Fish Bone
- Not to be confused with Honen, also referred to as Bone Fish, or Fish Skeleton.
| Fish Bone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Party Jamboree (cameo) (2024) | ||
| Variant of | Cheep Cheep | ||
| |||
| |||
Fish Bones (originally formatted as Fishbones,[1] sometimes singular) are underwater enemies that debuted in Super Mario World. They are implied to be the animated bones of dead Cheep Cheeps,[2] mirroring the relationship between Dry Bones and Koopa Troopas. From New Super Mario Bros. Wii onward, Fish Bones attack by launching themselves at player characters that enter their sightline. Unlike most aquatic enemies, they typically occur in fortresses, castles, and Ghost Houses.
Fish Bones are the second skeletal fish enemy introduced in the Super Mario series and the most recurring ones. They are also one of three enemies to be skeletal Cheep Cheeps specifically, with the other two being Honebons and Jeans de Fillet. Similar but unrelated enemies include Honens and Bonefins.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
Fishbones are found in the submerged Vanilla Fortress and the underwater room of Bowser's Castle. They are the only strictly aquatic dungeon enemies in the game, though terrestrial enemies are also found underwater in these levels. Their behavior is simple, traveling in straight lines across the screen in a jerky, darting motion, usually in small groups, and they sometimes blink. Fishbones can be defeated by Caped Mario or Caped Luigi's spin attack, but only in Super Mario Advance 2, and are otherwise invincible.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Fish Bones (referred to as Wet Bones in the Prima guide)[3] inhabit some water levels in New Super Mario Bros. Wii; they appear in World 4-
Castle and World 5-
Ghost House. Also, in the battle against Wendy O. Koopa in World 4-Castle, various Fish Bones can be seen swimming in a water tank in the background. Fish Bones have a newly introduced attack pattern where if it detects one of the characters, it will lock on to them (as their eyes turn red) and launch themselves in the direction of the character. If it misses and hits a wall or another Fish Bone, it will crash and break apart in a similar manner to that of Dry Bones (the sound effect is longer if it hits another Fish Bone). However, once they break apart, they will reappear if the player goes far enough offscreen. Fish Bones can be permanently defeated with Ice Balls, a thrown object, or a Star. Fish Bones will stop following a player that jumps out of the water; the player can also dodge them by walking on the floor and ducking once spotted, which turns the Fish Bone's eyes back to normal and stops the chase. In dark caverns, their eyes light up, although the illuminated area around them is much smaller than that provided by Bulbers and thus far less useful.
In the Prima guide, they are mentioned under Dry Bones in the list of enemies and are presumably renamed as a contrast to them.[3]
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Fishbones reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where they keep their design and attack pattern from New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario World. They appear in three levels: World 3-
Tower, World 
Star-3, and World Star-6. In this game, Fishbones do side flips when a vocal riff "paah" is heard, similar to Cheep Cheeps.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U[edit]
Fish Bones reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, retaining the same design and attack pattern from their previous appearance. They appear in Haunted Shipwreck and Deepsea Ruins. In New Super Luigi U, they appear in Haunted Cargo Hold and Deepsea Stone-Eyes.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
Fish Bones reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. When placing a Dry Bones in the Underwater level style and testing the level, Dry Bones turn into Fish Bones. Additionally, new sprites for Fish Bone have been made for the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 styles. Fish Bones use once again their attack pattern from New Super Mario Bros. Wii in all game styles as well. In the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U styles, Yoshis can eat Fish Bones and spit out bones that fly in straight lines ahead of him. It acts similarly to the fireballs from Super Mario World, but can also defeat many fireproof enemies such as Buzzy Beetles and Chain Chomps.
Super Mario Run[edit]
While Fish Bones do not appear as enemies in Super Mario Run, they can be seen inside the ground in desert levels.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Fish Bones reappear in Super Mario Maker 2, and are now completely separate from Dry Bones. Thus, they can now be placed on land. Parachutes can also be attached to them. However, they fall apart whenever they touch the ground. If they reach the surface of the water from below, they break apart. If placed in a Koopa Clown Car or on tracks, they can exist above water. In the nighttime sky and airship themes, Fish Bones are able to swim in the air, and can be defeated with a stomp. They also appear in the Super Mario 3D World style despite not appearing in the source game itself.
