Top Ten Halloween Edition: Scariest Mario Enemies

**Valigarmander** · 10-31-2010, 09:51 AM

It's everyone's favorite time of the year again, so I figured I'd put together a quick little list for your enjoyment. Here we'll take a look through some of the most terrifying bastards to ever come out of one of Nintendo's most child-friendly series. HAVE FUUUUN.

10. Angry Sun

Most people would probably assume something was up when they came to that swirling sand icon on the second world map in Super Mario Bros. 3. The level begins like any other, aside from the fact that there's now a grimacing sun in the background. Yet about half way through the level, the angry ball of gas suddenly swoops down from the heavens and kills Mario, leaving you wondering, "My God, why is the sun such a dick?" The Angry Sun is frightening not just because of the scowl it makes, but because nobody really expects to be assaulted by a background object, much less the background object that the planet Mario is on is supposedly orbiting. Nonetheless, the aura of danger that the Angry Sun exudes is more or less nullified once you realize it can be killed using a Starman, a Hammer Suit, or even a Koopa shell.

9. King Boo

Boos aren't the scariest undead--sure, they may relentlessly stalk you while your back is turned, but once you face them, they cover their faces in shyness (how adorable!). King Boo, however, is not to be trifled with. The main antagonist of Luigi's Mansion, King Boo lured Mario to the mansion and had him imprisoned within a painting. Intending to add a Luigi painting to his collection, he tried to bait the pigeonhearted plumber the same way he did with Mario. However, Luigi wasn't taken so easily, and the ghostly monarch eventually fought the hero atop the mansion, inside a giant Bowser apparition. If this gigantic reptile wasn't frightening enough doing the stuff Bowser usually does (breathing fire, stomping around), this one also had the ability to separate its head from its body, which would float around the arena, spitting blasts of ice at Luigi. Spooky.

8. Dry Bowser

Let's face it, most people don't think twice about dunking Bowser (or Bowser impostors) in lava. You do it eight times in Super Mario Bros. and up to fifteen times in The Lost Levels. But New Super Mario Bros. gave this a new twist--after dashing past him and knocking out the bridge from under his feet, he falls into the lava... then bobs back up, struggling, then descends beneath the flames... then bobs back up again, his skin and flesh burnt clean off his smoldering skeleton, while he's still struggling, before finally dropping down for good. Criminy, it's like a Mario version of Crocomire. Poor Mario, the stench must've been unbearable. Dry Bowser later reappears as a midboss in World 8, and later before the final battle, where his son Bowser Jr. returns him to his fleshy, living form.

7. Chomp Shark

The Incoming Chomps from Yoshi's Island that would jump up from the hills in the distance and devour a segment of the hillside (and Yoshi if you're not careful) were frightening enough. How could Nintendo one-up these toothy nightmares? Enter the Chomp Shark, a giant Chomp that blazes through the air, munching away platforms as pursues you, intent on eating you whole. As this monster is stampeding towards you, you won't have a moment to rest. The second-to-last level in the game (fittingly named "KEEP MOVING!!!!") is filled with these beasts. Luckily, once you reach a hard platform, the Chomp Shark will bust its teeth trying to eat it, effectively pacifying it.

6. Shadow Queen

Most people probably hoped that the mysterious treasure hidden beneath Rogueport was something cool, like a gemstone that grants wishes, or a +12 Sword of Bowser-Slaying. Few probably predicted there was a world-destroying demon sleeping there. The Shadow Queen is an ancient demoness who descended upon the lost city where Rogueport now stands and laid waste to it, crushing the city and killing its inhabitants. She created the Crystal Stars to amplify her power, and set her eyes on the rest of the world. The Shadow Queen was eventually defeated by four courageous heroes, though her spirit lived on to torment them until it was finally sealed away. A thousand years later, Mario unwittingly let her free by gathering the Crystal Stars at her underground palace. After emerging from her tomb, the Shadow Queen possessed Peach and attack the heroes. Among her deadly skills is the ability to summon a swarm of undead hands, which at one point drag the entire audience down to hell. Yeesh.

5. Underhand

Sure, the Shadow Queen's shadow hand servants were creepy. But even creepier are the Underhands, which dwell underwater beneath the River Twygz in the Underwhere. These long, skeletal appendages float around in the dark water, some swimming freely, others attached to the earth. When they see Mario or one of his friends nearby, they rush towards them in an attempt to strangle the life (uhh, afterlife?) out of them. These creatures are almost completely invincible, so the best thing to do when you see them is to get the hell away. The spooky music that plays deep beneath the River Twygz doesn't help. These creepy bastards are also found elsewhere in the Underwhere.

