The Metroid series is known for its ambiance and eerie atmosphere as you join Samus Aran on treacherous expeditions across hazardous planets. Many of these games feature minimal dialogue and rely on 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:environmental storytelling and subtle hi𝐆nts to propel the narrative forward.

Related: Metroid: The Best Games🐟 In The Series, Ranked According T🌄o Metacritic

Unlike 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Legend of Zelda or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fire Emblem, Metroid doesn't contain a robust roster of well-known characters. It doesn't happen often, but Samus occasionally encounters unique allies or enemies that help expand the universe with intriguing backstories and personalities. Despite the limited number of characters, Metroid contains a fascinating selection of Bounty Hunters, antagonists, and old acquaintances that impact the storyline, but who is the best character of them all?

10 Spire

A screenshot showing a trophy of Spire from Metroid Prime: Hunters in Super Smash Bros.

Metroid Prime Hunters for the DS is one of the most character-heavy ♏entries in the series. This action-adventure game introduces six Bounty Hunters searching for an "ultimate power" that can grant their wishes. Each has unique motivations, but few are as intriguing as Spire.

Like Javik from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mass Effect, Spire is believed to be the last of his species, and he roams space searching for the cause of the Diamont's extinction and other survivors. He doesn't hesitate at the opportunity to use the "ultimate power" to find answers, so although you must confront Spire in Hunters, at least his motivation is easy to understand.

9 Sylux

Sylux aims his cannon forward in a dark room

Another character introduced in Metroid Prime Hunters is Sylux, a Bounty Hunter that despises the Galactic Federat💃ion and anything associated with it - including Samওus Aran. Unlike Spire and the other Bounty Hunters, Sylux has briefly appeared in other Metroid titles, though his ultimate role in the series is still shrouded in mystery.

His motivations for capturing the "ultimate power" are unknown, but his hatred of Samus and the Galactic Federation is tangible. He appears in the secret endings of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, tailing Samus through space and unleashing a Metroid on a research station🌱. Sylux has been tea🔯sed as a massive antagonist that could potentially destroy the universe.

8 🍸 ꦯ Anthony Higgs

Anthony Higgs smiles with his visor up

The Bounty Hunter gig is ruthless, and Samus has learned that it's best to keep a safe distance from others to avoid getting too attached to anyone. Only a few individuals have been able to break through her tough exterior and connect with Samus, including Anthony Higgs from the Galactic Federation.

Related: Nintendo Characters Who Need A Feature Fil🐬m After Mario

Introduced in Metroid: Other M, Higgs is one of the most optimistic and enthusiastic characters Samus ever encounters. He's known for his ability to lighten the mood with a smile or joke, all while prioritizing the success of his mission and team. He likes to call Samus "Princess," which can be tedious after a while, but his good heart and friendly disposition helped Anthony Higgs become one of the best parts in one of the series' weakest entries.

7 Kraid

Kraid roars at Samus while chained up

Samus has made a few lifelong enemies since her initial mission to destroy Mother Brain and the Metroids, but few are as terrifying or relentless as Kraid. He may look like a brainless predator, but Kraid is a Space Pirate that works alongside Ridley to spread fear across the galaxy. It's hard to imagine Kraid hatching schemes with the rest of his crew, but his size makes him one of the most iconic bosses in the series.

Kraid first appeared in the original Metroid and again in Super Metroid before disappearing for nearly three decades. Samus finally re-discovers a chained-up Kraid in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroid Dread beneath the planet ZDR, and he doesn't seem happy to see her. Kraid also makes an appearance in the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Smash Bros. stage, Brinstar Depths.

6 Dark Samus 🥃

Dark Samus fires her grapple beam in the air

From the SA-X to Dark Samus, the Metroid series has explored the idea that the biggest threat to the universe could be Samus herself. While the former was an X Parasite replication, Dark Samus is actually the reincarnation of Metroid Prime itself, created with a combination of Phazon and the Bounty Hunter's DNA. She is a heartless antagonist that will do anything to get what she wants.

