Petey Piranha


 * Not to be confused with Peewee Piranha.

Petey Piranha is an abnormally large Piranha Plant. His first appearance was in Super Mario Sunshine, and since then he has gained much popularity and has since become a regular boss in Mario titles. He also consistently appears in sports games and spin-offs. Petey Piranha is thought to be a loyal follower of Bowser, but this is undetermined. It is quite likely that he is the ruler of his kind, as suggested by his Japanese name, Boss Pakkun, "Pakkun Flower" being the Japanese name for the Piranha Plant. He has multiple special powers that set him apart from normal Piranha Plants, including spitting Goop and flying.

At the end of each battle with him, he is destroyed, but always seems to be resurrected to appear in another game (even being fought twice in Super Mario Sunshine).

''Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. selected Petey to help him defeat Mario on his vacation to Isle Delfino. Petey Piranha was stationed in Bianco Hills where he terrorized the residents, covering the landscape with Goop. When Mario faced him on top of the Big Windmill, Petey Piranha's enormous weight made the windmill's roof collapse, causing Mario and him to fall into the windmill. Inside, Petey Piranha attacked Mario by spitting Goop at him, and also headbutting him if he came too close. Mario, however, shot water into his mouth with F.L.U.D.D., causing his stomach to become filled with water and making him fall to the ground. Mario then Ground Pounded Petey Piranha's belly three times, causing him to dissolve into Goop and give Mario a Shine Sprite.

However, Petey Piranha survived and appeared once again in Episode 5, where he was happily snoozing on a cliff high above Bianco Hills. After Mario woke him by blasting him with a Poink, Petey Piranha used his enormous arms to fly, and launched an attack from the sky. Mario sprayed water or shot Poinks at him, both of which caused him to fall to the ground. Then, in the same manner as the previous battle, Mario filled Petey Piranha's belly with water and Ground Pounded it. However, if Mario was able to Ground Pound him, or if he successfully spat goop, he would take to the skies again. On the ground, Petey Piranha not only attacked by spitting Goop, but also by unleashing small tornadoes. After being defeated, Petey Piranha once again dissolved into Goop and was not seen for the remainder of the game.

Strangely enough, Petey's attacks never did damage Mario, but the goop that he spat out could hurt Mario if he stayed on it for too long, and it could spawn Swoopin' Stus.

''New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Petey Piranha was the boss of World 5, the ice world. Many Piranha Plants appeared in Petey's castle, a subtle hint that he would appear as the boss at the end. When confronted by the player, he attacked by flying up high, then dropping from the sky, attempting to crush the player beneath him with a move similar to the Ground Pound. Since the floor was made of slippery ice, after attacking he slipped and fell. It was then that he could be attacked by Mario or Luigi. After 2 hits, he would start his attack by jumping from side to side, which would be harder to dodge due to the bad traction of the ground. If they defeated him using a Mini Mushroom, they would travel to World 7 instead of World 6. However, the brothers were forced to Ground Pound him in order to inflict damage upon the beast when tiny. Once defeated, Petey Piranha would attempt to get up while glowing a bright white light; he soon vanished, revealing the key.

''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Petey made his first appearance in a spin-off game in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. In this game, he was an unlockable character, obtainable by completing all side games (excluding the Birdie Challenge) on beginner, intermediate and expert. His large size made him the most powerful golfer in the game, capable of hitting the longest distance and launching the ball with a higher trajectory than any other character. When he hit the ball with his club, a golden streak followed the ball, like the tail of a comet. Like the other unlockable characters, his star character was available when he was unlocked.

On the character select screen, Petey was sleeping, while other characters were all doing some sort of exercise/warm-up/stretch. His animations after completing a hole included him flying up high (eagle), laughing (birdie), doing the "wave" (par), slapping himself in the face, similar to Super Mario Sunshine if he got hit by Mario, (bogey), and spitting goop before falling down (double bogey).

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Petey Piranha also appeared as an unlockable racer in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with King Boo as his partner, hinting that they had some sort of relationship. The pair were unlocked by beating the Star Cup in Mirror Mode. Unlike the other racers who had their own special items, both Petey and King Boo had no special items of their own. Instead, they had the ability to use any special item in the entire game. Petey Piranha's personal kart, unlocked at the same time as him, was the Piranha Pipes, a vehicle assembled out of the Piranha Plant's trademark, green tubing. As with all heavyweight racers, he could only race in the Heavy karts.

