Changes: Kraid

Latest revision as of 14:51, 2 April 2024

This is a featured article.

This article is about the character. For the area, see Kraid's Lair.

“	ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! (That's probably a greeting.)	„
—Kraid, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Kraid (クレイド, Kureido^?) is a corpulent, three-eyed green reptilian extraterrestrial from the Metroid series. He is a Space Pirate and one of the largest enemies Samus Aran ever encounters in her missions, taking up multiple screens at a time. He is featured as a boss in Metroid, its remake Metroid: Zero Mission, Super Metroid, and Metroid Dread.

Background[]

Although Kraid is known to be a Space Pirate, his rank within the organization has never been officially stated. He is likely a high-ranked member and may even be a leader due to several factors such as being a prominent boss in his canon appearances. In fact, both of Samus Aran's missions on Zebes require Kraid, among others, to be killed as a means to infiltrate the Pirate HQ, Tourian. The rooms preceding his lair in Super Metroid are filled with Space Pirates in the form of Zebesians and Kihunters, giving the implication they're defending him.

Giving further credence to Kraid having a high-ranking status is his close association with Ridley, a fellow Space Pirate firmly stated to occupy a leadership position; starting with the original Metroid game where the boss duo under Mother Brain consisted of Kraid and Ridley, the two draconic characters have often been depicted as comrades in various official artwork, media and merchandise where they're posed side-by-side and/or teamed up against Samus Aran, with the latest example seen in Metroid Dread's galleries. Within the games, their association is only shown via their statues featured in Metroid along with its remake and Super Metroid, while the Magazine Z manga outright states they are comrades.

Additionally, he is described in the Metroid Prime manual alongside Ridley as the Space Pirate armies' "mainstays"; one could easily imagine the colossal Kraid as the muscle and backbone behind Pirate attacks and raids. As is the case with most Space Pirates, his origins and his homeworld remain unknown.

A press kit profile for Super Metroid has Samus refer to Kraid as the "brutal ruler of Brinstar". In official Zero Mission art on the Japanese website, Kraid is titled the Awakened Behemoth (目覚めた巨獣生物^?).

Abilities[]

Kraid attacks solely with his body's natural weapons. He shoots dagger-like spikes from his belly and spinning claws from his hands, the latter which consist of either his nails or entire fingers depending on the game; all of his weapons are infinitely generated in his body. In his Super Metroid and Metroid Dread appearances, he gains the ability to spew out rock-like projectiles from his mouth in addition to small fireballs in the latter game. Kraid also uses his arms' raw strength to hit Samus while using his massive body to push and corner her. In the manga, he demonstrates extreme accuracy with his belly spikes by successfully pinning down three of Samus's limbs against the floor (without harming her no less) before he follows up with a stomp, crushing her under his weight.

In Super Metroid, Kraid burrows out of the ground at the start of his battle, establishing him as a natural digger. He does so in Metroid: Zero Mission as well, though to a lesser extent.

The skin on Kraid's body is completely invulnerable to damage and impenetrable from the outside, making all of Samus's weapons useless. Only areas with soft tissue are exploitable, namely his eyes and the inside of his mouth, and his incredible height helps keep these areas out of conventional reach. In Metroid Dread, he is shown to be unaffected by lava when he is found imprisoned and partially submerged in the substance, capable of moving through it without expressing any pain except for discomfort towards the shackles limiting his range of movement. His immunity to lava seems to be on an external surface only, for he desperately tries to stop himself from sinking in it after the cables around his collar, which were keeping his enormous body afloat, are removed. Kraid's skin does not retain its invulnerability in the manga: Samus manages to blow up his left foot and inflicts further damage to his body with mere Bombs.

Appearances[]

Metroid[]

In Metroid for the Famicom and NES, Kraid is one of the two bosses on Zebes whose defeat is required to access Tourian. He dwells within Mini-Boss Hideout I, found in a room surrounded by a pool of acid. His original design differed considerably from later installments; besides being approximately the same height as Samus, he also has green fur on his back, only two eyes, and boomerang cutters that can fly from his back. He fights with these arching cutters, also shooting spikes straight out from the front of his body.

Kraid can be damaged by any of Samus' weapons, but the invulnerability of his projectiles makes for a powerful defense. In particular, the middle spike on Kraid's front is aligned with the Arm Cannon's line of fire, requiring either precise jumps or timing to aim between the spikes. Samus can use the Ice Beam to temporarily freeze Kraid's spikes, leaving him completely exposed until the ice thaws. Only the front spike closest to the floor can never be frozen, due to the absence of crouching or diagonal aim in the game. However, if Kraid's projectiles are frozen before he launches them, they'll remain attached to his body for an extended period. The Screw Attack and Bombs can also harm him, but the close proximity needed to make them effective makes them risky. Due to all of the mechanics in Kraid's battle, he is generally considered to be a more difficult boss than Ridley.

Worthy to note is that due to the Famicom console's superior internal memory, the back spikes on Kraid and his doppelganger are thrown in various different trajectories chosen at random. The NES console's lower specs only offer a single path for these projectiles (among other objects and enemies in-game), making the non-Japanese version of Kraid slightly less challenging.

Once Samus defeats Kraid, 75 Missiles are added to her maximum amount. His defeat also activates one of the two Stone Statues overlooking the path to Tourian.

Main article: Fake Kraid

There is also a Fake Kraid which Samus can encounter before fighting the real Kraid. However, since there are multiple paths leading to the authentic Kraid, Samus may never come across the imposter. Fake-Kraid shares the same attacks and the appearance of his namesake, but is a darker shade of brown with light blue fur and has much less health. Unlike the real Kraid, it respawns after death if Samus re-enters the room.

Metroid: Zero Mission[]

In the remake, Kraid's size and design are revised to resemble his appearance in Super Metroid. He is initially asleep with the lower half of his body buried when Samus first enters the room, before awakening and emerging to do battle. He attacks by ejecting the boomerang claws from his right hand, sometimes swiping at Samus with his left hand if she gets too close. He can only be damaged on the inside of his mouth, so Samus must first hit him in the eyes with a Charge Beam or Missile to make him roar before she can hurt him.

Once Kraid has taken enough damage or if Samus falls off the pillar in front of him, he begins shooting spikes from the two lowest holes in his belly. This destroys most of the aforementioned pillar, leaving a small floating platform for Samus to stand on when attacking his face. The belly spikes get embedded into the wall and Samus may use them to climb back up if she falls, though she must be quick about it as they explode after a few seconds. When his health is critical, Kraid moves closer to corner her and begins shooting from all three belly holes. The top most spike destroys the remaining platform, leaving Samus with only the embedded projectiles to use if she wishes to reach his face. If enough Missiles and/or Super Missiles have been collected prior to reaching Kraid, Samus can quickly defeat him before he manages to damage the pillar she initially stands on.

Upon his defeat, Kraid sinks back into the ground while roaring and explodes. This unlocks one of the Stone Statues leading to Tourian, and also allows Samus access to a room behind him containing the Speed Booster.

Metroid: Volume 2[]

Kraid appears in the second half of the Metroid: Volume 2 manga, which is an adaptation of most of the events of Zero Mission. Mother Brain describes Kraid as "Ridley's comrade" and also states that "his skin is on par with an anti-optical shield", explaining how most weapons cause him negligible damage.

Metroid Prime[]

Metroid Prime's instruction manual refers to events of the original Metroid, such as Samus Aran killing the "gargantuan mainstays of the Space Pirate army, Ridley and Kraid", foreshadowing their retconned sizes in Metroid: Zero Mission. The manual also mentions that, after the fall of Zebes's Pirate base, the Space Pirates orbiting the planet split into two main camps - one to search for a planet with powerful energy resources (soon settling on Tallon IV), and the other to rebuild their ravaged facility on Zebes and resuscitate Ridley, Mother Brain, and Kraid. Only Ridley, as the reborn Meta Ridley, would make an active appearance in the game, leaving the other two's redevelopment at an unknown status throughout the entire Prime series.

Super Metroid[]

Kraid reappears in Super Metroid, being the first appearance of his iconic giant size. Before his room, there is an unavoidable encounter with an imposter named Mini-Kraid, akin to the original Metroid. It is much smaller and falls quickly to Missiles. This decoy is a bait-and-switch, especially effective on players going in blind from the first Metroid. Just outside Kraid's room, there is also a mysterious corpse with signs of advanced decomposition and Sbugs. It is unknown if the killer was Kraid or his respective Gadora.

Kraid is nowhere to be seen in his room at first, until his upper torso tunnels out of the thorns atop the floor to face Samus. In this phase, Kraid attacks by spitting rock-like projectiles or charging to skewer Samus against the wall with his claws. The inside of his mouth is his weakpoint which he exposes when he roars in reaction to being shot in the face, or when using the aforementioned projectiles. Once Kraid takes a set amount of damage, he rises entirely out of the ground, breaking the ceiling to reveal a large chamber with platforms sitting above the thorny ground.

In his standing phase, Kraid takes up approximately two vertical screens' worth of space, making him the largest being in the entire game. He stops spitting rocks and instead shoots spikes from his three belly holes, as well as throwing his boomerang claws which now bounce around the room. The belly spikes do not stick into the back wall and instead travel through it completely, leaving very little time for Samus to stand on them. She can shoot Kraid in either of the three holes to trigger a roar from him if needed. Kraid is also unexpectedly mobile, as he moves back and forth across the room and can push Samus off the small platforms into the thorns below. Similar to the battle in Zero Mission, a quick kill can be performed on Kraid which prevents the 2nd phase from occurring.

As Kraid dies, he falls through the floor while weakly roaring. His death activates one of the Golden Statues to Tourian, and allows Samus access to a room behind him where the Varia Suit can be collected.

Metroid Dread[]

After decades of absence, Kraid returns in Metroid Dread as the main boss of Cataris. Although the Chozo Archives depict Mawkin Chozo Soldiers restraining him in Cataris, no further explanation is given for his presence on ZDR.

While identified as Kraid in the game's map and Mission Log, it is unclear if this is the same character from previous games; Metroid Dread Report Volume 6 coyly describes him as "a giant monster who appears to be Kraid" rather than outright confirming his identity. Quiet Robe's exposition presents an unclear timeline for the aforementioned Chozo Archive image, since the Mawkin were being ravaged by X Parasites while Samus exterminated the Metroids on SR388. This suggests that this Kraid is a separate specimen (much like Mini-Kraid) captured at an earlier time by the Mawkin. Otherwise, this would mean that the Chozo Soldiers were still active during the events of Super Metroid to capture Kraid despite the X infestation. Kraid's aggressive behavior suggests he recognizes Samus as his old foe; alternatively, if this Kraid is another specimen altogether, his aggression may be a Pavlovian response to associating Samus's Chozo armor with his captors. There is also a possibility that Kraid may have been cloned, since Raven Beak indicates that he is capable of cloning creatures as bioweapons.^[1]

His appearance differs very little from the last two encounters except for his eye lids which are now vertically aligned rather than horizontally. Kraid is held prisoner in a large room full of lava; his legs and tail are submerged in the substance while his neck and wrists are bound by giant restraints. His middle belly hole is swollen with a sickly purple color due to a parasite infestation.

His roars can first be heard from neighbouring rooms as Samus approaches. Upon entering, she remains cautious of the darkness but eases up upon seeing the restrained Kraid. He lunges at her with a bite but the various shackles on his body prevent him from reaching her and he resorts to roar angrily at her. Unshaken, she calmly shoots him in the mouth with her Charge Beam and after regaining his composure, he unsuccessfully tries to free his arms and roars once more, initiating the boss battle. Later on, Kraid manages to break the restraint on his left arm through sheer strength, granting him a minor amount of freedom to move around.

At the end of the battle, Samus runs up Kraid's belly and he frees his restrained right arm in an attempt to smack her before following with a bite. She evades both attacks and jumps onto the dangling wire that previously held his left arm. She dodges another swipe from Kraid, causing him to smash a nearby wall as Samus safely lands on a ledge. Due to all the agitation and/or the severing of both arm shackles, one of the cables tied to Kraid's collar breaks off and he begins sinking into the lava, revealing that the devices on his body are not only holding him prisoner but also keeping his body afloat. He grasps at the walls and shoots one last stomach spike that Samus dodges with ease. The final cable breaks, and Kraid loses his grip as the collar's weight sinks him further. He claws at the ledge on which Samus stands before completely submerging. Afterwards, Samus uses Kraid's final spike as a platform to reach the exit, leading her to the Diffusion Beam.

Although Kraid's fate beneath the lava is not explicitly shown, his death is suggested by the purple X Parasite that creates Raven Beak X, a giant amalgamated monstrosity combining Raven Beak with features from Kraid.^[2] However, the belly spike that Samus used to exit the room vanishes following the X Parasites' release from Elun; this leads to the possibility that the X instead acquired Kraid's genetic information by consuming the leftover spike.^[3] Whether he died by drowning in the lava or through the actions of the X, the subsequent obliteration of Raven Beak X at the hands of Samus' Hyper Beam, along with the entirety of planet ZDR self-destructing minutes later, leads to the safe assumption that Kraid was thoroughly eliminated.

Battle[]

Metroid Dread Samus and Kraid — Samus confronting Kraid in *Metroid Dread*.

Similar to Super Metroid, Kraid's battle has two phases: one against his upper half, the other against his full height. Samus first fights atop a platform as he spits globules and fireballs, and throws boomerang claws. His weak point is his mouth, which he opens as he roars or spits; it can also be forced open by shooting him in the eyes with the Charge Beam or Missiles as usual. Samus can destroy the globules he spits for pickups.

Once Kraid takes sufficient damage, he frees his left arm to smash the platform, forcing Samus to stand on broken metal atop the surface of the lava. Kraid is still restrained by his neck and right arm, forcing him to attack with his belly holes by releasing Bouncing Creatures and splashes of pink acid. Samus must shoot the sore on his lowest belly hole, provoking him into firing his classic belly spikes, which Samus should duck under as they smash into the wall. The tremor brings down a blue magnetic strip that Samus can grip with the Spider Magnet; it then rises to Kraid's face. Alternatively, Samus can wait for his spike attack regularly and quickly climb them before they shatter, grabbing the blue magnetic strip to attack his face.

Hanging from the magnetic strip, Samus can resume her previous tactic of shooting Kraid in the mouth. Kraid uses his old attacks, but also a new backhand swipe from his left arm which is susceptible to the Melee Counter, allowing Samus to initiate a Grab Sequence. In the Grab Sequence, she leaps over his punch and kicks a foot into his jaws, prying his mouth open to fire directly inside before retreating to the magnetic strip. Afterwards, Kraid will perform another punch to force Samus down; this is telegraphed by his eyes glowing brightly, allowing Samus to potentially avoid it with a careful jump. If Samus falls back to the broken platform below, she must repeat Kraid's second phase to reach his face once more.

Sequence breaking can completely change the dynamic of the battle. If Morph Ball Bombs have been obtained early, Samus can use a Morph Ball launcher hidden in the lower left corner of the room to blast herself into Kraid's belly sore; there, she can repeatedly plant Bombs inside to instantly defeat him. This must be done quickly, as Samus takes steady damage while inside the hole. Additionally, if Flash Shift is obtained, Samus can instantly trigger the Grab Sequence by Flash Shifting into Kraid's face when his eyes flash.^[4]

Cancelled appearances[]

"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.

Metroid Prime[]

MP Kraid — Kraid as he would have appeared in *Prime*.

Kraid was intended to have a larger role in the first Metroid Prime game; a reborn Kraid was planned to make an appearance as a boss character in the Phazon Mines area on Tallon IV. He was modeled and textured by Gene Kohler for that purpose. He possessed what appears to be a metal helmet on his head, likely made by the Space Pirates to protect his eyes (an exploitable weakpoint established in other games). Kohler indicated in an email reply to N-Sider that the helmet was supposed to be an obstacle to be overcome in the planned fight against him. This was later clarified by an anonymous former employee at Retro who stated players needed to cause objects to collapse onto his armored head, a goal made difficult by Kraid firing projectiles at Samus from his belly holes and tipping over the platforms she needed to ascend; the former employee further stated there may have been additional phases to the fight, but could not recall them. Interesting to note is that his belly projectiles were mentioned by the same person to be missiles instead of the organic spikes previously used on Zebes, strongly implying that the Space Pirates had installed weapon systems in his body. While Kraid likely was not cybernetically enhanced to the same extent as his comrade Meta Ridley, the missile system and the metal helmet contribute the fan-coined nickname "Meta Kraid".

