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Unagis (also known as Eels) are moray eels that first appear in Super Mario 64. They are maroon-ish red-violet in color with yellow stripes on its back fin. The mega versions are shown in New Super Mario Bros. to be strong enough to destroy entire clusters of Brick Blocks, and cannot be defeated with anything, even the Starman power-up.
Unagi (うなぎ) is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, especially the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. Note that saltwater eels should be called anago (穴子). Maw-Ray is a pun on the moray eel and the word "maw".
History[]
Super Mario series[]
Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS[]
One Unagi, named Unagi the Eel, appears in Super Mario 64 and its remake Super Mario 64 DS. The player character can lure him out of his sunken ship home in Jolly Roger Bay by swimming near and provoking him to attack. The player must then swim a short distance away and then swim back to the ship. Unagi will have left the ship, allowing the player to enter it via the ship's window. Once inside, if Mario opens the chests in the correct order, the ship will surface, causing the water inside the ship to drain, thus allowing the player to get the Power Star.
Unagi is seen again later, this time making a water cove his home. Once again, Mario and friends can lure him out in the same fashion as before. The water cove is not accessible but there is a Power Star attached to the eel's tail. To gain it Mario and friends must simply touch it. If too much time passes, Unagi will return to the alcove, and have to be lured out again.
In later missions, Unagi circles the previous location of the sunken ship.
New Super Mario Bros.[]
Unagis reappear in New Super Mario Bros. as an enemy in underwater levels. They only appear in World 4-3 and World 8-3. In World 8-3, Unagis swim around in a predictable pattern trying to hit Mario or Luigi. Some Unagis also live in small underwater coves, attacking anything in its vicinity. Unagis can be defeated with a Mega Mushroom and a Starman. There is also a big version called the Mega Unagi.
Super Mario Odyssey[]
Although Unagis don't appear in Super Mario Odyssey, a relative of them called the Maw-Ray does.
Mario Party 4[]
In the minigame Manta Rings from Mario Party 4, a reddish-brown eel resembling a Unagi darts in front of the characters with a high-pitched noise as they pass a sunken ship, resembling the one from Jolly Roger Bay. If bumped into, three points are deducted.
Mario Kart series[]
Mario Kart Wii[]
Several Unagis reappear in Mario Kart Wii, where they can be seen while traveling through the underwater tunnel in Koopa Cape, poking their heads out of various Pipes. A closer one can be seen swimming outside of Chain Chomp Wheel.
Mario Kart 7[]
They also reappear again in Mario Kart 7, making a cameo in the underwater zones of Daisy Cruiser and Koopa Cape.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[]
In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, they make a small appearance in the underwater parts of the race track Tropical Coast.
Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[]
A single one appears in an underwater section of the Mario Kart 8 track Dolphin Shoals, where players race along its body for a short section and can perform Trick]]s from its undulating body. It returns in the enhanced Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Trivia[]
- Unagi the Eel in Super Mario 64 was designed by Satoru Takizawa.