Petey Piranha

Petey Piranha
	; Solo artwork of Petey Piranha in his appearance for Mario Super Sluggers
General information
Species	Piranha Plant
Appearances
First appearance	Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Latest appearance	Mario Party Superstars (2021)

Not to be confused with Peewee Piranha.

Petey Piranha is a massive mutated Piranha Plant with petals on his head all around his chin. He first appears as a boss in Super Mario Sunshine. Since his debut, Petey Piranha has typically appeared as a boss or, in the case of Mario spinoff series, a playable character, usually having to be unlocked first.

Petey Piranha is thought to be a loyal follower of Bowser, but this is undetermined. He is also thought to be a ruler of his species, as suggested by his Japanese name, Boss Pakkun, with the latter word being derived from "Pakkun Flower," the Japanese name for Piranha Plant. Petey Piranha has multiple special powers to distinguish him from normal Piranha Plants, including spitting Goop, flying, and attacking with vines.

There are several other giant Piranha Plant characters in the Mario franchise, many of whom bear a resemblance to Petey, including the Mom Piranha from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the Dino Piranha and Fiery Dino Piranha from Super Mario Galaxy, the Peewee Piranha from Super Mario Galaxy 2, Paper Petey Piranha from the Paper Mario games, and Petea Piranha from Paper Mario: Color Splash.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Sunshine

In Super Mario Sunshine, Petey Piranha is stationed in Bianco Hills, where he covers the landscape with Goop. While Mario is on the landscape in front of the windmill, where the Polluted Piranha Plant is fought, Petey Piranha shoots Goop at Mario from a very far away distance. When Mario faces him on top of the Big Windmill, Petey Piranha's enormous weight makes the windmill's roof collapse, causing Mario and him to fall into the windmill.

Inside, Petey Piranha attacks Mario by spitting Goop at him, and also headbutting him if he comes too close. However, just as he is about to spray Goop, Mario shoots 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 Pounds Petey Piranha's belly three times, causing him to dissolve into Goop and give Mario a Shine Sprite.

Petey Piranha survives and appears once again in Episode 5, where he is snoozing on a cliff high above Bianco Hills. After Mario wakes him by blasting him with a Poink, Petey Piranha uses his enormous arms to fly and launches an attack from the sky. However, he cannot stay airborne for very long without having to struggle to stay in the sky. Mario uses this against him and sprays water or shoots Poinks at him, both of which cause him to fall to the ground. Then, in the same manner as the previous battle, Mario fills Petey Piranha's belly with water and Ground Pounds it. However, if Mario is able to Ground Pound him, or if he successfully spits Goop, he can take to the skies again. On the ground, Petey Piranha not only attacks by spitting Goop, but also by unleashing Tweesters. After being defeated, Petey Piranha once again dissolves into Goop and is not seen for the remainder of the game.

Most of Petey's attacks have no effect on Mario, but the Goop that he spits out hurts Mario if he stays on it for too long, and it can spawn Swoopin' Stus. However, if Mario ventures too close to Petey during the Tweester attack, he will whack Mario with his wings and damage him.

The player can actually fight Petey Piranha before they complete the first episode of Bianco Hills. Petey is already standing atop the Big Windmill in the first episode, and after the player defeats the Polluted Piranha Plant, the path to the windmill opens, allowing access to Petey. If Mario speaks to the Pianta standing at the windmill, he responds to the fact that he is skipping ahead, asking, "Whuzzah!? Whozat?! What're you doing over here? You're getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think? Isn't there something else you should do before coming here?" Petey Piranha's second appearance cannot be fought prior to Episode 5, however.

New Super Mario Bros.

Petey Piranha just before his boss fight.

In New Super Mario Bros., Petey Piranha is the boss of World 5, the snow-ice world. Many Piranha Plants appear in Petey Piranha's castle, a subtle hint that he is going to appear as the boss at the end. When he is confronted by Mario or Luigi, he attacks by flying up high, then dropping from the sky, attempting to crush Mario or Luigi beneath him with a move similar to the Ground Pound. Since the floor is made of slippery ice, after attacking, he slips and falls. Then, Mario or Luigi can attack him. After two hits, he starts his attack by jumping from side to side. If Mario defeats him using a Mini Mushroom, he can travel to World 7 instead of World 6. However, he is forced to Ground Pound him to inflict damage upon him when tiny. Once defeated, Petey Piranha attempts to get up while glowing a bright white light (similar to Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario's death animations in Super Mario 64 DS); he soon vanishes, revealing the key.

