Sidestepper
- This article is about Sidesteppers, a type of crab. For other crabs, see Crab (disambiguation).
| Sidestepper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Model of a Sidestepper from Mario Kart 8 | |||
| First appearance | Mario Bros. (1983) | ||
| Latest appearance | WarioWare: Move It! (2023) | ||
| |||
| |||
Sidesteppers (also referred to as crabs and giant crabs)[1] are irritable enemies that scuttle about. First appearing in Mario Bros., they typically appear in roles that call back to that game, and otherwise typically make simple cameos. They also occasionally appear in the Mario Kart series, taking the role that generic crabs have in Mario Kart 64.
Shigeru Miyamoto created the Sidestepper after being inspired by a fairy tale.[2]
History[edit]
Mario Bros. series[edit]
Mario Bros.[edit]
The Sidestepper is the second enemy that the Mario Bros. encounter in the game Mario Bros, first appearing in the phase immediately following the first bonus round. Sidesteppers emerge from the top pipes and walk towards a bottom pipe. When hit from below through the floor, the Sidestepper becomes angry and speeds up. Mario or Luigi must hit the Sidestepper from below a second time to flip it over, then run into it to kick it off the stage. If left alone, the Sidestepper will change its color to blue and flip over, making it move faster. If left alone a second time, the Sidestepper will be purple. If the last target in a phase is a Sidestepper, it will automatically turn purple. Sidesteppers also appear in all reissues of Mario Bros., where their colors vary from the original version. For example, in the NES version, they go from red to green to pink.
Mario Bros. Special[edit]
Sidesteppers are enemies in Mario Bros. Special. Unlike before, the only way to stun them is for Mario and Luigi to bounce on a shared trampoline or conveyor belt. They do not change color or move faster after recovering. It is also possible to force them to respawn from the top pipes if a brother jumps next to or over them while hitting a platform above them.
Punch Ball Mario Bros.[edit]
Sidesteppers are enemies in Punch Ball Mario Bros.. They can now be stunned only by hitting the POW Block or throwing a Punch Ball at them. Unlike in Mario Bros. where the Sidesteppers have six forms, this game only has two. If they recover or become the last target enemy, they will turn green with an angry face and move faster.
Mario Clash[edit]
In Mario Clash, Sidesteppers come out of pipes and scuttle forwards. To defeat them, the player should hit them in the front or back with a Koopa Shell to turn it angry and sideways, then hit them on the front or back again with another shell. Due to them changing direction, the first hit needs to come from the same layer they are on and the second needs to come from the other layer. After a while, an angry Sidestepper calms down and faces the way it moves again.
Family BASIC[edit]
Sidesteppers are programmable sprites on the Family BASIC accessory to the Family Computer. They also make a cameo on the Message Board. In Family BASIC V3, they appear as an enemy in one of the mini-games.
Super Mario Bros. Special[edit]
Sidesteppers also appear in Hudson Soft's Super Mario Bros. Special. Here they are credited as Chokichoki, which translates to "Snip-Snip" in Japanese, referencing the sounds they make when they open and close their claws. They first appear in World 4-2 and unlike most appearances, they can be defeated immediately by bumping the block under them rather than it making them angry.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Sidesteppers, referred to as crabs, appear in the multiplayer Battle Mode of Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as the Battle Game in Super Mario All-Stars. Unlike other enemies, they have the same graphics as the NES release of Mario Bros. in the former version, due to already resembling their arcade sprites.
Super Mario Advance[edit]
In Super Mario Advance, when approaching Clawgrip, a short cutscene shows he is a crab, transformed into Clawgrip by some of Wart's magic bubbles.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Sidesteppers appear in Luigi Bros.; a remake of Mario Bros. featured in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port. No changes were made to Sidesteppers.
Smaller crabs that behave the same way also appear in some levels, releasing a coin if tapped on the GamePad.
Super Mario Maker[edit]
A Sidestepper appears as a costume in Super Mario Maker. It can be unlocked by clearing 100 Mario Challenge on Expert setting or harder. It changes color from red to purple while dashing, and holding 
will give it an angry expression.
