Metroid (species) facts for kids

A Metroid is an alien creature from the Metroid video game series. They usually look like flying, see-through green creatures. While they are often enemies in the games, a Metroid is rarely the main bad guy. Metroids float in the air and attach to other living things to take their energy.

What are Metroids?

Metroids are special creatures that were created by a very old and wise alien species called the Chozo. The Chozo made Metroids to fight against a dangerous virus known as "X." This virus was threatening to wipe out the Chozo, so they needed a powerful solution.

Metroid Life Cycle

Metroids change a lot as they grow, going through several different forms. Each form is bigger and often more powerful than the last.

• Metroid: This is the first and most common form. It's the only one that can absorb energy from other creatures.
• Alpha Metroid: This second form is much larger than a regular Metroid, with a bigger body and sharper spikes.
• Gamma Metroid: The third form is even bigger than the Alpha Metroid.
• Zeta Metroid: This fourth form looks very different. It loses its see-through outer shell and grows a tail and feet, but it can still float.
• Omega Metroid: The fifth form is a giant version of the Zeta Metroid. It's slower and heavier but much stronger. In most games, it still floats, but in Metroid Fusion, it cannot float at all.
• Metroid Queen: This is the final and largest form of a Metroid. It's a huge monster with a tough shell and a very long neck. The hero, Samus Aran, has only met two Metroid Queens in her adventures.

Metroids in the Games

The story of Metroids is a big part of the Metroid series.

Samus's First Encounters

Samus Aran first found Metroids on the planet Zebes. She discovered them in the base of the evil Mother Brain during the game Metroid. Soon after, Samus also found many Metroids in the three Metroid Prime games, including a very strong one called "Metroid Prime."

The Hunt for Metroids

Later, a group called the Galactic Federation asked Samus to get rid of all the Metroids on a planet called SR388. Samus defeated almost every Metroid, including the Metroid Queen. However, she found a baby Metroid that had just hatched. Instead of destroying it, Samus brought the baby Metroid back to the Galactic Federation. This happened in the game Super Metroid.

The Baby Metroid's Sacrifice

In Super Metroid, a monster named Ridley captured the baby Metroid and took it back to Zebes for his master, Mother Brain. Samus returned to Zebes to rescue it. She found more Metroids there, and the baby Metroid had grown very large, even bigger than Samus herself! It didn't attack her because it thought Samus was its mother. When Mother Brain was about to defeat Samus, the grown-up baby Metroid bravely tried to protect Samus. Sadly, Mother Brain killed the Metroid, and it fell onto Samus, giving her its power. With this new power, Samus defeated Mother Brain and escaped from Zebes just before the planet exploded.

The Return of the X Virus

After this, Metroids were thought to be extinct. Because there were no Metroids left, the dangerous X virus, which Metroids were naturally immune to, started to spread again on SR388. The X virus infects living things by entering their bodies, killing them, and then taking on their appearance. Samus herself was infected by an X virus and almost died. Luckily, she was given a special shot of Metroid DNA. This shot not only killed the X virus inside her but also made her immune to future X virus infections.

Samus then went to the BSL Space Station, where she found that scientists had been killed by the virus. Samus had to explore the ship while also avoiding a dangerous copy of her old suit, controlled by an X virus, called SA-X. Samus discovered that the Galactic Federation had secretly been cloning Metroids. At the end of the game, Samus faced a powerful Omega Metroid, which is one of the final forms of the Metroid species.