Petey Piranha is the only boss of this game (other than Mega Goomba) who can be defeated in one hit with an item other than a Mega Mushroom, although with Petey Piranha, this requires precise timing. The player requires the Star from the Roulette Block. It must be grabbed when it bounces near the platform with the Super Piranha Plant. The player must then quickly run into the door and into Petey Piranha's room. When he starts flying, the player should jump into him before the Star's power runs out, and he will be defeated instantly.

The game's internal file ironically refers to Petey Piranha as Boss Piranha Plant. Coincidentally, this is the same name given to a virtually identical boss in Super Princess Peach.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Petey makes his first playable appearance in a spin-off game in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. In this game, he is an unlockable character, obtainable by completing all side games (excluding the Birdie Challenge) on beginner, intermediate, and expert. His large size makes 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. This means that he can easily hit over trees, but his shot is the affected by wind more 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 is available when he is unlocked.

On the character select screen, Petey is sleeping, while other characters are all doing some sort of exercise/warm-up/stretch. His animations after completing a hole include him flying up high (eagle, albatross or hole-in one), laughing (birdie), doing the "wave" (par), slapping himself in the face, similar to Super Mario Sunshine if he gets hit by Mario (bogey); and spitting Goop before falling down (double bogey).

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Petey Piranha also appears as an unlockable racer in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with King Boo as his partner, hinting that they have some sort of relationship. The pair is unlocked by beating the Star Cup in Mirror Mode. Unlike the other racers who have their own special items, both Petey and King Boo have no special items of their own. Instead, they have 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 can only race in the Heavy karts.

Mario Kart Wii

Petey Piranha was originally going to be playable in Mario Kart Wii, but the idea was cancelled due to time constraints. However, a kart that resembles him, the Piranha Prowler, is available for use by large characters, unlocked by placing first in the 50cc Special Cup. If players are driving this kart and get a speed boost, cross the finish line, or get hit by an item, the mouth at the front of the kart moves. Also, Petey is on the billboard for "The Mushroom Moon" in Moonview Highway.

Mario Pinball Land

Petey Piranha makes an appearance in Mario Pinball Land.^[1] Here, he has a long neck, a more outward mouth, a round body, and no feet. Petey appears as the first boss in the game, in the Grassy Greens Stage. Before Mario can face him, he has to earn enough stars to open the Star Door at the entrance of the windmill. Once he has opened the door, Petey is fought. Mario has to hit the body three times while distracting Petey's head to beat him. Should Mario linger in front of Petey, the plant will snap him up in his mouth and then spit him towards the middle of the flippers, possibly forcing Mario to restart the battle. The fact that he is fought in a windmill is a clear reference to Super Mario Sunshine, where the first fight with him is in a windmill as well. Petey Piranha can also be rematched in the Fiery Stage, alongside the rest of the bosses.

Mario Tennis series

Mario Power Tennis

In Mario Power Tennis, he appears as an unlockable character alongside Fly Guy, Paratroopa, and Wiggler. He can be unlocked by beating the two Special Tournaments - Fire and Thunder - in Doubles. In this game, he appears once again as a power character; therefore, his shots travels faster than usual, but he is slower than most other characters. He is also the largest character in the game, giving him a very large reach, but opponents have an easier time hitting him. Also, if he charges up his shot and the opponent hits it, the opponent gets pushed back a little. His Power Shots are Sludge Racket and Piranha Swingback. The first involves swallowing his racket, spitting it up, and swinging it at the ball at a high speed, while the latter involves him spitting a Polluted Piranha Plant near the ball, which then hits it back to the other side of the court, the shot a Drop Shot. His default Doubles partner is Wiggler, who is a Defense type character, making them an effective team.

If the player makes Petey a lefty, his appearance is mirrored. The same goes for Bowser Jr. who also is mirrored as a lefty.

Mario Tennis Open

In Mario Tennis Open the player can unlock a Petey Piranha suit to customize their Mii with by reaching 50 rebounds in the Ink Showdown Challenge difficulty. One can also purchase his racket.

Mario Party series

Mario Party Advance

Petey Piranha is mentioned as one of the answer choices to one of Pokeys' riddles in Mario Party Advance — specifically, "What golfs, parties, and rides on a kart?". Mario is the correct answer, however, since Petey never appeared in a Mario Party game at that point.

Mario Party DS

Petey was going to appear in Mario Party DS as the first person who needs help, but he was replaced by Wiggler, and his board, "Petey's Greenhouse", was replaced by Wiggler's Garden.