4. Mimi

Another Paper Mario enemy? Oh well. As far as the RPG series goes, this sprightly shapeshifter takes the cake. One of Count Bleck's lackeys, Mimi first appears as blithe, ditzy, and occasionally bitchy, yet doesn't stand out much from the other pixelicious inhabitants of Super Paper Mario. Then at the end of Chapter 2, after being caught impersonating Merlee, Mimi transforms into her true form. First, she tilts her head to the right, then swings it back, her neck audibly breaking. Her head then spins uncontrollably like some bizarre Marioverse tribute to The Exorcist, as she spawns six long, spiderly legs. "True Mimi" crawls around the room attacking Mario by crapping Rubees (Remember all those thousands of Rubees from before? Well, now you know where they come from.), until you're able to escape into the mansion basement. Time for a break, right? Wrong. If you idle for too long, True Mimi will burst into the room with a scare chord screaming "MIMIMIMIMIMIMI!"

3. Unagi

A lot of people are afraid of the water. Maybe this guy is why. Unagi is a giant eel with big ol' eyes and a wide, toothy maw. He makes his home in the sunken ship at the bottom of Jolly Roger Bay in Super Mario 64, lazily waiting for prey to swim by. The thing is, Mario needs to get into that ship, and the only way to get Unagi out is to swim right by its face and lure it out with the prospect of delicious plumber flesh. But hey, this guy only appeared in one level of one game, right? We can stop having nightmare, right? Nope. Come New Super Mario Bros., these guys can now appear in swarms underwater. In case that wasn't bad enough, there are now gargantuan varieties whose gnashing jaws take up half the screen, pursuing you through through the level. Keep swimming, and hope you don't get snagged on a pipe.

2. Mad Piano

"Hmm, I guess I need to start looking for red coins. I guess this room is a good place to start. Oh, hey, there's one! It's right behind that piano! How easy! I'll just walk on over and HOLY **** WHAT THE FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU-"

1. Phanto

There are so many things to be afraid of when it comes to Phantos. There's the horribly evil grin it makes. There's the way it lies completely dormant until the moment you grab the key. There's the ability it has to pass through walls, floors and even into different rooms in its pursuit of you. There's the fact that it will never stop chasing you until you're dead, and it has its precious key back. Phantos are horrible, soul-stealing masks that come to life when you pick up their key. It's then a mad dash to the door as they hunt you down. You're safe once you've unlocked the door, but there's never a dull moment up until you get there. Many kids probably performed their first sequence breaking in level 1-2 by jumping up onto the hill to bypass the door just so they wouldn't have to deal with those horrible Phantos.

Dizzy · 10-31-2010, 02:03 PM

I fully expected Tubba Blubba to be on here. It's scary as hell trying to get out of his castle when he awakes.

But, given all the other PM characters on there...

Robotazy · 10-31-2010, 03:35 PM

I agree with everything on this list.

Metal Man · 10-31-2010, 03:45 PM

Yeah, gotta say... despite trying to be scary, Luigi's Mansion was generally topped by the freakiness in Paper Mario.

**X-3** · 10-31-2010, 03:58 PM

Click to view video.

THIS GAME IS GETTING CRAZY!

Oh, and the final boss of Super Paper Mario was kinda scary.

Dizzy · 10-31-2010, 04:04 PM

^That was more scary in an "Oh, wow, that's scary" kind of way.

**X-3** · 10-31-2010, 04:13 PM

I thought it was scary in a "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE" way.

It made me go

Click to view video.

(12s-16s)

***Ace Mercury*** · 10-31-2010, 05:02 PM

Ha ha, that sun totally freaked me out as a kid. The entire screen should've totally turned pitch black once you kick a shell in it's face.

Rainbow Dash · 10-31-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-3

THIS GAME IS GETTING CRAZY!

i just wanted a pizza

Mario271 · 10-31-2010, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkZero

I fully expected Tubba Blubba to be on here. It's scary as hell trying to get out of his castle when he awakes.

Seconded.

I definitely agree with Phanto being #1...it never failed to scare the crap out of me.

