Fighter Fly

Fighter Fly
Artwork from Mario Bros.
First appearance	Mario Bros. (1983)
Latest appearance	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)
Variants Super Fly Fly (Super Mario Land)
Comparable Fly (Mario Paint) Para-Goomba (Mario Clash)

A Fighter Fly^:6 (originally spelled Fighterfly), also referred to as a firefly^:2 or bee, is a hopping insect enemy that first appeared in the sewers of the original Mario Bros. arcade game.

History

Mario Bros. series

Mario Bros.

Fighter Flies as they appear in the original, NES, Super Mario Bros. 3, All-Stars, and Advance versions

Fighterflies as they appear in the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 versions

In Mario Bros., Fighter Flies are one of the myriad of pests that emerge from pipes to attack Mario and Luigi. They first appear in Phase 6 (Phase 7 in Japan). After a Fighter Fly emerges, it hops across the floors. As such, Mario has to precisely time his jump when the Fighter Fly is on the ground to flip the creature over. If airborne, a Fighter Fly cannot be flipped over - not even if Mario uses the POW Block. Once flipped over, Mario has to run into the insect to clear it off the stage.

In early iterations of the game, their design features large toothy scowls and shiny eyes, but their design was redone for the multiplayer mode of the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3. Their design in this title has large white eyes with black pupils, while their scowls are replaced with small closed mouths, their heads are a light orange color, and they have noses. This design is further developed in the iteration of the game included on many Game Boy Advance games, which also gives them three colors and speeds depending on how many times they have been flipped over, like the other target enemies have.

In other iterations of Mario Bros.

Fighter Flies appear in Luigi Bros., a remake featured in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port. Unlike the Arcade Classics Series version that it is derived from, Fighter Flies use a green color palette.

Fighter Flies are present in NES Remix as enemies and level objectives in some of the challenges and remixes based on Mario Bros..

Mario Bros. Special

In Mario Bros. Special, a 1984 semi-sequel by Hudson Soft, Fighterflies can only be stunned if it is only a trampoline or conveyor belt that is being bounced on by Mario or Luigi. They first appear in Phase 9.

Punch Ball Mario Bros.

In Punch Ball Mario Bros., the other sequel by Hudson Soft, Fighterflies can be flipped over by hitting the POW Block while it is on the ground or having a Punch Ball thrown at them. If they recover or become the last target enemy on stage, they will turn green and move faster. They first appear in Phase 6.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. Special

Fighterflies appear in Super Mario Bros. Special, under the name Nakaji, potentially in reference to one of the game developers, Tomohiko Nakajima. Nakaji first appear in World 5-1, and later appear in 5-2, 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3. They move similarly to how they move in the original Mario Bros. arcade game, sporadically leaping towards Mario. They cannot be stomped on, but are vulnerable to all other methods of damage, such as a Fire Flower, striking a brick they are standing on, or by hitting them with a Hammer.

Super Mario Maker

A Mystery Mushroom costume, designed after Fighter Fly, can be unlocked in Super Mario Maker (after the version 1.20 update) by completing the hard version of Gnat Attack. When performing a jump as Fighter Fly, the player can hear the high-pitched noise this enemy made in the original Mario Bros. If the player presses while playing as Fighter Fly, it will turn into a Freezie, which is a foe that also debuted in Mario Bros.

Super Mario-kun

A Fighter Fly appears in chapter 9 of volume 9, which takes place in a Mario Bros. styled arena where Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi are trapped. It does not play any important role.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

A Fighter Fly fight in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, they make a reappearance in Stardust Fields, the border between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Beanbean Kingdom. To attack, a Fighter Fly hops towards Mario or Luigi and tries to bump into the plumber. The heroes can jump to avoid the attack.

The Fighter Flies are orange with blue hands and feet, pink antennae, small wings, and have large green squinting eyelids. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, their feet are pink instead of light blue.

Mario and Luigi also encounter a stronger version of the Fighter Fly, the Super Fly, in the basement of Beanbean Castle.

In the remake's Minion Quest mode, a Fighter Fly makes a cameo as the first audition for Popple's new "Rookie," a position which Birdo ends up receiving.

Mario Power Tennis

Fighter Flies appear as obstacles on the Mario Classic Court in Mario Power Tennis, in a flat 8-bit model form. Like other enemies, they will walk around on the court, obstructing a player's movements. An unused 3D model for a Fighter Fly can be found in the game's files, heavily based off their design from the Mario Bros. remake in Super Mario All-Stars.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

A trophy of Fighter Flies appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Unlike the other Mario Bros. trophies, this trophy uses sprites from Mario Bros. Returns and the second European NES version instead of the arcade version.

