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For information on the version of Pac-Man who appears in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, see Pacster. For other uses of Pac-Man, see Pac-Man (disambiguation).

"Did someone say cake? Mmm... Cherry meringue sugar-stuffed power pellet a'lorange, you shoudn't have."

— Pac-Man, Pac-Man World 3

Pac-Man (パックマン Pakkuman), formerly known as Puck Man in Japan) is the titular main protagonist of the Pac-Man series, and is the mascot of Namco and its successor company, Bandai Namco Entertainment. Residing in Pac-Land, he is the husband of Ms. Pac-Man, and the father of Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. Pac-Man regularly favors eating food and various types of Pac-Dots as well as eating Ghosts.

Since his first appearance in the eponymous title in 1980, Pac-Man has become a legendary video game icon and is one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world.[1]

Quick Answers

Who is Pac-Man? toggle section
Fun Factoid: Pac-Man is an iconic video game character that has been around since the 1980s. He is a yellow circular creature with a large mouth, Pinocchio-like nose and two eyes shaped like himself. In the game, the player guides Pac-Man through a maze to eat Pac-Dots. Once all dots are eaten, the player is taken to the next stage. The game also features four ghosts - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde - that aim to attack Pac-Man. The goal is for Ms. Pac-Man to eat all the on-screen dots and avoid the ghosts' attacks. The Pac-Man series is a media franchise originally created by Namco and has spawned video games, comics, TV shows and more. The characters in the series include Pac-Man, his wife Ms. Pac-Man and other members of Pac-Man's family. Recently, Bandai Namco Entertainment released Pac-Man World Re-Pac, a remake of the 1999 PlayStation platformer Pac-Man World.
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Why was Pac-Man banned? toggle section
Pac-Man was banned from multiple places, including r/smashbrosultimate, the Smash Wiki, and even V's Series, for reasons such as being underage in the Smash Bros fandom, making poor edits and being rude, and even for having an avatar that resembled Pac-Man's shape. He was also banned from a race for using power berries, and from a profile picture that had a Pac-Man shape in it.
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How to do 2 player google Pac-Man? toggle section
You can play two-player Google Pac-Man by clicking "Insert Coin" after the game has begun in Pac-Man Community. This mode lets you compete against your friends to see who can survive the Glitch and earn power-ups by eating Pac-Dots while avoiding the four ghosts. The player who reaches the most points will be declared the winner. You can also enjoy the Tour Mode of the game, where you can compete against other players in designated stages available for a limited time.
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Who is Pac-Man's wife? toggle section
Pac-Man's wife is Ms. Pac-Man, also referred to as Pac-Master's Wife, who is the mother of Ms. Pac-Man and "Pac-Baby" and the deuteragonist of the Pac-Man series. She was first introduced in the 1982 arcade classic, Ms. Pac Man and could be considered the deuteragonist of the series. She is based on the Namco character, and appears in TV series, Pac-Man World games and her own arcade classic.
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How do I pause Google Pac-Man? toggle section
You can pause Google Pac-Man through the Pause Menu, accessible via the pause button. As an additional feature, if you lose too many lives in a single level, it will remind you to switch to Easy Mode. While paused, you can also catch fruit and dots while avoiding ghosts using the directional keys. There is also an unused feature that allows one level to have multiple levels. Finally, you can also press C to close the game.
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Concept and creation

Pacman early sprite sketches

Concept art of Pac-Man (1980), showcasing the earliest sprite sketches of Pac-Man.

