Eggplant Wizard: Difference between revisions

The '''Eggplant Wizard''' (ナスビ使い ''Nasubi Tsukai'') is the one monster to truly strike fear into the heart of a ''Kid Icarus'' player. [[Pluton]]s are nought but a minor nuisance compared to this fiend. The Eggplant Wizard garners as much hate from old-school gamers as the Red Arremer from the ''"Ghouls 'n Ghosts 'n Goblins"'' series, the birds from ''Ninja Gaiden'', Metroids from ''Metroid'', the Thief Bot from ''Descent II'', Hammer Bros. from ''Super Mario Bros.'', and Death from ''Castlevania''. It's one of the very few enemies to possess a projectile attack. However, it's not because the Eggplant Wizard has fierce attack power (it doesn't) or high evasion (it's [[Enemy Tactics#Trudging|trudgingly]] slow), though it is one of the few foes to have a high amount of health. No, this creature is feared for one reason:

 

It turns [[Pit]] into an [[Status Ailments#Eggplant|ambulatory aubergine]]. [[Image:Eggplant Pit.gif]]

 

Pit's body becomes that of a purple eggplant with legs, disabling all forms of action and attack. Pit retains his ability to jump, climb, and move (moving while crouching is particularly hilarious), but all he can do is dodge. The Eggplant Wizard causes this status effect by hitting Pit with an arcing eggplant projectile; the Wizard is rather crafty at throwing these nasty little vegetables.

The Wizard is perhaps a vegetative creature, like [[Holer]] and [[Daphne]]. Tall, cloaked, and wielding a staff, it's an imposing magic-user, but they are not agile by any means. Like so many other creatures in [[Angel Land]], the Wizard has a single, large eye. As one of the few Underworld creatures that is capable of utilizing magic attacks, this enemy is widely known for the mystical eggplant talisman hanging from its staff. Unusual to most weapon-wielders of this type, the Eggplant Wizard actually holds this staff with its left hand, although it still uses its right hand to launch its magical attacks. Even at close range, the monster can still put up a challenging fight by using its staff for melee combat. It is these dangerous qualities that make Eggplant Wizards such high-ranking members of Medusa's army, and are therefore often assigned to guard valuable locations such as fortresses.  

 

Eggplant Wizards guard [[Fortress]]es, becoming more numerous with each subsequent fortress, and often in deadly pairs. When Pit enters a room that they occupy, they will cast their eggplants in either high or low arcs. The duo will both throw in the same way and walking out of the room and back into it will most likely change the arc style, making it a bit easier to avoid being cursed; two Wizards can provide excellent cover for each other. This condition can only be cured by getting to a [[Hospital]], where a friendly [[Nurse]] will remove the curse. Being turned into an eggplant, no matter how painful it looks or the stomach-twistingly pathetic sound it makes when Pit is cursed, causes only minor damage.

[[Image:Eggplant Wizard.gif|left]]

Fortress bosses won't appear in their chambers if Pit's been cursed. Being cursed comes with one "small" advantage; since Pit is now at a reduced size, he can run underneath enclosures that he normally wouldn't be able to fit through.

Eggplant Wizards return in ''Kid Icarus: Uprising'' as an uncommon enemy on grounded segments. Similar to previous appearances, the Eggplant Wizard will throw eggplants in an arching shot that explode in a magical cloud on contact with the ground; both the cloud and the eggplant itself will transform Pit, but being hit with the eggplant directly will inflict damage as well. When Pit is turned into an eggplant, he cannot use weapons but can still run and dodge. Unlike the previous games, the eggplant effects will vanish after a period of time, or if the [[Powers|Effect Recovery Power]] is equipped, it can be used to return to normal immediately. When fighting Pit, the Eggplant Wizard teleports out of Pit's reach (usually leaving an eggplant behind as a trap), making melee attacks difficult to use against him.

*The Eggplant Wizard is truly one of the strangest and most puzzling characters in the ''Kid Icarus'' series. Apparently it was inspired by ''Kid Icarus'''s creator, [[Toru Osawa]], and his "passion for eggplants", combined with the design of the Eggplant Man from ''[[mariowiki:Wrecking Crew|Wrecking Crew]]'', and to celebrate his summer bonus.<ref>http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/29565/making-of-a-myth-the-grueling-development-of-the-original-kid-icarus</ref>