Penguin

PENGUIN

The fourth world of Super Mario 64 consists of an icy mountain, complete with snowmen, a slip-and-slide, and strong breezes. Just behind you, at the starting point, you will see a small little penguin wandering around, searching for its mama.

Three of these Penguins appear on the stage: the baby, its mama at the bottom of the mountain, and a big guy inside of the stage's cabin who challenges you to a race. These creatures would go on to be a staple of the Mario series, often appearing as obstacles of the kart races or friendly allies on his many adventures.

As fighters, they won't be very powerful, but will be fast and slippery, about to get out of a jam with ease. Their moveset will pull from their shown abilities throughout the games, and the little bit added to them in the new movie.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Character Sheet: Penguin

PENGUIN

Today, let's cover the penguins that inhabit the Mario world. Having been a constant presence since Super Mario 64, where they raced Mario on the ice and missed their babies (most of which were thrown from the mountain by pretty much every player ever), the penguins never had quite enough to claim playership, but now with the launch of The Super Mario Bros. movie, where an army of them attack with snowballs and catapults, we can welcome them in.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Snowball

The penguin will throw a barrage of snowballs forward. They will do minimal damage.

Side B: Slide

The penguin will leap forward onto its belly and slide across the stage, barreling into the nearest fighter.

Up B: Sliding Jump

The penguin will slide onto its belly again, but this time up a small ramp that will launch it high into the air, based on its Galaxy appearances.

Down B: Catapult

It will roll a catapult forward a few spaces before it launched a big lump of snow, burying anyone hit by it.

Final Smash: Slip Slidin' Away

The penguin will slide forward and strike an opponent, dropping them onto the slide from Mario 64 just as the penguin from that comes barreling down it.

Entrance: The penguin will be sitting in a pool and crying loudly.

Taunts: Up, the penguin will wave at the camera. Side, "That is but a taste of our fury! Do you yield?". Down, the penguin will walk around in a circle doing its little clucks.

Kirby Hat: The top of its head

Kart: A big one based on the sliding penguin from Mario 64.

Special Move: The road directly in front of them will become covered in ice, allowing them to slide much more quickly.

Spirit Battle: Two large and one small on Shivering Snow Land.

Victory Screen: It will stand proudly as the victory fanfare from Mario 64 plays.

Losing Screen: Their opponent will toss them off the side of a mountain.

Color Swaps: The standard version, a Mario 64 version, a version based on Tucks, Mario in the Penguin Suit, a red version, yellow version, the big one from Mario Galaxy, and King Penguin.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Blue Shell!!!

Bouldergeist

BOULDERGEIST

After finishing up in the Honeyhive Galaxy, Mario continued on his journey across dozens of worlds across the universe. Eventually, he would come to the Ghostly Galaxy, a Mario Galaxy-style take on the typical Haunted House level. As he journeys across it, he comes across a unique boss in the form of a ghost constructing a body out of rocks.

This is Bouldergeist, a mostly one-off boss who would appear here as well as in the second game, where a special challenge came in the form of a boss rush full of bosses from the first game, Bouldergeist among them. Not much else beyond that, but he is remembered as a distinctly unique boss.

As a fighter, Bouldergeist will be large and slow, with a high level of defense just like most other bosses, though he will have specific points of vulnerability. His moveset will pull from those abilities seen in his boss battles.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen.

Second Chance: Bouldergeist

BOULDERGEIST

So, this one's just kind of been annoying, and nagging at the back of my mind ever since I originally turned it down. Bouldergeist is one of the more memorably unique bosses of Super Mario Galaxy, a giant phantom made of rock with a wide assortment of attacks, but I swear I remember him not having enough for a moveset when I initially covered him, even though he came really close to that line, close enough for it to bug me. So, here we are to put it to bed.

Bouldergeist starts off his fight by summoning a bunch of rocks as projectiles, some of which can break open into coins or Bomb Boos which can then be used to damage him. During the period when you are swinging around the Bomb Boos, he summons up spikes from the ground in a straight line. Both perfectly acceptable move options. After damaging him a bit, he will break apart into a floating head with a weak spot in the form of a uvula hanging down, before forming back up again. After reforming, he can summon a pair of disembodied hands, with which he can punch forward, and slap down hard causing earthquakes, and . . . oh. Oh no. And I can't even really turn it down for relevance reasons, considering Francis, and Valentina, and Jonathan Jones, and the Gekkos, and Yeta, all of which are one off bosses with little relevance beyond that too.

