Boom Boom
| Boom Boom | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 In-game artwork fromDr. Mario World | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Tennis Fever (2026) | ||
| Latest portrayal | Sho Murata (2011–present) | ||
| Variant of | Koopa | ||
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- “Mario! This isLord Bowser'sisland! Boom Boom says SCRAM!”
- —Boom Boom,Mario Tennis Aces
Boom Boom (sometimes stylized asBoom-Boom orBOOM-BOOM[1]) is one ofBowser's main henchmen in some games of theSuper Mario series. While Boom Boom is often portrayed as an individual character, it is sometimes shown that there are multiple Boom Booms. Boom Boom debuted inSuper Mario Bros. 3, where he often battles Mario orLuigi infortresses. Boom Boom then later made his return appearance inSuper Mario 3D Land as one of the two secondary antagonists who often appears inairships, along with his female partnerPom Pom. AfterSuper Mario 3D Land, Boom Boom reappeared in later games more often. Compared toBowser's species, he has a complete shell instead of a carapace not directly connected to his plastron, and the shell itself may or may not have spikes on it, depending on the game. Additionally, he has enormous hands that he swings around as fists as his primary form of attack.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 /Super Mario All-Stars /Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Boom Boom is a recurring boss withinSuper Mario Bros. 3. He helps Bowser and theKoopalings invade theMushroom World's seven kingdoms. Boom Boom appears in the fortresses of each kingdom, fighting Mario and Luigi to prevent them from going any closer to the Koopalings. However, the Mario Bros. prevail, and his fortresses get destroyed thanks to themagic balls he dropped. After he fails to protect the Koopalings, Boom Boom also appears in many levels inDark Land; specifically inWorld 8-Fortress and all thebattleships,airships, andtanks - except for the first tank set, which is instead manned by aBoomerang Bro. Due to palette inconsistencies between locations in the original version, he appears dark brown in most places, blue and gray inWorld 2-
Fortress, tan with white details inWorld 6-Fortress 2, and tan with lighter tan details in vehicle levels, though later versions have him consistently tan.
In battle, Boom Boom begins by simply walking left and right towards Mario while flailing his arms, occasionally crouching down and revealing his large spikes, then bouncing back into his attacking behavior. After being hit, he either starts to charge and jump very high or flies with his winged arms; the latter strategy first appeared inWater Land's first fortress, and is telegraphed ahead of time by the hurt animation for the first stomp having the wings. During either strategy, he will still occasionally crouch, temporarily losing his wings in the latter strategy. After a second hit, Boom Boom walks left and right again but very quickly, possibly as a desperation tactic, no longer crouches, and loses his wings if he had any. After the third hit, he releases amagic ball that destroys the fortress Boom Boom is in when Mario or Luigi touch it, and either opens a lock or makes a bridge appear elsewhere on the map.
Boom Boom can be defeated either from threestomps, being hit by five ofFire Mario'sfireballs, or from five of Hammer Mario'shammers (though he can do with as little as one hammer if the aim is precise enough, with the sound of it connecting multiple times rapidly playing; this is likely a side effect of the hammer traveling through him rather than vanishing on impact like the fireball, so each of the smaller sprites making up Boom Boom count as a separate "hit" if the hammer touches them all).
Because of ambiguity in the language used in the instruction manuals ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 and itsports, it is unknown whether there is a different Boom Boom in each fortress or if they are all the same one. However, twoWorld-e levels (Swinging Bars of Doom andIce Cubed) inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 have the player fight two Boom Booms at once. He also acts as the key art for the World-e levelTreacherous Halls.
Despite listing him separately in the Friends and Foes section, thePrima Games guide ofSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 refers to Boom Boom as aKoopaling.[2]
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Boom Boom is a recurring boss withinSuper Mario 3D Land. He has a new, boomerang-wielding partner namedPom Pom, as well as having an audible voice for the first time, which is quite deep. In an interview, Koichi Hayashida explained that "whenTanooki Mario appeared, some members of the team wanted to include Boom Boom and the Koopalings. Then we created a type of gameplay where the enemy follows as you run around the room, and we thought this would be interesting, so we used Boom Boom to put it into the game."[3] Boom Boom, Pom Pom, Bowser, along with the rest of his minions, invade theMushroom Kingdom to kidnapPrincess Peach, and take most of theSuper Leaves during a storm. Mario receives a letter from Bowser and goes after them.
After the defeat of the firstTail Bowser, Boom Boom appears aboard theWorld 2Airship, where he fought in a flat windowed cabin arena. In battle, Boom Boom spins wildly with his arms and fists to hurt Mario which makes his head more difficult to stomp, but after doing this for a while, he becomes dizzy and vulnerable. He is also still vulnerable to fireballs fromFire Mario, now in addition to the tail swipe ofTanooki Mario and boomerangs fromBoomerang Mario - a single tail strike counts as one hit, while it takes five fireballs or boomerang hits to do the same. When hit, Boom Boom can also attack by retreating into his large shell and then spinning fast in random directions, in a similar fashion to theKoopalings when they are hit by the player inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii. After taking three hits (or up to 15, with projectile attacks) Boom Boom, defeated, will vanish while releasing tencoins.
He reappears on theWorld 3airship, where he is fought in a more mechanical arena with a floor comprised of two conveyor belts: one running to the left in the upper half of the room, and one running right on the lower half. This can make his spins faster or slower depending on where he is. After he is defeated in Worlds 2 and 3, Pom Pom replaces him in Worlds 4 and 6. He makes an appearance in the photo Mario receives before he heads intoWorld 7, where he, alongside the rest of Bowser's minions, chases Princess Peach down after she escapes from Bowser.
