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Pac-Man, also stylized as PAC-MAN (パックマン, Pacman, originally written Puckman), is the main character in the eponymous Pac-Man series. He is Bandai Namco's mascot and one of the most widely recognized video game characters in the world.[1] OriginPac-Man debuted as the main playable character in the arcade game, Pac-Man, in 1980. His minimalist design is an icon of video gaming; according to designer Tōru Iwatani, the popular story that he was inspired by a pizza missing a single slice is "half true", and his primary inspiration was a rounded stylization of the Japanese kanji 口 (kuchi, mouth). His name is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeia ぱくぱく (paku paku), meaning to rapidly open and close one's mouth.[2] The toy company Tomy released products featuring a round, yellow character named "PacMan" prior to the release of the arcade game; while it is disputed whether this was a conscious inspiration, it is known that Tomy settled out of court in exchange for the right to produce licensed Pac-Man toys.[3][4][5] Japanese promotional art for the Pac-Man arcade game depicted Pac-Man with a slightly more humanoid design, featuring limbs with orange gloves and red boots, as well as a long nose; this design would be refined over time and subsequently featured in the games beginning with the 1984 arcade title Pac-Land. The international cabinet art, released by Midway Games, depicted Pac-Man as a more surreal, animalistic creature with red eyes and no arms, but this design would be short-lived, and international license holders were given leeway to experiment with the character design, a common practice in the 1980s, and typically either skewed much closer to the original Japanese design or made him more anthropomorphic by placing a yellow head on a human body. As a character, Pac-Man initially began with very few personality traits, reflecting his simplistic appearance in the games. Cutscenes throughout the original Pac-Man arcade games titled "Coffee Breaks" would show various cartoon scenarios with Pac-Man, revealing a somewhat quick-witted character capable of outsmarting enemies on the fly, but not revealing much else. Later installments in the franchise, such as the Pac-Man World series, expand on the character and his backstory. In these games, he is a father with a large family that he deeply cares about, and he is characterized as a relatively laid-back hero who is willing to help wherever he is needed. Both of these traits were first established in Hanna-Barbera's Pac-Man cartoon series, which — unlike American multimedia adaptations of other Japanese franchises such as Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog — was greatly influential to the Pac-Man universe and set the groundwork for most media that followed, thanks in part to a large portion of Pac-Man titles having been developed outside of the character's home country. His relationship with the ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde) has also changed over the years: they have been depicted as archenemies, allies of circumstance, or even friendly rivals. Various Pac-Man games released during the 1980s, particularly those produced by Midway with minimal Namco oversight, would introduce new friends and family members for Pac-Man, primarily sharing his basic character design with some kind of stereotypical accessory added. These include Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man's wife who wears a bow and possesses a mole on her cheek; Baby Pac-Man, Pac-Man's daughter who initially bore a pink bonnet; and Professor Pac-Man, who wears glasses and an Oxford cap. These characters held over in new games after Midway lost the license to use Pac-Man, though the majority of them would later be replaced by conceptually similar characters due to legal feuds with microconsole manufacturer AtGames. Pac-Man's world has also been developed with characters from other Namco games, such as Pookas from Dig Dug and Galaxians from the Galaxian series, existing as a natural part of his insular universe as opposed to a multiverse or shared canon. Due to his simplistic character, Pac-Man's personality has also varied between depictions; while he is universally shown to have a ravenous appetite (owing to the original game's focus on eating dots and Bonus Fruit), the way he is depicted often reflects trends in children's entertainment in the Western world. For instance, Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, released in 1994 during a large-scale revival of vintage slapstick cartoon tropes, portrays the character as an archetypal golden-age cartoon anti-hero who is overly emotional and often selfish, needing the player's intervention to succeed in his goals. Pac-Man World 3, released in 2005 following a shift towards snide verbal comedy in children's media, portrays Pac-Man as a flippant, sarcastic hero who is prone to cracking somewhat edgy jokes and does not take the conflicts he faces seriously. The Pac-Man & the Ghostly Adventures franchise, introduced in 2013 at a time where children's cartoons were embracing serialized plotlines, reinterprets the character as an orphaned high school student with a mysterious, tragic backstory. In the present day, most depictions of Pac-Man feature his abstract form and depict him with little to no personality, as in the original arcade games. When shown in his anthropomorphic form, the current-day Pac-Man is most consistently depicted as compassionate, athletic, and supportive; promotional materials feature the character living an active lifestyle and giving motivational advice. This iteration of the character is prominently featured in Pac-Man World Re-Pac and Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, the latter of which gives Pac-Man plenty of in-game dialogue that did not exist in the original. Particularly emphasized is his pacifism; he prefers not to fight if given the opportunity, and he will unconditionally forgive his enemies if he believes he can reason with them. This aspect is best shown in Pac-Man World Re-Pac, which adds a "true" ending not present in the original game — where Pac-Man forgives the game's villain Orson for stealing his identity and kidnapping his family — and relegates the original game's ending — where Pac-Man simply eats Orson — to a non-canon "false" ending, which is achieved by not clearing goals that were mandatory in the original. When necessary, Pac-Man is willing to defend himself in combat, and he does not hold back towards truly evil villains who mortally threaten him, his family, or his home, such as Wormwood and Spooky. In Super Smash Bros. BrawlWhile Pac-Man is completely absent from Brawl, he was reportedly requested by Shigeru Miyamoto to be another third-party character in Brawl. However, Sakurai rejected the idea as he felt that Pac-Man appearing in his famous 2D form seemed too far-fetched.[6] In Super Smash Bros. 4As a playable characterPac-Man is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4, revealed behind closed doors at the E3 Smash Bros Q&A and made known to the general public via Nintendo of America's official Twitter account before being covered on 'Pic of the Day' the following morning. Pac-Man ranks at 46th place on the Smash 4 tier list in the F tier. His Bonus Fruit special move acts as an effective projectile with differing attacks depending on its state upon being thrown. He also has a strong combo game at his disposal, able to perform combos both on the ground and in the air. However, his Bonus Fruit, Power Pellet, and Fire Hydrant specials can all be turned against him easily, creating some risks for himself in battle. He also suffers from an unreliable grab due to its high lag, and has trouble scoring KOs. Nevertheless, Pac-Man can excel by using his combo ability and the versatility in his specials. Currently, Pac-Man has a few dedicated players, but low tournament results. Trophies PAC-MAN's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS  PAC-MAN's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
 PAC-MAN (Alt.)'s trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS  PAC-MAN (Alt.)'s trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. UltimateAs a playable characterPac-Man returns as a playable character alongside the series' entire playable cast in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this time as an unlockable character. Spirit
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