series – 01 Samus 

Debut

In the Metroid series: Metroid (1986)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. 64 (1999)

Boxing Ring Title: Bounty Hunter Extraordinaire

Theme Song: Theme of Samus, Space Warrior

Samus Aran is the main protagonist of the Metroid series. She’s an Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, and the Galactic Federation consider her their best agent. When all else fails, they send her in to deal with the situation. Almost everyone knows about Samus, though some are shown to doubt her exploits, seeing her as nothing more than some “legend.”

Before the events of any of the games, her backstory is shown in the Metroid Manga. Here, Samus lived peacefully on Planet K-2L with her parents. However, her happy life is quickly torn apart when the Space Pirates - lead by their tyrannical leader, Ridley - invaded her planet and ravaged the place, leaving her and her pet rabbilis, Pyonchi, as the only survivors. Luckily, Samus and Pyonchi were rescued by two Chozo individuals named Old Bird and Gray Voice, who arrived on the planet to look for survivors. The two would take Samus and Pyonchi in and raise them on their home planet, Zebes. To ensure that Samus could survive on Zebes, Gray Voice would donate some of his DNA to her.

Once Samus turned 14, Gray Voice, along with a brilliant AI the Chozo created called Mother Brain, would try and teach Samus the ways of the Chozo Warrior. For this training, Samus was given a Power Suit that Mother Brain claims to have made. Following a certain potential disaster involving poisonous flowers and dangerous butterflies, Old Bird decides that Samus should go off on her own to become "the true protector of the galaxy." Samus would heed these words, and with the Power Suit in tow, she heads off to enroll in the Galactic Federation Police.

Following a scouting-mission-turned-rescue at planet Jigrad, Samus would begin to slowly establish a name for herself. She'd also learn of a terrible truth: Mother Brain has decided to turn her back on both the Chozo and humanity, choosing to side with the Space Pirates. Together, they would attempt to assassinate the rest of the Chozo on Zebes and steal their technology for their own selfish goals. Samus would manage to prevent the assassination plan and save the Chozo.

Sometime later, she would join Adam Malkovich's squad, the 07th Platoon, where she would make close friends with a man named Anthony Higgs, as well as Adam's younger brother, Ian. Eventually, Samus would leave the group to go solo as an independent Bounty Hunter for hire. It is during this time that she'd become well-known for overcoming impossible odds.

A few years later, Samus would return to Earth to watch an upstanding individual named Keaton get elected as the new Chairman of the Galactic Federation. Unknown to everyone, Mother Brain had sent a Mimicuria - a bizarre creature capable of transforming itself into anything - to assassinate Keaton. It disguised itself as a harmless bouquet of flowers, and was given to a young girl named Damara, who wanted to give something to Keaton as thanks for allowing the people of Jigrad to attend the Federation Academy. Samus managed to quickly see through the Mimicuria's disguise and foiled Mother Brain's assassination attempt, after which she'd attend a conference with Chariman Keaton, her old CO Adam Malkovich, and Chief Hardy.

Samus makes her proper debut in the original Metroid, released for the NES. Samus is informed by Keaton, Adam, and Hardy that the Space Pirates had managed to raid a research vessel and steal a mysterious lifeform called "Metroid" on it. The Space Pirates have learned of the frightening potential of the Metroids as bioweapons, and plan on cloning an army of them to conquer the galaxy! The Galactic Federation had tried to breach their hideout on Planet Zebes, to no avail, so they're hoping Samus can succeed where they failed. With no hesitation, Samus heads off to Planet Zebes to stop the Space Pirates, eradicate the Metroids, and destroy Mother Brain.

Her adventure would see her exploring various sections of the planet. She'd even do battle against two of the top members of the Space Pirates: the giant behemoth Kraid, and her arch-nemesis Ridley. Once she defeated the two tyrants, she would head to Tourian, located near the middle of the planet. There, she would come face-to-face with the various Metroids the Space Pirates had cloned. She managed to get past them and make her way into Mother Brain's chambers, where she manages to destroy her. In a last ditch effort, Mother Brain tries to blow the Tourian base up, but Samus manages to escape in time, succeeding in her mission!