A piece of concept art made during Metroid Prime's development shows a helmetless Kraid extending multiple organic spears from his stomach at Samus while she is jumping and firing at his exposed face; she appears to have simultaneously destroyed some of his uppermost spears and dodged a strike from his left hand along the way. This concept, in which Kraid features over two dozen belly ports launching a different type of weapon, may have represented a phase following the destruction of his helmet. The fight (and character) ultimately did not make its way into the game in time for the release. According to Jack Mathews, the Omega Pirate replaced Kraid, since it was built on the existing Elite Pirate AI, whereas Kraid required new AI to be written.^[5] The Elite Quarters, where the Omega Pirate is fought, was intended to be Kraid's location.^[6]

Due to being cut from Metroid Prime, Kraid's only 3D appearances had been in other series, namely the Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths stage of Super Smash Bros. and the Metroid Blast attraction of Nintendo Land, until he finally appeared nineteen years later in Metroid Dread.

Metroid Prime Nintendo Power ad that mentions Kraid — Advertisement for *Prime* in *Nintendo Power* that mentions Kraid.

Developer comments[]

“	I had completely finished modeling and texturing Kraid. The level that he was to be included in was well underway to being designed. There just was not enough development time remaining to fully implement all aspects of the scenario that were needed to pull off a highly polished\fun gaming experience... animations\effects\programming\etc. It was decided that Kraid was not imperative enough to the Metroid Prime project to run the risk of pushing up the release date in order to fit him in. I'm sure the folks over at Retro are designing ways to fit Kraid in possible future Metroid titles.	„
—Gene Kohler, May 11, 2004 (Mythicahq.com)

“	According to Mr. Kohler in an email to N-Sider, Kraid is said to have a metal plate covering his face due to it being a designed gameplay feature - an item that you had to overcome in your encounter against Kraid. Although, he said, if the model does appear in a future Metroid title, expect some modifications to be made as the older ideas become refined.	„
—N-Sider

“	Kraid was really just some ideas and a first pass model. We were about to start work on him when he was cut. The overall idea was to have Kraid at one end of a large cavern, and some rickety platforms at the other end that Kraid could reach out to and tip over. He would also fire missiles at you from his belly ports. As I recall you would have to climb to the top and trigger something to collapse on him several times. There were probably other stages but I don’t remember them.	„
—Anonymous Retro Studios Employee^[7]

“	Probably the biggest throwaway I remember was Kraid. There were some prototypes for him, but it was pretty obvious we would run out of time to get him done. (asked to elaborate) I wish I remembered more. I just remember he was huge, that there were a bunch of jumping pieces, and that there was no way we were going to make it work in the time we had. I believe the Omega Pirate took his place, and I’m actually ok with that, because I thought that ended up being a pretty cool boss.	„
—Jack Mathews, January 20, 2018^[8]

Mathews also joked that Kraid was cut because "we had a hard time finding him a toothbrush".^[9]

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption[]

Though Kraid does not appear in this game, a released storyboard for an unused introduction animation by Ben Sprout features a creature resembling Kraid attacking Samus, but is quickly destroyed by her Gunship. This design features an additional row of spikes placed horizontally across his chest, with vertical rows of upward facing spikes seen at the creature's sides. Finally, each of his arms end in a single, largely extended claw-tipped appendage.

Behavior[]

Throughout all the games that feature Kraid, he is consistently presented as a brutish individual who does nothing beyond fighting and roaring. While Ridley is portrayed in a similar animalistic fashion, both he and Mother Brain have gained some form of characterization and displayed clear signs of high intellect over the years following their first appearance, making Kraid the only one from the Metroid series' original trio of villains to not be expanded upon in any significant way, even in supplementary materials. In the Metroid manga, he remains unable to talk, unlike the other antagonists.

What can be interpreted from his actions is that he is noticeably very short-tempered, much to his own detriment since he will angrily roar at Samus whenever he is shot in the face despite how this very response exposes his vulnerable mouth. Kraid also exhibits signs of a lazy disposition, as he will put minimal physical effort at the start of his battles in both Zero Mission and Super Metroid; only when he receives some amount of damage will he finally exert himself, notably by destroying nearby structures in the environment to gain an advantage over his opponent. The exception to this is in Metroid Dread where he immediately lunges at Samus in his intro cutscene (possibly bearing a grudge for their past encounters), but his chains force him to have a slow start once more in this battle. Once he realizes the shackle on his right arm becoming loose, he displays some degree of intelligence by immediately applying enough force to break it open and quickly smashes the platform Samus was on, and later uses his unshackled arm to remove her off the blue magnetic strip that grants her a direct line of fire with his face.

In his manga appearance, Kraid makes a conceited smile after believing to have vanquished Samus, and some of the sounds he makes earlier when her beam shots are being reflected off him may be interpreted as laughter.

Appearances in other media[]

Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order[]

MZIO page 95 — *"Kraid, the boss of area A, began his attack as soon as he appeared, without stopping for a breath."*

Just as in Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Super Metroid, Kraid appears as a guardian of the Space Pirate stronghold on planet Zebes. Normal beam attacks do not work on Kraid; missiles must be used to damage him. He resides in Brinstar room A-22, which is guarded by a Side Hopper and a Doublehopper. Upon his demise, Kraid explodes in a bright flash and drops a Key Stone, which is used to activate his Stone Statue.

Captain N: The Game Master[]

In the animated cartoon series Captain N: The Game Master, Kraid appears as a minor recurring character in multiple episodes, acting as a minion who serves Mother Brain. He is frequently seen patrolling Metroid as a guard, armed with a spear-like weapon and a Missile Gun holstered on his belt.

As with many other characters in the series, Kraid has a drastically different appearance from his canonical design, resembling an overweight bipedal rhinocerus wearing a green tunic and blue hat. Since Kraid is never identified by name in the show itself, his identity has only been confirmed by concept artwork of Kraid's Missile Gun.

In Kevin in Videoland, Kraid makes a cameo appearance as the minion guarding Princess Lana's prison cell. He is instantly defeated when Kevin lands on him, in a similar manner to Super Mario Bros. enemies.

In Mega Trouble For Megaland, Kraid is seen enslaving the residents of Mt. Icarus, which has been renamed Mt. Mother Brain after being conquered by the Forces of Chaos. He appears alongside an identical creature, which may be a possible reference to Fake Kraid. Notably, this episode is the only time Kraid has been voiced with dialogue, speaking with a high-pitched scratchy voice as he threatens the enslaved workers. While his voice actor has never been confirmed, several unofficial websites credit Doug Parker (who also voices Mega Man in the same cartoon) with voicing Kraid.^{[citation needed]}^[10]^[11]

In Metroid Sweet Metroid, Kraid and a Viola patroll Metroid while Kevin and Duke are trapped in its corridors. Later, Kraid finds Duke lying on the floor and prods at him with his spear-like weapon, unaware that Duke is merely playing dead as a distraction. Kevin sneaks up on Kraid and ties him up with rope, then steals his Missile Gun.

In Gameboy, Kraid is among the monsters generated by the Mother Brain-controlled Gameboy. He charges at Simon Belmont and pins him against a wall. Once Duke unplugs Gameboy, Kraid vanishes along with all of the other monsters.

Nintendo Comics System[]

Kraid appears as a character in the Nintendo Comics System adaptations of Metroid and Captain N. Unlike his animated appearance, Kraid much more closely resembles his original artwork from Metroid.

In The Coming of a Hero, Kraid and Ridley explore the Surface of SR388, where they become the first Space Pirates to discover a Metroid.

In Breakout, Kraid makes his most significant appearance in the comics, appearing as a prisoner of Metroid Cell Block 1 on RX 338. He attempts to convince all of the prisoners in his block that were put away by Samus to turn on their fellow captive, pointing out that she is weaponless. Samus punches Kraid, then grabs him by the foot and swings him around as an improvised weapon, beating the prisoners into submission. Samus later uses Kraid as a diversion to make her own escape, and she threatens him into compliance. He is caught by the guards in the watchtowers and presumably spends a month in solitary confinement as punishment.

In When Friends Fall Out, Kraid and Ridley appear in a flashback taking place several years prior to the main story. They capture Samus and connect her to a machine, intending to brainwash her into a minion for Mother Brain. Samus breaks free of their machine and steals their Flame-Chip as she escapes.

Super Smash Bros.[]

Super Smash Bros. Melee[]

Kraid also appears as part of the Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths stage. Occasionally, he will emerge from the magma, roar, slash at the arena with his claws, and then sink back into the magma. While he cannot directly attack players, Kraid causes the entire arena to rotate, with the direction based upon how he strikes it. This changes the battlefield and forces players to adapt.

A trophy of Kraid is also obtained when the Brinstar Depths stage is unlocked.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

The Brinstar Depths stage does not return in Brawl. Therefore, Kraid only makes a cameo appearance as a sticker, using his artwork from Zero Mission.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

SSBU Kraid — Kraid's updated model in *Ultimate*

Kraid returns in Ultimate along with the Brinstar Depths stage. In addition to being much higher quality than Melee, his model is now more closely modeled after his appearances in Super Metroid and Zero Mission. He plays the same role as he did in Melee.

Kraid appears in Dark Samus's congratulations screen for Classic Mode, where he is seen emerging from the lava at Brinstar Depths while Dark Samus and Ridley are about to fight each other. Kraid also appears with fellow reptilian villains in the image unlocked by completing Luigi's All-Star Smash Challenge.

Kraid is also a Master Spirit, using his artwork from Super Metroid. He is unlocked in the Dark Realm of the World of Light adventure mode, and is a mandatory encounter along the path to the Sacred Land. Kraid's Spirit Battle is a stamina battle against a Giant King K. Rool on Brinstar Depths' Omega Form. During the battle, K. Rool has reduced jump power and movement speed. As a Master Spirit, Kraid cannot normally be equipped by fighters; exclusively during this fight, he is classified as a Neutral type that is neither strong nor weak against other Spirits.

Once unlocked, Kraid runs a Dojo, where he trains up to four other Spirits. He teaches them the Tank Style, which increases offense and defense but reduces move speed and jump. As a Master Spirit, Kraid is given dialogue for the first time in a video game; however, it consists entirely of roars and grunts. Translations are provided in parentheses, although these translations seem to be somewhat uncertain (often guessing what Kraid means or ending with question marks) for added humor. On a similar note, this technically marks the first time that Kraid acts as an ally to the player rather than an enemy.

Nintendo Land[]

NL Kraid and Ridley — Kraid and Ridley animatronics in Metroid Blast

In the Metroid Blast attraction, Kraid is featured as an animatronic robot and is the first boss that Miis must fight in Assault Mission. He appears in the Volcanic Sector during missions "10. Hostile Colossus", "24. Kraid's Army", and "30. The True Final Battle", which all have the objective of defeating Kraid. His battle theme is a remix of Brinstar (Metroid).

He begins by partially emerging from a pool of lava, exposing his head, arms and chest. At this phase, he attacks solely by throwing his classic boomerang-like claws, however they now detonate with a wide explosive radius after a few seconds. The Mii must shoot the presented target on his nose and then fire Missiles (if piloting the Gunship) or Charge Bombs (if on foot) at his throat - after three successful shots, Kraid will rise out of the lava and add to his long-range arsenal by firing Rockets, bullets, lasers and energy spheres from various locations on his body. He also extends platforms from his body which carry Zebesian Pirates, revealing Kraid as a sentient, mobile fortress. The Pirates are not necessary to kill, though they can hinder the Mii by shooting beams from their claws and may try to close-in on the player for melee attacks. Regardless, the Mii must continue to shoot all the new targets spread throughout Kraid's body (including attacking the one on his nose once again) which will expose his throat. After enough damage is inflicted, Kraid will rise higher out of the lava, unveiling more of his large, cylinder-shaped, heavily armed mechanical body. After repeating the process with the targets a third time, Kraid will explode, thus ending the battle.

Another method for killing Kraid is made available to the player if another Mii is piloting a Gunship: the Mii on foot can Grapple Beam with the left arm onto the underside of the Gunship, allowing the player to be carried above Kraid's head and, if the latter's mouth is open, drop down his throat and land inside his chest, where the weakpoint can be damaged with standard beam fire.

"10. Hostile Colossus" just has the Mii fighting Kraid. "24. Kraid's Army" requires the Mii to defeat Kraid under a time limit, while Kraid is accompanied by numerous Cyclons and Geemers to increase the overall difficulty. "30. The True Final Battle" consists of fighting both Kraid and Ridley simultaneously; Ridley can regenerate himself indefinitely, making Kraid's defeat the main goal to completing the mission. As Kraid explodes at the end, so too will Ridley.

If Kraid is defeated, the Mii unlocks Survival Mode for Ground Battle. His head is also a prize in the Nintendo Land Plaza.

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

Official data[]

Metroid manual[]

Kraid: "This is the head of the Mini-Boss hideout. He hurls horns from his stomach and back. Be very careful of his fierce attacks. If Samus gets hit by him, his energy will be weakened a lot."

Virtual Console retranslation[]

Kraid: "A miniboss that shoots horns from his stomach and spinning horns from his back. These horns can do considerable damage, so be careful."

The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

KRAID: "This is the Boss who protects Brinstar. He shoots missiles from his stomach, and uses a spinning horn on his back to attack. Missile attacks are the best way to kill him."

Nintendo Power Volume 29[]

KRAID: The Second MINI-BOSS: "Kraid fires spikes from his gut--spikes with the power of Samus' missiles. It won't take many of these to finish you off. Again, there are two methods of attack. Jump on the spot where Kraid stands and use missiles, or jump and fire from the lava pit with the Wave Beam."

Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order[]

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.

Passage 178: "Warning.

"A high-pitched alarm went off from the command computer.

"'Warning! Warning! Massive energy readings past this room. Kraid, the boss of area A is ahead. At this moment, you are able to retreat from this room. It is preferable that you proceed in top condition. This room has a three-layer shutter. The enemies have not yet noticed you, so you can clearly escape. And since Kraid is the area boss, this fight will not be simple. Will you proceed or turn back?'"

Passage 97: "A dinosaur-like creature with numerous, enormous spikes appeared. Its height was easily around 3 meters. The command computer spoke: 'It's Kraid.'

"Kraid's method of attack is to use his spikes as a weapon, launching them [at his enemy]."

Passage 169: "The command computer issued an alert. 'Without missiles, Kraid cannot be defeated.'

"I shot my beam behind him as a distraction. Using that, I managed to dodge his attacks and fled the room. For the moment, I think I'll leave the area, stock up on missiles and energy, and try again."

Super Metroid manual[]

KRAID: "(The Boss of Brinstar)
The giant lizard of Brinstar attacks Samus with thorny projectiles and spits spheres out of its mouth. No weapons - beams, missiles, or bombs - have any effect on its body. The creature's weak point is unknown."

Super Metroid Players' Guide[]

"By far the largest guardian in the game, Kraid will prove a tough adversary. He only has one weak spot and that's the inside of his mouth. Shoot him in the head then, when he roars in pain, lob as many rockets and laser bolts down his throat as possible. When he first emerges, he pauses with only his upper body showing. Use this time to get in as many hits as possible; he'll then rear up to his full height and your job becomes much trickier. To make matters worse, he will launch a myriad of projectiles from his body. The spikes launched from his chest can be ridden upon if you can get on top but contact anywhere else results in damage being sustained. The spinning claws have to be either shot or dodged. If missiles or energy are running low, try shooting the claws as they sometimes leave bonuses behind. Three super missile direct hits will do for Kraid, but otherwise use normal missiles and charge shots."

Nintendo Power Volume 60[]

CLASH WITH KRAID: "The leader of Brinstar is much larger and much stronger than he was in his previous incarnation. When you reach Kraid's quarters, the mighty, mean lizard will rise up from the ground, charge forward and spit out rocks. You've got to blind it with beams or Missiles in order to make it open its mouth. Then fill it up with more firepower."

Nintendo Power Volume 95[]

KRAID: "Kraid begins by rising out of the floor of spines. Only shots into his open mouth will be effective. Three Super Missiles will do the trick. First, shoot Kraid to get him to open his mouth. Blast the spikes he shoots to collect energy and Missiles."

Samus (JoyRide Studios)[]

"In Super Metroid for the Super NES, the hulkin Kraid is the boss enemy that resides in Brinstar. The giant's weak spot is its mouth, and you can inflict damage by firing a missile into its mouth when it's open. To get Kraid to open up and say 'ahh,' fire a missile at its face, then shoot another missile into its slack-jawed mouth."

"Fire missiles into Kraid's open mouth to cause damage. If you're out of missiles, use Charge Beam shots."

"When Kraid rises, hop onto one of the platforms that it shoots out of its belly. Use the platform or the Hi-Jump Boots to set your sights on Kraid's face, then blast missiles into the alien's open mouth."

Metroid: Zero Mission manual[]

Kraid: "The largest enemy in all of the mazes beneath the surface of Planet Zebes, Kraid fires spikes from his belly and claws from his fingertips for extremely powerful attacks."