Super Mario World television series[edit]
Fishbones, though never referred to as such, made several small appearances in the Super Mario World cartoon.
A Fishbone first appeared in the episode "The Wheel Thing", where one is used by Yoshi to cut a log into wheels to be used in Mario's car factory. In "The Night Before Cave Christmas", both Mario and Oogtar use a Fishbone to cut-down several Christmas trees.
In "Rock TV" and "Mama Luigi", two extremely large Fishbones are shown to be decorations in Bowser's throne room.
Super Mario Adventures[edit]
In the Super Mario Adventures comic, Fishbones, along with several other creatures such as Urchins and Porcu-Puffers, are shown to act as guards/obstacles in the moat surrounding the Koopalings' tower.
Mario Party series[edit]
Mario Party 4[edit]
In the minigame Mushroom Medic in Mario Party 4, there is a poster in the background with a Cheep Cheep and its Fishbone X-ray. Of note is that the tail fin in the picture is much too large for the accompanying Cheep Cheep's tail fin.
Mario Party 9[edit]
Fish Bones have a minor appearance in Mario Party 9 with their New Super Mario Bros. Wii design. They appear only during the Blooper Beach Captain Event; when the player lands on an Unlucky Space in that section of the board, a group of Fish Bones attacks them and steals five of their ten Mini Stars.
Mario Party 10[edit]
Fish Bones reappear in Mario Party 10 in Whimsical Waters. In Mario Party mode, they are present at Unlucky Spaces and deduct Mini Stars from players landing on said spaces; in Bowser Party mode, they are found in treasure chests during Dragoneel Treasure events, and take away half of the current captain's hearts if their chest is selected.
Super Mario Party[edit]
Although Fish Bones themselves do not appear in Super Mario Party, a Fish Bone makes a cameo appearance as artwork in the minigame Absent Minded, where it is one of the character choices that can be guessed.
Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]
In Super Mario Party Jamboree, artwork of Fish Bones can appear on a ball in the minigame Big-Top Quiz.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[edit]
Fishbones make another appearance in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story during the battle with Junker. When Mario and Luigi manage to defeat a Junker Can, a Fishbone may attempt to attack the plumbers. It attacks by orbiting around one of the two and eventually ramming them, though it can be stopped by counterattacking with the hammer before it does. They do not reappear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, where their role is taken by Scutlets instead.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
Although no Fish Bones appear in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, there are rock carvings with images of Fish Bones in Driftwood Shore.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Fish Bones make their first Mario Kart appearance in Mario Kart 7 and take their design from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They are found in Wario Shipyard, where they swim in schools or sometimes alone. Drivers that collide with Fish Bones will simply lose some speed.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Fish Bones also appear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the underwater section of Twisted Mansion; unlike in Mario Kart 7, however, drivers cannot interact with them. As N64 Choco Mountain returns in this game, the different sized Fish Bones on the walls of the falling boulder section do as well. They also appear in GBA Boo Lake and Piranha Plant Cove during the underwater section.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, several Fish Bones of different sizes can be seen in the walls in the falling boulder section of N64 Choco Mountain. Fish Bones also appear as obstacles in the returning course 3DS Wario Shipyard and are added in GBA Boo Lake, where interacting with them in any way causes them to collapse and give points.
A Mii Racing Suit and two karts based on Fish Bones, both of the latter being called the Fish Bone Ferry and the Gold Fish Bone Ferry, all debut in the Night Tour.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit[edit]
Fossilized Fish Bones can be found in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit in the Mario Cup (added in the version 1.1.0 update), similarly as to how they appear in Mario Kart Tour. They appear on the gates in Fossil Fields.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]
Fish Bones make an appearance in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They appear in Jungle Rapids, leaping in the water and attempting to destroy the raft Mario uses to cross through the river. They can be removed using the hammer. They were originally going to be fought as enemies, but were cut from the game.[4]
Dr. Mario World[edit]
Fish Bones make their Dr. Mario series debut in Dr. Mario World as assistants. In stage mode, they have a chance in increasing capsules by 2 when there are no more capsules left and no further moves could be made. The activation will be checked again when it didn't activate earlier but the condition is met again, but after the effect is activated it will not activate again in the stage. In versus mode, it grants a chance in defending against four-line attacks, which does not stack with the doctor's innate defense. They also appear on World 19 alongside Dry Bones when an area is cleared of viruses.
