Bullet Bill

Bullet Bill is a species of living bullets that appear as enemies in the Mario franchise.

Outline
Bullet Bill is a huge, apparently living bullet that first appeared in the video game Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. They are fired from tall cannons (called Bullet Bill Blasters) or, on some stages, from somewhere off screen at roughly the height Mario is standing. Bullet Bill is impervious to Mario's Fire Flower, but can be defeated by jumping on it or running into it after obtaining the Starman power-up.

In their first appearance, Bullet Bill had angry cartoon eyes and a pair of white arms. Following the appearance of Banzai Bill in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a number of later games depicted all Bullet Bills with a large mouth and no arms. As of New Super Mario Bros., only arms are exclusive to Bullet Bills, while mouths are only used for Banzai Bills.

Game appearances
Super Mario Bros.: Bullet Bill first appears in World 5-1. It is usually discharged from a large cannon, known simply as a Bullet Bill Blaster (or, rarely, a Bullet Bill Dispenser). On occasion, Bullet Bills will be shot from random locations somewhere off-screen.

Super Mario Bros. 2: Bullet Bills did not appear in the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 by name, but there are similar missile creatures that are shot from Autobombs, which are ridden by Shy Guys. However, Bullet Bills were abundant in the Japanese game that was later released in the U.S. as Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels.

Super Mario Bros. 3: Bullet Bills did not appear as much in Super Mario Bros. 3 as they did in previous games, mainly appearing in later worlds and on the bosses airships. A new type of Bullet Bill appeared in this game, the red Missile Bill, that follows Mario/Luigi rather than flying in a straight line.

Super Mario Land: Starting in the third world, Bullet Bills appeared and acted in the typical manner, although the manual calls them "Gira" (which is probably a corruption of kiraa, its Japanese name).

Super Mario World: This game features the first appearance of Torpedo Ted (Torpedo in Japan), which is a Bullet Bill that is launched underwater and cannot be destroyed by normal means. Banzai Bill (Magnum Killer in Japan) also makes its first appearance, which is a gigantic version of a Bullet Bill. The Pidgit Bill replaces Bullet Bill once the Special World is completed.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: This game introduces a yellow Bouncing Bullet Bill that bounces and ricochets off walls after being fired. In the Game Boy Advance incarnation there are red Bullet Bills with gnashing fangs that home in on Yoshi.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: In this game, Bullet Bills are fired by cannons or Snifits as an attack.

Super Mario 64: Bullet Bill was only found in one location in the level Whomp's Fortress. In the levels after the player defeats the big Whomp, a Bill Blaster will appear at the top of the fortress. The Bullet Bills shot out would home in on Mario.Mario could deafeat them by jumping on them and throwing them off course. Bullet Bill can be defeated in the DS remake, but only by Mario (or any other character) eating a mushroom, becoming bigger and invincible, and able to kill him by running into him.

Paper Mario games: Gold Bullet Bills known as Bombshell Bills are introduced in Paper Mario, and appeared again in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door they also have upgraded cannons of the same colour being gold called B. Bill Blasters.And then again in Super Paper Mario as foes in chapter 3-1 in the second of three castles that belonged to Bowser.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The Bullet Blaster, which is the shape of a Bullet Bill, is Bowser Jr.'s Kart.

Super Mario Sunshine: This game contained a Monty Mole that manned a cannon, firing Bullet Bills at Mario. These Bullet Bills are purple, with a red nose-cone. They homed in on Mario and exploded after a short time. They could be destroyed with a burst of water from FLUDD. Rarely, Monty Mole would fire a golden Bullet Bill, which when destroyed, would yield extra coins. Bullet Bills were also fired by Mecha Bowser, one of the bosses at Pinna Park. Finally, in the final battle against Bowser and Bowser Jr., Bowser Jr. would fire regular black Bullet Bills and the occasional blue Bullet Bills, which when jumped on, gave Mario a 1-Up Mushroom or a water bottle.

Super Smash Bros. Melee In the Peach's Castle stage, Bullet Bill would randomly shoot at the castle tower with a timer. It would explode, hurting players in a large radius. Bullet Bills were also present in the background of the Yoshi's Island stage but did not affect players within the match. There is also a Bullet Bill trophy which is found randomly within the game.Though really according to the Bullet Bill trophy they are Bazai Bills in that game.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: Bullet Bills and Bill Blasters returned as enemies at Stardust Field. The game also featured Sniper Bill, a large Bullet Bill that uses a Super Scope as a weapon. It is found in Bowser's Castle.