Official Metroid: Zero Mission website[]

"Extremely dangerous! Giant lizard-like monster over two stories tall. Possesses iron-shredding claws and fires small projectiles from its mouth. When angered, shoots regenerative claws from giant openings in belly. Can be destroyed by hitting soft tissue in mouth with Missiles. DANGER LEVEL: VERY HIGH."

"Soft tissue (weak spot)"
"Iron-shredding claws"
"Regenerative claws"

Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy[]

"A boss enemy from Metroid. Kraid lives in the depths of Brinstar. He immobilizes enemies with his three red eyes, and his powerful jaws can crush anything. He can also shoot the three spikes in his belly; it's said he often fires them at his prey. Once Samus defeated Ridley and Kraid, the way to Tourian opened."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sticker[]

Kraid Metroid: Zero Mission - [Head] Attack +33 (All)

Nintendo Land[]

"This hulking monstrosity dwells in the depths of planet Zebes. His skin is impenetrably thick, so try shooting into his mouth. You'll have to climb his towering body to reach his face!"

Nintendo of America tweet[]

"Surprise, looks like a familiar big bad behemoth is back to pay Samus a visit. #MetroidDread" ^[12]

Nintendo UK tweet[]

"He's baaaa-aaaack! #MetroidDread"^[13]

List of appearances[]

Comics

Breakout
When Friends Fall Out (flashback)

Cartoon (incomplete list)

Kevin in Videoland
Mega Trouble For Megaland
Metroid Sweet Metroid
Gameboy

Super Metroid
Super Metroid manga
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Metroid Prime (manual, removed boss)
Metroid: Volume 2
Metroid: Zero Mission
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Super Nostalgic Entertainment System)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
New Play Control! Metroid Prime (manual)
Nintendo Land
NES Remix 2
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Metroid Dread

Development notes[]

Kraid's Super Metroid and Zero Mission sprite artists never created the large Pirate's entire tail. By extracting Kraid's sprites from the games' internal files, it is revealed that his tail always ends abruptly; the sprite artists likely ignored this detail since players are never capable (and are not meant) to get behind Kraid and explore the areas beyond him until he is defeated, which results in him sinking into the ground and exploding, thus preventing his tail from being fully viewed. This continues in Metroid Dread, wherein his in-game model does not have legs or a tail.

Kraid's size changes throughout the games. For example, in Metroid, he is about the same size as Samus, whereas in Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, he takes up two screens. In Melee, he is even larger. This is likely due to the NES' limited processing power being unable to smoothly handle larger sprites. According to the official Metroid: Zero Mission web site, Kraid is over two stories tall, the low-end being three stories. This would mean Kraid is at least 9.9 meters tall (32.5 ft.). When asked to explain the discrepancy of Kraid's sizes in Metroid and Super Metroid, Dan Owsen joked that "He lost his supply of Slimfast [meal replacement powder] when the first planet blew up."^[14] This is erroneous as Zebes was not destroyed in Metroid, but it was in Super Metroid.

Kraid's roar in Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission is a stock roar from the Universal Studios Sound Effects Library, previously heard in films such as The Land Unknown (1957) and King Kong (1976). This roar is shared with Crocomire and Phantoon. In Metroid Dread, his roars are apparently taken from the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.^{[citation needed]}

In Zero Mission, there is an unused alternate palette that gives Kraid white eyes (with pupils) and a mouth, although his appearance is otherwise unchanged. A mod that restores this can be viewed here.

For Dread, MercurySteam sought to keep Kraid recognizable while showing off a new version of him.^[15] As previously mentioned, the most noticeable difference in his Dread design are his eyelids being changed to a vertical position. This may have been inspired by his robotic appearance in Nintendo Land in which his eyes were red vertical slits.

Concept art of Metroid Dread reveals various iterations of Kraid and his restraining device(s). For the latter, some have his hands bound tightly together at his front similar to hand cuffs while his eyes and upper part of his head are confined within a metal structure, with one of them featuring a muzzle of some kind for his mouth; the partially-covered face may be an homage to "Meta Kraid" that was removed during the development of Metroid Prime. On the same page for the helmet-like design, there is a drawing featuring Kraid with a heavily-scarred face with his right eye seemingly missing and the left side of his crown-like appendage partially broken; it is unknown if these injuries were meant to be scars inflicted by the Chozo on ZDR or by Samus during their previous battle back on Zebes. Alongside this concept art are several different head designs for the character, as well as a full-body display of Kraid standing upright with a muscular, non-corpulent physique with hefty arms.

Trivia[]

Notable official artworks that display Kraid's comradery with Ridley can be found in the instruction manuals for both NES and Famicom versions of Metroid where the two have Samus surrounded and the boxarts for Super Metroid (North American and Japanese) where they are seen pursuing the bounty hunter. Media such as Masahiro Sakurai's Twitter post for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate makes reference to this as well.
- Despite not being part of the Metroid series, Nintendo Land is the only game where Kraid and Ridley can be fought simultaneously as a duo akin to their depictions in the mentioned artwork and media.
In Super Metroid, Kraid is one of the only two major bosses to have Zebesians guarding their room, the other one being Ridley. Although Mother Brain also has Zebesians in close proximity, they are only encountered after she's defeated.
Kraid appears on the Super Metroid Stare-E-O Poster.
The battle music "Big Boss Confrontation" was kept as Kraid's theme for two of his appearances in a row, but the tradition concluded with the release of Metroid Dread, in which he was given a new melody that is only slightly similar to the one heard in Super Metroid and Zero Mission.
Due to the Reptilicus species possessing three eyes and a reptilian appearance, some fans believe Kraid may be related to the former. The Reptilicus' statues and busts on Bryyo, as well as their Mogenars built with arcane arts and technology, are also tricloptic. On top of this, Mogenar's battle theme is similar to Kraid's, though this is likely to have been an intended homage similar to Berserker Lord's theme being an altered rendition of the unrelated Arachnus' in Metroid Fusion.
In the NES Toys "R" Us commercial, Kraid's Toy Shop is shown to be sold out of NES games.
The Squizzard boss in Super Mario Galaxy 2 bears subtle similarities to Kraid. Such similarities include the weak point being the mouth, and spiked projectiles being fired by the flick of a hand. The Squizzard is also half-burrowed in the ground, similar to Kraid in Super Metroid.
The color of Samus's Power Suit during the cutscene with Kraid rising before her in Zero Mission will vary depending on whether or not the Varia Suit is acquired prior to the battle.
Kräid in Luxembourgish translates to "Cretaceous", possibly an intended nod to the Pirate's dinosaur-like appearance.
The secret means of defeating Kraid in Metroid Dread (entering his body and laying Bombs) may be a reference to a recurring method of damaging the Queen Metroid in its appearances as a boss.
If Samus were to sequence break in Metroid Dread in a manner that skips the encounter with Kraid in Cataris, he will disappear from his room after the X Parasites are released from Elun. This suggests the X eventually found and killed Kraid, consuming his entire body in the process. This skip would lead to Samus being completely oblivious to Kraid's presence on ZDR until the later appearance of his monstrous mimic, Raven Beak X.
The particular room and manner in which Kraid is held captive in Cataris was seemingly designed by the Chozo to guarantee his own demise if he ever managed to free himself from his restraints.
As seen in the gallery below, Metroid: Zero Mission initially intended to have Kraid's lower body submerged in lava during his boss battle akin to how he would eventually be fought in Metroid Dread. His battle in the original Metroid game also involves a hazardous liquid that fills the arena, though Kraid is located on top of a platform which stands above the substance.
- Nintendo Land became the first game to feature a battle against Kraid where he is partially submerged in lava.
In all of Kraid's canonical battles, the one in Cataris is the only one where he is not directly defeated by Samus' hands. Were it not for his restraints breaking which lead to him sinking in the lava, Kraid was more than capable of prolonging his fight as evidenced by the post-battle cutscene where he forcefully removes his remaining arm shackle and attacks several more times. This implies he still had plenty of strength remaining despite the damage inflicted by Samus.
In Dread, if the Hyper Beam is hacked and used on Kraid during the beginning of the fight, the platform Samus is on will immediately be destroyed and the lower half of the area will be glitched along with Kraid (who will simply be stuck in its idle animation, no longer attacking). This is most likely due to the fight not having a proper transition. Samus can walk around on the lava as if it were a normal platform and even pass through Kraid's stomach. Should Samus enter the hidden launcher to her left, she will then be softlocked in mid-air with no way out.^[16]
If Samus somehow acquires Power Bombs before the fight with Kraid in Metroid Dread, they will be disabled once she enters his stomach. Power Bombs can still be used outside Kraid's body, but this will not affect him in any way (aside from destroying breakable attacks and killing any Bouncing Creatures onscreen).^[17]
Viewing the full 3D model of Kraid in Dread through hacking reveals that the lower part of his body, which remains out of sight during gameplay, have blackened as if it's been burnt to a crisp.
Kraid's death in Metroid Dread marks the (seemingly) definitive end of the original trio of bosses from the first Metroid game: himself, Ridley and Mother Brain. Ironically, while Kraid was always the first who got defeated within the games that the three bosses are featured in, he ultimately managed to outlive the other two in the Metroid timeline.
- Kraid suffers a similar fate to Ridley in that both had their DNA used by the X Parasites to battle Samus once more beyond their grave.
- If the individual Samus battled in Cataris is indeed a clone of Kraid, then this would be yet another event he shares with Ridley as the latter was also cloned during the course of the series.

Gallery[]

For concept art, see Kraid/Gallery.

Metroid (NES) related media[]

Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ultimate[]

Metroid: Zero Mission[]

Metroid Dread[]

Other[]

References[]

^ "You no longer serve any purpose. Even your Metroid DNA is no longer necessary. Do you want to know why? It is because I can now clone an army of the most powerful Metroid of all... Samus Aran." - Raven Beak, Metroid Dread.
^ Looygi Bros. "12 Cool Details in Metroid Dread (Part 9)". YouTube. February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
^ Now that's attention to detail!, posted by u/CYBER_X5 on r/Metroid
^ https://twitter.com/yassu_yassu/status/1459797684340985858
^ (2022, January 26). Episode 21 – Jack Mathews (Ex Retro Studios) [Podcast]. Shinesparkers. Shinesparkers. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. (starts at 57:10)
^ Kiwi Talkz. "#144 - Jack Mathews Interview - Metroid Prime 20th Anniversary (Crunch, A.I., Fetch Quest, Bosses )". YouTube. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJkxpG5R9PI (starts at 47:27)
^ http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/metroid-prime-gc-beta
^ https://shinesparkers.net/interviews/jack-mathews
^ https://twitter.com/jack_mathews/status/958185981563342848
^ Kraid Voice - Captain N The Game Master (TV Show) - Behind The Voice Actors
^ Doug Parker Characters - Giant Bomb
^ Nintendo of America (NintendoAmerica). 27 August 2021 1:44 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1431311719889088512
^ Nintendo UK (NintendoUK). 27 August 2021 10:00 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1431255184517304322
^ Rappel, TJ (1998). The MDb Interviews Dan Owsen. Metroid Database.
^ Jarop. "Metroid Dread dev on taking the series to HD, E.M.M.I.’s design, much more". Nintendo Everything (originally published in Famitsu, translated from Japanese). January 30, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
^ Postposterous. "What Happens If We Fight Kraid With The Metroid Suit & Hyper Beam? | Metroid Dread TA Sequence Break". YouTube. October 27, 2021.
^ KesslerCascade. "Can you beat Kraid with just Power Bombs in Metroid Dread?" YouTube. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 12 July 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1282510058199252995
^ Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 29 August 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1299904674875621377
^ Nintendo of Europe (Nintendo Europe). "Happy #ReptileAwarenessDay! To celebrate, why not tell us who your favourite reptilian juggernaut is to fight against in #SuperMetroid, now available to play with #SuperNES – #NintendoSwitchOnline!" Oct 21, 2019 9:46 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1186277558368661504

*Bosses in the Metroid* series**
Metroid	Kraid • Ridley • Mother Brain
Metroid: Zero Mission	Charge Beam Beast • Acid Worm • Kraid • Kiru Giru • Imago • Ridley • Mother Brain • Ruins Test • Mecha Ridley (Unused: Crocomire)
Metroid II: Return of Samus	Alpha Metroid • Arachnus • Gamma Metroid • Zeta Metroid • Omega Metroid • Queen Metroid
Metroid: Samus Returns	Alpha Metroid • Arachnus • Gamma Metroid • Zeta Metroid • Diggernaut • Omega Metroid • Queen Metroid • Proteus Ridley
Super Metroid	Torizo • Spore Spawn • Kraid • Crocomire • Phantoon • Botwoon • Draygon • Golden Torizo • Ridley • Big Metroid • Mother Brain
Metroid: Other M	Brug Mass • Fune • Namihe • King Kihunter • Groganch • Mystery Creature • Goyagma • Fumbleye • RB176 Ferrocrusher • Rhedogian • Vorash • Ridley • Nightmare • Queen Metroid • MB (Desbrachians) • Phantoon
Metroid Fusion	Arachnus • Elephant Bird • Zazabi • Serris • Security Robot B.O.X. • Barrier Core-X • Scientist • Yakuza • Nettori • Nightmare • Neo-Ridley • SA-X • Omega Metroid
Metroid Dread	E.M.M.I. (01P, 02SM, 03MB, 04SB, 05IM, 06WB, 07PB) • Central Unit • Corpius • Kraid • Robot Chozo Soldier • Drogyga • Chozo Soldier • Escue • Experiment No. Z-57 • Golzuna • Elite Chozo Soldier • Raven Beak (Raven Beak X)
*See also: Bosses in the Metroid Prime* series**

Unused Bosses and Species
Metroid	Fake Ridley
Metroid: Zero Mission	Crocomire • Ridley-2
Metroid Prime	Fireflea • Kraid • Sabergauth • Blood monkey • Ripper • Skree • Maggot • Kihunter • Olbap • Chomper Fish • Experiment 7526 • Tallon Chameleon Carnivorous Plant • Phazon Blastcap • Phazon Burrower • Zebesian
Metroid Prime Hunters	Temroid
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes	Dark Pirate Aerotrooper • Dark Shriekbat • Dark Sporb • Dark Triclops • Infant Shriekbats • Kenobite • Phlogus • Triclops • Zoomer • Sova • Icemite Metroid 1.5: Mad AI • Humetroid • Thrash-hunters • Shock beast
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption	Advanced Pirate Militia • Advanced Shield Militia • Assault Pirate Militia • Assault Shield Militia • Big Metroid • Endocoon • Mantha • Phase Sprite • Phazite Armored Trooper • Phazon Tentacle • Reptilicus-G • Salamander
Super Metroid	Bang • Reflec • Stoke
Metroid: Other M	Zebesian
Metroid Fusion	Geega • Kago spawn • Skree • Toxic Gas • Wasp nest
Metroid Dread	Automper • Hybrid PV5 • Shineon • Swifter
Project Valkyrie	Boss Creature

Space Pirates
Pirate Classes	Pirate • Militia • Trooper (Dark) • Shadow • Grenadier • Trooper Pirate • Hussar • Commando Pirate Pirate Commando (Dark) • Commander • Armored • Bruiser • Melee Trooper (Cloaked) Deck Commander • Phazite Armored
Zebesians	Gray • Gold • Silver • Cyborg • Super • Aqua • Hologram
Aerotroopers	Flying Pirate • Aqua Pirate • Armored • Advanced • Assault • -G Dark
Elite Pirates	Phazon Elite • Omega Pirate • EPG-8644 and EPG-8656 • EPG-8701 and EPG-8702
Turrets, Robots, Mines and Drones	Auto Defense • Mega • Despair-Class • Dread-Class • Remorse-Class • "Vigilance" Class • Sentry Drone • Aqua Drone • Cloaked Drone • Preed (Dark) • Puffer Mine • Aeromine • Jumpmine Proximity Mine • Crawltank • Crawlmine • "Jolly Roger" Drone • Phazon Harvester Drone • Pirate Surveillance Drone • Pirate Cargo Drone
Pirate Creatures	Atomic • Badger Clover • Berserker Lord • Berserker Knight • Bombu (Pulse/Scatter) • Evir • Gronkat • Korakk Beast • Kihunter (King) • Mimic • Olbap • Scarp • Scritter • Thardus • Urtragian Shriekbat • Zero Shock beast • Thrash-hunters
Pirate Leaders	Ridley • Mother Brain • Kraid (Mini-Kraid) • Dark Samus • Gandrayda • Phantoon • Draygon • High Command • Weavel Pirate Boss • Boss • Dragüd • Doruba
Pirate Characters	Bug Brain • Chief Astrogation Officer • Commando unit 87 • Experiment 7526 • P-1 • Technician 12 • Units 013 and 043 • Unit 686 • Rundas • Ghor • Gandrayda • Aurora Unit 313
Locations	Agon Mining Facility • Glacier One • Pirate Homeworld • HQ • Tourian Citadel • Metroid
Organizations	Facility Command • Project Helix • Project Titan • Removal Squad • Security Command • Science Team • Sympathisers • Special-forces unit • Team Sclera Planteers of Krom
Miscellaneous	Assault on the Pirate Homeworld • Class Platinum-AAA threat level • Code Blue • Crane • Datanet • History • Lotus Milestone • Metroid project "Dread" • MB • Rotation Control Unit • Command Network • Gallery • Language • Boarding Pod • Crate Kraid's Missile Gun

Kraid
Areas	Kraid's room (Kraid's Lair/Cataris) Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths • Volcanic Sector • Dark Realm
Weapons	Spinning claw • Kraid Bouncing Creature Kraid's Missile Gun • Rocket
Music	Tourian • Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon) • Boss Kraid Brinstar Depths • Brinstar (Metroid)
Other	Gallery • Mini-Kraid • Raven Beak X Kraid's Toy Shop

[1] "You no longer serve any purpose. Even your Metroid DNA is no longer necessary. Do you want to know why? It is because I can now clone an army of the most powerful Metroid of all... Samus Aran." - Raven Beak, Metroid Dread.

