Guards in Bowser’s Keep who are far too weak. Their helmets limit their vision, so they simply throw punches at random and hope for a lucky hit.

Punch: The Terrapin will run up to Mario and take a swing at him. Wait until just before the Punch connects to defend successfully.

These Terrapins serve as simple fodder for Mario at the start of his adventure. In most situations, you’ll defeat your foe without them getting a single attack off but should they do, the Punch will only deal a total of 1 HP.

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He thought he was unstoppable as long as he was on the chandelier. Too bad for him that he underestimated Mario’s powerful jump.

Swipe: Bowser will leap over to Mario and attempt to swipe him, wait until just before the attack connects to nullify all damage.

Tail Spike: Bowser will turn around and shoot a spike from the back of his shell. Wait for the spike to get just before Mario to defend against it.

If you’re paying attention to the on-screen dialogue, you’ll know that Bowser is not your real target here. Instead, ignore him and focus on the Chaindelier behind him with Jump attacks.

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They hold the chandeliers in their teeth without uttering a single complaint. (If they opened their mouth to speak, they’d drop the chandeliers.)

The Chaindelier is the real enemy in your first boss against Bowser. Ignore him, and instead use Jump attacks on the Chaindelier behind him, nailing the timing will inflict around 35 HP to it and after a few strikes, it will fall, sending Bowser tumbling to the ground.

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Most Goombas can be defeated just by stomping on their heads. But watch out! These Goombas’ heads are hard enough to attack with.

Leap: The Goomba will close in and then perform a flip in the air. Wait for the flip to complete before hitting defend.

Perhaps the most iconic, but most unremarkable enemies in Super Mario RPG, you should just use regular timed attacks on them. One hit is often all you need and they deal little in the way of damage to you.

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Doesn’t it seem like the impact sound of their ramming attack, reverberating inside their shells while they’re inside, would get on their nerves?

Shell Attack: The !Paratrooper will retreat into their shells and shoot towards you. Wait until the shell gets just before your hero to time your defense.

Early on, the !Paratrooper can cause some nasty damage if your timing is not on point. Failing to defend against their Shell Attack will see you suffer around 4 HP at Lv 1~2. They do, however, have a weakness to Jump attacks, perfect for Mario’s own Jump attack.

Jump

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The sharp spikes on their backs are important protection against Mario’s jump attacks, so they require diligent maintenance.

Spike Toss: The Spikey will toss one of its spikes toward you, wait until its at medium range before timing your defense.

Spin Attack: The Spikey will dash toward you and then spin in the air before coming crashing down. Look for the Spikey to be toward the end of its spin for the defense timing.

As you may expect, you want to avoid Jump on Spikeys (at least until you get Jump shoes) as you’ll take damage. Instead, rely on simple basic attacks to deal with them.

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They pretended there was only one, but when the battle started, suddenly there were two. Where in the world was the other one hiding?

Hammer Time: The Hammer Bro will toss five hammers at once, wait for the first hammer to land close to Mario to time your defense.

Pound: The Hammer Bro will hop forward and then bring down its hammer on Mario’s head. Wait until just before the attack connects to time your defense.

Valor Up: Once one of the Hammer Bros are defeated, the remaining Bro will use this attack, giving him Defense Up.

This is a much easier battle if you come into it with Fireball learned. Nailing a Hammer Bro with a perfect Fireball can inflict around 45 HP, and using it twice is enough to down a Bro. You’ll need an extra hit for the second Bro, due to Valor Up.

You should have Mushrooms on hand too, be sure to use one if you find Mario’s HP drop below 10 HP.

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Frogogs dislike hanging out with other Frogogs, because if they do and someone calls out “Frogog!” it’s hard to tell who they mean.

Bite: The Frogog will leap forward, pull its head back, and attempt to take a bite out of you. Wait for it to bring its head back toward you to time your defense.

Mucus: The Frogog will lean back and spit mucus toward you. As it arcs up and comes back down, look for when it is just about to connect to time your defense.

The Frogog is the first regular monster you encounter that you may not defeat in one go. Still, they’re weak to Fire, so Mario’s Fireball is a perfect skill to use, even if it costs a hefty 5 FP.

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Their official name is “Blueish-Tinged Gray K-9.” Due to character count limitations, it displays as simply “K-9” in game.

Fangs: The K-9 jumps forward and attempts to take a bite of its target. As with most basic attacks, wait until just before the attack connects to time your defense.

Howl: The K-9 lets out a Howl that inflicts Fear on its target, this lowers all of your stats. You cannot time a defense against this attack.

The K-9 is a simple enemy, but if you’re not careful, Howl can cause some trouble. If you’re struck by it, you’ll suffer lower stats and if there are Frogogs in the battle with them, you can suffer some nasty damage. Focus on these monsters first to prevent them using Howl.

