Main characters: The Mario Brothers | Allies (The Princesses) | The Koopa Kingdom (Bowser — Bowser Jr. — The Koopalings — Other High-Ranking Subordinates — Bosses) | Assorted Nasties
RPG characters: Super Mario RPG | Paper Mario (64 — The Thousand-Year Door — Super — Sticker Star — Color Splash — The Origami King) | Mario & Luigi (Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser)
Spinoff series: Yoshi's Island | Luigi's Mansion | Mario Golf | Mario Tennis | Super Mario Maker | Donkey Kong series (Kongs) | Wario series (Wario and Waluigi)
Crossovers: Punch-Out!! | Super Smash Bros. | Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games | Skylanders | Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Other media: The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach! | Super Mario Bros. (DiC) | Super Mario Bros. (1993) | The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Notorious Koopa Kingdom members who aside from being regular bosses also have made solo appearances.
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Kamek
Does Baby Mario want to go to Bowser's castle? I'll take him there in a hurry!
Voiced by: Chafurin (Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi's Adventure Land), Atsushi Masaki (games), Kevin Michael Richardson (2023 animated film)
"Welcome!!! Yoshi, if you would be so kind, please HAND OVER THE BABY!"
An evil Magikoopa, the turtle wizard Kamek has been serving Bowser since the Koopa King's infancy and is one of his most trusted minions. He flies around on his broomstick bringing woe to Mario and his pals, but usually prefers to sic giant monsters on our heroes instead of tangling with them head-on. Slightly confusingly, "Kamek" is also the general name of the Magikoopa species in Japan and Nintendo of Europe's localizations.
- Affably Evil: Zig-zagged. Kamek is usually quite polite, if witty and sarcastic, even using terms of endearment to refer to Yoshi and politely asking him to turn over baby Mario, but how genuine he is tends to vary. Some games have him being genuinely civil, in others it comes off as a condescending facade, as he seems to actually take great delight in messing with the heroes.
- Arch-Enemy: To the whole Yoshi clan. Even though Bowser is nominally behind him, Kamek has caused the Yoshis no end of grief, particularly when Bowser was just a toddler.
- Ascended Extra: Whilst it was never said to be him in the original game, the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story remake confirms that he was indeed the unnamed magikoopa that appeared at the beginning of the game. He then goes on to be a major player in Bowser Jr.'s Journey. He also becomes the Superboss in Yoshi's Crafted World.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: When Bowser was but a child, Kamek found himself stomped on, ground-pounded, and yelled at by his bellicose ward on a regular basis.
- Ball of Light Transformation: Was shown to have this ability in the Super Mario Galaxy games.
- The Beastmaster: One of the reasons Kamek is rarely fought in the Yoshi games is because he'd usually enchant a monster or Yoshi himself in some fashion instead of fighting Yoshi directly.
- Beleaguered Assistant: In Partners in Time, where he's forced to cater to the whims of the bratty Baby Bowser. Emphasized in Paper Mario: The Origami King, where he serves as a party member for a chapter and does a good job of it, while making it clear that Bowser and Bowser Jr. would be far more effective villains if they would actually listen to him for a change.
- Big Bad: Of the Yoshi's Island series, but especially the first game. While Bowser (as a baby) is technically his boss, he's too immature and young to be the bigger schemer and threat that he is as an adult, leaving Kamek to essentially do the heavy lifting of being a threat to the Yoshis.
- Breakout Mook Character: Kamek is a specific Magikoopa that went on to become a distinct character and important figure in Bowser's army.
- The Cameo: The Magikoopa that sends Mario off into space in the opening of Galaxy is him, according to a set of trading cards.
- Co-Dragons: With Bowser Jr to Bowser as both he and Bowser Jr share authority.
- Court Mage: He's a powerful sorcerer who's the right-hand of an Evil Overlord turtle.
- Creepy High-Pitched Voice: Kamek is an evil sorcerer who is almost always given a high-pitched voice. In the Yoshi's Island games, he makes funny-sounding high-pitched noises, but in the later Mario games, he does more of a shrill screech.
- Deadpan Snarker: Kamek is pretty sarcastic in the RPGs, especially Sticker Star.
- Defeat Means Friendship: In Paper Mario: Color Splash, his Enemy Card can be won from the Rock Paper Wizard in Super Roshambo after his defeat, which summons him to cast a spell for a turn. However, he refuses to attack bosses like the Koopalings or Bowser.
- Demoted to Extra: After being the major antagonistic force in Sticker Star, Kamek's role is comparatively smaller in Paper Mario: Color Splash, namely by cursing Mario during battles. He is responsible for playing around with the sizes in Mondo Woods, but is still overall a step down from being The Dragon.
- Following this, he becomes an Ascended Extra in Origami King, serving as a party member for a chapter and getting a lot of character focus.
- A Dog Named "Dog": In Japan, Magikoopas are called "Kameks", so this sort of counts.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Splitting into multiple copies seems to be a favored tactic of his; he's done it in Partners in Time, Sticker Star, and Dream Team. His paper counterpart also splits into a screen full of copies to act as a shield for his real world counterpart in Paper Jam.
- The Dragon: When Bowser Jr. isn't filling the role. Sometimes, he and Jr. work together as Co-Dragons.
- Dragon-in-Chief: In the Yoshi's Island series, he is nominally one of Bowser's subjects but as Bowser is just a baby at the time, he serves as the most prominent enemy towards the Yoshis.
- Dual Boss:
- Like the Bowsers and the Jrs., Kamek and his paper counterpart fight together in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
- While not fought directly, he actively attacks Yoshi alongside Baby Bowser in Yoshi's Woolly World.
