Lakitu & Spinies
| Lakitu & Spinies | |
|---|---|
| |
| Universe | Mario |
| Debut | Super Mario Bros. |
| Smash Bros. appearances | none |
Lakitu, known in the Japanese version as Jugem (ジュゲム, Jugemu), is a character in the Mario series of video games from Nintendo. He is typically depicted as a turtle-like creature (a Koopa in Mario terms) with a green shell, orange or yellow body, and thick, black glasses; throwing Spinies, spiky-shelled koopas. He usually rides in a cloud with a smiling face (known as Jugem's Cloud). Mario can ride this cloud for a short period of time after killing Lakitu, as long as the cloud is not destroyed with him. The name Lakitu is also used for an entire type of Koopas, most of whom fly about in this fashion.
Lakitu is one of the few Mario enemies to have appeared in the series from the beginning. This puts Lakitu into the same pantheon as foes such as Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Bullet Bills and Piranha Plants. However, unlike most of these other enemy characters, Lakitu has not changed a great deal from one game to the next.
In his role as an enemy character, Lakitu typically flies about and throws spiked eggs at Mario, although variant types employ other attack patterns. Lakitu appears in a number of games as a figure neutral to Mario. Lakitu features in a handful of non-Mario games and media such as comic books and animated cartoons.
In the Super Smash Bros. series, Spinies always appear in their 8-bit forms, as seen in Super Mario Bros. for the NES. They cannot be killed by jumping on them, as this damages/kills Mario.
In Super Smash Bros.
A Fishin' Lakitu appears in the background of the Peach's Castle stage. His design is based on his appearance in Super Mario 64, complete with the camera on the end of the fishing rod.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
8-bit Lakitus and Spinies appear in the background of Mushroom: Kingdom, while a Fishin' Lakitu appears in the background of Yoshi's Island.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Brawl, a Lakitu can appear from an Assist Trophy. He drops Spinies from the sky, which wander around and damage opponents upon touch. If the character 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 hard, as reaching him can prove difficult, and hitting him correctly is also difficult. If he holds an egg, it could damage the player if he/she strike him. Sometimes it takes two hits to make Lakitu fall.
The Spinies thrown walk back and forth, damaging all players who touch them. They can be devastating, but are slow and easy to avoid. If Lakitu is KO'd, the spinies will still remain on-screen, walking around until they all fall off the stage or automatically disappear.
Assist Trophy Origin
Lakitu and Spinies made their first appearance in Super Mario Bros.. The Lakitu would follow the player from above on a cloud and throw Spinies at him. It's also possible to get high enough in certain levels to where one can defeat Lakitu by jumping on him. Lakitus also appeared in later Mario games and does the same thing. Lakitu and the Spinies's 8-bit appearence in Brawl is a reference to how they're designed in Super Mario Bros.
Trophy Info
A particularly stubborn breed of Koopa. Lakitus chase Mario aboard clouds and attack by throwing Spiny Eggs down from above. More recently, Lakitus have taken over the role of cameramen, filming with cameras that they dangle from long rods. Spinies are Koopa creatures with tough, spiked shells. Jumping onto them has no effect, but fireballs can dispatch them.
- Super Mario Bros. (1985)
- Super Mario 64 (1996)
