Risky Boots

"Who am I? I'm Risky Boots, queen of the Seven Seas, and anyone who opposes me will be crushed flat! Men!! Spank this one extra hard for mommy!!"

- Risky Boots during her first battle with Shantae.

Risky Boots is the primary antagonist of the Shantae series. Risky is Shantae's nemesis and is known throughout the world for her wealth, power, and ruthlessness. Risky is the undisputed and self-appointed "Queen of the Seven Seas", and will caution and toll anyone who thinks otherwise. Capable, dominating, and deadly, Risky isn't afraid to claim what's not hers. She commands an endless army of who follow her orders without question, building her weapons of war and scavenging the resources to make her schemes become reality.

Risky is voiced by Cristina Vee as for Pirate's Curse, who also voices Risky's nemesis, Shantae.

Physical Appearance
Risky Boots wears a large pirate hat, with a skull symbol, which keeps her long hair in (her hair is actually just as long as Shantae's, as revealed when she disguises herself as a half-genie during the course of and also later during the final fight at the end of the same game, when Shantae deals her sufficient damage to make her outfit fall apart). She has a purple necklace with a gold pendant around her neck, a top that looks like the upper half of a skull, deep purple pants lined with a white rim that looks like a jaw bone, a belt which holds her scimitar and pistol. It is revealed in the second game that the skull pieces on her outfit are actually the skull of Risky's former mentor.

Risky's sprite in the first Shantae consisted on red and black-colored clothes, she had her own eyes and sword red-colored including black hair, the artwork of the game has Risky with her usual and current color pattern though.

Personality
Risky Boots has shown to be cruel and cunning to her enemies, specially Shantae, this is evidenced by the fact she constantly attacks Scuttle Town and tried more than one time to enslave Shantae and all the genies for her own benefit. Aside from that, Risky is also greedy when it comes to treasure, priceless artifacts, and money in general given her role as pirate. Risky holds an intense grudge against Shantae since the first time she was defeated by her and even has shown to dislike her and anything/anyone too "goody-goody" or law abiding, demonstrating her dislike for good things and preferring to stay evil instead. Despite this, she has shown to have some respect for her since battling with the Pirate Master for the fate of the world, although at the end Risky made a point with Shantae that both should take different paths as Risky is happy as long as she can be captain and promised that they'll be still enemies as such.

Risky also likes to gloat and make herself known for her actions, even if these implicate destruction and chaos, the most known being the constant attack on Scuttle Town and its inhabitants. She is also sneaky and deceptive and has no problem with having to lie or manipulate others to get her way, just like she did back disguised as genie she tricked Shantae into collecting one of the stones for her only for Risky to capture Shantae and take the stones from her. Risky Boots can get very violent and even sadistic when she's enraged, one of her most sadist moments was in the first game threatening to slice up Shantae for destroying the Tinker Tank, and after being defeated by her, she decided to escape and let Shantae die on the ruins.

Although in recent games she has shown to have more calm and morality in contrast to her first and second appearances, this doesn't stop however of keep doing misdeeds through Sequin Land, going as far as punishing her own crew when they don't obey her or if they try to defy her in anyway as evidenced in Pirate's Queen Quest, where she punished the Tinkerbats for invading a remote island without her and later on the same happened at the end after their failure at making the Dynamo work correctly, although taking in consideration it was Risky all along the narrator of Pirate's Queen Quest it's presumed she actually didn't punish them at all.

Powers and Abilities
Though she prefers to leave combat to her machines and Tinkerbats, Risky Boots has proven to be a powerful and manipulative fighter (as proven at the end of the first game). In combat, Risky's main weapon is a large pirate's scimitar that she can rapidly slash with or throw like a boomerang, and she also carries a flintlock pistol that fires bullets. Risky can also dash around in mid-air for dive-bombing attacks and perform a brutal slide-kick when on the ground. She is also able to perform various acrobatic feats akin to par-cor, which seems to suggest superhuman levels of athleticism. She also appears to have a high level of endurance for a human, as she is able to take many hits from Shantae's magic, and still have enough energy to escape almost unscratched from her final fight with Shantae in the first game. Risky is also highly intelligent and surprisingly effective with technology, being able to conceive grandiose machines for her Tinkerbats to build and to operate them quite effectively.