Namco became accustomed to the video game industry following the releases of Gee Bee, Bomb Bee and Cutie Q; despite the titles being considered commercial failures. In Japan, video games had surged in popularity following the success of games such as Space Invaders and Breakout. At the time, game developer Toru Iwatani felt arcade games only appealed to men for many games sharing themes of crude graphics, shooter gameplay and violence. He decided to create a concept for a game with cuter characters that would appeal to women, as he believed that making a game that would appeal to women would make arcades appear more family friendly, since he felt that arcades at the time had seedy environments.[2][3] When deciding on the game's theme, Iwatani thought of what women enjoyed, and settled on the theme of eating for the game and characters since women enjoyed eating sweets and other desserts.[4]

The game and its concepts went into development in 1979 alongside Namco's shooter game Galaxian, which would be Namco's first video game with an RGB video display, allowing for colorful palette selections and graphics. The RGB display would be pivotal for the idea of the project which eventually became Pac-Man, so it could display vibrant colors for the titular character.[5]

Throughout the years, there have been conflicting sources of Pac-Man's origins. From Toru Iwatani; the creator of Pac-Man, the inspiration was pizza without a slice, which gave him a vision of "an animated pizza, racing through a maze and eating things with its absent-slice mouth".[6] However, in a 1986 interview, Toru Iwatani said that the design of the character also came from simplifying and rounding out the Japanese character for a mouth, kuchi (口). Additionally, possibly by coincidence, a separate Pac-Man brand by Tomy existed six years prior to Iwatani's creation. Pac-Man's name comes from the onomatopoeic Japanese word paku-paku (パクパク), a term for gobbling something up.[7] The idea for Pac-Man powering up using Energizers was a concept Iwatani borrowed from the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character that temporarily acquires superhuman strength after eating a can of spinach; as well as being partly inspired by a Japanese children's story about a creature that protected children from monsters by devouring them.[5] In a design session, Iwatani noisily ate fruit and made gurgling noises to describe to Toshio Kai, Pac-Man's sound designer, how he wanted Pac-Man's eating effect to sound.[3] Upon the game's completion, the character and game was titled Pakkuman (パックマン), romanized as Puckman in English.

When the American division of Namco localized the "Puckman" game for North America, Namco America feared vandalizers would change the P in the word of "Puck" to an F, creating a swear. Namco president Masaya Nakamura made the decision to change the game and titular character's name to "Pac-Man" overseas, as the name was similar to the Japanese pronunciation of the name, Pakkuman. The Pac-Man name would eventually become the character's universal name for all Pac-Man related products following worldwide.[8]

Character designs

Tadashi Yamashita design

Namco-museum-of-art-puckman-sideart-2

Early designs of the side cabinet artwork for Pac-Man from Tadashi Yamashita from the 11th and final episode of "NAMCO MUSEUM of ART", showcasing a cabinet artwork draft featuring an early design of Pac-Man.

Puck-Man

Pac-Man as depicted in Puckman (1980). In his early designs, Pac-Man had noticeable features such as a long, "Pinocchio-like" nose and cheeks that would be simplified in later renditions of the character.

Pac-Man's limbed design was created by Tadashi Yamashita, who had been working at Namco since 1969. Yamashita served as an artwork, logo and typeface artist for electro-mechanical machines made by Namco such as F-1 and Submarine. Alongside the character, Yamashita also designed the trademark Pac-Man logo.

When designing the character, Yamashita wanted the design to feel "retro"; many design elements of Pac-Man incorporated aspects of vintage American designs. Yamashita designed Pac-Man with arms and legs, but as he felt the design was basic, he added eyes and other features such as boots and gloves after sketching the character more. In early designs, Pac-Man's boots were originally colored orange, but changed to red in the final design; while his gloves were originally colored yellow but were changed to orange. The character originally had a bowtie, but this feature was removed. The character's eyes originally started as regular eyes; though as the character was drawn further, Yamashita decided to give him stretched pie-shaped eyes, in similar fashion to vintage cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse (despite not having references at hand when designing the character). Yamashita also stated that the the pie-shaped eyes gave resemblance to Pac-Man's appearance in the game.[9][10][11]

Since Pac-Man's sprites were originally designed without detail or facial features added to them, Toru Iwatani was somewhat mixed on Tadashi Yamashita's limbed design on the character; though became more supportive of it later on. Yamashita's final design was approved by Iwatani and Namco (albeit with little time to propose alternatives), and would be used on the Japanese arcade machine.[9]

Bally Midway design

Pacman-orig

Pac-Man was designed as a jackrabbit-like creature when he was redesigned by Bally Midway's art department for the game's cabinet art

When Pac-Man was licensed to manufacturer Bally Midway for distribution in the United States, the artists at the company were unimpressed by the Japanese artwork; Midway's artists felt the contents of the character artwork were minimal in comparison to the company's previous art for pinball machines, and sought to redesign the character for the American market.

