Maw-Ray

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Not to be confused with Maw-Maw.
Maw-Ray
A Maw-Ray in Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey artwork
First appearance Super Mario 64 (1996)
Latest appearance The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Variants
Comparable
“So this is the end: being slowly digested by an eel next to an... idiot in overalls.”
Donkey Kong, The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Maw-Rays, previously known as Unagi[1][2] or simply Eels[3] (also formatted as eels),[4] are moray eels that first appear in Super Mario 64. They are maroon-ish red-violet, with yellow stripes on their back fins. The mega versions are shown in New Super Mario Bros. to be strong enough to destroy entire clusters of Brick Blocks and cannot be defeated.

Unagi (うなぎ) is the Japanese word for "freshwater eel", especially the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. "Maw-Ray" is a pun on "moray eel" and "maw".

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

Jolly Roger Bay Star 1
Unagi from Super Mario 64

One Unagi, sometimes referred to as Unagi the eel,[5] appears in Super Mario 64 and its Nintendo DS remake. In the Jolly Roger Bay mission, Plunder in the Sunken Ship, Mario can lure Unagi out of its sunken ship home by swimming near and provoking it to attack. The player must then swim a short distance away and then swim back to the ship. Unagi will have left the ship, allowing the player to enter it via the ship's window. Unagi is the focus of the next mission, Can the Eel Come Out to Play?, where it now appears in a water cove. Unagi can be lured out in the same manner as before, and it now has a Power Star attached to its tail that can be obtained by touching it. However, if too much time passes, Unagi will return to the alcove and will have to be lured out again. In later missions, Unagi circles where the sunken ship formerly was.

Its Super Mario 64 design resembles a gulper eel, while its Super Mario 64 DS design depicts it with a Chomp-like face. This later design would be used until Super Mario Odyssey.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

Unagi as seen in New Super Mario Bros.

Unagi reappear in New Super Mario Bros. as an enemy in underwater levels, retaining their Super Mario 64 DS design. They only appear in World 4-3 and World 8-3. In World 8-3, Unagi swim around in a predictable pattern trying to hit Mario or Luigi. Some Unagi also live in small underwater coves, attacking anything in its vicinity. Unagi can be defeated with a Mega Mushroom and a Super Star. There is also a big version called the Mega Unagi.

Super Mario Odyssey[edit]

In Super Mario Odyssey, Maw-Rays (referred to by this name for the first time) make an appearance as enemies, primarily in the Underwater Tunnel to the Lighthouse in the Seaside Kingdom. They are redesigned to have a more detailed appearance with realistic anatomy as well as menacing, glowing eyes. Similar to their appearance in New Super Mario Bros., they attack by lunging out of their nesting spots at a high speed before snapping their enormous jaws and receding, and can be positioned either horizontally or vertically. Before they emerge, a plume of sand can be seen coming from their caves. Entering these caves is impossible, as they appear to be blocked with sand. A few Maw-Rays also appear in one area of the Mushroom Kingdom; here, their caves are not seen, as they instead lunge upwards out of the clouds.

At least one Spike Eel was originally going to appear in the Underwater Tunnel to the Lighthouse in the Seaside Kingdom, with their appearance from Super Mario 3D Land, as shown in the area's concept artwork, but they were eventually replaced by Maw-Rays.[6]

Mario no Bōken Land[edit]

Unagi
Scan of Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong encountering Unagi in Mario no Bōken Land

The manga Mario no Bōken Land features adaptations of various games, one of them including Super Mario 64. The Super Mario 64 section of the book features Mario, Luigi and Donkey Kong traversing through several of the worlds in Super Mario 64; one of them, being an encounter with Unagi in Jolly Roger Bay. Unagi eats them, but Mario's sword allows them to escape.

Mario Golf[edit]

In Mario Golf, Unagi's name is sometimes on the score card.

Mario Party series[edit]

Maw-Rays appear only a few times in the Mario Party series. In Mario Party 3, a brown Unagi appears in the foreground of Deep Bloober Sea, attempting to take a bite from a pink Sushi's tail. A similar giant turquoise eel also appears nearby. In the minigame Manta Rings from Mario Party 4, a reddish-brown eel resembling an Unagi darts in front of the characters with a high-pitched noise as they pass a sunken ship. If bumped into, three points are deducted.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart Wii[edit]

Several Unagi in Mario Kart Wii appear in the background of the underwater tunnel segment Koopa Cape, poking their heads out of various Pipes, and a closer Unagi can be seen swimming outside of Chain Chomp Wheel.