In Pirate's Curse, Shantae could upgrade Risky's items once she gathered them all going through dungeons. Later on Pirate's Queen Quest, Risky herself could upgrade her own items as the story progressed, using a similar pattern that Shantae used in the previous game in order to complete 100% the game. Despite her deadly proficiency in the first game, Risky claims to be completely defenseless without her sword and pistol; in Pirate's Curse, she was unable to combat a single Cacklebat, even with her kicking moves. Whether she truly felt defenseless or whether she was simply afraid of being possessed herself is unclear, although it's presumed she simply wanted Shantae to do the job for her.

Shantae
"(Shantae: So you're behind this attack! Risky Boots, the lady-pirate!) In the flesh! Sorry about your shack darling. I thought you were a Guardian Genie, not some scrawny kid! Well no matter! Gotta haul booty!"

- Risky Boots' first quote in the entire series meeting Shantae for the first time

"I went easy on you this time, but next time I'll be steam-powered and unstoppable! Ho Ho Ho!"

- Risky after being defetead for the first time

"Ho Ho HO! The legendary Dribble Stone, mine for the taking!! Why pour water into that Steam Engine when this thing will power it forever!  --What!? AIEEEEEE!!"

- Risky trying to steal the Dribble Stone just before being thwarted by the boss there

"Well well! You're a smart little tag-along! This single piece of golem stone is the only metal strong enough to hold the other stones' power! Once I have all four stones in my possession, I'll create the most powerful weapon this world has ever seen! Ho Ho Ho!!"

- Risky explaining her plan as she tries to steal the Golem Stone but is thwarted again

"HAH! Nice try girly girl, but this Simmer Stone comes with me! It's magical fire will keep my water boiling forever! What...? Not again! AIEEEEEE!"

- Risky's attempt to steal the Simmer Stone being thwarted for the third time

"(Shantae: Oh! A Genie! Are you Bandit Town's guardian?) Absolutely! I do my job using powerful mind-reading magic! For instance you've come here looking for the Twinkle Stone, right? (Shantae: Oh wow, you're right!!) Well you're in luck sweetie! I can get you into the Twinkle Palace with no problem at all! Just meet me there in a little bit will you? (Shantae: What luck! I'll be there, thanks!) Also, you should try cutting your hair short sometime! It would look awfully cute in a bob! Ho Ho Ho! (Shantae: Hee hee!... I'll think about it! Bye now!"

- Risky tricking Shantae after disguising as Bandit Town's genie

"Hah! That oughtta shut you up! Thanks for being a perfect little stooge! Now that you've collected all four stones for me, my Tinkerbats can complete their steam-powered project! Stop by for the grand unveiling! It's sure to be a smash from coast to coast!! HO HO HO!!"

- Risky Boots after capturing Shantae and stealing the four stones.

"So, you just couldn't mind your own business, could you? Had to see what my army of Tinkerbats was building! Well, here's your answer! Thanks to all four magical stones, I'm about to put the finishing touches on my Steam-Powered behemoth! With me at the helm, no town on land or sea will ever oppose my rule again! Ho Ho Ho! Prepare yourself for the awesome might of my All-Purpose Steam-Powered TINKERTANK!!"

- Risky presenting the TinkerTank to Shantae

"NOOOOOO!!! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!? My TinkerTank! It's nothing but rubble! I'll slice you to bits and dance on your runny innards!"

- Risky's most sadistic quote in the entire series

"(Shantae: Give it up Risky! You're finished!) NEVER!! YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!! HO HO HO HO!!"

- A defeated Risky's last words in the first game as she escapes leaving Shantae to die in the island's explosion

Shantae: Risky's Revenge
"Ho Ho Ho! No need for alarm! I'm just dropping by for this! (Shantae: RISKY BOOTS!) In the flesh! Your spelunking uncle is always dredging up new collectibles, but this one! Well, this takes the cake doesn't it? (Shantae: It's just a worthless lamp! Put it back before there's trouble!) Tsk tsk. You have no idea the trouble that's in store! Heave ho men!! Hoist my booty through the roof! And put your backs into it!"

