List of Metroid characters

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Metroid is a Nintendo action series about Samus Aran, a space bounty hunter who fights Space Pirates, dangerous creatures, and alien technologies across many planets. The stories feature a mix of side-scrolling, exploration, and sometimes first-person shooting. Here’s a short, simple guide to the series’ main characters.

Samus Aran
The series’ hero. Samus travels the galaxy in a high-tech suit, taking on dangerous missions, capturing criminals, and protecting others. She was raised by the Chozo after her home was attacked and has become one of the universe’s most famous bounty hunters. Samus also appears as a fighter in Super Smash Bros.

Ridley
A top Space Pirate general and Samus’s oldest rival. Ridley is a dragon-like creature who often leads attacks against Samus’s foes. He keeps coming back through cloning or robotics, making him a recurring threat across many games.

Mother Brain
A brain-like AI that acts as a major villain in the original Metroid games. Built by the Chozo, it leads the Space Pirates and tries to lure Samus into an alliance. It appears as a large, powerful brain inside a tank and is a central antagonist in several titles.

Adam Malkovich
Samus’s former commander in the Galactic Federation. He appears as a human in some games and as an AI consciousness in others. Adam cares deeply for Samus and plays a key role in granting or guiding her access to weapons and missions, even sacrificing himself in one story arc.

Metroid Prime and Dark Samus
Metroid Prime is a powerful, black, shell-covered life form that acts as a final boss in Metroid Prime. It later becomes Dark Samus, a dangerous doppelgänger who leads threats in subsequent games. Dark Samus is a central villain in several installments and also appears in other media like Smash Bros. as a character form related to Samus.

Sylux
A rival bounty hunter with a deep grudge against Samus and the Federation. He uses an electric weapon called the Shock Coil and can transform into a form similar to Samus’s Morph Ball. He appears in multiple Prime games and continues to be a looming threat in the series’ future.

Baby Metroid
The last of the Metroid species, first encountered in Super Metroid. The Baby Metroid bonds with Samus and later helps her in battle before it is killed. Its sacrifice is a memorable moment in the series and influences Samus’s choices.

Kraid
A giant, lizard-like boss who appears in the early Metroid games and remains a notable foe in later titles. Kraid is big, brutal, and often a big obstacle for Samus. He has also appeared as a background figure in some Smash Bros. games.

Etecoons and Dachora
Two friendly creatures Samus saves on Zebes. They teach her movement abilities (Wall-jump and Shinespark) and later appear on Samus’s ship, showing they can be skilled with ships. Saving them has become a popular speedrunning choice in the community.

The Metroids
Floating, jellyfish-like creatures with several life stages. They start as small, become stronger, and can drain life energy from any living thing. Created by the Chozo to combat other threats, Metroids are a central element of the series’ plot and battles.

Space Pirates
The main antagonists of the Metroid series. A hunter-like group that uses advanced technology and often seeks to weaponize Metroids. Their goals push Samus to explore dangerous worlds and uncover hidden plans. The organization is defeated, revived, and reshaped in different games.

Chozo
An ancient, bird-like race that raised Samus and created her Power Suit. They were highly advanced and spread across many planets. The Chozo crafted Metroids to fight their enemies and contributed many key elements to Samus’s story. In newer games, their culture is explored in more detail, including two tribes: the Thoha (peaceful scientists) and the Mawkin (warrior researchers). By Metroid Dread, the Chozo are shown to be mostly extinct.

Galactic Federation
The galaxy’s governing body that hires Samus for dangerous missions. They use power armor and their own military, and their politics and actions influence many parts of the story.

X Parasites and SA-X
The X is a unique parasite that can infect hosts, copy their DNA, and mimic technology. In Metroid Fusion and some other games, the X threaten everything until Samus’s power suit is copied by the SA-X, a dangerous doppelgänger of Samus. The SA-X is a major antagonist in Fusion and a memorable threat due to its power and mimicry.

This quick guide covers the core characters you’ll meet across the Metroid games, from Samus’s brave missions to the many threats she faces and the friends who help along the way.