- Dub Induced Plothole: The Prima trading cards claim he's the Magikoopa that knocks Mario off in the beginning of Galaxy. This doesn't explain why he never appears again. In Japan, it was simply a generic Magikoopa. There are also clearly a few instances where Magikoopa applies to his name and Kamek applies to his species, contradicting established nomenclature.
- Dub Name Change: See above for the whole mess.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: While Bowser rarely berates or insults Kamek like he does to Kammy, Kamek nevertheless works a thankless job and will occasionally snark or mutter about it as a result.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He raised Bowser and cares for him as if he were his own son. This is apparently mutual on Bowser's part, going from their interactions in games like Dream Team where Bowser shows more respect towards him than he does towards Kammy Koopa.
- Evil Genius: Some of his portrayals, particularly Paper Jam, suggest that he is the brains of the Koopa Troop.
- Evil Sorcerer: As a high-ranking Magikoopa, Kamek is responsible for enlarging and shifting Bowser's minions, and often Bowser himself.
- Flunky Boss: In his second battle with the Bros. in Dream Team as well as his boss fight in Paper Jam. He can summon a pack of Goombas and Spinies for an attack, and can also summon a herd of Dry Bones.
- Flying Broomstick: His transportation method of choice in most of his appearances.
- Flying Weapon: As Giant Kamek in Super Princess Peach, his (also giant) wand floats beside him and he directs it by waving his arms.
- The Heavy:
- Bowser may be the Big Bad of Sticker Star, but he appears only at the start and end of the game and has no dialogue. Kamek shows up repeatedly throughout the worlds to make your life difficult.
- This is his general role in Yoshi games after the first; Baby Bowser usually wants something and Kamek is in charge of getting it as well as trying to shake the Yoshis on his tail.
- I Just Want to Be Beautiful: It's subtly implied that Kamek doesn't really like how he looks. Mario Party DS describes Kamek as being self-conscious enough that he hexes photos of himself to be permanently dusty and in Paper Jam he constantly takes potshots at his paper counterpart's appearance while refusing to believe they look alike. It extends to his clothing as well, as the Mario Bros are easily able to get Kamek to openly admit he prefers wearing Peach's dress over his own robes (which he refers to has "drab") in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
- Instant Runes: The Magikoopas shoot what look like PlayStation button symbols at you.
- Jack of All Stats: In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, he's a middleweight character with the same stats as Luigi and Iggy (an all-around with slightly less traction and more control).
- King Mook: Played With. Kamek fills the role of Bowser's second-in-command, but doesn't have much to make himself stand out from the rest of the magikoopas outside of that, as certain elements that would seem unique to him (the white brim on his hat, his broomstick) may be applied other magikoopas depending on the game. How the games handle it vary: Most games either put Kamek in a more notable role (namely by giving him dialogue) and rely on context to know its him (like showing him interacting with Bowser) or simply leave out magikoopas aside from him. Meanwhile, Super Mario RPG and the first two Paper Mario games gave him an Expy in the form of Wizakoopa (named Kamezard in Japan) and Kammy Koopa.
- King of Games: In Mario Party Advance, he holds the title of "Game Mage".
- Leitmotif: He
has several in the Yoshi series, using playing right before he supersizes the boss. He also has a theme in Paper Mario: Sticker Star called "The Blue Wizard" which is remixed into "Malevolent Magikoopa". - Magic Librarian: He's portrayed as owning a library in Mario Party DS.
- Magical Nanny: To Bowser when he was young, and to Bowser Jr in the present. He can also be considered this whenever he's assisting the Koopalings.
- Make My Monster Grow:
- Most of the bosses in the Yoshi's Island series are created by him this way. He is also (barring one exception) usually the one to do this to Bowser.
- He does it to himself for a change in his boss fights in the Mario Party series, as a special shot in Mario Tennis Aces, and during his final phase of his Superboss battle in Yoshi's Crafted World.
- Mana Burn: In Sticker Star, he has a spell that randomly destroys one of your stickers. This is especially an issue at Bowser's Sky Castle: hope that sticker wasn't one of Bowser's weaknesses!
- Mook Maker: Can summon enemies such as Koopas and Goombas.
- Named by the Adaptation: In Japan, he's normally just called by his species generic name.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Herod: If anything, Kamek's scheme to prevent the conflict between Mario and Bowser by getting to Mario while he was still an infant only accomplished the opposite effect; in effect, he began the conflict by getting the ball rolling.
- Odd Friendship: In Super Mario Party, despite what he usually does, Toadette and Kamek became friends during the game.
- Oh, Crap!: In Yoshi's Island when his screaming wakes up Baby Bowser. The royal pain promptly flattens him. He also gets this earlier when he finds out that by throwing an egg at Naval Piranha before he shows up, you already killed it.
- Older Than He Looks: Raised Bowser when he was a toddler, yet doesn't look a day older when his king is an adult.
- Old Retainer: Possibly. He did serve under Bowser when the Koopa King was a small child, although we've yet to meet Bowser's parents.
- Opaque Lenses: His lenses are a pale white which mask his eyes.
- Optional Boss: In Yoshi's Crafted World.
- Other Me Annoys Me: Just like Bowser, Kamek seems to find his paper counterpart intolerable, though they do end up having respect for each other and get along in the end. For all of ten seconds.
- Parental Substitute: For Bowser when he was young.
- Psychic Powers: Including clairvoyance, precognition, hypnosis, and telekinesis.
- Random Encounter: In Paper Mario: Color Splash, Kamek may randomly ambush Mario and cause a random event like stealing or obscuring Mario's cards.
