I think the funniest aspect of the Boos isn't just that they share the same sound as Bowser, but that it was a sound effect they paid for not knowing it was done by Charles Martinet ages before he was Mario.
@@Vulpas Okay, for context, before Charles crashed the audition to become Mario, he had taken part in this sound effects CD wherein he laughed as his contribution. It was about early-to-mid nineties, and the sound effect was used in stuff ranging from AHHHH! Real Monsters to the Alton Towers ride The Smiler because it was royalty free. Eventually, I guess Nintendo got ahold of it, because the SFX called "human laugh; comical, male" was used in Mario 64, both sped up for the boos and slowed down/reverbed for Bowser on complete accident because they needed something to fill that slot. It's on the Sound Effects Wiki, actually, if you know where to look.
The Boos laugh is actually a free laugh sound effect from a royalty free sound library. More interesting though is that that laugh sound effect is actually a recording from none other than Charles Martinet, the voice actor for Mario. Keep in mind that this was done before he was even brought in to audition. It was purely coincidental. To make the Boos laugh, the sound effect was sped up and made more high pitched. To make Bowsers laugh, they slowed it down and lowered the pitch. So technically, Charles Martinet also somewhat voices Bowser and the Boos!
The Kamek thing makes a bit more sense in the context of other characters that do something similar. There are many Yoshis and Toads, but also THE Yoshi and Toad. The only extra confusion is the localization going back and forth on the name.
Sometimes I wish that Yoshi (THE Yoshi) and Toad (THE Toad) were given actual names both to be more distinct and less confusing. Toadette is a good example since she's the only female toad called that, so I immediately know who she is.
Imagine landing in an alien world, doing a bunch of heroic stuff and being called "Human" Then they get confused who their hero is when more humans suddenly appear
What is more interesting about the Mario enemies is that the RPG Mario games (SMRPG, Paper Mario, and Mario and Luigi) treated them as civilians who shared the same neighborhood with the Toads and even have their own territories, which fleshed out the worldbuilding of the Mushroom World. If all Mario enemies are soldiers of the Koopa King and not being their own selves, I can't imagine what happened to Goombario if he ended up working for Bowser.
Mario and Luigi establish so much more worldbuilding that I think I'd have to save all of it for its own video. So many characters and minor species get fleshed out so much more and it does wonders in making the Mushroom Kingdom (and other locations) feel more alive.
In fact, it is something that I really like in Mario RPGs since they do not make him see that Mario's enemies are bad but rather that they can live in harmony while being normal citizens like toads. It's a shame that this doesn't happen as often as in the last papers Mario, I hope he tries to do it again
The distinction between Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Koopa Kid is like Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movie to me - Bowser is the villain, Bowser Jr. is the son of the villain, and Koopa Kids are the mini-mes, being more like small clones of the villain.
That makes a lot of sense actually. It makes me wonder how the koopa kids came into existence, anyway. Story-wise, I mean. Even if it's just a funny party board game and they don't really have an explanation, I still think it's interesting to think about.
25:25 Yes, Petey is the Piranha Plant king. It was confirmed in his bio in Mario Party Superstars. I consider him the king anyway since he has a distinct design and is the most powerful Piranha Plant, and the one who has the most abilities. Pretty sure he’s just a normal plant who was mutated into his final form. Also, you’re making me miss Grindel. I kinda like his creepy mummified design.
21:25 iirc, lakitu was the first character that could be interpreted as actually coming back to life, since bowser was actually an impo- *a fake* who turned into other enemies when he died. Lakitu, on the other hand, flew back into the screen as if he didn't truly die, but rather made it back from the off-screen bottomless pit (which explains how he ended up being the guy recovering the racers from bottomless pits in Mario Kart).
Something funny is that "Teresa" is also a pretty common name for women in Spanish-speaking countries, such as mine (Venezuela), so Boos have a femenine name in Japanese (Tho funnily enough, I think the name Teresa means "Strong", kind of an opposite of the idea behind the Boos' name)
Not at all! It's a construction of words: 照れすぎさ (teresugisa) that means overly shyness. It was shorted to teresa (テレサ/照れさ) Let's remember that these ghosts are really shy, they don't like to be seen
Bowser's greatest strength is that, unlike other villains, he has a wide variety of pure subordinates, so even if some subordinates are tried, betrayed, or manipulated to surpass him, many subordinates follow him out of sheer loyalty. But don't get me wrong: there are plenty of subordinates who are dissatisfied with him and want him to suffer miserable things, and there are plenty of subordinates who are willing to change sides, and bowser himself has many worst and fatal parts that can never be established as a better boss than villains such as Eggman.
Bowser kinda goes back and forth on how he treats his minions, sometimes he’s pretty well meaning to them, other times he treats them poorly. I think Jr is the only individual he treats consistently well
Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it stated somewhere in the game that Bombette originally worked for Bowser before teaming up with Mario? Idk I haven't played it all the way through in years.
@@randomnessproductions4212 Nope, the Bob-Ombs in that factory didn't work for Bowser. They owned that factory, then the Koopa Bros, who work for Bowser arrived, took over and pretty much enslaved them. Bombette eventually got angry from their treatment of them and blew up at some point, which caused the Koopa Bros to lock her and all the Bob-Ombs who previously owned the factory up in a cell, which Mario later meets her in.
It'd be interesting if something like that happened in Zelda. Some smarter Bokoblins and Lizals start rebeling against Ganon. Maybe Lynels, as they think Ganon's plans will deprive them of worthy adversaries and they don't have a strong bond with him to begin with, so they form a temporary alliance with Link and other Lynels. Maybe a pacifist Bokoblin with a beard who just wants to be left alone with his cranberry garden
9:00 Fun fact. Did you know that the Boos'/Bowser's laugh is actually done by Charles Martinet himself? Like before he was even brought in to voice Mario? It turns out that his laugh was already in a stock sound library Nintendo purchased for Mario 64 lol
Also to add to the etymology of cumpa from the inspiration for the Goombas is that the word cumpa for Italian imigrants essentially is a shortened version of compatriota (compatriot, or fellow citizen) that changed to compa for Spanish speakers. Just as a way for European immigrants speaking Italian to have a more fraternal bond among their fellows who also went onto unknown territory. So I think the name is actually quite fitting for the entire Goomba troop.
