Super Mario is, without a doubt, one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, by any metric we use. With dozens of different games released on several platforms, Super Mario only loses to Pokémon as Nintendo’s most lucrative franchise. Then, we have to consider how successfully the franchise expanded from platforming to sports games, racing, RPG, turn-based strategy, and even puzzles. Finally, Super Mario’s characters are so iconic that even people who don’t play video games recognize them. And we don’t mean only the mustachioed main character, but also many of his recurring enemies.
Now that the Super Mario franchise has reached its 40th anniversary, it’s time to look back and pay tribute to the little guys we love to stomp so much. After all, while Mario is the star and the bosses steal the spotlight, no good game can do without some helpless minions for the player to demolish on their way to victory.
7. Bomb-Omb
Super Mario’s explosive enemies were first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2, initially released in 1988 for the NES. These bombs with legs are quick to anger, and once their fuse is lit, they chase Mario until they explode. It’s no wonder, then, that bomb-ombs quickly evolved to become enemies that are also tools the player can use to blast secret passages and uncover secrets. The double function of bomb-ombs, both as enemies and allies, was better explored in the Paper Mario sub-franchise. While there are legions of evil bomb-ombs to defeat in the Paper Mario games, some games also include a bomb-omb ally that helps Mario blow holes in walls. Thanks to Paper Mario, bomb-ombs also evolved from mindless minions to complex creatures with their own cultural traits. The same could be said about any Super Mario iconic enemy, actually, since the Paper Mario franchise goes the length to give them some character.
6. Shy Guy
Shy Guys are another novelty brought by Super Mario Bros. 2. These fellas wear long robes and a white mask that hides their true face — and for that, they are known to be shy. Since their first appearance, Shy Guys are depicted as tricky and ingenious enemies who can use different tools to harm Mario. For example, in Super Mario Bros. 2, they can fire cannons and even ride ostriches into battle. Yeah, Super Mario Bros. 2 is a wacky game. While Shy Guys usually wear red clothes, they were already featured in different colors, with each variation indicating changes in their behavior. Shy Guys also have two subspecies that are classic Mario enemies: Snifits, who are Shy Guys capable of shooting projectiles from their faces; and Bandits, sneaky Shy Guys, who steal treasure and run away. Snifits were also present in Super Mario Bros. 2, while Bandits would be introduced in 1995’s Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Shy Guys also crossed dimensions and showed up in 1993’s The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
5. Goomba
Goombas were first introduced in 1985’s Super Mario Bros., the game responsible for defining how Super Mario would play for decades. The mushroom enemies were not a part of the original game design but were a last-minute addition put into the levels to adjust the game’s difficulty — testers were complaining that the game was too hard without a basic enemy. More than three decades later, Goombas proudly hold their position as every villain's footsoldier, that allow players to practice their jumps with not much danger involved. After Super Mario Bros., Goombas also received several upgrades, assuming more dangerous forms that can give Mario some trouble. There are flying Goombas, known as Paragoombas, and even Goombas with spike hats that prevent Mario from stomping them. After 2011’s Super Mario 3D Land, Goombas also learned how to climb each other's backs, forming amazing Goomba Stacks. Goombas were another classic Super Mario enemy to face Link in Link’s Awakening.
4. Chain Chomp
Super Mario’s universe dogs are… balls of steel? Chain Chomps were created for 1988’s Super Mario Bros. 3 as highly aggressive enemies that can hurt Mario badly. The power of Chomps was indicated by the chain that traps them into place, preventing them from wreaking havoc all around. Since then, Chomps took their definitive place as pets, and their behavior reflected real-life dogs. If the master is caring and thoughtful, the Chomp will become docile; on the other hand, a bad master leads to Chomps becoming aggressive and erratic. Chomps were already depicted without chains, on fire, and in different shapes and sizes. What never changes in their predisposition to guard treasures with all their might, forcing Mario and his allies to approach them carefully. A Chain Chomp also appears in Link’s Awakening, being used to unlock the entry of one of the game’s main temples.
3. Piranha Plant
Besides introducing the Goomba, Super Mario Bros. would also introduce the world to Piranha Plants, carnivorous enemies who hide in pipes hoping an unaware plumber gets close by. Piranha Plants are also known for spitting fireballs, an ability they got in Super Mario Bros. 3. In 1990’s Super Mario World, Piranha Plants would also become climbable, allowing players to use them to reach higher places. 1996’s Super Mario 64 freed Piranha Plants from their pipes and planted them worldwide. Their freedom apparently allowed the enemies to evolve since 2002’s Super Mario Sunshine introduced Petey Piranha, a walking Piranha Plant that would become a classic Super Mario boss. In different games, Piranha Plants also learned how to spit poison, blast ice, jump from pipes, and even produce spiked balls they shoot in Mario’s direction. The lesson here is that Piranha Plants are versatile and easy to upgrade, allowing each game to have its take on this classic enemy. Yes, of course, Link’s Awakening also features Piranha Plants.
2. Boo
If you ever turn your back to a Boo, you’re going to have a bad time. Super Mario’s ghosts first showed up in Super Mario Bros. 3 as enemies that approach Mario when the player is not looking in their direction. However, in Super Mario World, they got their first major upgrade. Besides having full haunted mansions levels entirely dedicated to Boos, Super Mario World also introduces huge Boo bosses that are invulnerable to damage when they are transparent. Boos would be reused in multiple ways all through the Super Mario franchise, sometimes sticking their tongues out like a weak spot Mario can grab, occasionally transforming into platforms the mustached hero can use to climb higher. Where the Boos genuinely shine, though, is in the Luigi’s Mansion franchise, where ghosts show up in all shapes and sizes. Recently, Super Mario Odyssey also introduced a friendly subspecies of Boos, Bonneters, who hide as hats and take rides on top of other creatures.
1. Koopa Troopa
No other enemy in the Super Mario franchise is as iconic as the Koopa Troopa, the sewer turtles that serve Bowser, the biggest reptile of them all. While the Koopas learned to walk on two paws on Super Mario Bros., the shelled-menaces were present in 1993’s original Mario Bros., where they are called Shellcreepers. Nowadays, the Koopas are part of a vast kingdom, ruled with an iron fist by Bowser and all the other turtles who threaten the Mushroom Kingdom. While the Troopas are the most rudimentary turtles Mario can encounter in his adventures, these Koopas are far from defenseless. Troopas can hide inside their shell, launch at high speed against Mario, and even survive outside their external protection. Troopas also come in different colors, usually indicating different behavior patterns.
The Koopa Troopas also offered the blueprint for creating many other enemies who are higher ranked in the Koopa army, such as the Hammer Bro, the Chargin' Chuck, the Lakitu, and the Magikoopa. Even Bowser, Mario’s nemesis, would only show up in Super Mario Bros., after the Shellcreepers had already consolidated Mario’s crusade against turtles everywhere. All the turtle-inspired enemies and bosses we see in the Super Mario franchise are inspired by the Koopa Troopa, reason enough for it to take its place as Super Mario’s definitive enemy.