Midway's final artwork strayed far from the original Japanese design; Pac-Man was redesigned as a jackrabbit-like creature, and had a large smirk, red eyes and two giant feet. The artwork was reportedly commissioned by Rich Scafidi, who led Midway's art department, but the character designs were not actually illustrated by him. It is speculated the artwork was created by Gordon Morrison, due to a similarity in styles, though this is unconfirmed.[12] Though the character was redesigned, artwork featuring the original Japanese design was used in some merchandising products at the time.

Subsequent U.S. designs

As the game became a hit in the United States, Bally Midway continued to license the character and property for merchandising products. As there were no established guidelines for the character artwork (from either Bally Midway or Namco), Pac-Man's design would greatly differ between various media; varying from designs based on his sprite appearance or completely unique design interpretations.

An alternate Midway design - potentially predating the "red-eyed" form - was designed by Don Mastri. This illustration shows a "wedge" Pac-Man with Yamashita-like eyes and eyebrows, small arms with white gloves, and giant legs. This design is commonly seen carrying Pinky and Inky in his arms, with Blinky and Clyde running away in fear. Another key artist was Hiro Kimura, who produced wholly-unique designs for Atari's home console ports of Pac-Man (including the Atari 2600 and Atari 400/800 versions). By early 1982, Pat McMahon had become considered the lead Pac-Man artist at Midway. McMahon's design, seen in media such as Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man and the "Kid Stuff" record albums, was inspired largely by vintage animation; though was presented much differently than Yamashita's design, despite the same draw of inspiration. When the television series produced by Hanna-Barbera debuted in 1982, Pac-Man was based similar to his Japanese design, with the additions of teeth, a hat and white eyes. The Hanna-Barbera design would also be used in merchandising products and promotions of the arcade games following.

The increasing inconsistency in American Pac-Man artwork gained the attention of Namco's Design Office in Japan, which prompted the office to create character manual guidelines for their games to establish the consistency of the character and future releases of their games in 1983.[11] The original Japanese artwork design would be used for the first time in-game with Pac-Land in 1984, though Pac-Man was based off his Hanna-Barbera design for the American release.

Greg Martin design

Greg martin pac namco hometek

Promotional artwork (1990). Artist Greg Martin redesigned the character for Namco Hometek and the design was used throughout the early 1990s for products released in the US.

The designs of Pac-Man would continue to vary across products until Bally Midway's distribution rights for the Pac-Man IP expired in 1987. After the Pac-Man rights were transferred back to Namco, the Japanese design was used more consistently in products following. In re-releases of Pac-Man for consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, cover artist Greg Martin redesigned the character (among other Pac-Man characters) for Namco Hometek, which was established in 1990. The design by Greg Martin was closer to the Japanese design, but featured notable design traits such as individual glove fingers, rounder boots and eyebrows. The design traits for the character would also be applied to other merchandised characters such as Ms. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. This Pac-Man design would be used until 1999.

"World" era design

Pacman-running

Promotional artwork (1998). From artist Hideki Tanaami, the art style for Pac-Man was notably changed for the first time, giving the character's outline a more uniformed and thinner appearance. The style was used in products until the 30th anniversary.

Beginning in the late 1990s, the Japanese design without modifications became the standard for almost all Pac-Man designs going forward with the introduction of a new character style guide in 1999. Hideki Tanaami would become a new recurring artist for Pac-Man, creating new art for the character with a new art style featuring thinner, consistent lines alongside rounder gloves and boots, as well as a shorter nose and bolder eyebrows.

Pac man master model 98

For the development of Pac-Man World: 20th Anniversary (1999), a 3D master reference model of Pac-Man was created by Namco for designing the character in 3D.

