Metroid Database Bestiary

Rinkas are toroidal fireballs that emerge from turrets within Tourian. These simple plasma-based life-forms are artificially bred from Mother Brain’s life-support machinery and are used as a security device for the Mother Brain’s compound to destroy “pathogens” invading the aseptic command base. Rinkas have simple sense organs that detect the presence of intruders, allowing them to home in on their target, but lack the ability to reverse direction.

Rinkas are weak, but appear in large numbers in an endless stream, making them difficult to dodge, especially in Mother Brain’s room. Be especially careful around them while moving from one room to the other, as they will easily pass through doors, hitting you twice in the process. Your best option is often to freeze the Rinkas to give yourself enough time to destroy Zeebetites and open locked doors. It is especially imperative to freeze them while fighting Mother Brain. Freezing a Rinka and using it as a platform is also the only way to escape from the acid pit in front of Mother Brain.

Rinkas appeared in Metroid: Other M in the Bioweapons Research Center as a pleasant piece of fan service. Unfortunately, there was no Mother Brain to fight, too.