Goomba is an interesting name for us Hungarians too. Because gomba means mushroom so it fits perfeclty espeically if the Goombas are msuhrooms after all and not chestnuts.
0:4720:40 A tangential thing worth noting is that the Goombas and Lakitus have their own kings. The Goombas have Goomboss (クリキング Kuri King) and the Lakitus have King Lakitu (キングジュゲム King Jugemu). They are similar to other kings like King Boo (キングテレサ King Teresa), King Bob-omb (ボムキング Bomu King), and Whomp King (バッタンキング Battan King). 25:24 However, Petey Piranha is not _technically_ the king of the Piranha Plants. In Japan, he is indeed called “Boss” Pakkun, which is a unique title for some of the characters in the Japanese canon, but it is notably distinct from the King and Queen titles given to the royal rulers. Other characters with this title are Boss Teresa from Super Mario Sunshine (ボステレサ, who was incorrectly localized as King Boo), Boss Gesso (ボスゲッソー, also known as Gooper Blooper), Boss Jugemu (ボスジュゲム, or Lakithunder), and Boss Kamek (ボスカメック, or Kamella, as mentioned in the video). The English versions of the games omit this title, which can cause some confusion. The Wiggler from Super Mario Sunshine even bears the name Boss Hana-chan, despite not being given a unique name in English. Tragic!
If I had to guess I would say Lakitu's Japanese name comes from the fact that in the original Super Mario Brothers for the NES, if you kill Lakitu they will respawn, just as the "Limitless life" definition implies.
Pokeys are my favourite member of Bowser’s group, even though they aren’t really associated with him. They’re both adorable and menacing, like most enemies. I prefer the design with the flower on their heads, but it’s always nice to see them pop up. Goombas are another fun little species. There’s endless variants and they’re largely non-threatening. Quite sad to think that they were once in peace with the Mushroom Kingdom.
It always felt so satisfying to bring Yoshi into a section with Pokey's and have him eat each section piece by piece. One of my favorite things to pull off as a kid when I was playing Super Mario World
At least there's still goombas that are at peace with the Mushroom Kingdom. Personally, they still come to my mind when thinking about goombas in general, since I have good memories with the games they're featured in.
I can't not mention that Kappas are turtle monsters in Japanese folklore. I think that probably inspired the name more than food lol. Love your channel!!
Maybe the reason Lakitus were given a name that means "limitless life" was because they can create/throw a limitless amount of Spinies (who obviously are alive)?
There’s a simple reason why Spinies are often used in place of the “Shellcreeper” turtles in remakes of Mario Bros. It’s because Spines follow the expected rules for Shellcreepers, which is to hurt Mario when he lands on them. Changing that rule would break the Mario Bros gameplay that requires you to attack enemies from below. Spinies just work the same way as Shellcreepers did, and using them conforms to player expectations.
I've heard that Koopas may be inspired by Kappas, mostly for the shell and because there are TONS of variations/species of Kappas in japanese folklore (similar to how there are Koopa Paratroopas, Hammer Bros, Lakitus, and others). I don't think there is a confirmation by Nintendo, but it's a fun theory
The fact that they are helpless upside down seems consistent with this. Kappas have open top skulls and their brain juices fall out if their heads don't stay up.
17:16 in paper mario origami king Olivia sees one and assumes it’s a dead koopa, but the dry bones gets up and says that its just a dry bones, not a dead koopa
In paper mario thousand year door you find a dull bones with a note for his son implying its a dead koopa (dull bones are a creature related to the dry bones) the ____ bones series of enimies including the dry bones themself dont even serve bowser in ttyd (spoiler warning) they seem to obey the shadow queen who Beldam and the other shadow sirens obey before vivian betrays them But wierdly only the dry bones seem to serve her the boos dont show up in her palace and are just their own thing Tldr paper mario world building is really inconsistint with the undead
I’m also inclined to believe that King Boo was originally a Big Boo, that gained a large affinity for dark magic and became King Boo. It’s basically accepted that King Boo was the Boss Big Boo from the Donut Plains Secret Ghost House in SMW. Then he gained strength and created the Big Boos Haunt level. Finally he found the dark power of Ztars and darkness of Moons and their anti- Shine Sprites. Thus the meeting in Luigi’s Mansion happening after sunshine due to the dialogue told about his past to Luigi.
I like to think that every Blue Magikoopa is just Kamek casting some sort of illusion/clone spell. It’s probably cause most of what i know about Mario comes from the Paper Mario games, Mario & Luigi games, and Yoshi’s island, where Kamek was basically the only Blue Magikoopa. (i think in Dream Team there was different colored Magikoopas, but i’m pretty sure they were only in Bowser’s Dream.) So it feels weird to me to think that there’s more than one Blue Magikoopa, it just doesn’t feel right. I’m saying “Blue Magikoopa” specifically, cause i don’t think that Kammy and the Purple Magikoopa in Mario Galaxy are actually Kamek.
You know with all the royalty that's found in Bowser's army, maybe there should be a video based on that. The royalty in the Mario world. Bowser, Peach, King Boo, Petey Piranha, Goomba King, etc. etc. And talk about what it would be like being the head of that kingdom or species.
I honestly think all the villain kings aren't kings, they were just crowned kings by Bowser for good work or something. Heck we know that for Goomboss it's literally a fact, as Bowser made him king using the star rod. So it might be also true for King Boo, King Bob-Omb and some others.
