Bill Blaster

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This article is about the cannons that fire Bullet Bills. For information about the minigame Bill Blasters in Mario Party 5, see Bill Blasters (minigame).
Not to be confused with Bullet Blaster.
Bill Blaster

New Super Mario Bros. Wii artwork
General information
Species origin Blaster
Powers Shooting Bullet Bills
Appearances
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)
Other games Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. 3
Similar entities
Variants
Bullet Blitzer
Banzai Bill Blaster
Big Bertha
Bombshell Bill Blaster
Skull Box
“Wanna join me?”
Bill Blaster, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

A Bill Blaster is a black cannon that fires Bullet Bills. They are usually used as defense emplacements in fortresses and castles. While some Bill Blasters are pure black, others have a design (usually a skull-icon) emblazoned on their side.

Bill Blasters are immobile and usually indestructible, as they are commonly part of the environment. Although they cannot move around, some Bill Blasters in more recent games have been shown to be able to rotate, like a turret. However, recent games in the series have made Bill Blasters enemies that are capable of being defeated. Due to their nature, they are usually paired with Bullet Bills as their main attack.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

Bill Blasters first appear in World 5-1 in Super Mario Bros., where they were placed throughout the Mushroom Kingdom during Bowser's initial invasion. They are also found in World 5-2, World 7-1, World 8-2 and World 8-3. They were put in locations that were difficult for the Bros. to travel through, such as on the ground or above the player, so they would be hit if they jumped. They will not fire if the player is touching them.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Bill Blasters return and this time are placed in even more difficult places. They now are more common and act just the same as they did in Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Bill Blasters appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. They first appear on Larry's Airship along with Cannons. They are also invincible. They appear numerous times on all airships, tanks, and boats. Some fire Missile Bills.

Super Mario World

Bill Blasters can be found in the Sunken Ghost Ship and Outrageous. This game also introduces the Skull Box, which shoots Torpedo Teds.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

Bill Blaster appeared during the events of Super Mario 64 and its remake Super Mario 64 DS. These Bill Blasters looked drastically different than in their earlier incarnations, more resembling a simple gray box with a hole for launching Bullet Bills rather than an actual cannon. They only appeared in Whomp's Fortress after the defeat of the Whomp King. This is the only game in which Mario can force a Bill Blaster to fire; it will do so if he performs a Ground Pound on top of one. In the DS remake, Bill Blasters can also be found in Whomp's Fortress in the new area surrounding the fortress, after a large gap, and in Dire, Dire Docks after the first mission. They may also be destroyed by using Super Mushroom.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros, Bill Blasters returned to their original role of being a part of the game's environment, having the same behavior they have always had. However, this time around, they can finally be destroyed by use of a Mega Mushroom. A robot version of a Bill Blaster appears in World 6-1 that has two or three cannons that shoot in different directions.

Super Mario Galaxy

Several Bill Blasters in Super Mario Galaxy

In Super Mario Galaxy, Bill Blasters appear in many of the game's levels. They are often found on planets or other areas where various items are trapped in cages, where Mario must lure a Bullet Bill from the Bill Blaster to the cage or cages in order to access what is inside. Their appearance here is more typical of a cannon and noticeably lacks the familiar skull-icon. The Bullet Bills they shoot out will home in on Mario upon becoming aware of his presence. Some Bill Blasters can be destroyed by luring the Bullet Bill back. Others are too far into their base for one to reach.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Bill Blasters reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and act the same as in New Super Mario Bros.. Unlike in New Super Mario Bros., they are again invincible, as the Mega Mushroom is absent from the game. The robotic Bill Blasters that have two or three cannons and shoot in different directions also reappear.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Bill Blasters reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and serve the same purpose as in its predecessor. Banzai Blasters appear as well. The ordinary Bill Blasters have the exact same appearance in the predecessor. Same with the Banzais.