- Risky meeting Shantae again

"Yoo hoo! Genie girl! Looking for me? (Shantae: Risky! I'll give you one last chance to hand over that lamp! If no, things are gonna get ugly!) Fu fu fu! They're going to get ugly all right! Let's see how you handle my brand new Steam Powered Oceanic Tinker Tub! Lock and load men! It's time for Risky's Revenge, so let's attack aggressively! Ho ho ho!"

- Risky's first boss fight in the game

"Not bad! You've learned a thing or two since our last duel. But no matter. With this lamp I've finally got the means to crush Sequin Land once and for all! Till then… play with this!"

- Risky knocking out Shantae

"Well, well, well. I see you managed to beat me to the first MAGIC SEAL! Nicely done. Now be a good girl and hand it over! (Shantae: Not a chance! Back off, or I'll smash this thing to pieces!) My! No need to be hasty! I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other down the line! Ta ta!"

- Risky after Shantae defeated Squid Baron

"(Shantae: Risky Boots! I had a feeling you'd show up!) I'm afraid my patience for you is starting to wear thin. Why don't you have over both MAGIC SEALS now, and save you and your deal UNCLE from any further unpleasantness? (Shantae: Never!) Fine, we'll do this the hard way. You'll both beg for mercy in the end! You'll see!"

- Risky threatening Shantae after refusing to giver her the Magic Seals

"Ho ho ho! Make yourself comfortable, grandpa! Your genie friend should be arriving any moment now. You three! What are you standing around for? You've been paid, now shove off! (Rottytops: Hey! The deal wasn't for cash! What about her brains!) (Poe: And our lifetime supply of coffee!) Sorry, change of plans. (Rotty collapses on her knees, her face down, crying) (Abner: It ain't worth fightin' over. Let's go. I got the feelin' things are about to get MESSY)."

- Risky altering the deal with Rottytops and her siblings

"(Shantae: Risky! This is a new low! Turning my friends against each other. It's sick!) Ah, you've arrived. It could have gone differently you know. Maybe you should have just handed over those SEALS in the beginning and saved your friends from such grief! The outcome would have been the same! Now, give me those THREE MAGIC SEALS, and I promise that your uncle can go free. I can't say the same for you."

- Risky threatening Shantae to choose between her uncle or the Magic Seals

"The MAGIC SEALS are mine! Your uncle is free to go! (...) Ho ho ho! In a few moments, the LAMP will be restored to full strength! And its DARK POWER will be mine! (Shantae: It's not over yet! There's still time to stop you!) You're certainly welcome to try! Ho ho ho! Men! Throw the Steam Powered Oceanic Tinkertub into overdrive! Let's see what this baby can really do!"

- Risky after giving her the Magic Seals

"(Shantae: You're finished, Risky!) Tsk tsk! Gotta keep your eye on the prize! You see?The MAGIC LAMP is back in action and ready to rock!! If you still want to know the SECRET of the lamp, I'll show you! Open wide and say AHHHH! (Shantae: Gasp! What… What have you done!) Hah! Do you understand now? This lamp has the power to suck up and ENSLAVE GENIES! Once captured, the genie must grant EVERY WISH her master desires, no matter how evil! That is what your uncle has been hiding from you! With this, I can turn a genie into a weapon of TOTAL DESTRUCTION! No one will dare to defy me! I'll admit at first glance it seems pretty useless. After all, there aren't any real Genies left to enslave. But since you're a Half Genie, I figured why not use the lamp to STRIP YOU of your POWERS! Now let's see how you fare without your special powers! Hear me GENIE OF THE LAMP, I command you to appear! (Nega-Shantae appears) Do not hesitate! Destroy this brat! Don't stop until she's a stain on the floor!"

- Risky after stealing Shantae's genie powers from her

"You fool! You would destroy your superior half in exchange for this town full of simpletons? Then enjoy your victory! It's only temporary! The last laugh will be mine! Ho ho ho!"