Pac-Man's 3D appearance had varied between the development of Pac-Man World. During the development of Pac-Man Ghost Zone, Pac-Man was given triangular eyebrows popping out of his body, and had rounder boots. When the game was repurposed as Pac-Man World, Namco translated the character's design by creating a 3D wax model for reference in creating the character's 3D appearance. Pac-Man, while having most of his design aspects intact, was given more noticeable triangular eyebrows in his 3D appearances.

2010s and beyond

Pacman-galaga-dimensions-pacman-artwork

Artwork of Pac-Man from Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions (2011). The character was temporarily redesigned in Pac-Man Party, which gave him white eyes and sneakers.

Pac-Man was temporarily redesigned for Pac-Man's 30th anniversary in 2010. Beginning with Pac-Man Party, Pac-Man's 3D design was altered to give the character more cartoon-like features, such as more expressive eyebrows, large white eyes and blue irises; with pie-shaped cutouts. Pac-Man's boots were also changed to a sneaker-like appearance, sporting shoelaces and Pac-Man's symbol on the sneakers. This design would be used across Pac-Man merchandising, promotions and games in conjunction with a similar design of Pac-Man used for Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. Pac-Man's appearance in the 2014 game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U saw Pac-Man revert to his original artwork design per the request of game director Masahiro Sakurai.[13] Though the Pac-Man Party and Ghostly Adventures redesigns would be used regularly at the time, the 3D limbed design and art for the character would gradually phase back to the original Pac-Man design used prior to Pac-Man Party; the Pac-Man Party and Ghostly Adventures designs were eventually phased out entirely by 2016-2017.

Bnei-job-pacman

The current 3D appearance of Pac-Man in use since 2016.

Along with the 30th anniversary celebrations, the 2D art for the character's original arcade design would be updated to bring back the thick line style from the original arcade art, which had not been in use since the late 1990s. Since 2017, most Pac-Man products have continued to use Pac-Man's arcade artwork design, though designs would differ between some Pac-Man products. Pac-Man's general 3D model was updated in 2016 for merchandising. While most design aspects from the previous model remain intact, most of the shading for the character is brightened, in addition to his eyes and eyebrows being made slightly thinner.

Additionally, in 2017, Namco released a new style guide for licensees featuring "retro" Pac-Man designs. This package includes many of the 80s U.S. designs: including the "red-eyed" Midway artwork and the Don Mastri and Hiro Kimura designs, among others.[14]

History

Arcade Games

Pac8bit

Original Pac-Man sprite.

Pac-Man

Main article: Pac-Man (game)

Pac-Man's first adventure chronologically took place in Pac-Man, wherein he had to fight off a group of Ghosts consisting of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, while eating all of the Pellets scattered around a maze.

Many other titles in the franchise follow the same basic plot, including:

Ms. Pac-Man

Main article: Ms. Pac-Man (game)

In the game Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man fell in love with Ms. Pac-Man. In the original arcade release, Pac-Man only appeared in cutscenes, and was not playable; though in various ports of the game (Game Boy, Tengen versions, etc.), Pac-Man is playable as the Player 2 character. He also had his first child with her, Jr. Pac-Man, in this game.

Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man

Main articles: Jr. Pac-Man (game), Baby Pac-Man (game)

Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man show the adventures of Pac-Man's two children, Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. Pac-Man himself has minimal roles in these games, however.

Pac-Land

Main article: Pac-Land

At a later time in the game, Pac-Land, Pac-Man must travel through his homeland of Pac-Land to save the fairies who have been taken by the mischievous Ghosts.

Pac 'n Roll

Main article: Pac 'n Roll

PacMasterTraining

"I wanna train, Pac-Master!" - Pac-Man to Pac-Master

LoveAtFirstSight

Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in their youth.

Pac-Man's second adventure canonically began in the Nintendo DS game, Pac 'n Roll. In his youth, Pac-Man trained under the mighty Pac-Master during his summer vacation. He taught Pac-Man all about fighting and power pellets, so he could help in defending Pac-Land from the many Ghosts that plagued it. During his training he grew close to Pac-Master's family, he especially grew close to Pac-Master's beautiful daughter who would one day become his future sweetheart, Ms. Pac-Man.

