Noki

Noki
A Blue Noki from Mario Super Sluggers
First appearance	Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Latest appearance	Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020)
Latest portrayal	Scott Burns (male) Kit Harris (female)
Notable members Buckies Noki elder Noki grandson Park director

“Oh, hi there! My door's open, and there's nothing to be suspicious of... How about a game of jacks? Ha ha ha ha!”

—Noki, Super Mario Sunshine

Nokis are a race of short, shelled creatures which debuted in Super Mario Sunshine. Along with Piantas, they inhabit Isle Delfino. They thrive primarily in Noki Bay; many of the Nokis that reside there rarely rise to the surface of the bay, but instead inhabit a large underwater area located directly beneath the bay's large waterfall. Keeping with the Italian name theme, "Noki" is a rough homophone of "gnocchi", a type of pasta.

History

Super Mario Sunshine

A Noki playing a conch shell

The Nokis first appear in Super Mario Sunshine, they inhabit Isle Delfino with the Piantas. Their primary home on the island is Noki Bay. While they inhabit Noki Bay, the Nokis appear in other areas of Isle Delfino. Most of the Nokis seen in Pinna Park wear clam like shells instead of hermit shells. In Episode 8 of Noki Bay, many Nokis are seen floating on jellyfish, this implies that Nokis are capable of surviving in underwater habitats, with little or no air available.

Unlike Piantas, Nokis appear to be more trusting of Mario and more aware that he is not the real criminal. In Noki Bay, the Noki elder often aids Mario by instructing him on how best to go about his tasks. He also helps Mario by training him to use a deep sea helmet so that he can fight Eely-Mouth in Noki Bay, and later reap the rewards of the Coin Fish.

Some of the Noki characters include:

• Buckies - a trio of female Nokis, named Plucky, Lucky, and Ducky, found at the start of Pinna Park, often found commenting on the newest or most recently updated attraction.
• Noki elder - an elderly resident of Noki Bay.
• Noki grandson - the grandson of the elder.
• Park director - the director of Pinna Park, oblivious to the damage being caused in his park.
• Dune Buddy - a Noki interested in Dune Buds, found in Gelato Beach.
• Mommy Noki - a Noki mother holding a bundled infant Noki, found in Noki Bay and Pinna Park. In episode 8 of the former location, she is married to the Noki grandson.
• Shell flautist - a Noki with a conch shell, found throughout various places, who plays the first six notes of the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme.

Mario Kart series

A female Noki seen in Mario Kart 8

Nokis make a small appearance in both Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii in Peach Beach, where some can be seen cheering in the plaza or on the cruiser ship. They also appear in the ending ceremonies. A single male blue Noki also appears on one of the Mario Racing trackside banners in the battle course Delfino Pier in Mario Kart Wii.

Nokis also spectate in Water Park in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and in Wii Coconut Mall in the Booster Course Pass for the latter, where they have a slight facial redesign. Here, they have more fish-like lips and chubbier cheeks.

Mario Tennis series

Nokis along with the Piantas appear as audience members and spectators in the Peach Dome court of Mario Power Tennis and Mario Tennis: Power Tour.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

Nokis are playable in Mario Superstar Baseball, marking the first time they become playable. The Nokis in these games are female, and come in three different colors, being blue, red, and green, each resembling a member of the Buckies. Being a Speed type character, Nokis are generally fast runners, weak batters, and their pitching and fielding range from average to weak. Their special ability is the Sliding Catch. They have good chemistry with the Piantas and bad chemistry with Petey Piranha. The profile for Nokis reveals that they evolved from shellfish.

Nokis can also been seen as spectators at Mario Stadium, especially during the opening cinematic.

Mario Super Sluggers

Nokis reprise their role in Mario Super Sluggers, being playable in the same three color palette as in the prequel installment. The Nokis good chemistry with the Piantas remains intact, while the bad chemistry with Petey Piranha is also a recycled feature. In this installment, Nokis also have good chemistry with Mario and Toadette, even though their friendship and interactions with both mentioned characters remain unexplored. A Noki's special ability is the Ball Dash.

During the events in Challenge Mode, when Mario meets the Nokis, he arrives at Mario Stadium and both the green Noki and the blue Noki are unlocked by playing a scout mission. Red Noki is unlocked by unlocking Blue Noki and Green Noki.

Nokis can be seen as spectators at Mario Stadium, especially during the opening cinematic. In the third cinematic that plays after defeating Bowser in Challenge Mode, a Noki is briefly seen marching with Mario and the rest of the fleet towards the entrance of the Baseball Kingdom, where everyone views the sunset at dusk before the lights turn on for the night.

Mario Strikers series

In the Mario Strikers series, Nokis appear only as background audience members in Super Mario Strikers and its sequel, Mario Strikers Charged.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Nokis appear in the audience during the opening and various Events in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. They also appear as audience members in the Nintendo DS version.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A Noki appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker. In The Subspace Emissary, the sticker can be used on any fighter to power up their leg-based attacks by 12 points.

Profiles and statistics

Super Mario Sunshine

• Guide Book: Nokis wear vibrant seashells reminiscent of their time living in the coral reefs. They are timid but highly intellectual.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Sticker Noki
	Artwork from: Super Mario Sunshine
	Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Leg] - Attack +12
	Usable by: Anyone

Mario Super Sluggers

Blue Noki
	Team	Mario Fireballs	Ability	Ball Dash
	Bat	Left	Glove	Right
	Batting	4/10	Pitching	5/10
	Fielding	4/10	Running	7/10
	Good chemistry	(blue)	Bad chemistry
	Bio: A speedy guy who runs faster with the ball.

Red Noki
	Team	Mario Fireballs	Ability	Ball Dash
	Bat	Left	Glove	Right
	Batting	4/10	Pitching	4/10
	Fielding	5/10	Running	7/10
	Good chemistry	(red)	Bad chemistry
	Bio: A defensive specialist among Nokis.

Green Noki
	Team	Mario Fireballs	Ability	Ball Dash
	Bat	Left	Glove	Right
	Batting	5/10	Pitching	4/10
	Fielding	4/10	Running	7/10
	Good chemistry	(green)	Bad chemistry
	Bio: A speedy guy with decent power to boot.

• Collectible card info: Another resident of Isle Delfino who befriended Mario on his ill-fated tropical vacation. Blue Noki isn't a power player on the baseball field, but can put a wicked curve on his^[sic] changeup.

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  Front of the Mario Super Sluggers profile card of Noki

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  Back of the Mario Super Sluggers profile card of Noki

Gallery

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

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  Super Mario Sunshine

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  Super Mario Sunshine

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  Mario Strikers Charged

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  Mario Super Sluggers

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  Mario Kart 8

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マーレ[?] Māre	From mare ("sea" in some Romance languages, such as Italian)
Chinese (simplified)	玛蕾族[?] Mǎlěi Zú	From the Japanese name with「族」(zú, "tribe")
Chinese (traditional)	瑪蕾族[?] Mǎlěi Zú	From the Japanese name with「族」(zú, "tribe")
French	Noki[?]	-
German	Paradiso[?]	Italian for "paradise"
Italian	Noki[?]	-
Korean	마레족[?] Mare-jok	From the Japanese name with "족" (jok, "tribe")
Spanish (NOA)	Noki[?]	-
Spanish (NOE)	Calisol[?]	From cala ("cove") and sol ("sun")