Ninten (named Ken in the novelization of Mother[1]) is the main character and protagonist in Mother, the first game in the Mother series.
Physical appearance
Ninten weighs 42kg, is 152cm tall and has blood type A.[2] He has short, black hair, although he usually wears a red cap with a blue brim, likely due to his interest in baseball, making his hair unable to be seen in-game; in his clay model, he is also shown to have visible forelocks. He wears a striped t-shirt, with the colors blue and yellow; however, the t-shirt of his Japanese sprite was originally colored blue with one black stripe. He also wears blue shorts, blue shoes with white edges, and a pair of red socks, which together makes a portion of his legs visible. Red blushes can also be seen on his cheek on his clay model, being a typical feature of several Mother characters.
Ninten is often compared with Ness, whom appears to be based on Ninten. Because of this, Ninten is often overshadowed by him, as EarthBound and Ness are overall much more known. In the fan community, Ninten is usually depicted with a bandana around his neck and with more variety in the coloring of his shirt, in order to distinguish him from Ness, which is due to his appearance in a Japanese commercial for Mother where these features were added.
Even though Ninten and Ness share many similarities, they have several differing qualities, mainly being visible in their official clay models. The brim of Ninten's cap is pointed to the left of his head, whereas Ness's points to the right, although Ness's brim is directed backwards in his American clay model for unknown reasons, being slightly pointed to the left. Ninten's forelocks have a more spiky look, while Ness's are more rounded, although his American model has been altered to be more spiky-looking. While Ninten has red socks and blue shoes, Ness instead wears white socks and red shoes. Ness additionally carries around a backpack, whereas Ninten does not.
His physical appearance is compared with Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise by several of his female classmates.[3]
Personality and other characteristics
Ninten displays few distinct traits and little personality throughout the game, due to him having the role of a typical silent protagonist. He has only one sentence of actual dialogue in the entire game, being in the ending sequence of the game, where he merely states that it'd be nice to have some rest, as the Earth's crisis is over. He is however shown to be the only main character in the game who is asthmatic, being a property which affects him negatively in-game if he's exposed to exhaust gases, and can only be cured by the use of Asthma Spray. He and Ana are also the only party members that can utilize PSI, although Ninten is known for only being able to use defensive PSI moves. His main weapons are Baseball bats, being the only items in the game that are unique to him, and which is also a trait that is succeeded by Ness in EarthBound. His personality has been expanded and elaborated on in several guides and books, though the degree of canonicity in these are debatable.
In Encyclopedia Mother, he is depicted as an energetic and adventurous boy, being compared with Indiana Jones. His dog, Mick, is very close to him, especially during his years as an infant. He's very popular in school, and has been chosen as "Mr. Leader" by his fellow classmates. He displays a strong interest in baseball, being a "team regular" in the boys' baseball team, and thus plays baseball routinely. His favorite baseball team is the San Fransisco Giants. He also enjoys playing the electric guitar, which his father has gotten for him, while being accompanied by Mick. His favorite food is prime rib, which his mother serves him for dinner once a week.[4][5] Ninten also loves penguins, even owning a penguin toy, which is one of his most cherished possessions.
Among Ninten's favorite things are his baseball cap, a ticket to the Tokyo Giants, a photo of his great-grandmother, a ball signed by Shigeo Nagashima, a bent spoon, and a penguin toy. He got the baseball cap from his father, and it is considered to be his trademark; he rarely takes it off, being mainly when he showers, when it comes off as a result from a powerful swing when playing baseball, or when he sleeps, as can be seen in the ending of Mother. The Tokyo Giants ticket was brought back by his father after a trip to Japan, which Ninten believes is the "sister team" of the San Francisco Giants, being his favorite team. The sepia-colored, elliptical-bordered photo of his great-grandmother is kept in his desk, and is something he really treasures. The right half of the photo, which is thought to depict her husband, George, has been torn off. Ninten received the ball signed by Shigeo Nagashima when he was watching a match in the big leagues, and thereafter noticed that Nagashima sat next to him, recalling him from a special feature in a baseball magazine. The bent spoon became curved when he played with it during a dinner, when he already was full due to earlier having eaten at a hot dog stand, and as a result was unable to restrain himself, and bent the spoon through unknown means. Lastly, Ninten keeps the penguin toy due to his interest of penguins. He will never forget the day the day when penguins were introduced at the Choucream Zoo, as he earlier had only seen them on pictures and TV.[6]
Ninten was a normal boy living in the town of Podunk until a mysterious doll and several lamps started attacking him and his family. After that, Ninten learned PSI and started out on a journey across America to learn the Eight Melodies in order to defeat Giegue. Along the way he met Ana, a PSI wielding girl who later becomes his girlfriend, Lloyd, a boy who attacks using guns and Bottle Rockets, and Teddy, the leader of the Bla-Bla Gang. Eventually, Ninten ultimately faces off with Giegue, and sends him off to space for another 10 years.
History
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Ninten starts his adventure after a poltergeist invades his home, along with many others in Podunk. He has to fight his and his sister's lamp, and his other sister's doll. He finds an old music box inside the doll, which plays an odd melody which seems important enough for him to remember. He goes into town to try to find a source of the poltergeist with his Great-Grandfather's Diary.
On the way, Ninten spots a woman in panic in front of her home. Asking what's wrong, he learns that the woman's daughter, Pippi. He goes into town learning that his home was not the only one hit by the poltergeist. Ninten then talks to the mayor of Podunk who mentions the missing girl Pippi. The mayor convinces Ninten to go and find her himself. Ninten goes into the graveyard in hope of finding Pippi. Eventually, after going all the way through the graveyard, he finds her underground in a casket. Pippi shows a liking to her rescuer, giving him a Franklin Badge if he acknowledges his bravery and modesty. Going back into town and leaving Pippi in the hands of the mayor, Ninten and Pippi part ways. The mayor asks Ninten if he would like to see the zoo. His assistant, Abbott gives him the key to the zoo. Before heading to the zoo however, Ninten takes a stop at the town Department Store. Going to the top floor he learns that all the animals but a canary chick has ran out of the store. The salesman tries to sell Ninten the chick for $85, but if refused, for free. Ninten then takes the chick to the Canary Village to return the chick to its mother. The mother, named Laura, ecstatic about her returned chick, sings another melody that Ninten feels connections to. He then continues to the zoo.
PSI level up list
| Level
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Move name
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| Start
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| 3
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| 4
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| 5
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| 7
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| 9
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| 11
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| 13
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| 14
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| 16
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| 18
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| 19
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| 22
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| 24
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| 27
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| 29
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| 30
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| 33
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| 34
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| 35
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| 38
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Event moves
Ninten learns Teleport from a baby in Youngtown after talking to it via telepathy.
Game appearances
| Gallery
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| Ninten's regular appearance.
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| Ninten's unconscious sprite.
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| Ninten's sprite from the Famicom version.
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Trivia
- The protagonist of another game released by Nintendo was originally going to have one of his default names be Ninten.
- Ninten's name comes from the first few letters in Nintendo.
References
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Characters of
EarthBound Beginnings
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Main Party
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| Allies
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Villain
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| Others
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