Spiny

This article is about the recurring enemy species. For other uses of the word "Spiny", see Spiny (disambiguation).

Spiny
Artwork from New Super Mario Bros. 2
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance	Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024)
Variant of	Koopa
Variants Big Spiny Dark Spiny Paper Spiny Sad Spiny Sharpea Sky-Blue Spiny Spike Blop Spike Koopa Spikey Spiny R Spiny Shroopa Thorny
Relatives Spike Top Spiny Egg
Comparable Bony Beetle Bumbleprod Spiky
Notable members Spike Storm

“Need some foot acupuncture?”

—Spiny, Paper Mario: Color Splash

Spinies (singular Spiny; occasionally pluralized Spinys, as in the Super Mario Adventures comic and Super Paper Mario, and spelled Spiney in one Play Nintendo poll, also called Spiny Shells in promotional material for The Super Mario Bros. Movie) are enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. They are small, spine-shelled quadrupedal Koopas commonly encountered from being thrown by Lakitus in unlimited supplies. Stomping or Ground Pounding on Spinies will cause any playable character to take damage, due to the spines on top of them. They can be defeated by fireballs, iceballs, Super Star invincibility, and POW Blocks. They can also roll up into a ball called a Spiny Egg, with its own unique properties. Spiny resembles a Spike Top, which is another variant of Koopa, or more closely, Buzzy Beetle. This is due to their red shells with spikes on top, the only difference being Spike Tops only have a single spike and their heads are hidden under the shell. In the first three games of the Paper Mario series, the face of a Spiny resembles that of a Koopa Troopa's; it has its regular face from Paper Mario: Sticker Star onward.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Artwork of a Spiny from Super Mario Bros. showing its original design

Two Spinies in World 4-1, their level debut in Super Mario Bros.

Spinies first appear in Super Mario Bros. and its dual-purpose add-on and sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. In both games, Spiny's eggs are always thrown by Lakitus. They first appear in World 4-1 of Super Mario Bros. and in the level of the same name in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Spinies and their eggs can only be defeated by a Fire Flower or a Starman because attempting to stomp them hurts Mario. If they are hit from below, Spinies are bumped to the side like a Mushroom, instead of being flipped over, like a Koopa. Most levels with Spinies and Lakitus have many long staightaways with very few places to hide. These levels also usually have one or more very high blocks to jump on the Lakitu, thus stopping the Spinies for a time; though eventually, a new Lakitu appears. Spinies can also fill some platforms forcing the player to wait for them to move to progress. When they hatch or land on ground, they always face the direction of Mario or Luigi.

Since no more than five enemies are allowed onscreen at the same time due to the limitations of the Family Computer, its Western parallel (Nintendo Entertainment System), and its add-on, Family Computer Disk System, if there are already five Spinies on the ground, then Lakitu stops throwing more Spinies at Mario. This had been amended in later remakes, including Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe.

In World 4-4 of Super Mario Bros., a Spiny is disguised as a fake Bowser. In original releases of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, World D-4 features a Spiny disguised as both a fake Bowser and another as Bowser's Brother.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Spinies (also pluralized as Spinys) are enemies in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are once again thrown by Lakitus, just like in Super Mario Bros., and can be defeated by Fire Mario, Hammer Mario, a Goomba's Shoe (only in World 5-3), and a Starman. Like Buzzy Beetles, Upside-down Spinies also hang from the ceiling, dropping down when Mario is close enough and sliding on their shells. Using Raccoon or Tanooki Mario's tail, they can be flipped onto their back and picked up and thrown like a regular Koopa Shell. Unlike Koopa or Buzzy Beetle shells, Mario can not safely jump on a Spiny Shell despite it being upside down. However, this would later become possible in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

A green, unhatched variant of Spiny Egg is introduced in this game. It can move around and chase the player until it falls off a cliff or is hit by a shell, fireball, hammer, or Starman. This is the only game in which this kind of Spiny Egg appears, and it only appears in one level, 3-4.

Spinies also appear in the Mario Bros. minigame, where they replace Shellcreepers from the original game. If a Spiny is flipped over and left alone, it eventually flips back over. Like all other enemies, they turn blue and move faster when it is the last enemy. In the version available in Super Mario All-Stars, Spinies also appear in the expanded Battle Game. They act like they do in the original minigame but also turn blue and move faster if a player flips them back up.

