Spiny Piranha Plant
- Not to be confused with Prickly Piranha Plant.
| Spiny Piranha Plant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario Galaxy | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy (2007) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) | ||
| Variant of | Big Piranha Plant | ||
| |||
Spiny Piranha Plants[1] (also known simply as Piranha Plants[2]) are a variant of Big Piranha Plants whose stems are covered in spikes. The Piranha Creeper introduced in Super Mario 3D World has a similar appearance to the Spiny Piranha Plant but has a different behavior, with the original behavior instead going to standard Big Piranha Plants.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Spiny Piranha Plants first appear as uncommon enemies in Super Mario Galaxy, with there only being four in the entire game. To attack, a Spiny Piranha Plant attempts to slam its head into Mario (or Luigi). It can be defeated by hitting it with rubbery bulbs, by stomping it after it has slammed its head on the ground, or by shooting it with a fireball as Fire Mario. Some Spiny Piranha Plants are necessary to be defeated in order to make a Sproutle Vine grow so Mario can proceed. Shooting one with a Star Bit makes the Spiny Piranha Plant act immediately.
The first one, encountered optionally in the first mission of the Good Egg Galaxy, is surrounded by rubbery bulbs and acts as visual and functional foreshadowing to the mission's boss, the Dino Piranha, another large, purple Piranha Plant who is attacked with a rebounding ball - in its case, the end of its tail.
Appearances[edit]
Note: 
marks missions where they are absent.
| Domes | Galaxies | Missions |
|---|---|---|
| Terrace | Good Egg Galaxy |   
|
| Kitchen | Beach Bowl Galaxy |
|
| Bedroom | Gusty Garden Galaxy |
|
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Spiny Piranha Plant reappears with the same behavior and is even less common than before, with only two appearing not counting encountering the same one in different missions. The game also introduces a new variation called the Prickly Piranha Plant, which attacks in a similar way but is black and cannot be stomped due the spikes on its head - a hit with a rubbery bulb is required to defeat it.
Appearances[edit]
Note: marks missions where they are absent.
| Worlds | Galaxies | Missions |
|---|---|---|
| World 1 | Rightside Down Galaxy | 
|
| World 6 | Throwback Galaxy | 
|
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Spiny Piranha Plants (just called Spiny Piranhas) are mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant.
Gallery[edit]
A Spiny Piranha Plant data render
Mario approaches a Spiny Piranha Plant in the Good Egg Galaxy.
Two Spiny Piranha Plants visible in the Gusty Garden Galaxy
Mario near a Spiny Piranha Plant in the Throwback Galaxy
Additional names[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
ObjectData/PackunFlower.arc | PackunFlower | Piranha Plant (note that Piranha Plant is "Petit Packun") |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | トゲトゲパックン[?] Togetoge Pakkun |
Thorny Piranha | |
| Chinese | 尖刺吞食花[?] Jiāncì Tūnshíhuā |
Sharp Point Piranha Plant | |
| Dutch | Spiny Piranha[?] | - | |
| French (NOA) | Fleur Piranha épineuse[?] | Spiny Piranha Flower; shared with Prickly Piranha Plant | |
| French (NOE) | Ronce Piranha[3][4] | Piranha Bramble | |
| German | Lila Piranha-Pflanze[?] | Purple Piranha Plant | |
| Petit Piranha (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)[?] | Petit Piranha (erroneously derived from the internal filename for the basic Piranha Plant from Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, which is PetitPackun; compare with its actual internal filename, which is PackunFlower) | ||
| Italian | Rovo Piranha[?] | Bramble Piranha | |
| Korean | 가시뻐끔[?] Gasi Ppeokkeum |
Spike Piranha | |
| Russian | колючее растение-пиранья[?] kolyuchee rastenie-piran'ya |
Spiny Piranha Plant | |
| Spanish (NOA) | planta piraña púa[?] | Thorn Piranha Plant | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Planta Piraña lila[?] | Purple Piranha Plant |
Trivia[edit]
- Due to its file name relative to that of normal Piranha Plants, it seems that in early development, this was intended to be the "normal" Piranha Plant while the ones that are normal in the final would have been a "small" variant; the specific nomenclature implies they would be Nipper Plants.
References[edit]
- ^ Browne, Catherine (May 23, 2010). Super Mario Galaxy 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Random House Inc. ISBN 978-0-30746-907-6. Page 29.
- ^ "Piranha Plant" Super Mario Galaxy trading card
- ^ Super Mario Galaxy, Le Guide Officiel. Prima Games, page 43
- ^ Super Mario Galaxy 2, Le Guide Officiel. Prima Games, page 31
