Sidestepper



Sidestepper (Japanese サイドステッパー / カニさん Sidestepper / Kani-San) is a red crab that scuttles sideways, usually baring its teeth. Sidesteppers have begun to appear in place of standard Crab obstacles in the Mario Kart Series.

Mario Bros.
The Sidestepper is the second enemy the Mario Bros. encounter. Sidestepper emerges from the pipes and walks towards the bottom of the screen. When hit from below, the Sidestepper becomes angry and speeds up. Hit the Sidestepper from below a second time to flip it over, then run into it to defeat it. If left alone, the Sidestepper will change colour and flip itself back over, moving faster. Sidesteppers also appear in all remakes of Mario Bros.

Mario Clash
Sidesteppers come out of pipes and scuttle sideways. Hit it in the front or back with a Shell to turn it sideways, then hit it in the side with another Shell to defeat it.

Super Mario Advance
The game contains a new version of Mario Bros. entitled Mario Bros. Classic, but Sidestepper has also been added to the main Super Mario Bros. 2 game. When approaching Clawgrip, a short cutscene shows he is a Sidestepper, transformed into Clawgrip by one of Wart's magic bubbles.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Sidesteppers make a cameo appearance during the battle with Hermie III. Sidesteppers run past in the background.



Mario Kart Series
In the Mario Kart Series, Sidesteppers can be found on beach stages where they walk left and right. They sometimes appear with yellow highlights on their claws. Driving into Sidestepper makes the player's kart spin around. If Sidestepper is hit with a shell, star, or bomb, it flips over and disappears.

In Mario Kart Wii, during August 2009's 1st Competition, the player actually had to take out a certain number of Sidesteppers with items.



Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy., there are red and blue Crabs found in many beach galaxies. To defeat them, Mario must jump on it or Spin them to put them on their guard which will cause them to retract into their shell, allowing Mario to circle behind them and Spin their weak point to defeat it. There are also Blue Crabs, however they are more skittish and when they are defeated they leave a 1-up Mushroom. The red and blue coloring seems to be a direct reference to Sidesteppers.

Mario Power Tennis
The Mario Classic Court is based on Mario Bros., and the original game's sprites are used, including Sidestepper. During a Gimmick game, Sidestepper might walk across the court and trip a character.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sidesteppers appear on the Mario Bros. stage. Sidesteppers walk out of the pipes at the top of the screen. Players can hit them from below to flip them over, and pick them up to throw at opponents. If a player is hit by a thrown Sidestepper, they fly sideways off the screen.