Piranha Plant
- This article is about the recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise. For other uses, see Piranha Plant (disambiguation).
- "Green Piranha Plant" redirects here. For the variant of this enemy in the Yoshi series also known as "Green Piranha Plant", see Wild Ptooie Piranha.
- "Piranha" redirects here. For the enemy in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, see Piranha (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze). For the pest in Luigi's Mansion 3, see Piranha (Luigi's Mansion 3).
- Not to be confused with Piranha Planet.
- “Grawr Charble Grawr! (Hey, what's cooking? YOU ARE!)”
- —Piranha Plant, Mario Party DS
Piranha Plants (also rarely called Piranha Flowers[2][3][4] and Piranhas and misspelled as pirana plants[5][6] in early manuals and Pirahna Flower[7]) are recurring flower enemies in the Super Mario franchise that debuted in Super Mario Bros. They are large, carnivorous plants based on Venus flytraps that typically attack by biting with their sharp teeth. Their heads come in many colors, most commonly either red or green. Certain Piranha Plants have legs or animal-like bodies, such as their leader Petey Piranha, making them capable of walking.
Piranha Plants originally appeared only in pipes, emerging from them with a biting animation, but have also been encountered outside of them since. Piranha Plants can talk in some appearances.
General information[edit]
Physical appearance[edit]
Color variations[edit]
Piranha Plants come in many different colors. The following is a list of primary Piranha Plant colors and the first appearance of each one.
| Image | Head color | Pattern | Stem color | Lip color | Teeth color | Tongue color | First appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Green | White spots Yellow spots (Super Mario Bros.) |
Green Orange (Super Mario Bros.) |
White | White | Green (Yoshi's Island series) | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Red | White spots Yellow spots (Super Mario Bros.) |
Green Orange (Super Mario Bros.) |
White Green (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and all Mario Party games up through Mario Party 6) |
White Yellow (Paper Mario) |
Pink Red (Yoshi's Island series) |
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels |
|
Black | White spots | Black (Super Show!) Gray (Thousand-Year Door) Green |
Green (Super Show!) White |
White | Pink (Super Show!) | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! |
|
Yellow | Red spots | Green | Green | Purple | Blue (Paper Mario) | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (as Putrid Piranhas) |
|
Light blue | White spots | Teal Blue (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door) Green (Super Paper Mario) |
White | White | Light blue (Paper Mario) | Paper Mario (as Frost Piranhas) |
|
Purple | White spots | Green | White | White | Purple (Yoshi's Island DS) | Yoshi's Island DS (as Bungee Piranhas) |
|
Brown | Orange spots | Green | White | White | Pink | Super Mario 3D Land (as Fire Piranha Plants) |
|
Gold | White spots | Gold | White | White | - | New Super Mario Bros. 2 (as Gold Piranha Plants) |
|
Green | Dark-green zigzags | Green | White | White | - | Super Mario Bros. Wonder (as Melon Piranha Plants) |
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Piranha Plants debut in Super Mario Bros., first appearing in World 1-2. Piranha Plants move up and down from their pipes repeatedly, harming the player if they come in contact with them. They do not emerge from pipes if the player stands either adjacent to or on top of them, like Turtle Cannons. Piranha Plants can be defeated only from either a fireball or the effects of a Starman. They do not flip upside-down when defeated, simply disappearing, unlike most other enemies.
Piranha Plants are coded to appear in every vertical pipe besides ones in World 1-1, including pipes at the exit of underground and underwater levels. Piranha Plants also appear from the pipes found in Warp Zones, although they instantly disappear when the message "WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!" appears onscreen.[8] Occasionally, the technical limit of enemies on-screen can prevent Piranha Plants from spawning.[9] The pipe at the start of the underwater section of World 8-4 features a Piranha Plant which appears invisible due to being rendered behind the water tiles of the level. If the Piranha Plant had been visible, the underwater palette would have rendered it gray.[10] Both the object limit and the underwater Piranha Plant bugs were fixed in Super Mario All-Stars.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The normal type is encountered in the first three worlds, but levels from World 4-1 onward replace them with the red type. The red variation is faster and still emerges from its pipe if the player character stands by it, but not if they are on top. An upside-down Piranha Plant emerges regardless of whether Mario is underneath their pipe. There are Piranha Plants that emerge from upside-down pipes, and they are first encountered in World 5-1. There are Piranha Plants encountered underwater in World 9-1 and World 9-2. Piranha Plants in All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. were cosmetically altered to become Pakkun OkaP.
