Chain Chomp

"Chomp" redirects here. For other uses of the word "Chomp", see Chomp (disambiguation).

"Chomp-Chomp" redirects here. For the gold Chain Chomp in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, see Chomp Chomp.

"Chain Chomper" redirects here. For the collared pet Chomps in Super Mario Sunshine, see Chain Chomplet.

This article is about the recurring species. For the sample course in Super Mario Maker, see Chain Chomp (level).

Chain Chomp
Artwork of a Chain Chomp from Dr. Mario World
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance	Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch) (2023)
Variants Big Chain Chomp C. Chain Chomp Chain Chawful Chain Chomp (Elder Princess Shroob) Chain Chomplet Chaindelier Chomp Chomp Chomp-Muncher Dark Chomp Frame Chomp Gold Chomp Homing Chomp Mecha-Chomp Mini Chomp Paper Chain Chomp Red Chomp Spiked Link Stone Chomp
Relatives Flame Chomp
Comparable Snapjaw Splorch
Notable members Broode's Chain Chomp Chomp Country Paper Macho Chain Chomp Princess (Paper Mario: Color Splash) Princess (Paper Mario: The Origami King) Underchomp

“Ruff! Ruff! (I'm gonna steal coins or stars just for you!)”

—Chain Chomp, Mario Party 5

Chain Chomps (occasionally called simply Chomps, alternatively formatted as Chain-Chomps, and alternatively called Chain Chompers early on) are common enemies in the Super Mario franchise. Chain Chomps were not initially conceived for the Super Mario franchise, but a developer came across old concept art and decided to implement them in Super Mario Bros. 3. Chain Chomps bear a resemblance to a ball and chain and are typified by their large, tooth-filled maws and incessant biting. Shigeru Miyamoto's inspiration for the Chain Chomps was from a childhood experience: a dog once ran up to him and tried to bite him, but the dog's chain held it back. As a result, Chain Chomps also possess canine qualities, such as barking, and are commonly used as guard dogs throughout the Super Mario franchise. Many Chain Chomps have been part of the Koopa Troop, though a couple of them have been shown to be independent. Despite their English name, not all Chain Chomps have chains, or even chomp; many later depictions of chainless Chain Chomps have them rolling around like boulders.

History

Main article: History of Chain Chomp

Since debuting in Super Mario Bros. 3, both the chained and chainless types of Chain Chomps have made several reappearances. In the Super Mario series, Chain Chomps commonly appear as enemies. In the Mario Kart series, Chain Chomps appear as obstacles in a few courses. In the Mario Party series, Chain Chomps are the focus of several minigames. In the Paper Mario series and the Mario & Luigi series, Chain Chomps commonly appear as enemies.

Characteristics and traits

Chain Chomp design differences. The left is artwork from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! while the right is artwork from Super Mario 3D Land; note that the in-game appearance for the former actually uses a facial design more similar to the latter.

Chomps resemble a ball with chains and come in various sizes, often bigger than Mario. They have big circular eyes, large gaping mouths, and razor-sharp teeth. Most also have a restraining tail-like chain, which is commonly tied to some sort of post to restrict their movement. These creatures are colored black or dark blue with bright white eyes and teeth (though they have appeared in other colors, such as red, blue, and yellow). Unlike most enemies from the Super Mario games, Chomps are usually not sapient compared to other enemies such as Goombas and Shy Guys; they can communicate, however, through dog-like barks (hence their Japanese name). Behavior-wise, they act similar to guard dogs. Some items, such as the Chomp Whistle and Pocket Chomp, can be used to summon Chomps, displaying their traits of loyalty and obedience, similar to a dog. Chain Chomps have a tendency to sleep, as shown in some games such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Power Tennis, and various Mario Party minigames including Sneak 'n' Snore.

Chain Chomps have changed little since their debut appearance. The most notable changes throughout their appearances, though, are the size proportion, and amount of their teeth. Chain Chomps in their earlier appearances have smaller teeth that are more equal size of each other, notably in Mario Party 4, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Party 5, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, and Super Mario Strikers. These appearances depict them with black chains, eight teeth on the upper jaw, and nine teeth on the lower jaw (this teeth order is reversed in some games). In some appearances beginning in Yoshi Story, Paper Mario, and Super Mario Sunshine, their teeth are generally larger in proportion to their bodies to compensate for having less teeth, and the teeth near the center are more noticeably bigger compared to those at the corners of the mouth. While subsequent games did not immediately use the different design, this design has eventually replaced the older designs in newer games.

