Preying Mantas
| Preying Mantas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Model from Yoshi's New Island | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) | ||
| Latest appearance | Yoshi's New Island (2014) | ||
| |||
Preying Mantas[1] are jellyfish enemies in the Yoshi series. They remain stationary in underwater areas while moving up and down. If a Yoshi touches one, the Yoshi will spin out and become temporarily stunned, which can result in a life loss if it happens near a pit.
History[edit]
Yoshi series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
Preying Mantas first appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island as uncommon enemies. They appear only in the levels Nep-Enut's Domain and Monkeys' Favorite Lake. In Nep-Enut's Domain, several of them appear in the underwater section alongside Piscatory Petes, Loch Nestors, and Relay Heihō dropping bombs from above. In Monkey's Favorite Lake, only three appear. Preying Mantas can be defeated with one of Submarine Yoshi's torpedoes or by using an Anywhere POW.
If Yoshi manages to dive deep enough underwater without transforming into Submarine Yoshi, he can use his tongue to swallow a nearby Preying Manta. Doing so does not grant any eggs, similarly to Flopsy Fishes and mini Ravens.
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
Preying Mantas reappear in Yoshi's New Island, appearing exclusively in Rise of the Nasty Nep-Enuts. They behave similarly to their appearances in the previous game, though they move more slowly. Only two appear in the level. The first is encountered in the underwater Metal Eggdozer section, where it blocks the player's path. The second appears in the Submarine Yoshi section alongside red and green Cheep Cheeps. They can be defeated by being stomped, by throwing a Metal Eggdozer at them, which causes a Star to appear, or by being hit with one of Submarine Yoshi's torpedoes.
Super Mario (Kodansha manga)[edit]
A Preying Manta makes a cameo appearance in the thirty-third volume of Kodansha's Super Mario manga, Super Mario: Yoshi Island 1, where it appears in the character list alongside other enemies and characters from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Profiles[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]
- Shogakukan guide: 水中をユラユラと浮き沈みしている。さわらなければ無害。[2] (Floats up and down in the water. Harmless if not touched.)
- Player's Guide: Moving up and down, Preying Mantas feast on Yoshi submarines. Prey on them with torpedoes.[1]
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
- Shogakukan guide:
水中 をゆらゆらと浮 きしずみしている。さわらなければ無害 。[3] (Floats up and down in the water. Harmless if not touched.)
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
- Shogakukan guide:
潜水艦 に変身 して水中 を進 むときに出現 する。攻擊 してくることはないが、上下 にゆっくりと移動 する。触 れるとタイムロスとなるので、避 けるか魚雷 で倒 そう。[4] (They appear when you transform into a submarine and proceed underwater. It does not attack, but moves slowly up and down. Touching it will cause time loss, so avoid it or use torpedoes to defeat it.)
Gallery[edit]
Sprite from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario Game Picture Book 4: Hang in There, Yoshi
Sprite from Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Screenshot from Yoshi's New Island
Naming[edit]
"Preying Mantas" is a play on "praying mantis" and "manta", with the use of "preying" conveying they are aggressive creatures.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Kurage |
Jellyfish | [2][3][4] | |
| German | Blubber-Qualle | Bubble Jellyfish | [5] |
Notes[edit]
- During the development of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, bony versions of Preying Mantas were considered, which would have apparently walked on land and acted like Dry Bones.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Miller, Kent, and Terry Munson (1995). Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (English). Page 128.
- ^ a b Okeya, Noriko, Mitsuharu Orihara, and Yuji Kigen, editors (1995). 『スーパーマリオヨッシーアイランド任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-1025-234. Page 7.
- ^ a b Watanabe, Takashi, Noriko Oketani, Mitsuharu Orihara, Tatsuhiko Mizutani, and Yasushi Nakahara, editors (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』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-106071-4. Page 16.
- ^ a b Iwaya, Kiyotaka, Tatsuhiko Mizutani, Yasuyuki Kato, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Yasushi Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2014). 『ヨッシー New アイランド 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106542-1. Page 19.
- ^ Menold, Marcus, John D. Kraft, and Thomas Görg, editors (1995). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World 2 – Yoshi's Island". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 18.
- ^ Development:Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island/Sprites § Skeleton Jellyfish. The Cutting Room Floor (English). Retrieved May 15, 2023.