While Petey Piranha did not appear in Mario Kart Wii, a kart that resembled him, named the Piranha Prowler, was available for use by large characters, unlocked by placing first in the 50cc Special Cup. If one was driving this kart and got a speed boost, or once they won, the mouth at the front of the kart would move. Also, it was revealed in the game's coding that Petey Piranha was supposed to be in Mario Kart Wii alongside Hammer Bro. and Paratroopa.

''Mario Pinball Land
Petey Piranha made an appearance in Mario Pinball Land. Here, he had no feet, a long neck, a more outward mouth, and a round body. Petey appeared as the first boss in the game, in the Grassy Greens area. Before Mario could face him, he had to earn enough stars to open the Star Door at the entrance of the windmill. Once he had opened the door, Petey was fought. Mario had to hit the body three times while distracting Petey's head to beat him.

The fact that he was fought in a windmill is a clear reference to Super Mario Sunshine, where the first fight with him was in a windmill as well.

''Mario Power Tennis
In Mario Power Tennis, he appeared as an unlockable character alongside Fly Guy, Paratroopa and Wiggler. He could be unlocked by beating the two Special Tournaments - Fire and Thunder - in Doubles. In this game, he appeared once again as a power character; therefore, his shots traveled faster than usual, but he was slower than most other characters. He was also the largest character in the game, giving him a very large reach. Also, if he charged up his shot and the opponent hit it, they'd be pushed back a little. His Power Shots were Sludge Racket and Piranha Swingback. The first involved swallowing his racket, puking it up, and spitting it at the ball at a high speed, while the latter involved him spitting a Piranha Plant in the Generator near the ball, which would then hit it back to the other side of the court. His default Doubles partner was Wiggler, who was a Defense type character, making them an effective team.

''Mario Superstar Baseball
Petey made an appearance in the first game of the Mario Baseball series, Mario Superstar Baseball, as a team member of Wario's in Challenge Mode. In this game he was a Power type character, the strongest in the game with a batting stat of 9/10, tied with Bowser. He was also the slowest runner, with a running stat of 1/10, tied with Red Pianta, Yellow Pianta, and Bowser. In this game, he had good chemistry with Birdo, Donkey Kong and King Boo, but he had bad chemistry with Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Noki, and Pianta. It is unknown why he had good chemistry with Birdo and Donkey Kong, and why he had bad chemistry with Daisy. However, it is possible that he, being a Piranha Plant, is a type of plant Daisy does not like to grow. Also, his chemistry with Birdo tied over to the next game. He had the ability to Body Check, saving him in tight pinches. He could body check any other character, even Bowser, with ease. He also had the strongest throwing arm in the game (despite the fact that his pitching is only around average), and he couldn't get body checked when on a base.

''Mario Super Sluggers
Petey Piranha reappears in Mario Super Sluggers again as a Power Character. However, unlike the previous installment, he was available from the start. He also still retained his ability to Body Check, being the only player who can do that. Unlike in the last game, he was on Peach's team, possibly to add a powerful character to her team to balance the game out more. In Challenge Mode, he appeared in Peach Ice Garden in an empty flower pot. If Princess Peach used her special ability, Petey Piranha appeared. To get him to join, the player had to hit the ball into the yellow circle five times. In this game he had compatibility with Birdo, King Boo, Blooper, and Wiggler, but he had bad chemistry with Pianta, Noki, and Baby Mario. He also appeared on the box's game cover, behind Toad and Toadette.

