Buzzy Beetle

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A 　is a common enemy character in several of Nintendo's Mario games. It is a four-legged Koopa with a very hard shell. The "beetle" portion of its name comes from this shell. If Mario jumps on a Buzzy Beetle, it will hide in its shell, which Mario can then kick to kill other enemies it comes in contact with. Unlike Koopa Troopas, Buzzy Beetles cannot be killed by fireballs, due to their hard shells. The only way to permanently dispose of a Buzzy Beetle is to hit it with a shell, or run through them with star power. They were the precursor to the concept of nearly invunerable enemies with certain weaknesses, popular in strafe and shoot games.

Appearances

Buzzy Beetle appears first in the underground level of World 4-2 of Super Mario Bros., and appears in several levels afterwards. After completing the game, Buzzy Beetles appear in place of the Goombas when a new game is started.

The Buzzy Beetle also appears in Super Mario Bros. 3, usually in underground levels. In this game, they not only hinder Mario from ground level, but can also walk along ceilings and drop, spinning quickly forward when they land. Although resistant to fire, Buzzy Beetles can be killed by a hammer thrown from Mario's Hammer Brother suit.

Buzzy Beetles have also appeared as enemies in the Paper Mario games. The most prominent in the first Paper Mario is Chan, a student at the local Dojo. In the second Paper Mario, Spike Tops and Buzzy Beetles are shown to be kin. Spike Tops have red shells, can crawl on any surface, and have a single large spike sticking straight up. They appeared in Super Mario World and the Paper Mario games. Variants in the second Paper Mario include: Buzzy Beetle, Para-Beetle, Spike Top, Red Spike Top (the version World players are used to), and Spiked Para-Beetle. All variations are fireproof, unless they are somehow flipped over.

Relatives include Buster Beetle, Para-Beetle, and Boney Beetle. Buster Beetles walk upright, moving faster than most Buzzy Beetles. In Super Mario Bros. 3 (their sole appearance), they grab and toss the blue blocks that Mario and Luigi are able to toss. This added speed and strength are compromised by their lack of protection. Any attack can defeat them (including fire!), and they cannot be kicked around in their shells.

Para-Beetles, in addition to the spiked variants from the second Paper Mario, first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3. Their shells were red (there are green-shelled ones in the SMB3 "lost" levels) and they flew in flocks. They were content to fly in their own path and made no effort to harm Mario. Para-beetles could be destroyed via tailspin or perhaps invincibility, but was inadvisable to do so since they could prove helpful as "stepping stones" on Mario's aerial journey.

Boney Beetles are the animated skeletons of Buzzy Beetles. They appear in Super Mario World and Paper Mario. They will walk around, then when threatened, they will brandish several back spikes. When jumped on (with spikes retracted), they would shatter, but quickly reform, just like their Koopa counterpart Dry Bones. A strike from the Cape would defeat them outright.

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