Hothead

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Hothead
Hothead spirit sprite from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
First appearance Super Mario World (1990)
Latest appearance Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
Variant of Li'l Sparky
Comparable

Hotheads are large balls of sparking energy that first appear in Super Mario World. They are named after the slang term "hothead", meaning someone who is quick to anger. Hotheads travel on platforms, serving as a larger, slower variant of Li'l Sparkies.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario World

Hotheads first appear in Super Mario World. They slowly move around platforms and can be defeated by Invincible Mario or Caped Mario's Body Press. They are found in #6 Wendy's Castle and Front Door, specifically in rooms with Lil Sparkies.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Hotheads are enemies in the World-e expansion of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. They are encountered in A Sky-High Adventure and Puzzling Pipe Maze. Hotheads can be defeated by Statue Mario or from hammers thrown by Hammer Mario.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Squared screenshot of a Hothead from Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
A Hothead in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Hotheads reappear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder alongside Lil Sparkies. Just like Lil Sparkies, they can be defeated by bumping blocks below them. Also as with Lil Sparkies, the player characters now visually appear electrocuted when they take damage from contact with Hotheads, similar to Amps in New Super Mario Bros. and its sequels.

Super Princess Peach

Hotheads are enemies in Super Princess Peach. They are based on their appearance in Super Mario World, and are invincible to everything Peach can do. They are found in Shriek Mansion, Fury Volcano, and Bowser's Villa. Unlike most other enemies, Hotheads were not given any vibe-based counterpart.

Super Smash Bros. series

SmashWiki article: Hothead
Artwork of a Hothead from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Hothead's artwork in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which gives it a more realistic design

Hotheads appear as an item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Like in Super Mario World, they stick to the stage when thrown and burn anyone that touches it, and also release powerful sparks periodically when moving. It also grows larger if hit with fire and electric attacks, an ability it was never shown to have in the Super Mario franchise. Hotheads move quickly around the platform they are on, but can also just fall off entirely. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Hothead also appears as a support spirit, equipping the fighter with a Hothead at the start of battle when used.

Hothead's design in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is more realistic-looking, but Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate design it more similarly to its appearance in Super Mario World.

Profiles and statistics

Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten

パサラン (JP) / Hothead (EN)
Image of a Hothead
Original text (Japanese) Translation
種族しゅぞく ゴーストぞく Tribe Ghost clan
性格せいかく 無邪気むじゃき Disposition Simple-minded
登場とうじょうゲーム ワールド Game appearances World
やっかいなたま

足場あしばとなるブロックのまわりをグルグルとまわっているたまで、ケセラン(P78)が大型化おおがたかしたもの。たおすことができないので、ジャンプしてえなければならない。[1]

That's a nasty fireball

A fireball circling around a block that serves as a foothold, it is a larger version of the Li'l Sparky (p. 78). They cannot be knocked down and must be jumped over.

Super Princess Peach

Hothead
A Hothead from Super Princess Peach.
Vibe Vibeless Levels Hoo's Wood 2-8
Shriek Mansion 3-3
Shriek Mansion 3-4
Shriek Mansion 3-5
Bowser's Villa 8-5
Glossary number 55 Glossary entry Avoid it as it moves along the terrain.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Trophy
Hothead
Hothead trophy
Appears in:
SNES Super Mario World
How to unlock: Random
An item that, when tossed, sticks to the terrain and moves, causing damage to those it touches. Whoever threw it won't take damage. It will grow larger if it's attacked, which ups its attack range. However, an increase in size corresponds to a decrease in the time it stays on the screen. A really big Hothead will take up the entire screen, and is quite a sight to behold. (American English)
An item that, when tossed, sticks to the terrain and moves, causing damage to those it touches. Whoever threw it won't take damage. It will grow larger with some attacks, which ups its attack range. However, an increase in size corresponds to a decrease in the time it stays on the screen. A really big Hothead will take up the entire screen, and is quite a sight to behold. (British English)

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Trophy
Hothead
3DS:
A trophy from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Wii U:
Hothead's trophy render from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Category: Item
(Applies only to the Wii U version) Appears in:
SNES Super Mario World (08/1991)
NDS Super Princess Peach (02/2006)
(Applies only to the Wii U version) Trophy Box: -
How to unlock:
Random
Once thrown, this guy will move across the ground and damage anything—except you—in its path. You can make the Hothead bigger by hitting it with attacks, much to your opponents' dismay. If you make it really big and powerful, it may just carry you to victory! (American English)
Throw this on the ground and it'll slide around, damaging everything in its path, except you. You can make the Hothead get bigger and more powerful by attacking it with fire and lightning, and it's pretty impressive just how big and powerful it can get! (British English)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Spirit
#58 Hothead
Hothead spirit sprite from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Series/game Super Mario Series
Type Support
Slots 2
Class Novice
Strength / effect(s) Hothead Equipped
How to obtain Spirit Board
Spirit battle Opponent(s) Curry PAC-MAN
Conditions Rule: Item: Hothead
  • The enemy breathes fire
  • The enemy is easily distracted by items
Stage Mushroom Kingdom U (tower)
Song Castle / Boss Fortress - Super Mario World / SMB 3

