Lakitu

"We're gonna spike-bomb you into submission, punks!"

- Lakitu

Lakitus are bespectacled Koopas who ride clouds through the skies. They are best known for tossing Spiny Eggs to Mario or Luigi below. However, they appear to be taking on more friendly roles in other games, such as refereeing races, umpiring tennis and baseball games, and even filming Mario's adventures. Many of the sports game manuals refer to Lakitu in the singular, indicating that there may only be a specific individual Lakitu involved (who is named for his species, like Toad or Yoshi), and Mario Kart 7 introduced a unique, playable Lakitu character. After being asked what video game character would represent him the best, Shigeru Miyamoto replied that Lakitu would, as he "seems to be very free, floating in the air, going anywhere", a type of personality Miyamoto can apparently relate to. Even though they throw Spinies, they can also throw coins if Mario passes through a Gold Ring. When they are defeated, their clouds can be ridden for a short amount of time in some games.

Super Mario Bros.
Lakitus debut in Super Mario Bros., whose manual aptly describes the enemy as "the mysterious turtle who controls the clouds". Lakitus first appear in World 4-1 in this game, where they simply move back and forth at the top of the screen above Mario or Luigi, ducking into their clouds to toss out Spiny Eggs (which hatch into adult Spinies upon collision with the ground). Only one Lakitu is present on screen at any given time, and they can be destroyed by both a stomp or Fireball, earning the player either 800 or 200 points, respectively. A Lakitu also disguises themselves as Bowser in World 5.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Lakitus retain their Super Mario Bros. role in the Japanese-only release Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Like before, Lakitus first appear in the game's World 4. In some later levels, Lakitus would appear much lower in the sky, making them easier for Mario/Luigi to take out.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Lakitus return as one of the Koopa Troop's many operatives in Super Mario Bros. 3 after their absence in Super Mario Bros. 2. In this game, the sprites of Lakitus make them appear somewhat more recognizable than they are in Super Mario Bros., clearly having easily visible heads and goggles. They once again throw Spiny Eggs down at Mario and Luigi, although the eggs are here thrown in a more realistic manner; while no major changes are made to Lakitus in this game, some of them toss an unripened, green sub-species of Spiny Egg that never becomes an actual Spiny, instead choosing to roll and bounce around on the ground. They first appear in Water Land. In the Game Boy Advance remake of this game, an unnamed Lakitu also helps in e-Reader use and conversion, and all editions of Super Mario Bros. 3 allow Mario and Luigi to actually use Lakitu's Cloud as an item to skip over levels.

Super Mario World
Lakitu sub-species make their debut in Super Mario World, whose technology also allows normal Lakitus to pursue the Mario Bros. in a more frantic, realistic manner, rather than just moving back and forth at the top of the screen. Another noticeable change to Lakitus in this game is the ability for Mario or Luigi, after shooting Lakitu down with Fireballs or a throwable item, to actually steal the Koopa's cloud and use it to fly (in a four-directional manner) to hidden parts of stages and over other gaps and obstacles for a limited amount of time. Lakitus are also given an animation when hurt; they fall out of their clouds (revealing details of their lower bodies for the first time in games) when stomped and their cloud dissipates into nothing. Super Mario World also introduces Lakitu sub-species, such as the Warp Pipe-dwelling Pipe Lakitus, the tempting Fishin' Lakitus, and the undead Fishin' Boos.

This is the only game in the main series to feature cloud-riding Lakitus with red shells instead of green. This is best seen when they are defeated, as their shells are barely visible. The pipe variant can be eaten and spit out if Luigi is riding Yoshi in the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, revealing that their shells are green. Additionally, Lakitus' eyes match their shells.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Super Mario 64 (as well as its remake), Mario's debut in three-dimensional platforming, gives Lakitu a large role. The first two Lakitus seen in this game are the friendly Lakitu Bros., who help Mario out towards the beginning of the game, give him hints in Whomp's Fortress, and, being camera-carrying Fishin' Lakitus, film his entire adventure. This "filming" technique is actually a creative way to depict players' views behind Mario; as such, going in front of mirrors, reflections, and the like actually reveals that Mario is being followed by one Lakitu Bro. throughout the whole course of the game, although the Lakitu himself is invisible due to the fact that the tip of his camera is what the player is seeing through. Using, the player can control Lakitu's position and thereby change the camera angle. Belligerent, unfriendly Lakitus also appear as actual enemies in stages such as Tiny-Huge Island and Rainbow Ride, where they float around and (just like they did in older Mario platformers) throw Spinies down at the player. Destroying these Lakitus can be a challenge, although it rewards Mario with five coins. In the DS version, the Goomboss Battle stage has one Lakitu enemy. Finally, two Lakitus appear in Sunshine Isles.

