Spiny

Spinies (singular Spiny; occasionally pluralized Spinys, as in the Super Mario Adventures comic and Super Paper Mario) are small, spine-shelled quadrupedal Koopas with a menacing look that first appeared in Super Mario Bros. They are often thrown by Lakitus in unlimited supplies, but can also naturally occur. In the Super Mario Bros. games, Mario and other playable characters cannot defeat Spinies by jumping on top of them due to their spines; they take damage instead. They can be defeated by fireballs, iceballs, Super Star invincibility, and POW Blocks. They can also roll up into a ball called a Spiny Egg, with its own unique properties.

Appearance
Spiny's appearance is similar to a Spike Top, which is another variant of Koopa, or more closely, Buzzy Beetle. This is due to their red shells and spike on top, the only difference being Spike Tops only have a single spike and their heads are hidden under the shell.

Super Mario Bros.
Spinies make their first appearance in Super Mario Bros., where they are described by the manual as Lakitus' pets. In this game, Spiny's eggs are always thrown by the Lakitus. They first appear in World 4-1. Spinies and their eggs can only be defeated by a Fire Flower or a Starman as Mario takes damage if he tries to stomp on it. If they are hit from below, they are bumped to the side like a Mushroom, instead of being flipped over, like a Koopa. Most levels that have a Lakitu-and-Spiny combination have many long staightaways with very few places to hide. These levels also usually have one or more very high blocks to jump on the Lakitu, thus stopping the Spinies for a time; though eventually, a new Lakitu appears. Spinies can also fill some platforms forcing the player to wait for them to move to progress. When they hatch or land on ground, they always face the direction of Mario or Luigi. Since no more than five enemies are allowed onscreen at the same time due to the limitations of the NES, if there are already five Spinies on the ground, then Lakitu stops throwing more Spinies at Mario. In World 4-4, a Spiny is disguised as a fake Bowser. The only way to reveal its identity is by defeating it with fireballs.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Spinies reappear in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, playing the same role as in Super Mario Bros. Like the previous game, they first appear in World 4-1. In this game, the original version reveals that the fake Bowser at the end of World D-4 is actually a Spiny. In Super Mario All-Stars, the fake Bowser at the end is replaced by Bowser. Similarly, World D-4 features a fake version of Bowser's Brother who is actually a Spiny like the fake Bowser at the end of this level, but in All-Stars, he is replaced with the actual Bowser's Brother (who, unlike in the original, is now recolored and is no longer blue).

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Spinies (also pluralized as Spinys ) are once again thrown by Lakitus, just like in Super Mario Bros. and can be defeated by Fire Mario, Hammer Mario, and a Starman. Like Buzzy Beetles, Spinies can also hang from the ceiling, dropping down when Mario is close enough and sliding on their shells. Using Raccoon or Tanooki Mario's tail, they can be flipped onto their back and picked up and thrown like a regular Koopa Shell. Unlike Koopa or Buzzy Beetle shells, Mario can not safely jump on a Spiny Shell despite it being upside down, although this would later become possible in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

A green, unhatched variant of Spiny Egg is introduced in this game. It can move around and chase the player until it falls off a cliff or is hit by a Shell, Fireball, Hammer, or Starman. This is the only game that this kind of Spiny Egg appears in.

Spinies also appear in the Mario Bros. Battle Mode, where they replace Shellcreepers from the original game. If a Spiny is flipped over and left alone, it turns blue and move faster. In the SNES version available in Super Mario All-Stars, they appear in the expanded Battle Game.

In the Japanese version of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, when the Red Switch e-Reader card is scanned, all normal-sized Goombas are replaced with Spinies.

Super Mario World
Spinies reappear in Super Mario World. As usual, they are thrown by Lakitus; some of which, called Fishin' Lakitus, hold a 1-Up Mushroom on a fishing pole for the player. Only when Mario or Luigi collects this Mushroom would the Lakitu begin to hurl Spinies at them. The enemies can be defeated by a Fire Flower, Cape, Yoshi, or Super Star. Unlike the Koopas in Super Mario World, which hide in their shells after being hit by a Cape, Spinies are instantly defeated, leaving no Shell.