Sadly, the joy would not last for long, as a young group of Ghosts were planning to summon a powerful Ghost named Golvis, who had been banished to the far reaches of space. To defeat Pac-Master, Golvis used his magic guitar Jack to turn every Pac-Person into limbless orbs, thus making them unable to move. The guardian fairy of Pac-Land, Krystal, temporarily defeated Golvis, but was only capable of saving the young Pac-Man. She then convinces Pac-Man to help her save Pac-Land, as he is the only one left. After traveling throughout all of Pac-Land they finally reach Golvis' home base where, with their combined forces, finally defeat Golvis, thus restoring the bodies and saving all the Pac-People.

Pac-Man World series

Pac-Man World

Main article: Pac-Man World

PacmanWorldOpening

Pac-Man finding Professor Pac-Man's present in Pac-Man World.

His next adventure took place in Pac-Man World. On the day of his 20th birthday, Pac-Man's Family was planning a big surprise party for him, but the evil Pac-Man impostor Toc-Man sent out his minions to kidnap his entire family. Pac-Man set out to rescue his family and get rid of Toc-Man (who, in the end, is revealed to be a ghost named Orson).

Pac-Man World 2

Main article: Pac-Man World 2

In Pac-Man World 2, the Ghost Gang sneaked into the Pac-Village. They unwittingly picked the Golden Fruit off the tree in the center of the village, releasing Spooky, an ancient ghost imprisoned underneath. Pac-Man must travel from Pac-Land to Ghost Island to reclaim the Golden Fruit and stop Spooky.

Pac-Man World 3

Main article: Pac-Man World 3

In Pac-Man World 3, on his 25th birthday, Pac-Man is suddenly teleported all around Pac-Village and then into a waste dump. The one responsible for this was Orson, the evil ghost from the first game, who desperately needs Pac-Man's help.

Animated Series

Main article: Pac-Man (TV Series)

Pacmantv

Pac-Man from the television show.

In 1982, Hanna-Barbera produced the animated television series Pac-Man, which featured the misadventures of Pac-Man and his family in Pac-Land. Pac-Man is seen in the show taking care of his family, going to work guarding the Power Pellet Forest, or defeating ghosts when he needs to. The Ghosts have a leader in this show - a pale green-skinned humanoid named Mezmaron - who wanted to defeat Pac-Man and seize the Power Pellets.

Pac-Man was often addressed as "Packy" by his wife Ms. Pac-Man, who he would address as "Pepper". Pac-Man himself was voiced by veteran comedian and writer Marty Ingalls.

Other appearances

Pac-Man World Rally

Main article: Pac-Man World Rally

Pac-Man appears as one of the playable characters. Pac-Man is a fast character and drives a "light", four-wheeler vehicle.

Pac-Man Monsters

Main article: Pac-Man Monsters

After a new evil comes to Pac-Land, Pac-Man must travel far and wide defeating and recruiting all manner of Ghosts and Monsters while gaining more power to combat the new evil.

Pac-Man 256

Main article: Pac-Man 256

A game seemingly taking place right after the original Pac-Man, in which Pac-Man must continue to survive against the ghosts in the maze while also trying to escape from the evil Glitch destroying everything.

Super Smash Bros. series

Main articles: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Pac-Man appears as a third party character in several Super Smash Bros. games. His appearance and moveset is largely influenced by arcade Pac-Man and other Namco titles from the 80s (most prominently Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac-Land and Mappy).

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U features a stage based off of Pac-Land, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has a level based on the classic Pac-Man maze. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sees the return of the Pac-Land stage, but the Maze stage is not present.

Mario Kart series

Main articles: Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

Pac-Man has appeared as a playable racer in several Mario Kart games, specifically the arcade ones. Alongside Mario and all his friends, he is joined by Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky, as well as Bandai's Mametchi. He is replaced with Pacster in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.

Film

Wreck-It Ralph

Main article: Wreck-It Ralph

Pacman wreck-it ralph

Pac-Man, appearing in Wreck-It Ralph.