New Super Mario Bros.
When Mario and Luigi returned to two-dimensional platforming in New Super Mario Bros., Lakitu was not absent. The Lakitus of this game fight in a manner largely the same as those of classic, NES-era Mario games (although the Super Mario World ability to take control of Lakitu's Cloud after its natural pilot had been knocked out by a Fireball returns), and they, like every other character in New Super Mario Bros., are rendered in three dimensions. Although Lakitus aren't extremely prominent in New Super Mario Bros., the boss of World 7 is a Dark Lakitu-like character called Lakithunder, who combats the Mario Bros. with lightning. Lakitus appear in World 2-2 and World 6-A.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lakitus appear behaving exactly how they did in Super Mario Bros.. However, this time the player can steal their clouds by defeating them in any manner as opposed to only a fireball, and they throw Spinies more frequently. Additionally, Lakitu Blocks spawn Lakitus that throws coins, but can still hurt the player if the player comes into contact with the Lakitu itself. Lakitus also appear in Enemy Courses in World 7.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Lakitus appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well, and they behave the same way they did in Super Mario 64, however are rare, only appearing in Yoshi Star Galaxy and Starshine Beach Galaxy. One notable Lakitu appears as a boss of the second mission in Yoshi Star Galaxy, called Giga Lakitu. With the help of Yoshi, Lakitus can be knocked off their clouds by eating the clouds with, or by firing Spiny Eggs at it. The Lakitu will then flail its arms and legs for a short while, allowing Mario or Luigi to run into them or jump on them to defeat them. If not defeated, the Lakitu will create another cloud. Lakitus respawn a short time after being defeated. They can also be stunned by firing Star Bits at them, although they stay stunned for a shorter amount of time than most enemies. Lakitus will provide Star Bits or coins the first three times they are defeated.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Lakitus return in New Super Mario Bros. 2, unchanged from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.. Much like the other enemies in the game, their shells and Lakitu Clouds turn golden when Mario goes through a Gold Ring and causes them to throw coins instead of Spiny Eggs, similar to Lakitus that spawn from Lakitu Blocks from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. While in the golden state, if the player manages to take a cloud from the Lakitu, the cloud will generate coins in a similar manner to a Gold Block. If a Lakitu is defeated, whilst under the effects of the Gold Ring it will give the player 20 coins.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Lakitus make another appearance in New Super Mario Bros. U. In this game, they appear in the levels Blooming Lakitus in the world Layer Cake Desert, Seesaw Shrooms from Meringue Clouds, and Lakitu! Lakitu! Lakitu! from Superstar Road. Their clouds now mouth to the "bah"s in the music. Lakitus also throw Gūrindais, which grow into Piranha Plants, in the level Blooming Lakitus. Otherwise, their behaviour is unchanged from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!
In the Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, the only difference in the appearance of the Lakitus was that their clouds had no faces (however, a pair of Lakitus whose clouds did have faces appeared in the film's opening credits). In the movie itself, many Lakitus made their debut toward the beginning of the anime during the Koopa Troopa invasion of Mario's House; however, no Lakitus were given major roles until shortly after Mario and Luigi had collected the Super Mushroom. During the events that followed, the Mario Bros. were eventually attacked by a Lakitu who ended up trapping Luigi amongst a horde of giant Spinies, although Mario managed to escape his eggs. Mario then made a Magic Vine appear and was disorientingly boosted to Lakitu's height; the amused Lakitu then scoffed at Mario and shook his hand before realizing that he was so close to his enemy; after this epiphany came to the Lakitu, he quickly flew away. However, Mario managed to get control of the Koopa's cloud, which he tampered with until he accidentally destroyed the Spinies, saving Luigi.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Only one Lakitu ever appeared on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in the episode "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa". The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! strangely depicted Lakitu as a green, more-reptilian turtle with a large nose (which was actually how all generic Koopa Troopas looked in the cartoon) who wore red-lensed, gold-framed aviator's goggles. In the episode, King Koopa (using a Magic Carpet he had stolen from Sam Shalam) brought Lakitu to the country of Pasta Land, where he terrorized the citizens (as well as the visiting group of Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad) with Spinies and rain. Afterwards, Lakitu helped King Koopa launch the Wicked Weather Satellite and the two relaxed atop Lakitu's Cloud until Mario, Luigi, and Toad avenged themselves and defeated King Koopa, in addition to destroying the Wicked Weather Satellite. Lakitu himself was last seen attempting at maintaining his cloud, which had been broken by the Mario Brothers' biplane; it is assumed he later plummeted to his doom. Finally, this cartoon episode marked the only time Lakitu's Western name was spoken; King Koopa and Princess Toadstool pronounced it /ˈlækiːtuː/. Also of note, this Lakitu's voice was similar to that of comedian Groucho Marx.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Lakitu made his final cartoon appearance as a minor, unnamed character (with no speaking roles) in the The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Life's Ruff". Compared to the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! counterpart, the one Lakitu seen in this episode looked quite a bit more accurate to the games; however, he had a more prominent nose and forehead, in addition to the fact that his Lakitu's Cloud (which was a dark, eyed, non-smiling storm cloud) was vastly different. Lakitu's only role in this cartoon was to throw some (strangely explosive) Spiny Eggs down at the then-canine Luigi to stall him in his chase with Hip and Hop Koopa.

