Ghosts (''Pac-Man'')

Ghosts
Pac-Man characters
Pac-Man title screen featuring the ghosts and their names. Below is their appearance when they are edible.
First game Pac-Man (1980)
Created by Namco
Voiced by (see below)

Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, are the primary group of fictional ghosts (Japanese: モンスター monsutā, "monsters") who serve as the main antagonists in the Pac-Man franchise. Several different ghosts have appeared throughout the franchise, aside from the ones in the main aforementioned group.

History

The enemies in Pac-Man are known variously as "ghosts", "goblins", and "monsters".[1][2][3] Despite the seemingly random nature of the enemies, their movements are strictly deterministic, which players have used to their advantage. In an interview, creator Toru Iwatani stated that he had designed each enemy with its own distinct personality in order to keep the game from becoming impossibly difficult or boring to play.[4] More recently, Iwatani described the enemy behaviors in more detail at the 2011 Game Developers Conference. He stated that the red enemy chases Pac-Man, and the pink and blue enemies try to position themselves in front of Pac-Man's mouth.[5] Although he claimed that the orange enemy's behavior is random, the game's code reveals that it actually chases Pac-Man most of the time, but also moves toward the lower-left corner of the maze when it gets too close to Pac-Man.

Cartoons

In the Pac-Man cartoon, with the male Ghost Monsters wearing various styles of hats and partnered with a new ghost named Sue (who was purple and wore earrings), the Ghost Monsters work for Mezmaron who assigns them the job of finding the Power Pellet Forest. Just as Pac-Man could "chomp" the Ghost Monsters to devour their "suits" after gulping down a power pellet and thus turning the Ghost Monsters blue — with their disembodied "eyes" floating back to Mezmaron's lair — the Ghost Monsters themselves, whenever Pac-Man hadn't been able to consume a power pellet for a time, could likewise "chomp" Pac-Man to defeat him. The episodes "Chomp-Out at the O.K. Corral" and "The Greatest Show in Pacland" featured the Ghost Monsters' 3-year-old cousin named Dinky who was bratty, which greatly annoyed all the male ghost monsters.

In the 2013 TV series Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, the four Ghosts come from the Netherworld. Though they are ruled by Lord Betrayus, they are actually good-natured spirits and often supply Pac-Man with information about Lord Betrayus' plots, while ensuring Betrayus doesn't catch them in the act. It is also suggested that they could be reunited with their bodies and brought back to life, though their 'living' forms are unknown. There were also some Ghosts that were exclusive to the TV series like Cyclops Ghosts (a race of heavyset, horned Ghosts with one eye), Fire Ghosts (a race of orange Ghosts who can emit fire from their body), Tentacle Ghosts (a race of 4-eyed purple-black Ghosts who look similar to jellyfish), Guardian Ghosts (a race of large Ghosts who guard the Netherworld), and Aqua Ghosts (a race of light blue Ghosts with fins on their head).

Known ghosts

Below is the description of each Ghost.[6]

Color Pac Man (Original)[7] Pac-Man (English version)
Character
(Personality)		 Translation Nickname Translation Alternate
Character		 Alternate
Nickname		 Character
(Personality)		 Nickname
Red Oikake (追いかけ) Chaser Akabei (赤ベイ) Red guy Urchin Macky Shadow Blinky
Pink Machibuse (待ち伏せ) Ambusher Pinky (ピンキー) Pink guy Romp Micky Speedy Pinky
Cyan Kimagure (気まぐれ) Fickle Aosuke (青助) Blue guy Stylist Mucky Bashful Inky
Orange Otoboke (お惚け) Feigned Ignorance Guzuta (愚図た) Slow guy Crybaby Mocky Pokey Clyde

Blinky

Shadow, better known by his nickname, Blinky, is a red ghost who, in the original arcade game, follows behind Pac-Man. He is considered the leader of the ghosts. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Blinky (voiced by Chuck McCann) is slow-witted and cowardly with grammar problems. In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Blinky (voiced by Ian James Corlett in the TV series and by Lucien Dodge in the video game) is the default leader of the Ghost Gang Family and tends to help the winning side. Blinky receives a speed boost after a number of pac-pellets have been cleared. This mode has been informally referred to as "Cruise Elroy".[6][8]

Pinky

Speedy, known better as Pinky, is a pink ghost, who is in the original arcade game, positions in front of Pac-Man. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Pinky (voiced by Chuck McCann) is depicted as male dimwitted shape shifter. In recent games, and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Pinky (voiced by Ashleigh Ball in the TV series and by Julie Kliewer in the video game and sequel) is depicted as a female with a crush on Pac-Man, which often puts her at odds with Cylindria.

