Bull's-Eye Bill
| Bull's-Eye Bill | |||
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![]() In-game artwork fromSuper Mario Run | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Maker 2 (2019) | ||
| Variant of | Bullet Bill | ||
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Bull's-Eye Bills, formerly known asMissile Bills[1][2] orGuided Missile Bills,[3] are heat-seeking variants ofBullet Bills typically fired fromBull's-Eye Blasters. They attack by homing in on the player. Prior toNew Super Mario Bros. Wii introducing the currentSearch Killer (サーチキラー), which eventually became known in English as Bull's-Eye Bill, earlier games gave the homing abilities to normal Bullet Bills or their behavioral or color variations, as various sources treat them as.[4][5][6] In some games, there are also regular Bullet Bills that perform similar functions to Bull's-Eye Bills, as seen inSuper Mario 64,Super Mario Galaxy,Super Mario Odyssey, Smash Run inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and sometimes inSuper Mario Sunshine andSuper Mario Galaxy 2.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Missile Bills are introduced inSuper Mario Bros. 3. In this game, a Missile Bill turns around once if it misses its target, but continues going forward without turning around after missing twice. In the original version, the colors a Missile Bill flashes are dependent on the palette the player character uses, as they cycle between all four palettes currently used on their graphical layer.[7] As such, for instance, playing asFrog Mario or any of the normal-colored versions ofLuigi causes them to flash green. In the remakes, they consistently flash between black, brown, orange, and red. Missile Bills only appear inWorld 4-5.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Missile Bills appear inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii. Despite initially having the same name of the flashing Bullet Bills ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 in thePrima Games guide, their Japanese name and current name in the Mario Portal[8] indicate that this game uses its modern iteration. They resemble normal Bullet Bills, but when one sees Mario, it will make a beeping noise and start flashing red. Here, they have a similar attack pattern to the one they had inSuper Mario Bros. 3; however, in this game, they can change the angle they are flying at and will not stop pursuing the player until they are defeated, or the player has gotten far enough away. They can be defeated the same way as normal Bullet Bills. They only appear inWorld 9-3, alongsidered, Mario-seeking Banzai Bills.
New Super Mario Bros. U /New Super Luigi U /New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
InNew Super Mario Bros. U andNew Super Luigi U, Missile Bills only appear during theRoy Koopa battle atRock-Candy Mines. When Roy is jumped on at least once, he occasionally fires a Missile Bill out of his Bullet Bill cannon. If these Missile Bills are neither eliminated nor successful in hitting their target within a short amount of time, they eventually detonate. Starting from this game, Missile Bills keep their red coloration instead of being normal Bullet Bills flashing red. ATorpedo Ted equivalent, theTargeting Ted, homes in on Mario in a slightly different manner, but it also eventually self-destructs when it is onscreen for too long.
Super Mario Maker series[edit]
Bull's-Eye Bills reappear inSuper Mario Maker,Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, andSuper Mario Maker 2. As they did not appear in the originalSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario World, new sprites were created for those two game styles.
While they do operate similar to their appearances inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Bull's-Eye Bills in these games do not turn as sharply, and they will only chase after Mario for a limited time period, instead of relentlessly pursuing him.
InSuper Mario Maker 2, they are replaced byCat Bullet Bills in theSuper Mario 3D World game style.
Super Mario Run[edit]
Bull's-Eye Bills appear inSuper Mario Run, exclusively inBullet Bill Barrage. Bull's-Eye Bills appear from the left of the screen, then slightly adjust up or down to position themselves behind the player. After a few seconds they will charge forward and off the right side of the screen (which they do to the beat of the music), whether or not the player is in front of them. WhileBullet Bills can bevaulted over, Bull's-Eye Bills cannot.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]
Although no normal Bull's-Eye Bills appear inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder,Bull's-Eye Billet Trains, a new variant consisting of multiple segments and dorsal fins, are introduced in the game. Similarly, theBull's-Eye Gnawsher functions similarly to a Bull's-Eye Bill.
Yoshi series[edit]
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
Red Bullet Bills appear inYoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 in the final secret level,Endless World of Yoshis. They are fired fromred Turtle Cannons and appear to make a biting motion as they fly. Red Bullet Bills slow gradually before eventually shrinking away in light blue and vanishing with a pop. They can be defeated by simplystomping orswallowing them; they look like regular Bullet Bills if spat back out, but they fly downwards. This is the first game where red Bullet Bills can follow players at any angle, due to the ones inSuper Mario Bros. 3 being restricted to lateral movement, though they still make abrupt u-turns after slowing down when they miss, whereas later games have them keep a smoother trajectory.