Super Mario 3D Land

Bill Blasters later appear in Super Mario 3D Land and serve the same purpose as the games before. However they are shown to appear differently such as in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Bill Blasters reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and act the same as in its predecessors.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Bill Blasters reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U and behaves the same way it did in previous games. This time, Roy Koopa utilizes a longer version of the Bill Blaster cannon in his boss battle.

Yoshi series

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Bullet Blasters were green, like the Bullet Bills themselves, but acted entirely like previous incarnations. Their cannon would visibly expand upon preparing to shoot Bullet Bills, then return to normal after having done so. They could be frozen with use of an Special Blue Watermelon, and then shattering by touching them or struck with a Yoshi Egg.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Enemy
Blaster
Location(s) Booster Tower
HP 120
FP
Attack 70
Defense 70
Magic Attack 0
Magic Defense 10
Speed
Evade
Magic Evade
Special Attacks Blazer
Special Defense None
Weak Point Thunder
Item Dropped Pick Me Up
Coins Dropped 0
Flower Dropped DEFENSE UP! Flower
Flower Odds
Experience Gained 12
Yoshi Cookie Item Yoshi Cookie
Success Rate
Related Big Bertha
Psychopath Thought
"Wanna join me?"

Bill Blasters made their first appearance as a true enemy in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Here, known simply as "Blaster", they were a double-barreled black cannon with the typical white skull insignia engraved on each side. They shot Bullet Bills in and out of battle, which made them both typical enemies as well as part of the environment. They were especially weak against lightning magical attacks.

Blasters were used by the maniacal Booster as defense emplacements in his fortress, Booster Tower, to attack Mario. Occasionally, Blasters use the special attack Blazer, which causes the Blaster to shoot a golden Bullet Bill rather than the usual black. If the player is hit by one of these golden bullets, the victim faints immediately. Alley Rats could often be found manning Blasters on the Sunken Ship as well.

An upgraded version of the Blaster later appears in Bowser's Keep under the name Big Bertha.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

In the Paper Mario series, Bill Blasters are considered separate enemies from the Bullet Bills they launch. They must be destroyed before Mario and his allies can end a battle and progress through the level. Before battle, Bill Blasters would fire Bullet Bills to slow Mario's progress, attempting to defeat him before he could even reach the cannons themselves. If hit, Mario and his friends would have to destroy the Bullet Bills before continuing on to the Bill Blasters.

In battle, Bill Blasters cannot directly attack Mario's party; instead, they fire Bullet Bills to attack for them. A Bill Blaster has an unlimited supply of Bullet Bills; the cannons will continue firing Bullet Bills until defeated. Jumping attacks are generally ineffective against Bill Blasters, as their hard armor protects against such attacks.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Bill Blasters returned in Paper Mario's sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They are first encountered in the Pirate's Grotto, and appear quite often there as well. They looked exactly the same, though more refined with the improved graphics, and their battle strategy was largely unchanged. They still shot out Bullet Bills to attack for them, but now had a new move, Bullet Double, which allowed them to shoot out two Bullet Bills rather than the usual one. Also returning is the Bombshell Bill Blaster which fires Bombshell Bills. They are much alike, except for the higher attack, defense, and golden color. These are encountered in the Palace of Shadow.

Super Paper Mario

File:116 BillBlasterCard.PNG
Catch Card

In Super Paper Mario, Bill Blasters appear exclusively in Chapter 3-1 guarding Bowser's fort. They shoot Bullet Bills like any other Bill Blaster, but these ones will only shoot in the left direction instead of both.

If the player completes the level then comes back later in the game, the Bill Blasters can also be defeated by using Bowser's fire breath or very accurately using Luigi's super jump. They can also be defeated by using a Catch Card.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Only two Bill Blasters appear on Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Here, they appear as mere obstacles and cannot be battled.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Bill Blasters appear in Stardust Fields and act the same as they did in the Paper Mario series. Mario and Luigi must jump on the Bill Blasters to eliminate them before a battle can end. The only difference to these Bill Blasters are that they shoot their Bullet Bills directly at the brother that is standing in front of them.

