Lava Piranha

"YOU GUYS... BAD GUYS! BAD GUYS COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRIT! BAD GUYS WHO COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRITS GET HURT! WE DON'T LET IT HAPPEN! NO!"

- Lava Piranha

Lava Piranha is an enormous overgrown Piranha Plant boss in Paper Mario. The Lava Piranha is the only Lava Piranha seen in any Mario games so far, but according to Goombario, there are multiple Lava Piranhas. They are supposedly a species of Piranha Plants that live in lava; Lava Piranha is a huge overgrown beast of a regular Lava Piranha.

Lava Piranha is the chief, king, boss, and commander of Mt. Lavalava on Lavalava Island, where he is found. He is found in a small lava pool where the other Piranha Plants report to him.

Once Mario defeats him for good, he falls to the ground and sinks back into the lava. Presumably he is killed, but no details are given as to whether or not he survived.

Lava Piranha speaks in shouts and shrieks, blathering out insults at Mario when Mario confronts him for the fifth Star Spirit, Misstar. Lava Piranha was ordered by Bowser to guard Misstar from Mario particularly.

His attacks are rather simple. Mostly, he relies on his Lava Buds to do his battling work. When he attacks, he spits out an orb of fire at Mario that does five attack damage to Mario.

It is also important to note that Lava Piranha is battled twice. After Mario has done forty damage to him and defeats him, he suddenly rises up and gets forty more HP that Mario must eliminate. The second time, Lava Piranha's head is on fire and his tongue is sticking out. If Sushie is Ultra-rank, her Tidal Wave ability makes this second phase easy, and possible to beat without taking any damage, as water and ice attacks stun them for two full turns.

He has a cameo appearance in the credits of Paper Mario, poking his head out from behind Lavalava Island, alternating with Raphael Raven.

Appearance
Lava Piranha looks slightly like the boss Naval Piranha from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, except smaller and with less Piranha Buds and tentacles. Lava Piranha has a large tongue and ringed white spots instead of filled white spots on his head.

Trivia

 * Lava Piranha's name is derived from "Lava" and "Piranha Plant." The name may also be a reference to "Naval Piranha," the name of a similar boss.
 * It is unconfirmed whether or not Lava Piranha is an ally to the Koopa Troop, but if it isn't, then it is the only chapter boss in the game to not work for Bowser.
 * Lava Piranha seems to be the lava counterpart of the Naval Piranha in ways that they are both giant, they live in liquids, and they have two smaller minion piranha plants to fight for them.