Scanning the red switch card with an e-Reader replaces all regular Goombas with Spinies.

Super Mario World

Spinies reappear in Super Mario World. As usual, they are thrown by Lakitus; some of which, called Fishin' Lakitus, hold a 1-Up Mushroom on a fishing pole for the player. Only when Mario or Luigi collects this Mushroom would the Lakitu begin to hurl Spinies at them. The enemies can be defeated by a Fire Flower, Cape, Yoshi, or Super Star. Unlike the Koopa Troopas in Super Mario World, which hide in their shells after being hit by a Cape, Spinies are instantly defeated, leaving no Shell. All Spinies in a level can be turned into Coins for a set amount of time if a Gray P Switch has been activated.

In Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World a Spiny is one of the eleven characters that appears on the title screen of the game along with Bowser, a Bob-omb, a Goomba, Princess Toadstool, Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, a Pidgit and Birdo.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

A Spiny from Super Mario 64

Spinies are enemies in Super Mario 64 and its remake. The original version depicts them without eyes. They appear in Tiny-Huge Island and Rainbow Ride only, being thrown by Lakitus in the former. In the remake, Spinies also appear in Goomboss Battle and Sunshine Isles. When released by a Lakitu, a Spiny bounces twice and then begins to walk around slowly. Spinies can survive underwater if lured there, but a Spiny Egg deployed underwater does not hatch. Spinies are nearly impossible to defeat. Even the otherwise impervious Shiny Shell breaks if used against a Spiny, as though Mario ran into a wall, and a well-timed punch only knocks them back a bit. In Rainbow Ride, Mario can punch them repeatedly until they fall off the side. However, doing so does not produce any reward, as they simply fall into a bottomless area. In the remake, Super Mario 64 DS, Spinies can also be defeated by Yoshi, who can eat them and turn them into Yoshi Eggs. Shooting a Yoshi Egg made from a Spiny yields one Yellow Coin. Eating one and spitting one out, however, simply reverts it into a Spiny Egg temporarily. Spinies can also be defeated in Goomboss Battle by luring them into the poison gas.

New Super Mario Bros.

Artwork of a Spiny in New Super Mario Bros.

Spinies are enemies in New Super Mario Bros.. Aside from their usual behavior, Spinies have a new ability of floating in the water by transforming into a Spiny Egg. Spinies can be defeated by a Fire Flower, a Super Star, a Mega Mushroom, or a Blue Shell. Spinies retained their trick from Super Mario Bros. 3 of dropping from the ceiling when Mario is close. While sliding on their shells, they can be safely stomped on, picked up and thrown since they are upside down. When the "bah" sound is heard in the music, Spinies hop and change direction. The boss of World 7, Lakithunder throws Spinies after he is jumped on for the first time.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Mario fighting four Spinies in an Enemy Course in New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Spinies, along with Lakitu, re-appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Spinies can also be frozen via the Penguin Suit and Ice Mario, and, unlike other spiked enemies, they stay frozen until they break free. Spinies behave in a very similar way to their New Super Mario Bros. counterparts, except they no longer change direction at the sound of the "bah" vocals. Unlike in Super Mario World, Yoshi cannot completely eat Spinies. However, he can grab them with his tongue and spit them out at other enemies, just like Koopa Troopas. Yoshi can also jump on Spinies without getting hurt.

Spinies also appear along with a Lakitu as the Enemy Course of World 7. Ceiling Spinies serve as the enemies in the Enemy Course of World 2, and also appear in World 6-2.

During Magikoopa's boss fight in World 8, the platforms can occasionally be transformed into Spinies.

While Spiny's undersides cannot be jumped on in the original Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and the other characters can do this in this game. They can even be used like normal Koopa Troopa shells while upside-down.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Spinies in the Yoshi Star Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2

Spinies are enemies in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They are encountered in Yoshi Star Galaxy, the Tall Trunk Galaxy, and Starshine Beach Galaxy. Spinies normally walk around idly, but when Mario is nearby, the Spiny attempts to damage him. A Spiny can become a Spiny Egg upon contact with Yoshi's tongue, which can then grab and hold the Spiny into his mouth and spit it back out to attack other enemies.

