Bristle

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo! You're gonna be coleslaw, kid! And that ain't good!”

—Bristle, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Bristles are spiked monsters made of rock and are found in the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Similar to Clefts, Bristles have spiked tops, high defense, an immunity to fire attacks, and can be flipped over by an earthquake or an explosion. Unlike Clefts, Bristles do not lose their top-spiked defense when flipped and are also immune to close-range attacks like Gulp and Mario's Hammer, as their large spears pop out to protect against approachers (even when the Bristle is asleep).

Despite their copious defenses, Bristles have very low HP and are easily taken out with POW Blocks, Earth Quakes, Superguard, or Earth Tremor. Mario is also capable of simply hammering them should he have the Spike Shield badge equipped, though without Power Smash, Piercing Blow, or the Ultra Hammer it will do no damage.

Although Bristles have made no appearances outside of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, they were mentioned in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Before the Mario Bros. learned the Bros. Ball move, Young Toadsworth told his older self that he "looks like he has a Bristle in his britches".

Notable Bristles

• The Poker Faces - Two Bristles that compete in the Major League division at the Glitz Pit.

Related species

• Dark Bristle

Trivia

• Bristles are the only enemy in the game to have their defense higher than their HP. They are also the only enemy in the game where defense is its highest stat.