- Rage Against the Reflection: Mario Party DS suggests that Kamek makes photos of himself purposely dusty so he doesn't have to look at them.
- Reality Warper: Can use every physic-bending spell that an everyday Magikoopa can, is able to Time Travel in Yoshi's Island DS, manages to turn the whole area around Peach's Castle into a Mordor in New Super Mario Bros. U, etc.
- Recurring Boss:
- Fought three times in Sticker Star.
- Also fought three times in Dream Team, towards the end.
- He's fought yet again three times in Paper Jam, first both Kameks using the Kamek Papercraft in Doop Doop Dunes, then Paper Kamek at Gloomy Woods, and finally both regular and Paper Kamek towards the end in Neo Bowser Castle.
- In Yoshi's New Island, he is the boss of every mid-world fortress.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Bowser and Bowser Jr's red.
- Robe and Wizard Hat: He's clad in the blue robes and peaked hat of the Magikoopas, though his occasionally have white trim to set him apart.
- Sad Battle Music: The theme that plays in the room where he is attacking Yoshi right before entering Baby Bowser's room in Yoshi's Woolly World just screams this.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: His glasses are a part of his scary shadow in every appearance.
- Shoe Slap: For the second and third battles in Sticker Star, he turns all of your stickers into... sandals, forcing you to fight by slapping him in the face with flip-flops.
- Smug Snake: In Sticker Star and Dream Team. As mentioned under Faux Affably Evil, he just loves to patronize.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat:
- The majority of his encounters in Sticker Star has him snarking back and forth with Kersti.
- He also throws shade at his paper counterpart over the course of Paper Jam, with the latter returning the favor.
- Standard Royal Court: He and the other Magikoopas are the token wizards of the kingdom.
- Stronger Than They Look: Despite looking the same as a generic Magikoopa, Kamek is nonetheless far more powerful.
- Squishy Wizard: Very much so in Sticker Star. Compared to the staggering amounts of health chapter bosses boast, Kamek has a measly HP total of 20 each time you face him, relying on trickery to avoid being curb-stomped.
- Teleport Spam: In the final hallway before reaching Bowser's room in Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Woolly World, Kamek confronts you personally, shooting at you with his magic and transforming blocks into random Mooks, but if you try to hit him at all he teleports away.
- Terms of Endangerment: He has several interesting ways of referring to Yoshi, including "Yoshikins" and "Yoshi-baby" before siccing a giant monster on him.
- Time Paradox: In Yoshi's Island DS, one Kamek steals Baby Bowser from another Kamek. What?
- Undying Loyalty: To Bowser and to the Koopa Kingdom, having loyally served as Bowser's caretaker and lieutnant ever since his childhood despite all the abuse he has taken as a result, and having tried to eliminate Mario and Luigi as babies because he foresaw that they would oppose Bowser as adults.
- Unexplained Recovery: He turns to ash in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, shatters to pieces after turning white in Paper Mario: Color Splash, and explodes along with his paper counterpart in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Admittedly this happens all the time to both named and minor members of the Koopa Troop.
- The Unfought:
- In Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Island DS and Yoshi's Woolly World despite being the main antagonist. Averted in Yoshi's New Island, where he's a Recurring Boss, and Yoshi's Crafted World, where he's a Superboss.
- Also in Super Mario Galaxy, where he blasts Mario into space in the opening, then just disappears for the rest of the story.
- This is even the case in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. The opening confirms that he was the one responsible for causing the Mushroom Kingdom to overflow with orbs, and he appears to whisk Bowser Jr. away after his first couple of losses, but he's never confronted directly by the heroes.
- Villainous Breakdown: In Yoshi's Island, Yoshi consistently stymies his efforts to collect Baby Mario, leaving him so agitated that by the time you reach Baby Bowser's room he can barely form coherent sentences.YOU! Are n-n-not welcome HERE!!! Yoshi, please hand OVER THE BABY!
- Villainous Crossdresser: He disguises himself as Peach in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In the latter, he inadvertently reveals he likes her dress. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time also sees him wearing a frilly, white lace apron over his usual robe.
- Wizards Live Longer: A possible explanation why he hasn't aged a bit in the present day games.
- Wolfpack Boss: His third and final battle in Dream Team, where he makes specialized clones of himself for attacking, buffing, and healing.
- Worthy Opponent: In Sticker Star and especially Color Splash, he expresses great respect for Mario upon being defeated.
Boom Boom
Voiced by: Lani Minella (2011-present)
Debut: Super Mario Bros. 3
A large, brutish Koopa who usually guards fortresses.
- The Brute: Much like Roy and Morton, Boom Boom is more brawn than brains, taking a more physical approach to combat.
- The Bus Came Back: He was gone even longer than the Koopalings: After his initial appearance in Super Mario Bros 3, he was dropped from the series until Super Mario 3D Land in 2011.
- Co-Dragons: With Pom Pom in Super Mario 3D Land.
- Doppelgänger Attack: In his second fight in Super Mario 3D World, he summons copies of his shell that spin around.
- The Dragon: He is the boss of the airships in Super Mario Run. He also usually shares the role with Pom Pom.
- Dual Boss: With Pom Pom in World 7-Airship and Special 8-Crown.
- Dumb Muscle: Far from the brightest Koopa in Bowser's army, his strategies have no real finesse except for "clobber plumber until dead".
- Go-Karting with Bowser: Multiple Boom Booms become team players in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Mario Sports Superstars.