A special Gray P Switch in this game turns all Spinies in a level into Coins for a set amount of time.

In Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World a Spiny is one of the eleven characters that appears on the title screen of the game along with Bowser, a Bob-omb, a Goomba, Princess Toadstool, Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, a Pidgit and Birdo.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Spinies make another appearance in Super Mario 64 and its remake, where they appear as rather rare enemies. They can only be found thrown by a Lakitu in Tiny-Huge Island and Rainbow Ride. When these Spinies are released by a Lakitu, they bounce twice and then start walking around slowly. Spinies can survive underwater if lured there, but a Spiny Egg deployed underwater does not hatch.

In the remake, Spinies also appear in Goomboss Battle and Sunshine Isles.

This is the only game in which Spinies are nearly impossible to defeat. Even the otherwise impervious Shiny Shell breaks if used against a Spiny, as though Mario ran into a wall, and a well-timed punch only knocks them back a bit. In Rainbow Ride, Mario can punch them repeatedly until they fall off the side. However, doing so does not produce any reward, as they simply fall into a bottomless area. In the remake, Super Mario 64 DS, Spinies can also be defeated by Yoshi, who can eat them and turn them into Yoshi Eggs. Shooting the Yoshi Egg made from a Spiny yields one yellow coin. Eating one and spitting one out, however, simply reverts it into a Spiny Egg temporarily. They can also be defeated in Goomboss Battle by luring them into the poison gas.

Spinies appear to have no eyes in the original version, possibly due to technical limitations with the graphics of the Nintendo 64. However, in the remake, eyes were added to the Spinies.

New Super Mario Bros.
Spinies make an appearance in New Super Mario Bros., where they behave the same way as in their older side-scrolling games counterparts. They also have a new ability, however, which is to float in the water by transforming into a Spiny Egg. Spinies can be defeated by a Fire Flower, a Super Star, a Mega Mushroom, or a Blue Shell. Spinies retained their trick from Super Mario Bros. 3 of dropping from the ceiling when Mario is close. While sliding on their shells, they can be safely stomped on, picked up and thrown since they are upside down. When the "bah" sound is heard in the music, Spinies hop and change direction.

The boss of World 7, Lakithunder throws Spinies after he is jumped on for the first time, making the battle a little more difficult.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Spinies, along with Lakitu, re-appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Spinies can also be frozen via the Penguin Suit and Ice Mario, and, unlike other spiked enemies, they stay frozen until they break free. Spinies behave in a very similar way to their New Super Mario Bros. counterparts, except they no longer change direction at the sound of the "ba" vocals. Although Yoshi cannot completely eat Spinies, he can grab them with his tongue and spit them out at other enemies, just like Koopa Troopas. Yoshi can also jump on Spinies without getting hurt.

Spinies also appear along with a Lakitu as the Enemy Course of World 7. Ceiling Spinies serve as the enemies in the Enemy Course of World 2, and also appear in World 6-2.

During Magikoopa's boss fight in World 8, the platforms can occasionally be transformed into Spinies.

While Spiny's undersides cannot be jumped on in the original Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and the other characters can do this in this game. They can even be used like normal Koopa Troopa shells while upside-down.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
After being absent from Super Mario Galaxy, Spinies appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, mainly in the Yoshi Star Galaxy and the Starshine Beach Galaxy, among others. They are normally seen idly walking around, though when Mario gets near them, they attempt to hurt Mario by ramming into him. If the player touches a Spiny with Yoshi's tongue, it turns into a Spiny Egg. The player can then use Yoshi's tongue to grab the Spiny and hold it in Yoshi's mouth, after which Yoshi can spit it back out to attack other enemies.

