Petey Piranha

Petey Piranha (Boss Pakkun in Japan) is a giant male, mutated Piranha Plant that first appeared as the boss of Bianco Hills in Super Mario Sunshine that Mario had to defeat two times.

The First Fight
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time in the past of Koopaseum, Petey ate Princess Peach and Kylie Koopa. Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi went into the caves and fought him to save Peach and Kylie.

While the babies were meeting him and fighting him for the first time, Mario and Luigi had already fought him before (especially since they're technically fighting the same battle twice — once as babies, and again as adults), however since this was the past, Petey did not know the adult plumbers.

On Isle Delfino
In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario fought and defeated him inside the Big Windmill. Petey Piranha survived and caused more mayhem on Isle Delfino, Mario found Petey asleep; and once more had to defeat him, but this time in Bianco Hills, not in the Big Windmill. Petey seemed to be able to control Piranhabons, as the latter bears a resemblance to Petey himself.

Petey in the Ice World
Petey survived once again and in New Super Mario Bros., Petey Piranha is the boss of World 5, the ice world. Petey attacks by flying up high, then dropping from the sky, crushing any opponents beneath him with a move similar to the ground pound. Since the floor is made of slippery ice, after attacking he will slip and fall. It is then that he can be attacked. If Mario or Luigi can defeat him using a Mini Mushroom, they will travel to World 7 instead of World 6.

Petey Piranha Returns
Even if he was said to be defeated, Petey appeared as a boss in Super Princess Peach, going under the name Boss P. Plant. Peach had to cry so the water would inflate him and make him fall down and reveal his weak spot: his belly button.

An Enemy Again
Petey Piranha will also be in the Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He was seen holding Peach and Zelda in cages, and prepared to face off against Kirby. He was also bigger than even his original appearance in Super Mario Sunshine. He may or may not be affilated with the Subspace Army. Because of this Petey's huge size, it is believed that he may be some form of "Giga" Petey, in a similar fashion to Giga Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It does seem likely Masahiro Sakurai would include a new "Giga" character in Brawl, considering that Giga Bowser is now playable. However, it is still unknown wether this is true or not.

Pinball Petey
There was also a deformed version of him in Mario Pinball Land. It had no feet, a long neck, a more outward mouth, and a round body. Mario had to hit the body three times while ditracting the head to beat it.

Petey the Putter
Later, Petey started playing sports with Mario and his friends. He first showed up as an unlockable character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, in which his large size made him the most powerful golfer in the game.

Power Player
In Mario Power Tennis, Petey's bulk served him well again, as he was one of the more powerful competitors. His Power Shots are, Sludge Racket and Piranha Swingback. The first involved swallowing his racket, puking it up, and spitting it at the ball at a high speed, the latter involved him spitting a Goopy Piranha Plant near the ball, which would then hit it back to the other side of the court.

Hard Hitter
Finally, Petey had the ability to body check other players in Mario Superstar Baseball, making him an effective character in close plays.

Piranha Racing
Petey also appeared as a powerful Unlockable in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with King Boo as his partner. They both had the ability to use any character's special item. Because of this advantage, some players refuse to play in his presence. Petey's personal kart is the "Piranha Pipes", a vehicle assembled out of the Piranha Plant's trademark, green tubing.

The Daisy Garden
Strangely two Petey Piranha-like characters appear in the Daisy Garden court as the basket in Mario Hoops 3 on 3 and try to keep anyone from making a slam dunk. It is possible that these are Piranha plants of the same species as Petey, and that Petey is a species and maybe the Peteys Mario has fought before are not always the same, explaining why he always died and came back.

Petey Plays Soccer
Petey Piranha is also an unlockable captain in the Wii game Mario Strikers Charged. He is a Power player, which means he is good at tackling and shooting, but cannot pass or run very well. Petey is, in fact, the hardest player to beat. His Super Ability, Mud Slinger!, causes Petey to spit mud on the ground, which slows everyone but him down. He can use this move up to 4 times in one Super Ability. Petey's Deke also has a wide-range, and is very effective. His Mega Strike is hard to block as well, and it is a very unique move. This is also matched by the fact that he is the final unlockable character in the game, unlocked by beating the Strikers Cup, which is the last cup, which will result in beating Petey as well. The player has to beat Petey in the Stormship Stadium to unlock him.

Physical Description
Petey could be recognized as a Piranha Plant, but looks a little different from a normal one. According to Mario Superstar Baseball, Petey Piranha got his looks from a mutation of an unknown source, possibly the Shroobs. He has leaflike arms and stubby legs unlike normal Piranha Plants. He also has a ring of flowers around his head (which could be a crown) and is bigger than most Piranha Plants. Mario Strikers Charged is the first game which portrays Petey Piranha having a tongue in his mouth, and it was afterwards also seen in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Personality
Petey is a stereotypical big and strong character with a tiny brain. Even though Petey isn't very smart, he's still very skillful at playing golf. He also seems to like taking naps, and gets frustrated when someone suddenly wakes him up. He is also known for being very hungry, and he seems to be omnivorous. Despite his low intelligence, he seems to want to destroy Mario, but not as bad as Bowser. However, this may be due to the fact that he is simply hungry, and he sees Mario as a nice snack. But, in Mario Power Tennis, in Petey's victory ending, instead of attacking Mario and the others, he simply took the Trophy and flew away. His exact motives towards Mario and his friends, is unknown. Petey Piranha appears to have some sort of a relationship with King Boo.

Abilities
Petey Piranha got his abilities from a mutation of an unknown source, possibly the Shroobs. It is possible he used to be a Piranha Bean that became a mutant by the Shroobs. His leaves double as wings, something normal Piranha Plants cannot do. In Super Mario Sunshine he could spit out goop from his mouth. The goop was slippery and enemies spawned from it. He also whipped up tornadoes. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time he could dig though sand and spit out a Piranha Plant seed which would sprout and attack the players. In Super Princess Peach he could make soundwaves, shockwaves and spit nipper plants. It seems in almost every time he appears in a game he has new abilities and attacks.

Sports Abilities
When Petey hits the ball with his club in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour it goes blasting off the course in a golden streak. When he's playing baseball, he catches and throws the ball with his mouth, but when he's batting he hits the ball with his leaf-like arm. His sweet spot is the vein of his arm.

Trivia

 * It is unknown, but Petey Piranha may be native to the Beanbean Kingdom. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, a Beanbean Piranha Plant known as a Piranha Bean appeared, which appears to be the same species as Petey. There is no solid evidence backing up this theory.
 * A boss in the upcoming game Super Mario Galaxy, conjecturally named "Piranha Plant Dinosaur", greatly resembles Petey Piranha, but the Piranha Plant Dinosaur is more ghastly and lizard-like.
 * The Piantas call Petey "the Big-headed Creature".
 * Petey Piranha is offered as an answer to one of Pokey's riddles in Mario Party Advance — specifically, "What golfs, parties, and rides on a kart?" However, Mario is the correct answer.
 * In German-speaking countries Petey Piranha is female and is known as "Mutant-Tyranha".