Chain Chomp

"Ruff! Ruff! (I'm gonna steal coins or stars just for you!)"

- Chain Chomp

Chain Chomps (occasionally called Chain-Chomps, as in the Paper Mario series) are common enemies in the Mushroom World. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3. Chain Chomps bear a resemblance to a ball and chain and are typified by their large, tooth-filled maws and incessant biting. Shigeru Miyamoto's inspiration for the Chain Chomps was from a childhood experience: a dog once ran up to him and tried to bite him, but the dog's chain held it back. As a result, Chain Chomps also possess canine qualities, such as barking, and are commonly used as guard dogs throughout the Mario series. The presence of ancient statues of them in the Dry Dry Ruins suggests that they have been used as such for centuries. Many Chomps in the Mario series have been part of the Koopa Troop, though a couple of them have been shown to be independent.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Chain Chomps first appear in World 2-5 of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom; their relatives, the fire-spitting flying Fire Chomps, also appear later in the game. The Chain Chomps are attached to Wooden Blocks and try to lunge at Mario. If they tug on their chain 49 times or if the timer hits 160 seconds, all Chain Chomps come loose. They return in the remake, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

There are four ways to defeat Chain Chomps in this game: using a Starman, throwing a Koopa Shell, throwing a hammer at it as Hammer Mario, and stomping on it as a statue with Tanooki Mario.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS, a giant Chain Chomp is found in Bob-omb Battlefield (where a sign mentioning it hyphenates its name as "Chain-Chomp"), guarding a jail cell containing a Power Star. Chain Chomp is attached to a wooden stake, and it can lunge at Mario if the plumber gets too close. It can be temporarily immobilized by hitting it with a Bob-omb or a small box. In order to obtain the Star that Chain Chomp guards, Mario must ground pound the Chain Chomp's log three times to break the chain. The Chain Chomp jumps around, smashes the jail cell open in the process, and leaps away, allowing Mario to reach the Star. In addition to its role in this Star, one of the level's Red Coins is located above the Chain Chomp's post. For unknown reasons, in the Wii's Virtual Console version of Super Mario 64, the Chain Chomp's mouth is purple.

In Super Mario 64 DS, it is possible for Luigi to use a Power Flower to simply go right through the jail cell to reach the Star, and Wario can just ground-pound the stake once because of his weight. During the mission 5 Silver Stars!, the Chain Chomp is moved to the open area near its normal location. It is no longer chained to a stake, but is free to move around the area. One of the Silver Stars is located on the end of its chain. Super Mario 64 DS also features a Chain Chomp in multiplayer mode, on the Castle Grounds stage. It serves a similar purpose as in the 5 Silver Stars! mission above: one of the Stars the players must collect is again on the end of its chain. Chain Chomps were first given their iconic bark in Super Mario 64. This was used later throughout the Mario series.

Super Mario Sunshine
Super Mario Sunshine, being a landmark game, was the first to feature the Chain Chomp with a realistic linking chain rather than magnetically connected orbs or rings as seen in the older games.

Small, puppy-like Chain Chomps called Chain Chomplets as well as a larger (possibly parent) Chain Chomp, appear in Pianta Village, a world in Super Mario Sunshine. However, this Chain Chomp differs from others of its species, because it has a deep, X-shaped scar on the top left side of its head. Both the Chain Chomp and the Chain Chomplets are hot to the touch, and will damage Mario (by burning) if he does so. The only way to cool them off is with water, but this only provides a temporary remedy. The Chain Chomplets appear on the first Pianta Village mission, where Mario must launch them into the spring to cool them after calming them down with water from F.L.U.D.D.. After doing so, the player will be rewarded with a Shine Sprite.

The larger Chain Chomp appears on the fourth episode. It is sitting out in the sun, chained to a stake in the ground and red hot from rage due from refusing to take a bath. In order to cool its temper, Mario must first release the chain, which causes it to go on a "rampage" throughout the village. Also, like the Chomplets, this Chain Chomp is orange when angry, black when temporarily calmed, and the color of a shiny metal when it is placed in a body of water. In the Chain Chomp's case, it is golden, as its smaller counterparts are silver. When Mario grabs the chain, he must pull the Chain Chomp (from behind) into its hemispherical tub filled with water. Since this Chain Chomp is massive and heavy, Mario has trouble pulling it and thus moves slowly. While pulling the Chain Chomp, it will eventually heat back up with rage and overpower Mario, after which he must cool it off with a barrel of water. When the Chain Chomp is placed in the tub, it will calm down and turn a golden color. Then, a Shine Sprite appears above it.