Metroid: Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid, with new elements, bosses, and power-ups. The story is largely the same. However, after escaping from the planet, the Space Pirates gun down Samus's Gunship, causing her to crash-land near the Space Pirate Mother Ship. Without her Power Suit, she's forced to sneak through it to try and get to the nearby Chozo temple called Chozodia. Upon arriving, she has to fight the Ruins Test. Once she proves herself, she obtains her second Power Suit: the Legendary Power Suit, which was said to be built by a Chozo scientist named Dryn. With it, she blasts through the Space Pirate Mother Ship and escapes by snatching one of the Escape Ships, flying back to the Galactic Federation to confirm the success of her mission.

Samus would wear the Legendary Power Suit throughout the rest of her journeys, such as in the Metroid Prime series. In the first Metroid Prime, Samus heads off to investigate a distress signal sent by... The Space Pirates?! This leads her to finding out that they have obtained a new dangerous element called Phazon, as well as revived Ridley into a cyborg called Meta Ridley! Not only that, the Space Pirates have established a base on the planet, Tallon IV, where they were researching Phazon's uses in hopes of using it to conquer the universe. Samus wasn't gonna sit by and let this play out, so she heads off to stop them!

At the end of her journey, Samus would come across an individual named "Metroid Prime," a Metroid that was mutated beyond recognition, thanks to the Phazon. Samus would manage to defeat it, though it ends up stealing her Phazon Suit that she acquired. Regardless, Samus assumed the Phazon threat is over and leaves the planet.

In Metroid Prime Hunters, Samus is sent by the Galactic Federation to investigate the far-off Tetra Galaxy, as the Galactic Federation had received a mysterious message saying "The secret to ultimate power resides in the Alimbic Cluster." If the message is true, it would be disastrous if the "Ultimate Power" fell into wrong hands! As you can imagine, the Galactic Federation weren't the only ones who heard it. Six other Bounty Hunters from various planets are also looking for the "Ultimate Power," and each one has their own reason for doing so, from selfish to beneficial. Samus would clash with each and everyone of them during her search.

Upon arriving at Alimbic Cluster's Celestial Archives, Samus learns that the in order to acquire it, she'll need to find eight Octoliths which would be used to power the Alimbic Cannon, allowing access to another dimension called Oubliette. She also learns that the people of Alimbic Cluster lived rather peaceful lives, until a mysterious monster named Gorea showed up. The Alimbics were forced to sacrifice themselves to seal the monster away, though they managed to leave a cryptic prophecy on how to defeat it.

Once all of the Octoliths were obtained, the path to the Oubliette would open, with the other six Bounty Hunters rushing on in ahead of Samus. Once she caught up, she bared witness to the "Ultimate Power..." Which was none other than Gorea, who had sent the telepathic message across the cosmos so that some greedy/stupid individual would free him! Gorea would absorb the other six hunters, leaving Samus to fight him alone. However, she managed to recall the prophecy, and uses it to defeat Gorea for good, saving the other six Bounty Hunters and saving the galaxy from Gorea's reign of terror! Back in her home dimension, Samus would receive a vision of the Alimbics thanking her for saving the galaxy before taking off on her next mission.

In Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes, Samus heads to the planet Aether after being informed by the Galactic Federation that they have lost contact with one of their agent groups: Squad Bravo. Although she finds out that she's too late to save them, this expedition leads her to discovering the Luminoth, a race of moth-looking people who are being driven to near extinction by the mysterious-yet-malevolent creatures called Ing. Sympathizing with their pleas, Samus decides to save what remains of the Luminoth and turn the tides of their seemingly hopeless war. Along the way, Samus faces off against a mysterious individual who looks just like her! Samus decides to refer to this doppelganger as Dark Samus, and clashes with her now and then.

Near the end of the adventure, Samus enters the mysterious dimension where the Ing reside, Dark Aether, where she manages to destroy their leader, Emperor Ing. Of course, the leader's death causes the entire dimension to begin collapsing on itself, so Samus quickly tries to get back to Aether, only to be stopped at the very end by none other than Dark Samus! With only a few minutes left, Samus goes into an all-or-nothing duel against her, and emerges victorious, escaping in time just as the portal to Aether was closing. With the Luminoth now saved, Samus leaves the planet to parts unknown.

