New Super Mario Bros. 2/Enemies

New Super Mario Bros. 2 contains a wide variety of enemies, some more common than others. Each of them have their own unique characteristics, and can often only be defeated in different ways.

Goombas
Goombas are one of the game's most common enemies. They are small, brown, mushroom-like foes, whose main strategy is to march blindly into a given direction. They are easily defeated by jumping onto them or from any special attack from a power-up.

Sometimes, goombas will work in groups to form towers, making them harder to jump over. However, even these towers can be defeated one goomba at a time, and are a good way to rack up points.

Some goombas, called Bone Goombas, are blue and are covered with a skull. However, they function identically to the regular variety.

Koopas
Koopa Troopas, also known as koopas, are probably the game's most common enemy, with the sole exception of the goomba. They biped turtle-like enemies, which come in two variations. Green koopas will walk towards the left or right until forced to go the other way, even if it means falling off of ledges. Red koopas, on the other hand, will turn around if faced with a ledge, making them better guards for smaller areas.

One of the koopa's most notable characteristics is how it reacts to being jumped upon. Rather than being squished like the goomba, the koopa will instead hide in its shell. However, this makes the koopa a valuable weapon. Mario can walk into a shelled koopa in order to kick it into a given direction, taking out foes along the way. Alternatively, Mario can also pick up a koopa in its shell and carry it for a distance before shooting it. That said, a koopa in its shell will eventually come out, hurting Mario in the process. Also, the flying shell is as dangerous to friends as foes, making it a double-edged sword.

Paratroopas
Paratroopas are a variant of the traditional koopa. They are equipped with a pair of wings, allowing them to fly. Like conventional koopas, they come in green and red varieties. Green koopas will bounce after Mario in an attempt to defeat him, whereas red ones will patrol a set area.

When hurt, paratroopas become conventional koopas.

Piranha Plants
Piranha Plants are carnivorous red flowers equipped with sharp teeth. They often live in pipes. Unlike many enemies, they can't be defeated by jumping on them, as this exposes players to their deadly teeth. However, their limited mobility makes them relatively easy to bypass by simply jumping over them. They can also be defeated using power-ups.

Often, a Piranha Plant will occasionally hide in its pipe. When a player stands on top of a pipe that is home to a piranha plant, they are usually safe. Sometimes, they can even go down the pipe in order to reach new areas.

Some Piranha Plants will appear to be made of bones. These Bone Piranha Plants are immune to fireballs. However, they can still be defeated using Stars or Gold Flowers.

Cheep-Cheeps
Cheep-Cheeps are the game's most common aquatic enemy. They usually swim about at a slow pace, although they occasionally jump out of the water before diving back in. Like all underwater enemies, they can't be defeated by jumping on them, making them only vulnerable to power-ups in their home habitat.

Mega Cheep-Cheeps function identically to the regular variety, save for their large size.

A few Cheep-Cheeps also have spines that hurt the player. These, however, are uncommon.

Cheep-Chomps
Cheep-Chomps are a type of fish. They are larger than the Cheep-Cheep, and are a distinct purple color. Unlike Cheep-Cheeps, they will actively pursue Mario. Their primary weakness is fireball attacks.

Dry Bones
Dry Bones appear similar to Koopas, but these skeletal turtles act differently. For one thing, they are defeated by a single jump, making them initially appear like less of a threat. However, they resurrect after a few seconds, making them a permanent threat. Furthermore, they are immune to fireballs, making them even more dangerous.

As if that weren't enough, there is a subspecies of the Dry Bones called the Super Dry Bones. These are essentially jumbo sized versions of the regular variety, and can only be temporarily destroyed with a butt-stomp.

Thwomps
Thwomps are a stone-based, territorial enemy. They hang in the air, waiting for enemies to get close before slamming into the ground. They then slowly rise back up before getting into position to do it again.

Super Thwomps are extra-large versions of the conventional Thwomp.

Podoboos
Podoboos are small, fiery enemies that live in lava. They regularly jump into the air, damaging anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way. Worse, they are essentially invincible, making them a foe to simply avoid.