List of EarthBound characters
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This is a list of characters from the Super Nintendo role-playing game EarthBound.
Playable characters
BITCHES SUCK ON MY WIENER CAUSE OF MY GANGSTER FLOW
Paula
Paula Polestar, or Pola Jones (ポーラ・ジョーンズ, Pōra Jōnzu) in the Japanese version, is a 13 year old girl who joins Ness after he saves her from the Happy Happyist Cult. Paula's main weapon arsenal consists of frying pans, but she can also make use of yo-yos and slingshots like the other kids. She also possesses extraordinary psychic abilities.
In Fourside, she is kidnapped by the Department Store Spook and is not released until Ness and Jeff complete a number of tasks, including going through the abnormal mirror world of Moonside, defeating the Evil Mani Mani, and making their way up to Monotoli's room. Paula's unique "Pray" command is a key part of the game, as the player must use it nine times during the third stage of the final battle to defeat Giygas.
Paula appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Jeff
Jeff Andonuts (ジェフ・アンドーナッツ, Jefu Andōnattsu) is from the Snow Wood Boarding School in Winters. His traits are those of a stereotypical nerd or whiz kid; he wears glasses and lacks physical ability, but is great with mechanics. Jeff wears glasses to correct his myopia. He wakes up in the middle of the night at a point receiving a telepathic message from Paula informing him that she and Ness need help. At that time, Ness and Paula were taken under captivity by zombies during their investigation of the undead-infested town Threed. Jeff breaks out of his dormitory with help from his friend Tony. Dr. Andonuts, his dad, lets Jeff use a machine called the Sky Runner (called Sky Walker in the Japanese version of the game) in order to travel the distance to reach Ness and save them from their imprisonment. Once he joins them, he becomes the third member of the party. Jeff is the only member of the four that cannot eat shit on a dailly basis and suck my dick before im done shiting on him. Jeff appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and also makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy.
Poo
Poo (プー, Pū) comes from the mystical land Dalaam. He has undergone strict martial arts training, and has a special diet. In EarthBound, that means he can't eat any Western-style foods, such as hamburgers or pizza and expect to recover much HP or PP (Psychic Points). However, he can drink bottles of water to recover PP, and Eastern foods will recover his HP more than they will the other characters. He also loses less health when hit by fire and ice PK attacks. Very late in the game, he learns one of the most powerful PSI attacks: PK Starstorm. He also has a mirror ability, which allows him to become any enemy in the game during battles.
He is first introduced after Ness eats the "magic cake," and he completes his training by meditation, which he maintains despite a spirit breaking various parts of his body. Poo then teleports to Summers and declares his allegiance to Ness. Poo is taken from the party after they come up from the exit of the Pyramid in Scaraba by the Star Master, who shows him the powerful PK Starstorm, which he uses to defeat Master Barf. Poo cannot use any weapons except his fists, the yo-yos, slingshots (which both lower his attack) and one special item, the Sword of Kings. Unfortunately there is only a one in 128 chance of finding the Sword of Kings after defeating a Starman Super.
Poo appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and also makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker power-up.
Other Important Characters
Doctor Andonuts
Doctor Andonuts (アンドーナッツ博士, Andōnattsu hakase) is a fictional character who first appeared in EarthBound for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and later returned in Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance.
Doctor Andonuts is Jeff's father. When Jeff leaves Snow Wood Boarding School and finds his father's lab, Doctor Andonuts reveals that he hasn't seen Jeff in 10 years. In Mother 3, he was taken from his time to the future by Porkey and forced to work for him, creating Chimeras and other inventions.
He invented the Sky Runner (Sky Walker in Japan), is a UFO-styled aircraft. Jeff uses it to get to Threed and find Ness and Paula. It crashes, but is later fixed up so the gang can make their way to Summers. However, it crashes again, and while Ness and his friends are unhurt, a few chunks of debris are all that remain of it.
The Phase Distorter (Space Tunnel in Japan) is Dr. Andonuts's last invention in EarthBound. He works in conjunction with the Mr. Saturn population and Apple Kid, another inventor. The first Phase Distorter is stolen by Porkey before Ness and friends have a chance to use it. Dr. Andonuts and the gang have to construct another Phase Distorter, called the Phase Distorter 2.0. The Phase Distorter 2.0 takes on the appearance of a Mr. Saturn and requires Zexonyte to operate. Ness and friends must have their souls transmitted into robotic bodies to use this invention, as it would destroy their human bodies. Once the Phase Distorter is used and Ness and friends arrive at their destination, it can be used to repair the robot bodies and to call Ness's father.