Six months later, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption happens. Samus heads to the G.F.S. Olympus for a meeting. Upon arriving, she and three other Bounty Hunters - Rundas, Gandrayda, and Ghor - are briefed by Fleet Admiral Castor Dane and Aurora Unit 242. They are to deliver a vaccine to Aurora Units on Norion, who were suffering from a virus that was created by the Space Pirates. Just as they were about to do so, the Space Pirates, along with their commander Meta Ridley, arrive and attack the G.F.S Olympus! Turns out a Leviathan carrying some Phazon is on a collision course with the nearby planet Norion, and the Space Pirates want it to crash there! Samus and the Bounty Hunters manage to make it to the Control Tower to stop the Leviathan, only for Dark Samus to appear, confirming that she survived her last encounter with Samus! Dark Samus manages to effortlessly defeat the Bounty Hunters and leaves. Despite her injuries, Samus manages to activate the Control Tower's cannon and destroys the Leviathan before collapsing from exhaustion.

A month later, Samus wakes up and is informed that she and the other Bounty Hunters are producing Phazon in their bodies, though there appear to be no negative side-effects to their health. The Federation Medics gave the Bounty Hunters a Phazon Enhancement Device that would allow them to enter Hupermode and harness the devastating powers of Phazon! Samus is then informed that the other three woke up earlier than she did, and were dispatched two weeks ago to various planets - Bryyo, Elysia, and the Space Pirate Homeworld - to investigate them, since they were struck by Leviathans. However, Federation has lost contact with them a week later. Thus, they send out Samus to complete the mission, as well as find out what happened to the missing hunters.

During her mission at Bryyo, Samus would soon learn that the Phazon isn't as harmless as everyone initially assumed. Every time she enters Hypermode, her body would begin to overload with Phazon, putting her at risk of getting corrupted! This leads her to discover a bit later that this has already happened to the other Bounty Hunters, forcing her to fight against them. Once they are defeated, Dark Samus would arrive and absorb Samus's fallen comrades before leaving.

Samus would manage to destroy the Leviathans, as well as defeat Meta Ridley, who was corrupted into a new Omega form. Samus and the Federation would then head to a planet named Phaaze, which was the source of all Phazon. The Federation would deal with the Space Pirates surrounding the planet while Samus would head directly to the planet to blow it up. Upon setting foot, Samus's corruption levels skyrocket, sending her into permanent Hypermode! If she isn't quick enough, she would soon succumb to the corruption!

Despite the odds weighing heavily against her, Samus would make it to the planet's center, where she would face off against Dark Samus. During their clash, Dark Samus would fuse with Aurora Unit 313 in a desperate bid to keep Phaaze alive, only for Samus to defeat her! However, as the Aurora Unit was tied to the planet's core, its defeat caused a chain reaction that resulted in the destruction of not only Phaaze, but also the erasure of all Phazon in the universe, including the Phazon in Samus's body! Samus would manage to escape to exploding planet, where she would then inform the Federation that her mission was a success.

Afterwards, she would head to planet Elysia to mourn the loss of

Rundas, Gandrayda, and Ghor. Samus would eventually leave to embark on a new adventure, all while a mysterious spaceship follows her in silence...

 

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is the first installment where Samus isn't the main character. Instead, Samus appears as an ally for the four members of the Federation Force, helping them behind the scenes and doing her own thing. Samus is first mentioned at the end of Mission 3: Smokestack, where CO Alex mentions that Federation HQ contacted Samus for assistance. In Mission 10: Black Hole, she personally contacts the Federation Force and warns them of another Space Pirate Missile Transport headed their way. In Mission 12: Last Stand, she arrives just in time to save the Federation Force from a giant Rohkor Beetle the group thought they had defeated.

At some point during Mission 14: Tremor, the Space Pirates manage to actually defeat and capture Samus, though no one from the Galactic Federation is aware of this. By Mission 22: Convergence, the Federation Force find her in deep within the Space Pirate's new mothership: Doomseye. The Space Pirates use an Amplification Beam to not only enlarge Samus, but brainwash her as well, forcing the four to fight Bounty Hunter! The Federation Force manage to defeat Samus, which frees her from the Space Pirate's mind control, but also causes her to get buried underneath rubble.

The Federation Force leave to continue their mission, despite the heavy thoughts that they just killed the greatest hero in the galaxy. Fortunately, Samus had managed to survive the fight, and escapes underneath the rubble to catch up to the Federation Force. She arrives just in time to save them from four Elite Troopers, who were planning on eliminating the Federation Force due to destroying their AI, Master Brain, who was piloting their spaceship. After that, Samus escapes to her Gunship, where she saves the Federation Force as the Doomseye blows up.

