Lakitu Bros.

Lakitu Bros., also named Lakitus, are Lakitus that are found in Super Mario 64 and its remake. These characters have cameras hooked at the ends of their fishing poles instead of items. According to the Super Mario 64 Nintendo Player's Guide, they are employed by the Kingdom News Network.

Super Mario 64
At the start of the game, one of the Lakitu Bros. first appears in the sky after Princess Peach's letter to Mario. He circles the Mushroom Castle, then approaches a nearby Warp Pipe, from which Mario emerges, starting the adventure. The hero attempts to head inside the Mushroom Castle but is stopped by another Lakitu, who introduces himself and his partner as the Lakitu Bros. One of the Lakitu Bros. mentions that they are cameraman reporters and will film Mario throughout his adventure as he attempts to retrieve the Power Stars and rescue the princess, the castle servants, and the world.

It is also mentioned that the Lakitu Bros. will record Mario at a recommended angle, though this angle can be changed through the use of ; that pressing while stationary enables the player to enter first-person view, which can be negated by pressing ; that camera modes can be toggled via the  button; and that there are signs scattered in and around the castle that contain this information. Their explanation finished, one of the Lakitu Bros. leaves, and the other remains to record Mario's adventure.

When Mario enters Whomp's Fortress for the first time, the Lakitu Bro following him issues an update to Mario's adventure. From him, Mario learns that he can sneak up on sleeping enemies by moving slowly past them. The Lakitu Bro then reiterates his instructions from earlier before leaving Mario to his task. The Lakitu Bro stays with Mario for the remainder of his adventure and can be seen in the big mirror in the room that leads to Snowman's Land.

Super Mario 64 DS


In Super Mario 64 DS, the opening is slightly different. Shortly after Mario, Luigi, and Wario go missing, Yoshi is seen sleeping on the Castle Grounds, and one of the Lakitu Bros. pops the bubble Yoshi is blowing out of his nose to wake him up and tells him the heroes have gone missing. After hearing the news, Yoshi tries to enter the castle, but the doors are locked. As Yoshi turns around, the Lakitu Bro reappears and tells him that a rabbit took the key and that Yoshi should find it, and gives him a map to use on his adventure. After catching the rabbit, Yoshi enters the castle.

In this game, the camera is controlled by the and  buttons on the Nintendo DS.

Super Smash Bros.
The Lakitu Bro makes a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. He appears flying in the right direction of the background in Peach's Castle after a few minutes. He is absent for the stage's return in subsequent titles.

Trivia

 * Certain Lakitus also use cameras in Mario Golf and Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, just like Lakitu Bros.
 * Additionally, a Lakitu with a camera appears hiding behind a tree in concept art from Nintendo for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, referencing the Lakitus' role.
 * Although their artwork shows it, Lakitu's Cloud has no given face in Super Mario 64. It is given one in the remake. The texture file for the face can still be found in the files of Super Mario 64, however.