***Heroine of the Dragon*** · 10-31-2010, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

7. Chomp Shark

The Incoming Chomps from Yoshi's Island that would jump up from the hills in the distance and devour a segment of the hillside (and Yoshi if you're not careful) were frightening enough. How could Nintendo one-up these toothy nightmares? Enter the Chomp Shark, a giant Chomp that blazes through the air, munching away platforms as pursues you, intent on eating you whole. As this monster is stampeding towards you, you won't have a moment to rest. The second-to-last level in the game (fittingly named "KEEP MOVING!!!!") is filled with these beasts. Luckily, once you reach a hard platform, the Chomp Shark will bust its teeth trying to eat it, effectively pacifying it.

ARRRRRRRGH... bad memories...

POOOOOOOR Yoshi!!!

BUT. I did get him through eventually... even though it may have cost me many Yoshis... >.>

10-31-2010, 09:51 AM	#1
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Top Ten Halloween Edition: Scariest Mario Enemies It's everyone's favorite time of the year again, so I figured I'd put together a quick little list for your enjoyment. Here we'll take a look through some of the most terrifying bastards to ever come out of one of Nintendo's most child-friendly series. HAVE FUUUUN. 10. Angry Sun Most people would probably assume something was up when they came to that swirling sand icon on the second world map in Super Mario Bros. 3. The level begins like any other, aside from the fact that there's now a grimacing sun in the background. Yet about half way through the level, the angry ball of gas suddenly swoops down from the heavens and kills Mario, leaving you wondering, "My God, why is the sun such a dick?" The Angry Sun is frightening not just because of the scowl it makes, but because nobody really expects to be assaulted by a background object, much less the background object that the planet Mario is on is supposedly orbiting. Nonetheless, the aura of danger that the Angry Sun exudes is more or less nullified once you realize it can be killed using a Starman, a Hammer Suit, or even a Koopa shell. 9. King Boo Boos aren't the scariest undead--sure, they may relentlessly stalk you while your back is turned, but once you face them, they cover their faces in shyness (how adorable!). King Boo, however, is not to be trifled with. The main antagonist of Luigi's Mansion, King Boo lured Mario to the mansion and had him imprisoned within a painting. Intending to add a Luigi painting to his collection, he tried to bait the pigeonhearted plumber the same way he did with Mario. However, Luigi wasn't taken so easily, and the ghostly monarch eventually fought the hero atop the mansion, inside a giant Bowser apparition. If this gigantic reptile wasn't frightening enough doing the stuff Bowser usually does (breathing fire, stomping around), this one also had the ability to separate its head from its body, which would float around the arena, spitting blasts of ice at Luigi. Spooky. 8. Dry Bowser Let's face it, most people don't think twice about dunking Bowser (or Bowser impostors) in lava. You do it eight times in Super Mario Bros. and up to fifteen times in The Lost Levels. But New Super Mario Bros. gave this a new twist--after dashing past him and knocking out the bridge from under his feet, he falls into the lava... then bobs back up, struggling, then descends beneath the flames... then bobs back up again, his skin and flesh burnt clean off his smoldering skeleton, while he's still struggling, before finally dropping down for good. Criminy, it's like a Mario version of Crocomire. Poor Mario, the stench must've been unbearable. Dry Bowser later reappears as a midboss in World 8, and later before the final battle, where his son Bowser Jr. returns him to his fleshy, living form. 7. Chomp Shark The Incoming Chomps from Yoshi's Island that would jump up from the hills in the distance and devour a segment of the hillside (and Yoshi if you're not careful) were frightening enough. How could Nintendo one-up these toothy nightmares? Enter the Chomp Shark, a giant Chomp that blazes through the air, munching away platforms as pursues you, intent on eating you whole. As this monster is stampeding towards you, you won't have a moment to rest. The second-to-last level in the game (fittingly named "KEEP MOVING!!!!") is filled with these beasts. Luckily, once you reach a hard platform, the Chomp Shark will bust its teeth trying to eat it, effectively pacifying it. 6. Shadow Queen Most people probably hoped that the mysterious treasure hidden beneath Rogueport was something cool, like a gemstone that grants wishes, or a +12 Sword of Bowser-Slaying. Few probably predicted there was a world-destroying demon sleeping there. The Shadow Queen is an ancient demoness who descended upon the lost city where Rogueport now stands and laid waste to it, crushing the city and killing its inhabitants. She created the Crystal Stars to amplify her power, and set her eyes on the rest of the world. The Shadow Queen was eventually defeated by four courageous heroes, though her spirit lived on to torment them until it was finally sealed away. A thousand years later, Mario unwittingly let her free by gathering the Crystal Stars at her underground palace. After emerging from her tomb, the Shadow Queen possessed Peach and attack the heroes. Among her deadly skills is the ability to summon a swarm of undead hands, which at one point drag the entire audience down to hell. Yeesh. 