Nintendo Comics System
Lakitu's one and only appearance in the Nintendo Comics System came in the comic "Cloud Burst", which depicted Lakitu as almost identical to how he appeared in games. However, drastic changes were made to this Lakitu's cloud and shell; although the front of this cloud (which happened to be the only side with a smile) looked par to game art, this front was attached to a larger, flat cloud where Lakitu kept his things and seemed to live in. This Lakitu's Cloud, which Lakitu identified in one line of dialogue as Fluffy, was also capable of speech, limited free movement, and it had a large dissipation plug amidst it. This Lakitu's shell was several colors. It was white,black, blue, and yellow instead of the normal green and white. Lakitu himself was depicted in this comic as a kleptomaniac, stealing most everything he saw, including his own king's crown and Koopabits. The Lakitu had also stolen Princess Toadstool's crown, which she desperately needed for her re-coronation ceremony; as such, she sent Mario and Luigi out to find the jeweled headdress (which she thought had been stolen by King Koopa). Lakitu, with orders from his king (who happened to not be aware of the cloud-riding Koopa's mutinous crimes), attacked Mario and Luigi with Spinies; although Mario managed to get away from Lakitu, a less fortunate Luigi was sprung up into his cloud. This Lakitu, despite his later cruelty to the plumber in green, actually started a limited friendship with Luigi as he stole his clothing; however, Luigi would appear to have just been playing along when he started a bond with the turtle, as he had found Princess Toadstool's crown amongst Lakitu's treasures and had to get away with it. In the end, Luigi pulled the cloud's aforementioned dissipation plug (raining Koopabits and the like down at Bowser's troops) and got away with Princess Toadstool's crown along with Mario. While it is unknown what happened to Lakitu, it is assumed that he was reprimanded by Bowser for theft.

Club Nintendo
In its only appearance in the Club Nintendo comics, Lakitu was briefly seen in the opening panel of "Mario will hoch hinaus".

Super Mario-Kun
Lakitu appeared in various volumes of Super Mario-Kun where he served as an enemy, and in other issues, Mario Kart referee and an announcer in various Mario Kart tracks.

