Lakitu & Spinies

Lakitus (, Jugem) and Spinies (, Togezo) are enemies from the series.

Origin
Lakitu and Spinies made their debut appearance in Super Mario Bros. as a common enemy, and has become a common enemy in later Mario games. Along with the Goombas and Koopa Troopas, the Lakitu and Spinies are some of the most recognizable enemies of the Mario series. The Lakitu is a green-shelled Koopa wearing thick goggles who rides around in a smiling cloud. The Spinies are quadrupedal spike-shelled Koopas that feature glaring eyes.

Lakitus are known for flying over the player and attacks by throwing Spiny eggs, which turn into Spinies upon touching the ground. The Spinies are among the few enemies that cannot be defeated by jumping on them, as their sharp spikes hurt the player on contact. Lakitus are a dangerous enemy who flies near the top of the screen and is often out of reach, but Lakitus can be defeated by jumping on them. In later games, a defeated Lakitu would leave behind their Lakitu Cloud, which allows the player to ride it for a short period of time.

In the Mario Kart series, a Lakitu plays various roles, such as serving as the referee, informing drivers when they are going the wrong way, and fishing them back onto the track if they spin out or fall off the course for any reason. A Lakitu makes a playable appearance in ' and several appear as the production crew for Mario Kart TV in '. In , a Lakitu is constantly behind Mario holding a camera from a pole. Before Mario enters the castle for the first time, the Lakitu explains how the camera controls work. This was done to give new players a frame of reference to better understand how to control the camera, which was a new feature at the time. The Lakitu can even be seen behind Mario in rooms that have mirrors.

As a background character
A appears as a background character in the Peach's Castle stage. This is exclusive to Super Smash Bros., as Super Smash Bros. 4 removed this cameo.

As a background character
A Lakitu appear in its 8-bit forms as background characters in the stage, while a Fishin' Lakitu appears as a background character in the  stage.

As an Assist Trophy


Lakitu & Spinies debuts as Assist Trophies in their 8-bit forms.

When summoned, Lakitu throws down Spiny eggs from the sky. If the opponent is hit by a Spiny while airborne, they will be meteor smashed. Lakitu can be KO'd, which will prevent any additional Spinies from appearing; however, this can be difficult, since reaching the Lakitu and hitting him correctly can prove to be difficult. If the opponent attacks Lakitu while holding a Spiny egg, it can damage the opponent upon if the egg strikes them.

The Spiny eggs turn into Spinies upon making contact with the ground and wander around the stage. The Spinies cannot be defeated and they damage the players upon contact, but their slow movements are easy to avoid. If Lakitu is KO'd, the Spinies will still remain on-screen until they all fall off the stage or automatically disappear. Despite being invulnerable, the Spinies have hitboxes. This is likely so that Lakitu can use a Spiny as a shield to avoid taking a hit from a character.

Lakitu Glitch
When Lakitu is defeated, he'll fall while upside down. A glitch however, can cause Lakitu to be stuck in midair when defeated for a short period of time until they automatically disappear.

As an Assist trophy
The Lakitu and Spinies in their 8-bit forms return as an Assist Trophy, reprising their behavior from Brawl.

In Smash Run
Lakitu appears as an enemy, using his modern appearance instead of his 8-bit form. Lakitus ride around their Lakitu Cloud and attacks by throwing Spiny eggs which turn into Spinies upon touching the ground. Damaging a Lakitu enough will knock him down from his cloud, although he will regain it if it is not defeated. Lakitu will fly away if it is left alone for long enough. The Spinies do not drop any powerup when defeated.

Trophies
The Lakitu & Spinies trophy is available in both versions, and in it is part of the Bowser's Minions Trophy Box. The other trophies are exclusives to.

Spirit
Lakitu & Spiny appears as an Advanced-class primary spirit.

In Adventure Mode: World of Light, Lakitu & Spiny is presumably one of the countless spirits captured by Galeem during his takeover of the universe. After Galeem's defeat, Dharkon takes control of Galeem's spirits, including Lakitu & Spiny. Lakitu & Spiny's spirit is located in the Mysterious Dimension sub-dungeon of The Dark Realm. Prior to his battle, the player is quizzed on which spirit was a part of Bowser's army.

Lakitu's Spirit Battle uses an Iggy Koopa puppet fighter while the Spiny uses an army of Tiny puppet fighters, and are fought on the  stage.

Trivia

 * Lakitu and Spinies are one of five Assist Trophies to have appeared in Brawl and Smash 4, but are absent in Ultimate, the other four being Infantry and Tanks, Kat and Ana, Saki Amamiya, and Tingle.

Lakitu