Bandinero

BANDINERO

Across all of Wario's games, he has encountered multiple different forms of small round blobs with feet who act as his most basic foes. Going by names such as Pirate Gooms, Spearheads, and Merumen, all fall into a single basic concept. In Wario Land: Shake It! the most notable of these come as henchmen of the Shake King, helping him take the Merfles hostage.

These are the Bandineros, a sort of full realization of all the various ideas behind these character types, with multiple varieties that mimic concepts introduced in earlier generations. All in all though, they are similar to Goombas, Koopas, and Shy Guys, acting as the most basic of all henchmen.

As a fighter, the Bandinero will incorporate aspects from all the various incarnations the Wario series has seen over the years, with the moveset pulling from all. They will be light and fairly weak, but with a solid speed stat to them and a few clever tricks.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Second Chance: Basic Wario Enemies

BASIC WARIO ENEMIES

So, across Wario's games, Wario encountered a general concept of a basic Goomba-style enemies with some generally recurring features. They were all basic round blobs with feet, and most of them came with at least one variety that stabbed something forward. Wario Land I had Wanderin' Gooms, with the spinoff Pirate Gooms who carried spears. In Wario Land II, three Pirate Gooms are constantly following around Captain Syrup and acting as her goofy henchmen. Wario Land 3 had Spearheads with the spears built into their noses, and Para-Gooms who carried around spiked umbrellas they could use as shields. Wario Land 4 had Merumen, who are pretty basic. Finally, we have the Bandineros of Wario Land: Shake It! who appear to be the finalized combination of all these ideas and generally the most iconic. The Bandinero comes with multiple variants, including the Floating Bandinero who can inflate itself, the Pitchfork (the standard stabby version), the Boomdinero who can fire spiky balls from its armor, and the Buccaneros who wield swords.

All in all, if you put them together, I really have no choice but to say . . . 

YES

I think I will call the entire thing Bandinero, and then have certain color swaps be the other guys. Cool? Cool. Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Pitchfork

The Bandinero will thrust forward with a spear, trident, or fork depending on the color swap, basically being a standard stab move.

Side B: Boomdinero

The Boomdinero's armor will appear around it and it will be able to fire a spike ball as a projectile.

Up B: Floating Bandinero

It will suck up a bunch of air and be able to float upwards.

Down B: Para-Goom

It will produce a spiked parasol that it will be able to use as a shield, damaging to anyone who gets too close.

Final Smash: Sabotage

You will have a cutscene of three of these enemies messing with some water works, after which the stage will flood and the players will get washed away.

Entrance: They will rush on then look around confused.

Taunts: Up, they will hold up a bag of treasure they stole. Side, they will poke their spear out sideways. Down, another one will appear and they will bump into each other.

Kirby Hat: Bandinero's bandana

Kart: Based on a pirate ship

Special Move: A short spear will stick out from the kart's side, stabbing anyone who gets too close.

Spirit Battle: A horde battle, with either Captain Syrup or Shake King as support, on The Sweet Stuff.

Victory Screen: A line of them with rush across the screen carrying treasure.

Losing Screen: They will sit and look dizzy as if just thrown.

Color Swaps: Red Bandinero, Pirate Goom, Spearhead, Merumen, Blue Bandinero, Yellow Bandinero, White Bandinero, and Golden Bandinero

Thanks for reading! Next up, a villain who could be a gimmick rep.

S.S. Teacup

The first two Wario Land games followed Wario’s rivalry with the pirate queen Captain Syrup, whose crew was holed up at their hideout on Kitchen Isle, their ship, the S.S. Teacup docked in the bay.

The stage will take place on the Teacup as it sails around the island. The layout will match the Teacup’s design, differing it from other ship-based stages like Gangplank Galleon. In the background, players will be able to see numerous familiar locations of Wario Land.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj5xiJvT_Pk

Captain Syrup

Wario’s huge success following his introduction saw him replacing Mario as the protagonist of the next Super Mario Land game, now titled Wario Land. The plot would find him adrift after being ousted from Mario’s castle, coming to an island a band of pirates had made their hideout.

