Ness (character)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character from the EarthBound
series. He is the main protagonist
of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
video game, EarthBound
(known as Mother 2 in Japan). He is analogous to Ninten and Lucas in their respective games.
Ness is a young boy of about age 13, from the fictional town of Onett, in the fictional country of Eagleland. Gifted with psychic abilities referred to as PSI
, and enlisted by the insect-like alien from the future, Ness embarks on a quest to save the universe from the Universal Cosmic Destroyer; the alien antagonist of Mother
, known as Giygas
.
's. At each sanctuary, he records a fragment of a melody in his Sound Stone and experiences a personal sense memory. During the flashbacks experienced via the Sound Stone, it is revealed that Ness was born with psychokinetic abilities, and they manifested when he was an infant.
Like many of the main protagonists of RPG's, Ness is mostly silent throughout the game, engaging in little more dialogue than simple replies of "Yes" and "No". In the fighting game Super Smash Bros.
wherein Ness appears, he says the names of his PSI powers when he uses them.
Shigesato Itoi
, the creator of the Mother series
, who is known for his use of light-hearted and eccentric humor, made it so that the main character in EarthBound could be personalized to a then unprecedented depth, allowing the player to not only name the protagonist and his allies, but also choose his or her favorite homemade food, and name the player's "Favorite Thing." (which essentially assigns a name to the character's most powerful PSI ability). He created Ness intending for him to be like an actual person. He is quoted as saying, "I wanted to create a game (EarthBound) with real characters; characters whom players would recognize in the people around them."
Not unlike the young male protagonists of many Nintendo games, Ness is initially portrayed as just a regular kid, and begins his journey as a seemingly ordinary boy, though it becomes evident early in the game that he is destined to be much more. Ness is very similar in appearance to the protagonist of the previous game in the Mother series, Ninten. Another trait that the two share is that both of their names make reference to the platforms on which their video games appear (Ninten's name being the first two syllables of the name of both the company and the platform, and Ness' being a rearrangement of the letters in the acronym SNES).
Since Super Smash Bros.
, Ness became linked to Mario
and his brother Luigi
, sharing a similar fighting style and behavior, like Lucas in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
. However, Ness, along with Lucas, has much of their own custom style in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, except when they swim. Ness' female voice actor is seiyū Makiko Ōmoto in the Super Smash Bros. series (who voices Kirby
), since Ness first joined the series.
The name "Ness" is a take on the acronym S.N.E.S., meaning Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
's video games. His altruism is shown early in the game, when he opts to help his obnoxious (and ultimately villainous) neighbor and supposed best friend, Pokey Minch, despite his opportunistic nature, conceit and his snide personality. In this respect, Pokey is Ness' antithesis; while Ness is friendly, brave, and selfless, Pokey is traitorous, cowardly, and gluttonous.
He often assists people in their troubles, at no benefit to himself, and ultimately for the sake of the universe itself, displaying true heroism. Ness has a very affable nature; he is generally well received (with the exception, of course, of people who are under the influence of the evil emanating from Giygas
). Ness quickly becomes friends with the three children destined to be his allies in the fight against evil, despite their varying personalities, which is a testament to his forthcomingness. Ness even considers Pokey to be a friend, until Pokey allies himself with the forces of evil, ending their already feeble friendship.
Ness is first made aware of his role as hero when Buzz Buzz, an alien from 10 years in the future, tells Ness of his destiny as prophesied by the Apple of Enlightenment. He tells Ness that "when the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light," which is an allusion to events leading up to Ness meeting Buzz Buzz, and the events to come later in the game. Buzz Buzz reveals that in the future that he escaped via time-travel, Giygas has devastated the universe, and sentenced all to "the horror of infinite darkness." He also states that only Ness can prevent that from future coming into being.
Ness even sacrifices his life for saving a person's life, like he did with Lucas in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
s Subspace Emissary to prevent Wario
to turn him into a trophy, however, it seems they know each other like close friends in the game.
Ness first appeared in EarthBound
as the main character.
Ness makes a cameo in Mother 3
, a game where Lucas is the protagonist. He, as well as Paula, Jeff, and Poo, appears in a movie created by King P that the protagonist views in a theater in King P's amusement-park-like metropolis known as New Pork City.
to date. He first appeared in Super Smash Bros.
as a hidden character. In this game, Ness possesses the same fighting style as the Mario Bros. and none of the PSI powers that he possessed in EarthBound, but instead, he possesses three powers that his partner Paula knew: PK Fire, PK Thunder, and PSI Magnet. It is notable that Ninten, Ness' predecessor from Mother
, didn't know any of these moves either, and his female counterpart, Ana, did. Ness appeared again in Super Smash Bros. Melee
as a starting character. This time, Ness' own PK Flash move was added to his arsenal. Ness was originally going to be removed and Lucas added, however the developers scrapped this idea, and Ness stayed.