A couple of notes. First, realistically, many of them would technically be dukes, assuming the royalty chain ends at Bowser and his immediate family. They may have been Kings at some point, but by swearing fealty to bowser, they in essence became dukes, even if their own subordinates still see them as king. Unless they actually aren't subservient to Bowser, and actually maintain seperate states that happen to align with Bowser, Bowser just happens to have more political and economic weight than the others... which HAS happened. This arrangement would also work with them remaining kings if Bowser was an emperor, but Bowser has never been referred to as such, to my knowledge. Next, I know some, but not all of the "kings" are in fact named "boss" in the original Japanese, meaning they're less formal royalty, and more of a small scale chieftain or despot, likely just being assigned power by raw might over more or less indifferent subjects. These ones make the most sense being assimilated into Bowser's military forces, especially since, for most, Bowser is just plainly bigger and stronger than them, thus forcing them into the same position they forced their own subordinates into, with a side of getting the benefits of Bowser's surprisingly advanced technology. Peach is an odd case. Because she's reliably called a princess, not a queen, it means that, at least she's not married, and her parents may actually be alive and holding the crown proper. We've never seen her parents, so I'm inclined to believe they're not present, more than they are just constantly out of focus. That or she has a sibling or maybe a cousin or something that is married, and holds the crown proper. This would also imply the existence of several queens of various "kinged" species, like a Queen Bob-omb, and a Goomba Queen. Bowser IS a king, implying there was at one point, a queen koopa, that is likely either deceased or separated, though we can't strictly rule out the possibility of polygamy being an approved practice in the Koopa Kingdom, though is has never been seen elsewhere. We can't say for sure that this queen koopa would be Bowser Jr., as his mother could realistically be anyone, and it wasn't THAT unusual for a completely technical, but otherwise insignificant marriage to be drafted up to bind royalty. As an aside. Fixation on constricts of western nobility may be a mistake; it's possible that, being made by Japanese authors, Bowser was envisioned as belonging to a power structure more akin to the idea of an emperor and a shogun, which, actually would make things a bit more smooth, if Bowser was the Emperor, and the various lesser "kings" were the shoguns of their people, however Bowser's direct military strength has always been emphasized, with the other kings usually being portrayed as much weaker than Bowser's direct forces, the Koopa army. But, still not impossible, and it makes a lot of the other curiosities regarding royalty throughout the Mushroom Kingdom fit together a lot better.
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 I do like the sound of "Emperor Bowser", that is very powerful title and can see Bowser liking the sound of that. I hadn't realized their names were different and were a simple "Boss". Makes me think of more criminal families like Mafia or Yakuza with their boss. But it's probably more of the video game term where it is just an informal leader. And yeah the weird way they go with princesses is just weird since at several points, they should be just Queens. Especially with something like Zelda, even if it's a different series. Some points she SHOULD be considered Queen but just isn't. Which is odd. That aside, Peach and the other Mario princesses are just weird.
It’s fascinating how one of the most internationally famous and recognizable figures from Japanese culture and the mascot of one of the most internationally famous and recognizable and universally experienced Japanese media/pop culture companies is so heavily entrenched in Italian culture.
Upvote for Rocky Wrenches. However my favorite enemies are Spikes and Buster Beetles, which I'm fine with, I got my Mario Party 10 and that's liek a miracle.
I love these videos so much I'm not old enough to have played a lot of these games when I was younger (Mario Kart for the Wii came out when I was 3 & that's the first Mario game I played) so learning about where the current characters come from is so interesting. Can't wait for Hyrule!!!
21:33 headcannon: Lakitu are gods or immortal spirits, which is why their JP names mean ‘limitless life’. Clouds are also heavily associated with deities in MULTIPLE cultures, usually either relating to Purity, The Weather, or both. Every Lakitu in the world is controlled by one big Lakitu, who is the deity of the sky. This Lakitu is mostly just bored, and as such allows Mario to kill the smaller servant Lakitus. He also sees directly through the eyes of the camera Lakitu in Mario 64 and the Lakitu in Mario Kart.
I always interpreted the kamek situation as being that kamek was bowser's original handler from yoshi's island but because of bowser's short temper he ended up disposing of that kamek at some point and started the magikoopas so that he could have an endless supply of koopas to stick at his side but bowser pretends that they're all still the original kamek to comfort himself
That honestly makes me sad. I like the idea that there are many wizard kammie as that is how Mario and the Mushroom kingdom see them. Maybe Bowser provides funding for koopas to learn magic thus their strong association with Bowser which is why they are linked to Kammy as he was the first we saw and probably the first that mario faced.
I really hope they eventually make another game on dinosaur island. It would be really cool to see enemies like blarg, Rex, fishing boo, or Dino rhinos
Speaking of Boos, I gotten my ex a boo cup as a Christmas gift a time ago as our cities were kinda super close to each other before the GameStop I went to got changed to a pizzeria as she did Pokémon cards for me which got late thanks to the winter season. As we’re both giant fans on Yoshis and Nintendo itself before we broke up with each other thanks to her own choices but not cheating thankfully. But got to say I love a lot of enemy troops we all fight in one of the most played series around! 😄😄
LMFAO 🤣 you pulled a Wesley "ASSSSSS YOOUUUUU WIIIIISH", absolutely amazing job I am going to rewatch all the parts I missed laughing because that Boo laugh was perfect 🤣.This is a great video and I am definitely going to scope those other videos you made. Thanks for the awesomeness sir 👍.
i like how the more "advanced" koopas like hammer bros and fire bros, ect. have a more define separation of beak/snout from their face, and in mario odyssey you can even see they have little tufts of hair! which to me implies that more powerful koopas start to evolve to look more like bowser (it could even go back to the youkai/japanese mythology origins with turtles that especially old growing fur and becoming powerful sorcerers)
Yeah Koopas are definitely very strongly based on kappas (I mean….. just look at them and also that name), and I can definitely see them also being partially based on that, especially since both are turtle yokai so it’s an easy association and it makes a lot of sense to sorta fuse them (and as Lockstin constantly has to remind people in his Pokémon videos….. things and characters can be based on more than just one thing). Actually, that same thing you described, forget the name but there’s that particular tail about the boy who rode one to an underwater kingdom, is also what Wartortle (middle stage of the Squirtle line) is based on and why it has the feathery tails and ear tufts, which even look a lot like those in old illustrations of the yokai. The yokai inspiration of characters in video games and other media from or inspired by Japan is such a fascinating rabbithole! Mario and Pokémon in particular have fascinating examples. The tanuki suit and cat suit (based on the maneki neko or lucky cat) are some cool ones.
