Whale
- This article is about the generic species. For the specific character from Paper Mario, see Whale (character).
| Whale | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A whale in Mario Kart World. Screenshot from Mario Kart World | |||
| First appearance | Saturday Supercade ("The Pale Whale") (1984) | ||
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (cameo) (2025) | ||
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- “It had humanlike intelligence and could even feel anxious...But what did this 200-ton creature have to worry about?”
- —Fossil description, Donkey Kong Bananza
Whales are aquatic mammals that often appear in helpful capacities across the Super Mario franchise and related franchises, either by enabling characters to cross long stretches of water with their bodies or by raising them high up with water spurting from their blowholes.
History[edit ]
Saturday Supercade[edit ]
A whale appears as a main character in the Saturday Supercade episode "The Pale Whale".
Super Mario series[edit ]
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario Advance[edit ]
Whales appear in World 4-2 of Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic , Super Mario Bros. 2 , and Super Mario Advance . Players can hop on their backs and gain elevation by standing on their blow holes as water sprays out. The water will hurt the player if they touch it from either side but a Super Star can be used to destroy the spout. Pink (blue in remakes) Snifits and Shyguys patrol the backs of some whales. There is also one whale which has grass growing on its back. Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2 color them black with red eyelids while the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance versions recolor them purple, and their sprite is overall redone.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit ]
In Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins , the Turtle Zone level Whale Course takes place inside of a whale's stomach, referencing Carlo Collodi's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio . The boss of Turtle Zone, an octopus, resides inside, guarding one of the Golden Coins.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit ]
A whale briefly appears towards the end of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Mario of the Deep". Here, King Neptune rides on the whale, and uses it to body slam his temple, which Barra-Koopa has taken over, along with the rest of Aqua Land. After slamming into the wall several times, the whale causes a piece of it to shatter away, which Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad are able to pass through. This whale appears to be a baleen whale.
Super Mario-kun[edit ]
A whale makes an appearance in volume 8 of Super Mario-kun . Toad and Birdo ride on a whale that crashes through the sky literally. It flattens the Fryguy that is fighting Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi. The whale then takes Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi to a castle in the sky.
Diddy Kong Racing / Diddy Kong Racing DS[edit ]
In Diddy Kong Racing and Diddy Kong Racing DS , two whales appear in Whale Bay. One of them breaches in front of a pirate ship and can be used as a ramp to get onto the ship. The other one simply swims around near the starting line. These whales atypically have two nostrils on the front in addition to blowholes. Any hovercraft driver can drive over any whale for a high jumping effect. Whales can also be heard in the DS remake.
Paper Mario series[edit ]
Paper Mario[edit ]
- Main article: Whale (character)
An individual whale appears as a character in Paper Mario , where he aids Mario and his allies by getting them across the sea to Lavalava Island.
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit ]
Silhouettes of whales appear in Paper Mario: The Origami King in The Great Sea, spouting at regular intervals. When the player sails into a whale's spout, it raises Sea Captain Toad's boat up in the air for a short while, disabling its movement.
WarioWare series[edit ]
Whales appear in the microgames Terminal Velocity (as a cloud) and Blow Hole Bridge from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! , the WarioWare: Smooth Moves version of Tearful Reunion and Climate Control, and Stroke of Genius from WarioWare: Get It Together! . In Blow Hole Bridge, if Fronk runs into the water spouts blown by them, he will be defeated. In Levels 2 and 3 of Tearful Reunion, they appear as obstacles that block the path of a couple, while in Climate Control, some whales appear when the player beats the microgame. In Level 3 of Stroke of Genius, a whale replaces the island found in the microgame.
Mario Party 5[edit ]
In Mario Party 5 , there is a ? Space next to a gray whale in the board Undersea Dream where, if a player lands on it, they can allow the whale to blast them to another space, which will randomly either be the space right behind or right in front of the Star.
Donkey Kong Country series[edit ]
Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D / HD)[edit ]
In Donkey Kong Country Returns , Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D , and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD , whales appear in the level Poppin' Planks, where a whale jumps out of the water when a switch is activated and sends bananas out of its blowhole that disappear after an amount of time. Whales also appear in the level Blowhole Bound, where the player(s) can ride on the whales. After freeing a whale from an anchor, the player(s) can ride on its back to cross the water along the shore of the islands. The whales are not very steady and often tilt along the water, allowing the player(s) to grab some collectibles hidden out of reach. The whales sometimes head underwater as well, where the player(s) cannot swim, so the player(s) have to jump on floating ship parts to progress. These ship parts are often destroyed by the whales. By hand-slapping the whales' blowhole, the player(s) can force the whale to send water out that they can use to reach pickups in higher areas. The whales in the game appear to be based on sperm whales.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit ]
Whales, possibly of the same species as those that have appeared in the previous game, also live in Sea Breeze Cove from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its enhanced Nintendo Switch port of the same name. This is evidenced by their silhouetted presence in the background of Amiss Abyss.[1] However, they are only for aesthetic purposes, and cannot interact with the player.