These pirates were led by a woman named Captain Maple Syrup. She would menace Wario in this game and return in Wario Land II, seeking revenge for her defeat in the previous game. After that, she fell off the map for a while before returning in Wario Land: Shake It!

As a fighter, she will have decent speed and strength to her, and will also dabble in sneaky moves from time to time. Her moveset will pull from her two games as the main villain and her supporting role in her third game.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Wario

Rather than bringing back Tatanga as the main villain from the original Super Mario Land, the game’s handheld sequel instead introduced a new rival for Mario, a fat, greedy doppelganger of the plumber who moved in and took over Mario’s castle while he was away in Sarasa-Land.

This doppelganger was Wario, his name literally meaning “Bad Mario.” Much like Yoshi before him, Wario would see a rampant spike in popularity following his introduction, becoming the star of the next handheld sequel and going on to have two spinoff series and playable roles in every sports and party game.

As a fighter, Wario will be large and heavy, with a lot of power, but more erratic and chaotic moves meant to confuse opponents. This version of the character’s moves will pull primarily from the Wario Land series and his appearance in the Mario series.

Likelihood rating: Already in

Character Sheet: Captain Syrup (Original Handhelds)

CAPTAIN SYRUP

Now, let's quickly go over the few new characters and those who need revision. It's probably no surprise that there are only a few of both in total:

1. Mario (Revision)
8. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
10. Goomba (Revision)
11. Piranha Plant (Revision)
12. Boo (Revision)
35. Princess Daisy
36. Wario
37. Tatanga
38. Captain Syrup

Today, let's go over that swashbuckling mistress of the seas, Captain Maple Syrup, better known as Wario's nemesis from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Wario Land II. Captain Syrup is the captain of the S.S. Teacup, with a hideout for herself and her crew set up on the distant Kitchen Isle. She acts as the final boss in the first Wario Land, and as a recurring boss and antagonist all throughout Wario Land II, with plenty to work with over the course of both.

In her first battle, Captain Syrup relies on an enormous genie on whose shoulder she rides, throwing out bombs as it fights with fireballs and a bunch of mini-genies. In her multiple battles across Wario Land II, Captain Syrup instead makes good use of a number of flying machines rigged to pull off certain effects on the battlefield. She throws bombs once again, so that's obviously part of her moveset. She can send up pillars of fire from the floor and fire electric beams at the ground while sending out balls of electricity. She could also control a giant mechanical Goom, and blast fire from below her machine. Throughout the cutscenes of Wario Land II, she is also constantly in the company of a trio of Pirate Gooms, who help her pull off her heist against Wario. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a character concept where these three characters were following her around much like the Pikmin. Let's see what we can do.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Giant Bomb
Captain Syrup throws out one of her enormous bombs that explodes after a number of seconds, doing heavy damage. These bombs can also be thrown back at her.

Side B: Pirate Goom
She sends out one of her faithful minions to jab an opponent with its spear. This can work whether or not the Gooms are following her around in her character model.

Up B: Fire Burst
She jumps into a flying machine that shoots a short blast of fire from below, launching her into the air and doing damage from below.

Down B: Electric Beam
She jumps in a different machine that fires downward a beam of electricity that stuns any enemies caught by it.

Final Smash: Genie
She rubs a lamp and summons her genie, which she then hops on the shoulder of. The genie floats around, throwing fireballs and summoning mini-genies to wreak havoc.

Entrance: Maybe her first appearance laying on a bed in her throne room from the first game. OR maybe running onto the stage, followed by her gooms, reenacting the comedic bit of the last one bumping into the others by mistake.

Taunts: Her little arm pumping animation from the cutscenes of Wario Land II. Maybe Shake It! gives a few more things.

Thanks for reading! Now, let's get a good look at our updated roster.