Love your videos, Mentok. I'll literally grab a snack--on some childhood shit--and just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Also, Alex--happy to have you here!
A lot of games imply/state that Boboms don't view blowing up as death, and considering they're somehow sentient despite containing only gunpowder and being built in factories, it makes me think their bodies are more like vessels they inhabit. So-long as more vessels are being manufactured, they can return to our world. As for what they are? Probably the same things that possess the pipes in Mario Wonder, or the hills in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Wish it was consistent though in like paper mario the bobombs can blow up as manu times as they want in the earlier games but in origami king, they just die after 1.
25:20 WAIT. I always thought it was some kind of magic experiment gone wrong, but if it's a genetic mutation, Petey could be the first of a whole new species of piranha plant. All we need is some spicy magic juice to give him a stigma and stamen and Bob's your uncle!
Fun fact: „Koopa” can mean in some languages „poop”. Including mine, so I found it funny when I first heard that name. And now after finding out it’s a name for a dish in Korea, I find it even funnier XD
For shy guy, theres an animation in mario strikers where his mask falls off and luigi sees what's under it and is horrified, its very intriguing and awesome lol
I think the Koopa Kids were just Bowser Jr before Bowser Jr was a thing. In most recent Mario Party games, Bowser Jr replaces the Koopa Kids in levels taken directly from the previous games where Koopa Kids used to show up
I also always thought it was a santa outfit and still see it that way. Like I thought "oh look instead of tossing presents he's tossing hammers, what a bastard"
Also according to Gaijin Goomba, the thumps are inspired by the yokai: Tsurube Oroshi/Tsurube Otoshi, big human, tengu or oni heads that seek to crush prey.
If you had to make a list of "standardized" Mario enemies, like how certain enemies from Kid Icarus Uprising have specific counterparts in other armies or like how for a brief moment Eggman only used Egg Pawns, besides the obvious koopas and goombas what would you pick?
Bowser turned the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom into the blocks. So he's not changing the blocks into enemies. He's changing the friendly denizens into evil koopas. This is a rabbit-hole I'm not prepared for.
It's actually specified that Bowser turned the kingdom's peoples into question mark blocks, which is why they help out Mario when activated. And that's only applicable to the original SMB, which did not have Magikoopas
headcanon for zelda: the zelda enemies look different in each zelda game bc Ganon creates or summons them all. since he's a different incarnation in every game (except debatedly for oot -> tp/ww), the guys he makes look different each time. its like reflective of his different incarnations and personalities
Next stop, Hyrule!
Skay
I probably won’t watch it but cool
yay
How will you tell the origins of Link if there is multiple of him?
Now that is gonan be a fun time to edit :) -Alex
I think the funniest aspect of the Boos isn't just that they share the same sound as Bowser, but that it was a sound effect they paid for not knowing it was done by Charles Martinet ages before he was Mario.
Hm? Details?
Charles Martinet as-
Mario
Luigi
Bowser
Boo
@@goober4347waro waloogi
@@Vulpas Okay, for context, before Charles crashed the audition to become Mario, he had taken part in this sound effects CD wherein he laughed as his contribution. It was about early-to-mid nineties, and the sound effect was used in stuff ranging from AHHHH! Real Monsters to the Alton Towers ride The Smiler because it was royalty free. Eventually, I guess Nintendo got ahold of it, because the SFX called "human laugh; comical, male" was used in Mario 64, both sped up for the boos and slowed down/reverbed for Bowser on complete accident because they needed something to fill that slot. It's on the Sound Effects Wiki, actually, if you know where to look.
@@goober4347don’t forget toadsworth🤓
The Boos laugh is actually a free laugh sound effect from a royalty free sound library. More interesting though is that that laugh sound effect is actually a recording from none other than Charles Martinet, the voice actor for Mario. Keep in mind that this was done before he was even brought in to audition. It was purely coincidental.
To make the Boos laugh, the sound effect was sped up and made more high pitched. To make Bowsers laugh, they slowed it down and lowered the pitch. So technically, Charles Martinet also somewhat voices Bowser and the Boos!
So that means _technically_ he has been the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Bowser, AND boos!
The Kamek thing makes a bit more sense in the context of other characters that do something similar. There are many Yoshis and Toads, but also THE Yoshi and Toad. The only extra confusion is the localization going back and forth on the name.
Sometimes I wish that Yoshi (THE Yoshi) and Toad (THE Toad) were given actual names both to be more distinct and less confusing. Toadette is a good example since she's the only female toad called that, so I immediately know who she is.
@@randomnessproductions4212captain toad has a clear name and look
@@arzfan29 I know
Imagine landing in an alien world, doing a bunch of heroic stuff and being called "Human"
Then they get confused who their hero is when more humans suddenly appear
Yeah in TTYD they are just called Kammy koopas with Kammie and the lass who has to deal with Bowzer the entire game.
What is more interesting about the Mario enemies is that the RPG Mario games (SMRPG, Paper Mario, and Mario and Luigi) treated them as civilians who shared the same neighborhood with the Toads and even have their own territories, which fleshed out the worldbuilding of the Mushroom World.
If all Mario enemies are soldiers of the Koopa King and not being their own selves, I can't imagine what happened to Goombario if he ended up working for Bowser.
Mario and Luigi establish so much more worldbuilding that I think I'd have to save all of it for its own video. So many characters and minor species get fleshed out so much more and it does wonders in making the Mushroom Kingdom (and other locations) feel more alive.
In fact, it is something that I really like in Mario RPGs since they do not make him see that Mario's enemies are bad but rather that they can live in harmony while being normal citizens like toads. It's a shame that this doesn't happen as often as in the last papers Mario, I hope he tries to do it again
The distinction between Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Koopa Kid is like Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movie to me - Bowser is the villain, Bowser Jr. is the son of the villain, and Koopa Kids are the mini-mes, being more like small clones of the villain.