Super Mario Adventures
Many Lakitus also appeared in Super Mario Adventures, where they briefly attacked Princess Toadstool and her Toads with Spiny Eggs. These Lakitus appeared in an unknown desert area just at a time when Princess Toadstool's troopers were dehydrating; when the gang of Toads first saw a Lakitu's Cloud appear, they mistook it for a harmless raincloud and initiated a rain dance to ensure water. However, when they saw that their actions had only provoked the Lakitus, they declared that they had "done the wrong dance" and chaos ensued. After this brief appearance, it was later revealed that Bowser had kidnapped Princess Toadstool and therefore, it can be assumed that the Lakitus captured her and her gang. Later, during Bowser and the princess's wedding, a Lakitu could be seen tossing confetti.

Mario Kart series
In the Mario Kart series, Lakitu takes the prominent role of a referee, guiding the racers in almost every circumstance. The most notable is Lakitu holding the traffic lights in front of the participants at the start of every race or battle, telling them when to start driving. Lakitu also tell the racers the current lap they are in the race after crossing the checkered line and tell when they are going in the wrong way of the track. In these circumstances, Lakitu shows a yellow flag with a black "X" in Super Mario Kart, a sign saying "REVERSE" in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, or a sign with a U-turn arrow for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and the subsequent games, indicating that the player is going in the opposite way of the road and must turn back to take the right way.

Lakitu also helps the racers when they are in a bad predicament. Whether the racers fall into a void, a body of water, lava or get stuck in an inaccessible place for the vehicles, Lakitu takes the racers using his fishing pole back to the racetrack. In Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7, being rescued by Lakitu from a peril charges the player up to three coins. Once the player finishes a race at the finish line, Lakitu also appears on screen waving a checkered flag. In a short intro before the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! opening screen, Lakitu is usually seen with the traffic lights on his fishing pole and saluting the players, but often he appears with a Cheep-Cheep or a Giant Cheep-Cheep hanging on it.

Lakitu appears as a playable character in Mario Kart 7. It is worth mentioning that the playable Lakitu has a red shell and appears along with the green-shelled Lakitu that has appeared in the past Mario Kart games. He is unlocked by winning the 150cc Lightning Cup. Lakitu is also the referee, as with past games.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Lakitu's egg-throwing skills are temporarily amplified to match those of the Yoshis in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake, which features him so prominently that he has three stages ("Watch Out for Lakitu", "Lakitu's Wall", and "The Cave of the Lakitus") named in his moniker. The game is the first chronological appearance of Lakitus. In this game, Lakitus chase their opponents (here Yoshi and some of his friends) in the same manner that they did in Super Mario World, although the Lakitus' mechanics are changed the most in that they now use cursors (not unlike Yoshi's own) to throw Spiny Eggs; if a Yoshi is to accidentally touch one of these cursors, its Lakitu owner throws an egg towards the Yoshi's spot, making his projectiles very accurate but somewhat easy to avoid (as he fumbles around before actually throwing the Spiny Egg, giving Yoshi time to escape). Lakitus' attacking methods are also changed by the fact that Spinies themselves do not exist in Super Mario World 2, meaning that their eggs simply explode upon contact with the ground. The game also introduces the common, wall-bound Wall Lakitu sub-species, as well as a rarer Aqua Lakitu which uses a snorkel to live underwater and an even rarer Thunder Lakitu creature (found only in the level "BLIZZARD!!!") which can emit thunderbolts at oncoming Yoshis. The game also reuses Super Mario World ' s ability to hijack Lakitu's Cloud (although it is here done with a stomp due to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island ' s lack of Fireballs) and gives the Fishin' Lakitu a return appearance, although rather than tempting Yoshi with a 1-Up Mushroom (as it did in the previous game), the Fishin' Lakitus of Yoshi's Island rather use actual fishing hooks to grab Baby Mario and run away with him.

Tetris Attack
When the largely Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island-themed game Tetris Attack was translated from the Japanese game Panel de Pon, Lakitu took the role as a hero in place of the air fairy Windy. Yoshi and Lakitu settle their differences and become friends in this game, although the events of Vs. Com state that Lakitu rejoined the Koopa Troop when Bowser and Kamek hypnotized him. Yoshi, bent on freeing all his friends, then travels to the Breeze Stage and fights Lakitu and his Goonie ally, which breaks the enchantment and reforges Lakitu's friendship with Yoshi. Like the majority of Tetris Attack bosses, Lakitu is also playable in that game's Time Trail mode, which makes Tetris Attack the first game to feature a playable Lakitu and the only game where a generic, unnamed Lakitu can be taken control of by the player.