- Growing Wings: In certain fights in Super Mario Bros. 3, Boom Boom will grow wings when low on health. In the Grinding-Stone Tower level of New Super Mario Bros. U, Kamek's magic lets Boom Boom start with wings.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: In contrast to Pom Pom, who fights using projectiles like boomerangs and shurikens, Boom Boom boldly charges into the fray and relies on his fists to get the job done.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: The first Boom Boom fought in New Super Mario Bros. U will throw a tantrum before attacking, while all Boom Booms throw a tantrum upon encountering in Super Mario Run.
- Invisibility: He can become invisible in his first boss fight in Super Mario 3D World. He drops this in the second fight, however.
- Leitmotif: He received his own boss music in Super Mario 3D Land while his 2-D and Puzzle & Dragons appearances give him the Super Mario Bros. 3 boss music (more specifically, the one used for the Koopalings' Tower fights in New Super Mario Bros. Wii).
- Meaningful Name: His Japanese name is an onomatopeia for shaking something violently, like he does with his arms.
- Ninja: Not as obvious as Pom Pom, but in his second fight in 3D World, he uses hand seals to summon copies of his shell to attack with, and vanish and reappear in a puff of smoke.
- Playing with Fire: In some of his battles in 3D Land and 3D World, Boom Boom will leave a trail of flames behind when he spins.
- Power Gives You Wings: Later Boom Boom fights in Super Mario Bros. 3 have him sprout wings and fly around. Kamek also gives him wings for his final encounter in New Super Mario Bros U.
- Recurring Boss: Fought multiple times in all appearances.
- Spikes of Villainy: Except in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.
- Spin Attack: His main method of attacking in 3D Land and 3D World is spinning, either in his shell, or with his arms extended.
- Suddenly Voiced: Mario Tennis Aces is the first game to give him dialogue.
- Tank Goodness: He's in charge of Bowser's tank brigades in 3D World.
- Third-Person Person: He refers to himself in third-person in Mario Tennis Aces.
- True Final Boss: Played for laughs in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, where he takes the place of Dry Bowser once you unlock the latter as a playable character.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Boom Boom was known in almost all his appearances as a bulky pushover. And then came Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition.
Reznor
Debut: Super Mario World
A quartet of fire-breathing Triceratops who guard fortresses.
- Bootstrapped Leitmotif: When they made their reappearance in New Super Mario Bros. 2 they brought the Super Mario World boss music with them.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: Each of the Reznor stands on top of an ? Block. Bumping that block from below will KO the Reznor on top.
- Breath Weapon: The fireballs that they breathe.
- The Bus Came Back: After their appearance in Super Mario World, they were absent from the series for a long time until reappearing in New Super Mario Bros. 2.
- Dinosaurs Are Dragons: They are triceratops that can breathe fire.
- Musical Theme Naming: Similar to how the Koopalings are named after famous musicians, the Reznors are named after Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
- Recurring Boss: Four fights in Super Mario World, six in New Super Mario Bros. 2.
- Temper-Ceratops: They're a bunch of fire-breathing triceratops on a wheel.
- Wolfpack Boss: Always fought in groups of four. The only exception is the first world's tower in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where only two are fought.
Pom Pom
Voiced by: Lani Minella (2011-present)
Debut: Super Mario 3D Land
A female, ninja-like counterpart to Boom Boom who prefers projectile attacks.
- Battle Boomerang: Uses one in Super Mario 3D Land.
- Co-Dragons: With Boom Boom.
- Dark Action Girl: One of the few known female members of Bowser's army.
- Distaff Counterpart: To Boom Boom. The Prima Guide for 3D World claims that she's his sister.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Her battle strategy in 3D World. The copies she creates appear to be solid, as their shurikens do damage.
- Dual Boss: With Boom Boom in World 7-Airship and Special 8-Crown.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: If her patting him on the back in the ending of Super Mario 3D World is of any indication, she and Boom Boom really connect.
- Fuuma Shuriken: She's switched out her boomerang for these in Super Mario 3D World.
- Glamour Failure: In 3D World, she can be told apart from her clones by the fact that her shuriken is pink, while theirs are more silvery, and the clones lack her green tie.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: She's playable in Mario Sports Superstars and Super Mario Party.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: In contrast to Boom Boom flailing his arms and charging at things, Pom Pom jumps a lot (even when in her shell!) and fights by throwing projectile weapons such as boomerangs and shurikens.
- Helpful Mook: The boomerangs she throws can be jumped on, and will give you a coin if you do so. In a less deliberate (but much more influential) example, she can be manipulated into giving you a fortune of 1-ups if you perform a certain trick.
- Hidden Depths: The commentary in the official soundtrack for 3D World states that she wants to be refined and elegant, but is prone to losing her temper. Her battle theme is meant to reflect this. Super Mario Party reveals more of her Hidden Heart of Gold.
- Leitmotif: As mentioned above, she got her own unique boss music starting from 3D Land onwards like Boom-Boom.
- Meaningful Name: Her Japanese name can refer to a state of fury, which fits with the short temper she's said to have.
- Ninja: She's picked up a few ninja tricks in 3D World; not only does she throw around a large shuriken, but she uses hand seals to disappear in a puff of smoke and split into a mob of shadow clones.
- Promoted to Playable: She becomes a playable character in Super Mario Party.
- Recurring Boss: Fought multiple times in both 3D Land and 3D World. She's only the third female boss to appear in more than one game (following Wendy and Kammy Koopa).
- The Smurfette Principle: The 3D Land website refers to her as the Koopa Troop's sole female member. Which she is, not counting Wendy, Kamella, or Kammy Koopa, who don't appear in the games she's in.
