Editing Muncher

{{about|species derived from Piranha Plant|the enemy in [[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]|[[Muncher (Donkey Kong Country Returns)]]|the sample level in [[Super Mario Maker]]|[[Muncher (level)]]}}
{{species infobox
|image=[[File:NSMBU Muncher Artwork.png|250px]]<br>Artwork of three Munchers from ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' ([[List of games by date#1988|1988]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'' ([[List of games by date#2023|2023]])
|variant_of=[[Piranha Plant]]
|variants=[[Chomp-Muncher]]
|relatives=[[Nipper Plant]]
|comparable=[[Plant Chomper]]
}}
'''Munchers''' are a near-invincible [[List of species|species]] of [[Piranha Plant]]. Unlike [[Nipper Plant]]s, Munchers are usually colored black and are immobile. Munchers act like [[Spike (obstacle)|spikes]], as touching them would damage [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]]. However, both [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]] (except in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games) and the [[Goomba's Shoe]] can walk on them without harm. In a few levels, they spring from thin pipes. The only way for [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] to cross a patch of Munchers by himself is by acquiring a [[Super Star]], though Munchers are unaffected by [[Invincible Mario]] himself, or by carefully [[jump]]ing to the gaps between Muncher patches. Only a [[P Switch|Switch Block]] (in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''), a [[POW Block]], a [[Spiny Shell (red)|Spiny Shell]], or a big [[Goomba's Shoe|Goomba's Stiletto]] (all in ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'') can defeat a Muncher.
==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
====''Super Mario Bros. 3''====
{{multiframe|[[File:Munchers 2.png|129px]]|Munchers from the ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' version of ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' (top) and from ''Super Mario World'' (bottom).|size=129|align=left}}
[[File:SMB3 Muncher.jpg|thumb|Artwork of Munchers from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.]]
Munchers first appear in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' and are first encountered in [[World 5-3 (Super Mario Bros. 3)|World 5-3]] where they appear in large numbers. [[World 6-10]] features frozen Munchers, which can be identified by the black [[Ice Block]] in which they are encased. As [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] warns to Mario in her letter leading into the world, they are harmless when frozen and act like platforms, but if the player uses a [[fireball]], the Muncher will become active again. If [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] hits a [[P Switch|Switch Block]], all regular Munchers will briefly turn into [[coin]]s; if Mario or Luigi tail whips one, the Muncher will become an [[Empty Block]] (except in the GBA version, where they are unaffected). If the player has [[Goomba's Shoe]], they can walk along them without taking damage.

[[File:SMB3 Blue Muncher.png|thumb|200px|A blue Muncher]]
In this game, Munchers are damage-causing foreground tiles rather than sprites, due to a limit of eight sprites per scanline on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]. In their official art, they are black with orange leaves, but in the game itself, they can come in other colors depending on the level, sometimes having blue leaves, due to the inconsistencies between the limited four palettes available for foreground tiles on the NES in different levels. In ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', they have green leaves with heads that are either dull orange or indigo depending on the location.

Munchers that pop out of [[small pipe]]s also appear in the [[World 7-Piranha Plant 1|first]] and [[World 7-Piranha Plant 2|second]] {{world|7|piranhaplant}} stages of [[Pipe Land]]. Additionally, in any version of the game, Munchers remain animated even when the game is paused, as they are tiles on the foreground layer comparable to [[Jelectro]]s.

====''Super Mario World''====
Munchers appear again in ''[[Super Mario World]]'', where they behave just like they did previously, including acting like objects. However, [[Cape Mario|Caped Mario]] cannot turn them into blocks as Raccoon and Tanooki Mario could. As before, being [[Invincible Mario]] can allow the player to walk on the Munchers without being harmed; also, [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]] can walk on them safely. Touching a Muncher from the side or bottom while riding on Yoshi, however, damages Mario directly without causing Yoshi to run away, removing Mario's power-up if he has one or causing him to lose a life if he does not. This unique behavior is only seen in [[Vanilla Dome 3]], as there are a few Munchers that can be touched from the sides.

In this game, they have a slightly different appearance: their eyes are absent, their stem is yellow instead of orange, and their head is oval-shaped instead of round.

[[Gray P Switch]]es can turn Munchers into coins; however, this behavior goes unused since no levels in the game have both.

====''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''====
[[File:NSMBW Muncher Plant Screenshot.png|200px|thumb|Normal and frozen Munchers in ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''.]]
[[File:Muncheridle.gif|thumb|120px|Model animation of a Muncher from ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''.]]
In ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'', Munchers only appear in [[World 9-7 (New Super Mario Bros. Wii)|World 9-7]], and even then, they only appear in ice blocks. However, they cover most of the floor, and the level is filled with [[Fire Piranha Plant|Venus Fire Trap]]s, whose fireballs can burn the ice the Munchers are in, exposing them to the players. The players can also melt them if they have a [[Fire Flower]]. Once they are thawed out, they cannot be frozen again, even if they are hit with a iceball from an [[Ice Flower]].

