History Main / TheSpiny

The Spiny is a stock enemy type common in those [[{{Platformer}} platform games]] where enemies can be dispatched with the GoombaStomp or sometimes some other form of close-range attack. Put simply, The Spiny, rather than taking damage from being stomped, [[AttackBackfire damages]] [[RussianReversal you]] [[InertialImpalement instead]]. After you've been trained to squish your foes, the Spiny forces you to rethink things.

The Spiny is a mobile form of SpikesOfDoom and can be a StuddedShell. Related to KungFuProofMook. Beware of the ones that are also {{Spike Shooter}}s.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'': Boss Bass will swallow Mario whole if he attempts to jump on him -- or if Mario just happens to be in its way. Also, Nippers (small carnivorous plants with upwards-facing mouths) and Munchers (black, stationary plants) are stomp-proof and harmful as well. The Battle Mode (a remake of the original arcade ''VideoGame/MarioBros'') also replaces the Shellcreepers (green turtle enemies that were the forebears of Koopa Troopas) with Spinies, to communicate that enemies cannot be jumped on. This would carry over to other ''Mario Bros.'' remakes, such as ''VideoGame/MarioClash'' and the ''Super Mario Advance'' serie

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'': Boss Bass will swallow Mario whole if he attempts to jump on him -- or if Mario just happens to be in its way. Also, Nippers (small carnivorous plants with upwards-facing mouths) and Munchers (black, stationary plants) are stomp-proof and harmful as well.

The Spiny is a mobile form of SpikesOfDoom. Related to KungFuProofMook. Beware of the ones that are also {{Spike Shooter}}s.

** An aura of electrical energy surrounds a zegulak at all times, electrocuting anyone who tries to damage it in melee.

* ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'' offered several varieties of the Spiny, to accommodate the fact that the player can perform several types of attacks. For example, a basic turtle can either have the sides of its shell laced with deadly spikes (making the full-frontal spin attack impossible), and another can have a spinning sawblade on its back instead (which prevents players from defeating it by jumping). Some enemies even switch back and forth between these two modes, especially in later levels of the game. There's even a third mode, tall enemies with spikes on their head and neck, forcing you to slide into them.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': A fair number of Badniks qualify, although since the standard attack method is to hit an enemy while curled into a ball rather than necessarily to hit it from above, some of these are covered in spikes or other harmful stuff on all sides, rather than just the top, and must be defeated by waiting for them to revert to a vulnerable state or using invincibility.

** The series has the TropeNamer, which debuted in the series in the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1''. It is a red and yellow Koopa covered in spikes that you can't stomp, but can kill with fireballs or a regular Koopa's shell, as well as its counterpart the Buzzy Beetle (an enemy that cannot be killed with fireballs, but can be non-fatally stomped on or taken out with a koopa shell).

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'': Boss Bass will swallow Mario whole if he attempts to jump on him -- or if Mario just happens to be in its way. Also, Nippers -- small carnivorous plants with upwards-facing mouths -- are stomp-proof and harmful as well.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': A bearded devil's skin is covered in wicked spines, which will damage any beings that try to grapple it or engage it with short-range melee weapons.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Lancer}}'': The Vlad mecha is covered in spikes that do damage to any enemy that attacks him from too close. Its core power not only increases the damage Vlad deals, but allows it to completely ignore the damage from the enemy attack. Attacking from a distance gets around that, but as a grappler mecha, Vlad is quite good at closing that distance quickly.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPGLegendOfTheSevenStars'': You can damage Spinies in battle with punches and fireballs, but Jump attacks do 0 damage. Equipping the Jump Shoes remedies this.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Zala aka Miss Doublefingers can grow spikes on any part of her body or turn any of her body parts into a spike.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': The Porcupine combines this schtick with being able to shoot off his spines, fire sleep gas from some of them (hollow tubes, likely), and otherwise be augmented by his spiky powered armor. Years later, it [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard comes back to bite him]] when he [[spoiler:has a HeelFaceTurn followed by [[RedemptionEqualsDeath falling]] on one of his broken-off spikes]].