New Super Mario Bros.
Chain Chomps appear as extremely rare enemies in New Super Mario Bros.. In fact, there is only a single level they appear in, which is 6-6, and there are only 3 of them. In this game, the Chain Chomps have their usual bark and lunging attack, and weaknesses: Koopa Shells and Stars. They have a new weakness: the new Mega Mushroom. They are also defeated by pounding the post 3 times, which releases 3 coins. The last post in the level can also be used to reach 6 coins and a 1-up, and the second one has a Star Coin. Oddly, the post still stays if the Chain Chomp is defeated with a shell, Star, or Mega Mushroom, allowing Mario or Luigi to still ground pound it 3 times and get 3 coins.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
The Chain Chomp makes its return in the game New Super Mario Bros. Wii. One of them is seen pulling a chariot of sorts for Iggy Koopa, one of the Koopalings. Every time Iggy is hit by Mario, it angers similar to what it did in Super Mario Sunshine and goes on a short rampage.

Chain Chomps also appear in World 7-2. In this stage, they are attached to a wooden stake, and Mario can free it by doing what he did in Super Mario 64; ground pounding the stake 3 times. Chain Chomps can also be defeated by running toward it with a Starman. This time, pounding the stake enough times makes it bounce around once, and then jump off. This can destroy Brick Blocks and hurt nearby players.

Super Mario 3D Land
Chain Chomps later appear in Super Mario 3D Land. In this game, they have dark blue heads, as in recent appearances, but as in Super Mario Bros. 3, their chains are not linked. The Chain Chomps in this game possess a short wooden stake, compared to the long, yellow, polka-dotted stake in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Their heads are smaller then in their previous 3D appearance in Super Mario Galaxy 2. In this game, they repeat their tactic of charging in the player's direction, like in their 2D platforming appearances. The player can defeat a Chain Chomp by ground-pounding the stake the Chain Chomp is connected to. Their heads can be jumped on by Mario, but it does not damage them. When Mario throws a Fireball at the Chain Chomp, it stuns it for a short while.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Once again, Chain Chomps appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They behave as they did in the previous titles but rather than the standard link chains in the previous New Super Mario Bros. titles, they have unlinked chains. They can be knocked out with a Ground Pound, Star, or a Gold Flower. One pulls Iggy Koopa's chariot during the boss battle as it did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Like in the previous game, it is defeated along with Iggy. They first appeared in World 2-5.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Chain Chomps reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U during the level Waddlewing's Nest of Rock-Candy Mines. In this game, their stake is triangular rather than rectangular. The stake must be ground-pounded only once to release the Chomp. Upon defeat, a Chain Chomp yields eight coins. Their chains are linked once again.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Chain Chomps make several appearances in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, appearing in such episodes as "Reptiles in the Rose Garden" and "The Venice Menace". They are guard dogs of the Koopa King, and they attack Mario and Luigi. They seem to be in a lot of episodes that Kootie Pie is in, and they seem to listen to her. They are also shown to be able to swim in The Venice Menace where they bite holes in Mario and Luigi's boat.

Nintendo Adventure Books
If Mario chooses to use a shortcut to Fort Koopa while traveling through the Koopahari Desert in Double Trouble, he can encounter a Chain Chomp guarding the fortress. Depending on how the accompanying puzzle is solved by the reader, Mario will partially evade the Chomp (it manages to bite off a chunk of his shoe) and reach and scale the fortress wall, or will be bitten on the foot and be forced to flee.

In the best ending of Koopa Capers, Luigi encounters a gold Chain Chomp guarding a stash of coins. When the fumes from Wendy O. Koopa's botched wand combination potion reach the Chomp, it is knocked out and Luigi is able to claim the coins it was guarding.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Chain Chomps, simply referred to as Chomps in this game (even if they have chains), first appear as guards in Booster Tower. In battle, Chomps can use skills like Iron Maiden and Carni Kiss. They possess no strengths and a weakness to thunder attacks. Chomps have good defense; in fact, their defense exceeds their attack power. Since they are bound to a stake, the party can easily flee from the battle.

In addition to Chomps being encountered as enemies, Bowser is able to equip and use a small female Chomp as a weapon, after meeting it and befriending it inside of a secret room in Booster's Tower where it was captured by Booster. The game also introduces golden, much more powerful versions of Chomps known as Chomp Chomps, as well as Kinklinks, which are Chomps used to hold chandeliers in Bowser's Keep.