That makes a lot of sense actually. It makes me wonder how the koopa kids came into existence, anyway. Story-wise, I mean. Even if it's just a funny party board game and they don't really have an explanation, I still think it's interesting to think about.
25:25 Yes, Petey is the Piranha Plant king. It was confirmed in his bio in Mario Party Superstars. I consider him the king anyway since he has a distinct design and is the most powerful Piranha Plant, and the one who has the most abilities. Pretty sure he’s just a normal plant who was mutated into his final form.
Also, you’re making me miss Grindel. I kinda like his creepy mummified design.
21:25 iirc, lakitu was the first character that could be interpreted as actually coming back to life, since bowser was actually an impo- *a fake* who turned into other enemies when he died. Lakitu, on the other hand, flew back into the screen as if he didn't truly die, but rather made it back from the off-screen bottomless pit (which explains how he ended up being the guy recovering the racers from bottomless pits in Mario Kart).
Something funny is that "Teresa" is also a pretty common name for women in Spanish-speaking countries, such as mine (Venezuela), so Boos have a femenine name in Japanese (Tho funnily enough, I think the name Teresa means "Strong", kind of an opposite of the idea behind the Boos' name)
I'm Venezuelan too! ❤
Not at all! It's a construction of words:
照れすぎさ (teresugisa) that means overly shyness.
It was shorted to teresa (テレサ/照れさ)
Let's remember that these ghosts are really shy, they don't like to be seen
Oh hey! Random Venezuelan here too lol
Venezuela mentioned!
VENEZUELA MENCIONADA VAMOS QUE SI CARAJO
Bowser's greatest strength is that, unlike other villains, he has a wide variety of pure subordinates, so even if some subordinates are tried, betrayed, or manipulated to surpass him, many subordinates follow him out of sheer loyalty.
But don't get me wrong: there are plenty of subordinates who are dissatisfied with him and want him to suffer miserable things, and there are plenty of subordinates who are willing to change sides, and bowser himself has many worst and fatal parts that can never be established as a better boss than villains such as Eggman.
Bowser kinda goes back and forth on how he treats his minions, sometimes he’s pretty well meaning to them, other times he treats them poorly. I think Jr is the only individual he treats consistently well
@@firewarrior8298 I mean... tough love, if I had to guess.
Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it stated somewhere in the game that Bombette originally worked for Bowser before teaming up with Mario? Idk I haven't played it all the way through in years.
@@randomnessproductions4212 Nope, the Bob-Ombs in that factory didn't work for Bowser. They owned that factory, then the Koopa Bros, who work for Bowser arrived, took over and pretty much enslaved them. Bombette eventually got angry from their treatment of them and blew up at some point, which caused the Koopa Bros to lock her and all the Bob-Ombs who previously owned the factory up in a cell, which Mario later meets her in.
It'd be interesting if something like that happened in Zelda.
Some smarter Bokoblins and Lizals start rebeling against Ganon. Maybe Lynels, as they think Ganon's plans will deprive them of worthy adversaries and they don't have a strong bond with him to begin with, so they form a temporary alliance with Link and other Lynels.
Maybe a pacifist Bokoblin with a beard who just wants to be left alone with his cranberry garden
“So it’s not a chestnut?” is something I’m going to try to fit into daily conversation
9:00 Fun fact. Did you know that the Boos'/Bowser's laugh is actually done by Charles Martinet himself? Like before he was even brought in to voice Mario? It turns out that his laugh was already in a stock sound library Nintendo purchased for Mario 64 lol
I was obsessed with Dry Bowser the first time I saw him. His design is so cool to me
Also to add to the etymology of cumpa from the inspiration for the Goombas is that the word cumpa for Italian imigrants essentially is a shortened version of compatriota (compatriot, or fellow citizen) that changed to compa for Spanish speakers. Just as a way for European immigrants speaking Italian to have a more fraternal bond among their fellows who also went onto unknown territory. So I think the name is actually quite fitting for the entire Goomba troop.
Goomba is an interesting name for us Hungarians too. Because gomba means mushroom so it fits perfeclty espeically if the Goombas are msuhrooms after all and not chestnuts.
So the name means associate and it also means mushroom depending on the language? And goombas in Mario are both? That's amazing.
0:47 20:40 A tangential thing worth noting is that the Goombas and Lakitus have their own kings. The Goombas have Goomboss (クリキング Kuri King) and the Lakitus have King Lakitu (キングジュゲム King Jugemu). They are similar to other kings like King Boo (キングテレサ King Teresa), King Bob-omb (ボムキング Bomu King), and Whomp King (バッタンキング Battan King).
25:24 However, Petey Piranha is not _technically_ the king of the Piranha Plants. In Japan, he is indeed called “Boss” Pakkun, which is a unique title for some of the characters in the Japanese canon, but it is notably distinct from the King and Queen titles given to the royal rulers. Other characters with this title are Boss Teresa from Super Mario Sunshine (ボステレサ, who was incorrectly localized as King Boo), Boss Gesso (ボスゲッソー, also known as Gooper Blooper), Boss Jugemu (ボスジュゲム, or Lakithunder), and Boss Kamek (ボスカメック, or Kamella, as mentioned in the video). The English versions of the games omit this title, which can cause some confusion.
The Wiggler from Super Mario Sunshine even bears the name Boss Hana-chan, despite not being given a unique name in English. Tragic!
According to another comment, he is confirmed king in Mario party superstars
If I had to guess I would say Lakitu's Japanese name comes from the fact that in the original Super Mario Brothers for the NES, if you kill Lakitu they will respawn, just as the "Limitless life" definition implies.
Thanks for making sense of this!
Now that I think about it, it's always a Lakitu that helps you _respawn_ in Mario Kart, as well.
And in the new super mario bros games
I imagined it as them throwing infinite amounts of spinies, but that makes a lot of sense too
A part two of this would be awesome. So much stuff I didn't know!
Pokeys are my favourite member of Bowser’s group, even though they aren’t really associated with him. They’re both adorable and menacing, like most enemies. I prefer the design with the flower on their heads, but it’s always nice to see them pop up.