Super Mario 3D Land

Spinies are enemies in Super Mario 3D Land. They attack as they did in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Spinies are defeated outright by Tanooki Mario's tail whip, rather than retreating into their shells, unlike Super Mario Bros. 3. This is the first time in the Super Mario platformers where Spinies appear to be independently alone, without the presence or the need to be thrown by a Lakitu, as they do not appear in this game.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Spinies are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They are encountered in World Flower-B. They turn into coins when the player touches a Gold Ring, although there is an unusedMedia:Gold Spiny.png golden Spiny variant in the game's files, along with a golden Spiny Egg.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Spinies make an appearance in New Super Mario Bros. U acting as in previous games, they appear in the levels Seesaw Shrooms of Meringue Clouds and Lakitu! Lakitu! Lakitu! of Superstar Road.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Spinies in Super Mario 3D World

Spinies return in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Like in Super Mario 3D Land, Spinies are not thrown by Lakitus and are not as common as they were in Super Mario 3D Land. However, they are much faster than they were in said game and in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Spinies reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. Placing wings on a Spiny allows it to fly directly forward and occasionally shoot spikes in four directions. When placed under a ceiling, Spinies stick to that surface and walk on it from side to side during play-testing, falling off when the player walks under them and sliding on the ground like a Koopa Shell upon landing. If a Spiny is placed under a downward One-Way Wall, the player can jump on its belly, causing it to retract inside its shell and fall off the surface. If a Spiny is placed underwater, it turns into a Spiny Egg.

In the editor, Spinies can be shaken around to turn into empty Spiny Shells. If a Spiny Shell lands on Mario's head during gameplay, it serves as a helmet that can be used to destroy Hard Blocks and damage enemies from underneath.

Super Mario Run

Spinies appear in Super Mario Run, behaving like in previous New Super Mario Bros. games. Big Spinies also appear in this game.

Super Mario Odyssey

Two Spinies in the Luncheon Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey

Spinies reappear as enemies in Super Mario Odyssey, where they are found in the Luncheon Kingdom, the Snow Kingdom, and Bowser's Kingdom. They can be defeated by capturing a Hammer Bro and throwing frying pans at them, throwing fireballs at them as a Fire Bro, jumping into one as a Lava Bubble, poking them as a Pokio, and can be blown away by Ty-foos. However, they cannot be captured, and instead, throwing Cappy on them causes them to be knocked backwards in a similar manner to Bullies. This way, though, the Spinies can fall into an abyss, into poison, or into lava. Spinies also appear as enemies in several 8-bit segments, where they can only be defeated by kicking a Koopa shell at them.

Super Mario Maker 2

Spinies return in Super Mario Maker 2, where they behave almost identical as they did in Super Mario Maker and its 3DS port, including being able to turn into an empty Spiny Shell that serves as a helmet. However, Spinies can no longer be placed on downward facing One-Way Walls and flying Spinies do not pass through terrain in the Super Mario 3D World style.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

A group of Spinies in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Spinies return in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, where they can be found on the ground, ceiling, and thrown by a Lakitu. They cannot be defeated using the Bubble form, but they can be defeated using the Drill form by drilling from under them or if they fall from the ceiling onto the player's drill head.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!

In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, several Spinies appear coming out of Mario's television when he is playing Family Computer at the beginning of the film. Later, big-sized Spinies make an appearance, appearing out of the Spiny Eggs tossed by a Lakitu.

DIC cartoons

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Four Spinies from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

“Uh oh! Spaghetti à la Spiny! I smell a Koopa!”

—Mario, "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa"

Spinies make a very brief appearance on the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in the episode "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa". King Koopa orders Lakitu to throw several Spiny Eggs down to the people of Pastaland, which hatch into Spinies, and terrorize the people for a short time. The Spinies seen in this episode were fairly similar to their game appearance. Another Spiny (only one) appears later in the continuation of the show.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

A Spiny from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

A single Spiny appears in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 with Lakitu in the episode "Life's Ruff". During a scene, a Lakitu throws a Spiny Egg next to a dog-turned Luigi, which hatched into a Spiny and bit Luigi. This Spiny looked much like the ones seen on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Super Mario-kun

Spinies appear as enemies in chapter 8 of Super Mario-kun volume 3.