Character Sheet: Wario (Original Handhelds)

WARIO

Now, let's quickly go over the few new characters and those who need revision. It's probably no surprise that there are only a few of both in total:

1. Mario (Revision)
8. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
10. Goomba (Revision)
11. Piranha Plant (Revision)
12. Boo (Revision)
35. Princess Daisy
36. Wario
37. Tatanga
38. Captain Syrup

Hoo boy, we have some stuff to get through, and I can't even rely on the currently existing moveset to help sort it out, considering I'm pretty sure not a darn thing in Wario's moves was lifted from these games. So, I guess I'm pretty much out on my own with this one. Wario appears in Super Mario Land 2 as the villain, before completely hijacking the series and turning it into four total subsequent games entirely starring him. In Land 2, his boss battle consisted of him mimicking Mario's moves from the game, while the first Wario Land gave him a seemingly beefed up version of Mario's moveset with roided-up versions of the previous power-ups before Wario Land 2 and beyond gave him a new game concept of transformations occurring as a result of certain enemies' actions upon him.

In general, Wario is heavier and stronger than Mario. Rather than using skill and acrobatics, Wario often relies on brute strength to get the job done, including an elbow rush seen in all four Wario Land games, as well as the ability to ground pound and cause an earthquake. He is also incredible durable, and tends to use the effects of other's attacks and turn them to his own gain. This can make him quite the versatile foe. I think, as he originated as a dark mirror to Mario, I might be able to use Mario's current moveset to sort out everything Wario brings to the table.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Shoulder Rush
Wario suddenly charges forward with his elbow, knocking everyone and everything out of his way. This is based on his most common offensive moves in the game.

Side B: Enemy Effect
This move mirrors Mario's current Side B, which allows him to access a number of power-ups that cause different effects on him. These can include Fiery (which lights Wario on fire for a time), Fat (which makes him heavier and more powerful), Drunk (which surrounds him in a cloud of noxious gas), Vampire (which lets him flutter around the stage as a bat), and Zombie (which makes him impervious to harm). An enemy known for inflicting these states will appear briefly to cause it.

Up B: Spring
Wario will gain the bouncy state that he often receives after being smacked with a hammer and bounce high into the air. (This is probably the closest to anything in his current moveset, so it works).

Down B: Earthquake
Wario will do a heavy butt bash, shaking the stage and burying anyone in the immediate vicinty.

Final Smash: Boss Rush
Big Bird, Sewer Rat, the Witch, and the Octopus from Super Mario Land 2 will appear on screen, Sewer Rat, speeding back and forth across the stage, Big Bird swooping from above, the Witch casting fire on the stage, and the Octopus spawning smaller octopi to attack, all together creating massive havoc for the players. Yeah, that sounds fun.

Entrance: crashing in his jetplane from Wario Land 3?

Taunts: maybe I should have saved the drunk stage for this. Also, his seemingly bashful expression when Mario approaches him in Land 2. And maybe when he throws a shoe at the end of the battle.

Thanks for reading! Next time, let's check out the long forgotten villain of Super Mario Land: Tatanga!

Character Sheet: Koopa Troopa (Original Handhelds)

KOOPA TROOPA

Now, let's quickly go over the few new characters and those who need revision. It's probably no surprise that there are only a few of both in total:

1. Mario (Revision)
8. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
10. Goomba (Revision)
11. Piranha Plant (Revision)
12. Boo (Revision)
35. Princess Daisy
36. Wario
37. Tatanga
38. Captain Syrup

Today, let's go over what little more the Koopa Troopa has to give us. The Koopa appears as a common enemy in both of the Mario Land games, and though not appearing themselves, a boss called Spiked Koopa appears in the first Wario Land. In the first Mario Land game, the Koopa gains the unfortunate ability to explode when stepped on, rather than just tucking into its shell. This explosive ability is passed on to what looks like a Buzzy Beetle in the second game. From Spiked Koopa, we gain the spiky armor that likely inspired the armored Koopas from the Paper Mario series. He could also float and spin in midair or burrow underground. We'll see it this gives us anything new.

Here is the moveset as it is now:

Standard B: Shell Projectile
Stays the same

Side B: Shell Spin

Stays the same

Up B: Paratroopa

Stays the same

Down B: Shell Tuck

I thought I'd keep this the way it was. It seemed the only spot the Bomb Koopa would fit, but I feel their defensive move of tucking inside their shells fit far more.

Final Smash: King Koopa

Still the 8-bit Bowser

Entrance: Starts out in his shell, before emerging using the standard animation

Taunts: Giving a thumbs up and making the iconic Koopa sound, stepping outside of his shell and looking it over while in his underwear, maybe sleeping like a Snooza Koopa.