Samus also stars in Metroid II: Return of Samus, which is a direct followup to the first Metroid game and its remake Zero Mission. Release-wise, this was the first game to give Samus's Power Suit its iconic look.

As for the story, the Galactic Federation decided it would be for the best if Samus annihilated the Metroid species on their home planet of SR388, as the events of Metroid Zero Mission and the Metroid Prime series have proven to them that the Metroids are too much of a threat to the galaxy to be left alone. Samus agrees, and heads to the planet on her Gunship. Armed with missiles and the Ice Beam, Samus travels into the caverns of SR388. It's here that Samus learns that the Metroids have an evolution cycle, going from their iconic jellyfish-like appearance to a more anthropod-look, before becoming giant theropods! The mission is going to be tougher than she initially thought...

At the end of the adventure, she confronts the Queen Metroid. After a fierce battle, she manages to annihilate all 48 Metroids. However, as she begins to leave, she comes across a Metroid egg that hatches. The Baby Metroid, upon seeing Samus, views her as her mother and happily flies around her. Samus decides to spare its life and take it with her.  

Metroid: Samus Returns is an enhanced remake of this game. In addition to new bosses, maps, and power-ups, the game now has 51 Metroids to hunt. Additionally, after escaping the Queen Metroid's hideout with the Baby Metroid, who else should show up just as they're about to leave the planet but Samus's arch-nemesis Ridley, who came to the planet to steal a Metroid before Samus could eliminate them all. As the Baby Metroid is the only one left, he sets his sights on her. Samus enters a lengthy battle against Ridley, where she managed to defeat him once more, thanks to some unexpected help from the Baby Metroid. As Ridley lies on the ground in pain, she and the Baby Metroid head inside her Gunship and leave SR388.

Super Metroid follows up on the events of Metroid II and its remake Samus Returns. Samus takes the Baby Metroid to the Ceres Space Colony for research, where they discover that the Metroid's powers could be used for good. A few minutes later as Samus left, Ridley arrives and attacks the Space Colony to once again try to retrieve the Metroid. Samus rushes back, but is too late to stop him, and flees the exploding space station. She then pursues Ridley back to Planet Zebes, learning that the Space Pirates have managed to rebuild their base there. Not only that, but Mother Brain has been restored to full power as well! With no time to waste, Samus begins her quest to retrieve the infant Metroid.

During her adventure, Samus manages to find and defeat the behemoth Kraid at Brinstar, eradicate the evil spirit Phantoon hiding at the Wrecked Ship, and fry the underwater crustacean Draygon at Maradia. In the deepest depths of Norfair, she would encounter Ridley for the last time, where they would have their final confrontation. Samus would manage to emerge triumphant, and heads out of Ridley's Lair to the next room. Inside, she discovers that the Baby Metroid isn't there. Only her container remains.

Realizing the Baby Metroid must be in the newly rebuilt Tourian, she rushes there and discovers the Space Pirates had succeeded in cloning the infant. She eventually comes across a giant Super Metroid, who immediately latches on to her to drain her energy. Samus is unable to escape from its grasp and is about to die, until the Super Metroid suddenly lets go. Turns out that the Super Metroid is none other than the Baby Metroid, who realized she was attacking her "mother."

Restoring her health at a nearby Energy Charge station, Samus would continue her trek through Tourian, where she would confront Mother Brain. While the battle was initially similar to their first encounter, things soon turned tough once Mother Brain revealed her new android body. The fight then turned hopeless as Mother Brain began blasting Samus with her new Hyper Beam attack. Just as Mother Brain prepared to finish Samus off, the Baby Metroid rushes in to rescue Samus once more, draining Mother Brain's power and giving it to Samus. Mother Brain, however, managed to survive the infant's attack, and in her blind rage, kills the Baby Metroid.

Samus, now bestowed with Mother Brain's Hyper Beam, begins to blast Mother Brain to smithereens in retaliation. Just before Mother Brain dies, she initiates a self-destruct sequence that will wipe out Planet Zebes. Samus quickly rushes through the planet to escape, even saving some friendly critters along the way. Making it to her Gunship, she manages to make it off the planet in time just as it begins to explode. 