They are held prisoner in an Empty Block cage, with the leader begging for their release by hitting a P Switch. Luigi presses it, but, being on an Empty Block bridge, falls into the abyss while the Spinies break free. The lead Spiny then explains that they were trapped in those cages for their dangerous nature and for insulting Bowser. Yoshi easily eats them, but the Spinies exit his mouth without spikes on their shell. Mario compares them to Buzzy Beetles, but the lead Spiny explains that they can remove, grow back, and elongate their spikes. Mario then obtains a Super Star from a Roulette Block and destroys all of the Spinies except the leader. The P Switch timer then runs out and the leader ends up back in the Empty Block cage.

Nintendo Adventure Books

Some Spinies appear in Wendy O. Koopa's secret camp in the Magma Pits in Koopa Capers of the Nintendo Adventure Books series.

Mario Bros.

Although Spinies do not appear in the original Mario Bros. arcade game, they replace the Shellcreepers in all of the remakes, starting with Super Mario Bros. 3's Battle Mode, and excluding direct ports. However, supplementary material for the Game Boy Advance remake refers to them as "turtles," an alternate translation for the replaced Shellcreepers. The reason for Spinies replacing Shellcreepers is most likely so that new players do not mistake Shellcreepers for Koopa Troopas and try jumping on them. Spinies infest the pipes in the game, where they can be defeated when the Mario Bros. hit the floor underneath them, flipping them over onto their shells; Spinies can then be kicked by Mario or Luigi and sent careening into the water. If they are not defeated in time, Spinies flip themselves over, and their shells turn from red to green (and from green to blue if it happens a second time), making them faster. When a normal Spiny is the last enemy left on a level, it immediately turns blue.

Hotel Mario

Spiny enemies appear in Hotel Mario. They are introduced in Larry's Chillton Hotel, where they are often seen hanging from ceilings. They can be avoided by ducking as they slowly pass by or defeating them by hitting their underbelly from above.

Mario Party series

Spinies appear as non-playable characters in Mario Party series. A variant of bipedal Spinies called Spike Koopas appears exclusively in Mario Party in the minigame Key-pa-Way. In Mario Party 3, a picture of a Spiny appears in the center of the ice rink in Ice Rink Risk, where players must run around on the rink and avoid Spiny Shells, which would eliminate the player by knocking them out of the rink. In Mario Party 9, Spinies assist Lakitu in his boss battle, Sock It to Lakitu, where he throws them at the platform as they either walk right, left, up, or down until they fall off the edge of the platform. They also appear if someone gets them on the blocks that spawn the Bullet Bills. In Mario Party: Island Tour, Spinies appear inside bubbles in the minigame Spin the Bubble. In Super Mario Party, Spinies make a cameo appearance in the minigame Absent Minded, where it is one of the characters that can be chosen as a guess.

Although no actual Spinies appear in Mario Party 5, two vehicle parts named Spiny Body and Spiny Tires can be purchased from Skolar in Super Duel Mode.

Spiny Eggs appear in various minigames, but not as Spinies. In Mario Party Advance's Dreadmill, the player must walk past or jump over them so they don't fall off the treadmill. In Mario Party 8's Grabbin' Gold, the goal is to collect as many coins as possible in a basket while avoiding the falling Spiny Eggs. In the same game, Spiny Eggs also appear in Water Ski Spree and Winner or Dinner, the other two coin-collecting mini-games.

Mario Golf series

Spinies do not often appear in the Mario Golf series. In the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Golf, the name "Spiny" is sometimes shown on the scorecard. In Mario Golf: World Tour, their only physical appearance, Spinies appear in Mario's Eagle, Hole-in-One, and Albatross animations as one of the enemies that he collides while running under the effects of a Super Star.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

In Paper Mario, Spinies appear in Flower Fields and the Toad Town Tunnels. If a POW Block or Quake Hammer (and its stronger variants) is used against them in battle, they are flipped on their backs, lowering their defense to 0. Spinies are immune to jump attacks, but are vulnerable to Hammers and attacks such as Sushie's Squirt. One of Mario's partners, Lakilester, is a Lakitu who attacks enemies with Spiny Eggs when using Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge. These Eggs do not hatch into Spinies.

In battle, Spinies have only one attack, which is to roll into a ball and charge at Mario, causing 4 damage.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

The Spinies with their Lakitu teammate in the Glitz Pit

Spinies reappear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Like in Paper Mario, they are weak to Hammers and battle items. In this game, Spinies are able to curl themselves into a ball during their turn, making them impervious to all attacks. Spinies and a Lakitu are a fighting team in the Glitz Pit, known as Spike Storm. The Dark Lakitus found in the Pit of 100 Trials throw Sky-Blue Spinies, which are merely more powerful Spinies.