Giygas
Giygas (ギーグ, Gīgu, Gyiyg in the Japanese version) is once again the main antagonist from Mother. Known as both the "Embodiment of Evil" and the "Universal Cosmic Destroyer," Giygas is an evil alien that intends to sentence all of reality to the horror of infinite darkness. With an army of Starmen, UFOs, and other deadly war machines, Giygas also used his immense power to influence the evil parts of the Earth's beings to assist him.
In Mother, Giygas is raised by Maria, a woman abducted along with her husband George from Earth by Giygas' alien race in the early 1900's. George studied the aliens' PSI powers without permission, and escaped back to Earth. Once he matured, Giygas was tasked by his people to make sure that PSI never spread onto Earth. However, Giygas didn't want to betray those who raised him, particularly his beloved Maria. In the end, he forced himself to detach from Maria, and began preparations for the aliens' invasion. Eighty years later, he starts the invasion, and is eventually confronted by the great-grandson of Maria and George, Ninten, and his companions. By singing a song once known by Maria and Giygas, the loving memories he had tried so hard to suppress weaken him. Giygas eventually surrenders, but promises revenge upon Ninten someday, and flies away in his UFO.
In Mother 2, Giygas returns as the primary antagonist, though he vastly differs from his appearance in Mother. Giygas gains such tremendous evil power that it destroys his entire being, including his mind, henceforth losing all semblance of life. As such, Giygas manifests as what can only be described as pure evil; in Porkey Minch's words, "he is the evil power". Due to the loss of his mind, Giygas becomes irrational, and incapable of thought; in the final battle, Porkey points out that Giygas isn't aware of himself, or what he is doing, referring to him as "an all-mighty idiot". This is highly reminiscent of the Lovecraftian god Azathoth, who is referred to as the "Blind Idiot God".
Now wielding vast cosmic power, Giygas becomes a threat to the existence of the universe. Ten years after the beginning of Mother 2, Giygas initiates the apocalypse. The only known being who manages to escape destruction is an alien insectoid named Buzz Buzz, who travels back in time 10 years and warns Ness of the impending catastrophe. In Ness's present-day, Giygas's influence is seen throughout the Earth, mainly in the form of enemies that Ness encounters. Now existing as the whole of evil power in the universe, Giygas is able to manipulate the evil in the minds of living beings, both human and animal, and he can apparently manipulate even the forms of inanimate objects.
In the final battle, Giygas is held within the Devil's Machine, an eyeball-like machine (with an image of Ness's face inside) created to contain Giygas' tremendous power. During the battle, Porkey shuts it off, causing all of Giygas's power to be unleashed; an event that creates a chaotic, bizarre dimension all around them in which only Giygas and the five children remained trapped in darkness. His attacks are random and incomprehensible, and his speech is erratic and mindless. He is eventually defeated after Paula calls out to the people of the Earth to pray (including the player), and the combined prayers reach Giygas and exploit his weakness, which turns out to be human emotions (possibly due to his loss of Maria). He fades into nothingness, and his apocalyptic future is erased.
Shigesato Itoi stated that his inspiration for Giygas' speech came from a traumatic childhood experience where he mistakenly walked into an adult movie theatre and caught a glimpse of a rape scene in the 1957 movie Kenpei and the Dismembered Beauty (憲兵とバラバラ死美人, Kenpei to Barabara Shibijin).[1]
Porkey Minch
Porkey Minch (ポーキー・ミンチ, Pōkī Minchi, Porky Minch) Ness's portly, obnoxious next-door neighbor. His family seems to hold a grudge against Ness' family, because Porkey's father, Aloysius Minch, apparently loaned a few hundred thousand dollars to Ness' dad (though he admits it could have been a lot less), and never got them back. When a meteor falls outside their houses in Onett, Porkey temporarily joins Ness to find his younger brother, Picky, after sweet-talking to Ness' mother and pretending to be Ness' friend while hiding his obvious contempt of him. He learns of the impending destruction and take over, but convinces himself that he is not one of the heroes. He then goes on to join the Happy Happy cult, even going as far to have some of the other followers attack Ness.