A pair of Chomps are also seen pulling the Bowser's Castle float in the parade ending sequence.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Chain Chomps appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the SNES. Only a single one is found in the game; it appears in a room near the beginning of Sluggy the Unshaven's Fort. This Chain Chomp can be defeated by using a POW Block, or a Winged Cloud. Doing so grants the player access to a room with a Hint Block in it.

Apart from this enemy, two subspecies introduced in this game: Chomp Sharks and Chomps. These species are devoid of their chains and are massive in size, a trait retained by Chomps in many future games. The Chomps fall into the ground in certain levels and create a large abyss. If one falls on Yoshi, Baby Mario does not fall off Yoshi's back; instead, Yoshi is pushed into the newly created pit. Chomp Sharks, instead of trying to crush Yoshi, chase him during certain sections of the levels they appear in.

Chomp Rocks also make an appearance as objects or obstacles that can be used to reach higher places or flatten enemies. They resemble Chomp heads made of rock.

Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64, three Chain Chomps appear on the Rainbow Road track where they travel at road level in the opposite direction of the racers in a regular zig-zag pattern. If touched, the driver is sent flying up.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, a Chain Chomp is a usable item exclusively for Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, as well as Petey Piranha and King Boo, who have the ability to receive any other character's special item. It pulls the racers forward for a few seconds and bowls over other racers in its path, while a special tune plays. After a certain amount of time, it abandons the vehicle and goes on its own until it runs off the course. If at any time a Chain Chomp pulls the racers forward, and the kart gets hit with another Item or Special Item, it also abandons the vehicle and goes on its own until runs off the course. If a kart gets hit by a Chain Chomp, the drivers will lose their items. The Chain Chomp may also go wild and accidentally cause the driver to go off the track. Bigger Chain Chomps also appear as obstacles on the Mario Circuit and Luigi Circuit tracks.

Mario Kart DS
In Mario Kart DS, Chain Chomps appear in the original Luigi Circuit racetrack from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and the new course Peach Gardens. The latter level has a lot of stray Chain Chomps with item boxes behind them, but they have no chains. The Chain Chomp was going to be an item, but is replaced in favor of the Bullet Bill. However they work very similar to one another. In mission 3-3, Luigi has to get 15 coins at Luigi Circuit, avoiding the Chain Chomp that is now on the middle of the track. Also, in mission 5-1, Peach has to race one lap at Peach Gardens and beat a stray Chain Chomp while a remix of the Chain Chomp Theme from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! plays. Also, the Mario Kart DS Chain Chomps do not chomp their mouths like a regular Chain Chomp; their mouths stay open at all times.

Mario Kart Wii
In Mario Kart Wii a chained Chain Chomp appears in Mario Circuit, while stray ones reappear at the returning Peach Gardens. They also return in the Mario Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS. The stray ones now have small chains that hold the Item Boxes together, and they do not bounce on the ground. Rolling Chomp heads appear in Chain Chomp Wheel, a large roulette wheel where they roll, flattening any racer in their path.

Paper Mario
A single Chain Chomp, nicknamed Chompy, appears in Paper Mario in the Dry Dry Ruins. He is in fact a pet of the ghost Tutankoopa, and he fights alongside him as the boss of Chapter 2. Goombario calls them "Chomp" instead of Chain Chomp. They attack by lunging at the player. Stone Chomps also appear at several places inside the Dry Dry Ruins. Afterwards, one of the Chomps, Chompie, after Tutankoopa beckoning it to come over, proceeded to chase him, apparently wanting to bite him up.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door features two types of Chain Chomps: Red Chomps, which appear in Glitzville, and traditional Chain Chomps, appearing in the Palace of Shadow. Both types are found in the Pit of 100 Trials. There are also a new fish-like sub-species that attack Mario whenever he falls in water, which are called Nibbles who have the same teeth and expression.

Chain Chomps have a very high defense and attack. Oddly, when Mario first-strikes by jumping on them in the overworld, the camera bounces along them before Mario stomps them.

Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Francis has a pet Chain Chomp in his basement. They appear mainly in the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials where they attack the same as the one Francis has. Also, the guardian of The Underwhere is a "three-headed" Chain Chomp called Underchomp (it is actually three Chain Chomps, each of a different color). It is battled in a RPG manner similar to the Earthbound series. Dark Chomps are introduced in this game and are stronger versions of chain chomps, but they are only found in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Big Chain Chomps appear in World 5. Those Chain Chomps are indestructable. In the final battle against Bowser, a smaller Chain Chomp appears. To defeat it, Mario needs a bat-type thing sticker or any Tail sticker to send the Chain Chomp and Bowser to a pit.