Mario Kart series[edit]
In the Mario Kart series, Sidesteppers can be found on beach stages where they walk left and right, replacing the generic crabs from Mario Kart 64. As of Mario Kart DS, they appear with green eyes, and yellow highlights on their claws, not unlike the crabs from Mario Kart 64. Driving into Sidestepper makes the player's kart spin around. If a Sidestepper is hit with a Bullet Bill, shell, star, or Bob-omb, it flips over and disappears.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, they appear in Shy Guy Beach and Cheep-Cheep Island.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
In Mario Kart DS, they are again simply referred to as crabs, both in the game and in internal data.[3] They act exactly like the crabs from Mario Kart 64, sharing the "walking" and "pinching" animations, though they have a new design that would later become Sidesteppers' standard appearance. They appear in Cheep Cheep Beach and Palm Shore, exclusively in mission 4-2 in the latter.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
In Mario Kart Wii, they appear in GBA Shy Guy Beach. During August 2009's first Competition, the player had to take out a certain number of Sidesteppers with items.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
In Mario Kart 7, they appear in Cheep Cheep Lagoon, Wario Shipyard, N64 Koopa Beach, and DS Palm Shore.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Sidesteppers return in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the DS Cheep Cheep Beach course. In the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, they also appear in the underwater portion of Yoshi's Island, as a possible nod to Clawdaddies from the Yoshi's Island series, and on Tour Bangkok Rush, replacing the tuk-tuks in Mario Kart Tour, and Tour Los Angeles Laps.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Sidesteppers return in Mario Kart Tour, on N64 Koopa Troopa Beach, 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon, 3DS Wario Shipyard, Los Angeles Laps, Singapore Speedway 3, the T variant of SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2, and the R variant of Piranha Plant Cove 2. In certain bonus challenges, there are bigger variants alongside normal Sidesteppers; these bonus challenges include the Steer Clear of Obstacles bonus challenge on N64 Koopa Troopa Beach, GBA Cheep-Cheep Island, 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon, and the Glider Challenge on N64 Koopa Troopa Beach and Wii Koopa Cape. Aside from their increased size, they behave the same as normal Sidesteppers.
Mario Party series[edit]
Mario Party-e[edit]
In Mario Party-e, a Sidestepper appears in Cast Away Mario! as one of the creatures that Mario can catch for Peach.
Super Mario Party[edit]
While Sidesteppers themselves do not physically appear in Super Mario Party, the robotic crab used by the team players in the 1-vs-3 minigame Smash and Crab heavily resembles a Sidestepper.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga[edit]
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, crabs make a cameo appearance running in the background and foreground during the battle with Hermie III. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, they are replaced by Huckit Crabs. They also appear in the Mario Bros. game included in the original game. This time, if they are flipped while red and are left alone, they become green. Doing it again makes them blue. If one is the last enemy of a phase, it will turn blue.
Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis[edit]
The Mario Classic Court in Mario Power Tennis is based on Mario Bros., and the original game's sprites are used, including Sidestepper. During a Gimmick game, Sidestepper might walk across the court and trip a character. Three of them are also line umpires.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Sidestepper
In the Super Smash Bros. series, Sidesteppers appear as hazards on the Mario Bros. stage, first appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and returning in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sidesteppers walk out of the pipes at the top of the screen. Players can hit them from below to flip them over, and pick them up to throw at opponents. If a player is hit by a thrown Sidestepper, they fly sideways off the screen.
The Super Smash Bros. series has various items of Sidesteppers. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the three Sidestepper variations are featured in a trophy, which can be obtained at random, and there is also a sticker of a Sidestepper, which can be equipped to any fighter in The Subspace Emissary to boost the strength of their leg-based attacks by eight points. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U similarly features a formation of differently-colored Sidesteppers as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and it can also be obtained at random. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Sidestepper appears as a Novice-class support spirit, which grants the user more speed in battle at the expense of initial 30% damage. In World of Light, the spirit is located in the retro maze on the east side of the Light Realm map, and the player can obtain it by winning a fight against a team of twelve Mr. Game & Watch on the Mario Bros. stage.
Other appearances[edit]
In NES Remix, Sidesteppers, along with other enemies from Mario Bros., appear in some of the challenges and remixes based on Mario Bros. as enemies and stage objectives.