Yoshi's Story
Lakitu also appears in Yoshi's Story, but with a less significant role and different attacks. In this game, they now throw rocks instead of spinies, but they still ride on clouds, which Yoshi can use upon its defeat.

Yoshi's Island DS
Lakitus and Wall Lakitus reappear in Yoshi's Island DS, acting like they did in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Yoshi's Safari
A lone Lakitu appears in Yoshi's Safari, where it is combated in the Dark Realm stage Ghost Mansion (which is a Ghost House, a rather strange place to find a Lakitu). This Lakitu, like all his brethren, attacks by throwing Spinies; although simply shooting it is all one had to do to defeat it, the fact that he has much HP and no "hurt" animation makes it a very challenging and confusing enemy for Mario and Yoshi to fight. However, they eventually blast him out of his cloud and it is not seen again in Yoshi's Safari until just before the final battle, where they fight it (or possibly another Lakitu) in a long round of rematches against other bosses; it is here battled after Boomerang Bro. and before Sledge Bro..

Mario vs. Wario
A single Lakitu makes a small appearance in Mario vs. Wario, appearing as a mailman who delivers Wario's letter to Mario at the start of the comic.

Mario Tennis series
A Lakitu makes a small appearance as an umpire in Mario's Tennis, released on the Virtual Boy.

Lakitus help save lost balls in Mario Power Tennis. Lakitu also appears in two minigames in that game as well. In the minigame Chain-Chomp Challenge, he holds the game timer to tell the player how much time is left during the game. Lakitu is also responsible for starting the Artist On the Court minigame with his Start Signal from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Lakitus make their RPG debut as a somewhat uncommon enemy in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this game, Lakitus for the most part take up their role in other games, although one noticeable change is given to them: rather than throwing Spinies, Super Mario RPG Lakitus toss that game's similar Spikeys. Enemy Lakitus appear in four different levels in the game, and all of these Lakitus behave differently based on the level they appear in. Despite their appearances being fairly spread out, there is no more powerful sub-species of Lakitus to take their place later in the game.

The first Lakitu Mario encounters is found in Mushroom Way. This Lakitu throws Spikeys down at Mario, but can not be attacked because it flies so high above the ground, out of Mario's jumping range (and would make for a rather challenging enemy so early in the game if it could be attacked). The next one is found shortly afterward in Rose Way; this Lakitu (who is depicted with a Fishin' Lakitu pole on the overworld) attacks by lowering Shy Guys down at Mario and Mallow. The crew (which then consists of Mario, Mallow, and Geno) finds the last Lakitu in Booster Pass, where it attacks with Spikesters. Unlike the Lakitu from Mushroom Way, the Lakitu at Booster Pass can be attacked by scaling one of the rocky cliffs and jumping on the enemy from above. Lakitus can also be fought in the enemy corridors of Bowser's Keep. In battle, Lakitus often use quick, hard-to-dodge attacks.

Although Lakitus have a minor role in this game, a huge, mustachioed Lakitu actually plays a vital part in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars by operating a bus to transport the heroes from Nimbus Land to Bowser's Keep. Earlier in the game, another Lakitu appears in Tadpole Pond as a helper of Frogfucius; this one carries the sage across the lake to talk to Mallow and Mario when they first arrive, to give the illusion that he can float in midair (though the illusion is ruined when the Lakitu lowers and can be seen fully on-screen, but they recover soon after); the Lakitu is also present when Frogfucious admits to Mallow that he isn't a tadpole. Both these Lakitus appeared riding a large cloud float based on the former's bus during the game's ending sequence.

Super Mario RPG was also initially going to feature a Fishin' Lakitu helper in Booster Tower.