Other appearances

Fighterflies are programmable sprites in the Playbox BASIC and Family BASIC accessories for the Family Computer. They make a cameo in the Playbox BASIC's Biorhythm Board. They appear as enemies in shooter mini-games in the Data Recorder's cassette and Family BASIC V3.

Fighter Flies are present in NES Remix as enemies and level objectives in some of the challenges and remixes based on Mario Bros.

Profiles and statistics

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

• Instruction booklet description:
  • English:
    Fighter Flies can be stunned only when they land on the floor. Good timing is essential to getting rid of these flying pests.^:20
  • Other languages:
    • French:
      Les méchantes mouches peuvent être assommées quand elles atterrissent. Un bon timing est essentiel pour se débarrasser de ces parasites volants.^:60
    • German:
      Erst wenn er auf dem Boden aufkommt, kann er getroffen werden. Deshalb ist hier gutes Timing gefragt.^:40
    • Italian:
      Le mosche armate possono essere immobilizzate solo quando finiscono a terra. Per sbarazzarsene bisogna scegliere il momento giusto.^:120
    • Spanish:
      A los moscones luchadores sólo se les puede aturdir cuando se posan en el suelo. Una buena sincronización es esencial para deshacerse de estas criaturas voladoras.^:100

Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten

Mario Bros.

ファイアフライ (JP) / Fighterfly (EN)
	Original text (Japanese)		Translation
	種族しゅぞく	クリープ族ぞく	Tribe	Creep clan
	性格せいかく	陽気ようき	Disposition	Cheerful
	登場とうじょうゲーム	ブラザー	Game appearances	Bros.
	跳はねるから倒たおしにくいぞ 元祖げんそマリオブラザーズの敵てきキャラ。羽はねが大おおきく、いつも歯はをみせて笑わらっている。カメさんたちと違ちがい、跳はねながら降おりてくるので床ゆかに降おりているときしか倒たおせないのだ。:178		They're bouncy and hard to knock down. An enemy character from the original Mario Bros. It has large wings and always has a toothy grin. Unlike Shellcreepers, he can only be defeated when he is on the floor, because he comes down while bouncing.

Super Mario Bros. 3

ハエ丸まる (JP) / Fighter Fly (EN)
	Original text (Japanese)		Translation
	種族しゅぞく	クリープ族ぞく	Tribe	Creep clan
	性格せいかく	腰こしが低ひくい	Disposition	Modest
	登場とうじょうゲーム	３（バトルゲーム）	Game appearances	3 (Battle Game)
	怒おこりっぽいハエのモンスター マリオコレション版ばんのマリオブラザーズに登場とうじょうする巨大きょだいバエ。土管どかんから出現しゅつげんして、何度なんどか着地ちゃくちしながら、飛とんでくる。ブロックごしにー度どたたくと、ブルーになって、飛距離ひきょりが大幅おおはばに伸のびり。:149		An angry fly monster A giant fly that appears in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Mario Bros. It appears from pipes and flies while landing several times. If you hit it with a block once, it turns blue and its flying distance is greatly increased.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga enemy
Fighter Fly
	HP	5	POW	14 (12)	Defense	14
	Speed	12	Experience	2	Coins	2
	Location	Stardust Fields	Jump	Normal	Hammer	Normal
	Hand	Normal	Fire	Critical	Thunder	Normal
	Stat down?	100%	Stun?	30%	Burn?	60%
	Level	3	Role	Common, training	Item drop	Mushroom – 9.68% Mushroom – 0% (Super Mushroom - 9.68%)
Notice Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats). Stats in gray are only found in the game's coding and are not available during "normal" gameplay.

• Official Nintendo Player's Guide: When a Fighter Fly attacks you, it hops once, pauses, then hops again. Jump at the end of the pause.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions enemy
Fighter Fly
	HP	10	POW	24	DEF	9	SPEED	5	Experience	2
	Fire	Critical	Thunder	Normal	Jump	Normal	Hammer	Normal	Coins	3
	Stat down	60%	Dizzy	30%	Burn	30%	Speed down	30%	Item drop	Mushroom (18%) None (0%) Super Mushroom (50%)
Level           2	Location(s)	Stardust Fields

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Trophy Fighter Fly

Category: Series Related

() Appears in: Arcade Mario Bros. (1983) GBA Super Mario Advance (06/2001)

() Trophy Box: 6: Mario Bros.