Mario Party 10

Petey Piranha makes his physical debut in the Mario Party series in Mario Party 10 as a boss character. He is fought in the boss minigame Petey's Bomb Battle, in which players must toss bombs at him to gain points. He eventually swallows them and spits them back at players to counterattack. Being hit by Petey Piranha results in losing one point.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

Petey makes 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 is a Power type character, the strongest in the game with a batting stat of 9/10, tied with Bowser. He is also the slowest runner, with a running stat of 1/10, tied with Red Pianta, Yellow Pianta, Bowser, and most Magikoopas. In this game, he has good chemistry with Birdo, Donkey Kong, and King Boo, but he has bad chemistry with Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Noki, and Pianta. His chemistry with Birdo tied over to the next game. He has the ability to Body Check, saving him in tight pinches. He also has the strongest throwing arm in the game (despite the fact that his pitching is only around average), and he cannot get body checked when on a base. Also notable is when Petey is fielding, he does not try to catch the ball with a glove and instead eats the ball if he catches it.

Mario Super Sluggers

Petey Piranha reappears in Mario Super Sluggers again as a Power character. However, unlike in the previous installment, he is available from the start. He also still retains his ability to Body Check, being the only player who can do so. He is also the only player who can perform the Piranha Catch. Unlike in the last game, he is on Peach's team. In Challenge Mode, he appears 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 has to hit the ball into the yellow circle three 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. He also appears on the box's game cover, behind Toad and Toadette.

Like with the predecessor, Petey's highest stat is his batting stat; batting is tied with Bowser and King K. Rool. His fielding is about average, but his pitching skills are rather weak, and he's a slow runner. Oddly, Petey Piranha's stamina is quite lackluster, since he gets exhausted rather quickly while pitching; even quicker than King K. Rool, who also has low stamina.

In both Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, Petey is the only character who does not use a bat/glove or any item at all to hit/catch the ball, as he uses his leaf-like arm. As mentioned before, Petey eats the ball while fielding and simply uses his mouth as a glove.

Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, he is named Boss P. Plant (short for Boss Piranha Plant), although the European version uses the regular name of Petey Piranha. Boss P. Plant is the first boss, and he is fought at the end of Ladida Plains. When Peach arrives she happily approaches an imprisoned Toad but then, Boss Piranha Plant emerges from the ground and swallows the Toad, who is trapped in the ball, and Peach has to defeat Boss Piranha Plant to rescue the Toad. His attacks send shockwaves, pushing back Peach, shooting Nipper Plants, shooting one shockwave to the left and one to the right (which can defeat Nipper Plants if there are any not defeated by the princess), and if she is using a vibe power, ending it. Peach has to use her Gloom vibe to make the two plants grow so that she can leap on a leaf and once again use the vibe to put her streams of tear into Boss Piranha Plant and inflate him, making him fall and reveal his weak spot: his belly button. Peach has to jump on his belly five times to defeat him. After 3 hits, Boss Piranha Plant turns red and becomes faster. Boss Piranha Plant can also bounce around at this point, making Peach's attack tough, and additionally send 2 shockwaves to each side. Once defeated, Boss Piranha Plant explodes and the Toad is saved.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

In the Koopaseum of the Mushroom Kingdom's past, shown in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Princess Peach is 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 Peach. 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 Petey as well as the princess. But before the Mario Bros. can do anything, he burrows away. Petey acts as the boss of the Gritzy Desert and the game's 3rd major boss.

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, they have to look at how Petey dives, and they must jump with the according Bro. Petey 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 have to jump up and down to not get consumed. He can also spit out Piranha Pests that have to be hammered away multiple times. After a certain number of turns, he jumps 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 explaines that when she is eaten she sees the princess; however, Petey spits her out right after swallowing said Kylie.

This encounter seems to hint that Petey may have become familiar with the Mario brothers and Princess Peach before his debut in Super Mario Sunshine. This also seemed to hint that Petey may well be considerably older than most other characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser since they are all babies at this point.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Two Petey Piranhas 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 fall asleep approximately every 30 seconds, making dunks possible during that time. If a team dunks three times in the first half without letting their opponents score, a blue seed appears in a ? Panel. If the team takes it and wins the game, a secret court called Malboro Garden is playable, which features plant-like monsters from the Final Fantasy series that move slowly from side to side behind the hoops and breathe out a purple gas that stuns players.

Mario Strikers Charged

Petey Piranha in Mario Strikers Charged.

Petey Piranha's Mega Strike in Mario Strikers Charged.

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

Petey is not shown in the opening cinematics of the game. Since Diddy Kong 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.

His theme music when he scores a point is calypso. One of his winning animations involves him doing the limbo with his team players, while one of his "losing animations" (sometimes when the opponent scores a point) Petey walks angrily to one of the opponents, eats them, and lets them back out, covering the player in mud. Petey is the only captain to wear a helmet in this game.