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Piranha Plants appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. They return in red and green varieties, but the only difference is that red Piranha Plants have an additional layer of leaves. Piranha Plants behave similarly as before, though Koopa shells, hammers, and the tail of Raccoon Mario or Tanooki Mario are additional ways to defeat them. A few variants make their first appearance, including Venus Fire Traps, Piranhacus Giganticus, Ptooies, Walking Piranhas, and Munchers. The Piranha Plants that move in and out of upside-down pipes are named Hanging Piranha Plant.[11] Some red Piranha Plants emerge from horizontal pipes but have only one set of leaves. The king of Pipe Land is transformed into a Piranha Plant in the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version only. An upside-down variant of the Piranha Plant with a red head and one layer of green leaves appears in the World-e levels Piped Full of Plants and Treacherous Halls in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario Land[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Land in both upward- and downward-facing varieties. They can be defeated with a superball as they poke their head out of a pipe. Upward Piranha Plants give 100 points when defeated, while the upside-down variety gives 400 points instead. The French instruction booklet of the game's original release erroneously refers to Piranha Plants as cannibalistic[12] in reference to their "man-eating" nature, noted in other localizations of the booklet.[13][14]
Super Mario World[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario World. From this game forward, red has become the standard color of all Piranha Plants, and the green ones appear only at the end of a growing beanstalk. Besides Munchers returning, another variant was added, Jumping Piranha Plant, which are significantly more common.
The regular Piranha Plant, also known as Piranha in a Pipe,[15] appears only in Vanilla Dome 3, where all eight emerge from upside-down pipes. Unlike before, Piranha Plants retreat into their pipe whenever the player character is nearby. Piranha Plants are defeated from either a fireball, a shell, being hit by a cape, or being eaten by Yoshi.
During Fall, all members of the Piranha Plant family are turned into Jumping Pumpkin Plants.
An upward-facing Piranha Plant was scrapped during development. The graphics for the stem were overwritten by an upside-down red Cheep Cheep.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins. They are no different from before. Besides the returning Venus Fire Traps, the game adds Piranha Plant statues, which sometimes attack by shooting balls of fire.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Piranha Plants are enemies in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. They are depicted with green lips in the original version, later changed to white in remakes. Piranha Plants appear only in Whomp's Fortress, as well as in Goomboss Battle and Sunshine Isles in the remake. Piranha Plants have a sleepy nature,[16] which is why they are always found asleep; during this, a lullaby plays. When a Piranha Plant is either touched or approached quickly by the player character, it wakes up and starts to bite in the direction of the player character, though they stay asleep if approached slowly. Piranha Plants take away three health points if they bite the player character, or four if he is without his cap (excluding Yoshi in the remake). Three Piranha Plants are included in an additional area of Whomp's Fortress in the remake, but they are different in that they emerge from the grass when approached. After they emerge, they will then act like normal sleeping Piranha Plants for the rest of a mission.
Piranha Plants can be defeated mainly from being punched or ground-pounded while asleep, or from one of Yoshi's Eggs in the remake. A defeated Piranha Plant shrinks as pink bubbles fly out from its body, and releases a Blue Coin as a spoil. Once the player walks far enough, however, they regrow while remaining asleep.
