Super Smash Bros. Cataclysm (Dingerfish)/Piranha Plant

Piranha Plant is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Cataclysm. It is a returning veteran fighter from the Super Mario universe, and is an unlockable fighter.
Piranha Plant's design philosophy from Ultimate has remained mostly similar, with the idea of this Piranha Plant being a representation of its entire species remaining intact, and with its trapper playstyle and moveset being mostly untouched. The character has seen some changes, mainly with some of its moves being rebalanced/reworked to better fit its playstyle. Its attributes have also been made better across the board to make the character agile enough to be a more viable pick for players of the character while still retaining the philosophy of having Piranha Plant be a strong trapper held back by its mobility. This makes players of Piranha Plant have to properly use its trapper/zoning tools effectively against their opponent in neutral/advantage situations while avoiding disadvantage entirely in order to succeed. On the other hand, anyone facing against Piranha Plant must endure its zoning and area denial in order to reach it and punish, as its weak close quarters play and mobility allows opponents to easily start a combo/get a kill when they reach the right circumstances.
== Attributes ==
Piranha Plant's attributes are all-around weak, with its mobility remaining low across the board. Its strongest attribute is its weight, with the character being one the heavier side which allows it to survive for longer during battle. Aside from its weight however, Piranha Plant has little to show in terms of maneuverability onstage, where excluding its good running speed, it often struggles with navigation around the stage in battle. With poor ground movement and middling air mobility, Piranha Plant's main weakness as a character are attributes, and the character instead has to use its moveset in order to properly excel in battle.
(All stats with character names next to them signify that these stats have changed since Ultimate to the values that the character name next to them had in Ultimate.)
Attribute 	Stat
Weight 	112
Walk Speed 	0.76
Initial Dash 	1.9 (Kirby)
Running Speed	1.749 (Young Link)
Jump Height 	38 (R.O.B.)
# Of Jumps 	2
Air Speed 	1.092 (PAC-MAN)
Fall Speed 	1.85 (Simon)
Traction 	0.114 (Marth)
Crawl 	Yes
Wall Jump 	No
Wall Cling 	No
== Moveset ==
=== Grounded Attacks ===
* Jab - Chlorophyll Combo: Piranha Plant strikes forward with its leaf, follows up with a jab from its other leaf, and finishes off with a headbutt. The attack deals decent damage and knockback, with the move being difficult to punish on shield due to its low endlag. This makes the move a useful tool for racking up damage and for shield pressure. Piranha Plant can also use a rapid jab variant of the move, where the headbutt is replaced with a flurry of bites. This makes the move riskier due to its increased endlag and vulnerability, but allows it to deal better damage and knockback serving as a stronger way to rack up damage and get the opponent away from Piranha Plant.
* Dash Attack - Pot Drop: Piranha Plant bounds forward while leaning back to bring its pot at the forefront, thus performing an attack akin to a dropkick with its pot as its leap ends and it lands onto the ground. This attack deals decent damage and high knockback, serving as a strong read during tech chases or for catching landings, often leading to a kill at high percents.
* Forward Tilt - Smilax Bites: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Smilax as two smaller Piranha Plants sprout on its sides in its pot. The two smaller Piranha Plants then each perform a forward bite which together deal decent damage and knockback, serving as a quick and safe punish tool in neutral or in disadvantage. This move references the Smilax enemies from Super Mario RPG: Legend of The Seven Stars.
* Up Tilt - Creeper Swing: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Piranha Creeper as it swings its head at an arc above itself. This attack deals low damage and knockback, serving as a safe tool in neutral for starting combos and warding off opponents from above. The swing has high range and can reach through lower platforms on certain stages, allowing Piranha Plant to effectively space out opponents attacking from platforms. This move references the Piranha Creeper enemies from Super Mario 3D World.
* Down Tilt - Leaf Swipe: Piranha Plant performs a low swipe with its leaf dealing low damage and knockback. This attack is effective as a combo starter, leading into Piranha Plant's dash attack at low percents before having follow-up potential into its aerials at middle percents.
=== Smash Attacks ===
* Forward Smash - Prickly Swing: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Prickly Piranha Plant and swings its head forwards, dealing high damage and knockback. While the move is slow to start up, Piranha Plant's head is invulnerable during the swing making it a relatively safe kill option after a follow-up or a punish. The move has a sweetspot and a sourspot, with the sweetspot at Piranha Plant's head and the sourspot at its stem, with both killing at middle to high percents respectively. This move references the Prickly Piranha Plant enemies from Super Mario Galaxy 2.