- Suddenly Voiced: In addition to being Promoted to Playable in Super Mario Party, she also speaks for the first time.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Her pink body, eyelashes, and ponytail.
- Your Size May Vary: In 3D Land, she was roughly the same size as Boom Boom. In 3D World, she's smaller and roughly a head shorter than him.
Petey Piranha
"I will CRUSH you!"
Debut: Super Mario Sunshine
Voiced by: Toru Minegishi (2002-present)
Petey is a mutated Piranha Plant who's uprooted himself and can walk around on stubby rootlike legs and, miraculously, fly around clumsily with his little leaf-hands. He's physically among the largest of Bowser's baddies, plus one of the dumbest. He's known as "Boss Pakkun" in Japan, as Piranha Plants are called "Pakkun Flowers" in Japanese.
- Alliterative Name: Petey Piranha.
- Ascended Extra: He started out as a relatively easy boss in Super Mario Sunshine and has since appeared in everything from golf and tennis Spin Offs to Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- Attack Its Weak Point: It's usually his belly button.
- Bad Boss: He's capable of killing his own summoned Nipper Plants in Super Princess Peach.
- Benevolent Boss: He's definitely more of a team player in Mario Strikers Charged, however. He likes to get down and limbo with his teammates when he scores goals, and unlike a lot of captains, he doesn't take his frustration out on his teammates when the opponent starts scoring (he saves that for the other team instead).
- Balloon Belly: Spraying water into his mouth makes him really bloated.
- Beach Bury: He does this to himself during his battle in Partners in Time.
- Blow You Away: He can whip up tornadoes in his second boss battle in Super Mario Sunshine.
- Brains and Brawn: Petey Piranha is the brawn, while King Boo is the brains.
- Breath Weapon: His ability to spit up goop.
- The Brute: Finesse isn't his forte, but what he lacks in brains, he makes up for in brawn.
- The Bus Came Back: After 19 years of not being playable in the Mario Kart series since his debut in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, he returns in Mario Kart Tour.
- Dumb Muscle: He's not very intelligent, but he makes up for it with his strength. In some of his playable appearances, he's actually stronger than Bowser is.
- Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: He's weak to both fire and ice in Partners in Time.
- Extreme Omnivore: He can eat sports equipment and trophies among other non-edibles.
- Eyeless Face: Like all members of his species. Doesn't stop him from able to do things like go-karting though.
- Fast Tunnelling: In Partners in Time.
- Fat Bastard: Petey's not too mean for a rough-acting monster, but he can edge into this territory in beng carless with his attacks taking out his Nipper minions. While he's got a noticeable paunch, he isn't truly fat unless he gets fed too much water. And he's always a heavy class character with his stature and great, round head.
- Final Boss: He's the champion of the Striker Cup in Mario Strikers Charged and is the last opponent to fight (and unlock) in the Road to the Striker Cup mode.
- Flight: He can achieve it by flapping his leaves, but is obviously straining himself, at least in some cases.
- Flunky Boss: The goop he pukes up in Super Mario Sunshine can spawn enemies, and he can spit Nipper Plants in Super Princess Peach.
- Friendly Enemy: While this is true of the entire Koopa-Troop to an extent, Petey tends to be downright amicable when "off the clock" - when on it, he's crude but still otherwise generally chill before the fights begin.
- Green Thumb: His Mega Strike in Mario Strikers Charged has him enclose himself in a summoned plant bud.
- Ground Pound: Uses a maneuver similar to this in New Super Mario Bros.
- King Mook: Of the Piranha Plants.
- Large and in Charge: According to the official height chart, he's actually taller than Bowser. For the record, Bowser has been listed as about 8'7", while Petey is a whopping 12'9".
- Mighty Glacier: In his playable appearances, he's ridiculously strong and slow.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: As is typical of Piranha Plants. Okay, maybe not that *many*, but they are prominent.
- Mutant: Various bios describe him as one.
- Mysterious Past: In his debut, it was implied that he was a creation of Bowser Jr. But then Partners in Time went on to show he's been around for years, and even worked for the Shroobs.
- Older Than They Look: Partners in Time reveals he looked exactly like he does in the present day while everyone else was just a toddler.
- Poisonous Person: One of his attacks is vomiting sludge.
- Recurring Boss: Ever since his debut in 2002, Petey's been among the most likely of Bowser's high-ranking minions to show up for a boss fight.
- Roar Before Beating: Gets a rather disproportionately epic, high-pitched one in Super Mario Sunshine.
- She's a Man in Japan: And English-speaking regions, too, actually, but Petey is female in Germany (where "she" is known as Mutant Tyranha) and France (where "she" is named Flora Piranha, referring both to the petals on "her" head and "her" gender).
- Stone Wall: In Mario Kart games, Petey Piranha will be this kind of heavyweight:
- In Double Dash!!, his car, the Piranha Pipes, while having a good top speed, a mediocre turbo and subpar acceleration, is also as heavy as the Koopa King car, and it also has a good off-road.
- In Mario Kart 8 8 Deluxe]], he returns as a playable character with the same stats as Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach (maximum weight, good top speed, subpar acceleration and turbo), and while his large size makes him more vulnerable, he has maximum invincibility time to compensate.
- Shockwave Stomp: In Super Princess Peach.
- Took a Level in Badass: Pretty easy to fight in Super Mario Sunshine, but in his playable appearances Petey is often a very strong character with great playability. And his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl actually made him somewhat scary. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, New Super Mario Bros., Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash, he actually gets somewhat challenging.
- Underwear of Power: Wears a red polka dot speedo that matches his head.
