Urchin

Urchins (Japanese: ウニラ) are spiky aquatic creatures that frequently appear as enemies or obstacles throughout the Super Mario series. As their name and appearance suggest, they are based on real-life sea urchins. They are slow-moving yet challenging for Mario, usually because they cannot be defeated by a simple stomp. While primarily found underwater, Urchins can also appear on land. Their behavior and abilities vary slightly across different games. For example, in Super Mario World, they move between tunnels; in Super Mario Galaxy, they roll towards Mario; and in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, they float up and down in the water. In addition to the standard Urchins, there are also larger variants such as Big Urchins and Mega Urchins, which are more difficult to defeat. Small Urchins are typically stationary. Urchins play a diverse role in the Super Mario franchise, not only appearing as enemies but also as obstacles in some minigames.