Goombas are another fun little species. There’s endless variants and they’re largely non-threatening. Quite sad to think that they were once in peace with the Mushroom Kingdom.
It always felt so satisfying to bring Yoshi into a section with Pokey's and have him eat each section piece by piece. One of my favorite things to pull off as a kid when I was playing Super Mario World
it is pretty satisfying to see that at this point they stay with him because they legitimately respect him at this point
At least there's still goombas that are at peace with the Mushroom Kingdom. Personally, they still come to my mind when thinking about goombas in general, since I have good memories with the games they're featured in.
I can't not mention that Kappas are turtle monsters in Japanese folklore. I think that probably inspired the name more than food lol. Love your channel!!
I always thought that the name Lakitu was a play on “Look at you” since they’re always holding the cameras
I love Mario lore, even knowing I'll forget everything in 5 minutes
What makes you say that, though?
I can't believe you left out one of the most recognizable Mario enemies. The angry Sun.
i don't think the angry sun is a part of bowser's army, more so literally just an angry ass sun who fries anyone if they fail the vibe check
I also thought the flying hammer bro was dressed like Santa. I still can't unsee it.
I'm glad I haven't been the only one this whole time
I totally thought the flying hammer bros were wearing santa suits too!! That's amazing.
Maybe the reason Lakitus were given a name that means "limitless life" was because they can create/throw a limitless amount of Spinies (who obviously are alive)?
“Whatever those guys are”
I died 💀
They are Spinies
I love how they put that in the Movie Movie
"BOOZE! I didn't mean to scare you!"
"OH NO, ALCOHOL!"
CORONA!!??
There’s a simple reason why Spinies are often used in place of the “Shellcreeper” turtles in remakes of Mario Bros. It’s because Spines follow the expected rules for Shellcreepers, which is to hurt Mario when he lands on them. Changing that rule would break the Mario Bros gameplay that requires you to attack enemies from below. Spinies just work the same way as Shellcreepers did, and using them conforms to player expectations.
1:28 in spanish we also say Compa. Short of compadre. Like associate or partner
I've heard that Koopas may be inspired by Kappas, mostly for the shell and because there are TONS of variations/species of Kappas in japanese folklore (similar to how there are Koopa Paratroopas, Hammer Bros, Lakitus, and others). I don't think there is a confirmation by Nintendo, but it's a fun theory
The fact that they are helpless upside down seems consistent with this. Kappas have open top skulls and their brain juices fall out if their heads don't stay up.
The king of Water Land in SMB3 turned into a Kappa at some point.
@@AThousandYoung And if you fill up their bowl heads with water, then they served you with loyalty, according to what I read about the Japanese myth.
This list has grown a whole lot bigger with Mario Wonder
17:16 in paper mario origami king Olivia sees one and assumes it’s a dead koopa, but the dry bones gets up and says that its just a dry bones, not a dead koopa
In paper mario thousand year door you find a dull bones with a note for his son implying its a dead koopa (dull bones are a creature related to the dry bones) the ____ bones series of enimies including the dry bones themself dont even serve bowser in ttyd (spoiler warning) they seem to obey the shadow queen who Beldam and the other shadow sirens obey before vivian betrays them
But wierdly only the dry bones seem to serve her the boos dont show up in her palace and are just their own thing
Tldr paper mario world building is really inconsistint with the undead
Your videos are always so informative but at the same time fun to watch.
Glad you're enjoying them!
I feel like this is a series he should make for every franchise he covers!
I enjoyed this format with the Kongs and decided to do the same for Bowser's Army. Definitely considering making this its own thing!
@@TheMentok
Yea but I meant covering Goons & mobs in games specifically (:
I love that he references the video about how Bowser’s military works. Amazing
I’m also inclined to believe that King Boo was originally a Big Boo, that gained a large affinity for dark magic and became King Boo. It’s basically accepted that King Boo was the Boss Big Boo from the Donut Plains Secret Ghost House in SMW. Then he gained strength and created the Big Boos Haunt level. Finally he found the dark power of Ztars and darkness of Moons and their anti- Shine Sprites. Thus the meeting in Luigi’s Mansion happening after sunshine due to the dialogue told about his past to Luigi.
Ooh, I like that headcannon, nice
I like to think that every Blue Magikoopa is just Kamek casting some sort of illusion/clone spell. It’s probably cause most of what i know about Mario comes from the Paper Mario games, Mario & Luigi games, and Yoshi’s island, where Kamek was basically the only Blue Magikoopa. (i think in Dream Team there was different colored Magikoopas, but i’m pretty sure they were only in Bowser’s Dream.) So it feels weird to me to think that there’s more than one Blue Magikoopa, it just doesn’t feel right.
I’m saying “Blue Magikoopa” specifically, cause i don’t think that Kammy and the Purple Magikoopa in Mario Galaxy are actually Kamek.
You know with all the royalty that's found in Bowser's army, maybe there should be a video based on that. The royalty in the Mario world. Bowser, Peach, King Boo, Petey Piranha, Goomba King, etc. etc. And talk about what it would be like being the head of that kingdom or species.
I honestly think all the villain kings aren't kings, they were just crowned kings by Bowser for good work or something. Heck we know that for Goomboss it's literally a fact, as Bowser made him king using the star rod. So it might be also true for King Boo, King Bob-Omb and some others.
A couple of notes.
First, realistically, many of them would technically be dukes, assuming the royalty chain ends at Bowser and his immediate family. They may have been Kings at some point, but by swearing fealty to bowser, they in essence became dukes, even if their own subordinates still see them as king. Unless they actually aren't subservient to Bowser, and actually maintain seperate states that happen to align with Bowser, Bowser just happens to have more political and economic weight than the others... which HAS happened. This arrangement would also work with them remaining kings if Bowser was an emperor, but Bowser has never been referred to as such, to my knowledge.
Next, I know some, but not all of the "kings" are in fact named "boss" in the original Japanese, meaning they're less formal royalty, and more of a small scale chieftain or despot, likely just being assigned power by raw might over more or less indifferent subjects. These ones make the most sense being assimilated into Bowser's military forces, especially since, for most, Bowser is just plainly bigger and stronger than them, thus forcing them into the same position they forced their own subordinates into, with a side of getting the benefits of Bowser's surprisingly advanced technology.
