She was originally called Miss Pac-Man, though this was changed to avoid implying that she had her son out of wedlock.

[2] She was initially designed with red hair, though Namco's then-President Masaka Nakamura asked them to instead give her a bow and beauty mark.

[2] Ms. Pac-Man, as well as her titular game, have been the subject of legal disputes, with AtGames unable to make a Ms. Pac-Man mini arcade cabinet due to Bandai Namco refusing to approve it, with speculation that they did not want AtGames to receive royalties.

[5] In a re-release of Pac-Land under the Arcade Archives brand, Ms. Pac-Man was removed, replaced by a character called Pac-Mom.

[16] As part of breast cancer awareness, Bandai Namco held a Ms. Pac-Man Pink Ribbon Campaign, where players could purchase a pink maze in various Pac-Man games on mobile phones, with all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nevertheless, Polygon staff regarded her as one of the most famous female video game characters, calling her "unforgettable.

"[3] GameSpot writers Steve Watts and Gabe Gurwin, while arguing that Princess Peach was the most famous woman in video games, suggested Ms. Pac-Man was the only character with similar fame.

[6] Nintendo Life writer Alana Hagues was similarly disappointed, feeling that Ms. Pac-Man had made iconic appearances at various points in the series.

Pop Matters writer G. Christopher Williams discussed the tendency of video games to portray "rather traditional assumptions of heterosexual relationships," specifically men's primary motivation being to pursue women.

[24] While discussing the design of the gender swap feature in Shovel Knight, developer Yacht Club Games sought to avoid making them designed like Ms. Pac-Man, feeling that the idea of making a female character be akin to a male character but with a bow or dress would be regressive.