Sidestepper

Not to be confused with Crab, the species in general.

Sidestepper
A Sidestepper from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Chronological information
First game	Mario Bros. (1983)
Latest game	Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020)
Biological information
Species	Crab
Subspecies	Clawdaddy Crusty Cuttacutta Huckit Crab Yadorā
Association
Members	Clawgrip Hermie III

Sidesteppers (also known as Crabs) are crab-like organisms appearing commonly in the Mario franchise since their first appearance in the arcade game Mario Bros.. While regular crabs have sometimes made an appearance, Sidesteppers are the most common species throughout the Mario games.

Profile

They are irritable, red crabs found in places such as the beach.

In Mario Bros. series

Mario Bros.

Sidestepper artwork from Mario Bros.

Sidesteppers are the second enemies to make an appearance. They emerge from the pipes and make their way towards the bottom of the screen. When hit from underneath, they will become irritated and move faster. Another hit from below will flip these creatures over, allowing the player to kick them offscreen. If they are not defeated soon, they will flip back over, turn blue, and continue moving at an even faster pace. If repeated a second time, they will turn pink. This also happens if the last enemy in a phase happens to be a Sidestepper. Defeating a Sidestepper is worth 800 points. In other remakes of the game, their colors vary from the original release.

Mario Clash

Sidesteppers return as enemies. They can be defeated by throwing a Koopa Shell at it twice, with the first time just angering them.

In Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. Special

In Super Mario Bros. Special, Sidesteppers are credited as Chokichoki, which is translated as "Snip-Snip," a reference to the sounds their claws make. Their first appearance in the game is in World 4, where they act like Spinies.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Sidesteppers return within the Battle Game of Super Mario Bros. 3 as well as its Super Mario All-Stars variation.

Super Mario Advance

Sidesteppers return as an enemy in the Mario Bros. remake titled Mario Bros. Classic, a game also featured in subsequent Super Mario Advance installments and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

A Sidestepper briefly cameos in the main Super Mario Bros. 2. Here, in World 5-3, a short cutscene is shown in which Clawgrip starts out as a Sidestepper, but is then transformed into Clawgrip by one of Wart's magic bubbles.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

These crabs make a cameo appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, running in the foreground and background during the Hermie III battle. They are replaced with Huckit Crabs in the remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. They are also included in the Mario Bros. port of the original Superstar Saga. However, this time, their colors will change to green upon flipping back over. If repeated, they will become blue. The same case also applies if the last enemy of a phase is a Sidestepper.

In Mario Kart series

Sidesteppers in Mario Kart Wii

Sidesteppers are usually found on beach stages such as Shy Guy Beach and Palm Shore, where they make left and right movements. Sometimes, they will have yellow highlights on their claws. The player's kart will spin around upon driving into one. Sidesteppers, however, can be hit with a Bullet Bill, Shell, Star , or Bob-omb. Upon contact, they will flip over and disappear.

In Mario Kart DS, they are simply referred to as Crabs in several missions.

During the August 2009 competition in Mario Kart Wii, a certain number of Sidesteppers had to be taken out with items.

In Mario Kart 7, these crabs appear along courses such as Cheep Cheep Lagoon, Wario Shipyard, Koopa Troopa Beach, and Palm Shore.

Sidesteppers reappear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, in which they appear in only one course, Cheep Cheep Beach.

In Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis

The original Sidestepper sprouts are used in Mario Power Tennis, as shown when competing against them in the Mario Classic Court. During a Gimmick game, Sidesteppers can march across the court and trip a character.

Crossover appearances

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A Sidestepper's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Sidestepper appears on the Mario Bros. in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They emerge from the top pipes. They can be hit from below, picked up, and thrown at opponents. Players that are hit by thrown Sidesteppers will fly sideways offscreen.

All three variations of the Sidestepper are also featured as a trophy. There is also a Sidestepper stickers boosts the strength of leg-based attacks by eight points, when used on a fighter in The Subspace Emissary. The trophy and stick can both be obtained when they appear at random in Vs. matches, Adventure Mode, or other game modes.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

A formation of differently colored Sidesteppers is featured as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. It is obtainable when appearing randomly in various game modes.

Statistics

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Sidesteppers

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

Behind the scenes

Nomenclature

Mario Bros.

• In Japanese, its name translates to カニさん (Kani-san), which means Crab-san. Another Japanese translation is サイドステッパー (Saidosuteppā), meaning Sidestepper.
• In Spanish, its name translates to Cangrejo, which means Crab.
• In French, its name translates to Zarbipas. "Zarbi" is a backslang term for "bizarre", which means "weird." "Pas" means "step."

Gallery

Mario Bros. (Nintendo Entertainment System) sprite

Super Mario Bros. 3 sprite

Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 3) sprite