In Metroid: Other M, Samus's had sustained numerous injuries during her battle against Mother Brain, and spent a few days at the hospital, before eventually taking to her Gunship and flying aimlessly throughout space. Although she should've been happy that the Space Pirate organization was no more, thanks to Zebes's explosion wiping a majority of them out, Samus fell into a bit of a depression due to the Baby Metroid's sacrifice. This depressive state wouldn't last long, as she would soon receive a distress call from a facility called the "BOTTLE SHIP."

Upon arriving, Samus would meet face-to-face with her old Federation Squad, the 07th Platoon; led by none other than her old CO: Adam Malkovich. Due to the fact that they left on negative terms, neither one was sure on how to approach the other. On the flipside, she would also meet an old buddy of hers, Anthony Higgs, who was happy to see Samus. Despite some uneasiness, Adam Malkovich allowed Samus to help them in their investigation, with the request that Samus needs to follow his orders like the others in his squad.

During their search for survivors, Samus learns that the Bottle Ship was a hidden Galactic Federation research facility, led by a woman named Madeline Bergman

to create bioweapons

. Some of these bioweapons turned out to be none other than a couple of grunts from the Space Pirates, who were thought to be wiped out! Why would the Galatic Federation be doing this?! As if things couldn't be worse, Samus soon learns that someone within Adam's squad is killing the members of the 07th Platoon! Samus makes it her mission to find out who it is and stop him, though beyond one encounter with him at the Cryosphere, she doesn't manage to do so, as he - unknown to her - gets taken out by someone else.

And then, within the depths of the Pyrosphere, Samus learns that these shady members of the Galactic Federation had - unintentionally - brought Ridley back from the grave! Ridley takes advantage of her shock to toy with her for a bit, before he knocks Samus's friend, Anothony, into the lava pit below the arena. Enraged, Samus regains her composure and manages to severely injure the Space Dragon, forcing him to flee and heal his wounds.

Samus does eventually find one survivor: a young blonde woman named Madeline Bergman, who tells Samus that the researchers here were trying to create an army using the Space Pirate DNA samples they've acquired from Samus's Power Suit, which they obtained when she was resting at the hospital to recover her injuries during her fight against Mother Brain. However, they would quickly abandon that when they discovered that Samus had Metroid DNA on her, allowing them to create Metroids! Not only that, but they created an AI named MB, who would be able to control the Metroids effortlessly. Realizing the potential threat, Madeline gives Samus directions to their location, and Samus heads off to stop it!

Right as she's at the front door, Adam arrives and stops her. Not wanting her to risk her life, Adam decides to take on Sector Zero alone, telling Samus that she needs to live since Ridley is back, and she's the only one who can stop him. Despite her pleas, Adam goes through with it. Samus mourns his death, but decides to carry out his last request.

While searching for Ridley, she finds him... or rather, his dried up husk. She quickly finds out that Ridley was attacked by a Queen Metroid, who then proceeds to attack Samus! Despite the tough battle, Samus manages to defeat the behemoth, where she then finds another survivor: an older woman with red hair named... Madeline Bergman? Huh?

Madeline informs Samus that the "Madeline" Samus met earlier was actually her daughter, Melissa... Or rather, "MB," an AI android they made to try and control the Metroids. Melissa certainly had the potential to do it. However, her increasingly frequent outbursts caused many of the scientists to want to reprogram Melissa to make her more obedient to their cause. When Melissa learned of it, she decided to turn on everyone and commanded all of the creatures aboard the ship to attack the researchers... except for her "mother," Madeline, whom she spared from her wrath.

Madeline felt guilty for not sticking up for Melissa, and wanted to try and make things right. And just like that, Melissa arrives in the room. Madeline tries to talk her down, and it seems to work until the Galactic Federation Army arrives, causing Melissa to summon various enemies to attack the group! In the chaos and confusion, Madeline accidentally freezes Melissa with a freeze gun, allowing one of the soldiers to destroy her.

With Melissa dead, the enemies all calm down. The Colonel congratulates Samus on her job, but tells her that, since the 07th Platoon is dead, she's pretty much an outsider, and will not be allowed to talk to Madeline... only for Samu's buddy, Anthony, to arrive, revealing he survived his fatal fall during his encounter with Ridley's clone! Since he's around, Samus is no longer an "outsider," and thus she flies Anthony and Madeline back home in her Gunship, all while she reflects on the events happened.