Peach is an odd case. Because she's reliably called a princess, not a queen, it means that, at least she's not married, and her parents may actually be alive and holding the crown proper. We've never seen her parents, so I'm inclined to believe they're not present, more than they are just constantly out of focus. That or she has a sibling or maybe a cousin or something that is married, and holds the crown proper.
This would also imply the existence of several queens of various "kinged" species, like a Queen Bob-omb, and a Goomba Queen. Bowser IS a king, implying there was at one point, a queen koopa, that is likely either deceased or separated, though we can't strictly rule out the possibility of polygamy being an approved practice in the Koopa Kingdom, though is has never been seen elsewhere.
We can't say for sure that this queen koopa would be Bowser Jr., as his mother could realistically be anyone, and it wasn't THAT unusual for a completely technical, but otherwise insignificant marriage to be drafted up to bind royalty.
As an aside.
Fixation on constricts of western nobility may be a mistake; it's possible that, being made by Japanese authors, Bowser was envisioned as belonging to a power structure more akin to the idea of an emperor and a shogun, which, actually would make things a bit more smooth, if Bowser was the Emperor, and the various lesser "kings" were the shoguns of their people, however Bowser's direct military strength has always been emphasized, with the other kings usually being portrayed as much weaker than Bowser's direct forces, the Koopa army. But, still not impossible, and it makes a lot of the other curiosities regarding royalty throughout the Mushroom Kingdom fit together a lot better.
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 I do like the sound of "Emperor Bowser", that is very powerful title and can see Bowser liking the sound of that.
I hadn't realized their names were different and were a simple "Boss". Makes me think of more criminal families like Mafia or Yakuza with their boss. But it's probably more of the video game term where it is just an informal leader.
And yeah the weird way they go with princesses is just weird since at several points, they should be just Queens. Especially with something like Zelda, even if it's a different series. Some points she SHOULD be considered Queen but just isn't. Which is odd. That aside, Peach and the other Mario princesses are just weird.
Now do this with super Mario Wonder please. They are so much new stuff !
It’s fascinating how one of the most internationally famous and recognizable figures from Japanese culture and the mascot of one of the most internationally famous and recognizable and universally experienced Japanese media/pop culture companies is so heavily entrenched in Italian culture.
Awesome list! The hammer bros, the chucks, Bloopers and the spiked koopas were the ones that always gave me the most trouble as a kid lol
The chucks in Super Mario World always had my younger self screaming xD. Hope you've been doing well!
My favorite enemy about his army is it is a mole and you did not put it in this video
Upvote for Rocky Wrenches.
However my favorite enemies are Spikes and Buster Beetles, which I'm fine with, I got my Mario Party 10 and that's liek a miracle.
I love these videos so much I'm not old enough to have played a lot of these games when I was younger (Mario Kart for the Wii came out when I was 3 & that's the first Mario game I played) so learning about where the current characters come from is so interesting. Can't wait for Hyrule!!!
You forgot about the last member of bowser's army who first appeared in super mario cartel, and that member is none other then camptodon
21:33 headcannon: Lakitu are gods or immortal spirits, which is why their JP names mean ‘limitless life’. Clouds are also heavily associated with deities in MULTIPLE cultures, usually either relating to Purity, The Weather, or both. Every Lakitu in the world is controlled by one big Lakitu, who is the deity of the sky. This Lakitu is mostly just bored, and as such allows Mario to kill the smaller servant Lakitus. He also sees directly through the eyes of the camera Lakitu in Mario 64 and the Lakitu in Mario Kart.
I always interpreted the kamek situation as being that kamek was bowser's original handler from yoshi's island but because of bowser's short temper he ended up disposing of that kamek at some point and started the magikoopas so that he could have an endless supply of koopas to stick at his side but bowser pretends that they're all still the original kamek to comfort himself
That honestly makes me sad. I like the idea that there are many wizard kammie as that is how Mario and the Mushroom kingdom see them. Maybe Bowser provides funding for koopas to learn magic thus their strong association with Bowser which is why they are linked to Kammy as he was the first we saw and probably the first that mario faced.
I really hope they eventually make another game on dinosaur island. It would be really cool to see enemies like blarg, Rex, fishing boo, or Dino rhinos
"Koopa" itself is probably a pun on "kappa" (since they're all turtles) by using the Korean dish's name that's only a vowel off.
7:05 - Pun Pun in google translate just translated to Boom Boom. *What did Mentok Mean by this?*
He's referring to the word "Pum Pum" which is slang for something inappropriate haha
Speaking of Boos, I gotten my ex a boo cup as a Christmas gift a time ago as our cities were kinda super close to each other before the GameStop I went to got changed to a pizzeria as she did Pokémon cards for me which got late thanks to the winter season. As we’re both giant fans on Yoshis and Nintendo itself before we broke up with each other thanks to her own choices but not cheating thankfully. But got to say I love a lot of enemy troops we all fight in one of the most played series around! 😄😄
When you were mentioning the all the thwomp relatives you forgot to mention whimps and grrolls.
LMFAO 🤣 you pulled a Wesley "ASSSSSS YOOUUUUU WIIIIISH", absolutely amazing job I am going to rewatch all the parts I missed laughing because that Boo laugh was perfect 🤣.This is a great video and I am definitely going to scope those other videos you made. Thanks for the awesomeness sir 👍.
i like how the more "advanced" koopas like hammer bros and fire bros, ect. have a more define separation of beak/snout from their face, and in mario odyssey you can even see they have little tufts of hair! which to me implies that more powerful koopas start to evolve to look more like bowser (it could even go back to the youkai/japanese mythology origins with turtles that especially old growing fur and becoming powerful sorcerers)
Yeah Koopas are definitely very strongly based on kappas (I mean….. just look at them and also that name), and I can definitely see them also being partially based on that, especially since both are turtle yokai so it’s an easy association and it makes a lot of sense to sorta fuse them (and as Lockstin constantly has to remind people in his Pokémon videos….. things and characters can be based on more than just one thing). Actually, that same thing you described, forget the name but there’s that particular tail about the boy who rode one to an underwater kingdom, is also what Wartortle (middle stage of the Squirtle line) is based on and why it has the feathery tails and ear tufts, which even look a lot like those in old illustrations of the yokai. The yokai inspiration of characters in video games and other media from or inspired by Japan is such a fascinating rabbithole! Mario and Pokémon in particular have fascinating examples. The tanuki suit and cat suit (based on the maneki neko or lucky cat) are some cool ones.
