Miru (ミル Miru, referred to as Mil in some international releases) is a friend of Pac-Man. She is a Ghost, but means no harm against others. She first debuted in Pac & Pal, but has occasionally made several appearances alongside other characters.
Concept and creation
Early designs for Miru, from "誰がパックマン を描いたのか 山下正 / Who Illustrated Pac-Man? Tadashi Yamashita"
Miru was created as an accompanying character to Pac-Man for Pac & Pal; she was designed as a character that is in-between an ally and an enemy. In an early reference sheet, Miru is merely shown as a regular ghost graphic with a bow;[2] a later design sheet, created by female designers Mayumi Akiyama and Chizuru Taga, proposed five alternate styles for the character (some of which share resemblance to Ms. Pac-Man).[3]
In early phases of the game's development, Miru was originally named "Midori-chan" (ミドリちゃん). This is a nod to the character's green color - with "midori" literally meaning green - which also connects her to the Japanese ghost names (Akabei, Pinky, and Aosuke, all of which are named after the characters' colors).
Appearance
Miru is a green, blob-like character, similar in appearance to Kirby. She has no mouth, but has very large eyes. She wears a pink bow and shoes. In artwork, she has pointy hands, visible eyelashes, and cheek lines.
History
Original Miru sprite.
Pac & Pal
Main article: Pac & Pal
Miru makes her debut in Pac & Pal. In it, Miru wanders around the maze by picking up fruits and bringing them into the Ghost Pen, which disappear when she enters it. Miru slows down while carrying a fruit and circles around the Ghost Pen at least once before going inside it. Miru's actions can help the player clear the stage faster, though the player will miss the perfect bonus points at the end of every stage if she clears one fruit, and extra bonus points for every fruit she clears. In the bonus rounds, Miru hides behind one of the cards, doubling the bonus score when she is revealed.
Minecraft
Main article: Minecraft x Pac-Man
Miru makes her debut as a playable character in Minecraft's Pac-Man DLC. Her and Pac-Man are the two characters unlocked by default.
Other appearances
Namco Museum Volume 4
Main article: Namco Museum Volume 4
A very tiny cameo; Miru sits next to Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man in the Theater, fist-pumping to the Pic-Pac band.
Pac-Man Vs.
Main article: Pac-Man Vs.
In the Nintendo DS version of Pac-Man Vs. (included in Namco Museum DS), an 8-bit Miru mural appears in the "Block" level.
Trivia
- Miru and Orson are the only ghosts in the series who become permanent allies of Pac-Man's.
- Unlike Orson, Miru is the first Ghost character to debut as an ally to Pac-Man.
- The name "Miru" is sometimes written as "Mil" in official Pac-Man media. This is most prominent in her Pac-Man Vs. cameo, and also appears in various write-ups about Pac & Pal. In actuality, however, Mil is just a mistranslation of Miru, and the proper name is Miru in both English and Japanese.
Gallery
Solo Artwork
Group Artwork
Sprites
References
- ↑ Pac-Man Connect & Play and Jakks Pacific plug & plays, instruction manual(s)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/live/1gWysSevtEo?si=BvrF8E8rX7nAEH_K&t=6450 (timestamp 1:47:30)
- ↑ 誰がパックマン を描いたのか 山下正 / Who Illustrated Pac-Man? Tadashi Yamashita
| Pac-Man Characters | |
|---|---|
| Main Characters | Pac-Man • Ms. Pac-Man • Jr. Pac-Man • Baby Pac-Man • Professor Pac-Man • Chomp-Chomp |
| Other Characters | Miru • Sour Puss • Pac-Devil • Sir Pac-A-Lot • Pac-Master • Ms. Pac-Master • Krystal • Buttercup • Fairy |
| Pac-Ghosts | Blinky • Pinky • Inky • Clyde • Sue • Funky • Spunky • Kinky • Tim • Orson • Yum-Yum |
| Main Antagonists | Ghost Witch • Toc-Man • Mesmerelda • Mollusc • Spooky • Wandy • Erwin • Golvis • Ink Master • Mezmeron |
| Minor Antagonists | Gobblin • Jack • Wormwood • The Fiend |
| Pac-Man Party | Mr. Cookie • Patra • Roger • Woofa • Bearserk |
| Ghostly Adventures | Pacster • Cylindria • Spiral • Betrayus • Fuzbitz • Sir Cumference • Spheros • Dr. Buttocks • Butt-ler |
| Crossovers | Pooka • Fygar • Dig Dug • Mappy • Mr. Driller • The Prince • Mario |