Bullet Bill
Bullet Bills, known as Killers (キラー, Kirā?) in Japan, are black, missile-like enemies, commonly depicted as having small arms and fanged frowns on their faces; they first appeared in Super Mario Bros. They are usually fired by cannons known as Bill Blasters, although they are sometimes fired from other sources, such as Snifits and generic cannons. In Super Mario World they can sometimes just fly in from the edge of the screen, including the top and the bottom. Bullet Bills commonly appear as enemies or obstacles, attacking by either flying forward after being shot or actively seeking a target, either smashing into them then continuing movement or exploding on contact. In Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, the Bullet Bill is one of the usable weapons, turning any character into a Bullet Bill for a brief while, speeding them ahead and knocking away any drivers in their path. Bullet Bills also make cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as enemies. In Super Mario Sunshine Bullet Bills are shot out of a cannon by a Monty Mole. In Super Mario 3D Land, they can appear with tanooki tails. Bullet Bills are used in many versions of Mario Kart as a power-up for last place players. The kart becomes a Bullet Bill and speeds past other karts, knocking them over.
Some games, such as Super Mario World, include a much larger variation of Bullet Bill called the Banzai Bill, known as Magnum Killers (マグナムキラー?) in Japan. Though having the same purpose as the Bullet Bill, the Banzai Bill is significantly larger and has fanged teeth. An even larger version is called the King Bill, appearing only in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Bullet Bills are completely fireproof, and therefore, they cannot be defeated with fireballs. A stomp will defeat a Bullet Bill, but it always revives itself by shooting out of a cannon over and over again.
The Torpedo Ted is an underwater version of Bullet Bill.
GameDaily listed Bullet Bill as the 10th best Mario enemy, calling it one of the series' most iconic characters.
Read more about this topic: Recurring Enemies In The Mario Series
Famous quotes containing the words bullet and/or bill:
“Literary gentlemen, editors, and critics think that they know how to write, because they have studied grammar and rhetoric; but they are egregiously mistaken. The art of composition is as simple as the discharge of a bullet from a rifle, and its masterpieces imply an infinitely greater force behind them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Chippenhook was the home of Judge Theophilus Harrington, known for his trenchant reply to an irate slave-owner in a runaway slave case. Judge Harrington declared that the owner’s claim to the slave was defective. The owner indignantly demanded to know what was lacking in his legally sound claim. The Judge exploded, ‘A bill of sale, sir, from God Almighty!’”
—For the State of Vermont, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)