Red Bullet Bills were originally planned to appear in the originalSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.[9]
Yoshi's Woolly World /Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]
Bull's-Eye Bills make their non-reissue debut in theYoshi series inYoshi's Woolly World andPoochy & Yoshi's Woolly World. They are made out of red wool which can be turned intoyarn balls if Yoshi eats them. They are found inKnot-Wing the Koopa's Sky Fort, where they are launched fromred Bill Blasters in the level itself, as well as during the boss fight withKnot-Wing the Koopa, where they are launched from the boss's Bill Blaster in addition to Bullet Bills. They also appear during theSky Pop Yoshi segment ofKamek's Last-Ditch Flyby.
Mario Party 9[edit]
Missile Bills fromNew Super Mario Bros. Wii make a comeback inMario Party 9 in the minigame,Billistics, where they appear alongside Bullet Bills. In this game, Missile Bills make beeping radar noises. This is a way to tell if a Missile Bill is coming. Like in other appearances, Missile Bills will home in on the player, but when a Missile Bill misses, it will not turn around, similar toSuper Mario Bros. 3 when a Missile Bill misses twice.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
Bull's-Eye Bills first appear under their current name inCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker[10] and reappear in itsNintendo Switch andNintendo 3DSports. Unlike standard Bullet Bills, Bull's-Eye Bills are fired fromred Bill Blasters. They behave like in past games and similarly to theCat Bullet Bills inSuper Mario 3D World, homing in onCaptain Toad orToadette and chasing them.
Unused appearances[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]
Though they appear in theGame Boy Advance version, red Bullet Bills capable of following the player wentunused inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Profiles[edit]
Super Mario Run[edit]
- Notebook bio: "A friend ofBullet Bill, this foe will try to seek you out from behind. You can jump over it with careful timing."
List of appearances[edit]
| Title | Description | Release Date | System/Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | Enemy | 1988 | Family Computer/NES |
| Super Mario All-Stars | Enemy | 1993 | SNES |
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | Enemy | 1994 | SNES |
| Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | Enemy | 2003 | GBA |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | Enemy | 2003 | GBA |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Enemy | 2009 | Wii |
| Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | Enemy | 2010 | Wii |
| Mario Party 9 | Enemy | 2012 | Wii |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | Enemy | 2012 | Wii U |
| New Super Luigi U | Enemy | 2013 | Wii U |
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Enemy | 2014 | Wii U |
| Yoshi's Woolly World | Enemy | 2015 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Maker | Enemy | 2015 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | Enemy | 2016 | 3DS |
| Super Mario Run | Enemy | 2016 | iOS / Android |
| Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World | Enemy | 2017 | 3DS |
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Enemy | 2018 | Switch /3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Enemy | 2019 | Switch |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Enemy | 2019 | Switch |
Gallery[edit]
Sprites[edit]
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. style)
Super Mario Maker (Super Mario World style)
Super Mario Maker (New Super Mario Bros. U style)
Models[edit]
Names in other languages[edit]
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サーチキラー[11][12][13] Sāchi Kirā | SearchBullet Bill; comparable to「サーチプクプク」(Sāchi Pukupuku, "Deep Cheep") | |
| キラー[5][6] Kirā | Bullet Bill | Super Mario Bros. 3,Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | |
| リターンキラー[14][15] Ritān Kirā | Return Bullet Bill | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
Ōfuku Kirā | Roundtrip Bullet Bill | ||
| Chinese(Traditional) | 跟蹤炮彈刺客[13] Gēnzōng Pàodàn Cìkè(Mandarin) Gānjūng Paaudáahn Chihaak(Cantonese) | Tracking Bullet Bill | |
| Dutch | Bull's-Eye Bill[13] | - | |
| French | Auto Bill Balle[13] | Automatic Bullet Bill | |
| German | Treffer-Willi[13] | Hit Bill | |
| Raketen-Willi[16] | Rocket Bill | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Italian | Pallottolo Segugio[13][17]:149 | Tracker Bullet | |
| Pallottolo Bill rosso[18] | Red Bullet Bill | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | |
| Segugio Bill[19]:145 | Tracker Bill; erroneously shared withBull's-Eye Banzai | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (first edition) | |
| Pallottolo Segugio Bill[19]:149 | Tracker Bullet Bill | ||
| Pallottolo segugio[17]:145 | Tracker bullet | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (second edition) | |
| Korean | 추적킬러[13] Chujeok Killeo | Tracking Bullet Bill | |
| Portuguese(Brazilian) | Busca Bill[13] | Search Bill | |
| Russian | Билл-яблочко[13] Bill-yablochko | Bull's-Eye Bill | |
| Spanish(Latin American) | Bill buscablancos[13] | Target searcher Bill | |
| Spanish(European) | Bill Bala Buscador[13] | Searcher Bullet Bill | |
| Swedish | Missil Bill[20] | Missile Bill |
References[edit]
- ^June 1990.Nintendo Power Volume 13.Nintendo of America (American English). Page 9.
