Chomper


 * For the version in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, see Chomper (PvZ: GW).

Chomper is a multi-use instant-kill plant which costs 150 sun. It is most likely based on the Venus flytrap, with a design similar to the Piranha Plant from the Super Mario series. When this plant devours a zombie, it takes 42 seconds (30 in Plants vs. Zombies 2) for it to finish chewing and swallowing it, making it vulnerable to be eaten by other zombies.

Audio
The sound when a Chomper immediately devours a Zombie.

Plants vs. Zombies
Chomper

Chompers can devour a zombie whole, but they are vulnerable while chewing.

Damage: massive

Range: very short

Special: long delay between chomps

Chomper almost got a gig doing stunts for The Little Shop of Horrors, but it fell through when his agent demanded too much on the front end. Chomper's not resentful, though. He says it's just part of the business.

Cost: 150

Recharge: fast

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Sun cost: 150

AREA: Single

RANGE: Close

RECHARGE: Fast

Chompers can devour a zombie whole, but they are vulnerable while chewing.

Special: long delay between chomps

Everyone appreciates what Chomper does. His appetite has saved them on numerous occasions. But truth be told, Chomper's friends think that eating zombies is gross. And his breath! No one has the heart to tell him, and he never gets the hint when you offer him a mint.

Plant Food
When fed Plant Food, it will unleash a high intensity wind that will drag any three zombies close to it and then push the surviving zombies away by releasing a burp. If the zombies that it bites are the ones that can't be eaten by Chomper, it will deal 45 normal damage shots to those zombies. In Chinese version, it will drag two zombies instead of three.

Costumed
Chomper has a longer burp.

Usage
The Chomper can eat all zombies (other than a Gargantuar, Giga-gargantuar, or Dr. Zomboss) in one bite - even Zombonis and the Zombie Bobsled Team. It will spend exactly 42 seconds chewing a zombie, during which time it is vulnerable and cannot eat another zombie. However, if a Pole Vaulting Zombie (or another Vaulting Zombie) jumps over a Chomper, it will not be able to eat it, unless it is frozen.

When confronted with a Gargantuar, there are no other zombies that the Chomper can eat and it is not currently chewing, it will bite the Gargantuar which deals two (ten in Plants vs. Zombies 2) normal damage shots per bite.

Standard levels
The Chomper has a range of one and a half square in front of it, so it can eat a zombie on the other side of a Wall-nut, Tall-nut, or Pumpkin. Like all massive-damage plants, it is the best when against tough zombies, or for when a zombie manages to get past your defenses. The Tree of Wisdom mentions that the Chomper and Wall-nut were roommates in college owing to the way that if a Wall-nut is placed directly in front of a Chomper, the Chomper could reach and swallow zombies just, as they reach the Wall-nut. This also saves time for the Chomper and reduces its chances of being eaten while it is chewing. If you are trying to save space, plant a Pumpkin over the Chomper so that you do not need the extra space in front for a Wall-nut. It's weakness is when it tries to eat a group of zombies.

ZomBoogie
In ZomBoogie, a level in I, Zombie, Dancing Zombies are the most effective against the Chomper because they can continue to summon Backup Dancers. Just be sure to place the Dancing Zombie on the far right so that he will start summoning his Backup Dancers before he gets to the first row of plants, and to use a regular zombie first if there is a Chomper in the first column. When all else fails, use the regular zombie to feed the Chomper, then eat it with another zombie.

All your brainz r belong to us
In All your brainz r belong to us, as with all Puzzle Mode levels, there is no time limit, so plan your first moves carefully. There is usually only one lane with Chompers, so that is generally a good candidate for a Digger Zombie (remember - Chompers cannot chomp behind themselves), but remember that there is almost always a Magnet-shroom close enough to steal the Digger Zombie's pick, so you may have to wait until you have earned enough sun to afford a Bungee Zombie to get rid of the Magnet-shroom before you can send a Digger after the Chompers. Also, be warned: if a Chomper is in the leftmost column, it can eat any Digger Zombies that try to eat it.

Level 5-5 and Bungee Blitz
On Level 5-5 on the roof and on the cancelled mini-game Bungee Blitz, the Chomper is your only offensive plant here, but you also get Pumpkins, Cherry Bombs, and Flower Pots. It is best to put all of your frontwards Chompers in Pumpkins. If a lot of zombies are coming on on one row, and all the Chompers are busy, dig up the eating Chompers and replace them with a fresh one.

