Samus Aran

Recommended theme song: [link] (Theme from Super Metroid, with an orchestrated remix)

What does Samus Aran wear underneath her Power Suit? Some say it’s the blue Zero Suit I could swear is painted on; others say it’s a bikini. I guess it depends on which Metroid game you beat fast enough. The Metroid series popularized speedruns, which involves players to beat a game as fast as possible, because it was one of few games at the time to reward players for beating a game fast enough, in this case, Samus taking off her Power Suit. Samus being the only female video game protagonist at the time didn’t hurt either. I have also completed each 2D Metroid game within the fastest time allowed to see Samus completely remove her armor.

This shot of Samus comes from the ending of Metroid Fusion for the GBA if you beat the game in less than two hours. You’ll also see glimpses of her wearing this outfit if she is killed. After many failed attempts to find a picture of her Super Metroid bikini (the sprite doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and nobody cosplays as this to my knowledge with the pose I wanted), I settled with the Fusion version, which is slightly different in terms of design, but it still looks great on her.

The little creature floating next to her is the spirit of the baby Metroid, which Samus spares at the end of Metroid II for the Game Boy. The baby later saves Samus from death in her duel with Mother Brain, stealing Mother Brain’s energy and transferring it to Samus. The Metroid is later killed by Mother Brain, but the energy it siphoned gave Samus enough firepower to finish her opposition once and for all. Years later, Samus would return to the Metroid’s homeworld, and become infected with an X Parasite and almost die from it. When given a vaccine made from the baby’s surviving DNA cells, Samus makes a full recovery, as the Metroids were the natural predators to the parasites.

Normally, Metroids are among the scariest enemies in a video game. They latch onto you and siphon your energy while disabling most of your weapons. Your last words will likely be “GET IT OFF!” before you’re sucked dry. A single shot with the Ice Beam and a few missiles take care of them. But the baby Metroid was something different. It cared for us, and saved the life of our favorite bounty hunter from the brink of death twice. Metroid Fusion finally unites the two greatest products of Chozo technology, a nearly indestructible jellyfish, and an intergalactic space warrior.

I would like to dedicate this picture to , who not only inspired me to draw Samus in her Zero Suit and her Other M Suit, but today is also her birthday!

See you next mission!

Credits:
Samus Aran/Baby Metroid: Metroid series, Nintendo (Metroid has transparency effects added in Photoshop)
Model: [link] (not sure if this person has a DA)
Art: me