Dark Samus first appeared in Metroid Prime🐼 2: Echoes and continues to cause chaos🔜 until she is defeated at the end of Metroid Prime 3. Her everlasting search for Phazon and power results in the deaths of many innocent people, and her mercilessness makes her one of the most evil and horrifying entities in the series.

5 𓃲 Adam Malkovich 𝓀

Adam Malkovich stands in a dark room with an earpiece

While Adam Malkovich only appears physically in one game - Metroid: Other M - his spirit and morals have stuck with Samus Aran throughout Metroid Fusion and Me𒊎troid Dread. After being o🍃rphaned at a young age, Adam eventually becomes the closest thing to a father that Samus ever knows.

Related: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Best Boss Fights In Metroid Fusion,𓆏 Ranked

Adam is a no-nonsense commanding officer for the Galactic Federation Army, which often conflicts with Samus' hostile attitude toward authority. Her lack of interest in orders resulted in his catchphrase, "Any objections, Lady?" that went from sarcastic to heartwarming as their relationship developed. Adam sacrifices himself to save Samus and the universe, but his voice lives on through an AI program that guides the Bounty Hunter on her adventures.

4 🔥 ♛ Raven Beak

Raven Beak stands with his wings spread wide

The Metroid series has become known for its roster of nefarious villains that seek power o✃r destruct🦩ion. Raven Beak, like many others, wants to harness the power of the Metroids to accomplish his goals, but that all falls apart when he discovers that the species has gone extinct due to the exploits of Samus Aran.

Once he discovers that the Bounty🌸 Hunter has traces of Metroid DNA in her system, he constructs an elaborate plan to trap her and steal her p🐼owers. Raven Beak is a puppet master unlike anyone else Samus has encountered, making him one of the most compelling figures to ever stand in her way.

3 Baby Metroid 🃏ꦆ

Samus holds the Baby Metroid in her hand

Metroids are a dangerous species capable of absorbing energy from their prey. They're most commonly seen in their infant stage, which is still lethal enough to terrorize anyone that crosses their path. After defeating the Queen Metroid at the end of Metroid 2: Return of Samus, a Baby Metroid - the last of its kind - hatches from an egg and accidentally identifies Samus as its parent.

You don't get to see Samus and the Baby Metroid spend much time together, but it's clear that a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:bond has formed between a hunꦬter and its prey. This relationship eventually leads to one of the most emotionally-satisfying moments in the series when the Baby Metroid sacrifices its🏅elf to save Samus at the end of Super Metroid. After spending so much time annihilati♓ng Metroids, the series somehow found a way to break your heart when the last one finally perishes.

2 Ridley

Samus charges her beam toward Ridley

Mother Brain, Raven Beak, and Kraid are all villains, but none are 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:as sadistic or merciless as Ridley. This Space Pirate became Samus' lifelong adversary after he killed her parents in front of her. His antagonism leads Samus down the path to becoming a Bounty Hunter, and the two clash multiple times throughout the series.

Ridley's size and speed are intimidating, but Samus always finds a way to bring him down. Though he never speaks in the games, his dialogue in the short-lived Manga implies that Ridley is also intelligent enough to command his army to destroy planets and threaten Samus. Few Nintendo villains are as evil as Ridley, and his resilience means his return is always inevitable.

1 Samus Aran 🅰 ꧂

Samus Aran holds her arm cannon in front of a group of E.M.M.I's

Without Samus Aran, there is no Metroid. This complex hero has been a savior, exterminator, rogue warrior, and everything in between since her debut during the late 80s, and over time has become one of the most tragic yet relatable characters in gaming. Despite everything Samus has gone through - loss of her family and friends, surviving harrowing experiences, and being used as a pawn - she always holds her head high and heads for the next mission without taking a sin♏gle day off to relax.

Though Samus rarely speaks, most of her personality shines through subtle gestures that portray her emotions perfectly. Her trepidation toward others is natural after what she's been through, but she's still able to express empathy and prioritize others over herself; a noble trait that has helped earn her the title of Protector of the Galaxy.

Next: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Best Metroidvania G🐲ames For Begi🦩nners