Mario Kart DS: Bullet Bills appear as items in this game, and would transform drivers into a large Bullet Bill, careening drivers through the course and into other characters for 4 to 7 seconds, but can only be obtained when the player is in 6th, 7th, or 8th position. They are also obstacles on the Airship Fortress level.

New Super Mario Bros.: Bullet Bills appear in some stages in this game as enemies. Banzai Bills also appear, slowly spinning as they are shot out of huge cannons. There is also a Monty Mole in a tank. He spins it randomly shooting Bullet Bills at Mario, (Luigi) in hopes of hurting you.

Super Mario Galaxy: Bullet Bills (Although with red eyes) appeared in the demo playable at the E3 2006 Demo.

Mario Party Advance : A Bullet Bill in the desert had a quest for you to beat him in a race.

Variations

 * Giraギラー
 * Appears in Super Mario Land. It acts just like a Bullet Bill, but has a jet flame behind it. Gira Blasters sometimes appear out of pipes.


 * Missile BillU-ターンキラー
 * Appears in Super Mario Bros. 3. Once fired from a Bullet Bill Blaster, Missile Bill will travel to one side of the screen, turn around and fly back the way he came. Missile Bill has a slightly red tint. Also flashes red if you have Mario/Raccoon Mario or green if you have Luigi/Raccoon Luigi.  It turned orange if you had Fiery Mario or Fiery Luigi, green if you had Frog Mario or Frog Luigi and brown if you had Tannoki Mario or Tannoki Luigi.


 * Banzai Billマグナムキラー
 * Appears in Super Mario World. Banzai Bill is a massive Bullet Bill that travels slowly across the screen.Also appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee at Princess Peach's Castle,and then to soon explode in a radius that will send characters flying if caught.


 * Torpedo Tedトーピード
 * Appears in Super Mario World. Torpedo is an underwater Bullet Bill. It is released from large black blocks featuring a skull motif by an extendable gloved hand. Unlike Bullet Bill, who travels as a set speed, Torpedo Ted slowly gains forward momentum.


 * Bouncing Bullet Bill|ホーミングキラー
 * Appears in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The Bullet Bill Blaster follows Yoshi's movements before shooting a yellow-colored Bullet Bill. This Bullet Bill will bounce off any walls in its path.


 * Bombshell Billスーパーキラー
 * Appears in Paper Mario. A strong, golden-colored Bullet Bill.


 * Mad Bullet Bill
 * Appears in Super Princess Peach. A red, enraged Bullet Bill.


 * Mad Banzai Bill
 * Appears in Super Princess Peach. A Fast-moving, angry Bullet Bills.


 * Glad Torpedo Ted
 * Appears in Super Princess Peach. A happy, music-emitting Torpedo Ted.

Cameo roles and appearances in other media
Bullet Bill has not appeared in many spinoffs, other than occasionally as an enemy in a Mario Party minigame, or in the form of a baseball bat in early screen-shots for Mario Superstar Baseball (note that Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s Power Shots are also Bullet Bills). He also appeared in Mario Power Tennis in a mini-game, fired by a giant Bowser robot. There is a Bullet Bill shaped hole in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Golf.

Bullet Bills sometime appear in some Super Mario cartoon episodes and Nintendo Comics System, and a Banzai Bill in the background of a Wii tech demo. In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Bullet Bill also can be seen on the shirt of Fyer, who resides in Lake Hylia. The Bullet Bill is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Fyer's profession (a cannon expert).

In the film Super Mario Bros., the cartridges used to operate the "Thwomp Stomper" jumping boots are made to resemble Bullet Bills. In addition, one of the more prominent signs in the city of Dinohattan is for an establishment known as "Bullet Bill's."

Also on the Super Mario Bros The Movie Devo playset a pipe revolves to reveal a red bullet bill.

In the Mario Party 8 advertisement, a Bullet Bill can be seen on the side of car. There is also a Bullet Bill candy in Bowser's Board in which a player will look similar to bullet bill, hit three dice, and steal a star from everybody he/she passes