In the beta screenshot, an unknown Chain Chomp appeared as a partner in a place that looks like World 3 in Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the Nintendo 3DS.

Mario Party series
Chain Chomps have also made plenty appearances in the Mario Party series. Most of the time, they serve as obstacles that players must avoid or helpful items that steals stars or coins for players.

Mario Party 2
Chain Chomps first appear in Mario Party 2 in the mini-game Sneak n' Snore, where the player has to infiltrate a sleeping Chain Chomp in a barrel. If the Chain Chomp finds any players when awake, the Chain Chomp eliminates them by grabbing them and throwing them into a warp pipe. Also, in the mini-game Crazy Cutter, an image of a fossilized Chain Chomp may sometimes appear.

Mario Party 3
Chain Chomps appear in Mario Party 3 as a partner in Duel Mode. They are not a default partner, instead being earned in the lottery. They attack both the player and their partners. Their salary is six coins, they have 2 health, and they have 1 attack.

They also appear in a battle mini-game called Merry-Go-Chomp. A Chain Chomp in this mini-game attacks any unlucky player who is closest to the Chain Chomp after the roulette has stopped spinning. In Game Guy's Sweet Surprise, Big Chomp and Little Chomp, two Chain Chomps of different sizes, are eating a cake; the player wins by correctly guessing which one finishes first.

Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, an item called a Chomp Call is introduced in which a Chain Chomp is called to move the location of the Star. They also appear in the 4-player mini-game Long Claw of the Law as one of the possible enemies the player must obtain. Another appearance is in the battle mini-game Chain Chomp Fever, where a Chain Chomp is the primary obstacle the player must avoid.

Mario Party 5
Chain Chomps also appear in Mario Party 5 as Chain Chomp Capsules. They can steal coins for free or steal a star for 30 coins. They also appear in the 4-player mini-game Chomp Romp, where the players have to lead a Chain Chomp through a park. In the 4-player mini-game Night Light Fright, players have to stun Chain Chomps with a light as close as they can before the Chain Chomp tackles them. In the 4-player mini-game, Rumble Fumble, Chain Chomps hide in any bucket and attack players that chose the wrong bucket.

Mario Party 6
In Mario Party 6, Chain Chomps are vital in Snowflake Lake to steal other players' stars. Players must pay them a fee at a Chain Chomp house depending on how much dice blocks they roll. They can pay 20 coins for 1 dice block during the daytime. In the nighttime, they can pay 10 coins for a dice block, 20 coins for 2, and 30 coins for 3. Defending players can counterattack Chain Chomps by possessing a Snack Orb.

Chain Chomps also appear on the Solo Mode board Infernal Tower. If the player lands on a Happening Space, a Chain Chomp bursts through a cage and batters the player, sending them back to the start.

In the 4-player mini-game Throw Me a Bone, players ride a Chain Chomp and throw bones to lead the Chain Chomp to the finish line, while avoiding the obstructions. There are breakable stone pillars that stun the Chain Chomp if the Chain Chomp hits them. Chain Chomps can be a result in the Rare mini-game Seer Terror. Chain Chomps occasionally appear in the background in the 2-vs-2 mini-game Dunk Bros.

Mario Party 7
Chain Chomps in Pyramid Park in Mario Party 7 serve the same purpose as the ones in Snowflake Lake. They steal stars for players for a fee. The player must pay coins to roll the dice blocks as usual. Black Chain Chomps pays the player ten coins for one, and twenty for two. If a Red Chain Chomp is used, then it's ten coins for three. Chain Chomps appear in the 1-vs-3 mic game Wheel of Woe. They are one command that the player can give to attempt to eliminate the other three players.

Mario Party Advance
A Chain Chomp appears in Mario Party Advance as both a character and place. If the player stops here, they have to do his quest, Chomper Stomper, where the player must duel Chain Chomp in the mini-game Chain Saw in order to win the mini-game. The ending states that he became the guardian for the first floor of the Duel Tower, being the successor of Whomp.