5. Underhand Sure, the Shadow Queen's shadow hand servants were creepy. But even creepier are the Underhands, which dwell underwater beneath the River Twygz in the Underwhere. These long, skeletal appendages float around in the dark water, some swimming freely, others attached to the earth. When they see Mario or one of his friends nearby, they rush towards them in an attempt to strangle the life (uhh, afterlife?) out of them. These creatures are almost completely invincible, so the best thing to do when you see them is to get the hell away. The spooky music that plays deep beneath the River Twygz doesn't help. These creepy bastards are also found elsewhere in the Underwhere. 4. Mimi Another Paper Mario enemy? Oh well. As far as the RPG series goes, this sprightly shapeshifter takes the cake. One of Count Bleck's lackeys, Mimi first appears as blithe, ditzy, and occasionally bitchy, yet doesn't stand out much from the other pixelicious inhabitants of Super Paper Mario. Then at the end of Chapter 2, after being caught impersonating Merlee, Mimi transforms into her true form. First, she tilts her head to the right, then swings it back, her neck audibly breaking. Her head then spins uncontrollably like some bizarre Marioverse tribute to The Exorcist, as she spawns six long, spiderly legs. "True Mimi" crawls around the room attacking Mario by crapping Rubees (Remember all those thousands of Rubees from before? Well, now you know where they come from.), until you're able to escape into the mansion basement. Time for a break, right? Wrong. If you idle for too long, True Mimi will burst into the room with a scare chord screaming "MIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" 3. Unagi A lot of people are afraid of the water. Maybe this guy is why. Unagi is a giant eel with big ol' eyes and a wide, toothy maw. He makes his home in the sunken ship at the bottom of Jolly Roger Bay in Super Mario 64, lazily waiting for prey to swim by. The thing is, Mario needs to get into that ship, and the only way to get Unagi out is to swim right by its face and lure it out with the prospect of delicious plumber flesh. But hey, this guy only appeared in one level of one game, right? We can stop having nightmare, right? Nope. Come New Super Mario Bros., these guys can now appear in swarms underwater. In case that wasn't bad enough, there are now gargantuan varieties whose gnashing jaws take up half the screen, pursuing you through through the level. Keep swimming, and hope you don't get snagged on a pipe. 2. Mad Piano "Hmm, I guess I need to start looking for red coins. I guess this room is a good place to start. Oh, hey, there's one! It's right behind that piano! How easy! I'll just walk on over and HOLY ** WHAT THE FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU-" 1. Phanto** There are so many things to be afraid of when it comes to Phantos. There's the horribly evil grin it makes. There's the way it lies completely dormant until the moment you grab the key. There's the ability it has to pass through walls, floors and even into different rooms in its pursuit of you. There's the fact that it will never stop chasing you until you're dead, and it has its precious key back. Phantos are horrible, soul-stealing masks that come to life when you pick up their key. It's then a mad dash to the door as they hunt you down. You're safe once you've unlocked the door, but there's never a dull moment up until you get there. Many kids probably performed their first sequence breaking in level 1-2 by jumping up onto the hill to bypass the door just so they wouldn't have to deal with those horrible Phantos.

10-31-2010, 02:03 PM	#2
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	I fully expected Tubba Blubba to be on here. It's scary as hell trying to get out of his castle when he awakes. But, given all the other PM characters on there...

10-31-2010, 03:35 PM	#3
Robotazy PRESS ANY KEY TO PANIC! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: A Tiny Shed Gender: Posts: 16,483 Thanks: 529 Thanked 1,254 Times in 897 Posts Blog Entries: 46	I agree with everything on this list.

10-31-2010, 03:45 PM	#4
Metal Man Fairy-Slaying Maniac Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: 1592 Miles Away From Here Gender: Posts: 18,062 Thanks: 148 Thanked 683 Times in 482 Posts	Yeah, gotta say... despite trying to be scary, Luigi's Mansion was generally topped by the freakiness in Paper Mario.

10-31-2010, 04:04 PM	#6
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	^That was more scary in an "Oh, wow, that's scary" kind of way.

10-31-2010, 05:02 PM	#8
*Ace Mercury* Marshmallow Knight ☆ Supermod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern Ontario Gender: Posts: 23,275 Thanks: 568 Thanked 3,297 Times in 1,582 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Ha ha, that sun totally freaked me out as a kid. The entire screen should've totally turned pitch black once you kick a shell in it's face.