Porcupuffer
- This article is about the spiked fish from Super Mario World. For the boss in Mario Pinball Land, see Porcupuffer (boss).
Porcupuffer | |||
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Artwork from New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021) | ||
Variant of | Big Cheep Cheep Spiny Cheep Cheep | ||
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Porcupuffers (alternatively Porcu-Puffers) are enemies introduced in Super Mario World. They resemble gigantic indigo Cheep Cheeps, with magenta lips and indigo, cyan, and yellow spikes all over their back. Their faces are nearly identical to those of Boss Basses and Cheep Chomps, but did not try to eat Mario until Super Mario Maker 2. Porcupuffers sometimes serve as the giant counterpart to regular Cheep Cheeps, such as in Super Mario World and Super Mario 3D Land. Their name is a portmanteau of "porcupine" and "pufferfish;" this combined with the Japanese name also suggests an intentional reference to Porcupo.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
Porcu-Puffers are enemies in Super Mario World. They follow Mario and Luigi in the water. The Mario Bros. can perform the Spin Jump on them to "ride" them, or use Yoshi. They appear in three levels: the third secret level on top of the Vanilla Dome, a secret area in the Cookie Mountain level, and a hidden area within Chocolate Island 1. Unlike the Floating Mines, they are vulnerable to fireballs and Cape swipes. The in-game sprite depicts them with magenta lips, while the artwork depicts them with yellow lips.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Porcupuffers are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They attack exactly the same as the Spike Bass in the predecessor, swimming near the surface to pursue the plumber and his party or even leaping from the water to attack. Porcupuffers serve as obstacles for World 4, and they appear again in World 6-5 and later in World 9-2. They can only be defeated with a fireball, Star, or Koopa Shell; another one will come to take its place several seconds later. This also occurs in the Enemy Courses, although the replacement occurs much quicker. They can also be frozen, but they crack out almost instantly, much like a Spiny Cheep Cheep.
Super Mario 3D Land
Porcupuffers are enemies in Super Mario 3D Land. They retain their appearance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Porcupuffers swim back and forth while underwater in water-based levels, while in World 6-1, they jump out of the water in specific locations attempting to hurt Mario, and may even break some portions of the bridge he uses to reach the end of the level. Aside from the bridge-breaking, these behaviors are shared by this game's Cheep Cheeps, making them functionally similar to a Mega Cheep-Cheep in this game, albeit with spikes.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Porcupuffers are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. 2, acting the same as they did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. At one point, they are seen swimming in poison. Porcupuffers are encountered in World Flower-2 and World Star-4, as well as stage one of the Impossible Pack downloadable content.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Porcupuffers are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their enhanced port, behaving the same way as in its predecessors. Porcupuffers appear only in Porcupuffer Falls in New Super Mario Bros. U and Porcupuffer Cavern in New Super Luigi U. Their artwork depicts them with slightly transparent fins.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Porcupuffers are enemies in Super Mario 3D World and its enhanced port. They behave the same way as in Super Mario 3D Land. They appear only in Pipeline Lagoon.
Super Mario Maker 2
Porcupuffers are enemies in Super Mario Maker 2. They are placeable in the Super Mario 3D World style only, despite appearing in Super Mario World. Unlike in the original game, Porcupuffers will actively pursue Mario and attempt to eat him, like a Cheep Chomp. In non-underwater themes, they will act like a slow Boss Bass, briefly hovering at their jumps' peaks if they are given wings. It takes four consecutive fireballs from Fire Mario to defeat Porcupuffers. After one fireball, it will darken, puff up slightly, and no longer try to eat Mario, though it will still pursue him. Each fireball afterwards makes it more red and swollen. Once defeated, it will not be replaced by another, unlike most appearances. Porcupuffers explode when defeated, which will destroy any nearby Brick Blocks. Akin to regular Cheep Cheeps, a Porcupuffer will catch fire if submerged in lava, therefore becoming immune to fireballs. They cannot be placed in pipes.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Porcupuffers are obstacles in Dream Rafting, an event in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Defeating some Porcupuffers is the second task in the event that a team is required to do, by Ground Pounding the raft at the same time when they are beneath it. Porcupuffers appear also during the Highway Tally game in London Party mode.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Porcupuffers are items in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. They can be placed by the user, and pop the tires of any racer on contact. They can come singularly or in a group of three as an item named Triple Porcupuffers.
While not a direct appearance, the Needle Bomb item of Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 resembles a Porcupuffer.