Nom Nom Nom achievement
To get Nom Nom Nom, you must complete a whole level using only Sunflower, Wall-nut, and Chomper. Because Chomper is your only offensive plant, all zombies will have to be eaten by a Chomper. Protect the Chompers with a column of Wall-nuts and at least two columns of Sunflowers behind. If a large group of zombies are about to burst down a Wall-nut, then replace any nearby Chompers still chewing, and get rid of them before the Wall-nut gets completely eaten.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Like in the first game, Chomper is great against tough zombies such as Buckethead Zombie and Knight Zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2. Since each bite deals 10 damage, you can also use it against the zombies. It is recommended that The player should freeze, paralyze or disable (if it is a machined zombie) first to allow Chomper to deal more damage.

Chomper can also easily destroy tombstones, ice blocks and surfboards in front of it in several bites as long as it's not busy devouring zombies. Chompers are greatly advantageous against Pharaoh Zombies since, unlike most other plants, they can devour them whole in one bite, with the sarcophagus.

However, unlike the first game, Chompers are slower and sometimes indecisive on eating zombies. They take a small time when planted, before devouring the first zombie they encounter. They can sometimes be eaten by the zombies if planted right on the lane a zombie group is in, before having a chance to eat a zombie. Therefore, they should be planted at least a tile back from the closest zombies or the zombies should be stunned. Also Chomper has a hard time defending itself from Explorer Zombie and sometimes can be burned before eating it. Combining Chomper with Toadstool is an excellent idea due to Toadstool's longer range, allowing the plants to become more effective.

Chomper cannot devour the following zombies:
 * Gargantuar variants
 * Barrel Roller Zombie (with barrel)
 * Imp Cannon
 * Zombie Bull
 * Pianist Zombie
 * Mecha-Football Zombie
 * Robo-Cone Zombie
 * Disco-tron 3000
 * Zombie King

General

 * No matter what type of zombie a Chomper eats, the arm hanging out of its mouth is an arm of a regular Zombie.
 * This also applies to the Chomper in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.
 * Chomper resembles Piranha Plant or Petey Piranha from the Super Mario series, as they both were inspired on venus flytraps, have similar body shapes and have sharp teeth.
 * Chomper and Orchid Cactus are the only plants in the series that lack any sort of eyes.
 * It is unknown how a Chomper can tell if a zombie is in front of it, due to the fact that they do not have eyes.
 * However, venus flytraps could tell if a fly is near it.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies

 * Even though its damage is massive, it cannot defeat a Gargantuar in two bites.
 * This is likely because the Gargantuar is too big to be eaten.
 * Chomper and the Cob Cannon are the only two instant kills that are reusable.
 * If a Gargantuar smashes a Chomper, no matter whether it is eating a zombie or not, its flattened version will always have no zombies or arms, and will have an open mouth.
 * On the loading screen, the player can see saliva dripping from its teeth. Furthermore, Chomper resembles a Venus Flytrap, which secretes enzymes into its trap to digest insects.
 * Chompers cannot eat a Gargantuar whole, but bite them instead and deal little damage. However, if a Chomper kills a Gargantuar, the Gargantuar will fall down as normal, but Chomper starts chewing with an arm hanging out of its mouth.
 * If a Chomper is planted directly in front of a bobsled, it will eat the sled and all four zombies in it, which can be extremely helpful in Bobsled Bonanza. It is unknown how Chomper is able to do that while taking the same amount of time to chew and digest it as a regular zombie.
 * Chomper can also devour a zombie and its entire vehicle, such as a Zomboni or a Catapult Zombie, despite the vehicle parts being seemingly indigestible.
 * Chomper is the main part of the achievement "Nom Nom Nom."
 * According to the Plants vs. Zombies website, Chomper costs 175 sun, while it really only costs 150.
 * Chomper is the only plant that can kill a vehicle zombie without making them explode.
 * Chomper is one of only four plants that have a name which does not involve plants or mushrooms, with the others being Spikerock, Grave Buster, and Gold Magnet.
 * Chomper's Almanac entry states that it was going to be a movie star. Its explicit reference to the Little Shop of Horrors movie may be due to the fact that it resembles Audrey II, the carnivorous monster plant from that movie.
 * On the Nintendo DS and Android versions of Plants vs. Zombies, Chomper's Almanac entry replaces "The Little Shop of Horrors" with "Hollywood."
 * Chomper on the start-up screen for Plants vs. Zombies does not have spikes on the back of its head, making it look even more similar to a purple Piranha Plant. It is one of the plants shown at the loading screen, the others being Sunflower, Peashooter, Repeater, Wall-nut, Tall-nut, and Cactus.
 * In the art cover of the Plants vs. Zombies Original Soundtrack, Chomper is visible singing along with the Squash and Sun-shroom. This version has three spikes on its head, while the in-game Chomper has four.
 * The name "Chomper" was devised from the fact that it "chomps" zombies.
 * When a Pole Vaulting Zombie (while it still has its pole) runs into a Chomper (not chewing), the Chomper will try to chomp the zombie, then the zombie vaults over the Chomper without being chomped.
 * In the PC demo version, when a Chomper eats a zombie, the player will hear the noise when a zombie eats a plant, as well as the noise when a Chomper attempts to eat a zombie.
 * A Chomper or Tangle Kelp can instantly defeat a Tall-nut Zombie, despite the fact that Tall-nut Zombies usually require two instant kill plants to kill them.
 * Chomper, along with the Blover, are the only instant kills to have a fast recharge. Even so, Chomper is the only fast-recharging instant kill that works on almost all zombies, while the Blover only works on one type of zombie.
 * According to the Tree of Wisdom, Chomper and Wall-nut were roommates in college.
 * The idea of Chomper was from Swiss Family Robinson, George Fan's favorite movie. The idea was from a tiger in a hole, that would eat pirates.
 * Chomper can eat a Giga-Football Zombie, despite the fact that it takes two instant kills.
 * Chomper appears to grab zombies with its tongue and pull them into its mouth.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies: Great Wall Edition

 * There is a green variant of the Chomper in this game.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies 2

 * The code for Chomper was in the game until the 1.4 update, but was re-added in the 2.5.1 update as a fully functional plant.
 * Chomper was mentioned in the Dark Ages - Night 20 dialogue by Crazy Dave. He said: "Except Chomper. He has to. Dude needs the fiber." It was confirmed as a returning plant in the Big Wave Beach trailer.
 * Chomper and Toadstool are the only plants that can completely kill a Pharaoh Zombie without using Plant Food.
 * If there is a tombstone or Zombie King in front of a Chomper (without any zombies near it), it will chomp four times to destroy it.
 * Chomper is the final Day plant to return in this game as well as the only Day plant to not have been released in the earliest updates. It is also the one of the Day premium plants, the others being the Snow Pea and Cherry Bomb, although only in the Chinese version.
 * Chomper sometimes mimics the dog-like behavior by scratching the place where the ear should be with its leaves where the feet would be.
 * It burps after it has finished chewing a zombie. It will also belch out eyeballs and bones when it does this.
 * It also burps in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.
 * Chomper is the tallest plant in this game as its sprite is the largest amongst others.
 * Chomper can swallow Chicken Wrangler Zombies without them releasing Zombie Chickens. The same thing happens with Weasel Hoarders.
 * Chomper can kill Zombie Chickens by biting them without swallowing. The same thing happens with Ice Weasels. Internally, this is because the zombies in question are grouped with machines and other zombie types that cannot be instantly eaten, but the damage done during bites is enough to kill the zombie in question.
 * When being viewed in the Almanac, it will make some sounds. This trait is shared with Zombie King, Zombot Multi-stage Masher, Electric Blueberry, Sap-fling, and Sweet Potato.
 * A Valenbrainz advertisement of the Chomper states "love bites," a pun on the classic saying "love hurts."
 * Chomper and Hypno-shroom are the only plants that were teased to return in the previous world.
 * Both were also teased in the previous world's Zomboss battle.
 * Unlike Toadstool, Chomper has a chance to instantly devour a zombie when planted near a zombie.
 * According to hacks, Chomper can take out 1/3 of a Zombot's health.
 * If a Chomper uses Plant Food and it is behind a flower line, when a zombie that is dragged passes the flower line, the objective is broken, causing the player to lose the level.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies Online

 * Chomper kept its design from Plants vs. Zombies.