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He doesn’t actually realize the value of Mallow’s grandpa’s coin. He just thought Mallow looked like an easy mark.

Charge: Croco’s basic attack sees him dash at his target, wait until he gets close to the target to time your defense. Should you fail, expect to take around 10 HP of damage.

Bomb: Croco will rummage through his sack and toss a Bomb in the air at his target. Wait until the Bomb is above the target’s head before timing your defense.

Weird Mushroom: Once Croco is nearly defeated, he will rummage through his sack again, only this time, he will produce a Weird Mushroom. This will restore 60 HP.

Having Mallow with you for your second boss encounter makes this a lot easier. Croco has by far more HP than any other encounter, and he can restore 60 HP near death, but he is susceptible to Fire. Using Mario’s Fireball will cause his tail to catch fire, causing him to lose a turn although this will only work once in the battle. Croco can inflict hefty damage, especially with Charge which can easily hit a target for 10 HP, keep an eye on your HP throughout and use Mallow’s HP Rain to restore if needed.

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They look like Shy Guys, but they’re a completely different species that’s part of the Smithy Gang. They attack with vehicles called Shyhoppers.

Hot Shot: The Shymore hops forward and spits a fireball toward its target, inflicting Fire damage. Wait until the fireball is at medium-range to time your defense.

Bounce: The Shymore bounces high in the air, similar to Mario’s own Jump skill. Like with most basic attacks, wait until just before the spring connects with the target’s head to time your defense.

Shymore can pose a problem if you come up across multiple at once, something that will often occur during the Mushroom Kingdom attack. Their Hot Shot attack can deal some hefty damage, especially if more than one use it against you so be ready to heal with Mallow if needed. Avoid using Mallow’s regular attack, as it will do little, instead rely on Hammer or Jump attacks from Mario.

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They got roped into being Claymorton’s bodyguards because they happened to be standing there. Otherwise, they’re not much stronger than other Shymores.

Hot Shot: Just like their lesser counterparts, Shymores, the Bodyguards will hop forward and spit a fireball toward its target. You’re looking for medium-range to time your defense. This will deal around 5 HP if you miss the timing.

Bounce: The Bodyguard will hop high in the air and attempt to land on its target, wait until the spring is close to connecting to time your defense.

Despite only having 30 HP, the Bodyguards are not your main target in this battle. After a while, !Claymorten will just summon more of them so while it can be helpful to have Mallow whittle them down with Thunderbolt while Mario focuses on !Claymorten.

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It may seem like he loves bouncing as much as Shymores. Wrong. He loves it way more. All he ever thinks about is how cool he can make his next bounce.

Bounce: Just like his underlings, !Claymorten’s basic attack is a bounce in the air. Despite him being larger, the timing is the same, wait until the sword is close to connecting to time your defense.

Flame Wall (Can’t block!): !Claymorten will spew fire into the air which, when lands, spreads across the battlefield dealing around 2~5 HP to all party members. You can’t defend against this attack, so make sure you’re not caught out with low HP.

Flame: Not to be confused with the above attack, Flame is a similar attack that will only target one of your party members. The big difference here, however, is that you can guard against this attack. Wait for the flame to get close to its target to time your defense.

Being your first Star Boss, !Claymorten is slightly tougher than those that came before. The biggest nuisance is the four Bodyguards that accompany him. Don’t get caught up in dealing with them though, as he’ll just summon more over time. Instead, make use of Mallow’s Thunderbolt to hit all enemies while also striking !Claymorten’s weakness. The first time you do this, you’ll also stun him for a combat round, making it even more potent.

With Mario, look to play support, or use Jump against !Claymorten, depending on your level and your bonus stats, you can deal more damage to him than Mallow’s Thunderbolt.

Lightning

A Cheep Cheep born and raised in the sewers, washed away to a certain pond. It returned to the sewers later since all its assets were underwater.

Dash: The Cheep Cheep will dash forward, attempting to strike its target. As with all basic attacks, wait until just before its head reaches its target to time your defense.

Cheep Cheep are simple enemies you’ll encounter whenever there is water about. They’ll rely on dashing toward you and although they come at some speed, you should be used to defending against basic attacks by now. If you’re up against three or more of them at once, feel free to use Thunderbolt to target their weakness, otherwise focus on just basic attacks.

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They live underground or in other damp places. But they’re actually sticklers for cleanliness, so they wear white gloves to keep their hands germ-free.

Tail Whip: The Rat Funk leaps forward, turns around, and attempts to whip its tail at its target. Wait for it to turn around and then prepare your defense as the tail comes down.