Next up: Let's check out the Goomba and see if they get anything new.

Character Sheet: Mario (Original Handhelds)

MARIO

Now, let's quickly go over the few new characters and those who need revision. It's probably no surprise that there are only a few of both in total:

1. Mario (Revision)
8. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
10. Goomba (Revision)
11. Piranha Plant (Revision)
12. Boo (Revision)
35. Princess Daisy
36. Wario
37. Tatanga
38. Captain Syrup

Mario only appears as the main character in the first two of the games covered this time, Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, with only a small cameo in the third game, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, meaning he has significantly less to work with than in previous revisions. However, I was a little disappointed with his previous revision, so I think I'll fix that up here as well.

Across the three games, Mario gains the ability to throw super balls, which are basically fireballs that bounce around a lot more. He can also pilot a submarine and a plane, though both will likely fit more into Daisy's moveset as a reference character, as Mario has much more to work with. He could also fly great distances with bunny ears in the second game, and his helicopter from Donkey Kong Jr. makes a surprise reappearance in the third game.

Here is Mario's revised moveset:

Standard B: Fireball

Mario's most iconic move. Still keeping it here.

Side B: Power-Up

The power-up move has been moved up here, as it didn't feel right being in the Down B slot. The move will still give Mario a number of power-ups from across the games, most of which are chosen so that they mostly change up his stats rather than having random effects (think more Shulk than Hero). These are still Super Mario, Winged Mario, Metal Mario, and Pixel Mario, with Invincible Mario to be included once a suitable Final Smash replacement appears.

Up B: Super Jump Punch

Still Super Jump Punch based on his jumping animation when he hits a block.

Down B: Mario Tornado

Now between the Galaxy games, Odyssey, and Super Mario Land 2, we have seen Mario consistently perform a spin to knock enemies away or break blocks, so I think its fair to include it now. As I work on this project, its becoming clear that I will likely be including an alternate version of Mario based on his various fursuit forms, and so I am starting to edge out all moves based on them, meaning the tail flick and statue are both gone, but will return soon enough.

Final Smash: Starman

Still here. Fortunately, the next set of games will give him the Mega Mushroom to consider.

Entrance: Pops up from a warp pipe.

Taunts: Most of his Smash taunts have now been seen, so many of them.

Next up, we'll cover the Koopa Troopa once more.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

WARIO LAND: SUPER MARIO LAND 3

Super Mario Land 3, or more accurately, the first of the Wario Land series was a sequel/spinoff to the handheld Super Mario Land series that then spun off the whole franchise into a series of Wario Land sequels eventually leading to the creation of the Wario franchise itself, though its representation in Smash is more representative of the Wario Ware series than the Wario Land series. It's a shame. These games have quite a bit of their own character.

Wario Land follows Wario after his unceremonious defeat at the hands of Mario as he washes up on Kitchen Island and tries to rob a local pirate crew of their treasure. The game had a much greater focus on collecting as many coins as possible and less on simply completing the level. Sort of a predecessor to New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Our main cast is fairly minimal, with Wario as our . . . protagonist of sorts, and Captain Syrup as our villain, though Mario does make a small cameo at the end, complete with his helicopter from Donkey Kong Jr. (Is anyone else but me noticing that Mario just happens to have a personal helicopter at his disposal yet he never uses it). Wario's moveset here seems to be almost a beefed up version of Mario's in the previous game. On top of running and jumping, Wario can also ground pound and elbow opponents out of the way. Instead of a feather that lets him throw fireballs, he has a dragon helmet that can breathe a stream of flames. Instead of bunny ears that let him fly short distances, he has a jet helmet that can jet him straight across vast expanses. Finally, he has a bull helmet that lets him barrel through blocks, charge forward, and stick into the ceiling. He can also pick up and throw enemies around like it's nothing.

Captain Syrup, on the other hand, is a pretty simple fighter, at least in this game. For her boss battle, she simply summons an enormous genie that floats around, throws fireballs, and creates mini-genies, while she rides on its shoulder and throws bombs at Wario. She also commands an army of pirates and will have future battles to come, but this is all she gives us for now.