So I guess my answer is . . .

YES

Here is their moveset:

Standard B: Rocks

He will summon up about five rocks and send them flying forward. On occasion, they will break apart into an item or a Bomb Boo that will explode on contact with an opponent.

Side B: Stone Fist

He will curl up his rocky fist and send it flying forward as a punch.

Up B: Break Apart

He will shed his rocky exoskeleton and float upward in his weakened form. Please note that his defense will lower heavily during this time.

Down B: Stalagmites

He will cause a line of rocky spikes to burst from the ground directly in front of him.

Final Smash: Hand Slap

He will cause his hands to grow large and rise up above the stage, coming down hard with a gigantic slap that sends everyone flying.

Entrance: He will form up out of a bunch of rocks.

Taunts: Up, he will rise up in his ghostly form and spin around for a second. Side, he will feel around on the ground with his hands. Down, a Bomb Boo will form beneath him and he will look at it for a second.

Kirby Hat: A rocky cap shaped like his head.

Kart: A giant cart shaped like a Bomb Boo.

Special Move: He will be able to send out a line of spikes to pop up under racers.

Spirit Battle: A giant battle on Mario Galaxy

Victory Screen: He will laugh evilly as darkness spreads around him.

Losing Screen: His weakened ghost form will hover for a second before bursting into a star.

Color Swaps: His standard appearance, made of the blacker rocks his Bomb Boos come from, made of the yellower rocks his coins come from, made of blue Thwomp-like material, made of red rock, made of green rock, made of bleached white rock, and made of molten magma rock.

Thanks for reading! I guess I can't so easily guess my ultimate yes's or no's. So next up, is another boss that I hadn't realized was so popular until after I wrote the blog for the game.

Honeyqueen

HONEYQUEEN

Working your way past the worker bees and a large waterfall, you come upon a pristine spring where dwells the bees' queen, a gigantic but benevolent monarch of their kind.

This is the Honeyqueen, a secondary supporting character throughout the first and second Galaxy games, who would see one moment of prominence outside the series as a playable character in Mario Kart 7.

As a fighter, Honeyqueen and Honeybee will be echoes of one another, pulling from the same moveset. However, while they will be smaller and quicker, the queen will be larger, slower, and more powerful. Both will retain the same amount of floatiness however.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Second Chance: Honeyqueen

HONEYQUEEN

I don't have an excuse for this one. The thought just never occurred to me. I saw the bees flying around and doing stuff, and the queen just mostly stationary, and I figured "This works best with the workers being the fighter and the queen just adding in on certain parts." And then a few months ago, I was putting together the color swaps for all these characters (the main inspiration for most of this list), and I asked myself, "Why didn't I give Honeyqueen and Honeybee the echo treatment?"

As I have yet to give myself anything resembling a satisfactory answer, my answer is . . .

YES

Here is their moveset:

Standard B: Honey Bucket

Probably with a larger spread of honey than the workers.

Side B: Spear

Or possibly some form of queen's scepter for her specific brand of this move.

Up B: Floaty Fluff

A much bigger one than the normal workers'.

Down B: Butt Bash

A lot more powerful than the average one.

Final Smash: Gigantic Queen

I see no reason why we can't keep this for both. After all, she would just as easily grow massive for her subjects as for herself.

Entrance: She will be climbing around on a honeycomb and then hop off.

Taunts: Up, she will bounce up and down merrily. Side, she will try to get at the itchy spots on her back. Down, she will wiggle her little stinger around.

Kirby Hat: The weird cap that she wears, with antennae.

Kart: A kart based on a honeycomb.

Special Move: She will grow up to gigantic size and be able to float for a little while.

Spirit Battle: A giant battle on Mario Galaxy, with a Honeybee horde.

Victory Screen: The silver stars on her back will come together to form a star before her.

Losing Screen: Bugs will invade her hive and steal all her honey.

Color Swaps: Her standard appearance, a Peach-based design, a Daisy-based design, a Rosalina-based design, a design based on her workers, a designed based on a racer, a more green appearance, and a more black appearance.

