Pac-Man characters: every hero, ghost and villain across the series
What began as one yellow circle and four ghosts grew into a family, a cast of cartoon villains and a 3D platforming world. Here is who everyone is and where they first appeared.
The original cast (1980)
- Pac-Man: the player character, a yellow circle with a wedge-shaped mouth whose only verbs are move and eat. Namco gave him no backstory in the arcade; everything personal came from merchandise and the cartoon. The name's origin is in puck man to pacman rename.
- Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde: the four ghosts, each with a distinct chase rule. Their many names are tabulated in names of the four pacman ghosts and their logic in pacman ghost ai explained.
The family (1982 onward)
- Ms. Pac-Man: introduced in the 1982 arcade sequel, distinguished by a bow, lipstick and a beauty mark. In the cartoon she is named Pepper. The game itself is compared in pacman vs ms pacman.
- Jr. Pac-Man: the child, star of the 1983 arcade game, wearing a propeller beanie.
- Baby Pac-Man: the infant from the 1982 pinball-video hybrid and the cartoon.
- Professor Pac-Man: a bespectacled quiz host from the 1983 trivia cabinet.
- Chomp-Chomp and Sour Puss: the family dog and cat in the cartoon.
Additional ghosts
| Ghost | Colour | First appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Sue | Orange (purple in later games) | Ms. Pac-Man, 1982, replacing Clyde |
| Tim | Orange | Jr. Pac-Man, 1983 |
| Funky | Green | Pac-Mania, 1987 |
| Spunky | Grey | Pac-Mania, 1987 |
| Miru | Green, not a ghost | Pac & Pal, 1983, a helper who steals items |
Villains from the cartoons and 3D games
- Mezmaron: the hooded villain commanding the ghosts in the 1982 Hanna-Barbera series, obsessed with the power-pellet forest.
- Toc-Man: a robotic impostor built by a ghost in Pac-Man World (1999), who kidnaps Pac-Man's family.
- Spooky: the ancient ghost sealed under a tree in Pac-Man World 2 (2002).
- Betrayus: the ghost lord of the Netherworld in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013), with lieutenants Butt-ler and Dr. Buttocks.
- Erwin: the mad scientist of Pac-Man World 3 (2005).
Crossovers and cameos
The Galaxian flagship that appears as a bonus item on levels 9 and 10 (see pacman fruits by level) is the earliest cameo in the series. Pac-Man later appeared in Super Smash Bros. (2014), Mario Kart Arcade GP, Street Fighter X Tekken and the film Pixels (2015), where Toru Iwatani was played by an actor while the real Iwatani had a cameo as a repairman.
Characters on this site
The games on the mr pacman maze games homepage feature original characters: Munch, a cyan bot, and four geometric drones. They are tributes to the structure of the cast above, one hero and four distinct pursuers, with their own designs. The complete list of games that introduced each character is in list of pacman games.
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Frequently asked questions
Who are the main Pac-Man characters?
Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and the four ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde.
What is Ms. Pac-Man's name in the cartoon?
Pepper.
Who is Sue in Pac-Man?
The orange ghost in Ms. Pac-Man, who takes Clyde's place.
Who is the villain in Pac-Man?
In the arcade game there is no named villain; the cartoon introduced Mezmaron and the 2013 series introduced Betrayus.
Does Pac-Man have children?
In the extended lore, yes: Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man.