Chomps are some of the tougher enemies in the Super Mario franchise. In a couple of games, they are invincible, and they usually have an above-average defense in RPGs. Many games seem to even hint that they are made of a hard, metallic substance. If they are not invincible in a game, they are shown to be quite resilient instead. For example, in Bowser's Inside Story, they have a hole cut in their head and an enemy living inside them, yet are shown to be fine should Bowser inhale the enemy inside them. Their main method of attack is lunging at the enemy and biting them, though they are usually pulled back by their chains. Chainless Chomps, therefore, make for more difficult enemies, especially due to them generally being larger than their other brethren. With a few exceptions (such as in Paper Mario), most Chomps that are not tied charge at their enemy instead of lunging.

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Chain Chomp profiles and statistics

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team enemy
Chain Chomp
	HP	245	Role	Common	Level	34	Location(s)	Neo Bowser Castle
	Power	300	Position	Normal	No Hitter	54
	Defense	275	World	Real	Weakness	None	Item drop	Max Nut (8%) POW Scarf DX (1%)
	Speed	104	Experience	50 (60)	Coins	80 (100%)

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam enemy
Chain Chomp
	HP	484	POW	297 (250)	Defense	474 (400)	Speed	181
	Role	Common	Type	Normal	Weakness	None	Location(s)	Bad Nabbit, Neo Bowser Castle, Final Smash
	Level	35	Experience	600 (595)	Coins	150	Item drop	Max Syrup Jar - 5% POW Gloves DX - 2%
Notice: Stats in parentheses are from the game's Easy Mode.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

• Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser / Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile: "Unstoppable when they're off their chains. Difficult to control and highly destructive."

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Chain Chomp.

• 

  Super Mario All-Stars

• 

  Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

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  Super Mario 64

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  Mario Party-e

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  Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

• 

  Mario Tennis Aces

Additional names

Internal names

Game	File	Name	Meaning
Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2	ObjectData/WanwanRolling.arc	WanwanRolling	Rolling Chomp

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ワンワン Wanwan ケルビン (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past) Kerubin	Japanese onomatopoeic term for dog's barking; rendered "BowWow" in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Kelvin; fully replaced with「ワンワン」(Wanwan) for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords
Chinese	汪汪 Wāngwāng	Translation from Japanese name
Dutch	Chain Chomp	-
German	Kettenhund Beißzahn Bomb Chomp (older games)	Chain Dog Teething Bomb -
Italian	Categnaccio Palla a catena Catena Dentata (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3) Categnone (Super Mario Galaxy)	Portmanteau of "catena" (chain) and "cagnaccio" (bad dog) Ball on a chain Chain Teeth Portmanteau of "Categnaccio" (the usual Italian name of the Chain Chomps) and the augmentative suffix "-one"
Korean	멍멍이 Meongmeong'i	Korean childish word for "dog"
Portuguese (NOA)	Chomp Chomp
Portuguese (NOE)	Corrente Dentada Chomp da Corrente	Toothed/Biting Chain (also means cogwheel) Chomp of the Chain
Romanian	Ghiulea (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3)	Cannon ball1
Russian	Кусалкин на цепи Kusalkin na Tsepi	Chomper on Chain
Spanish	Cadena Mordelona (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3) Chomp	Biting Chain -
Spanish (NOA)	Chomp Cadenas Chain Chomp (Mario Kart Wii) Chomp-Chomp	Chomp Chains -
Spanish (NOE)	Chomp Cadenas	Chomp Chains

¹ - Replaces an instance of "Chain Chomps" in one of King Koopa's lines in the episode Mush-Rumors, in which he orders several Chain Chomps to be fired from the cannons of an airship.

• English: "I bet the aliens took human form to trick the Mario brothers into helping them. But I'll trick them all. Chain Chomps away!"
• Romanian: "Pun pariu că extratereștrii au luat formă umană ca să-i păcălească pe frații Mario. Dar îi păcălesc eu pe toți. Lansați ghiulelele!"
  

External links

• Chain Chomp on Zelda Dungeon Wiki
• Chain Chomp on Triforce Wiki