Thanks for reading! Next up, this one's only here because this boss keeps sticking in my mind and keeping me up at night. I'm pretty sure I'll say "NO" but I just want to put it to bed once and for all.

Mario Series Stage Roster

And that's the stages! Obviously, these are only my picks. One could probably make their own roster, using exactly the same logic I did, and still come up with something completely different. In the end, I tried to represent every major game, spinoff series, and recurring stage theme, with a few oddball games represented and thrown into the mix.

My question for you is: I guess maining stages doesn't seem to be much of a thing, but if this roster were real, and you were booting this game up with friends, and you got first pick on stages, which one you picking first?

Mario Galaxy

While Comet Observatory is an iconic location in its own right, it’s not the best option for showing off the trippy gravity effects and gimmicks of the Super Mario Galaxy series, which I feel deserve to be represented.

Rather than the somewhat disappointing version currently in Smash, the stage will be set more on two to three different planetoids, with the fighters being able to fight on all sides of each, having to be launched hard enough to get them out of bounds or towards the black hole that would be floating in one section of the stage.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy8Sn6DHIi0

Comet Observatory

The Mario Galaxy series, much like Mario 64, serves as landmark games in the series. While its unique mechanics deserve their own representative stage, the most iconic location of the game deserves its spot too. The Comet Observatory is Rosalina’s home and starship which she uses to explore the galaxy, traveling the stars and finding homes for her Luma babies.

The stage will be a nearly perfect recreation of the ship, with the bulk of the fighting being set on the main platform, with other levels and orbiting satellites forming their own platforms. Though it will have some of the unique gravity effects of the Galaxy series, it won’t be the core mechanic.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49pOiyZYWBQ

Captain Toad

As Mario journeys through the galaxy, he eventually reunites with his Toad friends, who have built a spaceship to go after Bowser and assembled themselves into a crew called the Toad Brigade. At their head is the red-spotted Toad, now sporting a pith helmet with a flashlight, a heavy backpack, and a cargo vest.

He is now Captain Toad, leader of the Toad Brigade and brave adventurer. This distinct version of Captain Toad would go on to appear in multiple games, often as an easter egg for Mario to find, but eventually getting himself his own spinoff in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

As a playable character, he is much slower and heavier than his normal form, his big backpack weighing him down and severely hampering his aerials. He will make up for it with his strength, which remains high. His moves will almost entirely pull from Treasure Tracker, though will some references from other appearances as well.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Honeybee

With Rosalina’s help, Mario traverses the galaxy in pursuit of Bowser and Peach, visiting strange new worlds in search of power stars to power the ship. Among the first of these worlds is the Honeyhive Galaxy, a world inhabited by friendly worker bees, ruled by their queen, the Honey Queen.

These are the Honeybees. They wouldn’t see much life outside of the Galaxy games, probably preferring to stick to their own planet, though their queen would see one random spot of playability in Mario Kart 7. Their design would contribute heavily to an important power-up for Mario in the Galaxy games though, allowing him to fly, walk on flowers, and climb around on patches of honey.

As fighters, the Honeybees will be small and fast, with stinging moves that don’t do much flashy damage. Their queen will help them out in various moves, most especially their final smash. Most of their moves will pull from the Bee Suit, as well as the general gimmick of the worlds they appear in.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Rosalina & Luma

After the Game Cube, Nintendo’s next big system was the Nintendo Wii, which made heavy use of the new motion control technology with its new remote and nunchuck controller design. No game made better use of the technology than the next major mainline Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy. The game saw Bowser once again kidnapping Princess Peach, but this time taking off with her into space. Mario tries to follow but fails, until he encounters a mysterious space princess, traveling the stars on a comet spacecraft and accompanied by a race of friendly star creatures.

This is Rosalina, and the stars that accompany her are the Lumas. Rosalina first encountered the Lumas as a child, running away from home to go on an adventure with them, only to find herself unable to return to those she left behind ever again. The Lumas took her in, and she became their mama, loving and caring for them as they grew to become planets and stars and other celestial bodies. Her role in the Galaxy games would propel her to instant stardom, becoming a permanent fixture in most sports and party games and even cropping up in other adventure games here and there.