- ^Bueno, Fernando (November 15, 2009).New Super Mario Bros. Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN978-0-307-46592-4. Page 16.
- ^"Red Guided Missile Bills move back and forth in search of their target." – Spring 1991.NES Game Atlas.Nintendo of America (American English). Page 36.
- ^ab「おなじみの
砲弾 。普通 のキラーは、1方向 にまっすぐ進 むだけ、『マリオ3』新登場 の「往復 キラー」は、いったん発射 されると、左右 にいったりきたりを繰 り返 す。」 – 「スーパーマリオ全百科 」(Super Mario All Hyakka, or "Super Mario All Encyclopedia"). Page 192. - ^ab「キラー砲台から発射され、まっすぐに飛んでくる。Uターンするタイプもいる。」("Fired from Killer Cannons, they fly straight ahead. There is also a U-turning type.") – Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit) et al. (October 19, 2015).Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook,Super Mario Bros. 3 section.Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 36.
- ^ab「
緑 と赤 の砲台 は固定式 で、黄色 の砲台 は回転式 。赤 いキラーは ヨッシーを追 いかけ、黄色 いキ ラーはかべに当 たるとはね返 る。砲台 を倒 すならアイス攻撃 で。」("Green and red cannons are a fixed type, while yellow cannons are a rotatable type. Red Killers pursue Yoshi, and yellow Killers bounce off walls. The cannons can be defeated by an ice attack.") – 2002. 「スーパーマリオアドバンス3任天堂公式ガイドブック」(Super Mario Advance 3 Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook).Shogakukan (Japanese). Page15Media:Advance 3 Shogakukan P15.png. - ^The Spriters Resource
- ^Nintendo Co., Ltd. (circa 2024).New Super Mario Bros. Wii.Mario Portal. Retrieved 18 Feb. 2025.
- ^Sebastian Haley, Meagan Marie (October 2017).Playing With Super Power: Super NES Classics (Multiplayer.it Edizioni). Translated by Christian Colli. Italy:Multiplayer Ed. (Italian). ISBN9788866312833. Tab 272.
- ^IGN (October 10, 2014).Captain Toad Treasure Tracker - Toadette Trailer (1:30).YouTube (English). Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 145, 209.
- ^アルス(liaoallen).Omoide Theatre,Yoshi Wool World (03:41).YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^abcdefghijkNotebook entry (15 Dec. 2016).Super Mario Run byNintendo EPD (Ver. 3.2.4).Nintendo. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^November 1988. スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 テクニカルマニュアル 3, supplement ofFamicom Tsushin November 1988 issue.Famicom Tshusin (Japanese). Page 34.
- ^Itoi, Shigesato, Ryo Kagawa (APE), Hideaki Nishitani, Masatoshi Watanabe, Koichi Sugiyama (Supersonic), Junichiro Okubo, and Shigeo Tanabe (Shogakukan), editors (1993). 『任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオコレクション』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN4-09-102444-0. Page 216.
- ^Matsumoto, Atsuko, Rie Ishii, and Claude Moyse, editors (1992).Der Spieleberater Super Mario Power. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). ISBN3-929034-02-6. Page 15.
- ^abSakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2025). "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" inSuper Mario Bros. Enciclopedia (2nd ed.). Translated by Alessandro Apreda. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN979-1259575760.
- ^Sebastian Haley, Meagan Marie (October 2017).Playing With Super Power: Super NES Classics (Multiplayer.it Edizioni). Translated by Christian Colli. Italy:Multiplayer Ed. (Italian). ISBN9788866312833. Tab 272.
- ^abSakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" inSuper Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN889367436X.
- ^Lindberg, Gunnar, Nikolaj Lindberg, Lena Persson, and Mirielle Robert, editors (1991).Nintendobiblioteket 1: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Swedish edition ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 Strategy Guide). Stockholm:Atlantic Förlags AB (Swedish). Page 38.
- Bullet Bills
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker enemies
- Mario Party 9
- New Super Luigi U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. U enemies
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii enemies
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
- Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
- Super Mario Maker enemies
- Super Mario Maker 2 enemies
- Super Mario Run enemies
- Super Nintendo World characters
- Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 enemies
- Yoshi's Woolly World enemies



















