The Photo Man
Ahh, the Photo Man... Our very own Earthbound enigma... He shows up out of nowhere, takes Ness' picture, and then disappears just as fast. But who is he? How does he know where Ness is all the time? What is he up to? Let's take a look.
Let's start with the first question. WHO is the Photo Man? Simply put, the Photo Man is Ness' dad. I will explain exactly why this makes sense by answering the other two questions.
Now, onto the second question. So if he is Ness' dad, then how does he always know where Ness is going to be? Well, the answer to that is actually pretty obvious. Ness is always calling him and telling him of his adventures. Think about this for a second. You've got a 13-year-old kid who uses the phone all the time, telling both his mother and father exactly where he's been and what he's been doing. So right there, his dad is always going to know where he is. He constantly calls Ness on the receiver phone, let alone, KNOWS Ness got one, even if he doesn't call his dad to tell him. That's someone who is very informed about the goings on in the world.
But you may be asking another question. How does he get to where Ness is? Well, he flies there. Notice that no matter where he shows up, he always descends to get to you? And when he's done, what does he do? He ascends. On occasion, he shows up inside of buildings and does the same thing. This is because he is trained specifically with equipment that can be used to ascend or descend buildings, while the chopper waits above outside. This also explains why he never shows up in the Lost Underworld, or the Cave of the Past. He won't show up in places he couldn't sneak into. Since he'd need to be a robot in the past, he can't go there. But he's waiting for you at the end, which will answer the next question.
So, what is he up to? Well, it's simple. He's creating a photo album. He can't fight the big bads himself. But he can keep an album of everything Ness did. Further adding weight to this idea is the line of dialogue that's said in the end credits. We all heard it, yet we had no idea what it means or who is saying it. Well, now we know the answer to both of those things. Dad misses Ness.
Ahh, the Photo Man... Our very own Earthbound enigma... He shows up out of nowhere, takes Ness' picture, and then disappears just as fast. But who is he? How does he know where Ness is all the time? What is he up to? Let's take a look.
Let's start with the first question. WHO is the Photo Man? Simply put, the Photo Man is Ness' dad. I will explain exactly why this makes sense by answering the other two questions.
Now, onto the second question. So if he is Ness' dad, then how does he always know where Ness is going to be? Well, the answer to that is actually pretty obvious. Ness is always calling him and telling him of his adventures. Think about this for a second. You've got a 13-year-old kid who uses the phone all the time, telling both his mother and father exactly where he's been and what he's been doing. So right there, his dad is always going to know where he is. He constantly calls Ness on the receiver phone, let alone, KNOWS Ness got one, even if he doesn't call his dad to tell him. That's someone who is very informed about the goings on in the world.
But you may be asking another question. How does he get to where Ness is? Well, he flies there. Notice that no matter where he shows up, he always descends to get to you? And when he's done, what does he do? He ascends. On occasion, he shows up inside of buildings and does the same thing. This is because he is trained specifically with equipment that can be used to ascend or descend buildings, while the chopper waits above outside. This also explains why he never shows up in the Lost Underworld, or the Cave of the Past. He won't show up in places he couldn't sneak into. Since he'd need to be a robot in the past, he can't go there. But he's waiting for you at the end, which will answer the next question.
So, what is he up to? Well, it's simple. He's creating a photo album. He can't fight the big bads himself. But he can keep an album of everything Ness did. Further adding weight to this idea is the line of dialogue that's said in the end credits. We all heard it, yet we had no idea what it means or who is saying it. Well, now we know the answer to both of those things. Dad misses Ness.