Mario Party series
Thanks to the prosperity and fame of the Mario Kart series, Lakitu often takes up similar roles in other spin-offs. However, due to the fact that the Mario Party series often employs alternate hosts (such as Toad or the Star Spirits) per game, Lakitu is often left out of a main role. He does, though, manage to get similar purposes in the game, often as a minigame character (for instance, Lakitu played a major role in the Mario Party 4 minigame Fish n' Drips, and the Mario Party-e minigame Lakitu's Luck was named after him).

Mario Party Advance
Despite Tumble's role as the main host of Mario Party Advance, Lakitu actually does get minor (but noticeable) roles as that game's minigame referee; at the start of a minigame, Lakitu (and his whistle-blowing cloud) alerts players to start and announces the end when time runs out for minigames. A single Lakitu also appears in the Lakitu House in the Seaside Area of Shroom City. This Lakitu is an avid Toad Force V fan, and carrys a Fishing Pole with a Toad Force V Action Figure on the end of it. He enjoys knowing trivia about the show, and the Quest "What's That Line" revolves around traveling to the Mushroom Condo to ask Mushbert what a certain line in the show is, and then returning to the Lakitu House to inform the questioner. He then rewards the Player with the Gaddget Bait 'n Wait. The ending of the game states that he secretly wants to be a screenwriter.

Mario Party 5
Lakitu is perhaps best known in the Mario Party series for his Orb, the aptly-named Lakitu Orb. This Orb (under the name "Lakitu Capsule") makes its first appearance in Mario Party 5 and allows players to steal Orbs of their choice from other players.

Mario Party 7
The Lakitu Orb (finally being named as such) makes a return appearance in Mario Party 7's Neon Heights, where players can use it to steal one of Koopa Kid's Treasure Chests at random, awarding the player with the item inside (which could vary in helpfulness).

Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8's Test for the Best, Lakitu holds up the 6,000 point sign with his fishing pole. One Lakitu appears in the minigame Glacial Meltdown where, instead of throwing Spinies at the player, this Lakitu strangely throws Buzzy Beetles at the player for them to jump on and hit their opponent.

Mario Party 9
In Mario Party 9, a Lakitu is one of the game's 12 bosses. It is the miniboss in Toad Road. The players fight it in the minigame Sock It to Lakitu, where players must hit blocks to send varying numbers of Bullet Bills at it. Lakitu attacks the players by throwing Spinies at them. When Lakitu's health is half depleted, it throws larger Spinies onto the field.

Mario Party: Island Tour
Lakitus reappear in Mario Party: Island Tour as non-playable characters. One appears in the minigame Pachinko Wizard where it throws Spiny Eggs at the players, who are trying to stand in safe places.

Super Smash Bros. series
Lakitus make their debut in Super Smash Bros., where a Lakitu Bro. rarely appears in the background of the Princess Peach's Castle stage. It appears again in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where a Super Mario World sprite of him cameos alongside a Banzai Bill in the background of the Yoshi's Island stage. It also appears in the upper part of Mushroom Kingdom, alongside two green Koopa Troopas and a Goomba. Also, a Fishin' Lakitu (although simply named "Lakitu") appears as a trophy. Lakitu appears again in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy character, appearing in its original 8-bit form from Super Mario Bros. It will toss Spinies on the ground when released from the Assist Trophy, hurting players who hit the Spinies. It is, however, one of the few Assist Trophies that can be attacked and defeated.

Mario Golf series
In Mario Golf, perhaps with influence from Super Mario 64, places a Lakitu in the role of a cameraman and referee of the Speed Golf sub-game with his Start Signal from Mario Kart 64 that can be seen at the start of the first hole of any course.

Lakitu is used as catcher of balls lost to water hazards in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, which also featured a surprisingly Lakitu-less course called Lakitu Valley. Also in the game, he is served as the referee of the Speed Golf sub-game once again, but this time, with his Double Dash!! Start Signal.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, Lakitu are found only in the area Flower Fields, where they aid Huff N. Puff in his plot to cover the fauna filled place with clouds. In this game, Lakitus, as well as throwing Spiny Eggs, employ a new tactic, if one sights Mario in the field, it will charge towards him, attempting to ram the plumber. As well as appearing as generic enemies, Lakitus appear as mini-bosses at least three times in Paper Mario. The Lakitu in this game appear to directly serve Huff N. Puff rather than just Bowser.