Pac-Man makes a cameo appearance in Disney's 2012 film, Wreck-It Ralph, where he was seen at Fix-It Felix Jr.'s Penthouse party, commemorating his game's 30th anniversary. Later, Ralph loses his temper and accidentally wrecks a cake, pelting Pac-Man with bits of it, and Pac-Man does a jaw drop at Ralph's behavior.

Pixels

Main article: Pixels

Pacman Pixels

Pac-Man, appearing in Pixels.

Pac-Man appeared as an antagonist in the 2015 film, Pixels, as one of the arcade invaders attacking New York City. When confronted by the films protagonists, Toru Iwatani is among them and tries to reason with his creation, even calling him his son. However his touching words have no affect on the alien Pac-Man, who proceeds to bite off Iwatani's hand and continue rampaging through the city.

While eating everything in his path, Pac-Man is then chased by the heroes in their souped-up ghost cars which they use to tackle Pac-Man with fields of energy which KO him on impact. After several chases throughout the city and three hits, Pac-Man is seemingly destroyed and the city saved. At the end of the film, Iwatani's hand is restored by the aliens after their defeat.

Kamen Rider films

Main article: Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid & Ghost with Legend Riders

DrPacMan

Dr. Pac-Man, the main antagonist of the film.

BigPacmanAgain

Pac-Man is attacking Kamen Rider Ghost Ex-Aid Damashii and Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Ghost Gamer Level 2.

This film is the eighth of a series of Kamen Rider crossover films called Movie Wars. Much like in Pixels, Pac-Man is an antagonist, but isn't actually at fault as his likeness was used by the main villain to infect the world with a virus of his likeness.

A Pac-Man game themed item, known as the Pac Adventure Gashat, is given to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid in a spin-off YouTube Special. Numerous references are made to the original game with this power-up (such as Ex-Aid needing to obtain a 'Power Cookie', based on the Power Pellet, to be able to successfully damage his foe).

Personality

Pacman-eating-pellet

Pac-Man's voracious appetite.

Pac-Man loves to eat. His regular meal includes Pac-Dots, Power Pellets, and fruits such as Cherries, Strawberries, and Oranges. He also seems very good at navigating mazes, due to his extensive time in them.

In the 1980's cartoon and the later Pac-Man games, Pac-Man was a fairly easygoing sort and a dedicated father and husband. While he would often get perplexed by most situations he found himself in, he would always come out on top of them.

In Pac-Man World 3, Pac-Man is shown speaking in full sentences. He is shown to be a nice person, even willing to help Orson, Blinky, and Pinky. That said, he's also shown to have a snarkier side.

Appearance

Pacman art styles descriptions

Four art styles used for Pac-Man and the Ghosts, all of which are currently in use by Bandai Namco. (2010s). Modern artwork using the first style no longer use the outlines.

Pac-Man is a yellow circular creature with a large mouth. He has a long, Pinocchio-like nose and two eyes which are shaped like himself. He commonly appears with arms and legs in artwork, but he is often limbless within the games themselves. He often wears red boots and orange gloves, and occasionally has a red hat as well.

Some earlier incarnations feature slightly different designs, most notably the Bally Midway artwork seen on U.S. arcade machines, which features Pac-Man as a red-eyed blob with long feet. Since around 1983 or so, his overall design has remained much more consistent.

Abilities

"Wakka Wakka."

Pac-Man, Pac-Man World 3 (Referencing the classic Pac-Man)

Pac-Man has different abilities, as well as those received from Power-Ups, found in various Pac-Man games.

Arcade series

Super Pac-Man

A superhero alter-ego of Pac-Man. First seen in Super Pac-Man, Pac-Man grows huge and can run through maze walls and ghosts. In some later games, it gives Pac-Man the ability to fly instead. It is gained by eating a Super Pellet. This ability also appears as his Final Smash in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Galaxian

While the Galaxian appeared as a fruit in some preceding games, it acted as a power-up in Pac & Pal. When Pac-Man eats one, he can stun the ghosts by shooting a capture beam out of his mouth (a reference to the 1981 arcade game Galaga).