After the cult is disbanded, he and his father end up working as business consultants for Mayor Monotoli. He uses the money to live a luxurious life, but he eventually steals Monotoli's helicopter after Monotoli is confronted by Ness. That helicopter is shown to have been crashed in the Deep Darkness swamp, and Porkey is not seen until he appears with Giygas, where he claims that Giygas was leading him the whole time, and that he only serves "the strong and able". He expresses to Ness his new belief that Giygas should destroy the universe. He appears in a spider-like machine, and battles Ness and his friends (in their robotic forms) alongside Giygas. Once Giygas is destroyed, Porkey uses time travel to escape into another era, but not before taunting Ness one last time. His last message comes through Picky in the form of a note that says "Come and get me, loser!" He later appears in Mother 3 as The Pig King, a drastically aged version of himself, Despite his aged appearance, his demeanor is still quite immature, obnoxious, and childish.
Porkey in his mech from Mother 3 and a statue of him appear as bosses in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary. He is referred to as "Porky" in what appears to be a retcon to his Japanese name.
Minor characters
Apple Kid
Apple Kid is a fat, dirty slob, but extremely intelligent and useful to Ness' quest. His first contribution to the quest is the Pencil Eraser (Octopus Eraser in Japan), which he makes in exchange for some food and $200.00. When Ness reaches Threed, he invents "zombie paper," which Ness and Paula use to capture the town's zombies. After Ness defeats Evil Mani Mani, and searches for a way to rescue Paula, he invents a machine that makes trout-flavored yogurt, which Ness gives to Porkey's maid Electra to bargain for access to the penthouse. He later goes to Dr. Andonuts's lab in order to build the Phase Distorter, which he concluded is needed to defeat Giygas. Apple Kid also has a mouse assistant. However, since it has no name, it is called the No Name Mouse.
Brick Road
Brick Road is a self-proclaimed dungeon master. He creates a dungeon in a cave near Winters, creating a cave with various signs about the principles of dungeons. He asks if Jeff liked it, and then leaves to become "Dungeon Man,". The party encounters Dungeon Man past the pyramid in Scaraba's desert, and after the party navigates a more complex dungeon, they learn that Brick Road has taken control of the dungeon. Brick Road accompanies the party for a while as an allied NPC, and in battle, he delivers extremely powerful physical attacks on the enemy. He is eventually stuck between two palm trees and unable to continue farther, but the party uses a submarine stored within him to reach Deep Darkness.
Bubble/Balloon Monkey
A monkey which first appears in a drug store when the player is controlling Jeff. If Jeff gives him bubble gum, the monkey will join Jeff, and will be able to float over certain obstacles. He leaves Jeff for a female monkey near the end of Jeff's story, but appears later in the game when Ness and his friends travel through Winters. He also has a sense of humor.
Buzz Buzz
Buzz Buzz (Bunbuun in Japan) is a bee-like creature from ten years in the future. He arrives in Ness' time via the meteorite that crashed into the mountain behind Onett. He informs Ness of Giygas' plan, and gets him started on his adventure. Buzz Buzz fights alongside Ness on the journey down the mountain, defeating a Starman Jr. who was sent after him to prevent him from changing the past. During this battle, Buzz Buzz will cast a PSI Shield on the party, rendering them all immune to the Starman Jr.'s attacks, and he will also attack for massive damage. He was defeated when Lardna Minch (Porkey and Picky's mother) swats him, mistaking him for a dung beetle. Before Buzz Buzz dies, he gives Ness the Sound Stone and tells him to seek the eight "sanctuaries."
Captain Strong
Captain Strong is the police chief in Onett. One of his men catches Ness after he had trespassed into the sealed-off Onett caves to reach Giant Step. Strong sends 5 of his best policemen against Ness, and stands in for the fifth one to fight Ness directly. Ness prevails and Strong orders the roadblock opened up.
Carpainter
Carpainter is the leader of the Happy Happy cult, and has bought the Evil Mani Mani statue. While under the influence of the statue he believed the key to happiness was to paint everything in the world blue. He has kidnapped Paula and uses powerful lightning attacks, which are deflected through the use of a Franklin Badge given to Ness by Paula. The Carpainter and the Happy Happy cult seems to be based on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, as the Carpainter is also a cult leader who moves with his followers to a isolated town. The Happy Happy cult is also a parody to the Ku Klux Klan.