''Super Princess Peach
Petey Piranha reappeared as a boss in Super Princess Peach, defending Bowser's Villa from Princess Peach, and keeping a Toad hostage. In the American version of this game, he was labeled under the name Boss P. Plant (short for Boss Piranha Plant, a direct translation of his Japanese name Boss Packun), but in the European release, Petey Piranha was referred to by his proper English name. He was the first boss of the game, being the boss of Ladida Plains. When Peach saw Petey, the overgrown plant swallowed the Toad, who was trapped in a ball, and the princess had to defeat Petey to rescue the poor mushroom resident. His attacks were shooting sound waves, pushing back Peach, shooting Nipper Plants (which could be absorbed for vibe), shooting one shockwave to the left and one to the right (which could defeat Nipper Plants if there were any not defeated by the princess), and if she was using a vibe power, ending it. Peach had to use her Gloom vibe to make a plant grow so that she could leap on a leaf and once again use the vibe to put tears into the plant and inflate him, making him fall down and reveal his weak spot: his belly button. Peach had to jump on his belly five times to defeat him. After 3 hits, Petey used his own vibe, Rage. Petey could bounce around, making Peach's attack tough, and additionally shooting 2 shockwaves to each side. It is notable that the method of defeating him was very similar to Super Mario Sunshine, however Peach needed to hit him five times, not three like Mario needed to in Super Mario Sunshine, and that, when he fell over, Peach just needed to stomp his navel. Mario needed to Ground Pound it. Once defeated, Petey Piranha exploded.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In the Koopaseum of the Mushroom Kingdom's past, shown in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Princess Peach was fed to Petey Piranha by Princess Shroob's orders. Shortly afterwords, Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi enter the Gritzy Caves beneath the Koopaseum to find Petey and save the princess. On their way, they encountered two Shroobs with Kylie Koopa, whom they had suspended by a rope. Petey then emerged from the ground and the Shroobs cut Kylie's rope, feeding her to the giant Piranha Plant as well. But before the Mario Bros. could do anything, he burrowed away.

Once Petey Piranha was finally engaged in battle, his attacks included diving into the sand and ejecting rocks towards the Mario Bros. To dodge this assault, the player had to look at how Petey dove and jump with the according Bro. The mutant plant started the battle hovering, but after being hit by multiple attacks, he fell into the sand, being buried up to his head. His other main attack, while grounded, involved going underground and swallowing the sand, trying to drag the Mario Bros. into his mouth. The brothers had to jump up and down as to not get consumed. He could also spit out Piranha seeds that grew into Piranha Plants that had to be hammered away multiple times. After a certain number of turns, he jumped back out of the sand and resumed hovering. He could, once again, be knocked out of the air. He was especially susceptible to Fire and Ice. Once defeated, Petey Piranha exploded and both Kylie and a Cobalt Star Shard flew out of him, but Princess Peach does not. Kylie explained that when she was eaten she saw the princess; however, Petey spat her out right after swallowing said Kylie.

This encounter showed that Petey had become familiar with the Mario Bros. and Princess Peach before the events of his debut in Super Mario Sunshine. This also showed that Petey may well be considerably older than most other characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach and even Bowser since they were all just babies at this point, and Petey wasn't. However, it is possible that he was a baby but the Shroobs mutated him, causing him to grow considerably in size.

''Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Two Petey Piranha-like monsters appeared in the Daisy Garden court as the baskets in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and tried to keep anyone from making a slam dunk. They fell asleep approximately every 30 seconds, making dunks possible during that time. If a team dunked three times in the first half without letting their opponents score, a blue seed would be in a ? Panel. If the player took it and won the game, a secret court called Malboro Garden would become playable, which featured plant-like monsters from the Final Fantasy series that moved slowly from side to side behind the hoops and breathed out a purple gas that would stun players.

''Mario Sports Mix
Petey Piranha appears in Mario Sports Mix on Daisy Garden, as an NPC. During a basketball match, Petey reprises his role from Mario Hoops 3-on-3, acting as the hoop, and during a dodgeball match, Petey stands on the side of the playing area and will spit goop that will act as obstacles to the players. This game also marks the first time Petey spits goop since 2004 in Mario Power Tennis, unless one counts New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis, which is a remake of Mario Power Tennis, or Mario Strikers Charged Football, since he spits "mud" rather than "goop". Petey stars in his very own party game called Feed Petey where contestants try to feed as much fruit to him within the time alloted.

''Mario Strikers Charged Football
Petey Piranha appeared as an unlockable captain in the Wii game Mario Strikers Charged Football. He was a Power player, making him good at tackling and shooting; however, he could not pass or run very well. His Super Ability, Mud Slinger!, caused him to spit mud on the ground, which slowed everyone down but him. He could use this move up to four times in one Super Ability. Petey Piranha's Deke involved him rapidly banging his head backwards and forwards to prevent opponents from stealing the ball. His Mega Strike was difficult to block as well. In this move, Petey was enclosed in a large bud, while a stem sprout from the ground and took him above the stage, where he would spit the ball at the goal.