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'': Anguirus is an ''Ankylosaurus''-based kaiju with spines covering his back. He's known for his ability to curl up into a ball and hurl himself at enemies, basically a [[FastballSpecial Kaiju Special]] that doesn't require a partner. In many video game appearances, melee attacks to his back cause damage to the attacker instead of him.

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': A barded devil's skin is covered in wicked spines, which will damage any beings that try to grapple it or engage it with short-range melee weapons.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Lancer}}'': The Vlad mecha is covered in spikes that do damage to any enemy that attacks him from too close. Its core power not only increases the damage Vlad deals, but allows it to completely ignore the damage from the enemy attack. Attacking from a distance gets around that, but as a grappler mecha, Vlad is quite good at closing that distance quickly.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AnUntitledStory'': Spiked snails can only be defeated with fire. Underwater, you don't even have that, as you can't use your fireballs; you can only temporarily freeze enemies with ice, turning Spiked Snails into an InvincibleMinorMinion in those environments.
* ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' has the Spikeback, an InvincibleMinorMinion which looks and moves very much like the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' Spinies (though, being yellow, it looked more like fries to [[Series/RetroGameMaster Arino]]).
* ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'' offered several varieties of The Spiny, to accommodate the fact that the player could perform several types of attacks. For example, a basic turtle could either have the sides of his shell laced with deadly spikes (making the full-frontal spin attack impossible), and another could have a spinning sawblade on its back instead (which prevents players from defeating the enemy by jumping). Some enemies even switch back and forth between these two modes, especially in later levels of the game. There's even a third mode, tall enemies with spikes on their head and neck, forcing you to slide into them.

* The ''VideoGame/DisneysMagicalQuest'' game series has its share of enemies that couldn't be harmed by jumping on them. One example would be the walking flames from the third game.

* ''VideoGame/FrostBite'' only features [[GoombaStomp two]] [[GrapplingHookPistol attacks]], and certain enemies are immune to each (though never both.) Fitting the trope, those that are immune to the GoombaStomp have spines and deal CollisionDamage when jumped on.
%%* ''VideoGame/{{Germination}}'': Polyles become this when they fly through the air.
* ''VideoGame/{{Iconoclasts}}'':
** Pluro, the '''first''' enemies encountered, are this. Luckily, [[PlayerCharacter Robin]] is no Mario, and relies on her [[WrenchWench wrench]] and stun gun instead, which both work on them just fine.
** The Squints, which are much stronger enemies of this nature encountered in the Isilugar Depths. They are heavily armored, and positioned in such a way that simply stunning them with a bomb shot still leaves their spiny backs blocking the path. Instead, you must curve the bomb projectile in such a way that it detonates the explosive tip of their tail.
** One Concern also has small electrified mechs called Spotters that fulfil the same function.
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'', where there is only one type of enemy in the game you can GoombaStomp: the Bullets Bill that the Snifit fires at you (and only so you can GoombaSpringboard them).

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Several games in the franchise (specifically the ones that originated on the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance) feature Spiked Beetles that normally have to be flipped over with a shield when they charge at Link to be defeated.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has Guardians, aquatic mobs that resemble one-eyed fish that can extend and retract their spines. Hitting them with melee attacks while their spines are extended will damage the player, although the attack still damages the Guardian. Players can also invoke this by enchanting their armor with Thorns, though this will increase the rate at which armor degrades from attacks.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Some mons, like Drifblim, have the Aftermath ability, which hurts your Pokémon after you've knocked it out.
** Others, including the [[GoddamnedBats incredibly common]] Tentacool, have the Liquid Ooze ability, which damages your Pokémon if you use a LifeDrain move like Leech Seed or Giga Drain.
** And then there's Carvanha, Sharpedo, Druddigon, and the Gible family's (hidden) Rough Skin ability, and also Ferroseed and Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs abiity, which deals damage whenever a "direct attack" is used. Other Pokémon have abilities that occasionally deal status effects to the opponent when hit with a direct attack, such as Pikachu's Static (paralysis) and Nidoran's Poison Point.