While Ness was thought to be removed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
for the Wii due to several previews of Lucas, the protagonist of Mother 3
being introduced, a leak on the Japanese website confirmed that Ness was still in the series. Ness appeared as a hidden character the second time, where he and Lucas share the Final Smash known by Prince Poo and Princess Kumatora in Mother 2 and 3 called PK Starstorm, which causes meteor-like stars to jet down upon enemies.
called Ness "one of the biggest surprise additions to the original Super Smash Bros. lineup."
EarthBound series
EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother, is a role-playing game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with the Japan-only release of Mother for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, released in North America as EarthBound for the Super NES in 1995, and...
series. He is the main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
video game, EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
(known as Mother 2 in Japan). He is analogous to Ninten and Lucas in their respective games.
Ness is a young boy of about age 13, from the fictional town of Onett, in the fictional country of Eagleland. Gifted with psychic abilities referred to as PSI
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
, and enlisted by the insect-like alien from the future, Ness embarks on a quest to save the universe from the Universal Cosmic Destroyer; the alien antagonist of Mother
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
, known as Giygas
Giygas
Giygas, known in Japan as or Giegue in the unreleased English translation of Mother, is the main antagonist of the video games Mother and EarthBound. He is an evil alien being bent on destroying the Earth, and is referred to by the titles "Universal Cosmic Destroyer" and "Embodiment of Evil"...
.
Biography
Ness is a youth gifted with psychic abilities who plays the role of the main protagonist in EarthBound. Born in the town of Onett, in the fictional country of Eagleland (which is supposedly made to resemble America), Ness is a seemingly ordinary boy whose fate would be radically altered on the night of a meteor shower. Out of curiosity, he and his next-door neighbor, Pokey Minch, inspect the meteor landing site. There Ness learns from the time-traveling alien, Buzz-Buzz, that he has been chosen by the Apple of Enlightenment, a prophetic fruit, to destroy the evil alien, Giygas, who in the future destroys all of reality. To do this, he must travel to eight sanctuaries and absorb their psychic energies in order to unite his power with the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's. At each sanctuary, he records a fragment of a melody in his Sound Stone and experiences a personal sense memory. During the flashbacks experienced via the Sound Stone, it is revealed that Ness was born with psychokinetic abilities, and they manifested when he was an infant.
Conception and Creation
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the Super...
wherein Ness appears, he says the names of his PSI powers when he uses them.
Shigesato Itoi
Shigesato Itoi
is one of the most influential cultural figures in Japan, known for his copywriting, essays, lyrics, Nintendo game creation, and as editor-in-chief of his popular website “Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun.” He is best known outside of Japan as a game designer for his work on Nintendo's EarthBound...
, the creator of the Mother series
EarthBound series
EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother, is a role-playing game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with the Japan-only release of Mother for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, released in North America as EarthBound for the Super NES in 1995, and...
, who is known for his use of light-hearted and eccentric humor, made it so that the main character in EarthBound could be personalized to a then unprecedented depth, allowing the player to not only name the protagonist and his allies, but also choose his or her favorite homemade food, and name the player's "Favorite Thing." (which essentially assigns a name to the character's most powerful PSI ability). He created Ness intending for him to be like an actual person. He is quoted as saying, "I wanted to create a game (EarthBound) with real characters; characters whom players would recognize in the people around them."
Not unlike the young male protagonists of many Nintendo games, Ness is initially portrayed as just a regular kid, and begins his journey as a seemingly ordinary boy, though it becomes evident early in the game that he is destined to be much more. Ness is very similar in appearance to the protagonist of the previous game in the Mother series, Ninten. Another trait that the two share is that both of their names make reference to the platforms on which their video games appear (Ninten's name being the first two syllables of the name of both the company and the platform, and Ness' being a rearrangement of the letters in the acronym SNES).
Since Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the Super...
, Ness became linked to Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
and his brother Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, sharing a similar fighting style and behavior, like Lucas in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
. However, Ness, along with Lucas, has much of their own custom style in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, except when they swim. Ness' female voice actor is seiyū Makiko Ōmoto in the Super Smash Bros. series (who voices Kirby
Kirby
-Places:Canada* Kirby, Ontario, a hamletUnited States* Kirby, Arkansas* Kirby, Indiana* Kirby, Ohio* Kirby, Texas* Kirby, Vermont* Kirby, West Virginia* Kirby, Wisconsin* Kirby, WyomingEngland* Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire* Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire...