He was the final unlockable character in the game, unlocked by beating the final cup, the Striker Cup, which involved beating Petey in the Stormship Stadium stage. Petey is not shown in the opening cinematics of the game. Since Diddy and Bowser Jr. (the other two unlockables) did make brief appearances in that cinema, he is the only character in the game not shown in the opening.

His theme music when he scored a point was calypso. One of his winning animations involves him doing the limbo with his team players, while one of his "losing animations" (sometimes when the opponent scores a point) Petey will walk angrily to one of the opponents, eat them, and spit them back out, covering them in mud.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Petey was the first boss in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. After Bowser joined the Subspace Army in its attempts to conquer "this world," Petey and the Ancient Minister led an attack on the Midair Stadium, where Mario and Kirby were having a friendly brawl. After capturing the spectating Peach and Zelda in cages, Petey blast Mario away with a cannonball from his mouth (before Mario could destroy a Subspace Bomb that had been dropped by the Ancient Minister), leaving Kirby as his only opponent. Petey attacked by swinging the cages at the player, as well as jumping into the air and potentially causing damage from the impact of landing. Kirby had to attack the cages to weaken them, saving one of the princesses (attacking the Piranha Plant himself dealt damage to both cages). Petey Piranha had no other attacks beside body slamming the player and swinging the cages around. However, only one princess could be saved, and the other princess would be changed back into a Trophy by Wario, who then stole it. Once defeated, Petey Piranha suddenly burst into flames.

Physical Appearance
Petey Piranha is certainly recognizable as a Piranha Plant, but he differs starkly from a typical one. According to Mario Superstar Baseball, he got his looks from a mutation of an unknown source. Petey is characterized by a remarkably large head and a comparably small body. He has a round, protuberant belly and a large belly button, but it's only visible if his stomach is inflated with a great quantity of water. Additionally, he has leaf-like arms and stubby legs, both of which grant him mobility beyond his pipe-dwelling "cousins". He also has green lips, which are similar to the lips of the old Piranha Plants but now contrast the white lips of the new Piranha Plants. He wears red pants with white polka dots, matching the coloration of his head. His most distinguishing feature is a ring of yellow petals with orange rims around his head, resembling a crown or a mane. In his first appearance, these petals had an iridescent quality, becoming a vibrant, fiery orange or a shiny white (with pinkish rims) depending on the angle of the light, but this trait was no longer present beyond Super Mario Sunshine. Petey is also of a much greater size than normal Piranha Plants, easily standing six times Mario's height, though when depicted with a sprite or encountered in sports and spin-offs, he's smaller. Mario Superstar Baseball was the first game to portray Petey Piranha with a tongue, which was also seen in every game following. Curiously, after gaining a tongue, he seems to have lost his ability to spit goop. At first Petey Piranha was mistaken to be female; however, Petey Piranha's gender has never been mentioned. However, his various bios refer to Petey as a he.

Personality
Petey Piranha is a stereotypical big, tall, and strong character with limited intelligence. He does, however, exhibit the ability to acknowledge his own clumsiness, such as when he slaps his face in humiliation once he's back on his feet after taking damage in Super Mario Sunshine. Petey also has a sense of humor, as shown when he skips daintily to home plate when achieving a home run in the baseball games. Often taking naps, he gets frustrated when someone suddenly wakes him up, a trait that is similar to other Piranha Plant enemies that attack when awoken. He is also known for being very hungry and appears to be omnivorous. Despite his low intellect, he frequently aims to destroy Mario; it may also be that he simply attacks anyone who gets in his way, or he's hungry and thinks Mario would be a good snack. Petey is not always aggressive, though, and has been shown to be passive in games like Mario Power Tennis and other sports games.

Abilities
Petey Piranha has unique abilities that normal Piranha Plants cannot perform. His leaves, for example, double as wings, granting him the ability to fly. In Super Mario Sunshine, he whips up Tweesters with his leaves and headbutts the player if they come within range. These attacks normally cause no damage, though at times Mario may get knocked back far enough to lose health. Petey's main attack involves spitting out large quantities of brown Goop, which create Swoopin' Stus and occasionally small Piranha Plants. Mario is damaged if he is in the Goop too long and/or slips. This ability of Petey's is not exclusive to Super Mario Sunshine as he can still spit Goop in later appearances, making it somewhat of a trademark of his. Another one of Petey's main traits is his phenomenal physical strength. This is especially evident in sports games when comparing his stats to other characters, and in Mario Power Tennis the power of his swings causes all opponents (even larger ones like Bowser and Wiggler) to be knocked back a bit.