Dad
The character of Dad is Ness' unseen father, a reference to the creator's plight in work-centered Japan, who only appears as a voice on the telephone. Even in the ending credits, a telephone appears in his place. To save the game, it is necessary to locate a phone and call dad. Dad also deposits all the money Ness earns into his bank account. At the end of the game, Ness' dad stops saving the game for you and states how he will be home in time for Ness' fourteenth birthday. It is stated in the Mother 2 story that Ness's dad works in the Hamburger Industry.
Everdred
Everdred (Tonchiki in Japan) is a hustler and thief whom the party runs into at Burglin Park in Twoson. He attacks at first (to rob Ness's party), but when he loses, Everdred gives them information about where the kidnapped Paula is being held. The next time he appears is in Fourside, where he is found lying wounded outside Jackie's Cafe. He claims that he got too close to the Mayor's secrets, and tells Ness about how to get to Moonside. Ness can ask him to repeat what he said twice, but the third time Everdred will lose his patience and stagger out of sight (off-screen). His fate is unknown, but he appears in Ness' dream.
Evil Mani Mani
Evil Mani Mani is a glorious, golden statue that brings out the evil in human beings. First found in possession of Lier X. Agerate, it is bought by Carpainter and used to control the minds of the Happy Happy cultists. It is later found in Moonside, as a living entity that attacks Ness. Once defeated, it is broken forever and Moonside vanishes. Ness's Nightmare, which is fought in Magicant, looks exactly like it, but it is unknown whether they share any connection.
Frank Fly
Frank Fly is the leader (later ex-leader) of the street gang called the Sharks. A misguided youth, Frank is adept with a switchblade, and sends out his robot Frankystein Mark II after he is defeated. When Ness defeats both of them, he changes his ways and starts working at the local fast-food shop. After Giygas is defeated, he reveals his age, or, at least that he's underage to drink.
Lier X. Agerate
Lier X. Agerate (Lier Horando in Japan) is an acquaintance of Ness', and has something to show him. When Ness has no one with him, if talked to, he'll show Ness the Evil Mani Mani Statue he has under his house. Eventually, Carpainter buys it from him, leading to subsequent trouble that lasts through part of the game. His name is also an attempt at making a pun (Liar Exaggerate).
Master Belch
Master Belch is a large, animated pile of vomit. Master Belch is one of Giygas' most esteemed minions, is addicted to Fly Honey, and is lord over smaller piles of vomit. He enslaves the Mr. Saturns at one point to mass produce Fly Honey. He can be distracted by the Fly Honey when the party fights with him in the factory. He reappears in Deep Darkness as Master Barf and attacks the party, but after he suffers enough damage, Poo defeats him with PK Starstorm
Mr. Saturn
Mr. Saturn (どせいさん, Dosei-san) is a friendly species that aids player's party. All individuals of the species are named Mr. Saturn, except for the friendly Dr. Saturn. They are identical in appearance, each short, peach, with an overlarge nose, whiskers, and a bow on its one hair. They speak Saturnian (composed of odd looking English letters), and erratically use the words "boing," "ding," and "zoom" at the ends of their sentences. The Japanese font is said to be inspired by the handwriting of the young daughter of EarthBound's designer, Shigesato Itoi. They make a return appearance in Mother 3, the sequel to EarthBound. In both games, they help with repairing or building various machines.
Mr. Saturns make their home in Saturn Valley, in Eagleland. Their village has round homes which resemble flying saucers and/or the planet Saturn and strange furniture, such as ATMs which bounce up and down in place and resemble Mr. Saturns. Some of the Mr. Saturn's preferred foods are "almond monaka" and "pig yōkan" (changed to "peanut cheese bars" and "piggy jelly" in the English version of the game), goods that can be purchased in the Saturn Valley shop. According to Shigesato Itoi, the Mr. Saturn race are the symbolism of innocence in the game.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mr. Saturn appears as an item. He walks around the stage harmlessly until someone picks him up, allowing the player to hurl him at opponents. The player can earn bonuses based on Mr. Saturn, like "Mr. Saturn Fan" (using only Mr. Saturns), "Mrs. Saturn" (holding on to a particular Mr. Saturn for 30 seconds or more), "Saturn Siblings" (using three or more different Mr. Saturns) and "Saturn Ringer" (catching a Mr. Saturn thrown by another player). Mr. Saturn also returned for the sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. [2]
Mr. Saturn also makes an appearance in the sub-game "The Great Cave Offensive" from the game Kirby Super Star as a treasure chest item.