Back home, Madeline - with some help from Samus and Anthony - would testify against any of the surviving backers of the Bottle Ship incident, leading to the Galactic Federation restructuring the Federation Army. Some time later, Samus would revisit the Bottle Ship to collect Adam's helmet as a memento of him. She also faces off against Phantoon, who somehow survived the Zebes explosion.

Samus's next adventure would be in Metroid Fusion. During an investigation with the Galactic Federation's Biologic's Research Team on Planet SR388, a mysterious yellow creature called an X-parasite attaches itself to Samus. Initially, she brushes this off due to not feeling any negative effects, but during the trip back to Federation HQ, she loses consciousness and heads towards an asteroid field! Thankfully, her Gunship ejects her in an escape pod before it crashes. The BRT managed to grab it and escort her to the medical crew.

Since Samus's Power Suit has "attached" itself to Samus, they couldn't simply remove it, or else they would kill her! Instead, they carefully removed any of the infected parts off that they could, but her survival was still low. However, one member of the medical staff decides to use a collected cell from the Baby Metroid to create a vaccine, which manages to fight off the X parasite in both her body and the suit, allowing Samus to live, though at the cost of giving her the Metroid's weakness to cold elements.

Upon fully recovering, an explosion happens at the Biologic Space Laboratories Research Station. Samus is given a new Gunship that has an AI attached to it. Due to some similarities to her old CO, she decides to name it Adam. With her new Fusion Suit, Samus heads off to investigate.

During her investigation, Samus finds out that the infected parts of her suit were sent to the BSLR Station, and have "evolved" into a being called "Samus Aran-X," or SA-X for short. The SA-X appear to simply run around aimlessly at first, but she soon finds out that the SA-X are actually quite intelligent. If they manage to figure out how to use their newly gained powers, the galaxy would be in serious trouble!

Samus also learns that the AI of her new ship actually is Adam Malkovich, who had his mind uploaded into an AI at some point before his death in Metroid: Other M. on the flipside, it seems that the shady members of the Galactic Federation are once again trying to clone Metroids to use as bioweapons. As if that's not bad enough, they seem to have taken interest in trying to use the X-Parasites as well!

To put an end to that plot, Samus decides to have the BSLR Station collide with Planet SR388, the source of the X-Parasites. This nearly gets halted by an Omega Metroid, who decides to challenge Samus to a one-on-one fight! A SA-X arrives to try and fight off the Omega Metroid, but when it turns out to be hopeless, it decides to allow Samus to absorb it so that she can defeat the Omega Metroid and escape!

Once the research station impacts the planet, a massive explosion ensues, ensuring that the X-Parasite threat is no more. Though she might get branded a traitor by some, Adam assures Samus that there will be others out in the galaxy who knows why she did what she did.

Some time later, Metroid Dread occurs. The Galactic Federation has received a video from an anonymous source that implies that an X-Parasites managed to survive the BSLR Station incident, and is hiding on Planet ZDR! They dispatched seven android units called E.M.M.I. to try and obtain it, but they quickly vanished after arriving. Samus, curious and worried if an X-Parasite has indeed survived, heads off to Planet ZDR to investigate...

Throughout the series, Samus's Power Suit is shown to be able to get upgraded with various enhancements and weapon upgrades that she can find during her adventures. One such example is the iconic Varia Suit upgrade, which gives her Power Suit the familiar orange color, not to mention those massive shoulderpads. It is said that to use the Power Suit, one must have intense and focused concentration. With that, Samus can summon the suit to wear whenever she wants, though this statement has gotten contradicted now and then, such as showing Samus removing the suit like its armor.

In Super Smash Bros., Samus can go toe-to-toe with her foes through her various gadgets and even use close-quarters combat! Go show your opponents the power of the greatest Bounty Hunter in the galaxy!

Samus is also one of the twelve members of the “Perfect Attendance Crew”.

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: Charge Shot

Samus begins charging up a giant ball of energy. Pressing the Special Button again will have her fire it. The longer you charge, the faster it is and the more damage and knockback it delivers!

Inspired by the Charge Shot upgrade that debuted in “Super Metroid.” Along with doing more damage, performing a somersault jump with the charge would allow Samus to deliver damage to a foe on contact, though this isn't portrayed in Super Smash Bros.

Side Special: Missile

Samus fires a missile. It’ll slowly fly towards the nearest target. Its not very strong, but its good for keeping foes away. You could also use it as you approach them.

