Super Metroid/Bosses

''For typical enemies see Super Metroid/Enemies. Bosses are listed in order of appearance.''

Mini Bosses
Mini Bosses, like Bosses, serve to hinder Samus' quest in exploration of Zebes; most often with a power-up nearby (before or after the fight). The main difference between Mini Bosses and Bosses is the difficulty, size and effect on the game.

Ridley (Space Station Ceres)
This battle isn't a battle that you can win, but you can get a slightly altered scene depending on what you do.

If you let your health drop below 30, Ridley decides to get out of the battle. He flies into the screen, knocking Samus into the wall if he knocks into her.

However, if you shoot Ridley enough times before your health drops below 30 (about 100 shots if I remember correctly), he'll drop the Metroid hatchling, grab it again and fly up and into the screen.

Both of these will trigger the countdown sequence, giving you 1 minute to get off the station.

Giant Spore
The giant spore will swing back and forth trying to hit you while the plants at the top of the screen shoot spores at you. The simplest way to defeat it is to equip missiles or Super missiles, then go into a morph ball. He can't hit you in the morph ball form, so just focus on dodging the spores. Eventually, he will stop at one side of the screen and open his mouth. Take this chance to shoot a missile into the mouth. Around six missiles should take him down.

Crocomire
Crocomire is the Norfair miniboss, available to fight once you've acquired the Super Missiles. When you drop down into his lair and move to the far right, Crocomire will jump out of the lava and slowly approach you. If you don't act fast, he'll end up pushing you all the way to the end of the room where you'll be impaled on the spikes on the wall. Its only weakness is to shoot it in the mouth. If you can hit it with more powerful weapons (Super Missiles) you'll knock it back slightly. Use them to hold him back while you pummel him with everything you have. If you run out of missiles you'll have to rely on charged shots.

Bosses
The four bosses, Kraid, Phantoon, Ridley, and Botwoon must be defeated before the way to Mother Brain is opened (Tourian).

Kraid
By far the largest of the Space Pirate crew. Kraid has been used in some of the Metroid games, but not as many as Ridley. Kraid attacks by throwing his razor sharp claws at you, or by the strange spike-like things that protrude from his 3 belly buttons. You can only hurt Kraid by hitting him in the mouth. Kraid and its strange mini-version are very easy bosses; you shouldn't have anything to fear here.

Ridley (Zebes)
A well known boss of the Metroid series and Mother Brain's number one henchman. Throughout almost every boss battle with Ridley, most of the attacks consist of fireballs and just ramming into you or picking you up and throwing you by stabbing you with its tail.

Mother Brain
The leader of the Space Pirates and the final boss. In Super Metroid, Mother Brain now has large legs and somewhat smaller arms, much like a T-Rex. Her attacks consist of shooting blue energy rings out of her mouth, lighting from her eyeballs, exploding rock bombs she drops out of her mouth, and a stream of fire from her hands. Also, the brain itself will glow and fire a large multi-colored beam that deals significant damage and drags upward, making it almost undodgeable. During the middle of the fight, you'll get hit by the beam and you won't be able to move at all. When Mother Brain charges up the killing shot, the baby Metroid Samus found in Metroid 2 (now an adult) sucks the life out of Mother Brain and gives that energy to Samus, replenishing her health. Whilst that happens, Mother Brain reanimates and starts shooting the Metroid, and ends up killing it, but in doing so, Samus gets the Hyper Beam that will make quick work of Mother Brain.