Besides Piranha Plants, there are Venus Fire Traps, including small and large versions encountered mainly in Tiny-Huge Island.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
Piranha Plants, also called Pakkun Flowers,[17] appear in Super Mario Sunshine. They are depicted after their appearance from Super Mario 64, since their lips are green, but they lack teeth. Piranha Plants are encountered only in Bianco Hills. They pop out of the ground and spit black, white-spotted projectiles to attack Mario. A Piranha Plant is defeated if enough water from FLUDD is sprayed into its body until it blows up. Various Piranha Plant members make their debut, including the recurring mini-boss Proto Piranha, the boss and future recurring character Petey Piranha, and enemies named Piranhabons.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Piranha Plants appear in New Super Mario Bros. They retain their attack pattern introduced in Super Mario Bros., but with an added chomping sound effect. Some Piranha Plants appear in the ground, as well as on conveyor belts, which move them around. Two Piranha Plant varieties return, including Venus Fire Traps and Super Piranha Plants.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port. They rest pointing upwards, and can be found in flower patches as well as pipes, though they act the same regardless of their location. They attack by trying to bite the player character. A Piranha Plant is defeated from either a stomp, a spin, or being touched by Rainbow Mario. It is stunned temporarily if hit by a Star Bit. Defeating some Piranha Plants is required so that a Sproutle Vine can grow in their place. The game adds Spiny Piranha Plants, a large, purple variant that slams its head to attack, and the boss Dino Piranha, as well as a black-colored variant of it.
Piranha Plants appear in the following list of galaxies and missions:
- Good Egg Galaxy ("Dino Piranha", "Dino Piranha Speed Run")
- Honeyhive Galaxy (all but "Honeyhive Cosmic Mario Race")
- Beach Bowl Galaxy ("Sunken Treasure", "Wall Jumping up Waterfalls")
- Gusty Garden Galaxy ("Bunnies in the Wind", "Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble", "The Golden Chomp")
- Gold Leaf Galaxy ("Star Bunnies on the Hunt", "Cataquack to the Skies", "When It Rains, It Pours", "The Bell on the Big Tree")
- Sea Slide Galaxy ("Purple Coins by the Seaside")
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Piranha Plants return in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Pipe-dwelling Piranha Plants no longer have a chomping sound effect, unlike in New Super Mario Bros. Piranha Plants are defeated from an Ice Ball, though Piranha Plants encased in ice cannot be picked up. Piranha Plants cannot hurt a Yoshi if jumped on. Besides the returning Venus Fire Traps, Super Piranha Plants, Munchers, and Big Fire Piranhas, the game gives Piranha Plants another two variants, Stalking Piranha Plants and River Piranha Plants.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Piranha Plants appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switch port. They behave identically to their appearance in Super Mario Galaxy, and once again are usually surrounded by a clump of flowers. Besides the returning Super Piranha Plant and Spiny Piranha Plant, the latter receives a variant named Prickly Piranha Plant. Both Dino Piranhas also return, and similar boss to them is introduced, Peewee Piranha.
Piranha Plants appear in the following list of galaxies and missions. If no mission is stated, Piranha Plants appear during all missions:
- Sky Station Galaxy ("Storming the Sky Fleet")
- Yoshi Star Galaxy ("Saddle Up with Yoshi", "Spiny Control")
- Spin-Dig Galaxy ("Silver Stars Down Deep")
- Fluffy Bluff Galaxy ("Search for the Toad Brigade Captain", "Every Planet Has Its Price")
- Tall Trunk Galaxy ("The Flotacious Blimp Fruit", "Tall Trunk's Big Slide")
- Honeyhop Galaxy ("The Sweetest Silver Stars")
- Throwback Galaxy
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario 3D Land. They are modeled after their appearance in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel. Besides the returning Fire Piranha Plants, the game introduces an ink-spitting variety named Inky Piranha Plants.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Piranha Plants return in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They behave like in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Two Piranha Plant varieties were introduced, Bone Piranha Plants and Gold Piranha Plants, with Piranha Plants becoming the latter while a Gold Ring is in effect.
