- This article is about species derived from Piranha Plant. For the enemy in Donkey Kong Country Returns, see Muncher (Donkey Kong Country Returns). For the sample level in Super Mario Maker, see Muncher (level).
| Muncher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork of three Munchers from New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024) | ||
| Variant of | Piranha Plant | ||
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Munchers are enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are an immobile, nearly invincible variety of Piranha Plants. Munchers resemble Nipper Plants more closely, and they are usually colored black. They often appear in groups covering part of the ground, acting like spikes.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. 3
Munchers appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are rendered as damage-causing foreground tiles, since the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System hardware allows for up to only eight sprites per scanline. Munchers remain animated while the game is paused, comparably to Jelectros. Munchers are depicted in their artwork as black with orange leaves, but in the game itself, they can come in other colors depending on the level, sometimes having blue leaves, due to the inconsistencies between the limited four palettes available for foreground tiles on the system hardware. In the first and second remakes, Munchers have green leaves with heads that are either dull orange or indigo depending on the location. They are first encountered in World 5-3. There are frozen Munchers in World 6-10, and they are identifiable from the outline and reflection of the Ice Block that they are encased in. Frozen Munchers can be walked on but become active when hit by a fireball, something alluded to by Princess Toadstool at one point.[1] Hitting a Switch Block turns all Munchers into coins while the effects are actively. Using a Goomba's Shoe allows the player to walk along the Munchers without taking damage. Munchers that pop out of small pipes appear in the first and second World 7-
Piranha Plant stages of Pipe Land. Munchers transform into Empty Blocks when tail-whipped, though not in the second remake.
Super Mario World
Munchers appear in Super Mario World. They were redesigned to not have eyes as well as having their stem changed to yellow and their head to an oval shape. They are largely the same as before, but Munchers cannot be turned into Empty Blocks through any means. It is possible for Gray P Switches to turn Munchers into coins, something never seen because they do not appear together in any of the game's levels. Besides Invincible Mario, Munchers can also be walked on harmlessly by Yoshi, but even then, Munchers still damage Mario on contact, shown in Vanilla Dome 3 particularly.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Munchers appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They are encountered only in World 9-7, with all of them appearing inside of ice blocks that cover most of the floor. Munchers can be thawed from the ice if hit by a fireball. Munchers cannot be frozen again, including from one of Ice Mario's ice balls.
Hacking the game reveals that unlike in Super Mario World, Yoshi cannot safely walk on Munchers or Spike Traps.[2] This behavior is unused in the game proper since no level has both of them.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Munchers appear in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. Munchers retain their appearance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii and behave the same way as they do in other games, aside from no longer being encased in ice blocks. In New Super Mario Bros. U, Munchers are found in Spinning-Star Sky and Thrilling Spine Coaster. In New Super Luigi U, Munchers appear in the levels Lemmy's Lights-Out Castle, Cooligan Shrooms, and Wiggler Rodeo.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2
Munchers are course elements in every style of Super Mario Maker, its port, and Super Mario Maker 2. They are rendered as sprites instead of objects. Munchers were given uniquely designed Super Mario Bros. sprites for the first time, and the Super Mario World style alters their original sprite to give them yellow lips or teeth, as well as a blue shading. Munchers can be placed anywhere in courses, and they retain their usual function. Munchers are affected by gravity, so they fall if not on top of any ground. Munchers can defeat most enemies just by falling onto them. Shaking a Muncher produces only a purple-black cloud of smoke at first, but shaking it repeatedly produces flies; as of version 1.20 of the original Super Mario Maker and later games, King Watinga emerges if the Muncher is shook after the flies have emerged. A Muncher can become larger by dragging a Super Mushroom on it. Munchers can be made to spawn from Lakitus, Warp Pipes, ? Blocks, Brick Blocks, or Bill Blasters. Contact with a Muncher on any side damages Mario, unless he is wearing a Goomba's Shoe, during which only hitting a Muncher with Mario's head will damage him. Mario can also use Buzzy Shells to bounce them up from below. Munchers can be defeated by a POW Block, a fast fly down while Cape Mario, a ground pound from a big Goomba's Stiletto, and the Spiny Shell from below. Yoshi can walk safely across Munchers in any style. Munchers are heavy enough to press a P Switch without needing to be enlarged with a Super Mushroom, and also defeat any enemy (including Bowser) should they fall over it.