* Up Smash - Rising Bite: Piranha Plant retreats into the soil of its pot before extending upwards and biting. This attack is split into two hits, being the intial lunge and the bite itself, together dealing decent damage and high knockback. The initial lunge's knockback always leads into the bite, creating a guaranteed follow-up while also making the move a stronger anti-air option. This move resembles the common act of Piranha Plants rising in and out of Pipes in the Super Mario series.
* Down Smash - Pot Sweep: Piranha Plant sweeps its pot in a circle around itself, dealing decent damage and high knockback. The attack's wide hitbox and semi-spike knockback angle make it an effective edgeguarding tool at the ledge, while also serving as a quick punish option with its low starting lag and it covering both of Piranha Plant's sides.
=== Aerials ===
* Neutral Aerial - Leaf Spinner: Piranha Plant spins rapidly in the air with its leaves extended, dealing decent multihit damage and low knockback. This attack serves as an effective method of racking up damage while also allowing Piranha Plant to drag opponents down from the air to start or extend combos. It also helps Piranha Plant to remain safe in the air while landing due to its large and long-lasting hitbox, which also makes it a strong edgeguarding tool.
* Forward Aerial - Pot Strike: Piranha Plant swipes its pot upwards in front of itself, dealing decent damage and knockback. The attack is a useful option in catching vulnerable opponents above Piranha Plant while also serving excellently as an edgeguarding tool offstage due to its respectable knockback, with the drawback of high landing lag and moderate endlag making it somewhat unsafe if used incorrectly. 
* Back Aerial - Flame Wipe: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Fire Piranha Plant spits out a burst of fire behind itself which does high damage and knockback. The attack has high starting and extremely high ending lag, making it a risky attack with high reward in edgeguarding/punish situations, especially with its long, disjointed range making it an excellent spacing option. The attack also pushes Piranha Plant slightly in the direction opposite to where it blasts the fireball, which allows Piranha Plant to mixup its movement in the air and push itself towards the ledge with an attack behind itself to guard it. This all comes at the cost of the risk factor of the move possibly leading to a punish if missed or a self-destruct if used improperly offstage. This move references the Fire Piranha Plant enemies originating from Super Mario 3D Land.
* Up Aerial - Seed Spurt: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Melon Piranha Plant and spits five watermelon seeds above itself, dealing flinching multihit damage before the final hit dealing decent damage and knockback. This attack is a strong spacing tool as an anti-air for catching landings while also being strong against opponents on platforms due to its high range and low startlag. The attack is also a strong juggling option in conjunction with Piranha Plant's Up Smash and Neutral Special, making opponents above Piranha Plant weaker to KOs off of the top of the stage. This move references the Melon Piranha Plant enemies originating from Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
* Down Aerial - Flowerpot Meteor: Piranha Plant flips towards the camera before peforming a strong stomp with its pot downwards. This attack deals low damage and decent knockback, while having a sweetspot at the bottom of a pot with a powerful meteor smash allowing for stronger edgeguarding opportunities. The attack's low starting lag allows it to serve more effectively as a quick kill option offstage, with the drawback of high ending lag leaving Piranha Plant vulnerable if the move is missed.
=== Grabs & Throws ===
* Grab: Piranha Plant grabs the opponent with its leaves.
* Pummel - Snatch Bite: Piranha Plant bites at the grabbed opponent.
* Forward Throw - Flower Swinger: Piranha Plant swings its head forwards at the grabbed opponent, launching them forward and dealing decent damage and low knockback. The attack has followups into Dash Attack and Forward Aerial at early percents while also leading to edgeguarding situations near the end of the stage.
* Back Throw - Petit Blast: Piranha Plant bites down on the opponent and tosses them behind itself. It then summons two Petit Piranhas to each shoot a quick fire blast at the opponent now in the air. This combined with the initial fling makes this throw deal high damage and knockback, making it effective at racking up damage in early percents while also serving as a strong kill throw at high percents. This attack references the Lava Piranha battle from Paper Mario, where it summons Petit Piranhas to shoot fire during its fight.
* Up Throw - Frost Flank: Piranha Plant briefly transforms into a Frost Piranha before using its frost breath to freeze the opponent in place. It then burrows into the ground and pops up under the frozen opponent to bite them, launching the opponent upwards. This attack deals high damage and decent knockback, serving as an effective way to rack up damage and to send the opponent upwards as a quick kill at platforms. This attack is a reference to the Frost Piranha from Paper Mario, alluding to its frost breath and burrow attacks.
* Down Throw - Pinned Chomps: Piranha Plant throws the opponent onto the ground and pins them with its pot. It then chomps at the opponent twice, dealing decent damage and low knockback upwards, making the move a strong combo starter leading into Piranha Plant's aerials at early percents for racking up damage. 
