Super Smash Bros. Ultimate creator Masahiro Sakurai is receiving a lot of attention on Twitter, after posting a surprising photo of Zero Suit Samus. The tweet was posted by the Smash Ultimate director to celebrate the anniversary of a classic Metroid game, though the curious appearance of Animal Crossing’s Villager has made fans deliberate his potential ulterior motives.
The tweet, which promptly garnered plenty of replies from a lot of bemused fans, sees Metroid series protagonist Samus crawling around in her Zero Suit skin. In the background, the Villager is seen looking at her in a particularly questionable way:
2004年のきょう『メトロイド ゼロミッション』(Metroid: Zero Mission)発売!!
一作目のリメイク作品ですが､ゼロスーツサムスが現在の形で初登場します｡
その呼び名は『スマブラX』登場時に決まりました｡本来ゼロスーツサムスは強いものではなく､逃げたり隠れたりするのが主体｡#スマブラSP pic.twitter.com/QRbN8BezB3— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) May 27, 2021
Sakurai’s post was ostensibly made to celebrate the Japanese release date anniversary of Metroid: Zero Mission, the Game Boy Advance game which released on May 27, 2004. There’s a famous stealth section featured in the game in which Samus must crawl through tight spaces in her Zero Suit, which the screenshot Sakurai tweeted was in reference to.
However, while Sakurai’s reference is clear to Metroid fans, the Villager’s intensely creepy stare into Samus’ nethers was not a part of the GBA game. As such, fans have been quick to express their surprise at the tweet.
“Ahh I see Mr. Sakurai is in a special mood today hmm,” one user tweeted. “I have seen and drawn so much hentai to know how this will end…” another added. Others noted that they double-checked the tweet to make sure it wasn’t posted from a Sakurai parady account, while another simply posted the ‘Swiggity swooty, I am coming for the booty” sound effect.
Surprisingly, Sakurai seemingly thirst-tweeting on Twitter isn’t the biggest Nintendo news today. It has been rumored this morning that the Nintendo Switch Pro will be revealed either today or tomorrow, ahead of E3 2021. Final Fantasy and Pokemon Musou games are also reportedly on their way, in the style of Koei Tecmo’s Hyrule Warriors.