Two notable Lakitu in this game are Lakilester, who joins the party after a fight, and his girlfriend Lakilulu.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Although the Nintendo GameCube RPG Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door features certain Lakitu non-playable characters (such as Laki, a train enthusiast found near the Excess Express boarding area), its most memorable Lakitu (or at least the only one that can be battled) is a part of Spike Storm, a Lakitu/Spiny team Mario and his partners fight in the Glitz Pit's major league. Although these are the only combat-friendly normal Lakitus in the game, a more powerful sub-species known as the Dark Lakitu, along with the regular ones, can be found in the Pit of 100 Trials. There is a Grey Lakitu in the Glitz Pit with a camera. Oddly, this Lakitu lacks a nose.

Super Paper Mario
As is par with Mario RPGs, Lakitu is a rare enemy character in Super Paper Mario, which is actually a cross between platforming and role-playing. In this game, Lakitus are only seen in areas such as The Dotwood Tree and Overthere Stair; however, the aforementioned Laki character from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is given a reference in some Merlee's Mansion graffiti in this game and a Lakitu (despite his species's obscurity in Super Paper Mario) can appear as one of the randomly-generated characters on the first page of the Japanese Super Paper Mario website. The Lakitu Catch Card in Super Paper Mario states Lakitu's motives for throwing Spiny Eggs at opponents: Lakitu's actions are because someone "made fun of its glasses". It's implied that Laki wrote graffiti on the wall of Merlee's Basement.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Lakitus make another Paper Mario appearance in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Despite most of the enemies in the game having new appearances, Lakitu has retained his form from the last two Paper Mario games. Only one appears in the game and is found in World 1-5 as an obstacle, throwing Spinies. By grabbing a Starman nearby, Mario can run through the Spinies and to the top of the mountain.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Lakitu has always been a rare thing to come across in the Mario & Luigi series, which he first appears in with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. In that game, a Fishin' Lakitu with a red shell appears every time a Mario Bro. leveled up, carrying a selecting device that lets Mario and Luigi choose what they wish to level up in; the device then flips over and becomes a roulette that determines how many points the brother earns. The only other appearance of Lakitus in this game is in the final battle with Fawful, where a cutscene before said battle depicts a pair of Lakitus holding up spotlights to reveal Fawful's cloakless form; Lakitus also have the Lakipea sub-species in the game, one of the Beanbean Kingdom's many vegetable-based answers to Mushroom Kingdom foes. Lakipeas, who throw Sharpeas rather than Spinies, can be found in a northeastern area of the Beanbean Kingdom near the entrance to Teehee Valley.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Lakitu's minor, friendly roles in the Mario & Luigi series continued with Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where he takes on his role of level up assistant yet again, only here with a better-animated fishing line. A Fishin' Lakitu with a camera (quite possibly one of Super Mario 64 ' s Lakitu Bros.) also goes to Princess Peach's Castle presumably to report on the launch of Professor Elvin Gadd's Time Machine towards the beginning of the game; when Toadsworth's fainting faces Mario with the challenge of retrieving a Refreshroom from the elderly Toad's room, this friendly Lakitu reporter aids the plumber with a "cloud-cam view" of the castle, actually the bird's-eye map that Mario, Luigi, and their baby selves continue to use throughout the rest of their adventure. The Lakitu then flies off and is never seen again; as a matter of fact, the only other generic Lakitu seen in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is an unnamed agent of Lakitu Travel who transports Kylie Koopa and Toadbert to the Star Shrine right before the battle with Elder Shrooboid. However, another Lakitu sub-species can be fought in the Vim Factory; these Shroobified Lakitus, the Lakitufos, fly on UFOs rather than clouds, have antennae, and beam down Spiny Shroopas rather than throwing Spinies.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Lakitu kept his role in the Mario & Luigi series for a third time in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story as the level up assistant yet again. However this is his only role. Two new species of Lakitu are also introduced: Glam Lakitu and Lakitu King, respectively.

Yakuman DS
Lakitus appear in the Mario-themed mahjong game Yakuman DS as the host of the tutorial, as well as providing advice to the player during games.

