Petey Piranha

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Petey Piranha as of Super Mario Sunshine

Petey Piranha ("Boss Pakkun" in Japan) is a character in the Mario series, first appearing as the primary boss of Bianco Hills in Super Mario Sunshine. He has appeared as a boss in later games as well, but also as a playable character in spin-off Mario games like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Superstar Baseball.

Characteristics

Petey appears to be a larger, much more powerful version of a Piranha Plant (known as "pakkun flower" in Japan), a minor enemy dating back to the original Super Mario Bros. Whereas normal Piranha Plants usually grow from pipes, Petey seems to have grown his leaves and roots into foot-like and arm-like appendages. He can walk and even flutter about in the air. Furthermore, Petey sports a pair of white-spotted red briefs — a first for any Piranha Plant. Petey's head is framed with petals, which no other of his kind seem to have. Although Petey does not speak, he does make some disturbing growling, drooling and licking noises. (Petey's bio in Mario Superstar Baseball notes that his state is the result of mutation, not Bowser's magic.)

Petey seems fearsome, but he is not as bad as he'd like you to believe. He often acts unintentionally comically during the fights against Mario. In Super Mario Sunshine, for example, Petey bloats up when Mario shoots water into his mouth, causing his large belly button to pop out of his stomach, exposing his weak point.

Petey can also spit out mud-like Earth Goop, a substance similar to that of Shadow Mario's Paintbrush, which can make the ground slippery and sometimes generate more goop-based monsters. When Mario defeats Petey, Petey turns into the goop and melts away.

Subsequent appearances

Petey Piranha has reappeared in several games as a boss — a notable feat, in that many minor Mario characters have a tendency to disappear shortly after they debut. Petey appears as a boss in Mario Pinball Land, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and Super Princess Peach. Like former Mario villains Wario, Donkey Kong and Birdo, Petey has also made a habit of appearing in other Mario franchises as a playable character. This makes Petey the first playable Piranha Plant character ever in a Mario game.

In sports games, Petey frequently uses his large size and his bizarre digestive system to his advantage. He first showed up as an unlockable character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, in which his large size made him the most powerful golfer in the game. In Mario Power Tennis, Petey's bulk served him well again, as he was one of the more powerful competitors. His special attack involved swallowing his racket, puking it up, and spitting it at the ball at a high speed. Finally, Petey had the ability to bodycheck other players in Mario Superstar Baseball, making him an effective character in close plays.

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Petey was paired with King Boo. The two were formidable racers. They had the ability to use any character's special item. Because of this advantage, some players refuse to play in his presence . Petey's personal kart is the "Piranha Pipes," a vehicle assembled out of the Piranha Plant's trademark green tubing.