Super Mario 3D Land
Spinies return in Super Mario 3D Land, and attack as they did in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Unlike in the 2D games, Spinies are defeated outright by Tanooki Mario's tail whip, rather than retreating into their shells. This is the first time in the Mario platformers where Spinies appear to be independently alone, without the presence or the need to be thrown by a Lakitu, as they do not appear in this game.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Spinies reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, appearing naturally in. They turn into coins when the player touches a Gold Ring.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Spinies make an appearance in New Super Mario Bros. U acting as in previous games, they appear in the levels Seesaw Shrooms of Meringue Clouds and Lakitu! Lakitu! Lakitu! of Superstar Road.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Spinies return in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Like in Super Mario 3D Land, Spinies are not thrown by Lakitus and are not as common as they were in Super Mario 3D Land. However, they are much faster than they were in said game and in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Spinies reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. Placing wings on a Spiny allows it to fly directly forward and occasionally shoot spikes in four directions. When placed under a ceiling, Spinies stick to that surface and walk on it from side to side during play-testing, falling off when the player walks under them and sliding on the ground like a Koopa Shell upon landing. If a Spiny is placed under a downward One-Way Wall, the player can jump on its belly, causing it to retract inside its shell and fall off the surface. If a Spiny is placed underwater, it turns into a Spiny Egg.

In the editor, Spinies can be shaken around to turn into empty Spiny Shells. If a Spiny Shell lands on Mario's head during gameplay, it serves as a helmet that can be used to destroy Hard Blocks and damage enemies from underneath.

Super Mario Run
Spinies appear in Super Mario Run, behaving like in previous New Super Mario Bros. games. Big Spinies also appear in this game.

Super Mario Odyssey
Spinies reappear as enemies in Super Mario Odyssey, where they are found in the Luncheon Kingdom, the Snow Kingdom, and Bowser's Kingdom. They can be defeated by capturing a Hammer Bro and throwing frying pans at them, by poking them as a Pokio, and can be blown away by Ty-foos. However, they cannot be captured, and instead, throwing Cappy on them causes them to be knocked backwards in a similar manner to Bullies. This way, though, the Spinies can fall into an abyss, into poison, or into lava. Spinies also appear as enemies in several 8-bit segments, where they can only be defeated by kicking a Koopa shell at them.

Even though Lakitus appear in-game, capturing them does not grant the player the ability to spawn Spinies but instead fish for collectibles; therefore Spinies are not thrown by them and are once again seen independently from Lakitus.

Super Mario Maker 2
Spinies return in Super Mario Maker 2, where they behave almost identical as they did in Super Mario Maker and its 3DS port, including being able to turn into an empty Spiny Shell that serves as a helmet. However, Spinies can no longer be placed on downward facing One-Way Walls and flying Spinies do not pass through terrain in the Super Mario 3D World style.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!
In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, several Spinies appear coming out of Mario's television when he is playing Family Computer at the beginning of the film. Later, big-sized Spinies make an appearance, appearing out of the Spiny Eggs tossed by a Lakitu.

Mario Bros.
Although Spinies do not appear in the original Mario Bros. arcade game, they replace the Shellcreepers in all of the remakes, starting with Super Mario Bros. 3's Battle Mode, and excluding direct ports. The reason for this is so that new players do not try jumping on Shellcreepers, mistaking them for Koopa Troopas.

Spinies infest the pipes in the game, where they can be defeated when the Mario Bros. hit the ground underneath them, flipping them over onto their shells; Spinies can then be touched by Mario or Luigi and sent careening into the water. If they are not defeated in time, Spinies flip themselves over, and their shells turn from red to green (and from green to blue if it happens a second time), making them faster. When a normal Spiny is the last enemy left on a level, it immediately turns blue.

On page 40 of Nintendo Power Advance V.1, Spinys are referred to as "turtles", which is an alternate translation for the replaced Shellcreepers.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Spinies make a very brief appearance on the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in the episode "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa". King Koopa orders Lakitu to throw several Spiny Eggs down to the people of Pastaland, which hatch into Spinies, and terrorize the people for a short time. The Spinies seen in this episode were fairly similar to their game appearance. Another Spiny (only one) appears later in the continuation of the show.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
A single Spiny appears in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 with Lakitu in the episode "Life's Ruff". During a scene, a Lakitu throws a Spiny Egg next to a dog-turned Luigi, which hatched into a Spiny and bit Luigi. This Spiny looked much like the ones seen on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.

Nintendo Adventure Books
Some Spinies appear in Wendy O. Koopa's secret camp in the Magma Pits in Koopa Capers.