Super Paper Mario

Spinies reappear as enemies in Super Paper Mario. As the game is a mostly a side-scrolling platformer, they act much like the ones in Super Mario Bros., and are thrown by Lakitus. They appear in the Dotwood Tree, The Overthere and Flipside Pit of 100 Trials; and a new species, the Dark Spiny, appears in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. Dark Spinies have the same properties as Spinies, but appear in silhouette and are more powerful.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

A Spiny in Whammino Mountain, from Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Spinies reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star where they more closely resemble their main series' appearance, unlike in the previous three Paper Mario games. They only appear in World 1 and 2, and in one area of Whammino Mountain, they are thrown by a Lakitu. Spinies cannot be jumped on unless an Iron Jump or Super Boot Sticker is used. If Mario jumps on the Spinies, he takes 5 damage. Unlike other games, they cannot be flipped over with a POW Block. They attack by ramming into Mario while having them turn around backwards and are also capable of throwing off the players timing by tripping while leaning forward and throwing themselves at Mario while spinning, possibly even giving him the dizzy status effect.

Spinies also aid Paragoombas, Koopa Troopas and green Pokeys.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Big Spiny sprite from Paper Mario: Color Splash

Spinies return in Paper Mario: Color Splash with the same appearance they had in the previous game. Jump cards, except for Iron Jumps and Spin Jumps, cannot be used on them. However, they can be flipped over with a POW Block unlike in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They attack Mario by going into their shell and launching themselves towards him, similar to a Koopa Troopa's attack. Spinies first appear in Daffodil Peak. They also appear in Sunglow Ridge, Kiwano Temple, and Redpepper Volcano. A large group of Spinies fall from the ceiling after using a POW Block in Kiwano Temple, and a Super Star can be used to take them out without battling them. A Spiny is the first-round opponent in Roshambo Temple #2.

A Big Spiny is a mini boss in Kiwano Temple.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

An origami Spiny

Origami Spinies appear in Paper Mario: The Origami King as enemies. In addition, Spinies appear as NPCs in Shangri-Spa and Bowser's Castle.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Mario counterattacking a Spiny in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Spinies appear in the sewers of Beanbean Castle. Unlike their traditional appearance, they have green shells with yellow spikes. A Spiny can attack by approaching Mario or Luigi and then either simply running into him or entering its shell and spinning into him. Either attack can be countered with Mario or Luigi's hammer. The Spinies' defense is comparatively a lot higher than the enemies before them. Jumping on them does not work due to their shells, meaning that using either the hammers, the Firebrand/Thunderhand techniques, or if one of the Bros. have the "Spiny-Killer Jump" badges equipped, they can jump on Spinies safely without taking damage.

A species of Spiny, the Sharpea, are the Beanbean Kingdom's version of Spinies.

The remake changes their shape to that of a modern Spiny, but keeps the green and pale yellow coloration in the main story. Regular red Spinies appear as Melee units in the new Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser mode. Their spikes make any unit who attacks them from above take some minor damage alongside the Spiny's damage. Their Special Skill, Spin to Win, allows them to roll into an enemy three times. They are weak against Lakitus and Lakipeas. A Spiny with green and pale yellow coloration is found as a spectator to Wendy's cutie battle contest.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Although Spinies do not appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a Shroob-like variant called Spiny Shroopas do. They are thrown by Lakitufos, which are Shroob equivalents to Lakitus.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Spinies also appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story during the Giant Bowser fight against Bowser's Castle. They appear when the castle door is opened and position themselves in four groups in front of it, making Bowser unable to punch it. He has to breathe fire to harm the castle, which gets rid of the Spinies.

Spinies also appear in the remake with the same role in the main game, where they also appear in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode. Once again, they are weak against Lakitus, and are also weak against Lakitu Kings. Their Special Skill is changed to Hit 'Em Up.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Spinies appear in Dreamy Driftwood Shore. They are more common than they were in previous RPGs. In the field, a Spiny can slide back and forth in its shell. In battle, Spinies exclusively appear in groups, and can only attack as a group. If only one Spiny can attack, it passes the turn. Spinies have two attacks.