Level appearances

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.
Level Number Rarity
World 5-1
World 5-2
World 7-1
World 8-2
World 8-3

RPG stats

Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
HP Attack Defense Moves Location
4 0 1 Bullet Bill Shot Koopa Bros. Fortress
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Max HP Attack Defense Locations Items Moves
5 0 2 Pirate's Grotto Mushroom (drop only)
Honey Syrup (drop only)
Money Money (drop only)
Bullet Blast (summons Bullet Bill)
Bullet Double (summons two Bullet Bills)
Super Paper Mario
Max HP Attack Defense Score Location Catch Card Rarity
5 2 3 500 The Bitlands Common
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
HP POW Speed Defense Experience Coins Item
4 18 13 25 3 2 Mushroom

Profiles

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
This is a Bill Blaster. Bill Blasters are the cannons that shoot out Bullet Bills. They won't attack us directly, but they'll keep shooting out Bullet Bills as long as they can. It's efficient to attack 'em all at once, but you can also beat 'em one at a time.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Log: A large black cannon that shoots Bullet Bills. Unknown whether it is alive or not.
Tattle: That's a Bill Blaster. It's the cannon that shoots Bullet Bills. Max HP is 5, Defense is 2. It doesn't attack directly, but shoots Bullet Bills at you. I know the Bullet Bills are annoying, but take out the Bill Blaster first, trust me. Arrgh! How many of those things will it shoot at us?!? YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!
Super Paper Mario
Tattle: This cannon is called a Bill Blaster. They shoot Bullet Bills at you... Max HP is 5, Attack is 2, Defense is 3. They are also immune to flames... Don't approach them straight on, or you'll get shot. Attack from above...
Tippi: It's a big, burly cannon. Where do all those bullets come from?

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Bill Blaster/gallery.

Game sprites and models

Super Mario series
New Super Mario Bros. New Super Mario Bros. Wii New Super Mario Bros. 2
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Game screenshots

Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 3 Super Mario 64 Super Mario 3D Land

As seen in Whomp's Fortress

Bill Blasters firing Bullet Bills in World 2-5.

Navigation

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary

Red Chomp | Bill Blaster (#91) | Bullet Bill

Super Paper Mario Catch Card

Bullet Bill | Bill Blaster (#116) | Ruff Puff

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese キラー大砲
Kirā Taihō
キラー砲台
Kirā Hōdai
ほうだい
Hōdai
Bullet Bill Cannon (Paper Mario series)

Bullet Bill Artillery

Artillery (Mario & Luigi RPG)
Chinese (Simplified) 大炮
Dàpào
弹头杀手炮台
Dàntóu Shāshǒu Pàotái
炮弹刺客炮台
Pàodàncìkè Pàotái
Cannon (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)

Bullet Bill Cannon; latter is since Super Mario Maker 2
Chinese (Traditional) 炮彈刺客砲台 / 炮彈刺客炮台
Pàodàncìkè Pàotái
Bullet Bill Cannon
Dutch Bill-kanon Bill cannon
French Bill Boum
Canon
Bill Boom
Cannon
German Willi-Blaster
Willi-Kanone
Bill Blaster
Bill Cannon
Italian Cannone Bill Bill Cannon
Korean 킬러대포
Killeo Daepo
Bullet Bill Cannon
Portuguese Canhão Bill Bill Cannon
Russian Билл-пушка
Bill-pushka
Bill cannon
Spanish (Americas) Lanza Bill
Cañón Bill
Bill Shoot
Bill Cannon (Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Super Mario Maker 2)
Spanish (Europe) Cañón Bill Bill Cannon

Super Mario Land

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ギラーの発射台[1]
Girā no Hasshadai
Bullet Biff Launcher

References

  1. ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario Land section, page 48.