Dark Tortoise

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Dark Tortoise
Artwork of a Dark Tortoise from Virtual Boy Wario Land.
First appearance Virtual Boy Wario Land (1995)
Sprite of a Dark Tortoise, from Virtual Boy Wario Land.

A Dark Tortoise[1] is an enemy in Virtual Boy Wario Land. They are encountered in Stage 6 only, within areas with strong water currents. When alone, these tortoise-like creatures can be seen patrolling small areas of land above the water. They wear an object upon their heads that appears to be a shuriken, which the Dark Tortoise uses as an object to throw.

Dark Tortoise screenshot
Screenshot of Dark Tortoise.

When they catch sight of Wario, they can be seen chuckling. They will then take the shuriken off their head and throw it towards Wario. The shuriken loops in the air, and quickly returns to the Dark Tortoise’s hand. If the shuriken's spikes touch Wario, it will inflict damage. If Wario instead jumps on top of the shuriken during its flight, it will fall to the ground. If the shuriken miss Wario several consecutive times, the creature will move to a different position and begin throwing again. Wario can defeat these enemies by dealing a Body Slam to the head or a Barge to the side. The Dark Tortoise can be stunned by jumping on its head, or simply running into it without the power of a Barge. When stunned, they can be thrown or pushed into the water current nearby, which will send them floating away.

These creatures are based on the famous kappa from Japanese folklore, also represented in the Super Mario franchise by Kappa Mountain.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese カッパゲ[2]
Kappage
From「河童」(kappa) and「影」(kage, shadow)

References[edit]

  1. ^ 1995. Virtual Boy Wario Land instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 29.
  2. ^ 1995. Virtual Boy Wario Land: Awazon no Hihō instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 25.