Petey Piranha

Not to be confused with Peewee Piranha.

Petey Piranha is an abnormally large Piranha Plant. His first appearance was in Super Mario Sunshine, and since then he has gained much popularity and has since become a regular boss in Mario titles. He also consistently appears in sports games and spin-offs. Petey Piranha is thought to be a loyal follower of Bowser, but this is undetermined. It is quite likely that he is the ruler of his kind, as suggested by his Japanese name, Boss Pakkun, "Pakkun Flower" being the Japanese name for the Piranha Plant. He has multiple special powers that set him apart from normal Piranha Plants, including spitting Goop and flying.

At the end of each battle with him, he is destroyed, but always seems to be resurrected to appear in another game (even being fought twice in Super Mario Sunshine).

History

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Super Mario series

Super Mario Sunshine

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Petey Piranha's debut in Super Mario Sunshine.

In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. selected Petey to help him defeat Mario on his vacation to Isle Delfino. Petey Piranha was stationed in Bianco Hills where he terrorized the residents, covering the landscape with Goop. When Mario faced him on top of the Big Windmill, Petey Piranha's enormous weight made the windmill's roof collapse, causing Mario and him to fall into the windmill. Inside, Petey Piranha attacked Mario by spitting Goop at him, and also headbutting him if he came too close. Mario, however, shot water into his mouth with F.L.U.D.D., causing his stomach to become filled with water and making him fall to the ground. Mario then Ground Pounded Petey Piranha's belly three times, causing him to dissolve into Goop, and giving Mario a Shine Sprite.

However, Petey Piranha survived and appeared once again in Episode 5, where he was happily snoozing on a cliff high above Bianco Hills. After Mario woke him by blasting him with a Poink, Petey Piranha used his enormous arms to fly, and launched an attack from the sky. Mario had to spray water or shoot Poinks at him, causing him to fall to the ground. Then, in the same manner as the previous battle, Mario had to fill Petey Piranha's belly with water and Ground Pound it. However, if he was hit by a ground pound, or successfully spat goop, he would take to the skies. On the ground, Petey Piranha not only attacked by spitting Goop, but also by unleashing small tornadoes. After being defeated, Petey Piranha once again dissolved into Goop and was not seen for the remainder of the game.

Strangely enough, Petey's attacks never did damage Mario, but the goop that he spits out can hurt Mario if he stays on it for too long.

New Super Mario Bros.

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Petey Piranha in New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Petey Piranha was the boss of World 5, the ice world. He attacked by flying up high, then dropping from the sky, crushing any opponents beneath him with a move similar to the Ground Pound. Since the floor was made of slippery ice, after attacking he slipped and fell. It was then that he could be attacked. If Mario or Luigi could defeat him using a Mini Mushroom, they would travel to World 7 instead of World 6. While tiny, the brothers were forced to use Ground Pounds to simply hurt the beast. Once defeated, Petey Piranha was destroyed, and exploded. Many Piranha Plants appeared in Petey's castle, a subtle hint that he would appear as the boss.

Mario Golf series

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Petey made his first appearance in a spin-off game in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. In this game, he was an unlockable character, obtainable by completing all side games (excluding the Birdie Challenge) on beginner, intermediate and expert. His large size made him the most powerful golfer in the game, capable of hitting the longest distance and launching the ball with a higher trajectory than any other character. When he hits the ball with his club, a golden streak follows the ball, like the tail of a comet. Like the other unlockable characters, his star character was available from the start.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

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Petey Piranha as of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Petey Piranha also appeared as an unlockable racer in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with King Boo as his partner, hinting they have some sort of relationship. The pair were unlocked by beating the Star Cup in Mirror Mode. Unlike the other racers who had their own special items, both Petey and King Boo had no special items of their own. Instead, they had the ability to use any special item in the entire game. Petey Piranha's personal kart, unlocked at the same time as him, is the Piranha Pipes, a vehicle assembled out of the Piranha Plant's trademark, green tubing. As with all heavyweight racers, he could only race in the Heavy karts.