- The Unintelligible: Except when under the influence of a Royal Sticker, he tends to speak in monster sounds.Petey: SHINY PETEY TIME!
- Lampshaded by himself in Paper Mario: Color Splash:
Petey: GLORP GLAP? GORGLE ORGLE GLEP! (What am I thinking? These guys can't understand me anyway!) - Warm-Up Boss: He's an early boss in Sunshine, the first boss of The Subspace Emissary in Brawl, and also the first boss of Paper Jam. In those three appearances, he is easy to defeat.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: In Sticker Star, like every other boss.
- Your Size May Vary: In Super Mario Sunshine, he was as large as a small house. In spin-offs, he is much smaller (though still larger than everyone else).
King Boo
Main series
Luigi's Mansion series
"If you hear me laughing, that means you're doomed!"
Debut: Luigi's Mansion
Voiced by: Toru Asakawa (2001-present)
King Boo, a big ol' round blob of ectoplasm. He first appeared in Luigi's Mansion as the final boss that Luigi must face before clearing his house of its ghost infestation. Since then, he's appeared in the Mario Kart series and some of the Mario sports titles before reprising his role as the Big Bad and Final Boss in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, in which King Boo destroys the eponymous Dark Moon and uses the Evershade Valley ghosts in a mad quest for revenge. He's set apart from the other Boos by his great size, crown, and formidable magical powers (which increase in potency when more of his Boo servants are nearby). In accordance to his subjects, his Japanese name is "King Teresa".
See the here for his tropes.
Dry Bowser
"So, you want to stick with us, huh? Eager to join our cause? Bwa ha ha ha!"
Debut: New Super Mario Bros.
A skeletal version of Bowser. In his debut game, Dry Bowser was created in the first castle when Bowser was Stripped to the Bone after being dunked into a Lava Pit. Since then, he has made appearances as a separate character from Bowser, such as Mario Kart Wii and the Mario & Sonic series.
- Background Boss: In New Super Mario Bros. 2, he attacks from the background in his second phase, just like regular Bowser.
- Bad Boss: In his final battle in Super Mario 3D Land, his shockwaves will not only hurt Mario/Luigi, they will kill any other enemy they touch.
- Bad with the Bone: Just like Dry Bones, he has the ability to throw bones.
- Benevolent Boss: In the 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, he treats his Dry Bones sidekick more like a friend than a minion, affectionately referring to him as "Bony, old boy".
- Decomposite Character: And no, not because he's a skeleton. In his first appearance, he was an undead Bowser. In later games, Dry Bowser appears as his own entity. In Mario Party: Island Tour, Bowser refers to him as a "close family friend". And in the Mario & Sonic series, he assists Bowser and Eggman in their evil schemes. In Super Mario 3D Land, he's the major boss of the Special Worlds, and kidnapped Luigi. Puzzle & Dragons is a particularly confusing example as Bowser's dialogue after beating him in World 8 implies that Dry Bowser is a result of him gaining his "full powers", but you immediately unlock him after clearing World 8 and Special World 8's complete lack of plot does not help matters.
- Defeat Means Playable: Just like his living counterpart, if you defeat him in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, he will join your team.
- Dem Bones: He's a skeletal version of Bowser.
- Divergent Character Evolution: In Mario Tennis Open, he's a Defense-type, while his living counterpart is a Power-type.
- Dracolich: He's a giant, undead, fire-breathing toothy reptile.
- Downloadable Content: Mario Kart 8's April 2015 DLC adds him as a playable character.
- Evil Redhead: Just like his living counterpart, Dry Bowser sports the same fiery red hair.
- Evil Sounds Deep: He usually has a deeper version of Bowser's voice. In some games, he sounds downright demonic.
- The Fighting Narcissist: In the 2016 Rio installment of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, his beach conversations emphasize how perfect his skeletal form is.
- Glacier Waif: In every Mario Kart game where he is playable, Dry Bowser is on the heavyweight class because of his stature.
- King Mook: While normal Bowser is this to the Koopas as a whole, Dry Bowser is this to the Dry Bones, their skeletal counterparts. He even falls apart and reassembles himself like one in his debut appearance, and he shares their immunity to fire.
- Make My Monster Grow:
- He turns giant in New Super Mario Bros. 2, courtesy of the Koopalings' magic.
- In Mario Party 10, after Bowser gets thrown into the lava at the end of the first phase of his boss fight, he reemerges as Dry Bowser and becomes giant.
- Much like normal Bowser, he is permanently Mega in Mario Tennis Ultra Smash's Knockout Challenge.
- Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: In the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Blizza, one of the Snow Spirits, accuses him of being too afraid to face the heroes. He doesn't take it well.Dry Bowser: Too bad I'm through talking to you. Good bye!
Blizza: Dry Bowser! I bet you're just scared of us!
Dry Bowser: What did you call me?
Blizza: You're just trying to get out of challenging us, aren't you?
Dry Bowser: Wh-what?!
Blizza: Hah! I knew it! Wow, wait till everyone finds out about this...
Dry Bowser: Ggggrah! You shouldn'ta said that! Nobody makes fun of Dry Bowser! Nobody!
Blizza: A-ha! So you'll accept our challenge?
Dry Bowser: Why you—! Fine! I'll see you on the field of battle — a Curling Bowling battle! - Non-Mammalian Hair: His skin was burned off, but his hair remained intact.
- One-Winged Angel: In Mario Party 10, halfway through his boss fight, Bowser himself turns into this form for the first time since New Super Mario Bros.
- Promoted to Playable: Mario Kart Wii is his first playable appearance.
