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Kinky (Japanese: キンキー Kinkii) is a ghost who appears in Pac-Man Arrangement (1996).

Kinky is naturally gold-colored (his Japanese alias, Kinzo, roughly translates to "gold"), but is always vulnerable when Pac-Man is on the maze. Because of this, Kinky cannot harm Pac-Man directly; their only defense is combining or "mutating" with another ghost.

General information[]

As aforementioned, Kinky can merge himself with other ghosts. He will chase after a ghost on-screen, and said ghost significantly slows down until Kinky catches it. He also seems to have the capacity to create machines (as seen in the last round of Pac-Man Arrangement). The ghost Kinky targets is always predetermined depending on the stage. The speed he can do this depends on how far the player is.

Kinky's Japanese "Character" name, 拈くれ Hinekure, roughly translates to "perverse" or "contrary", which is true to how he behaves in Arrangement as he is the only ghost that can never harm Pac-Man due to his permanent vulnerability.

While there is one "lead" Kinky character in Pac-Man Arrangement, Kinkys appear to exist as a subset "species" of ghosts (similar to the multiples of Funky and Spunky in Pac-Mania). This is mainly evident from the final level and cutscene of the game.

Kinky Mutations[]

Kinky and Blinky[]

NCV2-PM Blinky (Super)

If a Kinky merges with Blinky, Blinky becomes a bull-like ghost that can charge after Pac-Man. However, Blinky can only do this in horizontal hallways. The charging attack can be easily escaped, and can be countered with a Power Pellet or a dash arrow (which shoots Pac-Man in the direction it points and temporarily stuns ghosts in the way).

Kinky and Pinky[]

NCV2-PM Pinky (Super)

If a Kinky merges with Pinky, Pinky becomes a rabbit-like ghost that can hop from one side of the maze to the other. The target is clearly seen with as it is marked by a glowing bulls-eye. Pinky's jump is easy to avoid, as she mainly targets Pac-Man's current position instead of ambushing him. However, in later parts of the game, Pinky will notably become "smarter" and will jump more frequently.

Kinky and Inky[]

NCV2-PM Inky (Super)

If a Kinky merges with Inky, he dons shades like Kinky. The glasses are used to create a duplicate of Inky on the opposite side of the maze. This ability's danger is the most significant when compared to the other three ghosts' abilities. However, Inky can only use the ability when entering "chase" mode. The copy of Inky disappears when a Power Pellet is eaten, and hitting it with a dash arrow depletes it as well. In later parts of the game, Inky seems to choose Pac-Man as his target, but will change his target often.

Kinky and Clyde[]

NCV2-PM Clyde (Super)

If a Kinky merges with Clyde, Clyde becomes immensely large. His ability is the least dangerous when compared to the others. All he does is spit out larger 20-point Pac-Dots. It isn't really much of an ability, as it only keeps Pac-Man on the maze longer. Be careful if Pac-Man is directly behind Clyde though, as Clyde stops briefly when spitting out a Pac-Dot.

Trivia[]

  • Kinkys are colored green near the end of the game. They are also colored the four ghosts when Pac-Man is fighting them in the boss battle.
  • Eating Kinky has the same effect as a Power Pellet, but increases the score count slightly (as eating Kinky counts as a 200-point ghost).
  • When Inky gets his new ability, he is seen smiling. When he makes his copy though, the copy is frowning. The duplicate is only seen smiling when Inky is only moving horizontally. Kinky smiles as well, but only while Pac-Man is respawning.
  • Kinky only appears yellow when Pac-Man is dead.
  • Kinky appears on the box art of Pac-Man Museum +. This is also the character's first official hand-drawn appearance.
  • On the official Pac-Man website's history section, Kinky is referred to as an "it" rather than a gendered pronoun.[2]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. "...munch him and the rest of the ghosts will turn vulnerable" Pac-Man Collection, Pac-Man Arrangement "Tips" section
  2. "...who can combine itself with other ghosts." Pac-Man Official Website, History, Pac-Man Arrangement (1996), Trivia https://www.pacman.com/en/history/
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