Tetris Ningen
The title of this article is official, but it comes from aJapanese source.
If anacceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| Tetris Ningen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Some Tetris Ningen withGoro and L-Tetrimino from theTettoman | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario (Super Mario Land 2) (1989) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario (Super Mario Land 3) (1990) | ||
| Variant of | Halfhuman, halfTetrimino | ||
| |||
TheTetris Ningen is a race ofhumans with the capability of shapeshifting into anthropomorphicTetriminos. They appeared in two volumes of theSuper Mario manga series published by KC Deluxe. They are dark-skinned humans wearing pre-Colombian civilization clothing, such as leaf skirts and feathered headgears, but in their Tetrimino form, they look like normal Tetriminos with human limbs and faces.
They make their debut inSuper Mario Land 2, where it is explained that they once ruled in the ruinedTetris Ōkoku more than 6,000 years ago, before they retreated into their temple to guard the treasure ofKing Tetris. With time, the treasure of Tetris and its tribe became a legend among theMushroom Kingdom citizens, but the few that go looking for it have the chance of being put to the test with a real-life challenge ofTetris: if they pass, they may proceed to the treasure, otherwise they are turned into slaves to carry Tetriminos for the challenges or put to rest at the bottom of the water basin in their temple.
In the present time, the leader of the tribe is chieftainGermane, a harsh and cheating guardian. WhenMario duels with King Tetris (who isBowser in disguise),Peach,Goro, and a rescuedLuigi try to stop Germane from assisting King Tetris by telling him which Tetrimino will be dropped next. To stop them, Germane orders the nearby Tetris Ningen to turn into their Tetrimino form and fuse together into theGattai Tetris Ningen, but Luigi manages to destroy it by crashing a mine cart against it.
Later in the volume, Bowser dons the King Tetris disguise again to lead an alien invasion on the Mushroom Kingdom. To his aid, he uses theTettoman, a group of seven superhero-like individuals with a Tetrimino for a head.
Both the Tettoman and the Tetris Ningen (in Tetrimino form) reappear in thefollowing volume, where the latter aids Bowser-King Tetris in a Ice Hockey Tetris match by disguising themselves aspolar bears, before they reveal their identity, at one point even faking a cloning technique by sending the reserve players during the match to overwhelm the rivals. Mario and his friends use them in place of Tetrimino-pucks to win the game. Differently from before, this time the Tetris Ningen are now Tetriminos with limbs, mouth, and eyes, the rest of the human face they had before is absent.
Gallery
Super Mario Land 2 chapter 1
Mario sitting on a O-Tetrimino Tetris Ningen inSuper Mario Land 3
The Tetris Ningen inSuper Mario Land 3
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | テトリス Tetorisu Ningen | Tetris-human beings |
