Blinky

"I've always liked my Pac-Man...EXTRA CRISPY!"

— Blinky, Pac-Man World 2

Blinky (Japanese: 赤ベイ Akabei) is the leader of the ghosts and the arch-enemy of Pac-Man. He chases Pac-Man constantly, and can be very dangerous. He is known to have a short temper, and is good friends with Inky, Pinky and Clyde.

While originally the main antagonist in the first Pac-Man arcade game, his role has largely been diminished to secondary antagonist or an ally in recent incarnations, though he is still considered the series de-facto main antagonist in remakes of the first game and by older fans.

History

Pac-Man

Blinky first appeared with Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, the other members of the Ghost Gang, in the Pac-Man arcade game. He was the first to come out of the chamber in the center of the mazes.

Blinky's original English descriptor, "Urchin", is given due to his persistence; he is the only ghost in the arcade games that will always directly target Pac-Man when in "chase" mode. After Pac-Man eats a number of Pac-Dots, Blinky will accelerate; this state is colloquially known as "Cruise Elroy". The number of Pac-Dots that Pac-Man must eat in order for Blinky to become Cruise Elroy gets lower and lower as the game progresses. The term "Cruise Elroy" itself likely refers to him cruising through the maze during gameplay. In certain later games, Blinky's "Cruise Elroy" state is triggered by how long the character remains on the maze rather than the remaining Pac-Dots. When the ghosts are in "scatter" mode, Blinky typically occupies the top-right corner of the maze (though in most games, he ignores this mannerism when in "Cruise Elroy" mode).

Blinky continues a similar role in these subsequent arcade games:

Pac-Land

Based on the Pac-Man animated series, Pac-Land features Blinky and the other ghosts as they try to stop Pac-Man by using various methods, including vehicles. Blinky's design is changed in the American version to coincide with the Hannah-Barbera animated series which was airing at the time, as such his sprite was changed to match his American counterpart much like the rest of the characters in the game.

Pac-Man Remix

Blinky appears as a normal enemy in this game, often ambushing and trapping Pac-Man. Blinky also appears as a boss in the game. In the final boss battle, he pilots the mega-ghost on the castle roof alongside Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde appear as enemies for Pac-Man, petrifying him whenever they appear. Unless Pac-Man is able to get a Power Pellet, he will faint. Occasionally, Pinky or the others will leave important items behind after they are eaten. After their leader, the Ghost Witch of Netor is defeated, Blinky and the others fly off.

Pac-Man World series

See Clyde and Blinky error.

Pac-Man World

Blinky appears in the second cutscene, holding a burlap sack with Ms. Pac Man inside it. He also appears in Toc-Man's Lair as one of the four roaming ghosts. Some of the ghost minions that appear look like him.

Pac-Man World 2

Blinky is the fourth boss in Pac-Man World 2 , as one of the ghosts who unintentionally released Spooky. In this installment, Blinky fights from a machine which attacks using fireballs and fiery blades (mounted on the bottom of the machine, which may knock Pac-Man off the edge of the stage) and is invulnerable to Rev-Rolls; Pac-Man must bounce on the glass cockpit to destroy it. He later appears in a huge submarine called the Megawhale with the other ghosts in a final attempt to stop Pac-Man from reaching Ghost Island.

Pac-Man World 3

In Pac-Man World 3, Blinky teams up with Pac-Man to stop the forces of evil. He can use his powers to use a ghostly screech called a "Sonic Boo", which may have been based off of the abilities given to Pac-Man in Pac & Pal. He is first mentioned by Orson , who tells Pac-Man in level 3 to find all of the Ghost Gang in the Spectral Realm. Pac-Man only finds Pinky, who tells him that Erwin is using Inky and Clyde for power and has connected them to an energy-sucking machine used to power Erwin's robots. In level 5, Pac-Man finds Blinky caught in a cage and mocks him; Blinky declares that he'd rather be left in the cage than be mocked by Pac-Man. When Pac-Man later releases him and tells him about Erwin's siphons, Blinky agrees to help him, albeit temporarily. He then helps Pac-Man in a fight with some spectral monsters and later single-handedly defeats The Spectral Fiend (an ally of Erwin's) and one of Erwin's siphons; afterwards he aids Pac-Man in many levels and serves as gunner as they both ride in Toc-Man in the Battle of Banni.

Pac-Man World Rally

Blinky appears as a playable racer in this game. Blinky is also featured in the stage Ghost Mansion.

Ms. Pac-Man: Maze Madness

Along with the other ghosts, Blinky was recruited by the witch Mesmerelda to stop Ms. Pac-Man from finding the four Gems of Virtue. Blinky and the ghosts fail in their mission, allowing Ms. Pac-Man to defeat Mesmerelda and restore Pac-Land. Blinky also appears in the similar PC title, Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze. Blinky is playable in the multiplayer "Ghost Chase" mode, though he is limited to the second player.

