Reaper & Reapette

Reaper

死神

Shinigami

First Appearance: Kid Icarus (1986) Latest Appearance: Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012) Affiliation(s): Underworld Army Enemy Type: Grounded

The Reaper (死神 Shinigami) is a major enemy in the Kid Icarus series and one of Pit's most recognizable and persistent foes. Reapers are said to be the lookouts of Medusa's Army, and have the ability to summon smaller Reapettes (子死神 Koshinigami) into battle.

Characteristics

The Reaper resembles the standard "Grim Reaper" stereotype, with a skeletal body wrapped in dark purple, tattered, shroud-like cloak and equipped with a scythe. The Reapettes are but smaller versions, armed with sickles. The Reaper itself is human-like, more so than most of the other monsters in Angel Land. While the Reaper is land-bound, the Reapettes are quick and agile fliers. As high-ranking troops of Medusa's army, Reapers are among the more powerful monsters of the Underworld. They are the very definition of death itself, with their large scythes capable of causing even the bravest of warriors to tremble in fear. However, their one weakness lies in their restricted line of sight that they are also well-known for. Despite being the lookouts of Medusa, Reapers actually can’t detect their targets as well as most other Underworld monsters can. That is, their vision is like that of a spotlight, having extremely far range but a very limited viewing window. When someone does pass through their line of sight, however, they can easily lock onto their new-found target and pursue it vigorously. In addition to this laser vision, Reapers also have telepathic abilities that allow them to summon their smaller Reapettes to battle, which can move much faster and therefore catch up to their target. This combination of abilities makes them a deathly force to be feared, especially when they are aware of your presence.

Appearances

Kid Icarus

"Entrusted by Medusa as a lookout. It waves its sickle around when it's spotted Pit and starts chasing him. It calls Reapette by telepathy."

The Reaper is a durable foe that Pit encounters early in his quest. It appears in every non-Fortress area, barring the Palace in the Sky. The Reaper prowls along a flat path, turning around when the path ends. Once every few moments, however, it will suddenly glance behind to see if Pit's trying to sneak up behind it; it will always turn around if attacked in the back. Should the Reaper see Pit, (obstacles will block line-of-sight and it may not always see Pit right away) it'll zip to the closest spot available on it's path and immediately summon four Reapettes. It will keep summoning groups of Reapettes until either it's destroyed, Pit is dead, or Pit moves out of its sight (where it will immediately restart its pattern), though any remaining Reapettes will continue to harass the hero until destroyed. Reapers are invulnerable while they are summoning, but not in the 3D Classic version.

Hit Points	Damage	Hearts	Score (Experience)
10	2	10	500

Reapette

Hit Points	Damage	Hearts	Score (Experience)
1	2	1	100

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Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

"The Grim Reaper yells and screams, calling Reapettes to attack when he sees Pit."

Hit Points	Damage	Hearts	Score (Experience)
6		10

Reapette

Hit Points	Damage	Hearts	Score (Experience)
1		1

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Kid Icarus: Uprising

The Reaper returns with a new look in this game, and acts as a boss monster known as Great Reaper. When Pit first enters the room where it is battled, it is much smaller, around the size it was in the original game. It immediately notices Pit, and begins to panic, similarly to its prior appearances, transforming into the large form in which it's battled. Dodging the Great Reaper's attempts to step on him, Pit must get up onto one of two platforms on either side of the room, either by a pad that launches him up, or by stairs at either end of it, and then dodge Great Reaper's attacks up there while attacking its head. Pit can also fight smaller, "classic" Reapers, which act more like the original Reapers.

The regular Reapers act relatively the same as they did before in the previous games. If Pit is in the Reaper's "Line of Sight" (which is indicated by a red laser) or attacks them from behind, it will panic and summon Reapettes as it chases the angel down. If it gets close, the Reaper will attack using its scythe, which does considerable damage. They are first seen in The Reaper's Line of Sight.

Trivia

• The reaper is, of course, the infamous anthropomorphic figure of Death, complete with death mask, dark robe, and scythe. The figure itself, though, evolved from the Greek Titan known as Cronus.
• When a reaper begins attacking Pit in Kid Icarus Uprising, the music changes to a short loop that was from the original Kid Icarus when Reapers were fought.
• According to Palutena, the Reapers are the beings responsible for bringing the souls of the dead to the Underworld.