The mini-game Chomp Walker features the player attempting to guide a Chain Chomp to the finish line. Meat and bones are scattered across the course; while eating a bone simply wastes time, eating meat causes the Chain Chomp to momentarily dash forward. There are also Chain Chomps in the mini-game Barrel Peril, which involves attempting to advance toward the finish line in a barrel while avoiding the sleeping Chain Chomps. If the player walks by a Chain Chomp, it awakens it charges at the player, resulting in being momentarily stunned if they didn't hide in the barrel.

Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, Chain Chomps appear in a special mini-game Chomping Frenzy, where the player has to feed Chain Chomps a certain fruit. Failing to do so results in a Chain Chomp becoming red and launching itself at the player. They are also in the 4-player mini-game At the Chomp Wash, where the players needing to clean paint off of Chain Chomps. The duel mini-game Cardiators also features Chain Chomps as one of the cards. They attack by charging at the opponent and deal 12 damage.

Mario Party 9
A Chain Chomp is one of the bosses in Mario Party 9. The Chain Chomp is the stage boss of Magma Mine. In order to defeat it in the mini-game Chain Chomp Romp, the players must choose a minecart that travels down a path with a cannon at the end. Once they reach the cannon, the Chain Chomp takes damage, giving the player points. If the player chooses an incorrect path, the Chomp attacks them with one one point lost.

The same Chain Chomp can also appear in the mini-game Bowser's Block Battle. If Bowser rolls it on his own metal die, then the Chain Chomp falls onto the arena and charges around, battering any players that are in its path and causing them to lose points. If it hits a wall, it turns around and charges a different direction.

A Chain Chomp also appears on one of the puzzles in the mini-game Jigsaw Jumble.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
A sleeping Chain Chomp appears briefly in the opening sequence in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Yoshi during his round wakes up the Chain Chomp. The Chain Chomp barks at Yoshi and scares him.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour features several holes in Peach's Castle Grounds and Bowser Badlands where a Chain Chomp devours any ball that enters the hole, wasting two turns.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, two Chain Chomp enemies appear. In one area at Woohoo Hooniversity, Mecha-Chomps, dog-like mechanical Chomps, appear. The Chomp Bros., a variation of the Hammer Bros. that swing small Chomps as weapons, appear in Bowser's Castle.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the Pocket Chomp is a Bros. Item. At first it appears to be a small Chomp in a Mario Party-like orb, but when released, it more than triples in size and chases the brothers across the screen, forcing them to Jump on any enemy in their wake. Occasionally, a Chomp with a ribbon on its head appears, and it is slower than a normal one. This is likely implying it is female.

The Pocket Chomps bark, but it sounds more of the bark in Super Mario 64 and its remake than recent games like Mario Party 7. A Chain Chomp also directs Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi into the castle sewers. It is later fought, and the group hit blocks to shoot lasers at it. When it has one energy left, it splits into five. The real one is noticed because the copies chomp slower, allowing the Bros. to destroy it and let go the block the Chain Chomp has eaten. The Elder Princess Shroob in battle uses Shroob versions of regular Chain Chomps.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Chain Chomps appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story as minions of Fawful, being called Chain Chawfuls. A Fawful-like sworm is found inside them, forcing them to fight for Fawful. If Bowser can swallow the sworm, then the Chain Chomp turns back to normal and run away. They also appear in the fight with Junker and Junker X when Mario or Luigi defeats a Junker Can. The Chain Chomp attempts to ram the brother that defeated the can, but it can be deflected by striking it with the hammer. Chain Chomps are also present among the smaller Piranha Plants Bowser must plow through to reach the two massive Piranha Plants at Peach's Castle. One Chain Chomp is also present outside the final station in the Fawful Express battle.

Mario Power Tennis
In Mario Power Tennis there is a mini-game that takes place in the Wario Factory Court featuring Chain Chomps. If pelted with water, the Chain Chomp goes to sleep or calm down, but if it is struck with a Bob-omb, it wakes up, gets really mad, or chases the player. When a tennis ball is shot at it, the player gets a point. When the Chain Chomp is mad, two points are rewarded instead.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
A single Chain Chomp appears in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. It chases Mario (or Luigi) and Toad while they pursue Wario, who is carrying a Music Key. Shortly after this Chain Chomp appears, Mario (or Luigi) plays the mini-game, Chain-Chomp Chase in which he must outrun the Chain Chomp and lose it.

Mario Superstar Baseball
Two Chain Chomps appear in Mario Superstar Baseball as an obstacle in the foul line in the Wario Palace field. There is also one that appears in the "Chain Chomp Sprint" mini-game. It sleeps in the center of the bases, and if players are still running the bases it while it is awake, it rams into them, causing them to be out for a few seconds. The Chain Chomp in Wario Palace also appears in the intro.

