Chain Chomp

Chain Chomp
Official artwork of a Chain Chomp from Mario Party 8.
Universe	Mario
Debut	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020)
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
Species	Chain Chomp
Place of origin	Mushroom Kingdom
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Article on Super Mario Wiki	Chain Chomp

Chain Chomps (ワンワン, Wanwan) are recurring enemies in the Mario series. Some games feature chainless variations simply named Chomps.

Origin

A Chain Chomp in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Chain Chomps first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, reappearing frequently (though to a lesser extent than Goombas and Koopa Troopas) in later games. They are spherical, metallic dog-inspired enemies with a giant mouth filled with large, sharp teeth. They are very aggressive and attempt to lunge and bite the player if they get too close. In most cases they are bound to a wooden pole by a metal chain; destroying the pole, if possible, releases them. Chain Chomps are usually fought as enemies and hazards throughout the Mario franchise. They are also occasionally used as items, like in Mario Kart: Double Dash and several Mario sports games.

Special versions of Chain Chomp have appeared in many games at various capacities. In Super Mario Sunshine, a mission involves handling a Chomp that has gotten red hot with rage. The objective is to guide it to water so it can calm down and reward the player with a Shine. Baby Chain Chomps, called Chain Chomplets also appear at various locations. Madame Broode owns a golden Chain Chomp as a pet that fights alongside her. The player needs to take control of the Chomp to defeat her. A Chain Chomp is a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces, marking the only time a Chain Chomp can be selected as a character. Chain Chomps are also a frequent item in the Legend of Zelda franchise, first appearing in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and is usually used by Link to defeat enemies and clear paths.

The design of the Chain Chomp in Super Smash Bros. 4 is based on their appearance in contemporary 3D Mario games; however, the chain itself is simply a set of unconnected circles like in Super Mario Bros. 3. In Ultimate, its chain retains its realistic design seen in more recent Mario games.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A couple of Chomps make a minor appearance in Brawl as background characters in Yoshi's Island. A Chain Chomp appears as both a trophy and a sticker.

Trophy

Trophy in Brawl.

Chain Chomp

A black, spherical character thought to be made of some metal, such as iron. Although usually tethered down with a chain, Chain Chomps will eagerly chomp at passersby, inflicting major damage. In Super Mario 64, a Chain Chomp appears in the first level. It cannot be defeated, but you can daze it temporarily by throwing bombs at it.

: Super Mario Bros. 3

: Super Mario 64

Sticker

Name	Game	Effect	Character(s)
Chain Chomp	Mario Party 8	Attack +23

Chain Chomp (Mario Party 8)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As an Assist Trophy and in Smash Run

A Chain Chomp as it appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Chain Chomps appear as both an Assist Trophy and an enemy in Smash Run with the same behavior. While based on its appearance in contemporary 3D Mario games, the chain itself is simply a set of unconnected circles like in Super Mario Bros. 3.

As an Assist Trophy, the Chain Chomp initially spawns above the summoner's head. It then disappears and reappears stuck to the ground by a wooden peg, where it will slowly patrol around its peg before biting out while being held back by its chain, dealing around 24% and moderate knockback. It will repeat this at least twice before disappearing. The Chain Chomp's body will do minor contact damage to any enemy it touches during that time. Should the Chain Chomp's bite cause its main body to get stuck under a solid platform (such as the underside of Battlefield), it will still attempt to bite, though it will travel less distance due to it being stopped by the stage.

A Chain Chomp in Smash Run.

As a Smash Run enemy, it functions similarly, but will not disappear from its position until defeated. The body itself is fully invincible, but the chain's wooden peg itself is vulnerable; once it takes enough damage, the Chain Chomp will be set free and run away, leaving behind a large amount of stat boosts.

In Smash Tour

The Chain Chomp trophy appears as a blue item: when used, it causes nearby opponents to be launched away, possibly dropping some characters.

In character customization

Mii Fighters wearing the Chomp Hat, next to a real Chain Chomp.

A headgear based on the species, the Chomp Hat, is available to Mii Fighters. It is randomly available in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, but in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U it must be unlocked by getting a chain of 100 or more in a single game of Trophy Rush.

Trophy

The Chain Chomp trophy appears in both versions. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U it is part of the Super Mario Bros. 2 & 3 Trophy Box.

Trophy in for 3DS.

Trophy in for Wii U.

Chain Chomp

This beast frequently appears in the Super Mario series, and it is definitely equal parts bark and bite. No surprise it's often chained to something. In Smash Bros., it's connected to a stump in the ground and will lash out at anyone who gets close. Don't even bother trying to teach it manners.

An iron ball with a face, complete with shiny white teeth, that shows up fairly often in the Mario series. They're impossible to tame, so they're almost always chained to a post, and this game's no exception. Seriously, don't go anywhere near them unless you want to end up a Chomp's dinner.

: Super Mario Bros. 3 (02/1990)

: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (11/2009)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As an Assist Trophy

Chain Chomp returns as an Assist Trophy. It now has a dark blue color scheme instead of a black color scheme; its chain is more realistic and is now connected to a metallic post, similar to the ones in Super Mario Odyssey.

It functions identically to how it did in SSB4, although it can be KO'd now. Training Mode describes the Assist Trophy with the following: "Jumps at nearby opponents, biting at them fiercely." It cannot be summoned in 3D Land, Balloon Fight, Brinstar Depths, Luigi's Mansion, Mute City SNES, Rainbow Cruise, Spirit Train, and Tomodachi Life.

As a costume

Chomp Hat.

The Chomp Hat is also available as a hat for the Mii Fighters.

Spirit

No.	Image	Name	Type	Class	Slots	Base	Max	Base	Max	Base	Max	Ability	Series
51		Chain Chomp		★★	0	1754	7062	968	3898	687	2765	Weight ↑	Super Mario Series
81		Goo-Goo Buggy		★★	2	1721	6928	902	3631	753	3031	Weight ↓	Mario Kart Series

Gallery

• 

  A Chain Chomp attacking Mario, from the Super Smash Bros. Direct

• 

  A Chain Chomp as it appears in Ultimate.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ワンワン	Wanwan; onomatopoeia for barking (e.g. "bow-wow")
English	Chain Chomp	—
French	Chomp	—
German	Kettenhund	Chain dog
Spanish	Chomp cadenas	Chain Chomp
Italian	Categnaccio	Chained dog
Chinese	汪汪	Wāngwāng; onomatopoeia for barking (e.g. "bow-wow")
Korean	멍멍이	Meongmeong-i; childish way to refer to a dog (e.g. "doggy")
Dutch	Chain Chomp	—
Russian	Кусалкин на цепи	Chomper on a Chain

Trivia

• While the Assist Trophy and Smash Run versions of Chain Chomps in SSB4 have a simple chain inspired by their original appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, its trophy depicts it with a more realistic chain, like in more recent games.
• The description of Chain Chomp's trophy in Brawl is incorrect, as the Chain Chomp in Bob-omb Battlefield can actually be defeated in Super Mario 64 by ground pounding the wooden pole it is attached to.
• Humorously, the 2 Spirits that feature Chain Chomp in Ultimate have opposite effects - the Chain Chomp Spirit increases weight, while the Goo-Goo Buggy Spirit decreases it.