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{{about|the generic fish sometimes seen in the Super Mario franchise|the microgame in [[Game & Wario]]|[[Fish (microgame)]]|specific fish found in the Super Mario franchise|[[:Category:Fish]]}}
{{species infobox
|image=[[File:SMG Asset Model Fish (Yellow).png|200x200px]]<br>Model from ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario World]]'' ([[List of games by date#1990|1990]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]'' ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
|comparable=[[Bird (Super Mario Sunshine)|Bird]]<br>[[Butterfly]]<br>[[Small animal]]<br>[[Small bird]]
}}
'''Fish''' appear as one of the characterizing components of the underwater-themed levels in the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise, particularly in 3D [[Super Mario (series)|mainline]] titles. Fish usually have no interactable elements, passively schooling in the [[water]]. However, they occasionally serve more substantial gameplay purposes, such as in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' and ''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]'' Sometimes their placement within levels indicate there is a nearby secret, similar to the [[small bird]]s and [[small animal|animal]]s found on land.

Unlike [[Cheep Cheep]]s and other fish-based characters, ambient fish typically have {{wp|Realism (arts)|realistic}} designs derived from real-world species.

==History==
{{stub|section=y|The fish from ''Diddy Kong Racing'' }}
===''Super Mario'' series===
====''Super Mario World'' / ''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2''====
[[File:SMWSodaLakeFish.png|right|78px]]
Ambient fish first appear in the foreground of some underwater courses of ''[[Super Mario World]]'' and its remake ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'', such as [[Soda Lake]] and [[Star World 2]]. Rather than being individual sprites, all fish are part of a background layer that scrolls at a constant speed; as such, all fish are always at the same distance from eachother.

====''Super Mario 64'' / ''Super Mario 64 DS''====
[[File:The Secret Aquarium.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Mario]] near schools of fish in The Secret Aquarium.]]
Ambient fish appear in the underwater courses of ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. In this game, most fish are blue with black stripes, vaguely similar to {{wp|Pterophyllum|freshwater angelfish}}. Some instead are red and resemble {{wp|red-bellied piranha}}s. Amongst the main courses, fish appear in [[Jolly Roger Bay]] and [[Dire, Dire Docks]]. The blue fish occur in the tanks of the room that holds the [[painting]] for Jolly Roger Bay as well. However, they are most numerous in [[The Secret Aquarium]], accessed within the same room. In the Japanese version, this secret course is named after them. Schools of blue and red fish occur here together.

In any areas where the water is shallow, such as [[Whomp's Fortress]] or the basement of the [[Peach's Castle|Mushroom Castle]], there is a small chance that a fish will leap from the water when [[Mario]] [[jump]]s.

====''Super Mario Sunshine''====
[[File:SMS GelatoBeach BlueCoin 14.png|thumb|200px|Mario approaching a school of blue fish in [[Gelato Beach]].]]
''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' takes place on [[Isle Delfino]], which is known for its fisheries. The fish relay the location of [[coin]]s in underwater areas, a role somewhat comparable to that of the game's [[Bird (Super Mario Sunshine)|birds]] and [[butterfly|butterflies]]. Like ''Super Mario 64'', there are blue and red types. The blue ones are oblong with yellow fins, similar to {{wp|Pseudotropheus sp. "acei"|yellow-tail acei}}, and school near [[Blue Coin]]s. These ones appear in [[Ricco Harbor]] and [[Gelato Beach]]. The red fish are taller, similar to {{wp|Discus (fish)|discus}}, and occur only in the [[mission|episode]] "[[Red Coins in the Coral Reef]]." They surround hidden [[Red Coin]]s around the reef. Additional species appear in the seafood markets on Isle Delfino, but they do not have unique gameplay components.

====''Super Mario Galaxy'' / ''Super Mario Galaxy 2''====
{{quote|Ever since those [[Gringill|big eels]] showed up, we haven't caught ANY fish!|Penguru}}
The fish in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'' lack any interactive components, but the specific types that appear depends on the type of course they are found in. In the beach-themed [[galaxy|galaxies]] whose bodies of water are under the direct sky, such as the [[Beach Bowl Galaxy]] and [[Starshine Beach Galaxy]], five types of fish appear that resemble {{wp|littoral zone|littoral}} marine species: red fish resembling {{wp|Anthiadidae|anthias}}; yellow fish resembling the butterflyfish of the ''{{wp|Chaetodon}}'' genus; white fish resembling {{wp|Moorish idol}}s and butterflyfish in the genus ''{{wp|Heniochus}}''; and a nonspecific blue fish. In underwater caves like the ones found in the [[Deep Dark Galaxy]] or [[Slimy Spring Galaxy]], two different types of dark-scaled fish appear that are derived from {{wp|benthic zone|benthic}} species: turquoise ones resembling {{wp|Sternoptychidae|hatchetfish}} and purple ones resembling {{wp|viperfish}}. Fish always school with members of the same type.

The fish in these games are purely ambient, like the [[seagull]]s also found in these games. The [[penguin]]s state that they eat fish, and a comment from [[Penguru]] implies that [[Gringill]]s do as well.

====''Super Mario 3D World'' / ''Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury''====
In ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' and its [[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury|Nintendo Switch port]], fish characterize the beach and underwater-themed courses in the game. These fish are more caricatured than the ones in previous games. There are four types: a {{wp|fusiform}} red fish; an oblong blue fish; a broad green fish; and an angelfish-like yellow fish. They do not provide any gameplay functions.