Inky

Bashful, or, Inky is a baby blue ghost who, in the original arcade game, has a fickle mood. He can be unpredictable. Sometimes he chases Pac-Man aggressively like Blinky; other times he jumps ahead of Pac-Man as Pinky would. He might even wander off like Clyde on occasion. In the Pac-Man cartoon, Inky (voiced by Barry Gordon) is depicted as dim and loony. In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Inky (voiced by Lee Tockar in the TV series and by Bryce Papenbrook in the video game) is the youngest member. Though the smartest, he lacks focus most of the time. In Pac-Man, Inky likes to appear in front of Pac-Man's face.

Clyde

Clyde, whose original name is listed as Pokey, is an orange ghost who, in the original arcade game, acts stupid. He will chase after Pac-Man in Blinky's manner, but will wander off to his home corner when he gets too close. In Ms. Pac-Man, this ghost is named Sue, and in Jr. Pac-Man, this ghost is named Tim. In the animated series, Clyde (voiced by Neil Ross) is the leader of the group. In recent games and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Clyde (voiced by Brian Drummond in the TV series and by Orion Acaba in the video game) is depicted as a large ghost who is simple, but not unintelligent and has an appetite equal to Pac-Man's. He lacks the devious natures of his brothers and sister and is considerate towards others.

Other Ghosts

With the release of further Pac-Man games, more ghosts have been added.

  • Kinky – the golden yellow Ghost who appeared only in Pac-Man Arrangement. Also called Kinzo, Kinky is the scientist of the Ghosts who has the ability to combine with other Ghosts. When he combines with Clyde (note: in Pac-Man Arrangement, Clyde was red and Blinky was orange), Kinky becomes a bull-like ghost named Urchin, who can charge after Pac-Man. When he combines with Inky, Kinky's glasses appear on Inky's body and grant this new combined ghost (named Stylist) the ability to split in two. Stylist's reflection will mirror his movements on the other half of the map (about the vertical axis). When Kinky combines with Pinky, the resulting ghost is rabbit-like and named Romp. Romp can hop to any part of the map, usually very close to Pac-Man's position. The combination of Kinky and Blinky results in Crybaby, a bigger and chubbier version of Blinky who adds 20-point Pac-Dots anywhere in the maze.
  • Orson / Toc-Man – a greenish-gray intellectual Ghost who initially appears as the main antagonist of Pac-Man World under the alias of Toc-Man the robot, mocking Pac-Man. In Pac-Man World 3, Orson has reformed and is now an ally of Pac-Man.
  • Spooky – a dark gray Ghost in gray armor who is the King of the Ghosts in ancient times until he was sealed under the Golden Fruit Tree in Pac Village by Sir Pac-A-Lot. Spooky is the main antagonist of Pac-Man World 2.
  • Ghost Witch of Netor - the leader of the ghost gang and the main antagonist of Pac-Man 2:The New Adventures and Pac-in-Time.
  • Funky – a jumping green Ghost who debuted in the game Pac-Mania. He has an interest in Sue and jumps lower than Pac-Man. Funky and Spunky only jump in the worlds of Sandbox Land and Jungly Steps.
  • Spunky – a jumping dark gray Ghost who debuted in Pac-Mania. She is the female counterpart of Funky who jumps just as high as Pac-Man. She was recolored black in some home console remakes/ports.
  • Sue – is the female counterpart of Clyde in Ms. Pac-Man, entirely identical to him. In the Hanna Barbera Pac-Man animated series, Sue (voiced by Susan Silo) is featured as Clyde's second-in-command and is recolored purple. She also appears in Pac-Land and Pac-Mania, still purple, now wearing mascara and eyeshadow, greatly resembling her cartoon counterpart.
  • Tim – is an orange Ghost who appeared exclusively as Clyde's replacement in Jr. Pac-Man.
  • Yum-Yum – the female red Ghost who debuted in Jr. Pac-Man. She is a relative of Blinky and has a romantic relationship with Jr. Pac-Man. Yum-Yum appears exclusively in Jr. Pac-Man's cutscenes.
  • Lord Betrayus (full name: Betrayus Sneakerus Spheros) – a black and white ghost who is the supreme ruler of the Netherworld and of all Ghosts and Monsters. He acts as the main antagonist of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures and its video game adaptions. His primary goal is to steal the Power Berries and take over Pac-World to rule it with an iron fist. He is currently voiced by Samuel Vincent.
  • Butt-ler – Betrayus' long suffering personal servant and butler who appears in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. He is a purplish-gray ghost with a butt-shaped head, topped with a dapper black hat. He's always loyal to his master. He will take some small satisfaction seeing Betrayus fall flat on his face.
  • Dr. Buttocks – the Netherworld's greatest mad scientist and Butt-ler's twin brother who also has a butt-shaped head, but is light blue, has a cybernetic right hand, wears glasses and speaks with a German accent. Sometimes, he doesn't like Butt-ler. Dr. Buttocks specializes in monster experimentation in hopes of achieving Pac-World domination. He sometimes suspects that the Ghost Gang are working with Pac-Man, but has had no luck convincing Betrayus of this since he usually blames him or his brother for his failures and sometimes tortures him for fun. He wants all of the workers to get out of his way.

