Piranha Creeper
| Piranha Creeper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario 3D World | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario 3D World (2013) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (2025) | ||
| Variant of | Piranha Plant | ||
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| |||
- “I made the mistake of planting a Piranha Creeper. Thing is invasive as all get-out!”
- —Lonely Farmer, Super Mario Maker 2
Piranha Creepers are enemies debuting in Super Mario 3D World. They are Piranha Plant relatives with long spiked stems allowing them to creep in and out of a fixed place. Piranha Creepers are larger than regular Piranha Plants and their heads are generally purple in color, similarly to Spiny Piranha Plants.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
In Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port, Piranha Creepers usually appear in jungle-themed levels, such as Piranha Creeper Creek and Deep Jungle Drift, and also appear in Lake Lapcat in the Bowser's Fury campaign, where they have cat ears. They often live in holes in walls both on ground and underwater, but some even live in poison and, like normal Piranha Plants, in Warp Pipes. They snake along the ground and even in the air in various patterns, going to and from their living spot. Some of them are found sleeping unless they are attacked, after which they pause before moving back to their previous position and resuming their rest. Their heads turn from purple to blue with cyan spots in this state.
To defeat Piranha Creepers, the player must attack the heads of the Piranha Plants to make them back up and smack against their living spot. A Ground Pound or dive attack with the Cat form knocks them back further than a regular jump. Tapping on a Piranha Creeper's head on the 
sends them back a short distance, but they cannot be defeated in this way; the final hit must always be landed by one of the player's attacks. The player is hurt if they jump on the stem of a Piranha Creeper, but a stomp from the player using the Lucky Cat form defeats them instantly. Piranha Creepers release three coins upon being defeated. Unlike most enemies, Piranha Creepers are not defeated when the player touches the Goal Pole.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Piranha Creepers appear in Super Mario Maker 2, as enemies that can be placed in the Super Mario 3D World style. Their path can be set by the player. Purple ones move constantly back and forth between their starting point and the end of their path, while blue ones sleep at the end of their path, thus staying immobile. When stomped on or hit with a projectile, they move back towards their starting point in small increments, and are permanently defeated if they reach it after being hit in quick succession. Otherwise, purple ones resume their routine and blue ones reset themselves to the end of their path after a short period of time. In this game, their heads are slightly smaller. Up to 10 Piranha Creepers can be placed in a single course area. Blue Piranha Creepers also make small sleeping sounds while they are in their sleeping state.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
Piranha Creepers return in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS ports, having the same function as in Super Mario 3D World. They first appear in Piranha Creeper Cove and can be defeated instantly by falling on top of, spinning onto, or throwing a Turnip or other item at their heads. Unlike in Super Mario 3D World, however, tapping their heads just once with the touch screen will send them all the way back to their holes.
Mario Party series[edit]
Mario Party: Star Rush[edit]
Piranha Creepers appear in the minigame Jump to Conclusion from Mario Party: Star Rush. They occupy several steps that the players have to climb in order to reach the finish, moving back and forth on them longwise. When a character jumps onto a Piranha Creeper, they are stunned for a moment before being able to move again.
Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]
In Super Mario Party Jamboree, Piranha Creepers appear in one of the rounds in the Showdown minigame Wario's Buzzer Beater, where players have to guess which Piranha Creeper has the shortest or longest stem.
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack of Minecraft, Shulkers and Lilacs are reskinned to resemble Piranha Creepers.
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
In Mario Tennis Aces, sleeping Piranha Creepers can be seen lying around the Ancient Altar, where Petey Piranha is fought. They do not have any bearing on gameplay.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Piranha Creepers are mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant. Piranha Plant's pink costume is based off an active Piranha Creeper.
Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]
Piranha Creepers appear in Mario Golf: Super Rush in the last three holes of the Wildweather Woods course. Here, they act as obstacles and, if touched during Speed Golf, will damage the player, making them lose coins and stamina. In addition, during Regular Golf, if the player hits the ball into the dirt paths they create, it results in a stroke penalty.
Profiles[edit]
Mario Party: Star Rush[edit]
| Image | Name | Bio |
|---|---|---|
|
Piranha Creeper A close relative of the Piranha Plant. |
"They stretch out along stairs and other paths, creating a spiky obstacle for all who wish to pass by." |
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
- North American website bio: "The Piranha Creeper will extend wherever you draw. Watch out for its spiky stem!"