=== Specials ===
* Neutral Special - Ptooie: Piranha Plant spits out a spiked metal ball upwards, keeping it airborne by blowing air at it upwards. The spiked ball has a perpetual hitbox till it disappears, allowing Piranha Plant to catch opponents by using the move below them. Piranha Plant can also keep the spiked ball afloat by holding down the special button, albeit with the ball slightly fluctuating in height while it is being sustained in the air. By releasing the special button, Piranha Plant stops blowing upwards and swallows the falling spiked ball, which cancels the move. Piranha Plant can also input left, right while sustaining the ball to blow it to either direction at a steep arc, or can input up to blow the ball high above itself. The ball itself does great damage and good knockback, making it a dangerous move to approach against for opponents especially due to Piranha Plant's capabilities with the spiked ball making it suitable for mixups. The move is also extremely strong against opponents offstage, denying a lot of area for them to recover and threatening an early kill. Piranha Plant's fall is also somewhat stalled when the move is used in the air, making it strong as an edgeguarding tool even offstage. Opponents attacking Piranha Plant while blowing up the spiked ball may also be punished due to the ball falling down once Piranha Plant is hit out of it, persisting its hitbox and thus hitting the opponent. The spiked ball only disappears after touching the stage or falling into the blast zone. Additionally, if Piranha Plant manages to reach and attack the spiked ball before it disappears, (usually by blowing the ball upwards,) the ball will be sent in the direction of the attack Piranha Plant uses. This opens many more opportunities for the spiked ball at the cost of longer setup, as Piranha Plant can send the ball into new angles with its aerials or use its Up Aerial or Up Smash to juggle the ball and keep it airborne, allowing Piranha Plant to make the ball a continuous threat while also being able to throw out other attacks, at the cost of needing to manage the spiked ball ensuring it stays airborne. Piranha Plant is somewhat vulnerable after using the move due to its moderately high endlag, but the endlag can be cancelled when the spiked ball hits an opponent, making the move safer and have more follow-up potential if successful. The attack cannot be used if there is already a spiked ball active onstage. This attack is a reference to the Ptooie enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3.
* Side Special - Putrid Breath: Piranha Plant transforms into a Putrid Piranha and charges up its poison breath. The poison breath can be charged for up to 3 seconds. Inputting Side Special during or any time after the move is charged makes Piranha Plant spews a cloud of poison breath in front of itself, lasting 6 seconds and dealing high to extremely high damage if all hits connect. It deals no knockback or hitstun, but it can be shielded and countered, albeit dealing heavy shield damage. This move serves use as an area denial tool where Piranha Plant uses the move, threatening high damage on the opponent if crossing the cloud. This makes the move useful in neutral by limiting the opponent's mobility or in edgeguarding by limiting their recovery. Piranha Plant can also walk over the Putrid Breath, taking no damage while also being masked by the cloud's effect. This allows Piranha Plant to mixup his opponent by hiding what attack/action he is performing within the damaging poison cloud. This attack is a reference to the Putrid Piranha originating from Paper Mario.
* Up Special - Piranhacopter: Piranha Plant rapidly spins its leaves like a propeller, making it rise upwards. The rise can be angled left and right, and covers an extremely high amount of distance, making it excellent for recovery. Piranha Plant's leaves deal low multihit damage and knockback, but can drag opponents along the trajectory of the move possibly leading to early KOs off the blastzone. The move comes with the downside of lacking a hitbox on Piranha Plant's head making it vulnerable from above when using the move. This attack is a reference to the Jumping Piranha Plant originating from Super Mario World.
* Down Special - Long-Stem Strike: Piranha Plant retreats into its pot/pipe, where it does not move from its original position regardless of whether it is used on the ground or in the air. Piranha Plant then quickly extends out of its pot, dealing decent damage and leading into the finishing bite, dealing great damage and knockback. The move can be aimed in all cardinal and diagonal directions, and can be cancelled by pressing the attack button, which makes Piranha Plant simply bite while retreated in the pipe and exit its retreated state. This move can be charged, which makes the move extend further and deal slightly more damage and knockback the longer it is charged. Piranha Plant also has weak super armor when charging the move, which gets stronger when the move is executed, making it a great move for punishes. If the stage, wall, or any kind of object with collision is in the way of this move, Piranha Plant simply stops extending and bites once it comes in contact with the interruption. This move is a reference to the Stalking Piranha Plants from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
=== Final Smash ===
* Final Smash - Petey Piranha: Piranha Plant summons Petey Piranha, who stands just behind the stage facing the screen holding two cages in his hands from his Subspace Emissary boss fight. He then begins to stomp around the stage, occasionally hopping and roughly moving towards the closest opponent's direction. Any opponent caught by Petey Piranha's cages will be trapped inside them for the duration of the Final Smash. Throughout the Final Smash, Petey Piranha performs two attacks. He first jumps high and stomps strongly onto the ground, dealing heavy damage and burying opponents hit directly by it, while also releasing a strong quake effect across the entire stage that deals decent flinching damage. He then breathes fire onto the two cages, dealing heavy damage to any opponent inside the cage and decent damage to opponents caught by the outskirts of the flame outside of the cage. After this attack, Petey Piranha quickly slams the two cages onto the ground below him, dealing extremely high damage and knockback to opponents in the cage, effectively guaranteeing they get KOed. Opponents outside of the cage still take high damage and knockback from the slam, making it remain a dangerous threat even if they do not get caught in the cage. Once this second attack is executed, Petey Piranha jumps offscreen and the attack ends.