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
Sidesteppers make their first appearance in the Paper Mario series in Paper Mario: The Origami King, where origami red and blue Sidesteppers appear as enemies. The blue Sidesteppers now have the same modern design as their regular red variants used from Mario Kart DS onwards. Sidesteppers are commonly found in the Water Vellumental Shrine, the Great Sea, the Ice Vellumental Mountain, the Sea Tower, and ? Island. One group is also fought on Crescent Moon Island after being fished out of the sea and releases an Earth Vellumental Magic Circle upon being defeated. In battle, the Sidestepper's claws act as spikes, preventing them from being jumped on without Iron Boots, but can be damaged with Fire Flowers, Ice Flowers, and Hurlhammers, as well as being flipped over by POW Blocks. However, if Red Sidesteppers are flipped with a POW Block and recover, they turn into stronger Blue Sidesteppers. On the ? Island, they can be stunned with a POW Block, but turn blue if left alone for a period of time, similarly to Mario Bros.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
Sidesteppers are alluded to in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where the scrolling text on the news broadcast for the ruptured main pipe twice mentions "giant underground crabs" being spotted in reference to their original role.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| カニキチ (JP) / Crab (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| アクア |
Tribe | Aqua clan | |
| Disposition | Quick to take offense | ||
| ３（バトルゲーム） | Game appearances | 3 (Battle Game) | |
１ |
Be careful not to beat excessively If it is punched once, it transforms into an angry crab and its speed increases; if it is punched twice, it turns over, but if it is revived, it transforms further into a fast and furious blue crab. If you turn it over, you must immediately kick it out. | ||
| カニさん (JP) / Sidestepper (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| アクア |
Tribe | Aqua clan | |
| Disposition | Quick to take offense | ||
| ブラザー | Game appearances | Bros. | |
| ここがカニキチと違とぞ カニキチのお |
This is different from crabs The Sidestepper should be called the father of crabs. This one, too, will transform into an angry crab after you hit it once. Moreover, it speeds up many times after it revives. | ||
Mario Clash[edit]
- Instruction booklets
- Japanese: はさみが盾になって甲らをはね返す。弱点の腹をねらおう。[6] (The claws act as a shield to repel the shell. Aim at its belly weak point.)
- English: His scissor claws will block a thrown shell. His only weakness is to hit him in the stomach.[7]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
| Trophy Sidesteppers | ||
| ||
| Appears in: NES Mario Bros. GBA Super Mario Advance | ||
| How to unlock: Random | ||
| Crabby enemies taken on by Mario and Luigi. One bump from below wouldn't flip them over, but rather anger them so they moved faster. These pests had to be bumped twice before they could be upended and kicked off the stage. If left alone after being turned upside down, or if there was one left, their speed would increase. They went by the basic name of "crabs" in Japan. | ||
| Sticker Sidestepper | ||
| ||
| Artwork from: Mario Bros. | ||
| Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Leg] - Attack +8 | ||
| Usable by: Anyone | ||
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
| Trophy Sidesteppers | ||
| ||
| Category: Series Related | ||
( ) Appears in:ARCADE Mario Bros. GBA Super Mario Advance | ||
| () Trophy Box: 6: Mario Bros.
| ||
| How to unlock: Random | ||
| Can you guess how this crab-like enemy moves? The name might give you a clue. But Mario could be in for a surprise when he punches one from below—instead of flipping over, it starts sidestepping even faster! Oh, Mario, did you make it angry? Don't worry—a second punch should calm it down...or at least knock it on its head. (American English) | ||
| Any guesses for how this crab-like enemy moves? The name might give you a clue. Mario could be in for a surprise when he punches one from below – instead of flipping over, it starts sidestepping even faster! Oh, Mario, did you make it angry? Don't worry – a second punch should calm it down...or at least knock it on its head. (British English) | ||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Spirit #113 Sidestepper | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Series/game | Mario Bros. Series |
| Type | Support | |
| Slots | 1 | |
| Class | Novice | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Trade-Off Speed ↑ | |
| How to obtain | World of Light (The Light Realm) | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | Mr. Game & Watch ×12 |
| Conditions |
Rule: Move Speed ↑
| |
| Stage | Mario Bros. | |
| Song | Mario Bros. |
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
| Paper Mario: The Origami King enemy | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Red) Sidestepper | |||||||||||||||
_Sidestepper.png)
|
HP | 16 | Moves | Location(s) | |||||||||||
| Type | Spiked | Slice 'n' Dice (3), Stacked Slice 'n' Dice (base 3 for one, 6 for two, 8 for three, additional one for every Sidestepper after three; range is base 0 for one and two and increases by one for every Sidestepper after two) | Water Vellumental Shrine, ? Island, The Great Sea, Crescent/Full Moon Island, Sea Tower | ||||||||||||
| Role | Common | ||||||||||||||
| Item drops | Mushroom | ||||||||||||||
|
|
They like to slide side to side. It's pretty snide. Their pincers are sharp as Scissors, so stomp at your own risk. | ||||||||||||||