* ''VideoGame/RememberMe'': The {{Elite|Mooks}} Enforcers wear electrified armor, which makes Nilin take damage every time she hits them. The only way to safely fight them is to use combos that include regeneration moves in them.

%%** Kind of like Yadrin from Spring Yard Zone, a pink robot with spikes on its back.
%%** Some Spinies, such as Orbinauts (the ones that don't shoot their spikes), are {{Invincible Minor Minion}}s unless Sonic has invincibility equipped. At least until the third game, where a well timed doublejump (which activates the split second shield) will kill them.

* In ''VideoGame/STUNRunner'', armored drones are impervious to your vehicle's laser cannon. Befitting the trope name, they have more spikes mounted on their frames than ordinary drone cars. They're not quite as "indestructible" as the onscreen hint suggests: they can still be cleared off the track immediately ahead of you by a [[SmartBomb Shockwave]].

** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', you can damage Spinies in battle with punches and fireballs, but Jump attacks do 0 damage. Equipping the Jump Shoes remedies this.
** In ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', Mario's two standard attacks are jump and hammer, and many enemies are immune to one or the other. The ones immune to jump attacks are almost always things covered with spikes, such as Spiky Goombas and Spike Tops, while the ones immune to hammering are usually flying.

*** Jr. Troopa eventually wills himself to grow wings ''and'' spikes just to beat you! (Mercifully, he's at half-health the first time...)

** The ''Paper Mario'' games also feature the actual Spiny, which serves its usual purpose in the first game, but also gains a new move in the second game where it rolls up into a completely impervious ball, and can't be damaged until it unrolls in the next turn. But the worst are the Bristles from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. Spikes on top AND on the sides, and with a defense of 4, even with the Spike Shield badge, a normal jump attack won't be able to damage them unless you can increase your attack power by at least 2. The normal ones have only 2 HP and can easily be defeated by a POW Block, but the Dark Bristles in the Pit of 100 Trials are far more durable. Fortunately, the Spike Shield badge ''does'' prevent them from poking Mario when he uses a hammer attack.
** You get the chance to invert this in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'' with the Spike Helmet sticker, which harms enemies who try to jump on Mario (Assuming they're not made of metal or stone). Notably, it's a OneHitKill against the giant Cheep-Cheep boss if jumps on Mario after it inflates itself (Though the resulting explosion hurts a lot).
** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' continues using enemies that hurt Mario when he jumps, but in addition to the Folded Soldiers with sharp protrusions which can be circumvented with Iron Boots of various grades, two ''bosses'' are immune to jump attacks even with the Iron Boots. [[spoiler:Any attempt to jump on Tape ends with Mario sticking to Tape and getting slammed into the floor for his efforts, and jumping into Scissors' unsheathed blades is ''[[OneHitKill literally suicidal]]''.]]
** All of the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games in the series has this sort of enemy, usually introduced early after TheGoomba (except ''Partners In Time'', where the Spiny Shroopa appears a little later after the babies get their hammers).
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'':
** The Keeper of the Grove's Thorns Aura turns every ally in range into a Spiny by making melee units take damage when attacking.
** The orcs can upgrade their buildings with Spiked Barricades for the same effect.
** The Crypt Lord's Spiked Carapace not only makes melee attackers take damage, it also increases his armor.
* There are enemies of this kind in both ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4'' and ''Shake It''. The ones in ''Wario Land 4'' are actually called Spinies.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* According to the Roman writer [[http://www.digitalattic.org/home/war/vegetius/index.php#b321 Vegetius]], soldiers with spikes on their shoulders and helmets were used against WarElephants.
* The Korean "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_ship Turtle Ship]]" that was deployed during their war against Japan in the late 16th century fits as well. The vessel was ''very'' effective at repelling boarding parties, which was the preferred tactic of the Japanese navy.
* Being covered with spikes is a relatively common defense in the natural world:
** Sea urchins are a slow moving animal that looks like a ball of spikes. In some species, the spikes are poisonous to boot.
** Porcupines not only have thick coats of quills protecting them, the quills are only loosely attached to their skin so that if a predator strikes (or is struck by) one, it will embed into the predator and can potentially even kill them depending on how many and where the spikes get lodged.
** Many plants have large spikes they use to discourage browsers -- roses, blackberries, cactus, and acacia trees are all well known for their spiky exteriors which render many plant eating animals unable to consume them.