== Aesthetics ==
=== Alternate Costumes ===
Costume 	Image 	Origin 	Unlock Criteria
#1: Default 	 	This is Piranha Plant's default look throughout the series since Super Mario Bros. 3, while being planted in a pot from Super Mario 3D World. 	Unlocked from the start.
#2: Green 	 	Based on its original color scheme from Super Mario Bros. 	Unlocked from the start.
#3: Yellow 	 	Based on the Glad Piranha Plant from Super Princess Peach. 	Unlocked from the start.
#4: Pink 	 	Based roughly on the Piranha Creeper enemy from Super Mario 3D World. 	Unlocked from the start.
#5: Fire 	(Credits to MarioLuigiFan24680)	Based on the Fire Piranha Plant from Super Mario 3D Land. This costume makes Piranha Plant not change appearance during its Back Aerial. 	Unlocked from the start.
#6: Frost 	(Credits to PokerNinja2) 	Based on the Frost Piranha enemy from Paper Mario. This costume makes Piranha Plant not change its appearance during its Up Throw. 	Unlocked from the start.
#7: Inky 	 	Based on the Inky Piranha Plant enemy from Super Mario 3D Land. 	Win a match on Pictochat as Piranha Plant.
#8: Bone 	 	Based on the Bone Piranha Plant from New Super Mario Bros. 2. 	Win a match against Piranha Plant CPU at level 5.0 on Bowser's Castle
#9: Melon 	 	Based on the Melon Piranha Plant enemy from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. This costume makes Piranha Plant not change its appearance during its Up Aerial. 	Win a match on Super Happy Tree as Piranha Plant.
#10: Cat 	 	Based on the Cat Piranha Plant enemy from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. 	Beat Century Smash as Piranha Plant.
#11: Muncher 	 	Based on the Muncher enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3. With this costume on, Piranha Plant's name is announced as Muncher. 	Beat Classic Mode as Piranha Plant.
#12: Nipper 	(Credits to YoshiGo99) 	Based on the Nipper Plant enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3. With this costume on, Piranha Plant's name is announced as Muncher. 	Beat 30 opponents in Endless Smash as Piranha Plant.
#13: Deku Baba	 	Based on the Deku Baba enemy from The Legend of Zelda series. With this costume on, Piranha Plant's name is announced as Deku Baba, its series logo becomes that of The Legend of Zelda, and its victory theme switches to Link's victory theme.	Beat Classic Mode on 9.9 as Piranha Plant.
=== Taunts ===
* Up Taunt: Piranha Plant stiffly rises straight up out of its pipe, making a Warp Pipe noise as it does so. This is a reference to how Piranha Plant enemies functioned in the original Super Mario Bros.
* Side Taunt: Piranha Plant bites at the air around itself thrice.
* Down Taunt: Piranha Plant twirls around before posing with a grin.
=== Victory Theme/Poses ===
* Victory Theme: A remixed version of the end of the Underground Theme melody from Super Mario Bros.
* Victory (Left): Piranha Plant bites at the air thrice before posing with a grin.
* Victory (Up): The fighter that reached second place runs forwards and jumps, only to have jumped over Piranha Plant retreated in its pot, where it pops out and bites the opponent to send them flying. Piranha Plant then smiles at the camera.
* Victory (Right): Piranha Plant hangs down from the ceiling and poses.
=== Extra Aesthetics ===
* Stage Intro: Piranha Plant slowly rises straight up ou of a Warp Pipe before hopping out, with a Warp Pipe sound effect playing as it does so.
* Kirby Hat: Kirby wears a Piranha Plant outfit that resembles a Piranha Plant head with Kirby inside its mouth.
* Piranha Plant's facial expressions usually involve a smile throughout the match, however it puts on a frustrated expression when missing certain moves or getting hit, and puts on a grin once landing certain moves and when it has an advantage during the match.