[2] Looygi Bros. "12 Cool Details in Metroid Dread (Part 9)". YouTube. February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.

[3] Now that's attention to detail!, posted by u/CYBER_X5 on r/Metroid

[4] ttps://twitter.com/yassu_yassu/status/1459797684340985858

[5] (2022, January 26). Episode 21 – Jack Mathews (Ex Retro Studios) [Podcast]. Shinesparkers. Shinesparkers. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. (starts at 57:10)

[6] Kiwi Talkz. "#144 - Jack Mathews Interview - Metroid Prime 20th Anniversary (Crunch, A.I., Fetch Quest, Bosses )". YouTube. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJkxpG5R9PI (starts at 47:27)

[7] ttp://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/metroid-prime-gc-beta

[8] ttps://shinesparkers.net/interviews/jack-mathews

[9] ttps://twitter.com/jack_mathews/status/958185981563342848

[10] Kraid Voice - Captain N The Game Master (TV Show) - Behind The Voice Actors

[11] Doug Parker Characters - Giant Bomb

[12] Nintendo of America (NintendoAmerica). 27 August 2021 1:44 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1431311719889088512

[13] Nintendo UK (NintendoUK). 27 August 2021 10:00 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1431255184517304322

[14] Rappel, TJ (1998). The MDb Interviews Dan Owsen. Metroid Database.

[15] Jarop. "Metroid Dread dev on taking the series to HD, E.M.M.I.’s design, much more". Nintendo Everything (originally published in Famitsu, translated from Japanese). January 30, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.

[16] Postposterous. "What Happens If We Fight Kraid With The Metroid Suit & Hyper Beam? | Metroid Dread TA Sequence Break". YouTube. October 27, 2021.

[17] KesslerCascade. "Can you beat Kraid with just Power Bombs in Metroid Dread?" YouTube. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.

[18] Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 12 July 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1282510058199252995

[19] Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 29 August 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1299904674875621377

[20] Nintendo of Europe (Nintendo Europe). "Happy #ReptileAwarenessDay! To celebrate, why not tell us who your favourite reptilian juggernaut is to fight against in #SuperMetroid, now available to play with #SuperNES – #NintendoSwitchOnline!" Oct 21, 2019 9:46 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1186277558368661504