Hotel Mario
Spiny enemies appear in Hotel Mario. They are introduced in Larry's Chillton Hotel, where they are often seen hanging from ceilings. They can be avoided by ducking as they slowly pass by or defeating them by hitting their underbelly from above.

Mario Party series
Spinies appear as NPCs Mario Party series.

Mario Party 3
The first time basic Spinies are seen is in Mario Party 3. They appear in Ice Rink Risk, which is a game where players must run around on a very slippery ice rink and avoid Spiny shells, which would eliminate the player by hitting them out of the rink.

Mario Party 5
Although no actual Spinies appear in Mario Party 5, two vehicle parts named Spiny Body and Spiny Tires can be purchased from Skolar in Super Duel Mode.

Mario Party Advance
Spinies later appear in the Mario Party Advance mini-game Dreadmill. Here, only Spiny Eggs appear, and the player must walk past or jump over them so they don't fall off the treadmill.

Mario Party 8
Spinies return to the Mario Party series in Mario Party 8, where they appear as Spiny Eggs prominently in the mini-game Grabbin' Gold. The goal of this game is to collect as many coins as possible in a basket while avoiding the falling Spiny Eggs. Spiny Eggs also appear in Water Ski Spree and Winner or Dinner, the other two coin-collecting mini-games.

Mario Party 9
Spinies appear again in Mario Party 9, assisting Lakitu in his boss battle, Sock It to Lakitu. Lakitu throws them at the platform as they either walk right, left, up, or down until they fall off the edge of the platform. They also appear if someone gets them on the blocks that spawn the Bullet Bills.

Mario Party: Island Tour
Spinies appear in Mario Party: Island Tour inside bubbles in the minigame Spin the Bubble.

Super Mario Party
In Super Mario Party, Spinies make a cameo appearance in the minigame Absent Minded, where it is one of the characters that can be chosen as a guess.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Spinies appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Lakitu, as an Assist Trophy, throws them to the ground in their 8-bit form. They walk around and launch players straight into the air. If a character is hit in midair, however, they are thrusted directly downward. When the Spinies reach an edge, they fall off.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Spinies are thrown by the Lakitu Assist Trophy and act like in the previous game. In Smash Run mode, Spinies are used similarly by Lakitus, though they appear in their modern look rather than the 8-bit sprite from their Assist Trophy.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Spiny appears alongside a Lakitu as an Advanced-class Grab-type primary spirit, which decreases the user's weight. The spirit can be encountered in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world of the Dark Realm in World of Light. In the spirit battle, Spinies are represented by eight tiny red Bowsers.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, Spinies appear in Flower Fields and the Toad Town Tunnels. If a POW Block or Quake Hammer (and its stronger variants) is used against them in battle, they are flipped on their backs, lowering their defense to 0. Spinies are immune to jump attacks, but are vulnerable to Hammers and attacks such as Sushie's Squirt. One of Mario's partners, Lakilester, is a Lakitu who attacks enemies with Spiny Eggs when using Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge. These Eggs do not hatch into Spinies.

In battle, Spinies have only one attack, which is to roll into a ball and charge at Mario, causing 4 damage.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Spinies reappear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Like in Paper Mario, they are weak to Hammers and battle items. In this game, Spinies are able to curl themselves into a ball during their turn, making them impervious to all attacks. Spinies and a Lakitu are a fighting team in the Glitz Pit, known as Spike Storm. The Dark Lakitus found in the Pit of 100 Trials throw Sky-Blue Spinies, which are merely more powerful Spinies.

Super Paper Mario
Spinies reappear as enemies in Super Paper Mario. As the game is a mostly a side-scrolling platformer, they act much like the ones in Super Mario Bros., and are thrown by Lakitus. They appear in the Dotwood Tree, The Overthere and Flipside Pit of 100 Trials; and a new species, the Dark Spiny, appears in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. Dark Spinies have the same properties as Spinies, but appear in silhouette and are more powerful.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Spinies reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star where they more closely resemble their main series' appearance, unlike in the previous three Paper Mario games. They only appear in World 1 and 2, and in one area of Whammino Mountain, they are thrown by a Lakitu. Spinies cannot be jumped on unless an Iron Jump or Super Boot Sticker is used. If Mario jumps on the Spinies, he takes 5 damage. Unlike other games, they cannot be flipped over with a POW Block. They attack by ramming into Mario while having them turn around backwards and are also capable of throwing off the players timing by tripping while leaning forward and throwing themselves at Mario while spinning, possibly even giving him the dizzy status effect.

