Fish
- This article is about the generic fish sometimes seen in the Super Mario franchise. For the microgame inGame & Wario, seeFish (microgame). For specific fish found in the Super Mario franchise, seeCategory:Fish.
Fish | |||
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![]() Model fromSuper Mario Galaxy | |||
First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
Latest appearance | Princess Peach: Showtime! (2024) | ||
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Fish appear as one of the characterizing components of the underwater-themed levels in theSuper Mario franchise, particularly in 3Dmainline titles. Fish usually have no interactable elements, passively schooling in thewater. However, they occasionally serve more substantial gameplay purposes, such as inSuper Mario Sunshine andPrincess Peach: Showtime! Sometimes their placement within levels indicate there is a nearby secret, similar to thesmall birds andanimals found on land.
UnlikeCheep Cheeps and other fish-based characters, ambient fish typically haverealistic designs derived from real-world species.
History[edit]
This section is astub. Please considerexpanding it to include any missing information.Specifics: The fish fromDiddy Kong Racing
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario World /Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
Ambient fish first appear in the foreground of some underwater courses ofSuper Mario World and its remakeSuper Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, such asSoda Lake andStar World 2. Rather than being individual sprites, all fish are part of a background layer that scrolls at a constant speed; as such, all fish are always at the same distance from eachother.
Super Mario 64 /Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

Ambient fish appear in the underwater courses ofSuper Mario 64. In this game, most fish are blue with black stripes, vaguely similar tofreshwater angelfish. Some instead are red and resemblered-bellied piranhas. Amongst the main courses, fish appear inJolly Roger Bay andDire, Dire Docks. The blue fish occur in the tanks of the room that holds thepainting for Jolly Roger Bay as well. However, they are most numerous inThe Secret Aquarium, accessed within the same room. In the Japanese version, this secret course is named after them. Schools of blue and red fish occur here together.
In any areas where the water is shallow, such asWhomp's Fortress or the basement of theMushroom Castle, there is a small chance that a fish will leap from the water whenMariojumps.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

Super Mario Sunshine takes place onIsle Delfino, which is known for its fisheries. The fish relay the location ofcoins in underwater areas, a role somewhat comparable to that of the game'sbirds andbutterflies. LikeSuper Mario 64, there are blue and red types. The blue ones are oblong with yellow fins, similar toyellow-tail acei, and school nearBlue Coins. These ones appear inRicco Harbor andGelato Beach. The red fish are taller, similar todiscus, and occur only in theepisode "Red Coins in the Coral Reef." They surround hiddenRed Coins around the reef. Additional species appear in the seafood markets on Isle Delfino, but they do not have unique gameplay components.
Super Mario Galaxy /Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
The fish inSuper Mario Galaxy andSuper Mario Galaxy 2 lack any interactive components, but the specific types that appear depends on the type of course they are found in. In the beach-themedgalaxies whose bodies of water are under the direct sky, such as theBeach Bowl Galaxy andStarshine Beach Galaxy, five types of fish appear that resemblelittoral marine species: red fish resemblinganthias; yellow fish resembling the butterflyfish of theChaetodon genus; white fish resemblingMoorish idols and butterflyfish in the genusHeniochus; and a nonspecific blue fish. In underwater caves like the ones found in theDeep Dark Galaxy orSlimy Spring Galaxy, two different types of dark-scaled fish appear that are derived frombenthic species: turquoise ones resemblinghatchetfish and purple ones resemblingviperfish. Fish always school with members of the same type.
The fish in these games are purely ambient, like theseagulls also found in these games. Thepenguins state that they eat fish, and a comment fromPenguru implies thatGringills do as well.
Super Mario 3D World /Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
InSuper Mario 3D World and itsNintendo Switch port, fish characterize the beach and underwater-themed courses in the game. These fish are more caricatured than the ones in previous games. There are four types: afusiform red fish; an oblong blue fish; a broad green fish; and an angelfish-like yellow fish. They do not provide any gameplay functions.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
With the exception of theCap Kingdom, theCascade Kingdom, and theSnow Kingdom, all of the kingdoms with bodies of water inSuper Mario Odyssey contain fish. Like most elements in the game, the type of fish are thematically tied to the environment of each kingdom. The Lake Kingdom contains many small colorful fish similar to neotropicalpoeciliids andram cichlids. A pool near the beginning of the Iron Road in theWooded Kingdom is has small schools ofrainbow trout in it. The waters of theSeaside Kingdom are filled with shimmering gold-colored fish that swim around subjects of interest, likebubblers,8-bit pipes, andglowing spots. The moat ofBowser's Kingdom containskoi. Like the birds andsmall animals found inSuper Mario Odyssey, all of the these fish appear in theMushroom Kingdom oncePrincess Peach andTiara return toPeach's Castle.
Virtual Boy Wario Land[edit]
Schools of fish appear inVirtual Boy Wario Land. One school accompanies eachThorny Fish seen inStage 3, swimming back and forth, with regular pauses. They appear to speed up ifWario is swimming ahead of them. These fish appear to be in the background of the stage, and cannot harm Wario in any way.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
The red fish fromSuper Mario 3D World return inCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker, retaining the same aesthetic purposes. They can be found in beach and underwater-themed levels such asFloaty Fun Water Park andBriny Bowl Swimming Hole.
Princess Peach: Showtime![edit]
Fish appear in all the mermaid themed stages ofPrincess Peach: Showtime!Mermaid Peach can control them with her singing voice and use then to gather collectibles or pry openclamshells.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork[edit]
Sprites and models[edit]
Screenshots[edit]
Super Mario Odyssey (Wooded Kingdom)
Super Mario Odyssey (Seaside Kingdom)
Super Mario Odyssey (Bowser's Kingdom)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS)
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | さかな[1] Sakana | Fish |
References[edit]
Wikipedia has an article onfish. |
- ^In-game name forThe Secret Aquarium.