While Petey Piranha does not appear in Mario Kart Wii, a kart that resembles him, named the Piranha Prowler, is available for use by large characters, unlocked by placing first in the 50cc Special Cup.

Mario Pinball Land

Mario, as a pinball, battling Petey Piranha.

Petey Piranha in Mario Pinball Land.

Petey Piranha made an appearance in Mario Pinball Land.^[1] Here, he had no feet, a long neck, a more outward mouth, and a round body. Petey appeared as the first boss in the game, in the Grassy Greens area. Before Mario could face him, he had to earn enough stars to open the Star Door at the entrance of the windmill. Once he had opened the door, Petey was fought. Mario had to hit the body three times while distracting Petey's head to beat him.

Mario Tennis series

Mario Power Tennis

Petey after receiving his trophy in Mario Power Tennis.

In Mario Power Tennis, he appeared as an unlockable character alongside Fly Guy, Paratroopa and Wiggler. He could be unlocked by beating the two Special Tournaments - Fire and Thunder - in Doubles. In this game, he appeared once again as a power character; therefore, his shots traveled faster than usual, but he was slower than most other characters. His Power Shots were Sludge Racket and Piranha Swingback. The first involved swallowing his racket, puking it up, and spitting it at the ball at a high speed, while the latter involved him spitting a Piranha Plant in the Generator near the ball, which would then hit it back to the other side of the court. His default Doubles partner was Wiggler, who was a Defense type character, making them an effective team.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

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Petey Piranha in Mario Superstar Baseball.

Petey made an appearance in the first game of the Mario Baseball series, Mario Superstar Baseball, as a team member of Wario's in Challenge Mode. In this game he was a Power type character, the strongest in the game with a batting stat of 9/10, tied with Bowser. He was also the slowest runner, with a running stat of 1/10, tied with Red Pianta, Yellow Pianta, and Bowser. In this game, he had good chemistry with Birdo, Donkey Kong and King Boo, but he had bad chemistry with Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Noki, and Pianta. It is unknown why he had good chemistry with Birdo and Donkey Kong, and why he had bad chemistry with Daisy. He had the ability to Body Check, to save him in tight pinches. He can body check any other character, even Bowser, with ease. He also has the strongest throwing arm in the game (despite the fact that his pitching is only around average), and he can't get body checked when on a base.

Mario Super Sluggers

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Petey in Peach's flower pot in Mario Super Sluggers.

Petey Piranha reappears in Mario Super Sluggers again as a Power Character. However, unlike the previous installment, he was a starter character, although he still retained his ability to Body Check. In Challenge Mode, he appeared in Peach Ice Garden in an empty flower pot. If Princess Peach uses her special ability, Petey Piranha appears. To get him to join, the player must hit the ball into the yellow circle five times. In this game he has compatibility with Birdo, King Boo, Blooper, and Wiggler, but he has bad chemistry with Pianta, Noki, and Baby Mario.

Super Princess Peach

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Peach battling Petey Piranha in Super Princess Peach.

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Petey Piranha in Super Princess Peach.

Petey Piranha reappeared as a boss in Super Princess Peach, defending Bowser's Villa from Princess Peach, and keeping a Toad hostage. In the American version of this game, he is labeled under the name Boss P. Plant (short for Boss Piranha Plant, a direct translation of his Japanese name Boss Packun), but in the European release, Petey Piranha is referred to by his proper English name. He is the first boss of the game, being the boss of Ladida Plains. When Peach sees Petey, the overgrown plant swallows the Toad, who is trapped in a ball, and the princess must defeat Petey to rescue the poor mushroom resident. His attacks were shooting sound waves, pushing back Peach and, if she is using a vibe power, ending it, shooting Nipper Plants, which could be absorbed for vibe, and shooting one shockwave to the left and one to the right, which could defeat Nipper Plants if there were any not defeated by the princess. Peach had to use her Gloom vibe to make a plant grow so that she could leap on a leaf and once again use the vibe to put tears into the plant and inflate him, making him fall down and reveal his weak spot: his belly button. Peach had to jump on his belly five times to defeat him. After 3 hits, Petey used his own vibe, Rage. Petey could bounce around, making Peach's attack tough, and additionally shooting 2 shockwaves to each side. It is notable that the method of defeating him is very similar to Super Mario Sunshine, however Peach needed to hit him five times, not three like Mario needed to in Super Mario Sunshine, and that, when he fell over, Peach just needed to stomp his navel. Mario needed to ground pound it. Once defeated, Petey Piranha explodes.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Template:Pitenemy In the Koopaseum of the Mushroom Kingdom's past, shown in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Princess Peach was fed to Petey Piranha by Princess Shroob's orders. Shortly afterwards, Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi enter the Gritzy Caves beneath the Koopaseum to find Petey and save the princess. On their way, they encounter two Shroobs with Kylie Koopa, whom they have suspended by a rope. Petey then emerges from the ground and the Shroobs cut Kylie's rope, feeding her to the giant Piranha Plant as well, but before the Mario Bros. could do anything he burrowed away.