New Super Mario Bros. U[edit]
Piranha Plants return in New Super Mario Bros. U. They are mostly the same, though there are Piranha Plants that hatch from Piranha Pods thrown by Lakitus in Blooming Lakitus.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. They are functionally similar to their behavior introduced in Super Mario Galaxy. Besides the returning Mega Piranha Plants, the game introduces Potted Piranha Plants, which can be carried around to eat enemies; Piranha Creeper, which have a long spiky stem; and cat variations in Bowser's Fury only.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Piranha Plants are course elements in Super Mario Maker, its port, and Super Mario Maker 2. Piranha Plants are in every style except Super Mario World, which has Jumping Piranha Plants instead. Several Piranha Plant variations return, including Big Piranha Plants, Fire Piranha Plants, Jumping Piranha Plants, Big Venus Fire Traps, Munchers, as well as Piranha Creepers in Super Mario Maker 2 only. Piranha Plants can be placed on the ground and do not move around. Super Mario Maker 2 adds the ability to place Piranha Plants upside-down on ceilings, and in the game's added Super Mario 3D World style, Piranha Plants attack by lunging and can be defeated from a stomp, unlike in the other game styles. Super Mario Maker 2 also includes Piranha Plants in a Ninji Speedruns course called Yoshi's Piranha Plant Picnic, where the goal is for Yoshi to swallow twenty-five.
In Super Mario Maker 2, a Piranha Plant-themed outfit can be unlocked for the player's Maker Mii in the form of the Faceplant, a hood resembling a Piranha Plant, with the Mii's face inside the "mouth".
Super Mario Run[edit]
Piranha Plants are enemies in Super Mario Run. They emerge from pipes, retaining their usual biting attack, but as per usual are unable to appear if the player character is directly next to or on top of their pipe. As Fire Mario is not in the game, Piranha Plants are comparatively harder to defeat than in previous games. Since Piranha Plants are unable to be stomped, they cannot be vaulted over or defeated using a roll. Yoshis can bounce off their heads safely.
The earliest course with Piranha Plants is Wall-Kicking It Underground, which has a prominent setpiece near the end where the player has to wall-jump around two Piranha Plants. When the course is set to have Purple Coins and Black Coins appear, compared to the default Pink Coins, the setpiece gets more complex.
Piranha Plants are the titular enemy of Piranha Plant Field, which includes a large number of Piranha Plants and pipes for them to come out of. They are even placed in pipes where the player cannot reach. Multiple sections of the course have the player pass through parallel pipes where both the top and bottom pipe have a Piranha Plant inside them. Sometimes, navigating this requires wall-jumping between pipes to stall until one or both of the Piranha Plants recede back into their pipes.
A Piranha Plant Statue is a building in the Kingdom Builder mode. It depicts a Piranha Plant coming out of a pipe. The description for Green Pipe B, which is a long pipe, notes that Piranha Plants prefer to live in pipes that are like it.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Odyssey. They are used as flowers in Bowser and Princess Peach's marriage, as well as decorations on Bowser's ship in the opening scene. While Piranha Plants do not appear as enemies, Fire Piranha Plants retain this role, and the game introduces the Poison Piranha Plant variety.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]
Piranha Plants return in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Besides the returning Fire Piranha Plants, Big Piranha Plants, Big Fire Piranha Plants, Bone Piranha Plants, Munchers, and Nipper Plants, the game introduces additional Piranha Plant varieties: Trottin' Piranha Plants, which can leave their pipes and move around; Melon Piranha Plants, which resemble watermelons and spit seeds; Wonder Piranha, black Piranha Plants with long stalks that appear after Bowser collects the Wonder Flower at the start of the game; Cloud Piranhas, dark Piranha Plants made of smoke that protect Bowser's Castle; and Fiery Note Piranhas (and their larger variants), fiery Piranha Plants resembling music notes that function as projectiles.
DIC cartoons[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit]
- “Terrible tortellini! Look at those plumber-munching Piranha Plants!”
- —Luigi, "Mario of the Deep"
