Il Piantissimo

Il Piantissimo
Species	Human
Hair color	Red
Eye color	Black
Debut	Super Mario Sunshine

Il Piantissimo is a character from Super Mario Sunshine that acts as a recurring rival to Mario.

Background

A mysterious man who specializes in racing. His origins are unknown, but he seems to be a dark skinned man. He dresses like a Pianta by wearing a mask, hands, and feet. Despite this, Piantas tend to be indifferent to him. In fact, the Pianta Village inhabitants downright dislike him for posing as a Pianta. To other people, such as the Noki, they seem to have no idea who he is. He tends to speak with an air of superiority and does not waste words beyond a short introduction.

Mario met Il Piantisimmo several times during his stay at Isle Delfino. He first confronted him at Gelato Beach, where Il Piantissimo challenged Mario to a race to the meeting place at the far side of the beach. For winning, he rewarded Mario with a Shine Sprite he had somehow gathered. He met Mario again in Noki Bay where they raced up to a point high on the mountain. Mario and Il Piantisimmo raced for the last time at Pianta Village. After losing both times he rewarded Mario with a Shrine Sprite. Mario did not see Il Piantissimo again after that. However, after Bowser had been defeated, Il Piantissimo was spotted looking at Bowser Junior's abandoned paintbrush, but this scene was only shown if Mario had not gathered all 120 Shine Sprites.

Trivia

• Il Piantisimmo fulfills the same role as Koopa the Quick from Super Mario 64.
• By removing his helmet (accomplished by ripping his render from the game), it can be seen that Il Piantissimo is actually the Running Man from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, better known as the Postman in later games.