Once Petey Piranha is finally engaged in battle, his attacks include diving into the sand and ejecting rocks towards the Mario Bros. To dodge this assault, the player must look at how Petey dives and jump with the according Bro. The mutant plant starts the battle hovering, but after being hit by multiple attacks, he falls into the sand, being buried up to his head. His other main attack, while grounded, involves going underground and swallowing the sand, trying to drag the Mario Bros. into his mouth. The brothers must jump up and down as to not get consumed. He could also spit out Piranha seeds that grew into Piranha Plants that had to be hammered away multiple times. After a certain number of turns, he jumps back out of the sand and resumes hovering. He can, once again, be knocked out of the air. He is especially susceptible to Fire and Ice. Once defeated, Petey Piranha explodes and both Kylie and a Cobalt Star Shard fly out of him, but Princess Peach does not. Kylie explains that when she was eaten she saw the princess, however, Petey spat her out right after swallowing said koopa.

This encounter shows that Petey had become familiar with the Mario Bros. and Princess Peach before the events of his debut in Super Mario Sunshine. This also shows that Petey may well be considerably older than most other characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach and even Bowser since they were all just babies at this point, and Petey wasn't.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

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Petey Piranha in Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Two Petey Piranha-like monsters appear in the Daisy Garden court as the baskets in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and try to keep anyone from making a slam dunk. They can occasionally fall asleep, making dunks possible during this time. If a team dunks three times in the first half without letting their opponents score, a blue seed will be in a ? panel. If the player takes it, and wins the game, a secret court called Malboro Garden becomes playable.

Mario Sports Mix

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Petey Piranha in Mario Sports Mix

At least one Petey Piranha-like monster is set to re-appear in Mario Sports Mix on Daisy's court, presumably Daisy Garden.

Mario Football series

Mario Strikers Charged Football

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Petey Piranha in Mario Strikers Charged Football.

Petey Piranha's Mega Strike.

Petey Piranha appeared as an unlockable captain in the Wii game Mario Strikers Charged Football. He was a Power player, making him good at tackling and shooting; however, he could not pass or run very well. His Super Ability, Mud Slinger!, causes him to spit mud on the ground, which slows everyone but him down. He can use this move up to four times in one Super Ability. Petey Piranha's Deke involves rapidly banging his head backwards and forwards to prevent opponents from stealing the ball. His Mega Strike is difficult to block as well. In this move, Petey is enclosed in a large bud, while a stem sprouts from the ground and takes him above the stage.

He is the final unlockable character in the game, unlocked by beating the final cup, the Striker Cup, which involves beating Petey in the Stormship Stadium stage. Petey is not shown in the opening cinematics of the game, since Diddy and Bowser Jr. (the other two unlockables) did make brief appearances in that cinema, he is the only character in the game not shown in the opening.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

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Petey Piranha in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Petey Piranha swinging the cages.