Minecraft
In Minecraft, the Super Mario Mash-up replaces the skins of the Elder Guardians to skins of Porcupuffers, as well as replacing Pufferfish.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Four Porcupuffers appear in the form of fountain statues in Gallery mode of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Super Mario Party
Porcupuffers are non-playable characters in Super Mario Party. A Porcupuffer can appear along with a Blooper and a Cheep Cheep in the minigame Rattle and Hmmm. A Porcupuffer also makes a cameo appearance in the Mushroom Beach world of the Challenge Road mode.
Dr. Mario World
Porcupuffers are assistants in Dr. Mario World. In stage mode, their effect can only be activated in timed stages, as it increases the timer by 3 seconds, where the chance of it happening is 50% at the first level and 100% at the maximum level (10% and 50% respectively prior to version 2.3.0). In versus mode, their effect has a chance to change the color of the viruses to be of the same color after the opponent attack each time, which excludes attacks caused by clearing all viruses on their side.
Profiles and statistics
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Trading Card description: "These spiky guys mean business and are killer enemies! They usually hover near the surface ready to pursue you, but they have also been known to leap up high for a surprise attack. A freeze attack will stun them, but beware—they don't stay frozen for long."
Card Number: 38 (Normal), F20 (Silver)
Dr. Mario World
- Stage mode: "Grants 50%/60%/70%/80%/100% chance of extra seconds (3) in timed stages."
- Stage mode (Prior to version 2.3.0): "Grants 10%/20%/30%/40%/50% chance of extra seconds (3) in timed stages."
- Versus mode: "If opponent attacks, grants 30%/35%/40%/45%/50% chance received virus will be matching-color."
Gallery
Artwork
Sprites and models
Minecraft (Elder guardian)
Screenshots
Miscellaneous
Mario Undōkai trading card
The August 2018 LINE calendar
Six of Diamonds Mario Trump card
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | フグマンネン[?] Fugumannen |
Portmanteau of「トゲフグ」(togefugu, spiny pufferfish), which is similar to「トゲプク」(Togepuku, Spiny Cheep Cheep), and「万年」(man'nen, ten thousand years); also likely a reference to「ハリマンネン」(Harimannen, Porcupo) | |
Chinese (simplified) | 刺河豚[3] Cì Hétún |
Spiky Puffer | |
尖刺河豚[?] Jiāncì Hétún |
Sharp Spike Puffer (since New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe) | ||
Chinese (traditional) | 尖刺河豚[?] Jiāncì Hétún |
Sharp Spike Puffer | |
Dutch | Porcupuffer[?] | - | |
Porcu-Puffer[?] | |||
French (NOA) | Héripouff[?] | From hérisson ("hedgehog") and the onomatopoeia pouf | |
French (NOE) | Porc-Kipic[?] | Distortion of porc-épic ("porcupine") | |
German | Stachelfisch[1] | Spike Fish | |
Italian | Pesce Spino[?] | Spike Fish | |
Porcu-Puffer[2] | - | ||
Pescespino (recent games)[?] | Spike-fish | ||
Korean | 불뚝복어[?] Bulttuk Bogeo |
From 불뚝 (bulttuk, an onomatopoeic word for something soaring up) and 복어 (bogeo, "pufferfish") | |
Portuguese | Balão Cheep[?] | From "Cheep Cheep" and peixe-balão ("puffer fish") | |
Russian | Иглорыба-толстяк[?] Igloryba-tolstyak |
Fatso needle fish | |
Spanish (NOA) | Cheep globo[?] | Balloon Cheep. The Spanish word for "pufferfish" is pez globo ("balloon fish") | |
Spanish (NOE) | Porcupuffer[?] | - | |
Porcu-Puffer[?] |
Trivia
- Cheep Chomp is incorrectly referred to as a Porcupuffer in the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Prima guide,[4] despite being named correctly when describing Cheep Cheeps.[5]
- The lone Spiny Cheep Cheep of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is mislabeled as a Porcupuffer by the game's Prima guide.[6]
References
- ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 19.
- ^ New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Album ufficiale. Page 13.
- ^ 无敌阿尔宙斯 (August 28, 2013). 神游 超级马力欧世界 敌人官译. Baidu Tieba (Simplified Chinese). Archived February 27, 2017, 15:38:47 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Bueno, Fernando (November 15, 2009). New Super Mario Bros. Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-46592-4. Page 82 and 176.
- ^ Bueno, Fernando (November 15, 2009). New Super Mario Bros. Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-46592-4. Page 14.
- ^ Browne, Catherine (May 23, 2010). Super Mario Galaxy 2 PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-46907-6. Page 28 and 90.
- Cheep Cheeps
- Dr. Mario World
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games species
- New Super Luigi U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii trading cards
- Super Mario 3D Land enemies
- Super Mario 3D World enemies
- Super Mario Maker 2 enemies
- Super Mario World enemies