Putrid Piranha

"IDENTIFIED AS...MARIO! ALERT! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"

- Putrid Piranha

A Putrid Piranha is a Piranha Plant with a poisonous bite and poisonous breath, found in the Paper Mario series.

Paper Mario
The Putrid Piranhas of Paper Mario are found on Lavalava Island. These Putrid Piranhas are red with white spots and have yellow-stained teeth. Putrid Piranhas are close relatives of the Piranha Plants, but are distinctly larger, and have lolling tongues. Their size, posture, teeth, and tongues make them resemble the Piranha Plants from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, fitting with the other references to the game on the island. Due to their forward-facing head, unlike their regular variant in Forever Forest, they can safely be jumped on without the Spike Shield badge. Some of them appear as mini-bosses in the Jade Jungle located on Lavalava Island, while they appear as common enemies in Mt. Lavalava itself, where they work for the Lava Piranha who lives there. During battle, Putrid Piranhas can use a poison breath attack, which poisons Mario while doing two points of damage. In Jade Jungle, a few of them attack the orange Baby Yoshi. The Frost Piranha, which appears later in Shiver Snowfield, is an icy relative of the Putrid Piranha.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Putrid Piranhas reappear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where they can be found on Keelhaul Key as uncommon enemies. They are no longer larger than their relatives, now being recolors of regular Pale Piranhas. Relating to this, instead of being red with white spots, they are yellow with red spots. In addition, they have purple teeth, green lips, and a blue tongue. Unlike the previous ones, they stand upright, making them impossible to jump on normally (unless Mario has the Spike Shield badge equipped), and are not shown living in burning temperatures.

Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Putrid Piranhas live in the Land of the Cragnons and look the same as in the previous game. Here, they emerge from pipes and will only attack with their poisonous breath. These Putrid Piranhas have a high chance of dropping items, especially Horsetails due to the poison status being very deadly if the player has no items. It is possible to stomp it when it is exhaling the poisonous gas by jumping on its exposed head. Uniquely to this game, it is mentioned in their Tattle description that Putrid Piranhas' poisonous nature is rumored to be a result of pollution, possibly serving as an early hint to the problem of the Cragnons' littering and explaining why the poisonous plants have come to reside in the Cragnons' land.

Super Mario-Kun
Putrid Piranhas appear in volume 26 of Super Mario-Kun. When a White Magikoopa ambushes Mario and his partners in Lavalava Island, he uses Putrid Piranha plants. They bite Mario's head and let out a bad breath, poisoning Mario and Goombario. The Fearsome 5, however, comes to the rescue and attack the White Magikoopa while sealing the Putrid Piranhas' mouth with tape. One of the Yoshis then defeats the White Magikoopa by using a Thunder Rage on him.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Piranha Plant turns into a Putrid Piranha during its Poison Breath move, and spits poisonous gas to damage other fighters. It is also mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant.

Paper Mario

 * Paper Mario Official Nintendo Player's Guide: Even worse than a normal Piranha Plant, Putrid Piranha is equipped with the worst breath this side of Tayce T.'s garlic bread cook-off. If that isn't enough, it also possesses quick reflexes and a strong bite.