Pac-Man

"My favorite video game character isn't Mario, it's Pac-Man."

- Shigeru Miyamoto

Pac-Man (occasionally stylized as PAC-Man or PAC-MAN, originally named Puck-Man in Japan) is a famous video game character created by Namco, who debuted in the arcade classic Pac-Man to great acclaim. He has since spun-off into other games and media, making crossover appearances with the Mario series in the Mario Kart Arcade games and the Super Smash Bros. series. Other icons from his debut title have appeared in the games such as his wife, Ms. Pac-Man and his arch-enemy, Blinky.

Mario Kart Arcade GP
Pac-Man makes his first crossover appearance in a Mario game as a playable character in the Namco-developed game, Mario Kart Arcade GP in 2005. In this title, Pac-Man is an all-around type character who shares a rivalry with Mario in terms of stats. His special items are Pooka, Rally X, and Boss Galaga, which are all based on characters from Namco's early arcade titles. Other Pac-Man characters such as Blinky and Ms. Pac-Man also appear as playable. Race courses inspired by the Pac-Man series featured in the game include Pac-Labyrinth and Pac-Mountain.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
A year later in 2007, Namco developed Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 where Pac-Man returns as a playable character. Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky return, as well as the race tracks Pac-Labyrinth and Pac-Mountain. He has his own kart based off of the spaceship in Galaga, another game made by Namco Bandai.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Pac-Man returns a playable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. His appearance has changed to his modern redesign, which first appeared in Pac-Man Party. The Soul Varoon, from Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, returns as his personal kart. In the game, he is classified as a middleweight character, meaning all of his stats are average, and has no notable advantages or disadvantages.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Pac-Man is confirmed to be a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, back to his classic design which first appeared in-game in the Pac-Man World series. His abilities include throwing fruit and eating power pellets. He can also transform into his classic form in two ways; the first as his dash attack, and the other as his Final Smash, where he transforms into a large version of his 2-D form, which is a nod to Super Pac-Man and its Super Pellet items. Alternatively, it may be a reference to the first cutscene in the original Pac-Man, in which Pac-Man was shown to be giant after eating a power pellet. The 3DS version of the game will feature a stage based off the original Pac-Man arcade game, while the Wii U version will feature a stage based off Pac-Land.

Trivia

 * In small leaflets celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Mario series, there are pictures of box art from several recent Mario games decorating the edge; however, artwork of the NES Classics version of Pac-Man is also on there (this was the only non-Mario game to be shown on the leaflet).
 * Shigeru Miyamoto has often stated that Pac-Man is his favorite game character of all time. He once suggested that Pac-Man be a guest character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but Sakurai, thinking of Pac-Man's original 2D appearance, thought the idea seemed "far-fetched".
 * The Mario series is the only other franchise outside of Pac-Man in which the character is depicted in both his classic Pac-Man World appearance and his modern appearance.