World series

Butt Bounce

This attack can be used by jumping with the X button, then pressing it again while in air. There is a rare power-up where if the player touches it, Pac-Man gains the ability to do a Super Butt Bounce where if the player does the control for a normal butt bounce, a huge explosion will occur and any enemies in a certain radius will be terminated. It can only be used once per power-up.

Rev Roll

Pac-Man will run in place at a high speed and releasing the button will have him roll into a ball in any direction in which he is pointed. Using the Rev Roll on a ramp will send him high into the air. It can be used to destroy most enemies.

Pac-Dot Attack

If Pac-Man has at least one Pac-Dot he can shoot one from his hand like a bullet and damage enemies.

Super Pac-Dot Attack

Also known as the Bomb Attack in Pac-Man World: Re Pac. This attack is a stronger form of the previous attack. To use this attack, hold down the O button and Pac-Man will do the exact same thing, except he will spin around and then shoot a huge blast of Pac-Dots from his hand. There is also a requirement for this attack. Pac-Man must have at least 10 Pac-Dots to use it.

Swim

If Pac-Man enters water, he instantly floats on the water. To go underwater, press and hold the triangle button. To go back to the surface, press and hold the X button. Pac-Man can do a dolphin flip if you jump out of the water while holding the X button.

Flip Kick

By jumping in the air, and pressing the Square or X buttons, Pac-Man jumps in the air, and flips with his foot extended. This can be used to smash high up boxes.

Steel Body

Steel Pac power

Pac-Man's steel body from the Steel Ball Power Up.

Using the Steel Ball Power Up (known as the Metal Dot in Pac-Man World: Re Pac), Pac-Man's body will become steel and he can hardly be damaged. He can stand on fire and walk across lava.

Tiny Pac/Shrink Pellet

Using the Shrink Pellet Pac-Man will shrink in size and will be able to go through small doors. But enemies can squish him like a bug. Pac-Man is very good at using this ability. It is very uncommon for him to be attacked when he is very small.

Punch

Using the O or B button, Pac-Man can punch at enemies.

Electro Shock

Electric shock

Pac-Man giving Armalopes a zap.

With the Electro-Shock Power Pellet, Pac-Man can also perform an Electric Shock with the same button command. Pac-Man will be able to shoot electricity from his hands and can damage or stun enemies.

Triple Butt Bounce

If you hit the X or A button 4 times, Pac-Man will perform a Triple Butt Bounce. A small shockwave comes out of Pac-Man. It can kill up to 2 enemies at a time.

Ribbon Ring Power

Ribbon power

The afterimage will close in on enemies when formed into a ring.

Using the Red Ribbon Power Pellet Pac-Man's body will glow. When running a red afterimage will follow behind him. If he creates a ring around enemies the ring will close and do damage to them.

Hover Jump

In Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Pac-Man gains a Hover Jump ability (which previously appeared in the Nintendo 3DS version of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) that lets him hover in the air for 2 seconds (20 seconds in Easy Mode), making it easier to jump over lengthy gaps.

Mega Pac-Man

In Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Pac-Man can eat a Power Pellet to transform into Mega Pac-Man, which depicts him in a giant version of his spherical wedge form (similar to his design in Pac-Mania). While in this form, in addition to being able to eat ghosts, Pac-Man can destroy stage objects, and temporary platforms appear to help Mega Pac-Man cross large gaps.

Trivia

  • Pac-Man's name is derived from "Paku Paku" (パクパク), a Japanese onomatopoeia for eating. More specifically, the figure-of-speech refers to opening and closing one's mouth many times, just as Pac-Man himself does.
  • Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises, has stated that Pac-Man is his favorite video game character - even above Miyamoto's own creations.
  • Pac-Man was briefly considered to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, under Shigeru Miyamoto's suggestion, but the idea was scrapped. The game's director, Masahiro Sakurai, thought Pac-Man's inclusion would be too far-fetched at the time (in part due to thinking of Pac-Man's classic "wedge" shape, instead of the arms-and-legs design); however, he was later playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[13]

Gallery

For this page's full gallery, see Pac-Man/Gallery.

References

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