The Spiny is a mobile form of SpikesOfDoom. Sometimes outfitted on a ShellOfImpalement. Related to KungFuProofMook. Beware of the ones that are also {{Spike Shooter}}s.

The Spiny is a mobile form of SpikesOfDoom. Related to KungFuProofMook. Beware of the ones that are also {{Spike Shooter}}s.

* ''TableTopGame/{{Lancer}}'': The Vlad mecha is covered in spikes that do damage to any enemy that attacks him from too close. Its core power not only increases the damage Vlad deals, but allows it to completely ignore the damage from the enemy attack. Attacking from a distance gets around that, but as a grappler mecha, Vlad is quite good at closing that distance quickly.

** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' continues using enemies that hurt Mario when he jumps, but in addition to the Folded Soldiers with sharp protrusions which can be circumvented with Iron Boots of various grades, two ''bosses'' are immune to jump attacks even with the Iron Boots. [[spoiler:Any attempt to jump on Tape ends with Mario sticking to Tape and getting slammed into the floor for his efforts, and jumping into Scissors' unsheathed blades is ''literally suicidal''.]]

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': The Porcupine combines this schtick with being able to shoot off his spines, fire sleep gas from some of them (hollow tubes, likely), and otherwise be augmented by his spiky powered armor. That is, until [[spoiler:he has a HeelFaceTurn followed by [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying]] after [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard falling on one of his own]] broken-off spikes]].

** Others, including the [[GoddamnedBats incredibly common]] Tentacool, have the Liquid Ooze ability, which damages your Pokémon if you use a draining move like Leech Seed or Giga Drain that would normally heal them.

The Spiny is a stock enemy type common in those [[{{Platformer}} platform games]] where enemies can be dispatched with the GoombaStomp or sometimes some other form of close-range attack. Put simply, The Spiny, rather than taking damage from being stomped, [[AttackBackfire damages you]] [[InertialImpalement instead]]. After you've been trained to squish your foes, the Spiny forces you to rethink things.

The Spiny is a stock enemy type common in those [[{{Platformer}} platform games]] where enemies can be dispatched with the GoombaStomp or sometimes some other form of close-range attack. Put simply, The Spiny, rather than taking damage from being stomped, [[AttackBackfire damages you]] [[InertialImpalement instead]]. After you've been trained to squish your foes, The Spiny forces you to rethink things.

* The Porcupine from Franchise/MarvelUniverse combined this schtick with being able to shoot off his spines, fire sleep gas from some of them (hollow tubes, likely), and otherwise be augmented by his spiky powered armor. That is, until [[spoiler: after he had a HeelFaceTurn followed by [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying]] after [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard falling on one of his own]] broken-off spikes.]]

* Anguirus of ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' is an ''Ankylosaurus''-based kaiju with spines covering his back. He's known for his ability to curl up into a ball and hurl himself at enemies, basically a [[FastballSpecial Kaiju Special]] that doesn't require a partner. In many video game appearances, melee attacks to his back cause damage to the attacker instead of him.

* Spiked snails in ''VideoGame/AnUntitledStory'' can only be defeated with fire. Underwater, you don't even have that, as you can't use your fireballs; you can only temporarily freeze enemies with ice, turning Spiked Snails into an InvincibleMinorMinion in those environments.

* Certain helmeted spiders in ''[[VideoGame/FancyPantsAdventures The Fancy Pants Adventure: World 3]]'' cannot be damaged by a simple GoombaStomp like most other Mooks. Instead, you have to run and slide toward them, whack them with your [[ImprobableWeaponUser pencil]], or just jump higher. Additionally, pirates can deflect stomps from above or slashes from the front with their swords; damaging them requires taking the right action to hit their exposed spot.