Petey is the first boss in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. After Bowser joined the Subspace Army in its attempts to conquer "this world," Petey and the Ancient Minister led an attack on the Midair Stadium where Mario and Kirby were having a friendly brawl. After capturing the spectating Peach and Zelda in cages, Petey blasts Mario away with a cannonball from his mouth (before Mario could destroy a Subspace Bomb that had been dropped by the Ancient Minister), leaving Kirby as his only opponent. Petey attacks by swinging the cages at the player, as well as jumping into the air and potentially causing damage from the impact of landing. Kirby must attack the cages to weaken them, saving one of the princesses (attacking the Piranha Plant himself deals damage to both cages). However, only one can be saved, and the other princess will be changed back into a Trophy by Wario, who then steals it. Once defeated, Petey Piranha suddenly bursts into flame.

Character Description

Physical Appearance

Petey Piranha is certainly recognisable as a Piranha Plant, but he differs starkly from a typical one. According to Mario Superstar Baseball, he got his looks from a mutation of an unknown source. Petey is characterized by a remarkably large head and a comparably small body. He has a round, protuberant belly and a large belly button, but it's only visible if his stomach is inflated with a great quantity of water. Additionally, he has leaf-like arms and stubby legs, both of which grant him mobility beyond his pipe-dwelling "cousins". He also has green lips, which are similar to the lips of the old Piranha Plants but now contrast the white lips of the new Piranha Plants. He wears red pants with white polka dots, matching the colouration of his head. His most distinguishing feature is a ring of yellow petals with orange rims around his head, resembling a crown or a mane. In his first appearance, these petals had an iridescent quality, becoming a vibrant, fiery orange or a shiny white (with pinkish rims) depending on the angle of the light, but this trait was no longer present beyond Super Mario Sunshine. Petey is also of a much greater size than normal Piranha Plants, easily standing six times Mario's height, though when depicted with a sprite or encountered in sports and spin-offs, he's smaller. Mario Superstar Baseball was the first game to portray Petey Piranha with a tongue, which was also seen in every game following. Curiously, after gaining a tongue, he seems to have lost his ability to spit goop.

Personality

Petey Piranha is a stereotypical big, tall, and strong character with limited intelligence. He does, however, exhibit the ability to acknowledge his own clumsiness, such as when he slaps his face in humiliation once he's back on his feet after taking damage in Super Mario Sunshine. Petey also has a sense of humor, as shown when he skips daintily to home plate when achieving a home run in the baseball games. Often taking naps, he gets frustrated when someone suddenly wakes him up, a trait that is similar to other Piranha Plant enemies that attack when awoken. He is also known for being very hungry and appears to be omnivorous. Despite his low intellect, he frequently aims to destroy Mario, or it may be that he simply attacks anyone who gets in his way. Petey is not always aggressive, though, and has been shown to be passive in games like Mario Power Tennis and other sports games.

Abilities

Petey Piranha in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Petey Piranha in flight.

Petey Piranha has unique abilities that normal Piranha Plants cannot perform. His leaves, for example, double as wings, granting him the ability to fly. In Super Mario Sunshine, he whips up Tweesters with his leaves and headbutts the player if they come within range. These attacks normally cause no damage, though at times Mario may get knocked back far enough to lose health. Petey's main attack involves spitting out large quantities of brown Goop, which create Swoopin' Stus and occasionally small Piranha Plants. Mario is damaged if he is in the Goop too long and/or slips. This ability of Petey's is not exclusive to Super Mario Sunshine as he can still spit Goop in later appearances, making it somewhat of a trademark of his. Another one of Petey's main traits is his phenomenal physical strength. This is especially evident in sports games when comparing his stats to other characters, and in Mario Power Tennis the power of his swings can cause opponents to be knocked back a bit.

Also, in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Petey can dig into sand and spit out a Piranha Plant seed that sprouts and attacks the players, and in Super Princess Peach, he makes sound waves, shock waves and spits Nipper Plants.

When Petey Piranha hits the ball with his club in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour it shoots across the course in a golden streak. When he's playing baseball, he catches and throws the ball with his mouth, but when he's batting he hits the ball with his leaf-like arm. His sweet spot is the vein of his arm.

Official Profiles and Statistics