Sidestepper

Sidesteppers are crab-like creatures that first appeared in the arcade game Mario Bros..

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Sidesteppers appear in the Mario Bros. stage, acting as a stage hazard and potential throwing weapons. Unlike the players' characters, who will be KO'd if they walk too far off the stage, Sidesteppers (and Shellcreepers) reappear on the other side of the screen and continue moving. Contact with a Sidestepper causes massive horizontal knockback, almost always KO'ing the person hit by the Sidestepper. Sidesteppers can be flipped over in the same way as in the original game, once again taking two hits from underneath. In addition, the Sidestepper can be attacked like a regular enemy, but this is more dangerous, and they still require two hits to flip over. As before, they move faster after the second hit, making them more dangerous.

A fallen Sidestepper can be picked up and thrown at other players, once again causing usually lethal knockback on contact. This is the primary method of scoring KO's on the Mario Bros. stage. If you do not interact with an upside-down Sidestepper for a certain amount of time, it will jump back on its feet, change color, and move even faster.

The Sidestepper trophy in Brawl.

Trophy Info

Crabby enemies taken on by Mario and Luigi. One bump from below wouldn't flip them over, but rather anger them so they moved faster. These pests had to be bumped twice before they could be upended and kicked off the stage. If left alone after being turned upside down, or if there was one left, their speed would increase. They went by the basic name of "crabs" in Japan.

Mario Bros.

: Super Mario Advance

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Sidesteppers are available as a red item in Smash Tour. If activated prior to the start of a battle, the user will have the speed of their sideways dodges increased for the duration of that battle.

The Sidestepper trophy in for Wii U.

Trophy Info

Can you guess how this crab-like enemy moves? The name might give you a clue. But Mario could be in for a surprise when he punches one from below--instead of flipping over, it starts sidestepping even faster! Oh, Mario, did you make it angry? Don't worry--a second punch should calm it down...or at least knock it on its head.

Any guesses for how this crab-like enemy moves? The name might give you a clue. Mario could be in for a surprise when he punches one from below - instead of flipping over, it starts sidestepping even faster! Oh, Mario, did you make it angry? Don't worry - a second punch should calm it down...or at least knock it on its head.

Mario Bros. (1983)

: Super Mario Advance (06/2001)

Origin

Red and Blue Sidesteppers.

Sidesteppers, along with Shellcreepers, first appeared in the arcade game Mario Bros. as enemies of Mario and Luigi. They would emerge from the pipes on the upper portion of the stages and move from one side to the other. They were the fastest enemies in the game, making them dangerous in large numbers. They were also the most resilient enemies; the player(s) would have to hit a Sidestepper from underneath (by jumping into the platform the Sidestepper is walking on) twice to flip them over, and thus, they were difficult to clear out. Even worse, after a Sidestepper is hit once, it moves even faster.

Sidesteppers also appear in the Mario Kart series as obstacles in certain courses.

A Sidestepper (right) and a Shellcreeper.