Pac-Man Pinball Advance

Blinky and the ghosts send Pac-Man a letter, notifying him that they've kidnapped the residents of Pac-Land. Pac-Man rescues the Pac-People and defeats the ghosts using pinball techniques.

Pac 'n Roll

Blinky and the ghosts appear in Pac 'n Roll as enemies. They team up with Golvis in order to get rid of Pac-Man after their previous defeats. Although Inky, Blinky, and Clyde weren't completely interested in getting revenge, they went along with Pinky's plans due to her bossiness. After the destruction of Golvis's UFO, Blinky and the others watch Pac-Man on a television in the middle of the ocean. The ghosts then discover the reason Golvis was imprisoned was because of his clumsiness, not because of his power, much to their annoyance.

Pac-Man Party

Blinky appears as a playable character in Pac-Man Party. His look has been somewhat altered, given what appears to be a tuft of pointy hair on his head. His new look would go on to inspire his depiction in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. In the game, he aids Pinky, Inky, and Clyde in stealing cookies from Mr. Cookie. At the end of the game though, it is revealed that they never stole the cookies and that they were actually given to them by Mr. Cookie himself to test Pac-Man and his heroism.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (game)

Blinky appears in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (video game) as an ally of Pac-Man alongside his other three cohorts.

Characteristics

Appearance

In the TV series, Blinky has the same physical characteristics as the other ghosts, but wears a wide-brimmed hat possibly meant to resemble that of a farmer. In the Pac-Man World series and related media, he appears as visually similar to his fellow ghosts but colored red; his most recent incarnations (as seen in the above image) also add a protrusion to the top of his head (which he calls his "hairdo") and blue eyes.

Personality

In the Pac-Man World series and other related media, he appears as the leader of the Ghost Gang. He is often depicted as the most intelligent and the most conceited of the quartet (especially so in Pac-Man World 2). Though Pac-Man under most circumstances is an enemy of all of the ghosts, Blinky is his main nemesis among them. However, some games depict this as a form of friendly antagonism.

Since the 30th anniversary reboot which began with Pac-Man Party and following with Ghostly Adventures and the game based on Ghostly Adventures, Blinky is still the de facto leader of the Ghost Gang, but is now an ally and friend of Pac-Man rather than a pseudo-antagonist. Despite this, there have been occasions where he has enjoyed frightening and picking on Pac-Man, and has also shown to enjoy slimming and frightening Pac-People the most out of the four ghosts, showing that even as an ally, he still possesses mischievous tendencies.

Cross-overs

Mario Kart Arcade GP

In Mario Kart Arcade GP, Blinky is among the playable characters. He has special abilities, such as throwing banana peels on the track, and like the other ghosts in the game can also use a ghostly howl. As a throwback to the behavior which gave him the nickname "Shadow", Blinky stays close to Pac-Man and Mario during the game.

In Other Media

Hanna-Barbera cartoon

Cartoon Blinky — Blinky, with Inky and Clyde.

In the T.V. series, Blinky is voiced by Chuck McCann. He is depicted as slow-witted and cowardly. This was the first and only time he was portrayed as such; before (and since) then he was considered the leader because he is faster than the other ghosts and comes out of the chamber first in each level of the original game. He also has grammar problems.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Blinky makes an appearance in the 3D Pac-Man animated series, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, on Disney XD. Rather than an enemy of Pac-Man, He along with Inky, Pinky and Clyde act as Pac Man's allies. Blinky is voiced by Ian James Corlett, who also voices Sir Cumference. Like in some other media, he seems to act as the leader of Ghost Gang. He is depicted as having a rivalry of sorts with Inky.

Wreck-It Ralph

Blinky along with Pinky and Inky make a cameo in the 2012 Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph at Game Central Station.

Trivia

General

Blinky was the only Ghost to appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP.
Blinky made an appearance in the Disney film, "Wreck-It Ralph", at the Game Central Station along with the other ghosts from Pac-Man.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

It is possible that Blinky would only join a winning team, and Pac always wins.
He looks like he still got his bad side.
He is the smallest ghost in the Netherworld.
In "Is Zit You Or Is Zit Me", he is revealed to be a gold digger, as he wants to sell Pac's wiped make-up on the internet.
His middle name is Sneaky.
Despite his occasional mean nature, he is friendly with Pac, even being the first to cheer Pac on in one episode and praising his efforts to save Pacworld.
In The Pac Be With You, he is secretly a Pac-Fu master. He also shows his hero side when he trains Pac and his friends Pac-Fu to fight off Betrayus' ninja ghost army.