Editing Urchin

{{distinguish|Sea Urchin|Invincible Urchin}}

{{species infobox

|image=[[File:NSMBU Urchin Artwork.png|190px]]<br>Artwork from ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''

|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]'' ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])

|variant_of=[[Unira]]

|variants=[[Big Urchin]]<br>[[Ground Urchin]]<br>[[Small Urchin]]

|comparable=[[Brier]]<br>[[Porcupinefish]]<br>[[Sea Urchin]]<br>[[Unibo]]

'''Urchins''' are spiked aquatic creatures that have appeared as enemies and obstacles throughout the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]. As their name and appearance suggest, they are based on real-life {{wp|sea urchin}}s. They are slow, yet tough enemies that [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] must avoid usually because they cannot be defeated by normal means, like a single [[jump]]. Although they live mostly underwater, Urchins can also live on land. They first appeared in ''[[Super Mario World]]''.

 

Their original Japanese name (''Unira'') is shared with the enemy [[Unira]] from ''[[nwiki:Clu Clu Land|Clu Clu Land]]''.

[[File:SMW Art - Urchin.png|thumb|left|Artwork of Urchin from ''Super Mario World'', depicting its original design]]

In ''[[Super Mario World]]'', Urchins move between tunnels in [[Forest of Illusion 2]]. [[Yoshi]] cannot eat them, but he can bounce on them. Urchins cannot be defeated with [[fireball]]s. However, they can be defeated by [[Grab Block]]s. The Urchins in ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'' can be defeated by [[Luigi]] riding [[Yoshi]] by swallowing a [[Blurp]] and spitting it at the Urchin.

Urchins appear in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' in most water-based [[galaxy|galaxies]], though they occasionally appear on wet land as well. They have a slightly different appearance: they have a different array of spikes, they are slightly larger, have a flatter face, and have visible orange eyelids. However, they do not swim around in the water; instead, they will stay on the sea bottom, and when they see Mario, they start chasing him by rolling towards him. There are also red [[Ground Urchin]]s that act the same but are always found outside of water. Urchins can be defeated with a thrown [[Koopa Shell]] or with a [[fireball]] shot by [[Fire Mario]] or Fire Luigi. They release six [[Star Bit]]s when defeated. Urchins have a unique defeat animation when they get burnt, showing them being turned black with a shrunk center; when other enemies die from fire, they use their ordinary defeat animation.

 

 

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Urchins appear in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' along with a larger version of them called [[Big Urchin]]s. Urchins start floating up and down like their ''Super Mario World'' incarnation, but when frozen with an [[Ice Flower]] or [[Penguin Suit]] they will float briefly on the water before breaking free and getting knocked out underwater permanently. In this state, the Urchin can block underwater [[Pipe]]s that spray out jet streams, which can be used to the player's advantage or disadvantage, depending on the situation. They could also be defeated with a fireball, a Koopa Shell or a [[Super Star|Star]]. Big Urchins are stronger than normal Urchins and only defeated with a Star. In the game, when there is a "[[paah]]" in the background music, Urchins will briefly open their mouths, releasing bubbles, as if they were saying "paah" underwater.

|caption2=A Hot Urchin on land

Urchins reappear in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', behaving the same way as in the predecessor. They appear in the [[Starshine Beach Galaxy]] and in the [[Slimy Spring Galaxy]]. Three [[Ground Urchin|Hot Urchin]]s also appear in this game in the [[Battle Belt Galaxy]].

 

Urchins also appear in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', retaining their appearance and function from ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''. [[Small Urchin]]s also appear, acting exactly like their bigger versions, only standing still.

====''New Super Mario Bros. U'' / ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''====

[[File:NSMBU Urchin Screenshot.jpg|thumb|left|A Big Urchin and an Urchin in ''New Super Mario Bros. U'']]

Urchins also make an appearance in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' and its [[Nintendo Switch]] [[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe|counterpart]]. In [[Urchin Shoals]] in [[Sparkling Waters]], Urchins and their bigger relatives are placed over [[Water Geyser|water geysers]] used to rise them to the platform surface. When lifted by geysers, they have an angry expression.

 

Urchins reappear in ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'', where they are slightly larger than in previous games. On land, they roll along the ground similar to a [[Spike Ball]].

[[File:UrchinsCartoon.jpg|thumb|Three Urchins in the ''Super Mario World'' television series episode "[[Mama Luigi]]".]]  

Urchins make an appearance in only one episode of the [[Super Mario World (television series)|''Super Mario World'']] TV series, "[[Mama Luigi]]"- and even then, there are only three of them. In the episode, Yoshi and Luigi, while being chased through an underwater tunnel by a [[Rip Van Fish]], almost swim directly into these Urchins. Luckily, they manage to dodge them. In addition, the [[porcupinefish]] from the episode [[Fire Sale]] resemble Urchins.

Some Urchins make a small appearance in the ''[[Nintendo Adventure Book]]'' "[[Brain Drain]]", being seen in a large fish tank by Luigi, after [[Iggy|Iggy Koopa]] takes over the WMUSH radio station.

[[File:Gleam Glacier 6-2.png|thumb|Urchins in [[Gleam Glacier 6-2]], a level in ''Super Princess Peach'']]

====''Mario Party 9'' / ''Mario Party: The Top 100''====

In ''[[Mario Party 9]]'' and ''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]'', Urchins appear in the [[minigame]] [[Pier Pressure]], where ten fishing rods either have [[Cheep Cheep]]s or Urchins at the end of them, and if a player ends up choosing one with an Urchin on it, they are eliminated. In the minigame, Urchins have permanently angry faces instead of their usual expressions.

In ''Mario Party 9'' only, Urchins appear in two boss minigames. In the boss minigame, [[Blooper Barrage (minigame)|Blooper Barrage]], Blooper attacks by throwing Urchins at players, though players can redirect their course by hitting it with a [[cannonball]]. An Urchin hitting a player causes that player to lose one point; hitting it right before it is about to hit the player sends in into the sea below. In another boss minigame, [[Bowser's Block Battle]], if Blooper appears on the stage, it attacks by throwing Urchins at the players, in reference to Blooper Barrage.

====''Mario Party 10'' / ''Mario Party Superstars''====

In ''[[Mario Party 10]]'' and ''[[Mario Party Superstars]]'', Urchins also appear as obstacles in [[Rapid River Race]], where if a player hits one they skid out and lose speed. In ''Mario Party 10'' only, Urchins appear in a two other minigames, including in [[Fruit of the Doom]] as obstacles and in [[Meanie Match]] as a selectable enemy.

While Urchins themselves do not appear in ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', an Urchin makes a cameo appearance in the minigame [[Absent Minded]], where they are one of the characters that can be selected as a guess.

 

 

In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack of ''[[Minecraft]]'', {{iw|minecraftwiki|Guardian}}s are replaced by Urchins.

Urchins appear in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'', where they are only encountered in [[Twinsy Tropics]], and are usually fought alongside [[Cheep Cheep]]s. They can neither be jumped on nor hammered, and can only be attacked via [[Bros. Attack]]s or [[Trio Attack]]s. If the Urchin is damaged but not defeated, it will eventually blow up, causing major damage to the trio, along with any enemies that are fighting alongside them. The trio can only counter this attack by blocking it. Also, if they are left alone after the trio defeats all the other enemies, they will [[flee]] without any experience given. They have low HP but very high defense; their second encounter has the highest defense rate, at 625 (600 in easy mode).

===''Dr. Mario World''===

Urchins appear in ''[[Dr. Mario World]]'' as assistants. In both stage mode and versus mode, their effect is to transform two objects, mainly [[virus]]es, into [[shell]]s when the stage starts, where the chance of activation is higher at higher levels (15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, and 80% from levels 1 to 5 respectively). An Urchin assistants is rewarded after clearing the first area in [[World 15 (Dr. Mario World)|World 16]].

 

===''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''===

 

''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' was [[list of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars pre-release and unused content|initially planned]] to feature what would appear to be a tiny Urchin, likely as some kind of obstacle.

 

Urchins were seemingly planned to return in ''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]'', since they appear in the ''[[Balloon Trip]]'' tech demo. They float in the skies and take one of [[Baby Mario]]'s [[balloon]]s away if he touches one of them. Urchins cannot be trapped in bubbles. By the final game's release, these Urchins were redesigned as the plant-like [[Brier]]s.

*'''Trading card description:''' ''Urchins are spiky blue fish that Mario must face in an underwater challenge in the Beach Bowl Galaxy and a land mission in the Freezeflame Galaxy. They roll along the seafloor or ground trying to poke Mario with their spikes. There are also red Urchins in lava areas that Mario can hit with a fireball or trick into falling into the lava.''

*'''Trading card description:''' ''These spiky Urchins basically just bob up and down. But you need to be a good swimmer and cautious if they are nearby. Their mere presence (especially the Big Urchin) can be a tricky nuisance to avoid, and their spikes cause damage. Freezing Urchins can send them to the surface for a short time, so try using them to your advantage. But even that is risky...''<br>

'''Card number: 40'''

 

{{:Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam bestiary|transcludesection=Urchin (1)|align=horizontal|image=[[File:UrchinPaperJam.gif]]}}

{{:Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam bestiary|transcludesection=Urchin (2)|align=horizontal|image=[[File:UrchinPaperJam.gif]]}}

*'''''Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' profile:''' ''Their bodies are covered with dangerous spikes. They won't join your side...mostly because they can't leave the water.''

====''Mario Party: Star Rush''====

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|''Urchins spend their time floating innocently in water, making it hard for Mario and friends to swim around.''

*'''Stage mode:''' ''Grants 15%/30%/45%/60%/80% chance shells (2) will appear on stage start.''

*'''Versus mode:''' ''Grants 15%/30%/45%/60%/80% chance shells (2) will appear on stage start.''

==Additional names==

|meaning1=Romanization of ''Super Mario Galaxy'' [[#Names in other languages|Japanese name]]

 

===Names in other languages===

|Jpn=ウニラ<ref>''Super Mario World'' Japanese instruction booklet (fold-out)</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit) et al.|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|date=October 19, 2015|title=''Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook'', ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' section|page=159|isbn=978-4-09-106569-8}}</ref>

|JpnM=From「{{ruby|海胆|ウニ}}」(''uni'', "sea urchin") and「~ラ」(''-ra'', a common suffix for monster names)

|Jpn2=ウニゾー<ref>{{cite|author=Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit) et al.|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|date=October 19, 2015|title=''Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook'', ''Super Mario Galaxy'' section|page=126|isbn=978-4-09-106569-8}}</ref>

|Jpn2R=Unizō

|Jpn2M=From「{{ruby|海胆|ウニ}}」(''uni'', "sea urchin") and「{{ruby|蔵|ぞう}}」(''-zō'', a common Japanese male name ending)

|Jpn2N=''Super Mario Galaxy''

|ChiS=海胆<ref>{{cite|author=无敌阿尔宙斯|date=August 28, 2013|language=zh-hans|title=神游 超级马力欧世界 敌人官译|publisher=Baidu Tieba|accessdate=February 2, 2017|archive=web.archive.org/web/20170227153847/https://tieba.baidu.com/p/2560204606|deadlink=y}}</ref>

|ChiSR=Hǎidǎn

|ChiS2=海胆小子

|ChiS2N=international releases for games since ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''

|ChiS2R=Hǎidǎn Xiǎozi

|ChiS3=海胆球<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendoswitch.com.cn/new_super_mario_bros_u_deluxe/pc/stage/index.html|title=Official Chinese website for ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''|publisher=Tencent|language=zh-hans|accessdate=December 15, 2019}}</ref>

|ChiS3R=Hǎidǎn Qiú

|ChiS3M=Sea Urchin Ball

|ChiT=海膽小子<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.com.hk/ssqj/minigame/index.html|title=瑪利歐派對 9：種類豐富！80種小遊戲|language=zh-hant|publisher=Nintendo of HK|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref>

|KorM=From "성게" (''seongge'', "sea urchin") and the Korean affectionate honorific "~돌이" (''-dori'')

|SpaEM=From ''erizo de mar'' ("sea urchin") and ''pincho'' ("thorn")

 

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