How to unlock: Random

An enemy from the original Mario Bros. Just as the name implies, they are flies that gracefully move across the stage. They jump to move around, so hit them from below when they land. Unlike other enemies, these pests get faster after recovering from being flipped, rather than when only one is left. Be careful! (American English)

These pests come from the original Mario Bros. The name might make them sound tough, but these guys are actually kind of elegant and graceful. It's best to wait until they're on solid ground, then bop 'em from underneath to flip them over. If they get back up, though, watch out – they'll start gracefully leaping around a bit faster. (British English)

Gallery

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

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  Mario Bros.
• 

  Mario Bros.
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  Mario Bros. (Famicom)
• 

  Mario Bros.
• 

  Super Mario Bros. 3

Naming

The name "Fighterfly" is displayed in Latin script on screen in the arcade version of Mario Bros. regardless of territory or the language employed on other parts of the cabinet, including the original Japanese release.

Names in other languages

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	Note(s)	Ref.
Japanese	ハエまる Haemaru	From「蝿ハエ」(hae, "fly") and「丸」(maru, "round"), which is also an antiquated suffix for masculine given names	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
	ファイターフライ Faitā Furai	Fighter Fly	Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Mario Maker
	Nakaji	Rendered in Latin script; potentially derived from the surname「中島」(Nakajima) in reference to developer Tomohiko Nakajima	Super Mario Bros. Special
	ハエ丸まる Haemaru	From「蝿ハエ」(hae, "fly") and「丸」(maru, "round"), which is also an antiquated suffix for masculine given names	Super Mario All-Stars	:149
	ファイアフライ Faia Furai	Fire Fly; potentially a misspelling of「ファイターフライ」(Faitā Furai, "Fighter Fly") and not to be confused with「ホタル」(hotaru, "firefly")	Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten	:178
	フライ Furai	Fly	Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)
Chinese (Simplified)	苍蝇 Cāngyíng (Mandarin) Chōngyìhng (Cantonese)	Fly
Danish	Fighter Fly	-
Dutch	Fighter Fly	-
Finnish	Tulikärpänen	Firefly
French (Canada)	Mouchak	Corruption of mouche ("fly")
	Mouche de combat	Fighting fly	Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Mario Maker
French (Europe)	Mouchak	Corruption of mouche ("fly")
	Fighterfly	-	Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)	:4
	Mouche de combat	Fighting fly	Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Mario Maker
	Méchante mouche	Nasty fly	Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)	:58
German	Fliegmut	Portmanteau of Fliegen ("to fly") and the masculine nominal suffix -mut
	Kampffliege	Fighter Fly	Mario Bros. (Nintendo Entertainment System), Super Mario Bros. 3
	Fighterfly	-	Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)	:4
	Fieser Flieger	Nasty Flier	Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)	:38
	Fliege	Fly	Super Mario Maker
Italian	Calabrotto	Calabrone ("European hornet") with the diminutive suffix -otto
	Fighterfly	-	Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)	:5
	Fighter Fly		Super Mario Bros. 3, Arcade Archives Mario Bros.
	Mosca armata	Armed fly	Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)	:118
	Ape	Bee	Nintendo La Rivista Ufficiale
	Mosca	Fly; shared with the enemy from Super Mario Land	Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
	Falena	Moth	Super Mario Maker
Korean	파리동글 Pari Donggul	Round Fly
	전투파리 Jeontu Pari	Battle Fly	Super Mario Bros. 3
Portuguese (Europe)	Mosca Guerreira	Warrior Fly
	Mosca Voadora	Flying Fly	Super Mario Bros. 3
Russian	Бойцовая муха Boytsovaya mukha	Fighter Fly
Spanish (Latin America)	Recluta Bzz	Buzzing Recruit
	Mosquerella	Potentially a portmanteau between mosca ("fly") and querella ("complaint")	Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Mario Maker
Spanish (Europe)	Recluta Zzz	Buzzing Recruit
	Mosca	Fly; shared with the enemy from Super Mario Land	Mario Bros. (Nintendo Entertainment System), Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
	Fighterfly	-	Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)	:5
	Mosca Voladora	Hover Fly	Super Mario Bros. 3
	Mosca luchadora	Fighting fly	Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)	:98
Swedish	Argfluga	Mad Fly

Notes

• Fighter Fly sprites, along with either a rough sketch or a planned variant, are present in the development assets of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.