Spinies also aid Paragoombas, Koopa Troopas and green Pokeys.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
Spinies return in Paper Mario: Color Splash with the same appearance they had in the previous game. Jump cards, except for Iron Jumps and Spin Jumps, cannot be used on them. However, they can be flipped over with a POW Block unlike in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They attack Mario by going into their shell and launching themselves towards him, similar to a Koopa Troopa's attack. Spinies first appear in Daffodil Peak. They also appear in Sunglow Ridge, Kiwano Temple, and Redpepper Volcano. A large group of Spinies fall from the ceiling after using a POW Block in Kiwano Temple, and a Super Star can be used to take them out without battling them. A Spiny is the first-round opponent in Roshambo Temple #2.

A Big Spiny is a mini boss in Kiwano Temple.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Origami Spinies appear in Paper Mario: The Origami King as enemies. In addition, Spinies appear as NPCs in Shangri-Spa and Bowser's Castle.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Spinies appear in the sewers of Beanbean Castle. Unlike their traditional appearance, they have green shells with yellow spikes. A Spiny can attack by approaching Mario or Luigi and then either simply running into him or entering its shell and spinning into him. Either attack can be countered with Mario or Luigi's hammer. The Spinies' defense is comparatively a lot higher than the enemies before them. Jumping on them does not work due to their shells, meaning that using either the hammers, the Firebrand/Thunderhand techniques, or if one of the Bros. have the "Spiny-Killer Jump" badges equipped, they can jump on Spinies safely without taking damage.

A species of Spiny, the Sharpea, are the Beanbean Kingdom's version of Spinies.

The remake changes their shape to that of a modern Spiny, but keeps the green and pale yellow coloration in the main story. Regular red Spinies appear as Melee units in the new Minion Quest mode. Their spikes make any unit who attacks them from above take some minor damage alongside the Spiny's damage. Their special skill, Spin to Win, allows them to roll into an enemy three times. They are weak against Lakitus and Lakipeas. A Spiny with green and pale yellow coloration is found as a spectator to Wendy's cutie battle contest.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Although Spinies do not appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a Shroob-like variant called Spiny Shroopas do. They are thrown by Lakitufos, which are Shroob equivalents to Lakitus.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Spinies also appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story during the Giant Bowser fight against Bowser's Castle. They appear when the castle door is opened and position themselves in four groups in front of it, making Bowser unable to punch it. He has to breathe fire to harm the castle, which gets rid of the Spinies.

Spinies also appear in the remake with the same role in the main game, where they also appear in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode. Once again, they are weak against Lakitus, and are also weak against Lakitu Kings.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, several Spinies appear in Dreamy Driftwood Shore. In this game, they have two attacks. One of their attacks involves a group of them jumping before attacking while the others wait. Mario must move around and jump from the ones that were stationary before the attack, otherwise a jumping Spiny hurts Mario. It can also cause the DEF-Down status affect. Their second and last attack is marching toward Mario with some of them following. Mario must hit the Spiny who is leading the group and hit it again to knock it back when all of the following Spinies line up with each other. If Mario does not hit one or more Spinies, the rest go into their shell and run into Mario with their spikes. Using a hammer attack on Spinies flip them over. If Mario jumps on them when they are flipped upside down, it deals critical damage. Otherwise, using a hammer again flips them back up. They are more common than they were in previous RPGs. In Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, Spinies R, a new type of Spiny enemies appear, and some are summoned in Kamek's second battle. They are the same as normal Spinies but attack faster.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Spinies appear again in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, along with their paper counterparts, in Doop Doop Dunes, Doop Doop Dunes Grotto, and one is fought alongside a Paper Spiny, a Ninji and a Paper Ninji as one of Bowser's last lines of defense in Neo Bowser Castle. Their first attack involves them curling up into a ball and attacking the targeted bro directly. They must be hammered in order for their attack to be countered. Their second attack has them positioning themselves in front of the bros and walk into them. The targeted bros have to time their jumps so they can completely avoid landing on their spikes.