Mario Baseball series
In both Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, a green Lakitu takes the role of an umpire just as it did in Mario Tennis. This time, he calls the strikes, outs, and announces the start or the end of any exhibition game.

Super Princess Peach
Bowser brings many Lakitus with him (who in this game fight with appearance and Spiny Egg-throwing mechanics similar to those seen in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) when he invades Vibe Island in Super Princess Peach, and some of them (the Calm Lakitus) are even made drowsy by the Vibe Scepter (only sneaking past these sleeping Lakitus can keep them from waking up and fighting like normal Lakitus). Super Princess Peach also brings back the long-neglected Fishin' Boos, and even introduces a calm variety of them.

Tetris DS
A Super Mario Bros. Lakitu sprite is the opponent icon in the fourth difficulty level of the Vs. CPU mode featured in Tetris DS ' s Standard Mode, as well as the player's own icon in various other Standard Mode games.

Mario & Sonic series
Lakitus appear as non-playable characters in the games Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. They mainly take the role of referees.

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, a special Lakitu asks Princess Daisy to compete in two events which would give them the Curling Puck for Curling Bowling, Also he made an appearance in the Extreme Snowboarding in which, just like in Mario Kart, he would inform them what lap the players are on, respectively. In Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lakitu also appears in London Party Mode. He also appeared in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as the referee in various events including some events with his starting lights from the Mario Kart series.

Mario Sports Mix
Lakitu appears in Mario Sports Mix where he is served as the referee of the basketball, hockey, and dodgeball matches. He drops the puck in hockey matches during a face-off, and throws the dodgeball or basketball in the air for basketball and dodgeball matches during a tip-off.

Fortune Street
In Fortune Street, Lakitu appears when a venture card is drawn with him on it. He travels along the board like the players, and whenever he lands on a shop owned by someone he forces it to close for the day.

The Legend of Zelda series
Lakitu is notable for breaking the boundaries of the Mario series by appearing in non-Mario games such as the Legend of Zelda game The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. In this game, Lakitus were recognizable, but their clouds had no smiles, they seemed to not wear goggles, their hair was thicker (actually resembling Lakitu's hair as it appeared in Mario Superstar Baseball), and they threw thunderbolts rather than Spiny Eggs (much like the Mario enemy Thunder Lakitu). They were found in the sky and even Link had the ability to steal their clouds with an item called the Gust Jar.

Game Boy Camera
A Lakitu appeared as a stamp featured on the Game Boy Camera.

Augmented Reality Games
A Lakitu randomly appears in the Free Fishing minigame included in the Augmented Reality Games software on the Nintendo 3DS, in which it fishes for Bloopers. Such Bloopers can also be caught by the player.

Physical appearance
Lakitus are Koopas who employ clouds as vehicles. However, Lakitus themselves have a rather different appearance than the normal Koopa Troopas; Lakitus have very different heads with much smaller, circular noses, all generic Lakitus wear thick goggles, and Lakitus have a ring pattern on their shells rather than the hexagon pattern featured on those of Koopas. Also, while most Koopas (other than the Dry Bones of certain Paper Mario games) have no hair at all, Lakitus are usually depicted with three small strands of hair, or (as seen in Mario Superstar Baseball) a small clump of black hair.

However, Lakitus are most differentiatable from Koopa Troopas in that they simply ride clouds. These clouds have changed over the years perhaps even more than Lakitus themselves; although 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System games depicted Lakitu as riding a cloud identical to certain block-like cloud platforms (except with a green outline rather than black due to graphical limitations), Super Mario World (which still included these small platforms of old) gave Lakitus more realistic, larger clouds to commandeer.

Tools

 * Fishing Pole - Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Mario Kart series, Mario Hoops 3-on-3, and Mario Sports Mix.
 * Lakitu's Cloud - All games Lakitus appeared in.
 * Start Signal - The Mario Kart series, Mario Golf, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
 * Spiny Egg - Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, Super Mario 64 DS, New Super Mario Bros., Super Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and New Super Mario Bros. 2.
 * Minigame Whistle - Mario Party Advance
 * Camera - Super Mario 64, Mario Golf, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Mario 64 DS and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time