@@KestrelDCwait, how can I not realize koppa =kappa similarity until now?
Love your videos, Mentok. I'll literally grab a snack--on some childhood shit--and just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Also, Alex--happy to have you here!
A lot of games imply/state that Boboms don't view blowing up as death, and considering they're somehow sentient despite containing only gunpowder and being built in factories, it makes me think their bodies are more like vessels they inhabit. So-long as more vessels are being manufactured, they can return to our world.
As for what they are? Probably the same things that possess the pipes in Mario Wonder, or the hills in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Wish it was consistent though in like paper mario the bobombs can blow up as manu times as they want in the earlier games but in origami king, they just die after 1.
Ninji def got upgraded to the main minion roster as of Wonder. They’re just appearing everywhere in Mario games recently.
9:02 For an even bigger mind blowing the person who did the laugh was Charles Martinet. Tho I’m sure we all knew that
25:20 WAIT. I always thought it was some kind of magic experiment gone wrong, but if it's a genetic mutation, Petey could be the first of a whole new species of piranha plant. All we need is some spicy magic juice to give him a stigma and stamen and Bob's your uncle!
It was Super Mario World where you could first jump on Lakitu to steal their cloud, not Super Mario 3.
I like the part where King Boo blew up on Jack Quaid.
Thank you thank you I was proud of that one haha -Alex
Fun fact: „Koopa” can mean in some languages „poop”. Including mine, so I found it funny when I first heard that name. And now after finding out it’s a name for a dish in Korea, I find it even funnier XD
You need to mention the infamous “WiggerWednesday” incident when you discuss wigglers o.O
0:07 give homie his shell back
This was a great video! You definitely have to do a part 2 covering more obscure enemies!
14:35 they aren't in many mainline games yet seem to be in almost every spin off
9:29 oh, so that’s why queen Booette is named queen Teresa in the pencil sketch Bowsette comic
I think kamek is magically creating magikoopas as illusions
Surely Kamek makes copies of himself with magic
Well mow the Minus8 Shy Gal designs are even more fitting, given their Japanese name
For shy guy, theres an animation in mario strikers where his mask falls off and luigi sees what's under it and is horrified, its very intriguing and awesome lol
I think the Koopa Kids were just Bowser Jr before Bowser Jr was a thing. In most recent Mario Party games, Bowser Jr replaces the Koopa Kids in levels taken directly from the previous games where Koopa Kids used to show up
19:20 no, i actually thought it looked like a santa outfit, at least the hat, until 2 minutes ago
Where is my favorite goomba, the Goomboss from Super Mario 64 DS? Is he safe? Is he alright?
These lethal species of enemies and creatures that have invaded whole kingdoms also often play sports and mini games with Mario and friends 😊
As a Jamaican I appreciate the shout out
Bowsers army is very diverse.
I spot a very Monty Mole-shaped hole in this video
Worth it to pay the respects to Satoru Iwata. Reminds me how/why I fell in love with nintendo games
What if they did a game where all the villains team up Bowser , Kamek , K rool , KIng Boo and Captain Syrup
The shells bounced back
I also always thought it was a santa outfit and still see it that way. Like I thought "oh look instead of tossing presents he's tossing hammers, what a bastard"
I feel validated now. Thank you!
Man my world is crushed. I always thought Goombas were Hamburger buns :(
13:44 this is why my rating for this movie went from 6/10 to 10/10
Lakitu’s always sounded like “Lackey too/two” as in “those arent clouds, those are Lackies too!”
All aboard the Zelda train!
Hope it isn't Spirit Tracks tho
Man I totally forgot about how much I liked this channel! Great video!
I always thought Lakitu’s name came from the french “la qui tue” which means “the one who kills” which is literally pronounced lakitu
When I first saw Pom Pom I really believed it would have a lot of stuff at r34
thank god I was wrong
King K. Rool video when
Yes!!!!
Again excellent choice and topic. And more enemy lists? Sure go for it.
What nordic flag is that in your pfp?
I personally think shy guys are like mimikyus. A showdow creature that conceals itself within a costume.
Also according to Gaijin Goomba, the thumps are inspired by the yokai: Tsurube Oroshi/Tsurube Otoshi, big human, tengu or oni heads that seek to crush prey.
Happy Barbminheimer 4!
27:09 “Thwomp without eyebrows isn’t real, he can’t hurt you.” *THWOMP WITHOUT EYEBROWS:*
If you had to make a list of "standardized" Mario enemies, like how certain enemies from Kid Icarus Uprising have specific counterparts in other armies or like how for a brief moment Eggman only used Egg Pawns, besides the obvious koopas and goombas what would you pick?
Bowser turned the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom into the blocks. So he's not changing the blocks into enemies. He's changing the friendly denizens into evil koopas. This is a rabbit-hole I'm not prepared for.
It's actually specified that Bowser turned the kingdom's peoples into question mark blocks, which is why they help out Mario when activated. And that's only applicable to the original SMB, which did not have Magikoopas
Find Fact: The laugh was actually Charles Martinet so technically he voiced Bowser for a time!
headcanon for zelda: the zelda enemies look different in each zelda game bc Ganon creates or summons them all. since he's a different incarnation in every game (except debatedly for oot -> tp/ww), the guys he makes look different each time. its like reflective of his different incarnations and personalities
I love how Banzai Bill is called Magnum Killer in Japan. Like, they knew what they were doing when they came up with that name.
Woooo 2nd video we made together letsss goooooo! -Alex