Muncher

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This article is about species derived from Piranha Plant. For other uses, see Muncher (disambiguation).
Muncher
Muncher artwork from New Super Mario Bros. U
Artwork of three Munchers from New Super Mario Bros. U
First appearance Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance Mario Kart World (cameo) (2025)
Variant of Piranha Plant
Variants
Relatives
Comparable

Munchers are enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are an immobile, nearly invincible variety of Piranha Plants. Munchers resemble Nipper Plants more closely, and they are usually colored black. They often appear in groups covering part of the ground, acting like spikes.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

Muncher sprites from Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario World
Munchers from the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3 (top) and from Super Mario World (bottom).
Artwork of three Munchers for Super Mario Bros. 3
Artwork from Super Mario Bros. 3, showing the original design of Munchers

The Munchers of Super Mario Bros. 3 are rendered as animated damaging foreground tiles, even while the game is paused, because the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System hardware allows for up to only eight sprites per scanline. Munchers are depicted in their artwork as black with orange leaves, but in the game itself, they can come in other colors depending on the level. In the first and second remakes, Munchers have green leaves with orange or blue heads, depending on the level. They are first encountered in World 5-3, where a Goomba's Shoe is necessary to move across them.[1] All Munchers become coins while the Switch Block is active. Munchers transform into Empty Blocks when tail-whipped, though not in the second remake.

There are frozen Munchers in World 6-10, and they are identifiable from the outline and reflection of the Ice Block that they are encased in. Frozen Munchers can be walked on but become active when hit by a fireball, something alluded to by Princess Toadstool at one point.[2]

A different kind of Muncher appears in and out of small pipes in the first and second World 7-Piranha Plant stages of Pipe Land. They have blue leaves in the original. These Munchers are not affected by the player character touching the pipe, unlike Piranha Plants. They are rendered two foreground objects with a separate four-frame animation (with the last frame of each being held for several moments), a harmful one for when it emerges and opens its mouth, and a harmless one for when it returns into its pipe. These Munchers do not become Empty Blocks if they are tail-whipped.

Super Mario World[edit]

Munchers appear in Super Mario World. They were redesigned to not have eyes as well as having their stem changed to yellow and their head to an oval shape. They cannot transform into Empty Blocks anymore. There is an unused function of Gray P Switches having the ability to turn Munchers into coins. Munchers do not damage Yoshi or Invincible Mario if walked on. Touching a Muncher from the side or bottom while riding on Yoshi damages Mario directly without causing Yoshi to run away.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

Munchers from New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Screenshot from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, showing both regular and frozen Munchers

Munchers appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They are encountered only in World 9-7, inside of ice blocks covering most of the floor. Despite this they are not affected by ice balls. A fireball can thaw a trapped Muncher.

Hacking the game reveals that unlike in Super Mario World, Yoshi cannot safely walk on Munchers or Spike Traps.[3] This behavior is unused in the game proper since no level has both of them.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

Munchers appear in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. They are based on their appearance from the previous game but cannot be trapped in ice blocks like before. In New Super Mario Bros. U, Munchers are found in Spinning-Star Sky and Thrilling Spine Coaster. In New Super Luigi U, Munchers appear in the levels Lemmy's Lights-Out Castle, Cooligan Shrooms, and Wiggler Rodeo.

Super Mario Maker series[edit]

Munchers are course elements in every style of Super Mario Maker, its Nintendo 3DS port, and Super Mario Maker 2. Munchers were given uniquely designed Super Mario Bros. sprites for the first time, and the Super Mario World style alters their original sprite to give them yellow lips or teeth, as well as a blue shading. A Muncher can become larger by dragging a Super Mushroom on it. Munchers can be made to spawn from Lakitus, Warp Pipes, ? Blocks, Brick Blocks, or Bill Blasters.

Munchers can be placed anywhere in courses, and they retain their usual function, including being completely solid like a block. They are rendered as sprites instead of objects, so they fall if not on top of any ground; they can instantly crush most enemies, power-ups, Yoshi Eggs, Yoshi, and even Mario just by falling onto them. They will also set off Bob-ombs after landing on them. They are heavy enough that they can activate P Switches without needing to be enlarged.

Contact with a Muncher on any side damages Mario, unless he is wearing a Goomba's Shoe, during which only hitting a Muncher with Mario's head will damage him, or if he's riding Yoshi, who can walk across them. Mario can also use Buzzy Shells to bounce them up from below. Munchers can be defeated by a POW Block, a fast dive from Cape Mario, a ground pound from a big Goomba's Stiletto, and the Spiny Shell from below.

In Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, shaking a Muncher in the Course Maker produces a purple-black cloud of smoke instead of any other effect. In the original Super Mario Maker only, continually shaking a Muncher produces flies that allow the player to play Gnat Attack. From version 1.20 onward, King Watinga emerges if the player continues to shake a Muncher after the flies have emerged. He allows the player to play a harder version of Gnat Attack.

Super Mario Run[edit]

Munchers appear in Super Mario Run. Yoshi is the only player character who can walk on Munchers without taking damage.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

Munchers appear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. They are encountered mainly on Muncher Fields. They are the same other than also lining the walls and ceiling. The playable Yoshis can walk across Munchers safely. A Red POW Block can defeat them.

Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]

Munchers appear as scenery in Double Trouble, where it is mentioned that Roy Koopa has parked the Doomship above a patch of them in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Some Munchers are a part of the first International Mushroom Games event in Leaping Lizards. If Roy's flying carpet is sabotaged by a Rocky Wrench, he will fall into a patch of the Munchers, but they consider Roy to be unappetizing and leave him alone.

Mario and Luigi have to zig-zag through patches of Munchers if they follow Princess Toadstool to the Koopahari Desert in Pipe Down!. They are similarly featured in this capacity in Dinosaur Dilemma.

There is a patch of Munchers in the desert surrounding a tree inhabited by Cheep Cheeps in Flown the Koopa. They will swarm Luigi if he decides to get the International Dino-Flying Derby tickets from the tree. More Munchers are in the swamp with Magikoopa's Fortress.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3[edit]

Muncher

Munchers appear in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. They retain their original black coloration and behavior. Munchers are invulnerable, stationary, and populate the ground in long arrays. They are encountered in earlier stages.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Although Munchers do not directly appear in Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, several appear along the bottom adverts in some courses for Green Service. Munchers also appear as part of a sponsor logo again in Mario Kart World, seen most prominently in the closing credits for the game during the Salty Salty Speedway segment.

Mario Tennis Aces[edit]

Three Munchers and a Nipper Plant in the shadows at the Ancient Altar
Several Munchers at the Ancient Altar in Mario Tennis Aces

Munchers appear in Mario Tennis Aces. They are located in the background of the Ancient Altar while the player battles Petey Piranha.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Munchers appear in the texture of the bottom rim of Petey Piranha's cages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Their appearance comes from the enhanced versions of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

Munchers are mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]

ブラックパックン (JP) / Muncher (EN)
Two Munchers from Super Mario Bros. 3.
Original text (Japanese) Translation
種族しゅぞく フラワーぞく Tribe Flower clan
性格せいかく いやしんぼう Disposition Greedy
登場とうじょうゲーム 3、ワールド Game appearances 3, World
ちるのをちかまえてる

くぼみなどでマリオをちかまえている、無敵むてきのパックン。攻撃こうげきはしてこないが、無敵むてきマリオでもたおすことはできない。くぼみにちないように慎重しんちょうにジャンプしよう。[4]

Waiting for something to fall

The invincible Piranha waits for Mario in pits and other places. They do not attack, but even Invincible Mario cannot defeat them. Jump carefully to avoid falling into the pits.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Muncher.

Names in other languages[edit]

The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ブラックパックン[5][6]
Burakku Pakkun
Black Piranha
Chinese (simplified) 黑吞食花[7]
Hēi Tūnshí Huā
Black Piranha Plant
Chinese (traditional) 黑吞食花[7]
Hēi Tūnshí Huā
Black Piranha Plant
Dutch Muncher[8][9][10] -
French (NOA) Miamiam[7][10] Contracted form of "miam-miam" (onomatopoeic term meaning "yum-yum")
French (NOE) Scrounch[11] Onomatopoeia for crunching
Le Friande[8] The Sweetie Super Mario Bros. 3
German Mampfer[12][13][14][15] Muncher
Italian Sgranocchio[16] First-person present conjugation of sgranocchiare ("to munch")
Muncher[17][18] - Super Mario Bros. 3
Korean 블랙뻐끔[7]
Beullaek Peokkeum
Black Piranha
언저들[19]
Eonjeodeul
Underling Super Mario Bros. 3
Portuguese (NOA) Fominha[20] Slang for "hungry" or "glutton"
Muncher[21] - Super Mario Bros. 3
Portuguese (NOE) Trincas[22][23] Bites; the name is masculine, singular
Russian Жевалка[24]
Zhevalka
Masculine past conjugation of жевать (zhevat, "to munch"), combined with the diminutive suffix -ка (-ka)
Spanish (NOA) Tulipán Piraña[7] Piranha Tulip
Spanish (NOE) Mordiscador[25] Nibbler
Masticador[26] Chewer Super Mario Bros. 3
Swedish Svullare[27] Sweller