Mario Super Sluggers
In Mario Super Sluggers, a Chain Chomp appears as a gimmick on the Bowser Jr. Playroom field. If the ball lands on a Chain Chomp image on the field, one appears and attacks the fielders.

Chain Chomps also appear in a mini-game called Graffiti Runner. A character activates them by opening a treasure chest. Once activated, the Chain Chomp rampages through the field, removing any paint and hitting any player in the way, even if the player has a star.

Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, normal Chain Chomps, along with a variation of Chain Chomp, known as Calm Chain Chomp, can be found. These Chain Chomps sleep unless Princess Peach wakes them up. They then act like normal Chain Chomps. The super-dangerous Big Chain Chomp also debuts here. Chain Chomps do not bark in this game, but they did gain a chomping noise.

Mario Strikers series
Super Mario Strikers features a Chain Chomp as an item with which the player can attack. If used, the Chomp attacks all opposing players on the field, leaving them on the ground for a few seconds. However it is very rare, and it only appears if the team is losing badly. It is the strongest offensive item in the game, however sometimes it backfires on the user. It may attack the user's team along with the opponent's team.

It reappears in the sequel, Mario Strikers Charged acting very similarly as they did in Super Mario Strikers. Like in the first game, it rampages around the whole field, attacking anyone who has the ball and stunning them for a certain amount of time. They appear only when the team is losing badly. They appear more often than in the previous game, however. On a side note, it is possible for the Playmaker and Defensive players to avoid the Chain Chomp. Balanced players can also avoid the Chain Chomp, but it is more difficult. Slower player types cannot avoid the Chain Chomp.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
A Chain Chomp appears as an obstacle in both the Wii and DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, during Dream Ski Cross and Extreme Snow Boarding, respectively. It would make the player trip if touched. It is large and should be avoided.

Fortune Street
A Chain Chomp makes an appearance in Fortune Street. Once the player beats the Mario Ciruit board, the shop will expand and have a Chain Chomp in the Mascots section.

The Legend of Zelda series
The Chain Chomps make many cameo appearances in The Legend of Zelda games. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening features three domesticated Chomps (one named BowWow, stemming from the Japanese name for Chain Chomp, Wanwan, which is also an onomatopoeia for a dog's bark). The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past have Chain Chomp-like enemies that Link must avoid. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary, a Chain Chomp can be used as an item to eat enemies.

WarioWare series
In WarioWare: Touched!, there is a souvenir called "Reel-to-Reel", which is a projector that features a red Chomp.

Characteristics and Traits
Chomps resemble a ball with chains. They have big circular eyes, large gaping mouths, and razor-sharp teeth. Most also have a restraining tail-like chain, which are commonly tied to some sort of post to restrict their movement. These creatures are an extremely dark shade of purplish-blue or black with bright white eyes and teeth (though they have appeared in other colors, such as red, blue, and yellow). Unlike most enemies from the Mario games, Chomps are incapable of human speech; rather they communicate through dog like barks (hence their Japanese name). Behavior-wise, they act similar to guard dogs, and they attack without thinking. Chain Chomps are rarely seen calm and many have a ferocious personality. However, they can sometimes seem to be carefree if unchained, such as the Chain Chomps in Peach Gardens. Chain Chomps also have a tendency to sleep, as shown in some games (most likely because they use up a lot of energy). Chomps also seem to have varying sizes, some growing to huge proportions while others are as big as Mario.

Chomps are some of the tougher enemies in the Mario series. In a couple of games, they are invincible, and they usually have an above-average defense in RPGs. Many games seem to even hint that they are made of a hard, metallic substance. Their main method of attack is lunging at the enemy and biting them, though they are usually pulled back by their chains. Chainless Chomps, therefore, make for more difficult enemies, especially due to them generally being larger than their other brethren. With a few exceptions (such as in Paper Mario), most Chomps that aren't tied charges at their enemy instead of lunge.

Chomps are more animal-like than other enemies such as Goombas and Shy Guys. However, a few Chomps seem to have some more capabilities of thinking than others. Lack of technology is evident in their usage as guards. Some items, such as the Chomp Whistle and Pocket Chomp, can be used to summon Chomps, which further proves that they have some traits of loyalty and obedience, similar to a dog. In short, Chomps may be considered the Mario-equivalent to the Real World guard dog.