Hacking the game reveals that unlike in ''Super Mario World'', Yoshi can no longer safely walk on Munchers or [[Spike Trap]]s in this game.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnUMLLINtX0&t=381s]</ref> This behavior is unused in the game proper since no level has both of them.

====''New Super Mario Bros. U'' / ''New Super Luigi U'' / ''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe''====
[[File:NSMBU E3 4-Player Spinning-Star Sky.png|left|thumb|Munchers in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''.]]
Munchers, no longer in ice blocks, appear in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'', ''[[New Super Luigi U]]'', and their [[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe|Nintendo Switch port]]. Munchers retain their appearance from ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' and behave the same way as they do in other games. In ''New Super Mario Bros. U'', Munchers are found in [[Spinning-Star Sky]] and [[Thrilling Spine Coaster]]. In ''[[New Super Luigi U]]'', Munchers appear in the levels [[Lemmy's Lights-Out Castle]], [[Cooligan Shrooms]], and [[Wiggler Rodeo]].

====''Super Mario Maker'' / ''Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Super Mario Maker 2''====
Munchers reappear in ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', [[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS|its Nintendo 3DS version]], and ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]''. They can be placed in courses normally, but they can also be made huge by dragging a Super Mushroom onto them, or be made to spawn from [[Lakitu]]s, [[Warp Pipe]]s, [[? Block]]s, [[Brick Block]]s, or [[Bill Blaster]]s.

Munchers in these games are treated as sprites instead of objects, acting the same as Piranha Plants but smaller and harder to defeat. Shaking them has no apparent effect other than producing a purple-black cloud of smoke, but shaking them repeatedly will produce [[fly (Mario Paint)|flies]], which the player can swat to initiate the [[Gnat Attack]] minigame. In 1.20 onwards, shaking it after the flies have emerged will cause [[King Watinga]] to pop out, and swatting him will trigger a harder version of Gnat Attack.

In this game, Munchers are damaging to the touch on every side, unless Mario is wearing a Goomba's Shoe, during which only hitting a Muncher with Mario's head will damage him. Mario can also use [[Buzzy Shell]]s to bounce them up from below. Munchers can be defeated by a [[POW Block]], a fast fly down while [[Cape Mario]], a ground pound with a giant Goomba's Shoe, and the [[Spiny Shell (red)|Spiny Shell]] from below. Yoshi can once again walk safely across Munchers, even in the ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' style. Munchers are heavy enough to press a [[P Switch]] without needing to be enlarged with a Super Mushroom, and also defeat any enemy (including [[Bowser]]) should they fall over it.

Also, as Munchers are absent from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', new sprites are made for this style. In the ''[[Super Mario World]]'' style, a new sprite was made instead of using the original one: they have yellow lips or teeth, and have a blue shading.

The Munchers in this game are affected by gravity, and fall down if they are not on top of any ground. They can also operate like solid blocks in that they take out most enemies just by falling onto them.

====''Super Mario Run''====
Munchers appear again in ''[[Super Mario Run]]'', acting as they do in other games. Yoshi can walk freely on Munchers whereas the other characters cannot.

====''Super Mario Bros. Wonder''====
Munchers appear in ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'', primarily in the stage [[Muncher Fields]], lining most of the floor, walls, and ceilings while functioning the same as in other games. Yoshi can once again walk safely across Munchers. They can be defeated by throwing a [[Red POW Block]] at them.

===''Nintendo Adventures Books''===
Munchers appear as scenery in ''[[Double Trouble (book)|Double Trouble]]'', where it's mentioned [[Roy Koopa]] has parked the [[Airship|Doomship]] above a patch of them in the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. In ''[[Leaping Lizards]]'', some Munchers are a part of the first International Mushroom Games event, the obstacle course. If Roy's [[magic carpet|flying carpet]] is sabotaged by a [[Rocky Wrench]], he will fall into a patch of the plants, though the Munchers leave him alone due to deeming his tough hide unappetizing.

In ''[[Pipe Down!]]'', if Mario and Luigi follow Princess Toadstool out of her castle and to the [[Koopahari Desert]], they have to zig-zag through patches of Munchers. The plants make a similar cameo in ''[[Dinosaur Dilemma]]'', where they can be spotted prowling the Valley of the Koopas by Mario and Yoshi.

In ''[[Flown the Koopa]]'', a patch of Munchers can be found in the desert surrounding a tree inhabited by [[Cheep Cheep]]s, and will swarm Luigi if he tries to get his and his friends lost International Dino-Flying Derby tickets out of the tree; more of the plants can be found by the Mario Bros. in the swamp containing [[Magikoopa]]'s [[Fortress]].