Yoshi series[edit ]
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit ]
A whale in Yoshi's Woolly World and its enhanced Nintendo 3DS port Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World is made of blue silk and white plush cubes with yarn-knitted eyes. It is seen in the course Frozen Solid and Chilled; Yoshi can even skate on it like ice. If he activates the whale's blowhole, it will spray from its blowhole a waterspout also made of yarn.
Yoshi's Crafted World[edit ]
The whale returns in Yoshi's Crafted World where one can be opened in Slip-Slide Isle to spray real water and another is displayed as a craft in Skulking Around. Another whale that is made of cut paper is seen swimming near Yoshi's Island on the title screen and in the game's ending. There is also a blue whale costume for Yoshi to wear, as well as a whale drawing seen in the background of Burt's Bouncy Battle.
Mario Kart World[edit ]
This section needs Mario Kart improvement. Specifically:
- Mention the whale P-Switch mission
In Mario Kart World , a whale appears in the waters outside of Peach Stadium.[2]
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit ]
- “That huge fossil... Nah, it couldn't be... It kinda looks like a whale! Y'know, one o' them legendary surface-sea critters? We've got a lot of respect for whales down here. They just seem cool!”
- —Salvager Monkey , Donkey Kong Bananza
In Donkey Kong Bananza , a fossilized whale can be found in the Lagoon Layer as the extra-rare fossil.
Gallery[edit ]
Sprite from Super Mario Bros. 2
Sprite from Super Mario Bros. 2
Screenshot of Super Mario Bros. 2
Screenshot of Super Mario Bros. 2
Screenshot of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Screenshot of a Japanese commercial for Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins
Sprite from Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 2)
Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 2)
In the Blow Hole Bound microgame of WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Ice sculpture from Yoshi's Woolly World
Whale costume from Yoshi's Crafted World
Whale craft from Yoshi's Crafted World
A whale from its side in Mario Kart World
Artwork of a whale fossil in Donkey Kong Bananza
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Names in other languages[edit ]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クジラ Kujira |
Whale | [3] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鲸鱼 Jīngyú (Mandarin) Kìhng'yùh (Cantonese) |
Whale | [4] | |
| 鲸 Jīng (Mandarin) Kìhng (Cantonese) |
Prior to Yoshi's Crafted World | [?] | ||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鯨魚 Jīngyú (Mandarin) Kìhng'yùh (Cantonese) |
Whale | [5] | |
| Dutch | Walvis | Whale | [6] | |
| French | Baleine | Whale | [7] | |
| German | Wal | Whale | [8] | |
| Italian | Balena | Whale | [9] [10] [11] | |
| Korean | 고래 Gorae |
Whale | [12] | |
| Polish | Wieloryb | Whale | [13] | |
| Portuguese | Baleia | Whale | [14] | |
| Russian | Кит Kit |
Whale | [15] | |
| Spanish | Ballena | Whale | [16] [17] | |
| Thai | ปลาวาฬ Bplaawaan |
Whale | [18] |
References[edit ]
- ^ Zephiel805. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - 100% Walkthrough - 4-3 Amiss Abyss (Puzzle Pieces and KONG) (00:25). YouTube (English). Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ Nintendo of America. Mario Kart World – Nintendo Direct (01:38). YouTube (English). Retrieved April 4, 2025.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Japanese localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Simplified Chinese localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Traditional Chinese localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Dutch localization.
- ^ Mario Kart World in-game mission : "Passez l'accueil des baleines vers le Stade Peach !" ("Pass the whale welcome to Peach Stadium!") from European French localization. (Archived 8 Jun. 2025 via YouTube by Yannex - LetsPlay.)
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, German localization.
- ^ Fletcher, John, editor in chief (1991). "Tips & Tricks" in Club Nintendo , vol. 1. Linea Gig S.p.a., Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Italian). Page 25.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia . Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 70.
- ^ «Curiosità: C'è un livello dove ti muovi sul dorso di balene. A volte, le balene spruzzano acqua dai loro sfiatatoi.» – Indovina il gioco (8) (2 Nov. 2025). Nintendo Today!. Italian.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Korean localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Polish localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Brazilian Portuguese localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Russian localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Latin American Spanish localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, European Spanish localization.
- ^ Donkey Kong Bananza in-game name, Thai localization.