Mom
The character of Mom is Ness' mother. He must call home regularly and speak to her or he will become homesick. If Ness calls her when he is not homesick she tells him that while Ness is having his adventure she is giving excuses to his teacher. She can also feed Ness to recover his health.
Orange Kid
Orange Kid is a smart kid who is much more popular with the girls of Twoson than Apple Kid, whom everybody thinks is a total loser. Paying him to fund his inventing is worthless, as all he does is exult in his own 'greatness' and never does anything worthwhile; he invents a device that sings "Ode to Orange Kid," and works on a way to unboil an egg.
At the end of the game, if you invested in him, his "company" has gained an enormous amount of money, and Ness has become a millionaire from him.
Photo Man
Photo Man is a photographer that spins down from the sky at important times to take pictures of Ness & company. Before taking a picture he says "Say Fuzzy Pickles" as opposed to "say cheese" (However, in the Japanese version, he tells Ness to say "cheese sandwich"). Photographs of these occasions are shown behind the closing credits, but the pictures are semi-pre-generated standard images, however they will reflect what characters you have in your party at the time, if they are dead (Ghost characters), and/or if you have any Teddy Bears in your inventory. The character's position when the photo is taken will not affect the final picture in the end credits.
Picky Minch
The younger (though far more mature) brother of Porkey. He plays a small role during the beginning of the game when he is lost on the mountain behind Onett. He temporarily joins Ness' party after he finds him on the mountain and Ness brings him home. Unlike Porkey, Picky provides some small aid to Ness in battle during this inital part of the game, although his attacks only cause 1 HP damage, and sometimes he chants a completely useless spell.
Runaway Five
Runaway Five (Tonzura Brothers in Japan) is a band that performs in Twoson and, later, Fourside. Despite being called Runaway Five, the band is actually composed of six members: two singers (who also dance on stage) and four instrumentalists. In Twoson, Ness frees the band from a large debt to the owner of the Chaos Theater with a wad of bills acquired from Everdred. In return, the band gives Ness a ride to Threed. In Fourside, the band has incurred an even larger debt to the owner of the Topolla Theater which Ness pays with a large diamond. They repay this second act of charity by aiding Ness in the Monotoli Building by pushing a button on the invincible Clumsy Robot, deactivating it and saving Ness and Jeff. They also pray for Ness and his party during the final battle.
Many believe them to be an homage to the Saturday Night Live Blues Brothers band as they are often caught in a pinch with money and resemble the characters.
Starman DX
Starman DX is a powerful and high-ranking Starman in the employ of Giygas. He abducts several characters, including Apple Kid, Tony and a Mr. Saturn, and imprisons them in the Stonehenge Base. He is ultimately defeated by Ness and his companions, and all his captives are freed.
Tendas
The Tendas (Gumi in Japan) are first encountered in the aptly named Tenda (Gumi) Village. Initially, they are extremely shy and will not talk to Ness until they are given the book "Overcoming Shyness". There is a second, extroverted tribe of Tendas living in the Underworld who believe that the area outside their village is a cage (despite the fact that the Underworld is incredibly large and completely surrounds this Tenda tribe).
Tessie
Tessie (Tassy in Japan) is a friendly, long-necked monster which lets Jeff ride on its back to cross the lake in Winters. She was inspired by Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.
Tony
Tony is Jeff's best friend and roommate. He joins Jeff's party during the period of the game the player controls Jeff and gives Jeff the boost needed to jump the fence of the boarding school. Shortly after the player makes a reservation for Club Stoic, he asks the player for his or her name, then calls to confirm it later after being rescued from the Stonehenge base. This information comes into play when the player prays to defeat Giygas. At the end of the game, he attempts to contact Jeff, but is unable to get a response.
Tracy
Ness's younger sister. Shortly after his adventure begins, she begins working with Escargo Express, and answers the phone when he calls to pick up or store items. If a party member leaves the party with an important item, she will call to notify Ness that the member left the item with her, regardless of the circumstances in which the party member leaves (e.g. If Poo has the Eye of the Hawk when he is summoned to his training, Tracy will hold it for Ness at Poo's request).
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References
- ^ "ほぼ日刊イトイ新聞 - 『MOTHER』の気持ち。" (in Japanese). 2003-04-24. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
- ^ "【イベントリポート】『メタルギア』20周年記念イベントで『スマブラX』の最新映像が披露" (in Japanese). 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2007-09-20.