One of their attacks has them line up in columns of four. Two Spinies per column will jump in place. In rare cases, three Spinies will jump. Then the group approaches Mario column by column. Mario must move around and jump over the Spinies that were stationary before the attack. The ones that jumped while preparing to attack will curl into their egg form and jump as they approach, colliding with Mario even if he jumps. If there are not enough Spinies, the last column will not have a full set, allowing Mario to stand in the empty space. This attack may cause the DEF-Down status affect. Spinies do not use this attack when they have lower numbers.

Their second attack is marching toward Mario in multiple groups, each coming in a straight line formation. One Spiny per group arrives noticeably earlier, while the rest trail behind. The other Spinies may move into and out of the line formation. Mario must hit the Spiny who is leading the group with his Hammer, causing it to spin in place. Then, hitting it again knocks it back into the line, ideally when all of the following Spinies are lined up with each other. (The first Spiny takes no damage from the Hammer.) If Mario does not hit every Spiny in a group, the remainder go into their shells and slide into Mario from above and below. Mario can still stop them with Hammer attacks, but the rate at which they approach and their potential numbers makes countering all Spinies difficult. Once one group's attack has concluded, the next group attacks.

Using a normal hammer attack on Spinies flips them over. Flipped Spinies are excluded from the Spinies's attacks. Spinies are capable of flipping themselves back up after a certain number of turns, and using hammers a second time will flip them back to normal. Spinies have a weakness to jump attacks, taking critical damage from them. While the spikes normally block jump attacks, a flipped over Spiny can be jumped on.

In Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, a new type of Spiny enemies appear named Spiny R appear. They look the same as normal Spinies but attack faster and in a more complex pattern. Some Spiny R are summoned in Kamek's second battle.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Spinies appear again in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, along with their paper counterparts, in Doop Doop Dunes, Doop Doop Dunes Grotto, and one is fought alongside a Paper Spiny, a Ninji and a Paper Ninji as one of Bowser's last lines of defense in Neo Bowser Castle. Their first attack involves them curling up into a ball and attacking the targeted bro directly. They must be hammered in order for their attack to be countered. Their second attack has them positioning themselves in front of the bros and walk into them. The targeted bros have to time their jumps so they can completely avoid landing on their spikes.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Spinies appear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership as enemies during the second visit to Heatfreeze Island. Like in the previous games, Spinies flip over if they are attacked with the hammer and take critical damage from subsequent attacks.

Spinies attack by retreating into their shells, doing a short hop, then moving into one of the Bros. and must be countered with the hammer. If the Spiny stays upright, it flings itself at its target and countering it sends it into another enemy. If the Spiny flips while hopping, it jumps on top of its target and countering it causes it to land in its flipped state. Another attack has all the Spinies line up and move around in a wheel formation which the Bros. must jump over; the Spinies often pause and change direction during the attack. Spinies also slowly walk into the Bros. and must be jumped over.

As the Spinies get defeated, a Lakitu arrives on the battle field and throws Spiny Eggs at Mario and Luigi who must counter with their hammers. Any countered Spiny Eggs are sent into the Spinies, whereas any Spiny Eggs the Bros. fail to counter become Spinies that join the battle.

Mario Pinball Land

Spinies, mistakenly called Spikies, appear in the Shifting Sands Stage of Mario Pinball Land. Hitting them with Mario makes them flip over and vulnerable to being defeated with a second strike. Like in other games, they are dropped by Lakitus and act as slow-moving obstacles for Mario. Defeating them yields 2,000 points.

Mario Strikers series

Spinies appear in the Mario Strikers series as an item: a huge, spinning, spiked shell. This shell bounces off walls until it eventually hits a player. When it impacts with a character, it explodes, and possibly hits other players as well. If any players are hit, they are stunned for a few seconds.

Super Smash Bros. series

SmashWiki article: Lakitu & Spinies

Spiny as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Spinies make a few minor appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Lakitu, as an Assist Trophy, throws Spinies to the ground in their 8-bit form. Spinies walk on the ground, where they launch players straight into the air, but if a character is hit in midair, they are thrust directly downward. When the Spinies reach an edge, they fall off. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Spinies are thrown by the Lakitu Assist Trophy and retain their behavior from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's Smash Run mode, Spinies are used by Lakitus similarly, although instead appear with their modern look rather than the 8-bit sprite from their Assist Trophy. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Spiny appears alongside a Lakitu as an Advanced-class Grab-type primary spirit, which decreases the user's weight. The spirit can be encountered in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world of the Dark Realm in World of Light. In the spirit battle, Spinies are represented by eight tiny red Bowsers.

