Torpedo Ted
Template:Species-infobox Torpedo Teds are personified torpedoes that are dropped by Torpedo Bases underwater. Due to them being relatives of the much more common Bullet Bills, their design is based of Bullet Bills, having similar white arms and the same jet-black coloration, though their appearance is distinguished by a smug grin and a propeller on their thruster. They first appear in Super Mario World and have made uncommon appearances since then. Due to Mario's inability to stomp on enemies underwater and the Bullet Bill species' resistance to fire, Torpedo Teds are usually tough, if not invincible enemies and thus must be avoided.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
Torpedo Teds first appear in Super Mario World, and they are exclusive to one level in the game: Soda Lake. They are dropped by gloved arms protruding out of Torpedo Bases, the Torpedo Ted equivalent of Bill Blasters. Torpedo Teds move in a straight line, and they are dropped in the direction of where the player is at. Torpedo Teds travel at a relatively quick speed, and they are invincible to most attacks.
Super Mario Galaxy
Torpedo Teds (erroneously referred to as Bullet Bills by Prima Games[1][2]) appear in Super Mario Galaxy after a long absence in the main Super Mario series; they are exclusive to Buoy Base Galaxy and Drip Drop Galaxy. Torpedo Teds resemble and act like the Bullet Bills featured in this game, where they home on to players rather than travel in a straight line. However, these Torpedo Teds make a beeping noise based on how close they are to Mario, unlike Bullet Bills. Torpedo Teds are also fired from cannons that resemble underwater Bill Blasters. In this game, they can be defeated either as Rainbow Mario or by causing them to crash into an object. Torpedo Teds do not reappear in the sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Torpedo Teds reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U alongside black Torpedo Bases, and they make their only appearances in Larry's Torpedo Castle and the The Mighty Cannonship's Bowser Jr. Battle. They retain their appearance and behavior from Super Mario World, though they are slightly longer, their propellers are red, and the ends holding them are white. The game introduces a Torpedo Ted variation, where red Torpedo Bases launch a red version of Torpedo Teds known as Targeting Teds, which homes in on players in a way similar fashion to the Bullet Bill equivalent, Bull's-Eye Bill. If the player freezes one, it breaks out immediately. Torpedo Teds can be defeated in Boost Mode and Super Boost Mode; in the former case, when it is frozen, the player can tap on the ice block quickly, while in the latter players can defeat Torpedo Teds simply by tapping on them. Also, simply freezing them when another Torpedo Ted is right in front of them will defeat the frozen one.
Torpedo Ted reappear in the expansion game, New Super Luigi U. They appear in the first boss battle with Bowser Jr., and in Larry's Trigger-Happy Castle, Torpedo Teds appear with many other varieties of Bullet Bill. They can be seen in the watery areas of the first room.
Torpedo Teds also appear as obstacles in the Penguin vs. Torpedo challenge.
Super Mario World television series
A Torpedo Ted, though not specifically named as such, appears in the final episode of the Super Mario World cartoon. In the episode, titled "Mama Luigi," Luigi and Yoshi, after escaping a pursuing Rip Van Fish, are attacked by a Torpedo Ted. This Torpedo Ted chases after them as they are swimming to the surface; however, the Torpedo Ted misses both of them, as they are saved by two friendly Dolphins.
Super Princess Peach
Torpedo Teds reside in a few underwater areas of Vibe Island in Super Princess Peach, behaving much as they do in Super Mario World. There is also a variant under the influence of the Vibe Scepter, transforming them into Glad Torpedo Teds.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 10
Torpedo Teds make their series debut in Mario Party 10 as an obstacle in Blooper Blastoff. They are fired out from Torpedo Bases, and players must avoid them while they are traversing to the surface. When players hit a Torpedo Ted, they spin out for one second.
Super Mario Party
A Torpedo Ted appears in Super Mario Party in the minigame Rattle and Hmmm as one of the choices.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | トーピード[3][4] Tōpīdo |
Torpedo | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 鱼雷杀手[5] (iQue) Yúléi Shāshǒu 鱼雷刺客 (Nintendo) Yúléi Cìkè 鱼雷先锋 (Tencent) Yúléi Xiānfēng |
From "鱼雷" (yúléi, torpedo) and "弹头杀手" (Dàntóushāshǒu, Bullet Bill) From "鱼雷" (yúléi, torpedo) and "炮弹刺客" (Pàodàncìkè, Bullet Bill) From "鱼雷" (yúléi, torpedo) and "炮弹先锋" (Pàodànxiānfēng, Bullet Bill) |
|
| Chinese (traditional) | 魚雷刺客[?] Yúléi Cìkè |
From "魚雷" (yúléi, torpedo) and "炮彈刺客" (Pàodàncìkè, Bullet Bill) | |
| German | Torpedo Ted[?] | - | |
| Italian | Ted Torpedine[?] | Torpedo Ted | |
| Korean | 어뢰킬러[?] Eoroe Killeo |
Torpedo Bullet Bill | |
| Spanish | Ted Torpedo[?] | Torpedo Ted |
Trivia
- During development of Super Mario World, Bullet Bill-sized versions of Torpedo Ted were planned.[6] Additionally, the name "Water Killer" is present in prototype assets.[7]
References
- ^ "The warp pipe is encased in a steel-and-glass cage. Fortunately, there is a Bullet Bill torpedo tube nearby." Black, Fletcher. Super Mario Galaxy PRIMA Official Game Guide, page 157.
- ^ "A massive weight hangs from the tower’s bottom. This holds the tower in place. Mario must somehow remove the weight. There is a torpedo tube in the side of the sea bowl. Swim over to it to catch the eyes of a Bullet Bill as it blasts into the water. Then, swim toward the weight with the Bullet Bill in tow. Quickly paddle to the weight’s other side so the Bullet Bill crashes into it. The explosion drops the weight, allowing several floating devices to rise. Now Mario can climb to the tower’s top." Black, Fletcher. Super Mario Galaxy PRIMA Official Game Guide, page 158.
- ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario World section, page 55.
- ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario Galaxy section, page 127.
- ^ 无敌阿尔宙斯 (August 28, 2013). 神游 超级马力欧世界 敌人官译. Baidu Tieba. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Verneri Kontto (July 24, 2020). Twitter post featuring prototype Super Mario World assets. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ TCRF. Prerelease:Super Mario World (SNES)/Background Graphics and Tilemaps#Enemy Cast List. The Cutting Room Floor. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