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 3D World Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker |
content/ObjectData/PipePackunBodyPartsCorner.szs, content/ObjectData/PipePackunBodyPartsStraight.szs, content/ObjectData/PipePackunHead.szs, content/ObjectData/PipePackunHoleClay.szs | PipePackun | Pipe Piranha |
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 with which they are associated in the "Notes" column. Names exclusive to localizations of the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia are not prioritized due to concerns about circular reporting, and are only listed first for their respective languages if they are the only ones available.
Piranha Creeper[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | のびのびパックン[1][2][3] Nobinobi Pakkun |
Quick-growing Piranha | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 长长吞食花[3] Zhǎngzhǎng Tūnshíhuā (Mandarin) Chèuhngchèuhng Tānsihkfā (Cantonese) |
Long Piranha Plant | |
| Piranha Creeper[2] | Unmodified from the English name | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 長長吞食花[3] Zhǎngzhǎng Tūnshíhuā (Mandarin) Chèuhngchèuhng Tānsihkfā (Cantonese) |
Long Piranha Plant | |
| Piranha Creeper[2] | Unmodified from the English name | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| Dutch | Piranha Creeper[4][3][5] | - | |
| French | Piranha rampante[4][6][3][5] | Creeping Piranha | |
| German | Kriech-Piranha[4][7][3][5] | Creeping Piranha | |
| Italian | Pianta Serpiranha[4][8][3][5] | Portmanteau between Pianta Piranha ("Piranha Plant") and serpente ("snake") | |
| Korean | 쭉쭉뻐끔[2][3] Jjugjjug Ppeokkeum |
Stretching Piranha | |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Planta Piranha Rastejante[9][5] | Creeping Piranha Plant | |
| Planta-piranha rastejante[4] | Super Mario 3D World | ||
| Russian | Пиранья-выползок[4][3][5] Piran'ya-vypolzok |
Piranha creeper | |
| Spanish | Piraña ReptanteA[4][10][3][5] | Creeping Piranha |
A - This name was lowercased as "piraña reptante" in Latin American localizations from 2012 to 2019.[4][3]
Cat Piranha Creeper[edit]
"Cat Piranha Creeper"[11] refers to the type of Piranha Creeper found around Lake Lapcat in Bowser's Fury.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ネコのびのびパックン[12] Neko Nobinobi Pakkun |
Cat Piranha Creeper; comparable to「ネコマリオ」(Neko Mario, "Cat Mario") |
References[edit]
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario 3D 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 226.
- ^ a b c d In-game name from Palutena's Guidance on Piranha Plant from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k In-game name from Super Mario Maker 2 (stored internally under
ReferenceMsg/PartsIconName/PackunPipe). - ^ a b c d e f g h In-game name for Piranha Creeper Creek from Super Mario 3D World (stored internally under
SystemMessage/StageName/PipePackunDenStage). - ^ a b c d e f g In-game name for Piranha Creeper Creek from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (stored internally under
SystemMessage/StageName/PipePackunDenStage). - ^ Ardaillon, Joanna, and Victoria Juillard-Huberty, editors (2018). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Encyclopedia. Translated by Fabien Nabhan. Toulon: Soleil Productions (French). ISBN 978-2-3020-7004-2. Page 226.
- ^ Scholz, Sabine, and Benjamin Spinrath, editors (2017). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre : 1985-2015. Translated by Yamada Hirofumi. Hamburg: Tokyopop (German). ISBN 978-3-8420-3653-6. Page 226.
- ^ In-game name from Mario Party: Star Rush.
- ^ Nintendo Portugal (15 May 2019). Super Mario Maker 2 Direct (10:52). YouTube (European Portuguese). Retrieved 14 Nov. 2025.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2017). "Super Mario 3D World" in Enciclopedia Super Mario Bros. 30ª Aniversario. Translated by Gemma Tarrés. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, S.A. (European Spanish). ISBN 978-84-9146-223-1. Page 226.
- ^ 2025. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Mario Portal. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2025. (Archived January 23, 2025, 21:25:22 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ 2025. スーパーマリオ ３Ｄワールド+フューリーワールド. Mario Portal (Japanese). Retrieved 7 Apr. 2025. (Archived January 26, 2025, 14:03:19 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