As a playable fighter, Rosalina works in tandem with the Lumas, able to send them out and fight their battles on two fronts. She will be on the heavier side but still quite floaty given her unearthly nature. Her moves pull almost exclusively from Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, almost acting as a representative for both games.

Likelihood rating: Already in

Pianta

As Peach’s plane approaches its destination, Mario, Peach, and Toadsworth are greeted by a welcome video from their tropical island’s inhabitants, a group of rather rotund creatures with palm trees on their heads and hula skirts around their waists.

These are the Pianta, the primary residents of Isle Delfino and Mario and Peach’s hosts during their stay. Following this game, Pianta won’t see too much life, though just enough to have regular appearances at least in the background of many games alongside their fellow island residents, the Noki.

As playable characters, they will be large and slow, with fluid movements that pack a surprising amount of power behind them. Their moves will pull from both their own actions within Sunshine as well as all the many features of Isle Delfino that they take part in, including their companions, the Noki.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Smash Universe Freebie: Top 20 Games Covered So Far

 MY TOP 20 GAMES COVERED SO FAR

Just for fun, and kind of in honor of Mario Party: The Top 100, here is my top 20 favorite games that I've covered on this blog so far. They may be from personal experience (games that I have played and have personally enjoyed throughout my life) or were games that particularly stood out during the research process and that I personally enjoyed discovering and learning about.

1.    SUPER MARIO 64: personal enjoyment, I grew up with this one, and it's just great.

2.       SUPER MARIO BROS.: not a personal experience, but its greatness can't be denied.

3.       SUPER MARIO GALAXY: actually don't have personal experience here, but, boy, was it a rush to research.

4.       LUIGI'S MANSION: personal enjoyment. My first real Gamecube game.

5.       SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY: personal enjoyment somewhat, but much too recent for it to have that same feeling as 64 and Luigi's Mansion.

6.       SUPER PAPER MARIO: personal enjoyment and one of the best stories in the Mario series.

7.       DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: TROPICAL FREEZE: not personal, much like Galaxy, a heck of a rush researching.

8.       SUPER MARIO LAND 2: 6 GOLDEN COINS: the most personal on this list. My childhood.

9.       MARIO KART 64: Personal enjoyment. It, Mario 64, and Banjo-Kazooie basically exemplified my 64 experience.

10.   DIDDY KONG RACING: Not personal, but was really fun to learn about.

11.   PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND-YEAR DOOR: Personal enjoyment. My introduction to Paper Mario with some of my favorite Mario characters.

12.   YOSHI'S WOOLLY WORLD: Not personal. The creativity in this one and Tropical Freeze stands out in a special way.

13.   MARIO KART DS: Personal (slightly less so than 64). Also just objectively the best Mario Kart.

14.   SUPER MARIO RPG: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN STARS: Not personal. But the research process may have turned my desire for Geno from simply proxy wish for other fans to a bit more of a personal want.

15.   PAPER MARIO: THE ORIGAMI KING: Not quite the return to form I wanted, but at the end of the day, almost as great storytelling and a really fun experience.

16.   MARIO & LUIGI: BOWSER'S INSIDE STORY: Not personal, but certainly the best of the Mario & Luigi series.

17.   DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: This and the next one were my first real introduction to the Donkey Kong series during the research process.

18.   SUPER MARIO WORLD 2: YOSHI'S ISLAND: As stated above.

19.   SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD: Halfway between personal and not. Honestly, just a really fun time.

20.   WARIO WARE: GOLD: This was the game, during the research process, that made me realize just how much I had come to love the Wario Ware cast, and the series as a whole, in such a short amount of time.

Thanks for reading! I know it's weird, but I enjoyed it.

Character Sheet: Honeybee (Main 3D Games)

HONEYBEE

Now, let's move on to all newcomers to the roster, either by being introduced in these last five games, or by finally gaining enough source material to be upgraded to the status of playable character. In the end, my count is thirteen new characters, two of whom are echo fighters.

8e. Toadette
17e. King Boo
24. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
25. Rosalina & Luma
26. Cappy
27. Bowser Jr.
28. Shadow Mario
29. Pianta
30. Blooper
31. Monty Mole
32. Honeybee
33. Petey Piranha
34. The Broodals

This one feels a bit like Chargin' Chuck, being a relatively minor character in the grand scheme of the Mario franchise, however offering up just enough to work with that I couldn't say no. Honeybees appear as major NPCs in both Super Mario Galaxy games, appearing with a Queen who was later included in Mario Kart 7. One of the major contributing factors to their inclusion was the Bee Mushroom, which allowed Mario to do many things that they themselves could do.

