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Etecoons and Dachoras. I've met these intelligent beings before. They seemed to recognize me, as well. How unusual to meet again here. In the past, they've helped me unleash abilities I didn't know I had. But where did they run to? I hope they're safe...

—Samus Aran

The Etecoon (Etekon in the Metroid Fusion debug data) is a species of friendly monkey-like creatures that appear in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.

Description[]

Etecoons inhabited the planet Zebes, dwelling in the overgrown caverns of Brinstar. They appear similar to primates, albeit with two alien antennae. Their in-game sprites are a greenish color in Super Metroid, but are depicted blue in artwork; Fusion consistently depicts them as blue. They are one of the few non-violent species Samus Aran encounters on Zebes. In Super Metroid, these rather intelligent mammals teach Samus how to Wall Jump to reach greater heights. When Samus enters their room, they sing the Item Acquisition Fanfare before performing the Wall Jump, and then Samus must repeat their motions to master the technique.

Later in the game, they are trapped along with the Dachora in the "Torizo's chamber", which is now being flooded with scalding-hot lava. Samus is able to save them by shooting out the wall so they can escape, and they flee Zebes using a spacecraft.[1] One Etecoon briefly approaches Samus before fleeing with the others.

The Etecoons and Dachoras appear again in Metroid Fusion, on board the Biologic Space Laboratories research station as the sole survivors of the X Parasite infestation. They are found on the Habitation Deck, confined in a sealed, tropical themed area with hanging tires for the Etecoons to play on. It is unknown why these creatures were on board, or why the X did not target them as potential hosts, though Adam suggests the creatures had no useful capabilities for the X. After Samus releases them, the Etecoons and Dachoras went to Samus's Starship, and they later save Samus from the space station's explosion after the defeat of the Omega Metroid by piloting her Starship into the room to rescue her.

The further fate of the Dachoras and Etecoons is unknown, as they neither appear nor are mentioned in Metroid Dread.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption[]

Noncanon
"What's the matter? All I said was that Komaytos look like little Metr-"

Non-canon warning: This article or section contains information that may not be considered an official part of the Metroid series in the overall storyline by Nintendo.

Though Etecoons do not appear in the game, files are present for an unused Logbook entry for a similar creature called an Endocoon. It is described as a cute, non-threatening mammal in the Logbook, which matches the description of the Etecoon. No models, textures or scripts exist for it in the game's internal files, but the room Xenoresearch Lab, on the G.F.S. Olympus, is internally named "04_gfship_endocoonlab", presumably indicating they were to appear there. The room's counterpart, on the G.F.S. Valhalla, is correspondingly named "04_abandoned_endocoon".

Asked about this, Corruption technical lead Jack Mathews suggested someone was "being cute" with an Etecoon reference that did not end up being added. He suggested that if Etecoons were intended to make an appearance, it was scuttled.[2]

Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.

Official data[]

Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide[]

ETECOON

Enemy Data Description
Color HP ATK E BE M SM PB Brinstar. The Etecoons will show you how to do the Wall Jump. They're friendly.
Normal - - - - - - -

Information

C. JUMP LIKE THE ETECOONS (pg. 49)
"These three little guys will show you the Triangle Jump technique. You can jump back and forth off of the walls as you go up the long shaft."

Unused Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Logbook entry[]

Noncanon
"What's the matter? All I said was that Komaytos look like little Metr-"

Non-canon warning: This article or section contains information that may not be considered an official part of the Metroid series in the overall storyline by Nintendo.

Endocoon

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Temporary scan

Morphology: Endocoon
Threat level low. Fond of machinery. Widely considered to be cute.

Logbook entry

Endocoons are a semisentient species of mammal known for their playful demeanor. They are particularly fond of machines, perhaps drawn by the hum of an engine or the shine of metal. Unfortunately, their inquisitive nature can be quite disruptive, especially when fine machinery is involved.

Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.

Super Metroid Developer Interview[]

MetroidFusion Fan
Warning: Fan Translation(s) Ahead

This article, section, or file contains text that is unofficially translated by Metroid fans. Some information (such as proper English names of characters or items) may not be accurate. If an official translation becomes available, the fan translation(s) may be replaced.

Storyboard1

Akinori Sao: Yamamoto-san, what part of Super Metroid do you recommend?

Yamamoto: This is a bit detailed, but after you beat the last boss, Mother Brain, Samus escapes, right? The planet is beginning to explode, so you really have to hustle. But at a certain spot, there's a Dachora and some Etecoons…

Sakamoto: Dachoras and Etecoons are alien creatures who teach Samus new moves, and they've gotten trapped while trying to evacuate.

Sao: If you help them, the ending changes. Is that right?

Sakamoto: The ending doesn't exactly change, but when the planet explodes and Samus just barely clears the blast in her ship, out to the side you can see…

Yamamoto: The Dachora and Etecoons escape, too.

Sakamoto: About one dot of light shoots out from the exploding planet! (laughs)

Sao:(laughs) You understand from that one dot of light that they survived.

Sakamoto: I tried it myself, and the dot was so small I could barely see it! (laughs)

Sao: Is that because it was an old tube TV?

Sakamoto: Yes. With the high resolution screens today, you should be able to see it clearly. I hope people will check that out for themselves.

Yamamoto: There may also be people who played Super Metroid before who don't know about that. I hope they will play the game again and help those creatures! [3]

Trivia[]

  • Although it is stated in Metroid Fusion that the Etecoons teach Samus to Wall Jump, she has this ability in Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid: Samus Returns, all of which chronologically happen before Samus first encounters the Etecoons in Super Metroid.
  • In concept storyboards, it says there are four Etecoons. However, only three are ever shown in both Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.
  • Yasuhiko Fujii stated that the idea of saving the Dachoras and Etecoons was conceptualized by another programmer on the game, but did not say who that was.[4]
  • An Etecoon appears as a stuffed toy in Samus & Joey.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide
  2. ^ (2022, January 26). Episode 21 – Jack Mathews (Ex Retro Studios) [Podcast]. Shinesparkers. Shinesparkers. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. (starts at 19:50)
  3. ^ https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-super-metroid
  4. ^ "That was something a different programmer came up with on his own. And if you save them, when the planet explodes there’s some extra graphics showing them successfully escape too." http://shmuplations.com/yasuhikofujii/


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