Panser

Pansers are enemies commonly found in Super Mario Bros. 2. Along with Pokeys, they are the only known hostile plant species in Subcon, although Pansers were created by Wart. There are three types of Pansers: red, pink, and either green or gray depending on location. The red version stays in one place and shoot two fireballs in the player's direction, the green/gray variant (both just green in the remakes) patrols an area and shoot fireballs straight up, and the most powerful, the pink (blue in the remakes), chases the player and shoots fireballs towards them. These enemies can only be defeated by throwing another enemy or an item, like a vegetable or Mushroom Block, at them.

The Lava Lotus from Super Mario Bros. 3 resembles a large, transparent Panser. The similar Volcano Lotus introduced in Super Mario World additionally shares the same Japanese name as Panser, suggesting a connection. However, neither of these plants are ever shown to be able to move, and they release their projectiles in periodic sets rather than rapidly fire in an arc. The Fiery Walking Piranha from Super Mario Bros. 3, Pompon Flower from Super Mario Land, Furafurawā from Game Boy Donkey Kong, Wild Ptooie Piranha from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Pollen Plant from Virtual Boy Wario Land are also similar.

No actual Panser is found outside of Super Mario Bros. 2, its remakes, and other related media. Nonetheless, in the racetrack titled Shy Guy Bazaar in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour, many stalls (and even part of the track itself) are decorated with red carpets, all of which feature Panser sprites as motifs, along with Phantos and Cobrats.

In the NES version, they have black stems, but in the SNES version and other subsequent remakes, they have beige stems. The red ones are always depicted as having green stems in artwork.

Super Mario Bros. 2

 * Instruction Booklet bio: The only plant life Wart created for the world of dreams. It spouts fire.

Super Mario Advance

 * Instruction Booklet bio: These fiery flowers are real hotheads. You'll be safe if you can avoid their fireballs.

Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encyclopedia
「ポンキー 種族 フラワー族 性格 とにかくイジワル 登場ゲーム USA」 火の玉はいて、とおせんぼ 火の玉をはいて、マリオたちの行く手をさえぎるイヤなやつ. 真上だけに火をはくやっ、左右にバラまくやつ、止まってるやつ、動いているやつなど、種類もいろいろいるよ.

Panser Species: Flower Tribe Disposition: He's just a tease Appears in: USA Fireballs flinging and running out of steam ''A nasty little fellow that blocks the path of Mario and his friends by emitting fireballs. There are various types of fireballs, such as those that only burn directly above you, those that spread out to the left and right, those that stand still, and those that move.''

Trivia

 * Excluding Wart, Pansers are the only enemy from Super Mario Bros. 2 to not appear in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
 * Pansers likely get their name a combination of the word, a type of flower, and , a German tank, perhaps in reference to the plant's ability to throw fireballs.