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Featured article}}{{-}}
+:''This article is about the character. For the area, see [[Kraid's Lair]].''
 {{Infobox Boss
 |name=Kraid
-|image    = [[File:Kraid ZM art.jpg|300px]]
+|image    = Kraid ZM art.jpg
-|caption  = Official art from ''[[Zero Mission]]''.
+|caption  = Official art from ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''.
-|games    = ''[[Metroid]]''<br/>''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''<br/>''[[Metroid Prime]] (mentioned)''<br/>''[[Super Metroid]]''<br/>''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''
+|games    = ''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]''<br>''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''<br>''[[Metroid Prime (game)|Metroid Prime]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[Super Metroid]]''<br>''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''<br>''[[Metroid Dread]]''
-|location = [[Kraid's Lair]] in [[Brinstar]].
+|location = [[Kraid's Lair]]<br>[[Cataris]]
-|attacks  = Spinning projectile fingernails/back spines, projectiles from stomach, small boulders launched from mouth.
+|attacks  = [[Spinning claw]]s, projectiles from stomach, small boulders launched from mouth, [[Kraid Bouncing Creature]]s
 |weakness = Inner mouth area; shooting the eyes with charged beams or missiles will expose the weakness.
-|reward   = Large expansion of [[Missiles]] (''[[Metroid]]''), [[Speed Booster]] (''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''), [[Varia Suit]] (''[[Super Metroid]]'')
+|music    = [[Tourian (theme)|Tourian]] <small>(''Metroid'')</small><br>[[Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon)]] <small>(''Super Metroid'', ''Zero Mission'')</small><br>[[Boss Kraid]] <small>(''Dread'')</small>
+|reward   = Large expansion of [[Missiles]] (''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]''), [[Speed Booster]] (''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''), [[Varia Suit]] (''[[Super Metroid]]''), [[Diffusion Beam]] (''[[Metroid Dread]]'')
 }}
+{{Cquotetxt|ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!<br/>(That's probably a greeting.)|Kraid, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''}}
+{{nihongo|'''Kraid'''|クレイド|Kureido}} is a corpulent, three-eyed green reptilian [[wikipedia:extraterrestrial|extraterrestrial]] from the [[Metroid (series)|''Metroid'' series]]. He is a [[Space Pirate]] and one of the largest enemies [[Samus Aran]] ever encounters in her missions, taking up multiple screens at a time. He is featured as a boss in ''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]'', its remake ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]'', ''[[Super Metroid]]'', and ''[[Metroid Dread]]''.
+==Background==
-{{nihongo|'''Kraid'''|クレイド|Kureido}} is a corpulent, three-eyed green reptilian [[wikipedia:extraterrestrial|extraterrestrial]] from the [[Metroid|''Metroid'' series]]. Kraid is one of the largest enemies Samus ever encounters in her missions, as he takes up multiple screens at a time. Kraid made his first appearance in the original ''[[Metroid]]'' as part of the game's boss duo, the other being his comrade, [[Ridley]]. Though he has no known official rank, Kraid is a high-ranking [[Space Pirate]] and may even be a leader, as he is a prominent boss throughout the series. The ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' manual describes Ridley and Kraid as the Space Pirate army's "mainstays"; one could easily imagine this colossus as the muscle and backbone behind Pirate attacks or raids. As is the case with most Pirates stationed on [[Zebes]], Kraid is not a native of the planet, and his origins, along with his homeworld, remain unknown. In all of his canon-appearances, [[Samus Aran]] is always required to defeat him, among others, as a means to infiltrate Zebes' Pirate HQ, [[Tourian]].
+Although Kraid is known to be a Space Pirate, his rank within the organization has never been officially stated. He is likely a high-ranked member and may even be a leader due to several factors such as being a prominent boss in his canon appearances. In fact, both of Samus Aran's missions on Zebes require Kraid, among others, to be killed as a means to infiltrate the Pirate HQ, [[Tourian]]. The rooms preceding his lair in ''Super Metroid'' are filled with Space Pirates in the form of [[Zebesian]]<nowiki/>s and [[Kihunter]]<nowiki/>s, giving the implication they're defending him.
+Giving further credence to Kraid having a high-ranking status is his close association with [[Ridley]], a fellow Space Pirate firmly stated to occupy a leadership position; starting with the original ''Metroid'' game where the boss duo under [[Mother Brain]] consisted of Kraid and Ridley, the two draconic characters have often been depicted as comrades in various official artwork, media and merchandise where they're posed side-by-side and/or teamed up against Samus Aran, with the latest example seen in ''Metroid Dread''<nowiki/>'s [[Gallery#Metroid_Dread|galleries]]. Within the games, their association is only shown via [[Stone Statues|their]] [[Golden Statues|statues]] featured in ''Metroid'' along with its remake and ''Super Metroid'', while the [[Metroid (Magazine Z manga)|Magazine Z manga]] outright states they are comrades.
-Kraid only possesses organic weapons: he shoots projectiles such as dagger-like spikes from his belly and spinning boomerang-like nails or fingers from his hands, all of which are infinitely generated in his body. In his resurrected ''[[Super Metroid]]'' appearance, he gains the ability to spew out rock-like projectiles from his mouth. Except for the original ''Metroid ''game, Kraid is always seen tunneling out of the ground (both partially and entirely) prior to his battles within the series, establishing him as a natural digger.
+Additionally, he is described in the ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' manual alongside Ridley as the Space Pirate armies' "mainstays"; one could easily imagine the colossal Kraid as the muscle and backbone behind Pirate attacks and raids. As is the case with most Space Pirates, his origins and his homeworld remain unknown.
-A press kit profile for ''Super Metroid'' has Samus refer to Kraid as the "brutal ruler of [[Brinstar]]". In official ''Zero Mission'' art, Kraid is titled the '''Awakened Behemoth'''.
+A press kit profile for ''Super Metroid'' has Samus refer to Kraid as the "brutal ruler of [[Brinstar]]". In official ''Zero Mission'' art on the [[Metroid Zero Mission Official Site|Japanese website]], Kraid is titled the '''{{Nihongo|Awakened Behemoth|目覚めた巨獣生物}}'''.
+== Abilities ==
+Kraid attacks solely with his body's natural weapons. He shoots dagger-like spikes from his belly and [[spinning claw]]s from his hands, the latter which consist of either his nails or entire fingers depending on the game; all of his weapons are infinitely generated in his body. In his ''Super Metroid'' and ''Metroid Dread'' appearances, he gains the ability to spew out rock-like projectiles from his mouth in addition to small fireballs in the latter game. Kraid also uses his arms' raw strength to hit Samus while using his massive body to push and corner her. In the manga, he demonstrates extreme accuracy with his belly spikes by successfully pinning down three of Samus's limbs against the floor (without harming her no less) before he follows up with a stomp, crushing her under his weight.
+In ''Super Metroid'', Kraid burrows out of the ground at the start of his battle, establishing him as a natural digger. He does so in ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' as well, though to a lesser extent.
+The skin on Kraid's body is completely invulnerable to damage and impenetrable from the outside, making all of Samus's weapons useless. Only areas with soft tissue are exploitable, namely his eyes and the inside of his mouth, and his incredible height helps keep these areas out of conventional reach. In ''Metroid Dread'', he is shown to be unaffected by [[lava]] when he is found imprisoned and partially submerged in the substance, capable of moving through it without expressing any pain except for discomfort towards the shackles limiting his range of movement. His immunity to lava seems to be on an external surface only, for he desperately tries to stop himself from sinking in it after the cables around his collar, which were keeping his enormous body afloat, are removed. Kraid's skin does not retain its invulnerability in the manga: Samus manages to blow up his left foot and inflicts further damage to his body with mere [[Bomb]]<nowiki/>s.
 ==Appearances==
-[[File:Metroid Kraid.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Official artwork of Kraid from ''[[Metroid]]''.]]
+===''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]''===
+{{Infobox Boss
-===''[[Metroid]]''===
+|name=Kraid
-In the Famicom and NES verison of ''Metroid'', Kraid is the boss of [[Kraid's Lair|Mini-Boss hideout I]]. He is found in a room containing a large platform surrounded by a pool of [[acid]]. His original design differed considerably from that of later installments. Kraid's artwork seems to show that, in addition to being approximately the same height as Samus, he also appears to have green fur on his back and only two eyes. There are also spikes located on his back that are shot out and diverge towards the front, similar to boomerangs, in an arching trajectory. The three spikes on his belly and face are always launched in a straight path. The entire boss battle consists of Kraid walking back and forth on his platform as he constantly hurls his weapons at Samus.
+|image=Metroid Boss Kraid.gif
+|caption=Kraid's sprite in ''[[Metroid]]''
+|location=[[Kraid's room]]
+|attacks=Spikes, boomerangs
+|weakness=[[Missile]]s, [[Ice Beam]], [[Bomb]]
+|music="[[Tourian (theme)]]"
+|reward=75 Missiles
+}}
+In ''Metroid'' for the Famicom and NES, Kraid is one of the two bosses on [[Zebes]] whose defeat is required to access [[Tourian]]. He dwells within [[Kraid's Lair|Mini-Boss Hideout I]], found in [[Kraid's room|a room]] surrounded by a pool of [[acid]]. His original design differed considerably from later installments; besides being approximately the same height as Samus, he also has green fur on his back, only two eyes, and boomerang cutters that can fly from his back. He fights with these arching cutters, also shooting spikes straight out from the front of his body.
-All of Kraid's projectiles also serve a defensive tactic; due to their invulnerability, they can destroy all of Samus' long-range weapons on contact. In particular, the middle spike on Kraid's front is aligned with her [[Arm Cannon]]'s line of fire, requiring either precise jumps to shoot in-between the top spikes, or strict timing in order to shoot his vulnerable body before his spikes reform on him. Samus can, however, use the Ice Beam to temporarily freeze Kraid's spikes in midair and away from him, leaving him completely exposed and unable to generate additional spikes until the ice thaws. Only the front spike closest to the floor can never be frozen because of the absence of crouching or diagonal aim in the game. One must be careful with the Ice Beam, for if Kraid's projectiles freeze before he launches them, they'll remain attached to his body for an extended period, somewhat increasing his defenses and thus further hinder the heroine. The [[Screw Attack]] and [[Bomb]]s also harm him, but at the expense of Samus' health due the close proximity needed to make them effective. His defeat triggers one of the [[Stone Statues]]. Due to all of the mechanics implicated in Kraid's battle, he is generally considered among fans to be a more difficult boss than Ridley.
+Kraid can be damaged by any of Samus' weapons, but the invulnerability of his projectiles makes for a powerful defense. In particular, the middle spike on Kraid's front is aligned with the [[Arm Cannon]]'s line of fire, requiring either precise jumps or timing to aim between the spikes. Samus can use the [[Ice Beam]] to temporarily freeze Kraid's spikes, leaving him completely exposed until the ice thaws. Only the front spike closest to the floor can never be frozen, due to the absence of crouching or diagonal aim in the game. However, if Kraid's projectiles are frozen before he launches them, they'll remain attached to his body for an extended period. The [[Screw Attack]] and [[Bomb]]s can also harm him, but the close proximity needed to make them effective makes them risky. Due to all of the mechanics in Kraid's battle, he is generally considered to be a more difficult boss than Ridley.
+Worthy to note is that due to the Famicom console's superior internal memory, the back spikes on Kraid and his doppelganger are thrown in various different trajectories chosen at random. The NES console's lower specs only offer a single path for these projectiles (among other objects and enemies in-game), making the non-Japanese version of Kraid slightly less challenging.
+Once Samus defeats Kraid, 75 [[Missile|Missiles]] are added to her maximum amount. His defeat also activates one of the two [[Stone Statues]] overlooking the path to Tourian.
+{{Main|Fake Kraid}}
+There is also a [[Mini-Kraid|Fake Kraid]] which Samus can encounter before fighting the real Kraid. However, since there are multiple paths leading to the authentic Kraid, Samus may never come across the imposter. Fake-Kraid shares the same attacks and the appearance of his namesake, but is a darker shade of brown with light blue fur and has much less health. Unlike the real Kraid, it respawns after death if Samus re-enters the room.
-There is also a [[Mini-Kraid|Fake-Kraid]] which Samus can encounter before fighting the real Kraid. However, since there are multiple paths leading to the authentic Kraid, Samus may never come across the imposter. Fake-Kraid shares the same attacks and the appearance of his namesake, but it is a darker shade of brown with light blue fur and is rather feeble by comparison. Unlike the real Kraid, it respawns even if killed by simply re-entering the decoy's room. Worthy to note is that due to the Famicom console's superior internal memory, the back spikes on Kraid and his doppelganger are thrown in various different trajectories chosen at random, while the NES console's lower specs only offer a single path for these projectiles (among other objects and enemies in-game), making the American version of ''Metroid'' slightly less challenging.
 ===''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''===
+{{Infobox Boss
+|name=Kraid
+|image=kraid_(Zero_Mission_Animation).gif
+|caption=Kraid's sprite in ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''
+|location=[[Kraid's room]]
+|attacks=Boomerang claws, swipes, belly spikes
+|weakness=[[Charge Beam]], [[Missile]]s
+|music="[[Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon)]]"
+|reward=Access to [[Speed Booster]]
+}}
+In the remake, Kraid's size and design are revised to resemble his appearance in ''Super Metroid''. He is initially asleep with the lower half of his body buried when Samus first enters the room, before awakening and emerging to do battle. He attacks by ejecting the boomerang claws from his right hand, sometimes swiping at Samus with his left hand if she gets too close. He can only be damaged on the inside of his mouth, so Samus must first hit him in the eyes with a [[Charge Beam]] or [[Missile]] to make him roar before she can hurt him.
+Once Kraid has taken enough damage or if Samus falls off the pillar in front of him, he begins shooting spikes from the two lowest holes in his belly. This destroys most of the aforementioned pillar, leaving a small floating platform for Samus to stand on when attacking his face. The belly spikes get embedded into the wall and Samus may use them to climb back up if she falls, though she must be quick about it as they explode after a few seconds. When his health is critical, Kraid moves closer to corner her and begins shooting from all three belly holes. The top most spike destroys the remaining platform, leaving Samus with only the embedded projectiles to use if she wishes to reach his face. If enough Missiles and/or Super Missiles have been collected prior to reaching Kraid, Samus can quickly defeat him before he manages to damage the pillar she initially stands on.
+Upon his defeat, Kraid sinks back into the ground while roaring and explodes. This unlocks one of the [[Stone Statues]] leading to Tourian, and also allows Samus access to a room behind him containing the [[Speed Booster]].
+===''[[Metroid: Volume 2]]'' ===
+Kraid appears in the second half of the ''[[Metroid: Volume 2]]'' [[Metroid (Magazine Z manga)|manga]], which is an adaptation of most of the events of ''Zero Mission''. [[Mother Brain]] describes Kraid as "Ridley's comrade" and also states that "his skin is on par with an anti-optical shield", explaining how most weapons cause him negligible damage.
+===''[[Metroid Prime (game)|Metroid Prime]]''===
+''Metroid Prime''<nowiki/>'s instruction manual refers to events of the original ''Metroid'', such as [[Samus Aran]] killing the "gargantuan mainstays of the [[Space Pirate]] army, Ridley and Kraid", foreshadowing their retconned sizes in ''Metroid: Zero Mission''. The manual also mentions that, after the fall of Zebes's Pirate base, the Space Pirates orbiting the planet split into two main camps - one to search for a planet with powerful energy resources (soon settling on [[Tallon IV]]), and the other to rebuild their ravaged facility on Zebes and resuscitate Ridley, [[Mother Brain]], and Kraid. Only Ridley, as the reborn [[Meta Ridley]], would make an active appearance in the game, leaving the other two's redevelopment at an unknown status throughout the entire [[Metroid Prime (series)|''Prime'' series]].
+===''[[Super Metroid]]''===
+{{Infobox Boss
+|name=Kraid
+|image=Kraid 16-bit.gif
+|caption=Kraid's sprite in ''[[Super Metroid]]''
+|location=[[Kraid's room]]
+|attacks=Hurling rocks, boomerang claws, belly spikes, charging
+|weakness=[[Charge Beam]], [[Missile]]s
+|music="[[Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon)]]"
+|reward=Access to [[Varia Suit]]
+}}
+Kraid reappears in ''Super Metroid'', being the first appearance of his iconic giant size. Before his room, there is an unavoidable encounter with an imposter named [[Mini-Kraid]], akin to the original ''Metroid''. It is much smaller and falls quickly to Missiles. This decoy is a bait-and-switch, especially effective on players going in blind from the first ''Metroid''. Just outside Kraid's room, there is also a [[Deceased Soldier|mysterious corpse]] with signs of advanced decomposition and [[Sbug|Sbugs]]. It is unknown if the killer was Kraid or his respective [[Gadora]].
+Kraid is nowhere to be seen in his room at first, until his upper torso tunnels out of the [[Spikes|thorns]] atop the floor to face Samus. In this phase, Kraid attacks by spitting rock-like projectiles or charging to skewer Samus against the wall with his claws. The inside of his mouth is his weakpoint which he exposes when he roars in reaction to being shot in the face, or when using the aforementioned projectiles. Once Kraid takes a set amount of damage, he rises entirely out of the ground, breaking the ceiling to reveal a large chamber with platforms sitting above the thorny ground.
+In his standing phase, Kraid takes up approximately two vertical screens' worth of space, making him the largest being in the entire game. He stops spitting rocks and instead shoots spikes from his three belly holes, as well as throwing his boomerang claws which now bounce around the room. The belly spikes do not stick into the back wall and instead travel through it completely, leaving very little time for Samus to stand on them. She can shoot Kraid in either of the three holes to trigger a roar from him if needed. Kraid is also unexpectedly mobile, as he moves back and forth across the room and can push Samus off the small platforms into the thorns below. Similar to the battle in ''Zero Mission'', a quick kill can be performed on Kraid which prevents the 2nd phase from occurring.
+As Kraid dies, he falls through the floor while weakly roaring. His death activates one of the [[Golden Statues]] to Tourian, and allows Samus access to a room behind him where the [[Varia Suit]] can be collected.
+=== ''[[Metroid Dread]]''===
+{{Infobox Boss
+|name=Kraid
+|image=MetroidDread Kraid Neutral.png
+|caption=Kraid in ''[[Metroid Dread]]''
+|location=[[Cataris]]
+|attacks=Spitting globules and fireballs, boomerang claws, belly spikes, [[Kraid Bouncing Creature|bouncing creatures]], acid splashes, swipes
+|weakness=[[Missile]]s, [[Bomb]]s
+|music=[[Boss Kraid]]
+|reward=Access to [[Diffusion Beam]]
+}}
+After decades of absence, Kraid returns in ''Metroid Dread'' as the main boss of [[Cataris]]. Although the [[Chozo Archives]] depict [[Mawkin]] [[Chozo Soldier]]s restraining him in Cataris, no further explanation is given for his presence on [[ZDR]].
+While identified as Kraid in the game's [[map]] and [[Mission Log]], it is unclear if this is the same character from previous games; ''[[Metroid Dread Report]]'' [[Metroid Dread Report/Volume 6: Dive Deep Into the New Trailer|Volume 6]] coyly describes him as "a giant monster who appears to be Kraid" rather than outright confirming his identity. [[Quiet Robe]]'s exposition presents an unclear timeline for the aforementioned Chozo Archive image, since the Mawkin were being ravaged by [[X Parasite]]s while [[SR-388 incident|Samus exterminated the Metroids on SR388]]. This suggests that this Kraid is a separate specimen (much like Mini-Kraid) captured at an earlier time by the Mawkin. Otherwise, this would mean that the Chozo Soldiers were still active during the events of ''Super Metroid'' to capture Kraid despite the X infestation. Kraid's aggressive behavior suggests he recognizes Samus as his old foe; alternatively, if this Kraid is another specimen altogether, his aggression may be a Pavlovian response to associating Samus's [[Power Suit|Chozo armor]] with his captors. There is also a possibility that Kraid may have been cloned, since [[Raven Beak]] indicates that he is capable of cloning creatures as bioweapons.<ref>"You no longer serve any purpose. Even your Metroid DNA is no longer necessary. Do you want to know why? It is because I can now clone an army of the most powerful Metroid of all... Samus Aran." - Raven Beak, ''Metroid Dread''.</ref>