Honeybees obviously are floaty and quick characters who are really good at sticking to walls. They carry spears which can be used as weapons. They also have stingers with which Bee Mario could butt-bash, which means they could do so as well. They are seen frequently carrying around buckets full of honey, and can stick to patches of honey wherever it lies. They can fly with their wings, but are also much more adept with flowers than Mario, being able to use flowers as platforms that he himself couldn't. So, now that we've got all that covered, let's see what we've got.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bucket of Honey
The Honeybee pulls out a bucket full of honey and splatters it on the ground. Other opponents will be slowed and stuck when crossing the honey, but the Honeybee will have full range of motion. Likewise, if the honey is splattered on a wall or ceiling, Honeybee will also have a full range of motion to climb around on it.

Side B: Spear

Although never seen in use in game, the Honeybee will use his spear, thrusting it forward to do damage as a close-to-mid range melee attack.

Up B: Floaty Fluff

Although not one of the flowers specific to Mario's Bee Suit, the move still serves to illustrate the relationship between the Bees and the Flowers. The Honeybee will grab onto the stem of a Floaty Fluff and spin it to float upward.

Down B: Butt Bash

The Honeybee will jump up, point his stinger straight down, and crash down on top of anything beneath him. It's possible the star-shaped bullseye that appears on various blocks and Mandibugs that the move is used on throughout the game, but the result is the same.

Final Smash: Honey Queen

Basically, the giant queen of the Honeybees will drop from above and . . . sit on the stage, crushing all underneath her. She might wiggle a little as if uncomfortable, referencing Mario's mission of collecting star pieces off of her, before fluttering off.

Entrance: The Honeybee will spin onto the stage from a long flowering vine.

Taunts: Definitely buzzing around, and making some of the movements made when taking to Mario. Maybe holding up a Bee Mushroom.

Next up: Let's cover Petey Piranha, the giant Piranha Plant boss seen in games such as Super Mario Sunshine.

Character Sheet: Monty Mole (Main 3D Games)

MONTY MOLE

Now, let's move on to all newcomers to the roster, either by being introduced in these last five games, or by finally gaining enough source material to be upgraded to the status of playable character. In the end, my count is thirteen new characters, two of whom are echo fighters.

8e. Toadette
17e. King Boo
24. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
25. Rosalina & Luma
26. Cappy
27. Bowser Jr.
28. Shadow Mario
29. Pianta
30. Blooper
31. Monty Mole
32. Honeybee
33. Petey Piranha
34. The Broodals

Today, let's check out another common enemy of the Mario series who wasn't included in the previous run of characters, but has since earned himself a place among the fighters, that being Monty Mole, large furry mole known for popping out of the ground and throwing rocks at Mario. Monty appeared previously in Super Mario World, and has now appeared in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. There are a couple of offshoots to mention as well, being Rocky Wrenches and Undergrunts, but I struggle to know what exactly the difference is, as all three seem to do the same job at different points in time.

Monty Mole would be a heavyweight but rather quick for his size. He will probably drive around in a tank, considering most of his tank appearances are where a lot of his moves will come from. This is also a bit of a sneak way for Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills to be included as playable characters, as neither offer up much to work with otherwise. Obviously, in many games, he is known for popping out of the ground and throwing rocks (or out of manholes and throwing wrenches, as done by Rocky in SMB3 and by Monty in the Galaxy games (see?)). He is shown to be able to drive a tank from which he can throw Bob-Ombs just like his rocks and fire Bullet Bills from a turret. He is also known to have a unique move where he pops straight up into the air, rather than just out a bit to throw something. An Undergrunt also pilots a tank-like vehicle (see?) in the Galaxy games, firing bubbles from it. They also burrow around underground quite a bit in those games.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bob-Omb
This one pays homage to Monty and Rocky's standard attack of throwing rocks or wrenches, but he will specifically throw out a Bob-Omb, allowing Bob-Ombs to be represented as a character as well. (Though I suppose its possible he could randomly throw out rocks, wrenches, and Bob-Ombs, similar to how King Dedede's Standard B worked originally)

Side B: Bullet Bill

Monty points his cannon turret straight forward and fires off a Bullet Bill that flies forward and targets opponents. This allows Bullet Bill to be represented as well.