), since Ness first joined the series.
The name "Ness" is a take on the acronym S.N.E.S., meaning Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Personality
Ness is portrayed as a friendly, unassuming youth, who is generally altruistic, similar to the protagonists of many of NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's video games. His altruism is shown early in the game, when he opts to help his obnoxious (and ultimately villainous) neighbor and supposed best friend, Pokey Minch, despite his opportunistic nature, conceit and his snide personality. In this respect, Pokey is Ness' antithesis; while Ness is friendly, brave, and selfless, Pokey is traitorous, cowardly, and gluttonous.
He often assists people in their troubles, at no benefit to himself, and ultimately for the sake of the universe itself, displaying true heroism. Ness has a very affable nature; he is generally well received (with the exception, of course, of people who are under the influence of the evil emanating from Giygas
Giygas
Giygas, known in Japan as or Giegue in the unreleased English translation of Mother, is the main antagonist of the video games Mother and EarthBound. He is an evil alien being bent on destroying the Earth, and is referred to by the titles "Universal Cosmic Destroyer" and "Embodiment of Evil"...
). Ness quickly becomes friends with the three children destined to be his allies in the fight against evil, despite their varying personalities, which is a testament to his forthcomingness. Ness even considers Pokey to be a friend, until Pokey allies himself with the forces of evil, ending their already feeble friendship.
Ness is first made aware of his role as hero when Buzz Buzz, an alien from 10 years in the future, tells Ness of his destiny as prophesied by the Apple of Enlightenment. He tells Ness that "when the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light," which is an allusion to events leading up to Ness meeting Buzz Buzz, and the events to come later in the game. Buzz Buzz reveals that in the future that he escaped via time-travel, Giygas has devastated the universe, and sentenced all to "the horror of infinite darkness." He also states that only Ness can prevent that from future coming into being.
Ness even sacrifices his life for saving a person's life, like he did with Lucas in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
s Subspace Emissary to prevent Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
to turn him into a trophy, however, it seems they know each other like close friends in the game.
Abilities
Ness is a remarkably potent fighter, able to damage enemies made of various materials (including various unknown metals) using either a weapon that he has equipped, or his bare fists. He also has more stamina than his accomplices; in RPG terms, Ness' maximum amount of Hit Points is vastly higher than that of his allies. However, Ness' most valuable asset is his mind; his vast PSI powers are what make him most formidable.Appearance
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
as the main character.
Ness makes a cameo in Mother 3
Mother 3
Mother 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo, Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory, and published for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It has only been released in Japan, alongside a limited supply bundle. It is the third video game in the Mother series, following EarthBound...
, a game where Lucas is the protagonist. He, as well as Paula, Jeff, and Poo, appears in a movie created by King P that the protagonist views in a theater in King P's amusement-park-like metropolis known as New Pork City.
Other appearances
Ness has appeared in every game of the Super Smash Bros. seriesSuper Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, featuring characters from established video games. The gameplay differs from traditional fighters for focusing on knocking opponents out of the stage instead of depleting life bars...
to date. He first appeared in Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the Super...
as a hidden character. In this game, Ness possesses the same fighting style as the Mario Bros. and none of the PSI powers that he possessed in EarthBound, but instead, he possesses three powers that his partner Paula knew: PK Fire, PK Thunder, and PSI Magnet. It is notable that Ninten, Ness' predecessor from Mother
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
, didn't know any of these moves either, and his female counterpart, Ana, did. Ness appeared again in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
as a starting character. This time, Ness' own PK Flash move was added to his arsenal. Ness was originally going to be removed and Lucas added, however the developers scrapped this idea, and Ness stayed.
While Ness was thought to be removed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
for the Wii due to several previews of Lucas, the protagonist of Mother 3
Mother 3
Mother 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo, Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory, and published for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It has only been released in Japan, alongside a limited supply bundle. It is the third video game in the Mother series, following EarthBound...
being introduced, a leak on the Japanese website confirmed that Ness was still in the series. Ness appeared as a hidden character the second time, where he and Lucas share the Final Smash known by Prince Poo and Princess Kumatora in Mother 2 and 3 called PK Starstorm, which causes meteor-like stars to jet down upon enemies.
Reception
UGO.com stated that Ness was cool because "Like Lucas, Ness' childlike appearance belies his potent psychic abilities." They later listed Ness ninth on their list of "The Coolest Helmets and Headgear in Video Games", describing him as a "adorable boy adventurer". IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called Ness "one of the biggest surprise additions to the original Super Smash Bros. lineup."