Antotto

ANTOTTO

Shortly after the release of Super Mario Kart, Nintendo released a sequel to Super Mario Land, gaining the subtitle of Six Golden Coins, and being widely regarded as the superior of the two games. The game featured Mario, returning home from Sarasa-Land to the castle he owns on a personal island (because he has one of those, apparently), only to find that a mysterious figure named Wario has moved in and kicked Mario out. Thus Mario has to work his way through the six unique zones on the island, collecting special coins that act has keys for his castle door so he can get in and toss Wario out. A common enemy he will face on his journey are a race of large ants.

These ants are called Antottos, and come in four distinct flavors: the generic flavor, cannon-wearing projectile users, defensive ants covered in spikes, and miners wearing hats, wielding shovels, and tossing boulders. They would appear throughout the game, but sadly would never appear again, replaced in more modern games by the more bulky Ant Troopers.

As fighters, Antottos will be small and moderately quick, with not a lot going for them in terms of strength. Their moveset will pull directly from the abilities of the four unique types as well as those elements that surround them in their game.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen.

Second Chance: Antotto

ANTOTTO

So, I swear I didn't plan it this way, but it feels rather auspicious that an obscure single-game enemy like Pionpi, Beezo, and Flurry ended up being the April Fool's Day update, especially given what I think my final judgment is going to be.

Antottos were a breed of ant-type enemies that were among the most common to appear in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. They came in four varieties, mainly their generic version, a version with a cannon on its head that shot projectiles, a version with defensive spikes growing on its body, and a version with a shovel that it used to dig up large boulders to roll at you. Right there, we have three easy moves, and because of that, they almost made it into the original roster. The only problem was the lack of an aerial move. The closest we came was the little weevil enemies that could fly and appeared in every location the Antottos appeared in. While that wasn't close enough at the time, in the years since, I have made multiple movesets with characters closely connected to the character acting as a part of the moveset, so I don't think I have that excuse anymore.

As small as they are, I think I ultimately have to say . . .

YES

Here is their moveset:

Standard B: Cannon

The Dokanto's cannon will appear on its head and fire a cannon shot as a projectile across the stage.

Side B: Boulder

It will pull out Goronto's shovel and dig, unearthing a large boulder that will roll forward, doling out heavy damage.

Up B: Battle Beetle

The Battle Beetle they are frequently seen with will grab onto them and fly upward, coming down in the same flight pattern from the game.

Down B: Spikes

It will stop in place for a second as Chikunto's spines jut out from its body and protect it from harm.

Final Smash: Sewer Rat

Based on the boss from the Macro Zone, where the Antottos are the most prominent, the wind-up Sewer Rat will appear with the boss theme playing, and then rush around and around the stage for a brief time, KOing anyone it collides with.

Entrance: It will emerge from a pipe set in the ground and walk forward.

Taunts: Up, a rising platform from its game will appear under it and lift it up for a second. Side, it will patrol back and forth. Down, it will dig in its shovel and get it stuck.

Kirby Hat: Dokanto's cannon hat

Kart: A kart based on an Ant Trooper enemy.

Special Move: It will unearth a boulder that will bounce forward across the track.

Spirit Battle: A horde battle on Mario's Castle

Victory Screen: An army of them will march across the screen, building their new hive.

Losing Screen: It will mimic its death animation from the original game.

Color Swaps: Black, the Gray shown in promotional materials, Red like a Fire Ant, Brown, Blue like an Ant-Trooper, Black with Dokanto's construction hat on, an Ant-Trooper, an Ant-Trooper with a spiky helmet.

Thanks for reading! Next up, another example of "Why wasn't that an echo?"