Up B: Pop Up

This one is based on Monty's move of popping out of the ground and leaping straight up into the air as seen in World, 64, and the Mario Kart games. It's possible his tank will self-destruct as he does this, similar to Bowser Jr.'s, or simply stay or fall where it is. Either way.

Down B: Tuck In

Monty will tuck down inside of his tank, protecting him from harm. The tank's cover will be resting on top of his head, flat just like the manhole covers on top of Rocky Wrenches.

Final Smash: Monty Tank

I rather like the boss fight in New Super Mario Bros. wherein you fight a three-tiered tank that moves back and forth with swiveling turrets firing off projectiles in every direction. This move would mirror that, with Monty's Tank gaining turrets and then wreaking mayhem across the stage.

Entrance: Burrow out of the ground, I think.

Taunts: Crouch down inside the tank and glance around. Maybe make his little squeak noise.

Next up: The Honeybees from the Galaxy games. You know, the ones with the giant queen who got into Mario Kart 7 somehow . . . You'll see.

Character Sheet: Blooper (Main 3D Games)

BLOOPER

Now, let's move on to all newcomers to the roster, either by being introduced in these last five games, or by finally gaining enough source material to be upgraded to the status of playable character. In the end, my count is thirteen new characters, two of whom are echo fighters.

8e. Toadette
17e. King Boo
24. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
25. Rosalina & Luma
26. Cappy
27. Bowser Jr.
28. Shadow Mario
29. Pianta
30. Blooper
31. Monty Mole
32. Honeybee
33. Petey Piranha
34. The Broodals

Today, let's cover the Blooper, the squid-based enemy who frequented Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and Super Mario Bros. 3. However, they did not make the cut when characters were chosen for that game, simply because they really mostly just floated around in those games. However, the Blooper can thank its inclusion today almost entirely to their appearance in Super Mario Sunshine, including the boss Gooper Blooper, without which they would have nothing to work off of, including their appearances in the Galaxy games, which went back to their classical appearances.

In Super Mario Sunshine, the Bloopers themselves have newer designs that allow them to crawl around on the ground, though their floating abilities might be worked into the moveset as well. Mario uses a more classical version of them to surf around at high speeds. They can also spit ink, which seems to be tied to the paint used by Bowser Jr. Gooper Blooper can likewise spray ink, including a move where he jumps into the air and sprays the ink in a wide circle, and can slap his tentacles down hard, making them stick to the ground. I think this gives us plenty to work with.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ink
The Blooper charges up and spits a high-powered shot of ink that acts as a projectile, but also leaves a splatter of ink on the ground that then acts much like Inkling's or Shadow Mario's ink.

Side B: Surf

This one acts as a bit of a combination between the Inkling's dash and Squirtle's side B. The Gooper will flatten out like the ones Mario would surf on in Sunshine and jet forward, a wave of water carrying him forward.

Up B: Inkjet

This is almost an exact recreation of Inkling's up B, with the Blooper taking up its classical look and jetting straight up into the air, a spray of ink spraying out from beneath him.

Down B: Tentacle Slap

The Blooper will slap a long tentacle down hard, doing heavy damage to any opponent it hits and sticking to them. However, if the hit misses, it will leave Blooper vulnerable as the tentacle will be stuck for a short time.

Final Smash: Gooper Blooper

Of course, you have to go with the boss on this one. Gooper Blooper will appear, but almost more in his Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door appearance, looming in the background as his tentacles wreak havoc on stage.

Entrance: Maybe float onto the stage, referencing how they can fly in The Lost Levels.

Taunts: Ink a little the way they do in Mario Kart. Wave a tentacle around. Float upward in the same animation from the original games.

Next up: Monty Mole, who also got an upgrade this time around.

Character Sheet: Bowser Jr. (Main 3D Games)

BOWSER JR.

Now, let's move on to all newcomers to the roster, either by being introduced in these last five games, or by finally gaining enough source material to be upgraded to the status of playable character. In the end, my count is thirteen new characters, two of whom are echo fighters.