| Paper Mario: The Origami King enemy | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Blue) Sidestepper | |||||||||||||||
_Sidestepper.png)
|
HP | 22 | Moves | Location(s) | |||||||||||
| Type | Spiked | Deep Cut (6), Stacked Deep Cut (base 6 for one, 12 for two, 17 for three, 21 for four, 24 for five, 26 for six, additional one for every Sidestepper after six; range is base 0 for one and two and increases by one for every Sidestepper after two) | Water Vellumental Shrine, Ice Vellumental Mountain, Sea Tower | ||||||||||||
| Role | Common | ||||||||||||||
| Item drops | Mushroom | ||||||||||||||
|
|
Blue Sidesteppers are rare. Is that why they value rarities themselves? Either way, keep an eye on your goods. | ||||||||||||||
List of appearances[edit]
| Title | Description | Original release date | System / format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Bros. | Enemy | 1983 | Arcade |
| Family BASIC | Cameo on the Message Board, programmable sprite | 1984 | Family Computer |
| Mario Bros. Special | Enemy | 1984 | Japanese home computers |
| Punch Ball Mario Bros. | Enemy | 1984 | Japanese home computers |
| Family BASIC V3 | Enemy in a mini-game, programmable sprite | 1985 | Family Computer |
| Super Mario Bros. Special | Enemy | 1986 | NEC PC-8801 and Sharp X1 |
| Mario Clash | Enemy | 1995 | Virtual Boy |
| Super Mario Advance | Cameo in cutscene | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Stage hazard | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Party-e | Minigame element | 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | Cameo during boss battle | 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Power Tennis | Cameo in the background | 2004 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Kart DS | Stage hazard | 2005 | Nintendo DS |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Stage hazard, trophy, sticker | 2008 | Wii |
| Mario Kart Wii | Stage hazard | 2008 | Wii |
| Mario Kart 7 | Stage hazard | 2011 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Mario 3D World | Enemy | 2013 | Wii U |
| Mario Kart 8 | Stage hazard | 2014 | Wii U |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Trophy | 2014 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Maker | Mystery Mushroom costume | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Stage hazard | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Stage hazard, spirit | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Kart Tour | Stage hazard | 2019 | iOS, Android |
| Paper Mario: The Origami King | Enemy | 2020 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Enemy | 2021 | Nintendo Switch |
| WarioWare: Move It! | Cameo in microgame | 2023 | Nintendo Switch |
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Sidestepper.
A badge from Mario Kart Tour
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サイドステッパー[?] Saidosuteppā |
Sidestepper | |
| カニさん[?] Kani-san |
Crab-san | ||
| カニ Kanikichi |
From「 |
||
| カニ[9] Kani |
Crab | ||
| クワトロ[6] Kuwatoro |
Quattro (the Italian word for "four") | ||
| Chinese (simplified) | 螃蟹[10][11] Pángxiè |
Crab | |
| 阿蟹[?] Ā Xiè |
From「阿」(ā, a common nickname prefix) and「蟹」(xiè, "crab") | Paper Mario: The Origami King | |
| French (NOA) | Zarbipas[?] | From zarbi (a back-slang for "bizarre") and pas ("step") | |
| French (NOE) | Crabe[?] | Crab | |
| Crab[?] | |||
| Zarbipas[?] | From zarbi (a back-slang for "bizarre") and pas ("step") | ||
| German | Krabbe[?] | Crab | |
| Italian | Granchio[?] | Crab | |
| Granchietto[?] | Li'l crab | Mario Bros. GBA | |
| Korean | 게님[?] Ge-nim |
Mr. crab | |
| Portuguese | Caranguejo[?] | Crab | |
| Russian | Бокоход[?] Bokokhod |
Sidewalker | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Flancogrejo[?] | From flanco ("flank") and cangrejo ("crab") | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Cangrejo[?] | Crab |
References[edit]
- ^ Ad for the Atari 2600 port of Mario Bros.
- ^ 『パックマン』にはじまり『スーパーマリオ』でひとつの完成形に達した“キャラクターの身体機能”「なんでゲームは面白い？」第11回. news.denfaminicogamer.jp (Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2023. (contains quote from Gunpei Yokoi found in 「横井軍平ゲーム館」.)
- ^ ob.crab.1
- ^ a b 1994. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 52.
- ^ 1994. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 53.
- ^ a b 1995. マリオクラッシュ (Mario Kurasshu) instruction booklet (JPG). Nintendo (Japanese). Page 19.
- ^ 1995. Mario Clash instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 21.
- ^ 「任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオコレクション」 (Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook – Super Mario Collection). Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 282.
- ^ マリオブラザーズ. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ 2004. 超级马力欧2 (Chāojí Mǎlìōu Èr) instruction booklet. iQue (Simplified Chinese). Page 46.
- ^ 介紹在《超級舞動 瓦利歐製造》裡以任天堂的遊戲為題設計的小遊戲。. Nintendo of HK (Traditional Chinese). Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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- Crustaceans
- Mario Bros. enemies
- Mario Clash enemies
- Mario Kart 8 species
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit species
- Mario Kart Tour species
- Mario Kart Wii species
- Mario Party-e characters
- Mario Power Tennis enemies
- Paper Mario: The Origami King enemies
- Super Mario Bros. Special enemies
- Super Mario Maker costumes
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl stickers
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophies
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits
