Panser
| Panser | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork of a red Panser from Super Mario Advance | |||
| First appearance | Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987, overall) Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988, Super Mario franchise) | ||
| Latest appearance | Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024) | ||
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Pansers are fire-shooting, floral enemies commonly found in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. Along with Pokeys, Pansers are the only known hostile plant species in Subcon, although Pansers were created by Wart.[1]
History[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic[edit]
Pansers first appear in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and are later seen in its western version, Super Mario Bros. 2. In these games, there are three types of Pansers: red, pink, and either green or gray depending on the location. The red version stays in one place and shoots two fireballs in the player's direction, the green/gray variant (both just green in the reissues) stays in one place and shoots fireballs straight up, and the most powerful, the pink (blue in the reissues), chases the player and shoots fireballs towards them. These enemies can be defeated only by throwing another enemy or an item, such as a vegetable or Mushroom Block, at them. Pansers originally had black stems, but in the reissues included in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance, they have beige stems. The red Pansers are always depicted as having green stems in artwork.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
In the Shy Guy Bazaar course of Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour, many stalls (and even part of the track itself) are decorated with red carpets, all of which feature Panser sprites as motifs, along with Phantos and Cobrats.
Super Mario-kun[edit]
In Super Mario-kun, a singular Panser appears in volume 9. After the Mushroom Kingdom falls into chaos, many strange creatures start to appear out of nowhere, including the Panser. It attacks Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi, but Mario ties its petals right when it is about to spit another fireball barrage, exploding in the process.
Similar species[edit]
The Lava Lotus from Super Mario Bros. 3 resembles a large transparent Panser. The similar Volcano Lotus introduced in Super Mario World additionally shares the same Japanese name as Panser, suggesting a connection. However, neither of these plants is ever shown to be able to move, and they release their projectiles in periodic sets rather than rapidly fire in an arc. The Fiery Walking Piranha from Super Mario Bros. 3, Pompon Flower from Super Mario Land, Furafurawā from the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, Wild Ptooie Piranha from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Pollen Plant from Virtual Boy Wario Land are also similar.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
- Instruction Booklet bio: The only plant life Wart created for the world of dreams. It spouts fire.[1]
Super Mario Advance[edit]
- Instruction Booklet bio: These fiery flowers are real hotheads. You'll be safe if you can avoid their fireballs.[2]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| ポンキー (JP) / Panser (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| フラワー族 | Tribe | Flower clan | |
| とにかくイジワル | Disposition | A bit mean | |
| USA | Game appearances | USA | |
| 火の玉はいて、とおせんぼ 火の玉をはいて、マリオたちの行く手をさえぎるイヤなやつ。真上だけに火をはくやつ、左右にバラまくやつ、止まってるやつ、動いているやつなど、種類もいろいろいるよ。[3]:209 |
Blocks the way with fireballs A nasty fellow that blocks the path of Mario and his friends by spitting fireballs. There are various types, such as those that only spit fire directly upwards, those that scatter it to the left and right, those that stand still, and those that move. | ||
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Panser.
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic Hisshō Kōryakuhō
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2
Naming[edit]
Panser's name is a portmanteau of "pansy," a species of flower, and Panzer, the German word for "tank," perhaps in reference to a Panser's ability to launch fireballs.
Names in other languages[edit]
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest.