- Risky's last line in the game

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and Pirate's Queen Quest
"Your dimwitted relic-hunting Uncle is always unearthing valuables from the lost age. And whatever secrets this blueprint contains, I want them! How else can I claim my rightful place as RULER OVER ALL OF SEQUIN LAND!! HO HO HO! Now step aside, or suffer the might of my Part Omni-Organic, Partially Titanic, Ocean-Optional Tinkerslug!"

- Risky meeting Shantae again in Half-Genie Hero

"You'll what? Build another machine to stop me? You really are an old fool! You think I'd return the blueprints willingly?! (Mimic: You...You swapped blueprints!) That's right! You've been building the machine to MY specifications! Your design was flawed from the start. It's true that your DYNAMO is capable of generating great quantities of electricity. But as a byproduct...it also produces a significant counterflow of negative energy with each rotation! So...I simply altered the plans to turn that negative energy...into DARK MAGIC!"

- Risky taunting Mimic as she corrupts Shantae

"(Mimic: Why?!) An experiment, of course! As you can see, I've successfully INVERTED the runt's magic! I've changed her from good to evil. (Sky: You monster!) (Bolo: Let her go!) Ha! I have no intention of keeping her. The runt has served her purpose. Next I'm going to modify the DYNAMO to generate Dark Magic on a MAJOR SCALE!"

- Risky after having corrupted Shantae into Nega-Shantae

"You see...the power to corrupt a single Half-Genie is fine, I suppose. But why stop there? When I can use this machine to reverse the magical polarity...of the entire GENIE REALM! (Mimic: Impossible!!) Not anymore, thanks to all of YOU! I'd say goodbye to the Half-Genie brat...But with all of that evil magic coursing through her...Well...Let's just say she's your problem now. Ta-ta!!!"

- Risky revealing her true plans

"So you managed to find my Tinkerfactory, did you? (Shantae: Where's the DYNAMO, Risky?) Ho ho ho! You'll see soon enough. It's in the tender-loving care of my Tinkerbats. My men have been working tirelessly to unlock the Dynamo's FULL POTENTIAL. It will beyond anything your short-sighted uncle could ever even dream of! But until their work is complete...I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO INTERFERE!!"

- Shantae about to fight Risky Boots

"Ha! You're too late! Now I'll introduce you to final phase of my plan! Behold! (Shantae: Wh-what is it?) The new and improved Dynamo! (Shantae: What have you done to it?!) My Tinkerbats have increased its potential in every way! My moment of victory has arrived! Watch, as I turn your precious Genie Realm...INSIDE OUT! HO HO HO!"

- Risky Boots as Shantae is about to fight the Dynamo

"Ho ho ho! I've finally done it! The very heart of the realm of magic! The power of the genies will be mine!! Now, do my bidding! Submit to me as your absolute ruler!! (Shantae: What's happening? NO!!!) It worked!! The power of the genies is mine! And the world will bow before me!! HA HA-HAAA-HAAA HAAAAA!!!!"

- Risky corrupting the genies

"FOOL!! BLASTED NO GOOD!! WRETCHED MEDDLING RUNT!! YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!! MY PERFECT...PERFECT PLAN! I ALMOST HAD IT ALL!!! BUT NOW... I'LL HAVE THE SATISFACTION... OF SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO A FIERY GRAVE! HO HO HA HA HAAAAA!!!!"

- Risky's villainous breakdown after Shantae destroyed the Dynamo, also last words in Half-Genie Hero

"Another perfect heist. Those fools played right into my hands! Just imagine... A machine that can INVERT magic! Anything I want is mine for the taking! All I need is DO-GOODER MAGIC, and there's no greater source than that accursed GENIE REALM! I will make their power MY OWN! Then I will rule over ALL OF SEQUIN LAND!"

- Risky talking about her plan after having corrupted Shantae into Nega-Shantae

"Don't you dare defy me again! You'll loot and pillage under MY ORDERS! Got it?"

- Risky scolding her Tinkerbats

"Now weigh anchor! Prepare to shove off!! (Tinkerbats sail off) And don't leave without your captain!"

- Risky being comically left behind by her Tinkerbats

"Tsk tsk. We can do this the easy way, or the TEETH TO TAIL SLICING, TORSO CUTTING SLOPPY WAY!"