8e. Toadette
17e. King Boo
24. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
25. Rosalina & Luma
26. Cappy
27. Bowser Jr.
28. Shadow Mario
29. Pianta
30. Blooper
31. Monty Mole
32. Honeybee
33. Petey Piranha
34. The Broodals

Now, here's a difficult one, purely due to how the Super Smash Bros. series currently has chosen to present the character, making him part of a package with the Koopalings, as well as making him ride around in a Koopa Klown Kar, effectively making it more of a "Koopa Klown Kar" moveset more than an actual Bowser Jr. moveset. So, what do I do? Do I keep going with that? It was a good idea at the time. I already have a decent moveset for the Koopalings based on their battles outside of a Klown Kar, and we have not yet seen Bowser Jr. or the Koopalings in one. That said, in his appearances throughout Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2, Bowser Jr. has appeared in some form of combat vehicle, being his little machine in the Sunshine final battle, his mini-airship in Galaxy, and his big round couch-ship in Galaxy 2, so it's not a bad suggestion to stick Junior in some kind of vehicle. So I think this is what we're going to do: We will have two slots, one being the Koopaling's moveset and representing all battles with them or Bowser Jr. on their feet, and the other representing Bowser Jr. (and the Koopalings) in battles where they use some kind of vehicle (primarily the Klown Kar). As the Koopalings are more regularly on their feet, I will call that slot "Koopalings," and as Bowser Jr. is almost always in a vehicle of some kind, I will call that slot (this one) Bowser Jr. I think that should work out nicely. Will they still be the eight as color swaps in both slots or should I just give Bowser Jr. a full range of colors of his own?

Now that we have that somewhat disentangled, let's dive into his moveset. In Sunshine, he spent most of his time as Shadow Mario, who warranted his own moveset, though they can function as transformations of each other just like Zelda and Sheik, if we wanted to bring that back. He also wields the same paintbrush as Shadow Mario. In Mario's final battle with Bowser, Junior helps him out in his little flying machine, shooting Mario with bullet bills. In Mario Galaxy, he rides around on a mini-airship that fires cannonballs, and he has a few Magikoopas that help him out. He can also control Megaleg, a giant mech that stomps around and fires off bullet bills. In Galaxy 2, he can also attach his couch-ship-thing to Megahammer, a giant robot with giant hammers for fists that can also fire off bullet bills, and the Boomsday Machine, a giant tank/tower that fires off all kinds of energy balls and stuff and can suck in everything around it. I feel like this gives us some to work with. (When they day comes he does use a Klown Kar, I'm sure everything connected to that can be worked in too.)

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bullet Bill
Bowser Jr. fires off a bullet bill from the front cannon of his flying machine. As Bills appear in almost all of his boss battles, this seemed inevitable.

Side B: Giant Hammer

Bowser Jr. produces a giant hammer reminiscent of his boss battle controlling Megahammer and slams it down for heavy damage.

Up B: Eject

Bowser Jr.'s flying machine will start to explode. Junior will eject, launching high into the air while the blast from the machine catches any around it. This is basically his current Up B.

Down B: Transform

Although it can be replaced with the suction capability seen in his Boomsday Machine battle if we don't want them to be connected characters, for now, Bowser Jr. will simply paint himself and turn into Shadow Mario.

Final Smash: Mechabowser

Mechabowser will rise from behind the stage, Bowser Jr. on top of it, before it launches an assault on the other players with Bullet Bills and fire breath.

Entrance: I think he could float down in his flying machine.

Taunts: His famous snicker has to be involved somehow. Maybe hopping out and painting in the air with his paintbrush. His tendency to put his hand over his eyes and look around. So on.

Next up: Let's cover his Sunshine alter ego, Shadow Mario!

Character Sheet: Rosalina & Luma (Main 3D Games)

ROSALINA & LUMA

Now, let's move on to all newcomers to the roster, either by being introduced in these last five games, or by finally gaining enough source material to be upgraded to the status of playable character. In the end, my count is thirteen new characters, two of whom are echo fighters.