Also, in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Petey can dig into sand and spit out a Piranha Plant seed that sprouts and attacks the players, and in Super Princess Peach, he makes sound waves, shock waves and spits Nipper Plants.

When Petey Piranha hits the ball with his club in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour it shoots across the course with a golden streak. When he's playing baseball, he catches and throws the ball with his mouth, but when he's batting he hits the ball with his leaf-like arm. His sweet spot is the vein of his arm.

''Mario Superstar Baseball

 * Type: Power
 * Starting Team Captain: Wario
 * Status: Player
 * Stats:
 * '''Batting: 9/10
 * '''Pitching: 5/10
 * '''Fielding: 4/10
 * '''Running: 1.5/10
 * Player Chemistry: Donkey Kong, Birdo, King Boo
 * Bad Chemistry: Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Pianta, Noki
 * Special Talents: Body Check
 * Bio: A mutation created this boss of the Piranha Plants. Petey can fly in the air for a short while, flapping the leaves that he has developed into primitive arms. When Petey spits a ball out of his toothy mouth, it is lightning-fast.
 * Stats Mission
 * 1) Crack a long hit!
 * 2) Place first in Piranha Panic!
 * 3) Hit a home run!
 * 4) Shut out Mario's team and win!
 * 5) Crush someone with a body check!
 * 6) Catch the ball more than 5 times in a game!

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Partner: King Boo
 * Class: Heavyweight
 * Kart: Piranha Pipes
 * Special Item: Random
 * Bio: Petey Piranha can grab any special item, allowing him to abuse the rest of the field. To unlock him, finish the Mirror Mode Star Cup with a 1st place win.

''Mario Power Tennis

 * Type: Power
 * Defensive Power Shot: Piranha Swingback
 * Offensive Power Shot: Sludge Racket

''Mario Strikers Charged Football

 * Unlocked By: Clearing the Striker Cup
 * Type: Power
 * Super Ability: Mud Slinger!
 * Deke: Shakes his head to repel opponents.

Stats

 * Movement: 3
 * Shooting: 10
 * Passing: 3
 * Defense: 10

Gallery
For pictures, see this subject's gallery.

Trivia

 * Several other "Giant Piranha Plant" characters appear throughout the Mario series, many of which bear a resemblance to Petey. These include:
 * The Piranha Bean and the Mom Piranha from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
 * The Dino Piranha and Fiery Dino Piranha from Super Mario Galaxy.
 * The Peewee Piranha from Super Mario Galaxy 2.
 * In Super Mario Sunshine, Petey Piranha is actually able to be fought before the player reaches Episode 2: Down With Petey Piranha in Bianco Hills. Petey is already standing atop the Big Windmill in the first episode, and after the player defeats the Piranha Plant in the Generator, the path to the windmill opens, allowing access to Petey. If the player speaks to the Pianta standing at the windmill, he'll respond to the fact that the player is skipping ahead, asking, "Whuzzah!? Whozat?! What're you doing over here? You're getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think? Isn't there something else you should do before coming here?" Petey Piranha's second appearance cannot be fought prior to Episode 5, however.
 * Petey Piranha is offered as an answer to one of Pokey's riddles in Mario Party Advance — specifically, "What golfs, parties, and rides on a kart?" Mario is the correct answer, however, as Petey never appeared in a Mario Party game.
 * In Mario Power Tennis, if the player makes Petey a lefty, his appearance is completely mirrored. The same goes for Bowser Jr..
 * In Mario Strikers Charged Football, Petey is the only captain to wear a helmet.
 * In Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, Petey is the only character who does not use a bat/glove or any item at all to hit/catch the ball, as he uses his leaf-like arm.
 * In every spin-off game he's appeared in (excluding Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), Petey's power stat has never been lower than anyone else's.
 * Petey was going to appear in Mario Party DS as the first person who needs help, but he was replaced by Wiggler, and his board Petey's Greenhouse was replaced by Wiggler's Garden.