- Recurring Boss: In Super Mario 3D Land, where he shows up in the special worlds for three boss fights. Unlike regular Bowser, he does not employ fakes; all three fights are against the real deal.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: If being a skeleton of the Big Bad of the series isn't scary enough, he also sports these to make himself more terrifying.
- Stone Wall: Much like Waluigi, Dry Bowser is a Defense character in the Tennis spin-offs, giving him longer reach at the cost of slower movement speed.
- Technicolor Fire: His fire breath is blue, as opposed to his living counterpart's orange. His fire breath was still orange in his debut, though.
- Tennis Boss: In Mario Party: Island Tour, the objective of his boss fight is to knock the bones he throws back at him with a hammer.
- True Final Boss:
- In New Super Mario Bros. 2, he's the boss of World Star, which is unlocked after beating the regular final boss in World 6 and requires 90 Star Coins to enter.
- Happens again in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, where he is the boss of Special World 8.
- He's usually the final opponent of Mario Tennis Ultra Smash's Knockout Challenge, except when using Dry Bowser himself.
- Vocal Evolution: Inverted: For Mario Kart Wii and Mario & Sonic at The Winter Olympic Games Dry Bowser was given a distinct, deeper, heavily modified version of Bowser's voice. In later appearances, however, Dry Bowser's voice becomes a slightly lower pitched Bowser's, to the point of sometimes being barely distinguishable. He does regain his original voice in his Mario Party 10 appearance, though.
Other
Fake/Tail Bowsers
Debut: Super Mario Bros (Fake Bowser)
Debut: Super Mario 3D Land (Tail Bowser)
Members of the Koopa Troop who can disguise themselves as their king, gaining several of his abilities in the process. Fake Bowsers have been largely phased out in favor of unique bosses, but have a successor known as the Tail Bowsers, which are the same general concept except they utilize Super Leaves.
- Actually a Doombot: They can fight Mario and Luigi in lieu of Bowser, whose appearance is mimicked by them.
- All There in the Manual: Not the fakes in general, but one in particular: the blue Bowser seen in the original Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (as well as the inspiration for Bowser's blue color scheme in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) is not just an enemy pretending to be Bowser, but his own entity. Even more shockingly, official Japanese character books from the early 90's state◊ that◊ he's◊ Bowser's younger brother. This was repeated as Bowser's twin in the Super Mario All-Stars Nintendo Power guide◊ (even though the game changed his color from the unusual blue to the usual green, making it somewhat unclear that it's a body double in-game). Later references have instead likened "Bowser's brother" to a fake, while Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros., much like the Koopalings, simplifying it in favor of making his identity a mystery.
- Ascended Glitch: A programmer accidentally put an upside down koopa shell in Super Mario Bros. instead of a Bowser death animation. They decided to leave it in and imply that the fake Bowsers were other enemies in disguise.
- The Bus Came Back: The original fake Bowsers returned in Super Mario Run.
- Master of Disguise: If it weren't for the fireballs, no one would know that they are Mooks disguised as Bowser.
- Playing with Fire: They can breathe fire, which can hit the Mario Brothers before they even reach the bridge.
- This Was His True Form: If Mario or Luigi defeats them with fireballs, their true appearance (a Goomba, a Koopa Troopa, etc.) is briefly shown before they fall in the lava.
Big Boo
Debut: Super Mario World
- Asteroids Monster: As the Japanese name (Atomic Teresa) would seem to imply, the Big (or "Atomic") Boos of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Paper Mario: Sticker Star are depicted as fusions of many Boos (i.e. the fused atoms of the Atomic Teresa). Ironically, it shares this trait with the very similar Boolossus, which was the first Asteroids Monster of the Boos, but whose Japanese name (Jumbo Boo) only reflects its size.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: In Super Mario World, the Big Boo boss would have been unbeatable if not for some conveniently placed Grab Blocks in the room. And in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Luigi couldn't have split Big Boo into the smaller Boos without the toy train's drill, nor could he have trapped said small Boos if not for the train cars.
- Depending on the Writer: In English, they're mostly Big Boos but were referred to as Atomic Boos in the second and third Paper Mario games and Mega Boos or King Boo once in Prima's Super Mario Galaxy 2 Strategy Guide. In Japan, they've been called Atomic Boos (Super Mario World to Super Paper Mario), Big Boo (Super Mario RPG and Mario Pinball Land), Boss Boo (Super Mario 64 and Mario Party 2), Bosu Teresa (Super Mario 64 and Mario Pinball Land), Boo (Big) (Yoshi's Island DS), Deku Teresa (New Super Mario Bros. Wii onwards), Giant Boo (Super Mario Galaxy 2) and Jumbo Boo (Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon'').
- Divergent Character Evolution: Most SNES era appearances of the Big Boo would feature it with glowing eyes, but from SMRPG forward the Big Boo was consistently depicted as just a larger version of the regular Boo. The glowing eyes trait would be inherited by Boolossus (Jumbo Boo in Japan) of Luigi's Mansion and also by the "Big Boo" of Luigi's Mansion 3 (also Jumbo Boo in Japan).
- Flunky Boss: In Super Mario World, the boss version of Big Boo relied entirely on two normal Boos in the room to damage Mario. The boss itself could not damage Mario at all, even though the mook variants could.
- Inconsistent Dub: Referred to as "Atomic Boo" in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, which is closer to its Japanese name (Atomic Teresa).
- King Mook: Goes back and forth between being this and a Giant Mook. In its first appearance in Super Mario World, it's both.
- Optional Boss:
- In Super Mario World, it is the boss of the entirely optional Donut Secret House.