Mario Kart 7[edit]

Unagi in Mario Kart 7 similarly appear in the underwater sections of GCN Daisy Cruiser and Wii Koopa Cape.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]

In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Unagi make a small appearance in the underwater parts of the race track Tropical Coast.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Unagi
Maw-Ray in Dolphin Shoals

A single Maw-Ray appears in an underwater section of the Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe course Dolphin Shoals, where players race along its body for a short section and can perform Jump Boosts from its undulating body. They also make a return in the booster courses GCN Daisy Cruiser, Wii Koopa Cape, and Piranha Plant Cove, once again making cameos in the underwater sections of each course and retaining their design and model from Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

View of the aquarium in GCN Daisy Cruiser
A Maw-Ray in Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour, Maw-Rays appear in the underwater sections of several courses. They utilize their design from Super Mario 64 DS in this appearance, which was also used in previous Mario Kart games. Unlike other sentient obstacles in the game, they are not affected by items whatsoever. They are found in the following courses:

  • Piranha Plant Cove
  • Piranha Plant Cove R
  • Piranha Plant Cove R/T
  • Piranha Plant Cove 2
  • Piranha Plant Cove 2R
  • Piranha Plant Cove 3
  • Piranha Plant Cove 3R
  • GCN Daisy Cruiser
  • GCN Daisy Cruiser T

Most Maw-Rays simply roam around an area above the track, usually after emerging from a pipe in a wall. In Piranha Plant Cove 2, Piranha Plant 2R, and GCN Daisy Cruiser T, Maw-Rays can be interacted with, as there are currents that can send drivers high enough to reach them; they act as minor, wall-like obstacles that simply cause drivers to lose some speed when run into. The Maw-Ray in Piranha Plant Cove 2 can be bounced off of for Jump Boosts.

In Piranha Plant Cove 3 and its T variant, one Maw-Ray lurks inside a hole, lunging at drivers to bite them. Drivers who run into this Maw-Ray spin out.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

Maw-Ray in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Maw-Ray leaping out of the water in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

A large Maw-Ray appears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where it consumes Mario and Donkey Kong after they plummet from Rainbow Road. Soon after, the two are able to escape the Maw-Ray by using a Rocket Barrel from the remains of DK's kart. The Maw-Ray's design is based off the enemy's appearance in Super Mario Odyssey.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Maw-Ray.

Additional names[edit]

Internal names[edit]

Game File Name Meaning

Super Mario 64 DS
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Mario Kart Tour
data/enemy/moray
data/enemy/moray.nsbmd
Data/Model/Object/moray
assets/main/content/mapobj/moray/moray_prm.asset
moray English translation of the Japanese name

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ウツボ
Utsubo
おおウツボ[7]
Ō Utsubo
Moray

Big Moray

Chinese (simplified) 海鳗
Hǎimán
Moray

Chinese (traditional) 海鰻
Hǎimán
Moray

Dutch Maw-Ray (Super Mario Odyssey)
Moeraal (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)
-
Moray
French Anguy
Mordrène (Super Mario Odyssey)
Murène[8]
From "anguille" (eel) and possibly the male name "Guy"
From "mordre" (to bite) and "murène" (moray). The name is written in lowercase in the Canadian version (mordrène) while it is capitalized in the European version (Mordrène)
Moray
German Kano
Murani (Super Mario Odyssey)
-
From "Muränen" (moray)
Italian Mordorena
Portmanteau of "mordere" (to bite) and "murena" (moray)
Korean 곰치
Gomchi
Moray

Spanish Morena
Mordimore (Super Mario Odyssey)
Moray
From "morder" (to bite) and "morena" (moray). The name is written in lowercase in the Latin American version (mordimore) while it is capitalized in the European version (Mordimore)

References[edit]

  1. ^ M. Arakawa. Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Page 12.
  2. ^ Loe, Casey. New Super Mario Bros. Player's Guide. Page 12.
  3. ^ (February 24, 1998). Eel - (Course 3). Nintendo: Super Mario 64 Strategy (Internet Archive: Wayback Machine). Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  4. ^ NintendoAmerica (September 17, 2020). Take a nice swim in Jolly Roger Bay from Super Mario 64. There’s all sorts interesting things to find, like a pirate ship at the bottom of the bay, or a giant eel. Hmm, maybe there’s something special about that eel? #SuperMario3DAllStars. Twitter. Retrieved September 17, 2020. (Archived September 17, 2020, 19:01:38 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  5. ^ M. Arakawa. Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Page 33.
  6. ^ Nintendo (September 28, 2018). The Art of Super Mario Odyssey. Dark Horse Comics. Page 228. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Kazuki, Motoyama. KC Deluxe vol. 36 - Super Mario 64 part 1. Page 6Media:SM64 Character Info Book.jpg.
  8. ^ Nintendo official French magazine N1, page 86