Mario Sports Mix

Petey Piranha appears in Mario Sports Mix on Daisy Garden, as an NPC. During a basketball match, Petey reprises his role from Mario Hoops 3-on-3, acting as the hoop, and during a dodgeball match, Petey stands on the side of the playing area and will spit Goop that will act as obstacles to the players. Petey stars in his very own party game called Feed Petey, where players try to feed as much fruit to him within the time allotted.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Not to be confused with Paper Petey Piranha.

Petey Piranha first appears as a boss in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. He resided in Rumble Volcano and was the one responsible for the eruptions, he ate a Royal Sticker that came descending on the Island as the Spear Guys watched in horror.

When Mario and Kersti arrive at Rumble Volcano, Petey Piranha arrives, swallows Kersti, and retreated to his platform unfortunately, the hole in the bridge prevented Mario from follwing him. After Mario finally reaches him, Petey engages him in battle.

He mainly fights by flying with his leaves before slamming down on Mario. He can also spit at Mario which can sometimes cause him to gain the "soggy" status effect. After losing HP, he uses his leaves to spin around rapidly to attack Mario but doing so makes him dizzy. Sometimes, Mario gets dizzy if he is hit by this attack. If he is attacked in this state, his weak point (his belly button) becomes exposed, which makes him vulnerable to serious damage. Once he is attacked he eventually spits out Kersti, several Jump stickers, and a Dry Bones. After he is defeated, he explodes and gives up the Royal Sticker. Petey has 300 HP. When he has 100 HP left, he begins a more powerful attack when he bites Mario 3 times. Each time he bites Mario, he deals 7 damage. Once he is defeated, he explodes into confetti and reveals the Green Royal Sticker.

This is the first appearance in which Petey Piranha speaks English, albeit one line.

Crossover appearances

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Artwork of Petey Piranha in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Petey Piranha, swinging the cages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Petey is the first boss in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. After Bowser joins the Subspace Army in its attempts to conquer "this world," Petey and the Ancient Minister lead an attack on the Midair Stadium, where Mario and Kirby are 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 can destroy a Subspace Bomb that has been dropped by the Ancient Minister, leaving Kirby as his only opponent. Petey attacks by swinging the cages at him, as well as jumping into the air and potentially causing damage from the impact of landing. Kirby has to attack the cages to weaken them, saving one of the princesses (attacking Petey himself deals damage to both cages). Petey Piranha has no other attacks beside body slamming the player and swinging the cages around. However, only one princess can be saved, and the other princess is changed back into a Trophy by Wario, who then steals it. Once defeated, Petey Piranha suddenly bursts into flames. Petey also has two stickers depicting him, with both of them being very large. The first is his artwork for Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and increases the power of darkness attacks by 47 and is only usable by Ganondorf. The second is his artwork for Mario Strikers Charged and it increases the power of bite attacks by 32 and is only usable by Wario, Yoshi, Pokémon Trainer and Wolf.

General information

Physical appearance

Main article: Petey Piranha/Characteristics

Petey Piranha is one lucky Piranha Plant. Instead of popping in and out of a green pipe, he gets the opportunity to roam free on his spiky, green legs (although he prefers to drive in Mario Kart). His chest is dotted with dark green spots, and sharp, spiny leaves serve as his arms. His head is huge compared to his body, and it is red with white dots speckled on it. Yellow petals outlined in orange surround his head. He has big green lips, and his teeth are extra deadly and sharper than an ordinary Piranha Plant. His only article of clothing is a pair of red and white dotted underwear. No one knows why he likes that pair of underwear so much, but some just guess he wears them because they make him look amazingly trendy. Amazingly.

Personality

Petey Piranha is a 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 is 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; it may also be that he simply attacks anyone who gets in his way, or he is hungry and thinks Mario would be a good snack. 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 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 that rivals or even surpasses that of Bowser. This is especially evident in sports games when comparing his stats to other characters, and in Mario Power Tennis the power of his swings causes all opponents (even larger ones like Bowser, Wiggler and Donkey Kong) to be knocked back a bit.

Also, in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Petey can burrow into and out of sand without effort, freely summon wooden blocks, spit out Piranha Plant seeds that sprout and attack the players.

When Petey Piranha hits the ball with his club in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour it shoots across the course with 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.

Gender

Similar to Birdo and Vivian, Petey has a different gender depending on the region. In North America and Great Britain, the Piranha Plant is male as his various bios refer to Petey Piranha as a "he" as well as in-game by a Pianta in Super Mario Sunshine, his first appearance. In French, however, Petey is female and her name is "Flora Piranha", derived from "Flora", a female name. In German, the plant is gender-neutral. In Italian, Petey is male, derived from Pipino, an uncommon Italian name. In Spanish, he is male in most games but female in New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis, sharing her French name.

In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Kersti refers to Petey Piranha as an "it."