Mario & Sonic series

Spinies appear only a few times in the Mario & Sonic series. In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Spinies appear in a small number London Party missions, where they are thrown by Lakitus to oppose the player. Hitting a Spiny causes different effects depending on the mission, such as losing coins. One of the stickers also features a picture of a Spiny. In the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a pair of Spinies appear as character wall obstacles in Golf Plus, taking on their sprite design from Super Mario Bros. and disappearing when hit once.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Spinys appear as enemies in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. They are Fire attribute characters, and their skill increases the ATK of the player's team by 1.3x for 5 turns.

When fought as enemies, the Spinys have very high defenses, which reduces the amount of damage that they take from a single attack to 1 HP. However, their HP is very low, and they take 3-5 turns to attack the player. But when they do attack, their attack is usually very fatal to the player's HP. Defeating a Spiny with a 10+ combo rewards the player with a Lakitu Coin.

The player can transform a Spiny into Spiny Egg & Lakitu by using three Lakitu Coins on it.

Mario Sports Superstars

Mario's animation from scoring an Eagle, Hole-in-One, or Albatross returns from Mario Golf: World Tour in Mario Sports Superstars, and therefore Spinies do too.

Dr. Mario World

Spinies make their debut in the Dr. Mario series as assistants in Dr. Mario World. In stage mode, they have a chance of triggering a rapid skill meter increase, in which it originally increases the skill meter by 300% more than usual per elimination made, but was changed to increase the skill meter by an extra point for every elimination made. This stage mode effect stacks with Spiny Cheep Cheep's effect if both activate. In versus mode, they have a chance of filling the player's skill meter instantly when their opponent uses a skill.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Spinies in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

“Koopas! Goombas! Whatever those things are!”

—Bowser, The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Spinies (referred to as Spiny Shells) appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie as part of Bowser's army. This film is one of the rare instances where they are shown to have visible mouths. During a scene where Bowser is announcing his scheme to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom, he is shown to not be familiar with the Spinies' name, much to their disappointment. They only appear in a few scenes in the film.

Other appearances

The Legend of Zelda series

In The Legend of Zelda series, Spinies appear as an enemy in a few games. Unlike in the Super Mario franchise, Spinies have either a blue or a black shell. They can move around quickly, and their shell protects them from Link's attacks. To attack a Spiny, Link must hold out his shield and have the Spiny move into it, exposing its vulnerable underside, but the Spiny always gets back up after a while.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

A Spiny in the Nintendo Switch remake

In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Spinies, also named Spiked Beetles or Spiny Beetles, are first encountered in Tail Cave. A Spiny has four spikes on top of its shell, each in a different corner, and its head is not visible. At first, a Spiny moves around slowly, but if Link is within a Spiny's range, it moves quickly after him. In the Game Boy Color version, a Spiny's sprites are highlighted light green, and their shell is still black like in the original Game Boy version.

The Futabasha guide Zelda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima Hisshō Kōryakuhō has an artwork of Link flipping over a Spiny with his shield. Unlike in the game, the Spiny has a blue shell and a visible face, much of which is obscured by its large, widened eye.

In the Nintendo Switch remake, Spinies were redesigned to more closely resemble their usual appearance in the Super Mario franchise, but with a black shell and black-dotted eyes. A Spiny figure can also be won in the Trendy Game after clearing the Bottle Grotto and placed in the Quadruplets' house. The text that appears upon acquiring the figure reads, "You got a Spiny figure! Made with real metal spikes!"

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Spinies behave almost identically as in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening aside from the fact that Link can instantly defeat them using Gale Seeds. Spinies are now highlighted light blue, but they otherwise look the same. Spinies appear in more locations in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons than in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, they are known by their Japanese name, Togezo, much like in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Like their Futabasha artwork, Togezo have a light blue shell, which has an additional large spike on the top-center. Togezo have their face withdrawn in their shell, from which a pair of glowing, yellow eyes peek out of. Togezo attack by withdrawing into their shell and performing a spin attack toward Link from any direction.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

“Appears in dungeons. Covered in hard, spiny shells. Few attacks work on them. You have to flip them over to hurt them.”