Mario Pinball Land
Spinies, mistakenly called Spikies, appear in the Shifting Sands Stage of Mario Pinball Land. Hitting them with Mario makes them flip over and vulnerable to being defeated with a second strike. Like in other games, they are dropped by Lakitus and act as slow-moving obstacles for Mario. Defeating them yields 2000 points.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Spinies appear in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, along with relatives known as Ice Spinies. Both the regular Spinies and the Ice version make the Dance Meter go down when stepped upon. The Ice Spinies, however, are not Spinies at all and are simply a frozen piece of ice with sharp spikes on them.

Mario Strikers series
Spinies appear in the Mario Strikers series as an item: a huge, spinning, spiked shell. This shell bounces off walls until it eventually hits a player. When it impacts with a character, it explodes, and possibly hits other players as well. If any players are hit, they are stunned for a few seconds.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Spinies appear in a small number London Party missions in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where they are thrown by Lakitus to oppose the player. Hitting a Spiny causes different effects depending on the mission, such as losing coins. One of the stickers also features a picture of a Spiny.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
A pair of Spinies appear as character wall obstacles in Golf Plus in the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. They use their sprite design from Super Mario Bros. and appear as solid wall obstacles that disappear when hit once.

Mario Golf: World Tour / Mario Sports Superstars
Spinies make a minor appearance in Mario Golf: World Tour. In this game, they are one of the enemies that Mario collides with as he runs after having grabbed a Super Star during his animation used when he scores an Eagle, Hole-in-One, or Albatross. This same animation is reused in Mario Sports Superstars.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Spinys appear as enemies in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. They are Fire attribute characters, and their skill increases the ATK of the player's team by 1.3x for 5 turns.

When fought as enemies, the Spinys have very high defenses, which reduces the amount of damage that they take from a single attack to 1 HP. However, their HP is very low, and they take 3-5 turns to attack the player. But when they do attack, their attack is usually very fatal to the player's HP. Defeating a Spiny with a 10+ combo rewards the player with a Lakitu Coin.

The player can transform a Spiny into Spiny Egg & Lakitu by using three Lakitu Coins on it.

Dr. Mario World
Spinies make their debut in the Dr. Mario series as assistants in Dr. Mario World. In stage mode, they have a chance of triggering a rapid skill meter increase, in which it originally increases the skill meter by 300% more than usual per elimination made, but was changed to increase the skill meter by an extra point for every elimination made. This stage mode effect stacks with Spiny Cheep Cheep's effect if both activate. In versus mode, they have a chance of filling the player's skill meter instantly when their opponent uses a skill.

Kirby series
Spinies appear in Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Course, and Kirby's Dream Land 3. These Spinies are stylized to visually fit the Kirby series—having an obscured head and two feet—and give the Needle ability. In Kirby's Adventure, they walk normally but periodically stop to curl up in a ball, resembling a Spiny Egg in the process, and roll quickly along the ground. In the Game Boy Advance remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, they were replaced by the original enemy Needlous. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, instead of performing a rolling attack, they withdraw and extend their spikes when the player is in proximity, similar to a Spikey from Kirby's Dream Land 2. In this game, they are called Togezo, which is their usual Japanese name; in Japanese materials of the previous Kirby games, they are known by their localized English name.

The Legend of Zelda series


Spinies, also known as Spiked Beetles, appear as one of many Mario enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. In these games, they move towards Link and try to inflict damage, and in the latter two games, they withdraw in their shell and perform a spin attack towards Link. They normally cannot be damaged due to their hard shell; however, using a shield or other means, they can be flipped over, exposing a vulnerable underside.

In the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Spiked Beetles are simply referred to as Spinies and now have visible heads. A Spiny figure can also be won in the Trendy Game after clearing the Bottle Grotto and placed in the Quadruplets' house. The text that appears upon acquiring the figure reads, "You got a Spiny figure! Made with real metal spikes!"

Profiles and statistics
Spiny bios usually never go without mentioning their spiky carapace, as well as the danger it poses to the player. In addition, some bios mention Spinies' connection to Lakitus.