+His appearance differs very little from the last two encounters except for his eye lids which are now vertically aligned rather than horizontally. Kraid is held prisoner in a [[Kraid's room (Cataris)|large room]] full of [[lava]]; his legs and tail are submerged in the substance while his neck and wrists are bound by giant restraints. His middle belly hole is swollen with a sickly purple color due to a [[Kraid Bouncing Creature|parasite infestation]].
+His roars can first be heard from neighbouring rooms as Samus approaches. Upon entering, she remains cautious of the darkness but eases up upon seeing the restrained Kraid. He lunges at her with a bite but the various shackles on his body prevent him from reaching her and he resorts to roar angrily at her. Unshaken, she calmly shoots him in the mouth with her [[Charge Beam]] and after regaining his composure, he unsuccessfully tries to free his arms and roars once more, initiating the boss battle. Later on, Kraid manages to break the restraint on his left arm through sheer strength, granting him a minor amount of freedom to move around.
+At the end of the battle, Samus runs up Kraid's belly and he frees his restrained right arm in an attempt to smack her before following with a bite. She evades both attacks and jumps onto the dangling wire that previously held his left arm. She dodges another swipe from Kraid, causing him to smash a nearby wall as Samus safely lands on a ledge. Due to all the agitation and/or the severing of both arm shackles, one of the cables tied to Kraid's collar breaks off and he begins sinking into the lava, revealing that the devices on his body are not only holding him prisoner but also keeping his body afloat. He grasps at the walls and shoots one last stomach spike that Samus dodges with ease. The final cable breaks, and Kraid loses his grip as the collar's weight sinks him further. He claws at the ledge on which Samus stands before completely submerging. Afterwards, Samus uses Kraid's final spike as a platform to reach the exit, leading her to the [[Diffusion Beam]].
+Although Kraid's fate beneath the lava is not explicitly shown, his death is suggested by the purple [[X Parasite]] that creates [[Raven Beak X]], a giant amalgamated monstrosity combining [[Raven Beak]] with features from Kraid.<ref>Looygi Bros. "[https://youtu.be/yDDumK4U7Ko?t=10 12 Cool Details in Metroid Dread (Part 9)]". ''YouTube''. February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.</ref> However, the belly spike that Samus used to exit the room vanishes following the X Parasites' release from [[Elun]]; this leads to the possibility that the X instead acquired Kraid's genetic information by consuming the leftover spike.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Metroid/comments/qpc18c/now_thats_attention_to_detail/ Now that's attention to detail!], posted by u/CYBER_X5 on r/Metroid</ref> Whether he died by drowning in the lava or through the actions of the X, the subsequent obliteration of Raven Beak X at the hands of Samus' [[Hyper Beam (Metroid Dread)|Hyper Beam]], along with the entirety of planet ZDR self-destructing minutes later, leads to the safe assumption that Kraid was thoroughly eliminated.
+====Battle ====
+[[File:Metroid Dread Samus and Kraid.gif|thumb|right|250px|Samus confronting Kraid in ''Metroid Dread''.]]
+Similar to ''Super Metroid'', Kraid's battle has two phases: one against his upper half, the other against his full height. Samus first fights atop a platform as he spits globules and fireballs, and throws boomerang claws. His weak point is his mouth, which he opens as he roars or spits; it can also be forced open by shooting him in the eyes with the [[Charge Beam]] or [[Missile]]s as usual. Samus can destroy the globules he spits for pickups.
+Once Kraid takes sufficient damage, he frees his left arm to smash the platform, forcing Samus to stand on broken metal atop the surface of the lava. Kraid is still restrained by his neck and right arm, forcing him to attack with his belly holes by releasing [[Kraid Bouncing Creature|Bouncing Creature]]s and splashes of pink acid. Samus must shoot the sore on his lowest belly hole, provoking him into firing his classic belly spikes, which Samus should duck under as they smash into the wall. The tremor brings down a [[blue magnetic strip]] that Samus can grip with the [[Spider Magnet]]; it then rises to Kraid's face. Alternatively, Samus can wait for his spike attack regularly and quickly climb them before they shatter, grabbing the blue magnetic strip to attack his face.
-In the remake of the first ''Metroid'' game, Kraid is reminiscent of his appearance in ''Super Metroid'', suggesting that Kraid was meant to be gigantic in the original Famicom/NES game and did not "grow" between his appearances in ''Metroid'' and ''Super Metroid''. Kraid's hideout is now named after him and remains separate from Brinstar, unlike ''Super Metroid'' where his lair was simply a section of the latter. His weaker decoy is nowhere to be seen.
+Hanging from the magnetic strip, Samus can resume her previous tactic of shooting Kraid in the mouth. Kraid uses his old attacks, but also a new backhand swipe from his left arm which is susceptible to the [[Melee Counter]], allowing Samus to initiate a Grab Sequence. In the Grab Sequence, she leaps over his punch and kicks a foot into his jaws, prying his mouth open to fire directly inside before retreating to the magnetic strip. Afterwards, Kraid will perform another punch to force Samus down; this is telegraphed by his eyes glowing brightly, allowing Samus to potentially avoid it with a careful jump. If Samus falls back to the broken platform below, she must repeat Kraid's second phase to reach his face once more.
-In the battle with Kraid, he will hurl from his right hand destructable, spinning claws (similar to his "future" chronological appearance in ''Super Metroid'') while periodically swiping at Samus with his left arm. In the remake, his entire body is invulnerable save for the inside of his mouth, which can be exposed by shooting a [[Charge Beam|charged beam]] or any [[Missile|concussive]] [[Super missile|weapon]] at his eyes. Once Kraid has taken enough damage with any of these, or if Samus were to fall off the pillar she is standing on, he will begin to continously shoot his two lowest belly spikes at her; this destroys most of the pillar in the process, leaving only a tiny block to stand on. Regardless of whether the spikes hit Samus or not, they will stick onto the back wall, allowing her to use them as platforms to reposition herself in front of Kraid's head if she were to fall, but only briefly as they explode within seconds. When Kraid's health is further reduced, he will begin shooting spikes from all three belly holes, crumbling the final remants of the stone pillar. When Kraid is defeated, he partially sinks to the floor and explodes, unlocking one of the Stone Statues' gates.
+[[Sequence Breaking|Sequence breaking]] can completely change the dynamic of the battle. If [[Morph Ball]] [[Bomb]]s have been obtained early, Samus can use a [[Morph Ball launcher]] hidden in the lower left corner of the room to blast herself into Kraid's belly sore; there, she can repeatedly plant [[Bomb]]s inside to instantly defeat him. This must be done quickly, as Samus takes steady damage while inside the hole. Additionally, if [[Flash Shift]] is obtained, Samus can instantly trigger the Grab Sequence by Flash Shifting into Kraid's face when his eyes flash.<ref>https://twitter.com/yassu_yassu/status/1459797684340985858</ref>
-Kraid also appears in the second half of the ''[[Metroid: Volume 2]]'' [[Metroid (2002 manga)|manga]], which is an adaptation of most of the events of ''Zero Mission''. The manga doesn't outright tell what Kraid is, but he is described as being "Ridley's comrade". [[Mother Brain]] also states that "his skin is on par with an anti-optical shield", explaining how most weapons cause him very little damage.
+== Cancelled appearances==
+{{noncanon}}
 ===''[[Metroid Prime]]''===
+[[File:MP Kraid.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Kraid as he would have appeared in ''Prime''.]]
-The ''Metroid Prime'' game's instruction manual makes reference to events which occurred in the original ''Metroid'', such as [[Samus Aran]] killing the "gargantuan mainstays of the [[Space Pirate]] army, Ridley and Kraid" (foreshadowing their retconned sizes in ''Metroid: Zero Mission''). The manual also mentions that, after the fall of Zebes' Pirate base, the Space Pirates orbiting the planet split into two main camps - one to search for a planet with powerful energy resources (soon settling on [[Tallon IV]]), and the other to rebuild their ravaged facility on Zebes and begin resuscitating [[Mother Brain]], Ridley and Kraid. Only Ridley, as the reborn [[Meta Ridley]], would make an active appearance in the game, with the other two's redevelopment at an unknown status during the entire [[Prime Series|''Prime'' series]].
+Kraid was intended to have a larger role in the first ''Metroid Prime'' game; a reborn Kraid was planned to make an appearance as a boss character in the [[Phazon Mines]] area on Tallon IV. He was modeled and textured by [[Gene Kohler]] for that purpose. He possessed what appears to be a metal helmet on his head, likely made by the Space Pirates to protect his eyes (an exploitable weakpoint established in other games). Kohler indicated in an email reply to N-Sider that the helmet was supposed to be an obstacle to be overcome in the planned fight against him. This was later clarified by an anonymous former employee at Retro who stated players needed to cause objects to collapse onto his armored head, a goal made difficult by Kraid firing projectiles at Samus from his belly holes and tipping over the platforms she needed to ascend; the former employee further stated there may have been additional phases to the fight, but could not recall them. Interesting to note is that his belly projectiles were mentioned by the same person to be missiles instead of the organic spikes previously used on Zebes, strongly implying that the Space Pirates had installed weapon systems in his body. While Kraid likely was not cybernetically enhanced to the same extent as his comrade Meta Ridley, the missile system and the metal helmet contribute the fan-coined nickname "Meta Kraid".
-[[File:MP_Kraid.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Meta Kraid as he would have appeared in ''Prime''.]]
-However, Kraid was intended to have a larger role in the game. A reborn Kraid (with the fan-coined term "Meta Kraid") was planned to make an appearance as a boss character in the [[Phazon Mines]] area on Tallon IV. He was modeled and textured by [[Gene Kohler]] for that purpose. As one can see from the image on the left, he has a helmet on his head believed to be made by the Space Pirates. The purpose of this helmet is not certain, although Kohler indicated in an email reply to N-Sider that the helmet was supposed to be an obstacle to be overcome in the planned fight against him.
+A piece of concept art made during ''Metroid Prime''<nowiki/>'s development shows a helmetless Kraid extending multiple organic spears from his stomach at Samus while she is jumping and firing at his exposed face; she appears to have simultaneously destroyed some of his uppermost spears and dodged a strike from his left hand along the way. This concept, in which Kraid features over two dozen belly ports launching a different type of weapon, may have represented a phase following the destruction of his helmet. The fight (and character) ultimately did not make its way into the game in time for the release. According to [[Jack Mathews]], the Omega Pirate replaced Kraid, since it was built on the existing [[Elite Pirate]] AI, whereas Kraid required new AI to be written.<ref>{{cite|title=Episode 21 – Jack Mathews (Ex [[Retro Studios]])|url=https://shinesparkers.net/podcast/episode-21-jack-mathews/|platform=Shinesparkers|publisher=[[Shinesparkers]]|media=podcast|day=26|month=01|year=2022|access-date=June 18, 2022}} (starts at 57:10)</ref> The [[Elite Quarters]], where the Omega Pirate is fought, was intended to be Kraid's location.<ref>Kiwi Talkz. "#144 - Jack Mathews Interview - Metroid Prime 20th Anniversary (Crunch, A.I., Fetch Quest, Bosses )". ''YouTube''. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJkxpG5R9PI (starts at 47:27)</ref>
-[[File:24 Metriod Prime Concepts.jpg|thumb|400px|[[Greg Luzniak]] concept art.]]
+Due to being cut from ''Metroid Prime'', Kraid's only 3D appearances had been in other series, namely the [[Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths]] stage of ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' and the ''[[Metroid Blast]]'' attraction of ''[[Nintendo Land]]'', until he finally appeared nineteen years later in ''[[Metroid Dread]]''.
-Another concept art meant for his appearance in ''Prime'' (image on the right) also indicated that he would fire out at least fifteen thorns at Samus while they were still connected to his body. The fight (and character) ultimately did not make its way into the game in time for the release, along with some other things (such as the [[Screw Attack]]). It is only known by artwork and short comments by the artist. Contrary to popular belief, Kraid was not replaced by the Omega Pirate. Due to the scrapped appearance, ''Melee'' remains his only 3D appearance as of now.
+[[File:Metroid Prime Nintendo Power ad that mentions Kraid.png|thumb|Advertisement for ''Prime'' in ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' that mentions Kraid.]]
-====Removal====
-''"I had completely finished modeling and texturing Kraid. The level that he was to be included in was well underway to being designed. There just was not enough development time remaining to fully implement all aspects of the scenario that were needed to pull off a highly polished\fun gaming experience... animations\effects\programming\etc. It was decided that Kraid was not imperative enough to the Metroid Prime project to run the risk of pushing up the release date in order to fit him in.''
+==== Developer comments====
-''I'm sure the folks over at Retro are designing ways to fit Kraid in possible future Metroid titles."''
+{{Cquotetxt|''I had completely finished modeling and texturing Kraid. The level that he was to be included in was well underway to being designed. There just was not enough development time remaining to fully implement all aspects of the scenario that were needed to pull off a highly polished\fun gaming experience... animations\effects\programming\etc. It was decided that Kraid was not imperative enough to the Metroid Prime project to run the risk of pushing up the release date in order to fit him in.''
+''I'm sure the folks over at Retro are designing ways to fit Kraid in possible future Metroid titles.''|Gene Kohler, May 11, 2004 (Mythicahq.com)}}
--Gene Kohler
+{{Cquotetxt|''According to Mr. Kohler in an email to N-Sider, Kraid is said to have a metal plate covering his face due to it being a designed gameplay feature - an item that you had to overcome in your encounter against Kraid. Although, he said, if the model does appear in a future Metroid title, expect some modifications to be made as the older ideas become refined.''|N-Sider}}
-May 11, 2004 (Mythicahq.com)
+{{Cquotetxt|''Kraid was really just some ideas and a first pass model. We were about to start work on him when he was cut. The overall idea was to have Kraid at one end of a large cavern, and some rickety platforms at the other end that Kraid could reach out to and tip over. He would also fire missiles at you from his belly ports. As I recall you would have to climb to the top and trigger something to collapse on him several times. There were probably other stages but I don’t remember them.''|Anonymous [[Retro Studios]] Employee<ref>http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/metroid-prime-gc-beta</ref>}}
+{{Cquotetxt|''Probably the biggest throwaway I remember was Kraid. There were some prototypes for him, but it was pretty obvious we would run out of time to get him done.''
+(asked to elaborate) ''I wish I remembered more. I just remember he was huge, that there were a bunch of jumping pieces, and that there was no way we were going to make it work in the time we had. I believe the Omega Pirate took his place, and I’m actually ok with that, because I thought that ended up being a pretty cool boss.''|[[Jack Mathews]], January 20, 2018<ref>https://shinesparkers.net/interviews/jack-mathews</ref>|color=gray|size=300%}}
-''"According to Mr. Kohler in an email to N-Sider, Kraid is said to have a metal plate covering his face due to it being a designed gameplay feature - an item that you had to overcome in your encounter against Kraid. Although, he said, if the model does appear in a future Metroid title, expect some modifications to be made as the older ideas become refined."''
+Mathews also joked that Kraid was cut because "we had a hard time finding him a toothbrush".<ref>https://twitter.com/jack_mathews/status/958185981563342848</ref>
--N-Sider
 ===''[[Metroid Prime 3: Corruption]]''===
-Though Kraid does not appear in this game, a released storyboard for an unused introduction animation by Ben Sprout features a creature that resembles Kraid attacking Samus, but being destroyed by her [[Samus Aran's Gunship|Gunship]].
+Though Kraid does not appear in this game, a released storyboard for an unused introduction animation by Ben Sprout features a creature resembling Kraid attacking Samus, but is quickly destroyed by her [[Gunship (Return of Samus)|Gunship]]. This design features an additional row of spikes placed horizontally across his chest, with vertical rows of upward facing spikes seen at the creature's sides. Finally, each of his arms end in a single, largely extended claw-tipped appendage.
+==Behavior==
-===''[[Super Metroid]]''===
+Throughout all the games that feature Kraid, he is consistently presented as a brutish individual who does nothing beyond fighting and roaring. While Ridley is portrayed in a similar animalistic fashion, both he and Mother Brain have gained some form of characterization and displayed clear signs of high intellect over the years following their first appearance, making Kraid the only one from the ''Metroid'' series' original trio of villains to not be expanded upon in any significant way, even in supplementary materials. In the ''Metroid'' manga, he remains unable to talk, unlike the other antagonists.
-[[File:Kraid 16-bit.gif|thumb|210px|right|The 16-bit Kraid as shown in ''[[Super Metroid]]''.]]Kraid reappears in ''Super Metroid'' in his large form. He takes up approximately two vertical screens' worth of space, making him the largest being in the entire game. Kraid only receives damage when he is shot in the mouth, and he exposes this weakpoint in frustration after being hit in the eyes with a [[Missile]], [[Super Missile]], or beam shot ([[Charge Beam|charged]] or uncharged). Four Super Missiles or 20 missiles/charged shots in total are necessary to defeat Kraid.
-As Samus enters his room and stands on the only platform available, Kraid is nowhere to be seen initially, until he tunnels out of the [[Spikes|organic thorns]] covering the entire floor in front of the heroine. Due to the room's low ceiling, only Kraid's upper torso rises aboveground. During this phase, Kraid's attacks consist only of hurling rock-like projectiles from within his mouth (four in a row), and a ram in which he attempts to skewer Samus against the wall with his fingers. Because of the small platform, Samus has limited space to manage his attacks. After a set amount of damage is inflicted on him, Kraid will rise entirely out of the ground, breaking the ceiling above in the process, revealing a far larger room with platforms standing above the thorn-covered ground.
+What can be interpreted from his actions is that he is noticeably very short-tempered, much to his own detriment since he will angrily roar at Samus whenever he is shot in the face despite how this very response exposes his vulnerable mouth. Kraid also exhibits signs of a lazy disposition, as he will put minimal physical effort at the start of his battles in both ''Zero Mission'' and ''Super Metroid''; only when he receives some amount of damage will he finally exert himself, notably by destroying nearby structures in the environment to gain an advantage over his opponent. The exception to this is in ''Metroid Dread'' where he immediately lunges at Samus in his intro cutscene (possibly bearing a grudge for their past encounters), but his chains force him to have a slow start once more in this battle. Once he realizes the shackle on his right arm becoming loose, he displays some degree of intelligence by immediately applying enough force to break it open and quickly smashes the platform Samus was on, and later uses his unshackled arm to remove her off the [[blue magnetic strip]] that grants her a direct line of fire with his face.