Speaking of an army of pirates, let's get into some of them now. First up are her bosses: Spiked Koopa is a Koopa Troopa covered in spiky armor who can tuck into his shell and spin like normal Koopas, but can also float in the air and rise from the sand below him. Bifun is a bull who will charge and can also pick up and throw his enemies. Hinyari is a penguin with punching gloves and can wear a spiked helmet at times. Funfun is a floating head that sticks out his tongue and throws spike balls. Bobo is Captain Syrup's pet bird who guards her ship and sends out smaller birds (Watches) to attack. Zenisuki is a ghost that pops out smaller ghosts. And of course, we've already covered the genie.

From here, we move on to the smaller enemies. Almost everything here is entirely original to this game, so I'll try to get through them as quickly as I can. Pirate Gooms and Wandering Gooms are this series' version of Goombas, and I can't quite tell if they're the same or not. Pirate Gooms carry spears. D.D.'s are also common, being pirate ducks that throw boomerangs. From there we have: Bucket Heads, snowmen that throw snowflakes; Chicken Ducks, peaceful creatures that drop coins; Demon Bats, that do what they sound like; Gaugaus, pirate rats that throw knives; Goboten, a seal with a harpoon; Guragura, a mole with a mace; Harisu, a hedgehog; Helmut, a jellyfish with a spiky helmet; Konotako, a flying bomb; Maizo, a crab; Munchers, basically Nippers; Paidan, basically Hoopsters; Pecans, pelicans that spit mines; Penkoons, penguins that roll rocks at you; Pikkarikun, a thundercloud; Pinwheel, a spinning sea horse; Pouncer, a Thwomp that can chase you; Togemaru, a bouncing ball of spikes; Ukiwani, a bored crocodile floating in the water; Watch, a bird; White Puff, a small creature that inflates when touched; Yadora, a hermit crab; and a Knight who guards Captain Syrup's throne room. None of them really give me much to work with, but I'll keep an eye on the most common ones.

The game takes place across various regions of Kitchen Island, including: Rice Beach, a beach; Mt. Teapot, a cavernous, waterfall area; Sherbet Land, an ice level; Stove Canyon, a lava level; S.S. Teacup, Captain Syrup's pirate ship; Parsley Woods, a haunted forest level; and Syrup Castle, Syrup's hideout.

Of course, our items include Wario's bull helmet, dragon helmet, and jet helmet, and lots and lots and lots of coins and treasures.

Let's see what we've got:

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, super balls, submarine, plane, downward spin, grow, fireballs, fly with bunny ears, helicopter
Wario: get bigger, bunny ears, fireballs, slam down, knock down globes, booby traps, Wario balls, throw shoe, elbow, charge forward, stick in ceiling, dragon fire, jet propulsion, pick up and throw.
Tatanga: fly ship, three energy balls, swoop, crescent, ball
Captain Syrup: army of pirates, Bobo, Genie, throw bombs, genie's lamp, fireballs, mini-genies.
Daisy: not much, unless reference character
Koopa: explode, walk forward, spikes, float, spin, burrow
Goomba: walk forward, ghost, Paragoomba, scuba helmet, maybe Gooms
Piranha Plant: bite, nippers
Boo: hide, float

Bosses:
King Totomesu
Dragonzamasu
Hiyoihoi
Biokinton
Big Bird
Sewer Rat
Witch
Three Little Pigs
Octopus
Spiked Koopa
Bifun
Hinyari
Funfun
Bobo
Zenisuki
Genie

Stages:
Birabuto Kingdom
Muda Kingdom
Easton Kingdom
Chai Kingdom
Tree Zone
Space Zone
Macro Zone
Pumpkin Zone
Mario Zone
Turtle Zone
Mario Castle
Rice Beach
Mt. Teapot
Sherbet Land
Stove Canyon
S.S. Teacup
Parsley Woods
Syrup Castle

Items:
Super Ball Flower
Mushroom
Fire Flower
Carrot
Heart

Thanks for reading! Next time, we're full on Wario series with Wario Land II!