- Risky threatening Techno Baron

"Yeah? What do you want, fish face? Don't look at me like that, I'm a bad guy! Don't think for a second that I helped you on porpoise!, Purpose! Rrrgh! Nevermind! In any case you owe me one! Got that?"

- Risky talking to Giga Mermaid

"I beat your pet. Now step aside so I can find my COMPONENT PART!"

- Risky to Holly Lingerbean

"So, it's you two. Why you saddle yourselves with the Ammo Baron, I'll never know. That boastful sack of congealed pork belly is no match for a REAL captain! I'm Risky Boots, ruler over land, sea and air! Move aside or prepare to be boarded!"

- Risky to Twitch and Vinegar

"The genie brat. Right on schedule! Tell me. How did you manage to reverse the effects of the magical inversion process? (...) Bah! I should have dealt with those FRIENDS of yours first! No matter. You're about to witness the birth of my GREATEST INVENTION! Powered by crystallized Genie Magic, and special components stolen from Sequin Land's most vile villains... It is capable of tearing open a portal between the human and the genie world! (...) When the machine reaches full power, the power of the genies will turn from GOOD into EVIL. (...) An entire realm of EVIL! MINE TO COMMAND! HO HO HO HO HO!!!"

- Risky confronting Shantae

"That takes care of her! I've finally destroyed that meddlesome brat! Now, to take my place as ruler over ALL OF SEQUIN LAND! Men! Fire up the new and improved DYNAMO! RIP THE GENIE REALM APART!"

- Risky after (seemingly) killing Shantae

"No! You fools! Did you disengage the safety lock? (Tinkerbats:...) Then did you close off the choke valve? (Tinkerbats:...) Don't tell me you forgot to prime the magic pump? (DYNAMO starts to self-destruct) INCOMPETENT FOOLS! This was to be the crowning moment in my conquest of Sequin Land! My entire factory is going to explode! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

- Risky's failure as the DYNAMO self-destructs itself blaming the Tinkerbats for their incompetence (blatant lies)

"So there you have it. I would have had it all if it weren't for these bunglers! imbeciles! Rrrgh! Just talking about it makes me want to punish you all again, GET BACK HERE!!"

- Risky's revelation of being the narrator all this time and recreating the events of the game so she could refuse that Shantae defeated her

"I was so close! Next time, I'll show no mercy!"

- Risky's last words in ''Pirate's Queen Quest

Trivia

 * Risky has defeated Shantae twice through the games, the first time was stealing her magic powers and use it to create an evil version of her during Risky's Revenge and the second time was (seemingly) killing her off during their final battle in Pirate's Queen Quest. However, in both cases Risky's victory backfired on her:
 * In Risky's Revenge her actions by stealing Shantae's genie side and creating Nega-Shantae led to the latter getting destroyed, which caused Nega-Shantae's dark magic to spread in the air until it found the Pirate Master's tombstone therefore starting the events of Pirate's Curse.
 * Later at the climax of Pirate's Queen Quest, it's revealed that not only Shantae actually didn't die, but that even the Tinkerbrain wasn't foiled by her Tinkerbat's incompetence, it was just all Risky's POV of how the events of Half-Genie Hero passed in order to refuse that Shantae defeated her.
 * It's been theorized that Risky's skin color may be the effect of dark magic on her, given how Shantae and any other genie change their skin color similar to Risky's once corrupted. This was proven true and further explained in Pirate's Curse and Half-Genie Hero.
 * According to Matt Bozon, Risky was originally going to be a one-shot enemy as evidenced by the information above in a concept art. This gives a hint that someone else would have been the main antagonist of the first game. In addition, she even had a more ghostly appearance given her status as "pirate ghost" which isn't true in the main games as her appearance is cause of the Dark Magic she's been given.
 * Risky is the only character in the entire series to have more dislikes for anyone/anything than everyone else, even surpassing that of the other antagonists.
 * At the end of the good ending in Pirate's Curse, Risky tells Shantae that she reminds her of her mother, except that shorter and more annoying, thus hinting the possibility that Risky once met Shantae's mother and somehow is still around.