Super Mario Run
Munchers appear in Super Mario Run. They act the same as before. Yoshi is the only player character who can walk on Munchers without taking damage.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Munchers appear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. They are encountered mainly on Muncher Fields. Munchers line most of the floor, walls, and ceilings, though behave identically as before otherwise. The playable Yoshis can walk across Munchers safely. Munchers can be defeated from being hit by a Red POW Block.
Nintendo Adventures Books
Munchers appear as scenery in Double Trouble, where it is mentioned that Roy Koopa has parked the Doomship above a patch of them in the Mushroom Kingdom. In Leaping Lizards, some Munchers are a part of the first International Mushroom Games event, the obstacle course. If Roy's flying carpet is sabotaged by a Rocky Wrench, he will fall into a patch of the plants, though the Munchers leave him alone due to deeming his tough hide unappetizing.
In Pipe Down!, if Mario and Luigi follow Princess Toadstool out of her castle and to the Koopahari Desert, they have to zig-zag through patches of Munchers. The plants make a similar cameo in Dinosaur Dilemma, where they can be spotted prowling the Valley of the Koopas by Mario and Yoshi.
In Flown the Koopa, a patch of Munchers can be found in the desert surrounding a tree inhabited by Cheep Cheeps, and will swarm Luigi if he tries to get his and his friends lost International Dino-Flying Derby tickets out of the tree; more of the plants can be found by the Mario Bros. in the swamp containing Magikoopa's Fortress.
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Munchers appear in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. They retain their original black coloration and behavior. Munchers are invulnerable, stationary, and populate the ground in long arrays. They are encountered in earlier stages.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Although Munchers do not directly appear in Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, several appear along the bottom adverts in some courses for Green Service.
Mario Tennis Aces
Munchers appear in Mario Tennis Aces. They are located in the background of the Ancient Altar while the player battles Petey Piranha.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Munchers are mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Profiles and statistics
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Muncher.
A size chart for a 1996 Nintendo Character Manual
Super Mario Game Picture Book 5: Princess Peach's Birthday
Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 3)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii model animation
New Super Mario Bros. U
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. style)
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. style)
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. 3 style)
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario World style)
Super Mario Maker (New Super Mario Bros. U style)
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ブラックパックン[3] Burakku Pakkun |
Black Piranha | |
| Chinese | 黑吞食花[?] Hēi Tūnshí Huā |
Black Piranha Plant | |
| Dutch | Muncher[?] | - | |
| French (NOA) | Miamiam[?] | Contracted form of "miam-miam" (onomatopoeic term meaning "yum-yum") | |
| French (NOE) | Scrounch[?] | Onomatopoeia for crunching | |
| German | Mampfer[?] | Muncher | |
| Italian | Sgranocchio[?] | First-person present conjugation of sgranocchiare ("to munch") | |
| Korean | 블랙뻐끔[?] Beullaek Peokkeum |
Black Piranha | |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Trincas[?] | Second-person present conjugation of trincar ("to chomp") | |
| Russian | Жевалка[?] Zhevalka |
Masculine past conjugation of жевать (zhevat, "to munch"), combined with the diminutive suffix -ка (-ka) | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Tulipán Piraña[?] | Piranha Tulip | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Mordiscador[?] | Nibbler |
References
- ^ "Greetings, be careful in the Ice World. The creatures trapped in the ice will come to life if warmed. I have enclosed a jewel that helps protect you." – Princess Toadstool (1990). Super Mario Bros. 3. Nintendo (English).
- ^ ProsafiaGaming (February 4, 2018). New Super Mario Bros Wii - All Castles with Yoshi (06:21). YouTube (English). Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ 1988. スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 (Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 41.