Naval Piranha
- “Go home and cry, babeh!”
- —Naval Piranha, Tetris Attack
Naval Piranha is a recurring Piranha Plant boss. She started out as a normal Piranha Plant, but was altered by Kamek's magic during the events of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. She grew to gigantic proportions, with long thorny stalk and two secondary Naval Buds. As her name suggests, Naval Piranha inhabits the water. In battle, she spits out Nipper Plants; it is unknown if they could grow into large, water-dwelling plants like Naval Piranha.
Another Piranha Plant boss that is similar in appearance to Naval Piranha appears in Paper Mario. It is called Lava Piranha, and in accordance with its name, it inhabits lava instead of water.
History
Yoshi's Island
Naval Piranha is the boss of World 3-8 in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and reprises the role later in the GBA remake. After being magically enlarged and enhanced, she battles the Blue Yoshi, who throw eggs at her only weak point which is her large and bandaged navel. After being hit with enough eggs, Naval Piranha succumbs to the abuse and is defeated.
A famous cheat, exclusive to only this boss, is that Yoshi can beat her before the fight even starts. If Yoshi stands on the very edge of the ledge Naval Piranha is rooted to (or jump from the water and aim) without triggering the scene, he can simply throw an egg at her "unmodified" form to defeat her in one hit. A surprised Kamek will then come in, shout "OH, MY!!!" and fly off again, and then the Piranha explodes and Yoshi gains triumph over World 3.
Tetris Attack
In Tetris Attack, Naval Piranha, allied with her Naval Buds, is in the tenth level and the last boss of Easy Vs. mode. She frequently uses hearts in her dialogue, and calls Yoshi "Babeh."
Mario Party Advance
Naval Piranha makes a reappearance in Mario Party Advance as a boss, Bowser forcing the player to play Koopa Kurl against it. After winning, the player gets to keep the minigame. The end of game credits say she now lives and thrives in the desert.
Gender
Like Birdo and Vivian, Naval Piranha has had some controversy surrounding her gender in the past. In the original Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Naval Piranha's gender was not mentioned, and since there was no visible evidence that she was a female, most players referred to Naval Piranha as a "he". Later appearances, however, have stated that Naval Piranha's gender is female. While this may sound strange at first, some species do have separate male and female plants; these are known as dioecious plants. Other Mario plant individuals with definite genders include Petey Piranha and Hayzee.
Names in Other Languages
Trivia
- Naval Piranha resembles Audrey II, the monster from the film Little Shop of Horrors.
- Naval Piranha is also similar to the monster from the Godzilla series, Biollante.
- Naval Piranha's name is a double entendre, referring both to its aquatic area and the large belly button it grows.