====''Super Mario Odyssey''====
With the exception of the [[Cap Kingdom]], the [[Cascade Kingdom]], and the [[Snow Kingdom]], all of the kingdoms with bodies of water in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'' contain fish. Like most elements in the game, the type of fish are thematically tied to the environment of each kingdom. The Lake Kingdom contains many small colorful fish similar to neotropical {{wp|Poeciliidae|poeciliids}} and {{wp|Mikrogeophagus|ram cichlids}}. A pool near the beginning of the Iron Road in the [[Wooded Kingdom]] is has small schools of {{wp|rainbow trout}} in it. The waters of the [[Seaside Kingdom]] are filled with shimmering gold-colored fish that swim around subjects of interest, like [[bubbler]]s, [[8-bit pipe]]s, and [[glowing spot]]s. The moat of [[Bowser's Kingdom]] contains {{wp|koi}}. Like the birds and [[small animal]]s found in ''Super Mario Odyssey'', all of the these fish appear in the [[Mushroom Kingdom (Super Mario Odyssey)|Mushroom Kingdom]] once [[Princess Peach]] and [[Tiara]] return to [[Peach's Castle]].

===''Virtual Boy Wario Land''===
Schools of fish appear in ''[[Virtual Boy Wario Land]]''. One school accompanies each [[Thorny Fish]] seen in [[Stage 3 (Virtual Boy Wario Land)|Stage 3]], swimming back and forth, with regular pauses. They appear to speed up if [[Wario]] is swimming ahead of them. These fish appear to be in the background of the stage, and cannot harm Wario in any way. 

===''Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker''===
The red fish from ''Super Mario 3D World'' return in ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'', retaining the same aesthetic purposes. They can be found in beach and underwater-themed levels such as [[Floaty Fun Water Park]] and [[Briny Bowl Swimming Hole]].

===''Princess Peach: Showtime!''===
Fish appear in all the mermaid themed stages of ''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]'' [[Mermaid Peach]] can control them with her singing voice and use then to gather collectibles or pry open [[Clam|clamshells]].

==Gallery==
===Artwork===
<gallery>
PPS Mermaid Peach Artwork 2.png|''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]''
</gallery>

===Sprites and models===
<gallery>
VBWL Sprite - School of Fish.png|''[[Virtual Boy Wario Land]]''
SM64 Asset Model Fish (Blue).png|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
SM64 Asset Model Fish (Red).png|''Super Mario 64''
DKR Fish.png|''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''
SMS Asset Model Blue Fish.png|''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''
SMS Asset Model Red Fish.png|''Super Mario Sunshine''
SMG Asset Model Fish (Blue).png|''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
SMG Asset Model Fish (Red).png|''Super Mario Galaxy''
SMG Asset Model Fish (White).png|''Super Mario Galaxy''
SMG Asset Model Fish (Black).png|''Super Mario Galaxy''
SMG Asset Model Fish (Purple).png|''Super Mario Galaxy''
SMO Lake Brochure E.png|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
</gallery>

===Screenshots===
<gallery>
Soda_Lake.png|''[[Super Mario World]]''
Star World 2.png|''Super Mario World''
VBWL Shot - Thorny Fish.png|''[[Virtual Boy Wario Land]]''
Sm64easteregg.png|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
Going after Guppy.png|''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
SMG2 Cosmic Cove Cosmic Cavern.png|''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''
SM3DW World3-5.png|''[[Super Mario 3D World]]''
SMO Environmental Fish Lake.png|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'' ([[Lake Kingdom]])
SMO Environmental Fish Wooded.png|''Super Mario Odyssey'' ([[Wooded Kingdom]])
SMO Environmental Fish Seaside.png|''Super Mario Odyssey'' ([[Seaside Kingdom]])
SMO Environmental Fish Bowser.png|''Super Mario Odyssey'' ([[Bowser's Kingdom]])
CTTT Environmental Fish.png|[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS)|''Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker'']] (Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS)
SM3DWBF Environmental Fish Red.png|''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]''
SM3DWBF Environmental Fish Yellow.png|''Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury''
SM3DWBF Environmental Fish Green.png|''Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury''
SM3DWBF Environmental Fish Blue.png|''Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury''
School of Fish PPS.png|''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]''
Magic Fish PPS.png|''Princess Peach: Showtime!''
PPS Mermaid Peach fish slider.webp|''Princess Peach: Showtime!''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=さかな
|JpnR=Sakana
|JpnM=Fish
|JpnC=<ref>In-game name for [[The Secret Aquarium]].</ref>
}}

==References==
{{NIWA|Nookipedia=1|ZeldaWiki=1}}
{{wikipedia|Fish|fish}}
<references/>

{{SMW}}
{{VBWL}}
{{SM64}}
{{Super Mario Sunshine}}
{{SMG}}
{{SMG2}}
{{SM3DW}}
{{SMO}}
{{PPS}}
[[Category:Fish|*]]
[[Category:Earth animals]]
[[Category:Princess Peach: Showtime!]]
[[Category:Super Mario 3D World species]]
[[Category:Super Mario 64 species]]
[[Category:Super Mario Galaxy species]]
[[Category:Super Mario Galaxy 2 species]]
[[Category:Super Mario Odyssey species]]
[[Category:Super Mario Sunshine species]]
[[Category:Super Mario World species]]
[[Category:Virtual Boy Wario Land]]