- In Super Mario Advance 4, it is the boss of the e-Reader level Doors o' Plenty.
- In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is an optional boss in Creepy Steeple that can be fought by knocking away the Boos when they try to swarm Mario.
- Palette Swap: Super Mario Advance 2 distinguishes between the mook and boss versions of Big Boo by making the boss version white, while the mook version is blue.
- Recurring Boss: Fought three times in its trope-naming level in Super Mario 64, Big Boo's Haunt.
Unagi/Maw-Ray
Debut: Super Mario 64
Unagi is a huge eel found in Jolly Roger Bay of Super Mario 64. He's invincible, but a Power Star is attached to his tail for Mario to grab. Multiple Unagis would later reappear in New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Odyssey, the latter of which renamed them Maw-Rays.
- A Dog Named "Dog": "Unagi" means "Freshwater Eel" in Japanese.
- Giant Mook: While smaller Unagis appear in New Super Mario Bros., Mega Unagi is also introduced.
- Invincible Minor Minion: In 64 and Odyssey. In New Super Mario Bros., they can be defeated with a Star or Mega Mushroom.
- Roar Before Beating: He roars when the player gets near him during "Plunder in the Sunken Ship" and "Can the Eel Come Out to Play?".
- Scary Teeth: All iterations of Unagi have this as his main trait.
- Slippery as an Eel: But of course. His name in 64 even means eel.
Mad Piano
Debut: Super Mario 64
The Mad Piano is a piano that appears in Big Boo's Haunt.- The Cameo: It makes a cameo in Horror Land in Mario Party 2 during the night, along with some other haunted instruments.
- Dub Name Change: In German versions, it is called "Vampiano," which is a Portmanteau of "vampire" and "piano", which is appropriate given its large teeth.
- Instrument of Murder: Literally.
- Invincible Minor Minion: This is one of the only enemies that can't be killed by any means.
- Jump Scare: It comes alive whenever the player runs near it or jumps on top of it.
- Overly-Long Tongue: Its model in Super Mario 64 DS reveals it has a rather large tounge underneath its lid.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: It provides its Jump Scare just by standing still. It works for new players, but veteran players can already expect it.
- Piano Drop: Since it attacks Mario by jumping around, it can count as dropping.
- Piano Key Wave: When the Mad Piano chomps its teeth, it makes a sound like someone's banging on its keys.
- Scary Teeth: HUGE ones.
- Shout-Out: The Mad Piano may be a reference to the Japanese horror film Hausu, which famously has a scene of a character getting eaten by a grand piano that comes alive.
- Unique Enemy: The one in Big Boo's Haunt is the only one in the entire series. Thank goodness for that.
Koopa Kid
Debut: Mario Party (as "Baby Bowser")
Minions who resemble pint-sized Bowsers.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: His latest appearance was Mario Party 7, as he appears to have been replaced by Bowser Jr. in the later games. Bowser Jr. literally replaces him in Mario Party: The Top 100, with his only appearance being a possibly-overlooked cameo on the box art representing earlier games.
- The Clan: While the line about being the great "Koopa's Kid" was interpreted as "Bowser's Cohort" in the original Mario Party localization, Bowser and the Koopa Kid(s) were given a decidedly father-son relationship in the GameCube-era sequels. Bowser sure had a lot of kids.
- Color-Coded Characters: The red, green, and blue Koopa Kids from Mario Party 5 and 6.
- Demoted to Extra: After being playable in Mario Party 5 and 6, he went back to being Bowser's minion before dropping entirely.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: He's a playable character in the Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6.
- I Have Many Names: Also known as Mini Koopa in Japan and Mini Bowser in PAL regions. Additionally, the first three Mario Party titles for Nintendo 64 mistakenly name him "Baby Bowser" in the English translations.
- Literal Split Personality: In Mario Party 5, he has the ability to split into Red K. Kid, Green K. Kid, and Blue K. Kid. Multiple Koopa Kids have also been seen elsewhere (up to 99 in Mario Party Advance), although it's not clear from where they spawned.
- Promoted to Playable: In Mario Party 4, he is an unlockable character, but only for the bonus mini-game Beach Volley Folly. In Mario Party 5 and 6, he's a fully playable character.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For the Koopalings; doubly so since at one point there were at least seven of them.
- Token Evil Teammate: When he's playable.
Boss Sumo Bro
Debut: New Super Mario Bros. U
- All There in the Manual: Prima's official strategy guide for New Super Mario Bros. U says that due to Boom-Boom's constant defeats, Kamek decided to go with a different minion.
- The Bus Came Back: He reappears as a Folded Soldier in Paper Mario: The Origami King, serving as a boss blocking the entryway to Bowser's castle.
- Flying on a Cloud: He stands on top of a stormcloud in The Origami King, too high up for Mario or the non-origami Troop to reach without flying and allowing him to rain lightning on anyone trying to pass below.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: He appears as the boss of Screwtop Tower, but there is no mention of him until you actually get to the boss room. He doesn't even appear atop the tower on the world map (though he does briefly appear on top of the Tower if you beat him or lose a life and are sent back to the world map).
- King Mook: Of the Sumo Bros.
- Make My Monster Grow: He was just a normal Sumo Bro before Kamek beefed him up.
- Shock and Awe: He can create lightning bolts, like the other Sumo Bros.
- Spikes of Villainy: Has a lone spike at the top of his head.
Elite Trio (Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk, and Sergeant Guy)
A trio consisting of a Goomba, a Paratroopa, and a Shy Guy, who make repeated appearances in the Mario & Luigi series, starting with the third game.For their tropes, see their entry here.
