Character Sheet: Lakitu & Spinies (Original Sidescrollers)

LAKITU & SPINIES

Now that we have all of the original sidescrolling Mario titles for the NES and SNES under our belt, I think it's time we go through and evaluate every character we have picked so far as being playable.

Now let's move on to the enemy characters. I have narrowed down the field to all of the enemies that have an immediate yes, even if they might not have a moveset just yet. My final count is twelve:

1. Koopa Troopa
1e. Dry Bones
2. Shy Guy
3. Goomba
4. Piranha Plant
5. Boo
6. Lakitu
7. Hammer Bro.
8. Chargin' Chuck
9. Magikoopa
10. Boom Boom
11. Birdo

Next up, let's cover the Lakitu, and by extension, the Spinies too. Lakitu are small diminutive cousins of the Koopas, bedecked in glasses and riding around on fluffy little clouds. They are most famous for acting as referees and cameramen in other games, but in the core games, for being obnoxious little twits who follow you around everywhere and bombard you with Spinies, spiky little Buzzy Beetle offshoots that curl up into balls. Lakitu appears in every game so far (the exception of course being Super Mario Bros. 2), and have developed quite a few moves to work with, though it might be a bit of a struggle.

Lakitu will obviously have a bit of a floaty quality to him, though I imagine he will be a bit heavier than the Boos. His core move of course is throwing out Spinies, who might be able to stick around the stage and assist in later moves. He can also throw out Spiny Eggs that do not hatch and simply stick around the stage. Of course he can float around on his cloud, but courtesy of Super Mario World, he can also now hide out in pipes and use the fishing rod that will become famous for its uses in later games.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Spiny
This is his basic move, tossing out a Spiny that will damage anyone it hits and will then walk around on the ground, doing damage to anyone it contacts.

Side B: Spiny Egg

If a Spiny is on the field, it will roll up into its Spiny Egg form and roll around doing heavy damage. If a Spiny is not on the field, the Lakitu will toss it out similar to its Standard B, except that the egg won't hatch.

Up B: Cloud Poof

This move is mainly borrowed from Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings' Up B move, where they will launch themselves from their Kar into the air. Lakitu will do the same, popping up from their cloud, while the cloud bursts in a damaging poof.

Down B: Fishing Rod

This move will function as a partial grab, but can also serve the function of grabbing the Spinies and pulling them back toward Lakitu. This move can be comboed with Side B, so that the player can control where the egg rolls.

Final Smash: Lakithunder

I guess we're back to using boss characters who haven't appeared yet as the playable character's final smash, but really, what other Final Smash could you use for a character that rides around on a cloud than to upgrade that cloud to a full on thunderstorm?

Entrance: Floats down from above with its iconic sound.

Taunts: We haven't covered the Mario Kart series yet, but it's 3-2-1 opening makes a lot of sense, or maybe waving the flag at the end of a lap. Also tucking down behind his cloud for a second.

Next up: Let's cover the Koopa's burly projectile-throwing cousins, the Hammer Bros. (which is really a combination of Hammer Bro, Boomerang Bro, Fire Bro, Sumo Bro, and Sledge Bro, but who's counting)