Not to be confused with Kitty.
Kitten
Art of cats from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Artwork of kittens from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
First appearance Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)
Latest appearance Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (version 11.0.1, spirit cameo) (2021)
Variants
Relatives

Kittens appear in the Super Mario franchise as non-playable characters in the Bowser's Fury campaign of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. They are present in five different colors: green, red, blue, black, and calico, each representing the different colors of the maneki-neko. The first four also match the Cat form colors of the playable characters in Super Mario 3D World other than Mario: respectively Luigi, Peach (although using a deeper shade of red similar to Toadette's Cat form), Toad, and Rosalina.

HistoryEdit

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryEdit

Kittens can be seen relaxing, grooming themselves, or playing with baseballs in various spots in Lake Lapcat. If there is a Green Shell nearby, kittens lunge at it, knocking the shell forward slightly; if a Green Shell is between a kitten and a wall, the kitten may claw swipe it continually, which eventually breaks the Green Shell and produces a Lucky Bell. They are friendly, and follow and affectionately nuzzle Mario if he is in his Cat form or Lucky Cat form, though they do not follow him into water. If Mario approaches them in any other form, however, they become frightened and try to avoid him. They can also be picked up and carried by Mario. While being carried, they will continuously scratch in front of them, which can destroy Brick Blocks and activate ? Blocks, similarly to Cat Mario's scratch. Kittens will bounce on Mushroom Trampolines and Jump Panels, and cause Donut Blocks to fall, similarly to Mario. If a kitten makes contact with water or lava, it will vanish and respawn at its original location. If Mario or Bowser Jr. attack a kitten, it does not take damage, and confetti appears instead.

Excluding calico kittens, there are forty-one kittens in total: four near the base of Scamper Shores, four on a higher hill in the same area, four in a tunnel behind Fort Flaptrap, four near the lighthouse of Pounce Bounce Isle, four near the lighthouse on Roiling Roller Isle, four on Mount Magmeow, three at the top of Pipe Path Tower, and fourteen around the Wasteland Giga Bell. Although the solid-colored kittens are not related to any gameplay objective, the calico kittens are missing offspring of Neko Parents, and can be returned to the Neko Parent in a given region for a Cat Shine. There are nine calico kittens across Lake Lapcat: one near the Lakeside Giga Bell, three near the Ruins Giga Bell, and five near the Wasteland Giga Bell. Some are located close to their Neko Parent, while others require Mario to carry them a great distance back.

During the ending cutscene of the campaign, three kittens (blue, red, and green) run off after Bowser lands near them following his defeat as Giant Bowser. After Bowser and Bowser Jr. depart, these kittens circle around Cat Mario. The blue kitten nuzzles Mario, and the red kitten licks its paw. The three kittens and Mario then jump up into the air and freeze. When returning to gameplay after viewing the credits, Cat Plessie becomes able to carry kittens if Mario throws them on top of it or mounts it while holding one, allowing the kittens to travel to different islands.

While Fury Bowser is active, all kittens become corrupted and attack Mario, regardless of his form. If Mario is holding a kitten when Fury Bowser wakes up, then he will be damaged and drop it. If a kitten is riding Plessie when Fury Bowser wakes up, then it will teleport back to its original location.

The calico kitten locations are as follows:

  • Lakeside Giga Bell
    • Found on the other side of the Giga Bell where the Neko Parent is located.
  • Wasteland Giga Bell
    • Found on the opposite side of the Wasteland where the Neko Parent sits.
    • Found on a pier with Dash Panels on it at the beginning of the Wasteland area.
    • Found near the entrance to Pipe Path Tower.
    • Found inside an alcove underneath the entrance to Risky Whisker Island.
    • Found near the lighthouse of Mount Magmeow.

Super Smash Bros. UltimateEdit

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, kittens were added as a Novice-class support spirit during the five-day "Bowser's Fury" spirit event that began on April 9, 2021. When used, they reduce the fighter's weight but increase their speed. In their spirit battle, they are represented by five different-colored Kirbys equipped with Super Leaves, and the battle takes place on the Warp Pipe island in Delfino Plaza, referencing Lake Lapcat. The arrangement of Super Mario 64's main theme from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U serves as the battle's music.

ProfilesEdit

Super Smash Bros. UltimateEdit

Spirit
#1473 Kittens
  Series/game Super Mario Series
Type Support
Slots 1
Class Novice
Strength / effect(s) Lightweight
How to obtain Spirit Board (ver. 11.0.1 or later)
Spirit battle Opponent(s) Tail Kirby ×5
Conditions

Rule: Item: Balls

  • The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight
  • Defeat an army of fighters
Stage Delfino Plaza (pipe island)
Song Main Theme - Super Mario 64

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese 子ネコ[1]
Koneko
Kitten
Chinese (simplified) 小猫咪[?]
Xiǎo Māomī
Kitten
Chinese (traditional) 小貓咪[?]
Xiǎo Māomī
Kitten
Dutch Kitten[?] -
Italian Gattini[?] Kittens
Spanish Gatito[?] Kitten

TriviaEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ SmashBrosJP (April 7, 2021). 【スピリッツイベント】巨大クッパと一騎打ち! フューリーワールド 出現スピリッツその1]. Twitter (Japanese). Retrieved July 2, 2024. (Archived April 7, 2021, 03:00:17 UTC via Wayback Machine.)