—Spiked Beetle figurine

In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, they are named Spiked Beetles. They have the same appearance and behavior as in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, but Link can now also flip over a Spiked Beetle using the Cane of Pacci or by having it walk into a bomb explosion. Spiked Beetles are encountered in two dungeons, the Cave of Flames and the Palace of Winds.

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Spiny profiles and statistics

Spiny bios usually never go without mentioning their spiky carapace, as well as the danger it poses to the player. In addition, some bios mention Spinies' connection to Lakitus.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Spiny.

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  Super Mario Bros.

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  New Super Mario Bros. Wii

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  Nintendo Switch eShop

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  Nintendo Co., Ltd. 2017 calendar

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  Super Mario Odyssey

Names in other languages

Spiny

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	トゲゾー[?] Togezō	Portmanteau of「刺」(toge, "spine") and「蔵」(-zō, a Japanese male name ending); romanized as "Togezou" in Super Mario Bros. Special and "Togezo" in Super Mario World
Chinese (simplified)	刺虫 Cì Chóng	Thorn Beetle	Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 up to Paper Mario: Sticker Star
	刺壳龟[?] Cì Ké Guī	Spike Shell Turtle	Paper Mario
	刺刺龟[?] Cì Cì Guī	Spike Turtle	since Super Mario Maker 2
Chinese (traditional)	刺刺龜[?] Cì Cì Guī	Spike Turtle
Dutch	Spiny[?]	-
Finnish	Lukki[?]	Harvestman
French	Hériss[?]	Pun on hérissé ("bristly")
	Pic-Pic[?]	From pic ("spike") repeated	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
French (NOE)	Picotus[?]	Pun on picot ("li'l spike") and tous ("all")	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
	Tourneur	"Spinner", possibly a mistranslation that assumes "spiny" is derived from "to spin" instead of "a spine"	Super Mario Advance
	Spiny	-	Super Mario Advance, Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
German	Stachi	Clipped/diminutive form of Stachel ("spike")
Italian	Spiny	-
	Koopistrice	Portmanteau of "Koopa" and istrice ("porcupine")
	Copistrice	Transliteration of Koopistrice
	Tartaspina	Portmanteau of tartaruga ("turtle") and spina ("thorn")	GBA versions of Mario Bros.
	Spinosi	Thornies	The Legend of Zelda series, before Link's Awakening's remake
Korean	가시돌이[?] Gasidori	From "가시" (gasi, "thorn") and "~돌이" (-dori, a suffix used to denote "guy" friendly)
Portuguese (NOA)	Espeto[?]	Skewer (such as a sharp stick)
Portuguese (NOE)	Piquinhos[?]	Diminutive of picos ("spikes")
Russian	Колючкин[?] Kolyuchkin	Portmanteau of колючка (kolyuchka, "spike") and the surname ending -ин (-in)
Spanish (NOA)	Picudo[?]	Spiny
Spanish (NOE)	Pinchón[?]	Augmentative form of pincho ("spike")
	Bicharraco con púa[?]	Creepy-crawly with pick	GBA version of Mario Bros.

Upside-down Spiny

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	さかさトゲゾー Sakasa Togezō	Upside-down Spiny
Italian	Koopistrice al contrario	Upside down Spiny

Trivia

Artwork for Togezo in Kirby's Adventure (left) and Kirby's Dream Land 3 (right)

• A round enemy that may be a reference to Spiny appears in a few Kirby games from the 1990s, these being Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Course, and Kirby's Dream Land 3. The enemy is known as Togezo, which happens to match with Spiny's Japanese name, and wears a spiked helmet similar to a Spiny's shell. In Kirby's Adventure, a Togezo occasionally curls up in a ball, making it resemble a Spiny Egg, and rolls quickly along the ground to try and damage Kirby, but in Kirby's Dream Land 3, Togezo instead withdraws and extends its spikes whenever Kirby is nearby. If Kirby inhales a Togezo, he gains the Needle Copy Ability. In later games, such as the Game Boy Advance remake of Kirby's Adventure, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Togezos have been replaced by Needlous.
  • Additionally, an enemy very similar to Togezo, called Punc, appears in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

External links

• Spiked Beetle on Zelda Dungeon Wiki
• Spiny on Triforce Wiki