Poison: The Rat Funk jumps to close range and attempts to take a bite out of its target. Wait until the head is furthest forward to time your defense. Should you fail, there is a chance you will be inflicted with Poison, which lowers your HP every combat round.

You’ll often encounter multiple Rat Funks at once and they can be a bit of a nuisance. Their biggest threat is the Poison attack, which will cause you to take damage every turn should you not defend against it. Considering some of the other enemies you may be up against at the same time, this can add up so consider bringing Poison resistance to the sewers with the Antidote Pin.

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Since becoming undead, they’ve sung nothing but elegies each day. But they do wish they could sometimes sing upbeat, happy songs as well.

Dark Claw: The Hobgoblin leaps forward and rakes its claws down on its target. Wait until you see the animation of the claws before timing your defense. Should you fail, there is a chance to become inflicted with the Poison status.

Bite: The Hobgoblin leaps forward, then moves back a little before attacking with a bite. Wait for when it moves back a little to time your defense.

The Hobgoblin can be a tricky foe, as it has the same capabilities as the Rat Funks that usually accompany it, poisoning their targets, but with the addition of higher HP. Whenever you encounter one, use Mario to attack it with a Jump skill, if you time it right, one such attack should be enough to down them.

Jump

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These monsters are born from dim light and dwell in darkness. Shadows may even lurk in the nooks and corners of rainy cities.

Attack: The Shadow moves in to close-range and then attempts to scare their targets. Wait for when it puts its arms out and eyes widen to time your defense.

Endobubble (Can’t block!): The Shadow conjures a spell on its target, attempting to inflict the Fear status on them, thus lowering all combat stats. You cannot block this attack, so look to use resistance accessories if you have them.

The Shadow is a tricky customer who looks to use tricks against the party to weaken them. Endobubble is the main threat here, you can’t block against it and it will cause Fear, lowering all of your stats until it wears off. This becomes a bigger issue when you have Special Enemies in the battle against you as taking hits from them while under the influence of Fear can really hurt.

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They scream to try to debilitate their enemies with fear, but they end up startling themselves too. Their hearts are secretly always pounding.

Scare: The Boo will appear at close-range, and then attempt to scare their target, dealing minimal damage. Wait until one of the Boo’s eyes are larger to time your defense.

Bolt: The Boo will conjure an electrical Bolt that will strike a single target. Wait for it to open its mouth and get ready to time your defense, you won’t have much time.

You’ll often encounter Boos in groups of three or four, and while they’ll usually use their simple Scare attack, they do have Bolt available to them. The timing on this is harsh, so unless you’re adept at it, you’ll most likely be struck by it which can cause upwards of 20 HP to a party member. If a Shadow is present too and has used Endobubbule to inflict Fear, this becomes a big problem. As such, focus all of your attention on any Boos at the start of a battle.

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Anxious about what might be in the box? You should be—it’s a Huhwhat! They’re usually watching you.

Flame Wall (Can’t block!): The Huhwhat will conjure a flame that engulfs the entire battlefield, dealing Fire damage to all party members. You cannot block this attack, only Fire Resistance will help.

The Huhwhat is a mimic in every sense of the word, taking on the form of a treasure chest. As you may expect from a box that is slightly opened, it’s weak to Jump attacks and should you have learned Super Jump with Mario by now, you’ll be able to take it out in one attack should you nail the timing enough times. Still, keep your HP up, as Flame Wall cannot be blocked against and will hit both party members for around 5~8 HP.

Jump

On occasion, you may see someone pronounce it “Bel-õm,” but the proper way is “Bel-õm.” Take care to pronounce that “O” correctly!

Belome is the final boss of Kero Sewers.

Lick: Belome’s basic attack sees it jump toward its target and lick them, dealing around 8 HP should you miss the timing. Look for when the tongue rises to time your defense.

Scarecrow Funk (Can’t block!): Belome lets out a gust of bad breath, inflicting the Scarecrow, preventing the target from using regular attacks or items. You can prevent this by equipping the Trueform Pin before battle.

Swallow: Belome will move to Mallow and swallow him, making him unavailable until you get him out. Use Mario’s jump attacks to deal enough damage to get Mallow free.

Sleep Sauce (Can’t block!): Belome will hurl mucus at a target, inflicting Sleep should you miss your defense. Like with Scarecrow Funk, if you have a Wake Up Pin equipped, you can resist this attack.

Belome is the very definition of a battle you want to win as quickly as possible. It’s entirely possible to brute force it quickly if you’ve already learned Mario’s Super Jump and your timing is good. The longer the battle goes on, the more you’ll need to deal with attacks such as Swallow, and the various status effects.

To make life easier for yourself, go into the battle with the Trueform Pin on Mario (since it appears that Belome targets Mario with this attack more often) and the Wake Up Pin on Mallow, effectively nullifying its most dangerous attacks.