Other appearances[edit]
Fish Bones are referenced in the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, with a neon sign in Dinohattan showing a lit up outline of a Fish Bone and text reading "Fishbone" under it.
Fish Bones also appear in the Nintendo 3DS Fishing AR minigame, where they can be caught after lightning strikes the water.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario World[edit]
- Mario Mania: This finny fossil follows a straight and narrow path. He's slow but deadly if you dare to step into his territory at the wrong time.[5]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| フィッシュボーン (JP) / Fish Bone (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| ゴースト |
Place of origin | Ghost clan | |
| Disposition | Type to hold a grudge | ||
| ワールド | Game appearances | World | |
| Cheep Cheep as a skeleton!? A fish that has turned into a skeleton. Is it the ghost of Cheep Cheep (p. 190)? This fish sometimes stops for a moment, rests, and then moves on. It is impossible to defeat it, but it swims straight to the left and right, so just avoid it. | |||
Dr. Mario World[edit]
- Stage mode: "Grants 15%/25%/35%/45%/55% chance of extra capsules (2) when all capsules have been used. (Once only.)"
- Versus mode: "Grants 30%/35%/40%/45%/50% chance of defending against four-row attacks."
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Fish Bone.
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. style)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | フィッシュボーン[6] Fisshu Bōn |
Fish Bone | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 鱼骨头[7] Yú Gǔtou |
Fish Bone | |
| 枯骨鱼 (Dr. Mario World)[?] Kūgǔ Yú |
Dry Bone Fish | ||
| Chinese (traditional) | 魚骨頭[?] Yú Gǔtou |
Fish Bone | |
| Dutch | Fish Bone[?] | - | |
| French (NOA) | Poissonos[?] | Pun on poisson ("fish") and os ("bone") | |
| French (NOE) | Ossec[?] | Drybone | |
| German | Skelettfisch[?] | Skeleton Fish | |
| Skelett-Fisch[8] | - | ||
| Italian | Pesce Lisca[?] | From pesce ("fish") and lisca ("fishbone") | |
| Korean | 피시본[?] Pisi Bon |
Fish Bone | |
| Portuguese | Espinhosso[?] | Pun on espinhoso ("prickly"), as well as a blend of espinha ("spine") and osso ("bone") | |
| Russian | Рыба-скелет[?] Ryba-skelet |
Skeleton Fish | |
| Spanish | Pezueso[?] | Pun on pez ("fish") and hueso ("bone") |
References[edit]
- ^ "When a Fishbones spots you, it becomes enraged and charges you. It’s often best to turn its temper to your advantage! Wait near a wall until the Fishbones charges you, then dart out of its path just before it reaches you. You can even coax two different Fishbones to crash into each other." – von Esmarch, Nick (2012). New Super Mario Bros. 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 978-0-307-89552-3. Page 25.
- ^ a b 1994. 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten). Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 180.
- ^ a b "Wet Bones, on the other hand, are dead fish that wait in the dark and only attack, like a torpedo, once Mario is near. Stay out of their way and dodge their attacks." – Bueno, Fernando (November 15, 2009). New Super Mario Bros. Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-46592-4. Page 15.
- ^ https://tcrf.net/Paper_Mario:_Sticker_Star#Enemies_2
- ^ August 1991. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 51.
- ^ Kagawa, Ryo (APE/Shigesato Itoi), Koichi Toda (100 Percent), Masaki Kuramochi (100 Percent), Shigeo Tanabe, Naomaru Asao, and Ryuji Osawa, editors (1991). "UNIT 2 CHARACTER" in『任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオワールド』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-104117-5. Page 31.
- ^ 无敌阿尔宙斯 (August 28, 2013). 神游 超级马力欧世界 敌人官译. Baidu Tieba. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 19.
- Cheep Cheeps
- Skeletons
- Dinosaur Dilemma enemies
- Dr. Mario World
- Mario Kart 7 species
- Mario Kart 8 species
- Mario Kart Tour species
- Mario Party 9
- New Super Luigi U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii enemies
- Super Mario Maker enemies
- Super Mario Maker 2 enemies