-At this point, Kraid will cease to use his rock-like projectiles and instead shoot spikes from all three belly holes, as well as throw his fingertips around the room. These attacks have different properties from their "past" ''Zero Mission'' variant: the fingertips now bounce off any flat surface they collide with rather than exploding on contact, thus they remain on the field for a ''far'' longer amount of time and can reach Samus from multiple directions. As for the belly spikes, they are not only launched out at a ''much ''faster rate, they no longer jab onto the wall behind Samus and instead pierce completely through it, giving her substantially less time to use them as platforms. Kraid's mobility is significantly quicker; as he moves back and forth across the room, he can potentially push Samus off the small platforms and into the hazardous ground below, or damage her by colliding his fingers onto her, or a combination of both. As he dies, the floor will seemingly crumble beneath Kraid and he will fall through it. His death will deactivate one of the [[Golden Statues]].
+In his manga appearance, Kraid makes a conceited smile after believing to have vanquished Samus, and some of the sounds he makes earlier when her beam shots are being reflected off him may be interpreted as laughter.
-Akin to the original ''Metroid'' game, there is an imposter appropriately named Mini-Kraid. He is encountered two rooms prior to Kraid's; it is dwarf-like in comparison, both in terms of size and strength. Similarily to the ''Metroid'' decoy, it respawns after it is destroyed if Samus re-enters its corridor. Numerous [[Green Space Pirate]]s and [[Kihunter]]s patrol the rooms before the boss' chamber, seemingly to defend Kraid and Mini-Kraid.
+==Appearances in other media==
-Just outside Kraid's room, there is [[Deceased Soldier|a mysterious dead body]] with signs of advanced decomposition. It is unknown if the killer was Kraid or his respective [[Gadora]].
+===''[[Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order]]''===
+[[File:MZIO page 95.png|thumb|373x373px|''"Kraid, the boss of area A, began his attack as soon as he appeared, without stopping for a breath."'']]
+Just as in ''Metroid'', ''Metroid: Zero Mission'', and ''Super Metroid'', Kraid appears as a guardian of the Space Pirate stronghold on planet Zebes. Normal beam attacks do not work on Kraid; missiles must be used to damage him. He resides in Brinstar room A-22, which is guarded by a [[Sidehopper|Side Hopper]] and a [[Doublehopper]]. Upon his demise, Kraid explodes in a bright flash and drops a [[Key Stone]], which is used to activate his Stone Statue.
+{{-}}
+===''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]''===
-===Other games===
+In the animated cartoon series ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'', Kraid appears as a minor recurring character in multiple episodes, acting as a minion who serves Mother Brain. He is frequently seen patrolling [[Metroid (asteroid)|Metroid]] as a guard, armed with a spear-like weapon and a [[Kraid's Missile Gun|Missile Gun]] holstered on his belt.
-{{Noncanon}}
-==== ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''====
-A trophy of Kraid is obtained when the [[Brinstar Depths]] stage is unlocked. Kraid also appears as part of the stage itself—occasionally, he will emerge from the magma, roar, and rotate the arena by slashing it, changing gameplay. Though he is based on his ''Super Metroid ''appearance, he has a more greyish colored skin, is enormously larger in size, and his eyes are of a pupiless white color rather than red.
+As with many other characters in the series, Kraid has a drastically different appearance from his canonical design, resembling an overweight bipedal rhinocerus wearing a green tunic and blue hat. Since Kraid is never identified by name in the show itself, his identity has only been confirmed by [[:File:Kraid'sMissileGun.JPG|concept artwork]] of Kraid's Missile Gun.
-=== ''[[Nintendo Land]]''===
-Kraid is the first boss encountered by the Mii in Hostile Colossus. He appears as a robot partially submerged in lava and attacks by throwing various projectiles, including his classic, boomerang-like nails. The Mii must shoot the presented target and then fire missiles or charged shots at his throat - after enough damage is inflicted, Kraid will rise out of the lava and begin firing missiles and bullets. He also extends platforms crawling with [[Zebesian]]s for the Mii to destroy. The Mii must shoot all the targets before attacking the target on Kraid's nose. After taking more damage, Kraid will rise even higher out of the lava, revealing his cylinder-shaped, mechanical body. He will have more targets on his body and must be taken down by a charge shot, after which the pattern is repeated.
+In ''Kevin in Videoland'', Kraid makes a cameo appearance as the minion guarding Princess Lana's prison cell. He is instantly defeated when Kevin lands on him, in a similar manner to ''[[Mario (series)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' enemies.
-If Kraid is defeated, the Mii unlocks Survival Mode for Ground Battle. Kraid's head is also a prize in the game. Its description reads: ''"This hulking monstrosity dwells in the depths of planet Zebes. His skin is impenetrably thick, so try shooting into his mouth. You'll have to climb his towering body to reach his face!"''
+In ''Mega Trouble For Megaland'', Kraid is seen enslaving the residents of Mt. Icarus, which has been renamed Mt. Mother Brain after being conquered by the Forces of Chaos. He appears alongside an identical creature, which may be a possible reference to [[Mini-Kraid|Fake Kraid]]. Notably, this episode is the only time Kraid has been voiced with dialogue, speaking with a high-pitched scratchy voice as he threatens the enslaved workers. While his voice actor has never been confirmed, several unofficial websites credit [[:wikipedia:Doug Parker (voice actor)|Doug Parker]] (who also voices [[Mega Man]] in the same cartoon) with voicing Kraid.{{fact|Can we confirm this?}}<ref>[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Captain-N-The-Game-Master/Kraid/ Kraid Voice - Captain N The Game Master (TV Show) - Behind The Voice Actors]</ref><ref>[https://www.giantbomb.com/doug-parker/3040-126449/characters/ Doug Parker Characters - Giant Bomb]</ref>
-His battle theme in the game is a remix of the upper Brinstar song from the original ''Metroid''.
+In ''Metroid Sweet Metroid'', Kraid and a [[Viola]] patroll Metroid while Kevin and Duke are trapped in its corridors. Later, Kraid finds Duke lying on the floor and prods at him with his spear-like weapon, unaware that Duke is merely playing dead as a distraction. Kevin sneaks up on Kraid and ties him up with rope, then steals his Missile Gun.
+In ''Gameboy'', Kraid is among the monsters generated by the Mother Brain-controlled Gameboy. He charges at [[Simon Belmont]] and pins him against a wall. Once Duke unplugs Gameboy, Kraid vanishes along with all of the other monsters.
+===[[Nintendo Comics System]]===
+Kraid appears as a character in the [[Nintendo Comics System]] adaptations of ''Metroid'' and ''Captain N''. Unlike his animated appearance, Kraid much more closely resembles his original artwork from ''Metroid''.
+In ''[[The Coming of a Hero]]'', Kraid and Ridley explore the [[Surface]] of [[SR388]], where they become the first Space Pirates to discover a Metroid.
+In ''Breakout'', Kraid makes his most significant appearance in the comics, appearing as a prisoner of Metroid Cell Block 1 on [[RX 338]]. He attempts to convince all of the prisoners in his block that were put away by Samus to turn on their fellow captive, pointing out that she is weaponless. Samus punches Kraid, then grabs him by the foot and swings him around as an improvised weapon, beating the prisoners into submission. Samus later uses Kraid as a diversion to make her own escape, and she threatens him into compliance. He is caught by the guards in the watchtowers and presumably spends a month in solitary confinement as punishment.
+In ''When Friends Fall Out'', Kraid and Ridley appear in a flashback taking place several years prior to the main story. They capture Samus and connect her to a machine, intending to brainwash her into a minion for Mother Brain. Samus breaks free of their machine and steals their Flame-Chip as she escapes.
+===''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]''===
+====''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''====
+[[File:Melee_kraid.png|thumb|Kraid as a stage hazard.]]
+Kraid also appears as part of the [[Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths]] stage. Occasionally, he will emerge from the magma, roar, slash at the arena with his claws, and then sink back into the magma. While he cannot directly attack players, Kraid causes the entire arena to rotate, with the direction based upon how he strikes it. This changes the battlefield and forces players to adapt.
+A trophy of Kraid is also obtained when the Brinstar Depths stage is unlocked.<!--His skin actually is green and his eyes actually are red; however, the colors are very washed out. Do not say that he has gray skin or white eyes in Melee.-->
+====''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''====
+The Brinstar Depths stage does not return in ''Brawl''. Therefore, Kraid only makes a cameo appearance as a [[sticker]], using his artwork from ''Zero Mission''.
+====''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''====
+[[File:SSBU Kraid.png|thumb|Kraid's updated model in ''Ultimate'']]
+Kraid returns in ''Ultimate'' along with the Brinstar Depths stage. In addition to being much higher quality than ''Melee'', his model is now more closely modeled after his appearances in ''Super Metroid'' and ''Zero Mission''. He plays the same role as he did in ''Melee''.
+Kraid appears in [[Dark Samus (Super Smash Bros.)|Dark Samus]]'s congratulations screen for [[Classic Mode]], where he is seen emerging from the lava at Brinstar Depths while Dark Samus and Ridley are about to fight each other. Kraid also appears with fellow reptilian villains in the image unlocked by completing [[Luigi]]'s All-Star Smash Challenge.
+Kraid is also a [[Spirit|Master Spirit]], using his artwork from ''Super Metroid''. He is unlocked in the Dark Realm of the [[World of Light]] adventure mode, and is a mandatory encounter along the path to the Sacred Land. Kraid's Spirit Battle is a stamina battle against a Giant [[King K. Rool]] on Brinstar Depths' Omega Form. During the battle, K. Rool has reduced jump power and movement speed. As a Master Spirit, Kraid cannot normally be equipped by fighters; exclusively during this fight, he is classified as a Neutral type that is neither strong nor weak against other Spirits.
+[[File:Kraid's Dojo.jpg|thumb|Kraid's Dojo.]]
+Once unlocked, Kraid runs a Dojo, where he trains up to four other Spirits. He teaches them the Tank Style, which increases offense and defense but reduces move speed and jump. As a Master Spirit, Kraid is given dialogue for the first time in a video game; however, it consists entirely of roars and grunts. Translations are provided in parentheses, although these translations seem to be somewhat uncertain (often guessing what Kraid means or ending with question marks) for added humor. On a similar note, this technically marks the first time that Kraid acts as an ally to the player rather than an enemy.
+===''[[Nintendo Land]]'' ===
+[[File:NL Kraid and Ridley.jpg|thumb|Kraid and Ridley animatronics in [[Metroid Blast]]]]
+In the [[Metroid Blast]] attraction, Kraid is featured as an animatronic robot and is the first boss that [[Mii]]s must fight in [[Assault Mission]]. He appears in the [[Volcanic Sector]] during missions "10. Hostile Colossus", "24. Kraid's Army", and "30. The True Final Battle", which all have the objective of defeating Kraid. His battle theme is a remix of [[Brinstar (Metroid)]].
+He begins by partially emerging from a pool of lava, exposing his head, arms and chest. At this phase, he attacks solely by throwing his classic boomerang-like claws, however they now detonate with a wide explosive radius after a few seconds. The Mii must shoot the presented target on his nose and then fire [[Ship Missile|Missiles]] (if piloting the [[Gunship (Return of Samus)|Gunship]]) or [[Charge Bomb]]s (if on foot) at his throat - after three successful shots, Kraid will rise out of the lava and add to his long-range arsenal by firing [[Rocket]]s, bullets, lasers and energy spheres from various locations on his body. He also extends platforms from his body which carry [[Zebesian|Zebesian Pirates]], revealing Kraid as a sentient, mobile fortress. The Pirates are not necessary to kill, though they can hinder the Mii by shooting beams from their claws and may try to close-in on the player for melee attacks. Regardless, the Mii must continue to shoot all the new targets spread throughout Kraid's body (including attacking the one on his nose once again) which will expose his throat. After enough damage is inflicted, Kraid will rise higher out of the lava, unveiling more of his large, cylinder-shaped, heavily armed mechanical body. After repeating the process with the targets a third time, Kraid will explode, thus ending the battle.
+Another method for killing Kraid is made available to the player if another Mii is piloting a Gunship: the Mii on foot can [[Grapple Beam]] with the left arm onto the underside of the Gunship, allowing the player to be carried above Kraid's head and, if the latter's mouth is open, drop down his throat and land inside his chest, where the weakpoint can be damaged with standard beam fire.
+"10. Hostile Colossus" just has the Mii fighting Kraid. "24. Kraid's Army" requires the Mii to defeat Kraid under a time limit, while Kraid is accompanied by numerous [[Cyclon]]s and [[Geemer]]s to increase the overall difficulty. "30. The True Final Battle" consists of fighting both Kraid and Ridley simultaneously; Ridley can regenerate himself indefinitely, making Kraid's defeat the main goal to completing the mission. As Kraid explodes at the end, so too will Ridley.
+If Kraid is defeated, the Mii unlocks Survival Mode for Ground Battle. His head is also a prize in the Nintendo Land Plaza.
 {{Endnoncanon}}
 ==Official data==
-===''Metroid'' manual===
+===''Metroid'' manual ===
+;Kraid
-''"This is the head of the Mini-Boss hideout. He hurls horns from his stomach and back. Be very careful of his fierce attacks. If [[Samus]] gets hit by him, his energy will be weakened a lot."''
+:''"This is the head of the Mini-Boss hideout. He hurls horns from his stomach and back. Be very careful of his fierce attacks. If [[Samus]] gets hit by him, his energy will be weakened a lot."''
-===Official Nintendo Player's Guide===
+====Virtual Console retranslation====
+;Kraid
-''"This is the Boss who protects Brinstar. He shoots missiles from his stomach, and uses a spinning horn on his back to attack. Missile attacks are the best way to kill him."''
+:''"A miniboss that shoots horns from his stomach and spinning horns from his back. These horns can do considerable damage, so be careful."''
-===''Super Metroid'' manual===
+===''[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]]'' ===
+;KRAID
-''"The giant lizard of Brinstar attacks Samus with thorny projectiles and spits spheres out of its mouth. No weapons - beams, missiles, or bombs - have any effect on its body. The creature's weak point is unknown."''
+: ''"This is the Boss who protects Brinstar. He shoots missiles from his stomach, and uses a spinning horn on his back to attack. Missile attacks are the best way to kill him."''
+===''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Volume 29===
+;<nowiki>KRAID: The Second MINI-BOSS</nowiki>
+:''"Kraid fires spikes from his gut--spikes with the power of Samus' missiles. It won't take many of these to finish you off. Again, there are two methods of attack. Jump on the spot where Kraid stands and use missiles, or jump and fire from the lava pit with the Wave Beam."''
+===''Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order''===
+{{UnofficialTranslation}}
+;Passage 178
+:''"Warning.''
+:"''A high-pitched alarm went off from the command computer.''
+:"''<nowiki/>'Warning! Warning! Massive energy readings past this room. Kraid, the boss of area A is ahead. At this moment, you are able to retreat from this room. It is preferable that you proceed in top condition. This room has a three-layer shutter. The enemies have not yet noticed you, so you can clearly escape. And since Kraid is the area boss, this fight will not be simple. Will you proceed or turn back?'"''
+;Passage 97
+:''"A dinosaur-like creature with numerous, enormous spikes appeared. Its height was easily around 3 meters. The command computer spoke: 'It's Kraid.'''
+:''"Kraid's method of attack is to use his spikes as a weapon, launching them [at his enemy]."''
+;Passage 169
+:''"The command computer issued an alert. 'Without missiles, Kraid cannot be defeated.'''
+:''"I shot my beam behind him as a distraction. Using that, I managed to dodge his attacks and fled the room. For the moment, I think I'll leave the area, stock up on missiles and energy, and try again."''
+=== ''Super Metroid'' manual===
+;KRAID
+: ''"(The Boss of Brinstar)<br />The giant lizard of Brinstar attacks Samus with thorny projectiles and spits spheres out of its mouth. No weapons - beams, missiles, or bombs - have any effect on its body. The creature's weak point is unknown."''
+===''[[Super Metroid Players' Guide]]''===
+''"By far the largest guardian in the game, Kraid will prove a tough adversary. He only has one weak spot and that's the inside of his mouth. Shoot him in the head then, when he roars in pain, lob as many rockets and laser bolts down his throat as possible. When he first emerges, he pauses with only his upper body showing. Use this time to get in as many hits as possible; he'll then rear up to his full height and your job becomes much trickier. To make matters worse, he will launch a myriad of projectiles from his body. The spikes launched from his chest can be ridden upon if you can get on top but contact anywhere else results in damage being sustained. The [[spinning claw]]s have to be either shot or dodged. If missiles or energy are running low, try shooting the claws as they sometimes leave bonuses behind. Three super missile direct hits will do for Kraid, but otherwise use normal missiles and charge shots."''
+===''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Volume 60===
+;CLASH WITH KRAID
+: ''"The leader of Brinstar is much larger and much stronger than he was in his previous incarnation. When you reach Kraid's quarters, the mighty, mean lizard will rise up from the ground, charge forward and spit out rocks. You've got to blind it with beams or Missiles in order to make it open its mouth. Then fill it up with more firepower."''
+===''Nintendo Power'' Volume 95===
+; KRAID
+:''"Kraid begins by rising out of the floor of spines. Only shots into his open mouth will be effective. Three Super Missiles will do the trick. First, shoot Kraid to get him to open his mouth. Blast the spikes he shoots to collect energy and Missiles."''
+===[[Samus (JoyRide Studios)]]===
+''"In Super Metroid for the Super NES, the hulkin Kraid is the boss enemy that resides in [[Brinstar]]. The giant's weak spot is its mouth, and you can inflict damage by firing a missile into its mouth when it's open. To get Kraid to open up and say 'ahh,' fire a missile at its face, then shoot another missile into its slack-jawed mouth."''
+''"Fire missiles into Kraid's open mouth to cause damage. If you're out of missiles, use [[Charge Beam]] shots."''
+''"When Kraid rises, hop onto one of the platforms that it shoots out of its belly. Use the platform or the [[Hi-Jump Boots]] to set your sights on Kraid's face, then blast missiles into the alien's open mouth."''
 ===''Metroid: Zero Mission'' manual===
+;Kraid
-''"The largest enemy in all of the mazes beneath the surface of Planet Zebes, Kraid fires spikes from his belly and claws from his fingertips for extremely powerful attacks."''
+:''"The largest enemy in all of the mazes beneath the surface of Planet Zebes, Kraid fires spikes from his belly and claws from his fingertips for extremely powerful attacks."''
 ===Official ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' website===
@@ Line 96: / Line 296: @@
 *''"Soft tissue (weak spot)"''
 *''"Iron-shredding claws"''
-*''"Regenerative claws"''
+* ''"Regenerative claws"''
 ===''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' Trophy===
@@ Line 102: / Line 302: @@
 ''"A boss enemy from Metroid. Kraid lives in the depths of Brinstar. He immobilizes enemies with his three red eyes, and his powerful jaws can crush anything. He can also shoot the three spikes in his belly; it's said he often fires them at his prey. Once Samus defeated Ridley and Kraid, the way to Tourian opened."''
-====''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' Sticker====
+===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' [[Sticker]]===
 *'''Kraid''' [[Metroid: Zero Mission]] - [Head] Attack +33 (All)
-==Appearances==
-*''[[Metroid]]''
+===''[[Nintendo Land]]''===
+''"This hulking monstrosity dwells in the depths of planet Zebes. His skin is impenetrably thick, so try shooting into his mouth. You'll have to climb his towering body to reach his face!"''
-*''[[Metroid (1986 manga)]]''
+=== [[Nintendo of America]] [[tweet]] ===
+''"Surprise, looks like a familiar big bad behemoth is back to pay Samus a visit. #MetroidDread"'' <ref>Nintendo of America (NintendoAmerica). 27 August 2021 1:44 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1431311719889088512</ref>
+===[[Nintendo UK]] [[tweet]]===
+''"He's baaaa-aaaack! #MetroidDread"''<ref>Nintendo UK (NintendoUK). 27 August 2021 10:00 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1431255184517304322</ref>
+==List of appearances==
+*''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]''
+*''[[Victory Techniques for Metroid]]''
