We recently took notice of Madame Blackwatch’s Instagram page where she has posted a number of photos depicting her cosplays. About four years ago, Madame Blackwatch cosplayed as Zero Suit Samus, specifically based on how the character appears in the Super Smash Bros. series.
The idea of wanting to cosplay as Zero Suit Samus is one that makes sense considering the character’s popularity. The original Metroid was released back in 1986 for Japan and 1987 for North America.
It’s often said that the original Metroid game is one of the most influential games that really started “Metroidvania” genre. Of course, it should be noted that Metroid actually wasn’t the first of its kind as Below the Root was released back in 1984 while Brain Breaker was released in 1985, both before Metroid.
Regardless, part of the reason why the Metroid series became so successful was due to the character behind Samus. Many feds were led to believe that Samus was either a male or a machine, but fans learned the shocking twist that Samus was actually a female if they were able to complete the game along with certain prerequisites.
Zero Suit Samus’ first playable appearance was in Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance when it was released back in 2004. In that game, Zero Suit Samus was relegated to playing stealthily as she wasn’t powerful enough to take down enemies until she was able to reacquire her Power Suit.
Going back to Madame Blackwatch’s cosplay of Zero Suit Samus, we know this depiction is based on how the character appears in the Super Smash Bros. series rather than Metroid: Zero Mission due to the presence of her Jet Boots. These Jet Boots first debuted in Super Smash Bros. 4 and returned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
While the Jet Boots themselves ironically don’t do much by themselves to aid Zero Suit Samus’ recovery back to the stage, it turns out that the move is actually a powerful finisher. At high level play, players often use Zero Suit Samus’ up special at the end of juggles to take stocks from opponents.
Zero Suit Samus is also armed with the Paralyzer, an emergency stun pistol. Though the Paralyzer isn’t as powerful as the Power Suit’s Arm Cannon, it’s useful enough to stun enemies long enough for her to either get away or capitalize on a combo opportunity.
Specifically in the Super Smash Bros. series, the Paralyzer can be transformed into the Plasma Whip. Doing so is able to greatly augment Zero Suit Samus’ reach, which works particularly well with her high mobility.
Of course, the most defining characteristic of the Zero Suit Samus outfit is the skintight nature of it. Needless to say, Madame Blackwatch was able to accurately portray Zero Suit Samus during her cosplay.
Check it all out below:
