The Ghosts (also known as Monsters or Ghost Monsters) are a recurring race of species and are the main enemies of the Pac-People, all of Pac-Land and Pac-Man's worlds. Ghosts tend to generally be mischievous, mostly terrorizing, haunting, attacking, or creating mischief for the people they encounter.

The most notable recurring ghosts - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde form part of Team Ghost (also referred as the Ghost Gang) and act as the main antagonists of the Pac-Man series. Though they have mostly appeared as antagonistic characters towards Pac-Man and his family, they have been occasionally allied with Pac-Man on certain occasions.

Like Team Ghost, some ghosts tend to be nice to the other characters. Ghosts turn blue and scared when a Pac-Person eats a Power Pellet, which allows the user to eat the Ghosts with ease, with the exception of their eyeballs. They are spectral beings that dwell in Ghost Land and will sometimes travel to Pac-Land to cause havoc and mischief.

Concept and creation

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.^[1][2][3] 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.^[4]

Ghosts were chosen as the game's main antagonists because they were used as villainous characters in animation.^[5] The four ghosts were designed to be cute, colorful, and appealing, using bright, pastel colors and blue eyes.^[6] Toru Iwatani cited the inspiration of the ghosts from Casper the Friendly Ghost and the manga Obake no Q-Taro.^[7]

When the ghosts were decided as the antagonists, Namco president Masaya Nakamura requested that all ghosts be colored red and indistinguishable from each other. The idea was opposed by Toru Iwatani, who thought the ghosts should be colored differently; this idea was supported by his colleagues. During an internal vote, all of Namco's staff were in favor of the multi-color ghosts on a 40-0 vote; Nakamura agreed to let the ghosts be multicolored.^[8] The ghosts were given different personalities and methods of chasing Pac-Man in order to balance the game difficulty and prevent the game from becoming boring. Each of the ghosts were given character names to distinguish their methods of pursuing Pac-Man, and would become more difficult to avoid in later rounds.^[9]

Characteristics

In the original games and cartoon, the Ghosts were originally portrayed as monsters (with the original Japanese version of the games using the term "Obake", a type of yokai usually equated to goblins), with their cloak-like bodies serving as their outfits covering their true body, being a pink-worm being with feet that could only be seen visibly under their cloak. Despite this, they do have a few ghostly traits such as levitation. In more recent media, ghosts are implied to be deceased with the Team Ghost in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac alluding to their deceased state in a lot of their dialogue during their boss fights.

In the Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures animated series and games, the Ghosts are portrayed as spectral ectoplasmic entities with the common ghostly traits of being semi-intangible, being able to levitate, and can leave trails of ectoplasm on living beings. They also do not appear to have a very good diet, with much of their "food" appearing to be made up mostly of inedible and gross muck like garbage, worms, body parts, and other unidentifiable substances and slimy goo. Due to being spiritual entities without organs, however, these substances do no permanently harm them. With proper seasoning, their food can be made edible to Pac-Worlders. The existence of things such as sewers and sewage implies they still need to expel bodily waste products like Pac-Worlders.

It appears that the majority of ghosts are former Pac-Worlders, but usually bare no resemblance to their living selves, and apparently they come in a wide variety of colors and types apart from the usual standard ghostly appearance, with some appearing gigantic, cycloptic, octopus-like, etc, and it appears that they may be able to freely change between these forms depending on their moods and personalities, a likely benefit of no longer being restricted by physical forms. However, ghostly animals appear to still somewhat resemble their living animal forms, unlike Ghostly Pac-Worlders.

They mainly attack Pac-People by biting them (despite many having no visible teeth in earlier media), covering them in slime, or eating them alive (according to the Atari 2600 manual of Pac-Man).

Weakness

In the original games and cartoon, their main weakness is the Power Pellet, which can be eaten by almost any type of Pac-Being, such as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Jr. Pac-Man, other Pac-People, and Pac-Animals. When eaten, Pac-People posses the ability to eat them and it causes them to turn blue with fear. Once eaten, their empty bodies will return to a chamber in the center of a maze where Pac-Man has no access and return to their original forms to continue chasing him.

In the Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures animated series and games, Pac is the only one capable of eating them due to his status as a "Yellow One" and can do so even without berries in certain games while in others it is required. Power Pellets have also been replaced with Power Berries which simply act as empowering items that can give Pac unique abilities that can defeat ghosts more easily, but are still not required for eating ghosts.

Varieties

In Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, ghosts, come in a wide variety of shapes and forms but the majority usually appear to resemble the most common appearance of ghosts with round heads and ghostly tails but with a wide assortment of colors.

• Alien Ghosts - a species of extraterrestrial ghosts that has a symbiotic relationship with Ghosteroids. They protect the Ghosteroid and in return, the Ghosteroid shelters them
• Aqua Ghosts - ghosts that can travel effectively in water
• Cyclops Ghosts - The second largest species of ghosts even dwarfing some monsters in the Netherworld.
• Drill Bit Ghosts - ghosts forced to be used as the tip of huge drills.
• Fire Ghosts - a species of ghost that conjures fire. Lord Betrayus is the most notable one.
• Green Ghosts - ghosts that can attack with slime more effectively than others.
• Ghosteroids - The largest species of ghosts, they are a species of extraterrestrial ghosts that have a symbiotic relationship with Alien Ghosts, the Ghosteroid shelters the alien ghosts and in return, the alien ghosts protect it.
• Ghost Sharks - Ghosts of deceased Pac-Sharks. can also fly too.
• Guardian Ghosts - Royal guards of the Netherworld.
• Ice Ghosts - a species of ghost that conjures ice.
• Jellyfish Ghosts - The smallest species of ghost, which are nonsapient and can be found in Pac-World's seas. Their faces resemble scaredy ghosts.
• Lightning Ghosts - a species of ghost that conjures electricity.
• Tentacle Ghosts - a ghost that resembles a squid and/or octopus.
• Vulnerable Ghosts - a form ghosts take when they start panicking.

In-Game Behavior

Ghosts in the original Pac-Man are limited by not being able to turn unless they reach an intersection. Each ghost will behave differently once it has reached an intersection. Some will move randomly, while others focus on chasing Pac-Man or ambushing him. Other times, the ghosts will revert to scatter mode where they try to spread themselves among the four corners of the maze.

In platforming games such as Pac-Land and Pac-Man World, ghosts often scatter or target Pac-Man randomly.

Notable Ghost characters

Throughout the series, there have been a notable amount of Ghosts appearing within the Pac-Man games and media.

Team Ghost

Team Ghost^[10] (also known as the Ghost Gang) refers to the original antagonists of the first Pac-Man game: Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, whom are the main antagonists of the Pac-Man series across games and general media. In some appearances, they are joined by a fifth member named Sue, who originated from Ms. Pac-Man in place of Clyde.

Their roles in the series have mostly varied; they are usually portrayed as villainous, but are friendly in some appearances. However, most of their solo villainous efforts usually consist of them just teasing or chasing Pac-Man (and family), while in others, they take on a more antagonistic role due to being ordered to do so by their superiors (e.g. Toc-Man, Ghost Witch of Netor or Spooky). Nonetheless, it appears they usually antagonize others simply for the fun and joy of scaring and pranking them, rather than genuine hate or malicious intent.

• Blinky
  • Color: Red
  • Character: Bad-tempered, crude, bossy, bully, fast, bratty, grouchy, dangerous, mean, sarcastic, greedy, mostly aggressive, he's the responsible leader of the four and the arch-nemesis of Pac-Man.

• Pinky
  • Color: Pink
  • Character: Mischievous, persistent, tricky, cute, adorable, beautiful, happy, lovely, has a big crush on Pac-Man from time to time. In the original arcade game, she's the only female ghost.

• Inky
  • Color: Cyan (blue in Ghostly Adventures)
  • Character: Goofy, shy, unpredictable, wacky, shattered-brained, a little reckless, dizzy, can also sometimes chase Pac-Man aggressively like Blinky.

• Clyde
  • Color: Orange
  • Character: Cowardly, lazy, stupid, brainless, hopeless, seemingly dumb, but may be smarter than he lets on and doesn't really care about chasing Pac-Man. He always distracts himself.

• Sue
  • Color: Purple (originally orange in Ms. Pac-Man)
  • Character: Sly, sneaky, flirty, clever, stubborn, powerful, aggressive, slow, She’s the fifth member of the group (sometimes in place of Clyde and sometimes not), and the arch-nemesis of Ms. Pac-Man.

Other Ghost characters

Throughout the many spin-offs of Pac-Man, other ghosts have been added.

• Pac-Man (TV Series) (1982-1984):
  • Dinky - The nephew of the Ghost Monsters. He is a spoiled child and tends to annoy the Ghost Monsters most of the time and demands ice cream cones.
  • Ghost Hound - A hound dog who is able to track down Power Pellets by sniffing for them. He promptly runs away in fear after Pac-Man disguises himself as a tombstone.
  • Fairy-Ghost Mother - The fairy godmother of the Ghost Monsters. She gives the Ghosts a magic fairy tale book in order to stop Pac-Man, which ultimately backfires by the end.
• Pac & Pal (1983):
  • Miru - A friendly ghost who helps Pac-Man collect fruit.
• Jr. Pac-Man (1983):
  • Tim
  • Yum-Yum - Blinky's daughter and Jr. Pac-Man's girlfriend.
• Pac-Mania (1987):
  • Funky
  • Spunky - A sleepy ghost who will pursue Pac-Man once awakened.
• Pac-Man Arrangement (1996)
  • Kinky - Vulnerable when Pac-Man is present, but he can fuse with the ghosts to grant them special abilities.
• Pac-Man World (1999):
  • Orson - A ghost who was jealous of Pac-Man's popularity, and attempted to steal his family and identity. He eventually reforms and becomes Pac-Man's ally.
  • Chef Ghost
  • DJ Ghost
  • Pirate Captain Ghost
  • Pirate Ghost
  • Caveman Ghost
  • Astronaut Ghost
  • Clown Ghost
• Pac-Man World 2 (2002):
  • Spooky - The All-Powerful Leader of Ghosts from Ancient Times.
  • Blunder
  • Blowgun Ghost
  • Snowball Ghost
  • Fireball Ghost
  • Harpoon Ghost
• Pac-Man All-Stars (2002):
  • Wandy - A wizard ghost who kidnapped all the fairies in Pac-Land.
• Pac-Pix (2005):
  • Blue - A fast ghost with poor stamina.
  • Berobero - A silly ghost who can teleport around the area.
  • Biggaboo - A recurring boss ghost in the game who tries new tactics in every fight.
  • Numboo - A quintet of ghosts who must be eaten in numeric order in order to be defeated.
  • Bari-Boo - A ghost who summons a barrier that must be eaten from behind.
  • Aloha - A ghost who spits out arrows and must have his eyes eaten.
  • Peppeta - Scribbles and throws paint blobs around the area.
  • Ghost House - A robot managed by miniature ghosts that can spawn more of them alongside bombs.
  • Ink Master - The main antagonist of the game. Is made of Ghost Ink and trapped Pac-Man in a piece of paper.
  • Bari-Vader - A stronger version of Bari-Boo. Has the same abilities but can now dash forwards.
• Pac 'n Roll (2005):
  • Golvis - A rock star ghost with a seemingly imposing nature but is in reality very clumsy.
• Pac-Man World 3 (2005):
  • Spectral Monsters - Primordial ghost-like beings who have elemental powers.
• Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013-2015):
  • Betrayus - An incompetent Fire Ghost who rules over the Netherworld and tries anything he can to get his body back.
  • Butt-ler - An abused servant of Betrayus and Dr. Buttocks' brother who was formerly a spy when he was alive.
  • Dr. Buttocks - A brilliant scientist who makes gadgets for Betrayus and works for his own goals.
  • Captain Banshee - A pirate Aqua Ghost who has a grudge against Mooby Dick.
  • The Creepies - Two lowlife goons of Tentacle Ghosts who work for money.
  • Fred - A meek ghost who was used as a flag after the Ghost Gang ran out of white sheets.
  • Glooky - A ghost who was eaten by Pac during a failed attack.
  • Master Goo - A corrupt Pac Fu master when he was alive.
  • Mavis - A gossiping ghost.
  • Ogle - A chef ghost who serves normally disgusting food to other ghosts.
  • Seymor - One of the members of The Creepies.
  • Specter - A manipulative Fire Ghost spy who works for his own goals.
• Pac-Man 256 (2015):
  • Glitchy - A glitchy teleporting ghost.
• Pac-Store (2016):
  • Harry - A gaming ghost. Never used in any of the Pac-Store shorts.
  • Kelly - A gluttonous ghost who is jealous of Pac-Marie.
  • Terry - A clumsy ghost who is forced into being used for make up.
  • Rocky - A fashionable ghost who wants to perform on the stage.
• The Sandbox Evolution (2017):
  • Punky - A ghost that charges towards Pac-Man.
• Pac-Man Pop! (2017):
  • Winky - A mischievous ghost who manages the Challenge Mode of the game.
• Pac-Man Party Royale (2019):
  • Itchy - A ghost who inhibits the player via providing negative effects.
  • Blasty - A ghost who inhibits the player by forcing them to wear a bomb mask that will eventually kill the one who wears it when it explodes.
• Crossover appearances:
  • Bash (Sonic Dash, 2018) - A boss ghost who replaces Dr. Eggman and Zazz.
  • Creepy (Minecraft, 2020) - A green ghost who explodes the player and explodes.

Trivia

• The Pac-Man ghosts were originally known as, and were intended to be, Monsters^[11]. They were renamed to ghosts later on; this was mainly popularized by the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man.
• Throughout the 1980's to the mid 2000's, the roles and names of Blinky and Clyde had often been swapped.
• Pac-Man series creator, Toru Iwatani, has cited that Obake no Q-Tarō ("Little Ghost Q-Taro") was a source of inspiration for the Pac-Man ghosts.

Gallery

For this page's full gallery, see Ghost (species)/Gallery.

Group Pictures

The Ghost Gang's 8-bit look in the original Pac-Man arcade game

The Ghost Gang in Pac-Land

The Ghost Gang in Pac-Man World 2

Blowgun Ghost, Snowball Ghost, Fireball Ghost, and Harpoon Ghost from Pac-Man World 2

The Ghost Gang in Pac-Man World 2's opening cutscene

The Ghost Gang, plus Sue, as seen on the scoreboard of Pac-Mania for the iOS.

Redesigns of Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Pac-Man shown as part of a survey conducted through the official Pac-Man Facebook page.

The Ghost Gang as they appear in Ghostly Adventures

The Ghost Gang in Pac-Man World Re-Pac

Blinky, Pinky, Clyde, and other ghosts from Pac-Man World Re-Pac's opening cutscene

Team Ghost in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

See also

• Spectral Monsters

References