+*''[[Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order]]''
 *''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]''
 :*Comics
 ::*''Breakout''
-::*''[[When Friends Fall Out]]'' (Flashback)
+::*''When Friends Fall Out'' (flashback)
+:*Cartoon (incomplete list)
+::*''Kevin in Videoland''
-:*Cartoon (Incomplete list)
-::*''Metroid, Sweet Metroid''
+::*''Mega Trouble For Megaland''
+::*''Metroid Sweet Metroid''
+::*''Gameboy''
 *''[[Super Metroid]]''
-*''[[Super Metroid (Manga)]]''
+*[[Super Metroid (Manga)|''Super Metroid'' manga]]
 *''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''
-*''[[Metroid Prime]]'' (Manual, removed boss)
+*''[[Metroid Prime (game)|Metroid Prime]]'' (manual, removed boss)
-*''[[Metroid (2002 manga)]]''
+*''[[Metroid: Volume 2]]''
-*''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''
+* ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''
-*''[[Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc]]''
+* ''[[Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc]]''
-*''WarioWare: Smooth Moves''
+*''[[WarioWare]]: Smooth Moves'' (Super Nostalgic Entertainment System)
-:*[[Super Nostalgic Entertainment System]]
 *''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''
-*''[[New Play Control! Metroid Prime]]'' (Manual)
+* ''[[New Play Control! Metroid Prime]]'' (manual)
-:*''[[Nintendo Land]]''
+*''[[Nintendo Land]]''
-*''NES Remix 2''
+*''[[NES Remix 2]]''
+*''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
+*''[[Metroid Dread]]''
+==Development notes==
-==Trivia==
-*[[File:Gallery3_win1_01-1-.PNG|thumb|200px|[[Development Room]] concept art.]]Kraid's ''Super Metroid'' and ''Zero Mission'' sprite artists never bothered giving the large Pirate his entire tail. By extracting Kraid's sprites, it is revealed that his tail always ends abruptly; the sprite artists most likely did this because of the fact that players are never capable (and are not meant) to get behind Kraid and explore the areas beyond him until he is defeated, which results in him sinking into the ground and exploding, thus his tail is never fully witnessed.
+Kraid's ''Super Metroid'' and ''Zero Mission'' sprite artists never created the large Pirate's entire tail. By extracting Kraid's sprites from the games' internal files, it is revealed that his tail always ends abruptly; the sprite artists likely ignored this detail since players are never capable (and are not meant) to get behind Kraid and explore the areas beyond him until he is defeated, which results in him sinking into the ground and exploding, thus preventing his tail from being fully viewed. This continues in ''Metroid Dread'', wherein [https://i.redd.it/vemke8tgx1t71.png his in-game model] does not have legs or a tail.
-*If "Meta Kraid" had been implemented in ''Metroid Prime'', the [[Metroid Prime series|''Metroid Prime'' series]] would be the only games in which both Kraid and Ridley utilize any form of technology during their boss battles rather than strictly using their natural weapons.
+Kraid's size changes throughout the games. For example, in ''[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]'', he is about the same size as Samus, whereas in ''[[Super Metroid]]'' and ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]'', he takes up two screens. In ''Melee'', he is even larger. This is likely due to the [[NES]]' limited processing power being unable to smoothly handle larger sprites. According to the official ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' web site, Kraid is over two stories tall, the low-end being three stories. This would mean Kraid is at least 9.9 meters tall (32.5 ft.). When asked to explain the discrepancy of Kraid's sizes in ''Metroid'' and ''Super Metroid'', [[Dan Owsen]] joked that "He lost his supply of Slimfast [meal replacement powder] when the first planet blew up."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metroiddatabase.com/exclusive-interview-with-dan-owsen/|title=The MDb Interviews Dan Owsen|publisher=[[Metroid Database]]|last=Rappel|first=TJ|date=1998}}</ref> This is erroneous as Zebes was not destroyed in ''Metroid'', but it was in ''Super Metroid''.
-*Kraid occasionally appeared in the [[Captain N: The Game Master]] comic series, based on his original concept art. One of his appearances occurs when he was imprisoned on [[RX 338]]. He attempts to convince all of the prisoners in his block that were put away by Samus to turn on their fellow captive, before she beats them all using Kraid as a weapon. Samus later uses him as a diversion to make her own escape.
-:*The cartoon version of ''Captain N'' featured anthropomorphic rhino-like underlings of Mother Brain in multiple episodes. In ''Metroid, Sweet Metroid'', Duke is seen playing dead as a distraction while Kevin steals its [[Kraid's Missile Gun|Missile Gun]] which is then used by Kevin to kill a [[Protoplasm]]. Concept artwork of the creature and it's gun identify it as Kraid.
+Kraid's roar in ''Super Metroid'' and ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' is a stock roar from the Universal Studios Sound Effects Library, previously heard in films such as ''The Land Unknown'' (1957) and ''King Kong'' (1976). This roar is shared with [[Crocomire]] and [[Phantoon]]. In ''Metroid Dread'', his roars are apparently taken from the T-Rex in ''Jurassic Park''.{{Citation needed}}
-*It is possible that Kraid may have some relation to the [[Bryyonians]], seeing that he has three eyes and a reptilian appearance, similar to that of [[Reptilicus]], the [[Mogenar]]s and the statues/busts around [[Bryyo]]. On top of this, Mogenar's battle theme is extremely similar to Kraid's.
-*In a Toys "R" Us commercial, "[[Kraid's Toy Shop]]" is shown, in [[Tourian]], to be sold out of NES games.
+In ''Zero Mission'', there is an unused alternate palette that gives Kraid white eyes (with pupils) and a mouth, although his appearance is otherwise unchanged. A mod that restores this can be viewed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyUwnkm5d0w here].
-*Kraid's size changes throughout the games. For example, in ''[[Metroid]]'', he is about the same size as Samus, whereas in ''[[Super Metroid]]'' and ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]'', he's roughly 65 ft. tall. In ''Super Smash Bros Melee'' he is even larger.
-:*Strangely, according to the official ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' web site, Kraid is over two stories tall, the low-end being three stories. This would mean Kraid is 9.9 meters tall (32.5 ft.), nearly half of his height in-game.
+For ''Dread'', [[MercurySteam]] sought to keep Kraid recognizable while showing off a new version of him.<ref>Jarop. "[https://nintendoeverything.com/metroid-dread-hd-emmi-interview-yoshio-sakamoto/ Metroid Dread dev on taking the series to HD, E.M.M.I.’s design, much more]". ''Nintendo Everything'' (originally published in ''Famitsu'', translated from Japanese). January 30, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.</ref> As previously mentioned, the most noticeable difference in his ''Dread'' design are his eyelids being changed to a vertical position. This may have been inspired by his robotic appearance in ''Nintendo Land'' in which his eyes were red vertical slits.
-*The Squizzard boss in ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' bears subtle similarities to Kraid. Such similarities include the weak point being the mouth, and spiked projectiles being fired by the flick of a hand. The Squizzard is also half in the ground, similar to Kraid in ''Super Metroid''.
-*The color of Samus' suit during the cut-scene with Kraid rising before her in ''Zero Mission'' will vary depending on whether or not the Varia Suit is acquired prior to the battle.
+Concept art of ''Metroid Dread'' reveals various iterations of Kraid and his restraining device(s). For the latter, some have his hands bound tightly together at his front similar to hand cuffs while his eyes and upper part of his head are confined within a metal structure, with one of them featuring a muzzle of some kind for his mouth; the partially-covered face may be an homage to "Meta Kraid" that was removed during the development of ''Metroid Prime''. On the same page for the helmet-like design, there is a drawing featuring Kraid with a heavily-scarred face with his right eye seemingly missing and the left side of his crown-like appendage partially broken; it is unknown if these injuries were meant to be scars inflicted by the Chozo on ZDR or by Samus during their previous battle back on Zebes. Alongside this concept art are several different head designs for the character, as well as a full-body display of Kraid standing upright with a muscular, non-corpulent physique with hefty arms.
+== Trivia==
+*Notable official artworks that display Kraid's comradery with Ridley can be found in the instruction manuals for both NES and Famicom versions of ''Metroid'' where the two have Samus surrounded and the boxarts for ''Super Metroid'' (North American and Japanese) where they are seen pursuing the bounty hunter. Media such as Masahiro Sakurai's Twitter [https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1282510058199252995 post] for ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' makes reference to this as well.
+**Despite not being part of the ''Metroid'' series, ''Nintendo Land'' is the only game where Kraid and Ridley can be fought simultaneously as a duo akin to their depictions in the mentioned artwork and media.
+*In ''Super Metroid'', Kraid is one of the only two major bosses to have Zebesians guarding their room, the other one being Ridley. Although Mother Brain also has Zebesians in close proximity, they are only encountered after she's defeated.
+*Kraid appears on the [[Super Metroid Stare-E-O Poster|''Super Metroid'' Stare-E-O Poster]].
+*The battle music "[[Big Boss Confrontation BGM (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon)|Big Boss Confrontation]]" was kept as Kraid's theme for two of his appearances in a row, but the tradition concluded with the release of ''Metroid Dread'', in which he was given a [[Boss Kraid|new melody]] that is only slightly similar to the one heard in ''Super Metroid'' and ''Zero Mission''.
+* Due to the [[Reptilicus]] species possessing three eyes and a reptilian appearance, some fans believe Kraid may be related to the former. The Reptilicus' statues and busts on [[Bryyo]], as well as their [[Mogenar]]s built with arcane arts and technology, are also tricloptic. On top of this, Mogenar's battle theme is similar to Kraid's, though this is likely to have been an intended homage similar to [[Berserker Lord]]'s [[Berserker Lord (theme)|theme]] being an altered rendition of the unrelated [[Arachnus]]' in ''[[Metroid Fusion]]''.
+*In the NES Toys "R" Us commercial, [[Kraid's Toy Shop]] is shown to be sold out of NES games.
+*The Squizzard boss in ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' bears subtle similarities to Kraid. Such similarities include the weak point being the mouth, and spiked projectiles being fired by the flick of a hand. The Squizzard is also half-burrowed in the ground, similar to Kraid in ''Super Metroid''.
+*The color of Samus's [[Power Suit]] during the cutscene with Kraid rising before her in ''Zero Mission'' will vary depending on whether or not the Varia Suit is acquired prior to the battle.
+* ''Kräid'' in Luxembourgish translates to "Cretaceous", possibly an intended nod to the Pirate's dinosaur-like appearance.
+*The secret means of defeating Kraid in ''Metroid Dread'' (entering his body and laying [[Bomb]]s) may be a reference to a recurring method of damaging the [[Queen Metroid]] in its appearances as a boss.
+*If Samus were to sequence break in ''Metroid Dread'' in a manner that skips the encounter with Kraid in Cataris, he will disappear from his room after the X Parasites are released from Elun. This suggests the X eventually found and killed Kraid, consuming his entire body in the process. This skip would lead to Samus being completely oblivious to Kraid's presence on ZDR until the later appearance of his monstrous mimic, Raven Beak X.
+*The particular room and manner in which Kraid is held captive in Cataris was seemingly designed by the Chozo to guarantee his own demise if he ever managed to free himself from his restraints.
+*As seen in the gallery below, ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' initially intended to have Kraid's lower body submerged in lava during his boss battle akin to how he would eventually be fought in ''Metroid Dread''. His battle in the original ''Metroid'' game also involves a hazardous liquid that fills the arena, though Kraid is located on top of a platform which stands above the substance.
+**''Nintendo Land'' became the first game to feature a battle against Kraid where he is partially submerged in lava.
+*In all of Kraid's canonical battles, the one in Cataris is the only one where he is not directly defeated by Samus' hands. Were it not for his restraints breaking which lead to him sinking in the lava, Kraid was more than capable of prolonging his fight as evidenced by the post-battle cutscene where he forcefully removes his remaining arm shackle and attacks several more times. This implies he still had plenty of strength remaining despite the damage inflicted by Samus.
+*In ''Dread'', if the [[Hyper Beam (Metroid Dread)|Hyper Beam]] is hacked and used on Kraid during the beginning of the fight, the platform Samus is on will immediately be destroyed and the lower half of the area will be glitched along with Kraid (who will simply be stuck in its idle animation, no longer attacking). This is most likely due to the fight not having a proper transition. Samus can walk around on the lava as if it were a normal platform and even pass through Kraid's stomach. Should Samus enter the hidden launcher to her left, she will then be softlocked in mid-air with no way out.<ref>Postposterous. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ibXJBijf3k&t=118s "What Happens If We Fight Kraid With The Metroid Suit & Hyper Beam? | Metroid Dread TA Sequence Break"]. YouTube. October 27, 2021. </ref>
+*If Samus somehow acquires [[Power Bomb]]s before the fight with Kraid in ''Metroid Dread'', they will be disabled once she enters his stomach. Power Bombs can still be used outside Kraid's body, but this will not affect him in any way (aside from destroying breakable attacks and killing any Bouncing Creatures onscreen).<ref>KesslerCascade. [https://youtu.be/W4Rla8d1ceU "Can you beat Kraid with just Power Bombs in Metroid Dread?"] YouTube. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.</ref>
+*Viewing the full 3D model of Kraid in ''Dread'' through hacking reveals that the lower part of his body, which remains out of sight during gameplay, have blackened as if it's been burnt to a crisp.
+*Kraid's death in ''Metroid Dread'' marks the (seemingly) definitive end of the original trio of bosses from the first ''Metroid'' game: himself, Ridley and Mother Brain. Ironically, while Kraid was always the first who got defeated within the games that the three bosses are featured in, he ultimately managed to outlive the other two in the [[Metroid timeline|''Metroid'' timeline]].
+**Kraid suffers a [[Raven Beak X|similar]] [[Neo-Ridley|fate]] to Ridley in that both had their DNA used by the X Parasites to battle Samus once more beyond their grave.
+**If the individual Samus battled in Cataris is indeed a clone of Kraid, then this would be yet another event he shares with Ridley as the latter was also [[Ridley (clone)|cloned]] during the course of the series.
 ==Gallery==
+:''For concept art, see [[Kraid/Gallery]].''
-<gallery captionalign="center">
-M1bosses.PNG
+===''Metroid'' (NES) related media ===
-Samus_artwork_11.png
+<gallery>
-Metroid Boss Kraid.gif|The 8-bit Kraid, as shown in ''Metroid''.
+Kraid.png|Kraid as depicted in ''[[Victory Techniques for Metroid]]''.
-Kraidcard.png|Canadian [[Topps]] card.
-Kraid.png|Kraid as depicted in the [[Metroid (1986 manga)|1986 manga]].
+MZIO page 95.png|''[[Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order]]''
+Famicom Choco - Kraid.png|[[Famicom Choco]]
-Tumblr kx3awtklto1qzp9we.jpg|1988 [[Nintendo Power]] Metroid Artist Contest Winners.
+Kraid Famiken Ryu.png|''Famiken Ryu''
-Nintendo My Play a Tune Book.jpg|''[[Cameos#Nintendo:_My_Play_a_Tune_Book|Nintendo: My Play a Tune Book]]''
+Tumblr kx3awtklto1qzp9we.jpg|1988 ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Metroid Artist Contest Winners.
-Cn4-18.jpg|[[Captain N: The Game Master]]: ''Breakout''.
+Mt hero2.jpg|Kraid in ''[[The Coming of a Hero]]''
-CapNcustompage.PNG
+Cn4-18.jpg|Kraid in ''[[Breakout]]''
+CapNcustompage.PNG|Kraid in ''Breakout''
+Kraidlike creature Captain N.png|''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]''
+CN Kraid VS Simon Belmont.png|Kraid attacking [[Simon Belmont]] in ''Captain N''
 Nintendo1991Calendar-09-August.jpg|1991 [[The Power Game Calendar]]
+</gallery>
-Kraidchibi.png|Japanese ''Metroid'' guide
-KraidJ.jpg|[[Mini-Kraid]]
+===''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' and ''Ultimate''===
-Kraidsketch.PNG|''[[Super Metroid]]'' concept art.
+<gallery>
-Kraid.jpg|Official artwork of Kraid from ''Super Metroid''.
-Smart kraid02.jpg|Official artwork of Kraid from ''Super Metroid''.
+Kraid-melee.jpg|Kraid in [[Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths]] from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.
+Link 360.jpg|Kraid in [[Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths]] from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''
-Smguideart1.jpg
+SSBU challenge image 096.png|''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' Challenge image
-Smart smposter.jpg
+SSBU Dark Samus Screw Attack on Brinstar Depths.jpg|[[Dark Samus (Super Smash Bros.)|Dark Samus]] [[Classic Mode]] congratulations screen.
-Kraid SM guide.png|''[[Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide]]''
+Samus facing Kraid and Ridley in SSBU.jpg|Samus facing Ridley and Kraid in ''Ultimate''.<ref>Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 12 July 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1282510058199252995</ref>
-Brinstardepths.jpg|Kraid in [[Brinstar Depths]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.
+SSBU Kraid and dragon.jpg|Kraid and Rathalos in ''Ultimate''<ref>Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 29 August 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1299904674875621377</ref>
-Kraid-melee.jpg|Kraid in [[Brinstar Depths]] from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.
+</gallery>
-Link_360.jpg|Kraid in [[Brinstar Depths]] from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''
+===''Metroid: Zero Mission''===
+<gallery>
 EwFmB65L.jpg|Kraid in an earlier version of ''Metroid: Zero Mission''.
-Kraid mugshot.gif|A cutscene from ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' before fighting Kraid.
+Kraid Awakening Animation.gif|A cutscene from ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' before fighting Kraid.
-Kraid_cinematic_ZM.png|Kraid rises to challenge Samus in ''Zero Mission''.
+Kraid cinematic ZM.png|Kraid rises to challenge Samus in ''Zero Mission''.
-Kraid (Zero Mission Sprite).png|Sprite of Kraid from ''Metroid: Zero Mission''
+Zero Mission Kraid Intro (Varia).png|Kraid appears towering in front of a [[Varia Suit]] Samus in ''Zero Mission''.
+</gallery>
-Boss battles.jpg
-Kraid_Manga.png|''[[Metroid Manga]]''
+===''Metroid Dread''===
+<gallery>
+Metroid Dread Report Vol. 6 screenshot 26.jpg|Kraid in ''Metroid Dread''.
+Metroid Dread Report Vol. 6 screenshot 27.jpg
+Metroid Dread - Kraid glaring at Samus.png
+Metroid Dread Kraid battle.png|The battle.
+Metroid Dread Kraid breaks restraint.png|Kraid breaks out of one arm restraint.
+Kraid globule spit attack.png|Kraid spitting globules.
+Kraid biting Samus.png|Samus in Kraid's teeth.
+Kraid Dread Large.png|Large, slightly zoomed-out view of Kraid's immense body and size.
+Kraid Dread Large (Front).png|Full body seen in-game (front).
+MD Chozo Archives 02 - Kraid.jpeg|[[Chozo Archives]], image 02
+Metroid Dread JP site Kraid.png|Japanese ''Dread'' website.
+Raven Beak Monster.PNG|Kraid's likeness in Raven Beak X
+</gallery>
+===Other===
+<gallery>
+_samusridley_obs03--article_image.jpg|Size comparison of Kraid and Samus in ''Super Metroid''.
+Kraid Manga.png|''[[Metroid: Volume 2]]''
 Metroid Prime 3 Ben Sprout Storyboard.jpg|Storyboard by [[Ben Sprout]] of a creature who strongly resembles Kraid.
+JP Other M Guide 169.jpg|''[[Nintendo Official Guidebook for Metroid Other M]]'', page 169
-Kraidlike creature Captain N.png|Kraid in ''Captain N''
+Reptile Awareness Day.jpg|[[Nintendo of Europe]] [[tweet]]ed image on Reptile Awareness Day 2019 (October 21).<ref>Nintendo of Europe (Nintendo Europe). "Happy #ReptileAwarenessDay! To celebrate, why not tell us who your favourite reptilian juggernaut is to fight against in #SuperMetroid, now available to play with #[[SNES|SuperNES]] –  #[[Nintendo Switch|NintendoSwitchOnline]]!" Oct 21, 2019 9:46 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1186277558368661504</ref>
-Heights.JPG
-$ 57r.JPG
-Kraid'sMissileGun.JPG|[[Kraid's Missile Gun]]
 </gallery>
+==References ==
+{{Reflist}}
 {{Bosses in Metroid Series}}
 {{Unused}}
-[[ru:Крейд]]
 {{Space Pirates}}
+{{Kraid}}
+[[ru:Крейд]]
 [[Category:Characters]]
 [[Category:Bosses]]
@@ Line 186: / Line 453: @@
 [[Category:Zebes]]
 [[Category:Kraid's Lair]]
+[[Category:Cataris]]
 [[Category:Phazon Mines]]
 [[Category:Super Smash Bros.]]
 [[Category:Trophies]]
 [[Category:Stickers]]
+[[Category:Spirits]]
 [[Category:Deceased]]
 [[Category:Unused Bosses and Species]]
@@ Line 198: / Line 467: @@
 [[Category:Reptilian]]
 [[Category:Kraid]]
+[[Category:Predators]]
+[[Category:Nintendo Land]]
+[[Category:Main antagonists]]
+[[Category:X]]