===''Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3''===
[[File:MuncherWL.png|frame|right]]
Munchers also appear in ''[[Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3]]''. They retain their original black coloration and are found early in the game. There is no distinction between how they inflict damage on [[Wario]] and how they inflicted damage on other heroes in past ''Super Mario'' games. Munchers are stationary and populate the ground in long arrays of specimens. They cannot be knocked out in any way.

===''Mario Kart 8'' / ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''===
Although Munchers do not directly appear in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' or ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'', several appear along the bottom adverts in some courses for [[Green Service]].

===''Mario Tennis Aces''===
[[File:MTA Munchers.jpg|thumb|Several Munchers at the Ancient Altar in ''Mario Tennis Aces'']]
Munchers appear in ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', where they are found in the background of the [[Piranha Plant Forest|Ancient Altar]] while the player battles [[Petey Piranha]].

===''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''===
In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Munchers are mentioned briefly by [[icaruspedia:Viridi|Viridi]] during [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations|Palutena's Guidance]] dialogue for [[Piranha Plant]].

==Profiles and statistics==
===''[[Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten]]''===
{{PEGMCE profile
|name=ブラックパックン (JP) / Muncher (EN)
|shusshin=フラワー{{ruby|族|ぞく}}
|seikaku=いやしん{{ruby|坊|ぼう}}
|tojo_gemu=３、ワールド
|desc='''<big>{{ruby|落|お}}ちるのを{{ruby|持|ま}}ちかまえてる</big><br>
くぼみなどでマリオを{{ruby|待|ま}}ちかまえている、{{ruby|無敵|むてき}}のパックン。{{ruby|攻撃|こうげき}}はしてこないが、{{ruby|無敵|むてき}}マリオでも{{ruby|倒|たお}}すことはできない。くぼみに{{ruby|落|お}}ちないように{{ruby|慎重|しんちょう}}にジャンプしよう。<ref name=Daijiten>Shogakukan. 1994.「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (''Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten''). [https://i.imgur.com/EVcDzB9.jpeg Page 191].</ref>
|origin=Flower clan
|disposition=Greedy
|game_appearances=3, World
|eng_desc='''''<big>Waiting for something to fall</big><br>
''The invincible Piranha waits for Mario in pits and other places. They do not attack, but even Invincible Mario cannot defeat them. Jump carefully to avoid falling into the pits.''
}}

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
Muncher SMB3.gif|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
Muncher.gif|''[[Super Mario World]]''
1996 NCM sizechartC.png|A size chart for a 1996 ''Nintendo Character Manual''
SMGPB5 Activity2.png|''[[Super Mario Game Picture Book 5]]: Princess Peach's Birthday''
Muncher SMB3 All-Stars.png|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' (''Super Mario Bros. 3'')
NSMBU Muncher Render.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''
SMM-SMB-Muncher.png|''[[Super Mario Maker]]'' (''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' style)
SMM-SMB-Mucher-1.png|''Super Mario Maker'' (''Super Mario Bros.'' style)
SMM-SMB3-Muncher.png|''Super Mario Maker'' (''Super Mario Bros. 3'' style)
SMM-SMW-Muncher.png|''Super Mario Maker'' (''Super Mario World'' style)
SMM-NSMBU-Muncher.png|''Super Mario Maker'' (''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' style)
Muncher model SMBW.png|''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=ブラックパックン<ref>''Super Mario Bros. 3'' Japanese instruction booklet. Page 41.</ref>
|JapR=Burakku Pakkun
|JapM=Black Piranha
|SpaA=Tulipán Piraña
|SpaAM=Piranha Tulip
|SpaE=Mordiscador
|SpaEM=Nibbler
|FreA=Miamiam
|FreAM=Contracted form of "miam-miam" (onomatopoeic term meaning "yum-yum")
|FreE=Scrounch
|FreEM=Onomatopoeia for crunching
|Dut=Muncher
|Ger=Mampfer
|GerM=Muncher
|Ita=Sgranocchio
|ItaM=First-person present conjugation of ''sgranocchiare'' ("to munch")
|PorE=Trincas
|PorEM=Second-person present conjugation of ''trincar'' ("to chomp")
|Rus=Жевалка
|RusR=Zhevalka
|RusM=Masculine past conjugation of ''жевать'' (''zhevat'', "to munch"), combined with the diminutive suffix ''-ка'' (''-ka'')
|Kor=블랙뻐끔
|KorR=Beullaek Peokkeum
|KorM=Black Piranha
|Chi=黑吞食花
|ChiR=Hēi Tūnshí Huā
|ChiM=Black Piranha Plant
}}

==References==
<references/>

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[[Category:Piranha Plants]]
[[Category:Dinosaur Dilemma enemies]]
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