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Wearing Kuribo's Shoe, you can walk on Munchers." – Tilden, Gail, et al.. Nintendo Power Volume 13. Nintendo of America (English). Page 46.
  2. ^ "Greetings, be careful in the Ice World. The creatures trapped in the ice will come to life if warmed. I have enclosed a jewel that helps protect you." – Princess Toadstool (1990). Super Mario Bros. 3. Nintendo (English).
  3. ^ ProsafiaGaming (February 4, 2018). New Super Mario Bros Wii - All Castles with Yoshi (06:21). YouTube (English). Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  4. ^ November 20, 1994. 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten). Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-259067-9. Page 191.
  5. ^ 1988. 『Super Mario Bros. 3 取扱説明書』 (PDF). Kyoto: Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Page 41.
  6. ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 37, 56, 146, 211.
  7. ^ a b c d e Enemy table (2019). Super Mario Maker 2 by Nintendo EPD. Nintendo.
  8. ^ a b 1991. Super Mario Bros. 3 Handleiding / mode d'emploi. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Dutch, French). Page 46.
  9. ^ Nintendo Nederland (30 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Update voor november (Wii U). YouTube (Dutch). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b In-game name for Muncher Fields in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
  11. ^ Nintendo France (29 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Détails de la mise à jour de novembre (Wii U). YouTube (French). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  12. ^ 1991. Super Mario Bros. 3 Spielanleitung. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 40.
  13. ^ Matsumoto, Atsuko, Rie Ishii, and Claude Moyse, editors (1992). Der Spieleberater Super Mario Power. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). ISBN 3-929034-02-6. Page 14.
  14. ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 19.
  15. ^ Nintendo DE (29 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Details zum November-Update (Wii U). YouTube (German). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  16. ^ NintendoItalia (30 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Dettagli sull'aggiornamento di novembre (Wii U). YouTube (Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  17. ^ 1991. Super Mario Bros. 3 Libretto d'Istruzioni. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Italian). Page 40.
  18. ^ Fletcher, John, editor in chief (1991). "Super Mario Bros. 3" in Club Nintendo, vol. 5. Linea Gig S.p.a., Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Italian). Page 22.
  19. ^ 1990. "슈퍼 마리오 브라더즈 3 사용 설명서". Icheon: Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Korean). Page 40. (Archived 29 Mar. 2007 via Naver by togepi1125.)
  20. ^ Nintendo Today! Enemy's Debut Year
  21. ^ Gaglianone, Arthur, and Francisco Pellegrini Jr., directors (1991). Super Mario Bros. Livro Ilustrado. Rio de Janeiro: Multi Editora (Brazilian Portuguese). Page 13.
  22. ^ Canal New Super Mario Bros. U (14 Jan. 2013). New Super Mario Bros. U - Minas Rebuçado-6 - Terceira Moeda-Estrela (Wii U). YouTube (European Portuguese). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  23. ^ Nintendo Portugal (29 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Atualização de novembro (Wii U). YouTube (European Portuguese). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  24. ^ Nintendo Россия. Super Mario Maker — Подробности о ноябрьском обновлении (Wii U). YouTube (Russian). Retrieved 4 May 2025. (Archived 1 Nov. 2023 via Nintendo Россия Archive.)
  25. ^ Nintendo España (30 Oct. 2015). Super Mario Maker - Detalles de la actualización de noviembre (Wii U). YouTube (European Spanish). Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  26. ^ 1991. Super Mario Bros. 3 Manual de Instrucciones. Großostheim: Nintendo (Spanish). Page 40.
  27. ^ Lindberg, Gunnar, Nikolaj Lindberg, Lena Persson, and Mirielle Robert, editors (1991). Nintendobiblioteket 1: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Swedish edition of Super Mario Bros. 3 Strategy Guide). Stockholm: Atlantic Förlags AB (Swedish). Page 61.