Ridley (Japanese: リドリー, Hepburn: Ridorī), also known in-universe by the alias Cunning God of Death,[1] is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Metroid series.

An evil and aggressive draconic extraterrestrial, he became Samus Aran's archnemesis after murdering the latter's parents as he led a Space Pirate raid on her homeworld.

He and Kraid are Space Pirate figureheads charged with protecting Mother Brain at a base on the planet Zebes, where they are cloning an alien species known as Metroids with the intention of converting them into biological weapons.

[4][5] Ridley later appeared in the Metroid manga, where he is revealed to have caused the death of Samus's parents in an attack on her home world when she was a child.

[16] Steve Barcia, the executive producer of Retro Studios, called Ridley his favorite enemy from Metroid Prime due to the quality of the battle and his fan appeal.

[18] In an interview with IGN about Ridley's exclusion from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Sakurai argued that reducing Ridley's size, wingspan or mobility to include him as a fighter would not be true to the character, who is supposed to be a "truly threatening presence" that could only be correctly portrayed as a stage boss unencumbered by a fighter's size and balance restrictions.

[23] Ridley has been a popular character suggestion in the Super Smash Bros. series from fans, with demand for his inclusion dating back to Melee.

[11] In a 2008 issue of Nintendo Power, Masahiro Sakurai stated his reluctance to include Ridley in the series for a variety of reasons.

[25] His initial lack of inclusion also resulted in widespread negative response on the Internet, especially when it was revealed that he was not playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

[25] Polygon writer Ryan Gilliam discussed Ridley's long-standing popularity with the Super Smash Bros. fanbase, which he believed to have started in the form of rumors in the early 2000s.