Voice actors

American

Blinky
Chuck McCann in the television series
Martin T. Sherman in Pac-Man World 3
Ian James Corlett in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV series
Lucien Dodge in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures video game and sequel
Inky
Barry Gordon in the television series
Stuart Milligan in Pac-Man World 3
Lee Tockar in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV series)
Bryce Papenbrook in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures video game and sequel
Pinky
Chuck McCann in the television series
Mindy Lee Raskin in Pac-Man World 3
Ashleigh Ball in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV series)
Julie Kliewer in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures video game and sequel
Clyde
Neil Ross in the television series
John Guerrasio in Pac-Man World 3
Kevin Deters in Wreck-It Ralph
Brian Drummond in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV series)
Orion Acaba in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures video game and sequel
Sue
Susan Silo in the television series

Japanese

Blinky
Kazuhiro Fusegawa in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Inky
Mai Tōdō in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Pinky
Kiyono Yasuno in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Clyde
Yutaka Nakano in Wreck-It Ralph
Kunpei Sakamoto in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

In other media

  • In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Gang Busters", Buster Bunny and Plucky Duck play Pac-Man using their eyeballs as the characters. Buster plays as the ghosts.
  • The Ghosts appear in The Simpsons episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", where they are seen at Pac-Man's wedding. They also appear in the episode "I Married Marge", where Mr. Burns was playing Ms. Pac-Man and laughs when he eats the ghosts.
  • The Ghosts appear in the Futurama episode "Anthology of Interest II".
  • The Ghosts appear in the South Park trilogy "Imaginationland".
  • The Ghosts appear in the Family Guy episode "Stuck Together, Torn Apart".
  • The Ghosts appear in the Annoying Orange episodes "Pac-Mania" and "TV OF TERROR".
  • In the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode "Duchess of Wails"' Duchess calls Mac and Bloo "Blinky and Clyde" in one scene.
  • Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde appear in Wreck-It Ralph. While Blinky, Inky, and Pinky appear in Game Central Station, Clyde (voiced by Kevin Deters) is shown to be the head of Bad-Anon (a support group for video game villains) where the members have been meeting in the Pac-Man game once a week. When Wreck-It Ralph comments on how he does not want to be a villain anymore, Clyde is among the villains that react to this. When Ralph states he gets no respect from the others characters, Clyde understands how he feels but says that he will have to accept who he is.
  • The Ghosts appear in the MAD segments "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Icarus", where they were shown chasing Pac-Man, and "ParaMorgan", where they were shown with other popular fictional ghosts.
  • The Ghosts appear in secret levels in Wolfenstein 3D.
  • The Ghosts appeared in Abobo's Big Adventure as enemies on Contra Bobo. When Abobo hits them, they will turn blue and when Abobo hit scared ghosts, they will die with their eyes run offscreen.
  • The Ghosts appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Pac-Man uses them for his Smash attacks and they can also be summoned through an Assist Trophy. The Ghosts also wander in the Pac-Maze stage found in the 3DS version. They deal damage upon contact with other fighters and can be eaten by those who got a Power Pellet.
  • In Pixels, four Mini-Cooper cars played as the ghosts against a large pixelated vision of Pac-Man, created by aliens. They are the same colors as the ghosts and have license plates with their names. They are used by the main characters and the creator of Pac-Man.

References

  1. ↑ Pac-Man, The Arcade Flyer Archive, 1980, archived from the original on August 10, 2007, retrieved May 23, 2012
  2. ↑ "What is Pacman?". Pacman.com. Namco. Archived from the original on 2010-11-28. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  3. ↑ Martijn Müller (June 3, 2010). "Pac-Man wereldrecord beklonken en het hele verhaal" (in Dutch). NG-Gamer. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27.
  4. ↑ Mateas, Michael (2003). "Expressive AI: Games and Artificial Intelligence" (PDF). Proceedings of Level Up: Digital Games Research Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands.
  5. ↑ "News Headlines". Cnbc.com. March 3, 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  6. 1 2 Ashley Davis. "Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde: A small onomastic study". Destructoid.
  7. ↑ DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (December 18, 2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. ISBN 0-07-222428-2.
  8. ↑ "Monster Characters".
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