Gallery

Naming

Etymology

The name "Hothead" is likely a play on the enemy's design. In American English, a "hothead" is one who is quick to anger and looking for a fight. It has been the English name for the enemy since its debut in Super Mario World, in which it is displayed in-game after the credits. The Japanese name「パサラン」(Pasaran) is the second half of「ケセランパサラン」(keseran pasaran), benevolent cotton-like creatures in Japanese folklore that float down from the sky after lightning strikes.[2] This also alludes to its small counterpart Li'l Sparky, which is referred to as「ケセラン」(Keseran) in Japanese.

"Hothead" is incidentally the current German name for Lava Bubble, which was referred to as Lava-Blub at the time of Super Mario World's release in Europe. The enemy's current German name is Groβschein.

Internal names

Game File Name Meaning

Super Mario Bros. Wonder G:/romfs/Model/EnemyKeseranBig.bfres.zs EnemyKeseranBig Big Li'l Sparky

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 Notes
Japanese パサラン[3][4][5][6][7]
Pasaran
The second half of「ケセランパサラン」(keseran pasaran); officially romanized as "Pasaran"
Chinese (simplified) 大电火球[8][6]
Dà Diàn Huǒqiú
Big Li'l Sparky
Chinese (traditional) Hothead[6] Unmodified from the English name
Dutch Hothead[6] -
French Tête brûlée[9][6] Hothead
Tete brulee[10] Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
German Großschein[11][6] Large Shine
Hothead[12][13] Loaned from English; shared with Lava Bubble Super Mario World
Italian Sfavillo[6] From sfavillare ("to spark")
Sferardente[14] Burning Sphere Super Princess Peach, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Fiammetto[15] From fiamma ("flame") and the diminutive masculine suffix -etto; shared with Lava Bubble Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia
Korean 파지직[16][6]
Pajijik
Onomatopoeia for electric sparkling
Portuguese Chispa[17] Spark
Russian Головешка[6]
Goloveshka
Головня (golovnya, "firebrand"), word of the same root as голова (golova, "head"), with diminutive suffix -ешк (-eshk)
Spanish Chispino[18][17][6] From chispa ("spark") with diminutive suffix -ino
Hothead[19] - Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

References

  1. ^ 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 (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-259067-9. Page 152.
  2. ^ Plus_Box_7067 (4 Jul. 2021). Tensara-basara: A Gift From The Sky. Reddit. Retrieved 22 May 2025. (Archived July 4, 2021, 13:06:04 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  3. ^ Kagawa, Ryo (APE/Shigesato Itoi), Koichi Toda (100 Percent), Masaki Kuramochi (100 Percent), Shigeo Tanabe, Naomaru Asao, and Ryuji Osawa, editors (1991). "UNIT 2 CHARACTER" in『任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオワールド』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-104117-5. Page 31.
  4. ^ Okamoto, Daisuke, and Norio Ando (STF) (2006). 『スーパー プリンセスピーチ任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-106268-7. Page 29.
  5. ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario World" in『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 55.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Spirit inventory (7 Dec. 2018). Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by Nintendo, Sora Ltd., and BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc (Ver. 13.0.3). Nintendo.
  7. ^ Kazuma, Sakurai, Sato Tomoya, Nakatani Itaru, Kojima Katsuyuki, and Hashiguchi Yuya (2023). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ ワンダー かんぺき攻略本』. Tokyo: Kadokawa (Japanese). ISBN 4-047337-02-1. Page 47.
  8. ^ In-game name from the ending of the iQue version of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. (Archived 28 Aug. 2013 via Baidu Teiba by 无敌阿尔宙斯.)
  9. ^ Glossaire (26 May 2006). Super Princess Peach by TOSE Software Co. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (French). (Archived via JeuxVideo by avav.)
  10. ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (French). (Archived 19 Nov. 2010 via YouTube by Diddy64wii.)
  11. ^ Glossar (26 May 2006). Super Princess Peach by TOSE Software Co. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). (Archived via YouTube by PonyPlays2014.)
  12. ^ 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 20.
  13. ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (German). (Archived 15 Oct. 2011 via YouTube by Spendem.)
  14. ^ Glossario (26 May 2006). Super Princess Peach by TOSE Software Co. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Italian). (Archived via Mario's Castle.)
  15. ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "Super Mario World" in Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 55.
  16. ^ Trophy list (2008). Super Smash Bros. Brawl by Sora Ltd. Nintendo.
  17. ^ a b Trophy list (2014). Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS by Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Games. Nintendo.
  18. ^ Glosario (26 May 2006). Super Princess Peach by TOSE Software Co. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (European Spanish).
  19. ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (European Spanish). (Archived 12 Sept. 2021 via YouTube by El Tiempo Es Ahora.)