Panser[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ポンキー[4][3]:209 Ponkī |
From「ぽん」(pon, Japanese onomatopoeia for popping out something) and suffix "-ky;" shared with Volcano Lotus | |
| パンサー[3]:225 Pansā |
Transliteration of the English name | Super Mario USA | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 喷射花[5] Pēnshè Huā |
Spurting Flower; shared with Volcano Lotus | |
| Dutch | Panser[6] | - | |
| French | Panser[6][7]:52 | - | |
| German | Panser[8][9][7]:32 | - | |
| Italian | Violaccia[7]:112[10] | Portmanteau of viola and erbaccia ("weed") | |
| Panser[11] | - | Super Mario Bros. 2 | |
| Portuguese | Panser[12] | - | |
| Spanish | Panser[13][7]:92 | - |
Red Panser[edit]
"Red Panser"[14]:79 or "Panser (Red)" refers to a specific type of stationary Panser. In most contexts, Pansers are presented as red. Distinguishing the different types of Pansers by name is anachronistic, as the instruction booklets for the original games, as well as the ones made for their rereleases and remakes, do not distinguish them. By contrast, Shy Guys, Snifits, Ninjis, and Beezos are.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | あかポンキー[15] Aka Ponkī |
Red Panser | |
| ポンキー（レッド）[16] Ponkī (Reddo) |
Panser (Red) |
Gray Panser[edit]
"Gray Panser" or "Panser (Grey)" refers to a specific type of Panser the walks along the ground but turns around when it reaches the edge of a platform in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. Due to palette limitations in the original games on the Famicom and NES, Gray Panserss are displayed as green in some contexts.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | グレーポンキー[15] Gurē Ponkī |
Gray Panser | |
| ポンキー（グレー）[16] Ponkī (Gurē) |
Panser (Gray) |
Pink Panser[edit]
"Pink Panser" or "Panser (Pink)" refers to a specific type of Panser that actively follows the player in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピンクポンキー[15] Pinku Ponkī |
Pink Panser | |
| ポンキー（ピンク）[16] Ponkī (Pinku) |
Panser (Pink) |
Green Panser[edit]
"Green Panser"[14]:54 refers to a specific type of Panser the walks along the ground but turns around when it reaches the edge of a platform in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance. It appears in place of the Gray Panser in these games.
Blue Panser[edit]
"Blue Panser"[14]:60 refers to a specific type of Panser that pursues the player in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance. It appears in place of the Pink Panser in these games.
Notes[edit]
- Excluding Wart, Pansers are the only enemies from Super Mario Bros. 2 not to appear on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! However, their fire-shooting ability was passed to Piranha Plants.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "The only plant life Wart created for the world of dreams. It spouts fire." – 1988. Super Mario Bros. 2 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 26.
- ^ 2001. Super Mario Advance European instruction booklet. Nintendo of Europe (British English). Page 12 (PDF). Retrieved April 6, 2022 from thegameisafootarcade.com.
- ^ a b c 1994. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Shogakukan. Page 209 and 225. Retrieved from Imgur.
- ^ Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic instruction booklet. Page 34.
- ^ From the ending scenes of Super Mario Advance as localized by iQue. 无敌阿尔宙斯 (August 28, 2013). 神游 超级马力欧2敌人官译. Baidu Tieba (Simplified Chinese). Archived February 26, 2017, 16:11:09 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b 1989. Super Mario Bros. 2 Handleiding / mode d'emploi. Brussels: Nintendo (Dutch, French). Page 29.
- ^ a b c d 2001. Super Mario Advance Instruction Booklet (PDF). Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian).
- ^ 1990. Super Mario Bros. 2 Speilanleitung. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 27.
- ^ Matsumoto, Atsuko, Rie Ishii, and Claude Moyse, editors (1992). Der Spieleberater Super Mario Power. Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). ISBN 3-929034-02-6. Page 118.
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 978-88-9367-436-2. Page 68.
- ^ 1989. Super Mario Bros. 2 Libretto di Istruzioni. Oleggio Castello: Nintendo (Italian). Page 26.
- ^ Gaglianone, Arthur, and Francisco Pellegrini Jr., directors (1991). Super Mario Bros. Livro Ilustrado. Rio de Janeiro: Multi Editora (Brazilian Portuguese). Page 12.
- ^ 1989. Super Mario Bros. 2 Libro de Intrucciones. Madrid: Nintendo (Spanish). Page 26.
- ^ a b c Stratton, Bryan (2001). Super Mario Advance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-3633-7.
- ^ a b c スーパーマリオブラザーズUSA | ヒストリー | マリオポータル. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c October 19, 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario USA section. Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 68.
