Joystiq [Nintendo]

Bullet Bill

First appearance: Super Mario Bros.

Relatives and variants: Banzai Bill, Missile Bill, Torpedo Ted

Special characteristics: endless ammo, explosive ramifications

Bullet Bill is Bowser's classic ammunition and Bill Blasters can be found throughout a slew of Mario games. Like Bob-omb, these days Bill is commonly implemented as an item, though he is still likely to blast your pants off. If you are bad (okay, unlucky) enough to find yourself in last place in Mario Kart Wii, there is a high likelihood that Bill will come to your sad rescue, taking hold of the Wii Wheel and auto-piloting you back to respectable standing. Bill has seen iterations as a heat-seeker and an underwater torpedo, but his historical high-point is undisputedly* the airships of Super Mario Bros. 3 in which he essentially made cannon fodder out of poor Mario. Sometimes Bill looks like he might pummel you with his arms, while other times he appears to be a shark-like amputee ready to chomp you apart. Either way, he's not to be trifled with.

* Rest easy, argumentative one, we're just getting started.

23/07/08