If you input the move like a smash attack, Samus fires a Super Missile! Its stronger and faster then a regular missile, but it doesn’t home in on the target. It also takes it a second before it reaches max speed.

The Missile move is inspired by the Missile upgrade that debuted in “Metroid”, though it lacked the ability to home in on targets. Missiles that are capable of doing so would later be introduced in “Metroid Prime.”

The Super Missile move is inspired by the Super Missile upgrade that debuted in “Super Metroid,” where it functions as a stronger Missile. It was also capable of making enmies that hung on to the walls and ceilings fall to the ground regardless if it hit its target or a wall, though this isn't portrayed in Super Smash Bros. 

Up Special: Screw Attack

Samus somersaults up into the air while electrical energy surrounds her. Anyone nearby gets dragged up with her before getting flung away.

Inspired by the Screw Attack upgrade that debuted in “Metroid.” Whenever Samus performed a somersault jump - which is performed by jumping while Samus is moving - she'd form an electric barrier around her that would damage nearly any enemy she comes into contact with. 

Down Special: Bomb

Samus curls up into Morph Ball mode and drops a bomb. The bomb will detonate 2 seconds later, or if it comes into contact with an opponent.

If Samus happens to be near the explosion of her bomb, she’ll curl back up into Morph Ball mode and get slightly flung into the air.

Every time Samus drops a bomb, she’ll do a very small hop, even if she's in the air. One can use this to spend some extra time in the air..

Inspired by the Morph Ball and Bomb upgrades that debuted in “Metroid." Morph Ball allows Samus to curl up into a ball and travel through small, tight areas. While in Morph Ball, she can use bombs to attack once she obtains the ability to do so. The bombs aren’t the strongest weapons she has, and are usually reserved for blasting open walls or as a “last resort” type of weapon. The bombs explosions can also fling her slightly upward in the air, and using it can allow one to “Bomb Jump,” though its a very difficult technique to utilize throughout the series. 

Final Smash: Zero Laser

Samus readies her arm cannon in front of her, and fires a huge stream of energy beams in front of her! She can slightly angle the energy beam upwards or downwards. Anyone caught will get pushed away from Samus, and will have difficulty escaping the beam. At the end of the move, she fires an even stronger blast that flings her trapped opponents away from her!

May to be inspired by the Hypermode State from “Metroid Prime,” as it is quite similar to the Zero Laser, though the Hypermode State consists of two intertwined beams of Phazon Energy instead of one massive beam. Gandrayda uses something similar when she’s mimicking Samus in “Metroid Prime 3,” though that might be more of a coincidence then anything.

Alternatively, the move could be inspired by the Hyper Beam from “Super Metroid,” though beyond being a powerful attack, it has nothing much else in common with it. In "Metroid Dread," the Hyper Beam is changed to resemble the Zero Laser attack, though Samus is able to move while firing it.

Additional Notes 

If Samus uses her grab move in the air, she’ll fire out her Grapple Beam, which does minor damage to an opponent. It can be used to mix things up, or as an attempt to hit someone from afar.

Samus can also use the Grapple Beam to grab the edge of a stage from afar, making it an alternative way of getting back up into the fight.

 

A majority of Samus's alternate costumes reference the various Power Suit upgrades she can obtain. Starting from the top, from left-to-right, we have:

1. Fusion Suit from "Metroid: Fusion"
2. Either Samus with the Varia Suit upgrade with missiles equiped from the original "Metroid", or the Gravity Suit's appearance in "Super Metroid"
3. The Dark Suit from "Metroid Prime 2: Echoes"
4. The Gravity Suit, as it looks starting in "Metroid Prime"
5. The Light Suit from "Metroid Prime 2: Echoes"
6. And a Power Trooper enemy from "Metroid Prime"

An interesting alternate costume is Samus's green color, that's been referred to as "mass-produced Samus" on the official Japanese website for Super Smash Bros. 64. This color seems to be a reference to the MS-06 Zaku II from the unrelated Gundam franchise.

 

Samus and Zero Suit Samus used to share the same character slot back in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Samus could turn into Zero Suit Samus through by using her Final Smash "Zero Laser," holding the Shield Button when starting a match, or if you quickly press the Up and Down Taunt Buttons during battle. On the flipside, Zero Suit Samus could only transform into Samus by using her original Final Smash, Power Suit Samus. They were separated and given their own character slots starting in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U because the Nintendo 3DS version couldn’t handle transforming characters very well.