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I am not a slap.
I am not a star either.
- An annoyed Starslap

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Though easily recognizable, they may not have the name recognition of Goombas or Koopa Paratroopas. So don’t be shy! Say hi to Shy Guys.

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The sleep pollen that Snapdragons produce doesn’t work on them, so sleep-deprived Snapdragons use the pollen from their friends instead.

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When a Crook flees without stealing anything, it’s because they’ve abandoned the idea of Mario carrying anything of value.

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Arachnes have a rude habit of using their Venom Drool on foes lacking Cleansing Juice.

Bite: The Arachne closes in to close-range and attempts to bite the target. Wait until it moves its head forward to time your defense.

Venom Drool (Can’t block!): The Arachne spits a glob of Poison at a single target. This will inflict Poison unless you have resistance, and the attack cannot be blocked.

Like most enemies that use Poison, you’ll want to target them first. What makes the Arachne more dangerous than other monsters is the fact that Venom Drool cannot be blocked, meaning unless you have resistance to Poison, it will hit you. As always, focus target them and two regular timed attacks should be enough to down them.

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Is the Forest Maze known as Wiggler Forest because Wigglers live there, or are they called Wigglers because they live in Wiggler Forest? No one knows.

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They have high HP and Attack, and their thrown rocks hurt quite a bit, so watch out for that. They often get mistaken for someone else.

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Amanitas are always spinning round and round. They will probably spin forever, so long as this world keeps turning.

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The wingy-thingies the Octolots dangle from are black, so they don’t seem to be Paratroopas. Just try telling that to them though.

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The debate over whether these are bumblebees or rumblebees has raged for nearly 30 years, but the true answer is in your heart.

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The heads of the Rose Town citizens looked like targets to him, so he let loose a volley of arrows on them. He is attended by his arrow followers, Aeros.

The final boss of Forest Maze.

They face upward and snap their jaws threateningly before biting. They haven’t realized that this telegraphs their attacks for Action Commands.

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It takes careful preparation in advance to beat one of those incredibly quick enemies. If you can do it, be sure to brag to all your friends.

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Children eventually become parents, carried and thrown by their own young. Thus are the Magmites’ ways passed from generation to generation.

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Careless detonations can lead to cave-ins, so if the miners of Moleville see one of these around the mines, they leave the area immediately.

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You’d think that they get along since they always act as a team. But word is that on their off days, they do their own thing and barely even talk.

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Some think the Clusters’ crystal body is armor to guard the true form from magic. Insiders must be well-protected.

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Before he knew it, the three fledgling thieves he met on Rose Way looked to him as a leader. They’ve since had many successful escapes as a gang.

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Punchinello created these bombs by studying Bob-ombs. Due to their smaller size, they’re also less powerful than a true Bob-omb.

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Punchinello left home to accomplish something big. This outsized bomb was one stab at making that dream come true.

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As a result of throwing bombs willy-nilly to become a famous bomb-maker, he faced exploder’s remorse and flamed out early.

Apparently the Spikeys living in Booster Pass turned green from the health drinks they subsist on, which are made from fresh grass.

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It’s a little-known fact that these came first, and that the vegetables were named for their resemblance to the deadly monster.

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You can’t fight Lakitus in midair without jumping from a high place. But you knew that, of course, since you’ve battled one…right?

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They know they should get more veggies in their diet, but they’re picky eaters so they mostly just go for carrots.

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As apprentices, they undergo intense daily training–such as chasing beetles–in hopes of becoming Snifsters.

Bolt: The Apprentice will conjure a Bolt that strikes a single target. Wait until the bolt connects with the target to time your defense.

Static Electricity (Can’t block!): Staying with the theme of lightning, the Apprentice will shoot electrical bolts that hit the entire party, this attack cannot be blocked.

Before you can even meet the Apprentice, you must first complete !Booster Pass and then return after, you’ll find him in the area with all of the Spikey monsters in the pits. Once you begin the battle, you’ll find that the Apprentice should pose little threat, depending on when you return to fight it.

It only has 120 HP, but it will use magical attacks against you that can hurt if you fight it as soon as you’re able and you don’t block Bolt. Still, with only 120 HP, a few timed regular attacks should be all you need to defeat it.

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They seem to have no interest in becoming Snifsters and are content to remain Snifits forever.

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They look like magic staves, but they have cutting-edge features, such as the ability to stretch or shrink themselves at will.

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They carry cards with them, so they’re always ready to play. But their habit of throwing cards around means they never get to play with a full deck.

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Those who distinguish themselves are promoted to Snifsters. Scuttlebutt is that whoever defeats the intruder in the tower will get the nod.

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