* Creator/{{Nitrome}}'s ''Frost Bite'' only features [[GoombaStomp two]] [[GrapplingHookPistol attacks]], and certain enemies are immune to each (though never both.) Fitting the trope, those that are immune to the GoombaStomp have spines and deal CollisionDamage when jumped on.
* Polyles in ''VideoGame/{{Germination}}'' become this when they fly through the air.

* From ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' onwards, Kirby can inhale and swallow thorny enemies to gain the Needle power and turn ''himself'' into a Spiny. However, Kirby can't move while the spikes are out. Gordos are the more traditional spiky CollisionDamage variant, but they're [[InvincibleMinorMinion completely invincible]].
* Several games in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise (specifically the ones that originated on the Gameboy and Gameboy Advanced) feature Spiked Beetles that normally have to be flipped over with a shield when they charge at Link to be defeated.
* Porcupines fill the role in ''VideoGame/TheLionKing'', but if Simba roars at them first, they roll over. Level 5 includes one in a narrow path where you're [[IndyEscape pursued by a boulder]]. You're going to lose a lot of lives if you don't notice you can also ''{{roll|ingAttack}}'' into them, FridgeLogic be damned.
* [[InvincibleMinorMinion Gabyoalls]] in the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series - small robots patrolling a floor that are immune to the default Mega Buster and try to crash into Mega Man. They're usually destroyable with Robot Master weapons, but that uses up limited [[{{Mana}} weapon energy]].

* Some Franchise/{{Pokemon}} like Drifblim have the Aftermath ability, which hurts your Pokémon after you've knocked it out.
** Others, including the [[GoddamnedBats incredibly common]] Tentacool, have the Liquid Ooze ability. If you use a draining move like Leech Seed or Giga Drain, instead of healing your own Pokémon like the move usually does, it damages your Pokémon instead.

* The plug-shaped enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'' hurt player if they try jumping on them. They pose no threat, however, as you can merely kill them with your most basic frisbee.
* The [[EliteMooks Elite]] Enforcers in ''VideoGame/RememberMe'' wear electrified armor, which makes Nilin take damage every time she hits them. The only way to safely fight them is to use combos that include regeneration moves in them.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** A fair number of Badniks qualify, although since the standard attack method is to hit an enemy while curled into a ball rather than necessarily to hit it from above, some of these are covered in spikes or other harmful stuff on all sides, rather than just the top, and must be defeated by waiting for them to revert to a vulnerable state or using invincibility.
%% ** ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'''s Marble Garden Zone features a subversion in Spiker, an enemy that closely resembles the ubiquitous SpikesOfDoom but whose spikes you harmlessly bounce off.

%% ** Kind of like Yadrin from Spring Yard Zone, a pink robot with spikes on it's back.
%% ** Some Spinies, such as Orbinauts (the ones that don't shoot their spikes), are {{Invincible Minor Minion}}s unless Sonic has invincibility equipped. At least until the third game, where a well timed doublejump (which activates the split second shield) will kill them.

** Boss Bass in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' will swallow Mario whole if he attempts to jump on him - or if Mario just happens to be in its way. Also, despite looking stompable, Nippers are stomp-proof and harmful as well.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' also introduced Spike Tops and Bony Beetles, which are immune not only to jumps (temporarily, in the case of Bony Beetles), but Mario's fireballs as well. They can be taken out with a cape swing. Porcupuffers, introduced in this game, are an aquatic example.

** Both ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' games have helmeted Goombas. They don't hurt you if you bounce on them, but it can throw you off balance and possibly make you fall from the platform you're standing on. To defeat them, you have to spin-attack them to flip them over, then jump on their undersides.

*** Spiked Parabuzzies have both spikes and wings. However, they only appear in levels after you've acquired the Spike Shield badge, which allows you to jump on The Spiny without taking damage (unless it's a Fire Bubble; you need the Ice Power badge for that.)
*** Who can forget Jr. Troopa, who willed himself to grow wings AND spikes just to beat you! (Mercifully, he's at half-health the first time...)