8e. Toadette
17e. King Boo
24. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
25. Rosalina & Luma
26. Cappy
27. Bowser Jr.
28. Shadow Mario
29. Pianta
30. Blooper
31. Monty Mole
32. Honeybee
33. Petey Piranha
34. The Broodals

Alright, today let's cover the space princess Rosalina and her army of Star Babies, the Lumas, made famous by the Super Mario Galaxy games. Now, while Rosalina herself doesn't really do much in the games, mostly acting as a tutorial NPC throughout the first game and having a cameo in the second, she is intrinsically linked with the Lumas, who provide much of the unique gimmick of these two games.

In the Galaxy games, Mario moves much as he does in other 3D games, but thanks to the Lumas, and by extension Rosalina, he can do so much more. The Lumas themselves can eat or spit star bits, and one of their most helpful moves is the ability to spit star bits from above at enemies, removing some potential threats. They also transform, turning into various objects such as pull stars, warp stars, planets, and bunnies, allowing Mario access to various items and means of reaching new areas. This can all be considered. Also, as we are talking about the Galaxy games, the strange effects surrounding gravity and physics in the game could also be considered, giving some credence to Rosalina's current Down B.

Here is the moveset I came up with, though it mostly sticks true to her Smash moveset, as the team did a really good job of fully representing everything I would have represented:

Standard B: Luma Shot
This one lets Rosalina summon a Luma or send it forward in order to function separately from her, the way they do in Super Smash Bros. Another option might be the spin Mario does frequently throughout the Galaxy games, though that also seems to have some elements of Gravitational Pull to it.

Side B: Star Bits

Luma spits a series of star bits at opponents, doing mild damage, reflecting their ability to shoot Star Bits from above in game.

Up B: Warpstar

Rosalina launches herself upward using a Warpstar, which frequently acted as the premier way to get around in the Mario Galaxy games, and functions perfectly within the world of Super Smash Bros.

Down B: Gravitational Pull

Rosalina spins and pulls things toward her, representing in many ways Mario's spin in the games that tends to pull things toward him, the gravitational effects rampant throughout the game, and even maybe the effect of the pull stars. It also serves to bring the Luma back toward Rosalina.

Final Smash: Comet Observatory

This is the only one I would change. Rather than holding a grand star over her head and having it shoot out stars, I would rather see the Comet Observatory start its engines and start spinning the way it does leading up to the final battle in Galaxy 1, before barreling through the stage and taking out opponents in its wake. This may conflict if the Comet Observatory is a stage, but I'm sticking with it.

Entrance: Rosalina and Luma fly onto the stage as if launched from a Warpstar.

Taunts: Some of the Luma's bouncing around that they do, maybe feeding one a star bit or two, Rosalina laughing and holding the Luma, so on.

Next up: Let's see what we can make of Mario's Odyssey companion, Cappy!

Character Sheet: Magikoopa (Main 3D Games)

MAGIKOOPA

Now that we're done with all of the major 3D Mario titles, I think we need to now go through and update our characters, starting with revisions for any characters included so far that appeared in any of these games. Out of the 24 so far, 17 need revision:

1. Mario
2. Luigi
6. Pauline
7. Princess Toadstool
8. Toad
9. Yoshi
10. Bowser
13. Koopa Troopa
13e. Dry Bones
14. Shy Guy
15. Goomba
16. Piranha Plant
17. Boo
18. Lakitu
19. Hammer Bro
20. Chargin' Chuck
21. Magikoopa

The Magikoopa species primarily appears in the Super Mario Galaxy games, doing pretty much what they did before, teleporting around and casting damaging spells. They also gained, not Kamek, but Kamella, a large boss version of their species. Kamella can throw fireballs as well and can summon Koopa shells out of thin air. Let's see what this brings us.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Magic Spell

Side B: Broomstick

Up B: Teleport

Down B: Transform

I think this is where the Koopa shell bit came from for Kamella, so perhaps the Magikoopa can simply summon an enemy to the stage without it connecting with an item. Though, I might like transforming items better.

Final Smash: Boss Battle

This one is probably far more iconic, so I'm going to keep this instead of switching out for Kamella. Kamella most likely could work as a color swap, just as Kammy Koopa could.

Entrance: He will teleport onto the stage.

Taunts: Hold up his wand and wave it around for a second, is a good one. Still the only one really.

Next up: Time to start in on our new characters, starting with an echo fighter: Toadette!