He is fought alongside Pom Pom in the world'sairship, battling Mario for the final time of the main adventure, still using his own theme. While Boom Boom's behavior is the same as before, being fought on a blue floor, Pom Pom fights on the elevated portion of the area where her boomerangs create an additional hazard while trying to jump on Boom Boom. If Pom Pom is defeated first, the elevated floor will fall to Boom Boom's level, giving him a full arena for the rest of the fight. Both are defeated in the end, however.
He and Pom Pom return to fight Mario in the Special Worlds. Both are fought onSpecial 4-
Airship, albeit separately. Boom Boom battles the same way as before, although the arena features spikes which will emerge from the center and outer area of the room at different intervals, potentially damaging Mario andLuigi while also giving them less room to avoid his attacks. After he is defeated, Mario or Luigi can go off to fight Pom Pom. InSpecial 6-Airship, Boom Boom appears as an optional boss. His fight appears to be identical to World 2's at first, but Boom Boom now gains the ability to create a trail of flames with his spin attack, alongside it being faster. In theSpecial 7Mystery Box, there is a chance that the player will enter a box featuring Boom Boom. His behavior remains unchanged from the previous levels, and only requires one hit to be defeated. Finally, inSpecial 8-
Crown, Mario fights both Boom Boom and Pom Pom at the same time, similarly to the boss fight of World 7-Airship, but with Boom Boom being able to make use of his trail-blazing attack from Special 6-Airship (and Pom Pom's battle theme being used instead of his).
Boom Boom also receives a unique boss theme in this game;in the demo version of the game at E3 2011, he instead used a version of the music used by bosses such asPeewee Piranha inSuper Mario Galaxy 2.[4]
The official European and Oceanian websites refer to both Boom Boom and Pom Pom in the plural sense.[5] Therefore, it is possible that the player is fighting different individuals in each airship, although the Prima guide and the American website[6] use the singular, and only one Boom Boom or Pom Pom is seen onscreen at any given time.
New Super Mario Bros. U /New Super Luigi U /New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Boom Boom returns inNew Super Mario Bros. U as a boss in a majority of thetower levels, aside fromScrewtop Tower andSlide Lift Tower and their respectiveNew Super Luigi U equivalentsSumo Bro's Spinning Tower andStonecrush Tower, whereBoss Sumo Bro andMagikoopa respectively, will act as the bosses in Boom Boom's stead.
Boom Boom will stand on top of the fortresses on the map, much like theKoopalings andMagikoopa inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii and will disappear once he is defeated. While multiple Boom Booms appear on each fortress at the same time, thePrima guide states that these are all the same individual. Boom Boom reuses his design fromSuper Mario 3D Land, although his shell once again possesses spikes as he did inSuper Mario Bros. 3. However, unlike that game, he does not retreat into his shell; a small cutscene plays at the beginning of fights instead, and when he is hit, he dizzily flops to the ground and gets back up after a few seconds, achieving the same effect.
Before each battle afterAcorn Plains, Boom Boom is assisted by Magikoopa, who will use his magic on him the same way he did with bosses inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Magikoopa will grant Boom Boom these abilities:
- Layer-Cake Desert: Will grant Boom Boom the ability to spin jump. He retains this ability in his fights in Sparkling Waters, Frosted Glacier, and Soda Jungle.
- Sparkling Waters andFrosted Glacier: Will grant Boom Boom the ability to jump similarly toSuper Mario Bros. 3, though for the duration of the fight.
- Soda Jungle: Will increase Boom Boom's size and not alter the battle in any other way.
- Rock-Candy Mines: Will transform Boom Boom's arms into wings, similar toSuper Mario Bros. 3, which he retains until defeated.
Super Mario 3D World /Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Boom Boom reappears inSuper Mario 3D World andSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. His appearance and music are the same as in3D Land and maintains much of the same fighting style, but this time with a few new tricks and properties. Boom Boom leads the tank armies inWorld 2 andWorld 6, as Airships do not appear in this game.
He is first fought aboardBowser's Bullet Bill Brigade in World 2. He fights once again by spinning wildly with his arms and fists before becoming dizzy and vulnerable, with a single hit sending him spinning in his shell. After the first hit, Boom Boom turns almost invisible while spinning, and so does his shell spin after the second hit, with the only sign of his appearance being his impact against the walls. Before the third hit, his invisibility becomes more difficult to see. As before, three hits defeats Boom Boom, but this time he can be defeated with nine projectiles (three for each hit) instead of fifteen.
OnBowser's Bob-omb Brigade in World 6, Boom Boom's spin attack lasts longer. This time, instead of turning invisible, after being hit the first time and doing his shell spin, he will teleport to another position with a duplicate of his shell after the first hit, and two after the second hit. He is defeated in the same way as before. In the ending, he appears to be upset about Bowser (who is trapped in a bottle) and being defeated once again, while Pom Pom tries to cheer him up.
Boom Boom reappears inWorld Flower's final level,Boss Blitz where he is fought the same way as in World 2. He also makes an appearance inWorld Crown'sMystery House Marathon where he guards the penultimateGreen Star. However, Boom Boom here is defeated after only one hit, similar to his3D Land Mystery Box appearances.
A cat variation of Boom Boom known asCat Boom Boom appears inBowser's Fury. He is fought twice in theClawswipe Colosseum. His battle in his first encounter, titled "Clash with Cat Boom Boom," is based on his battle in World 2 and Boss Blitz, while his second encounter, titled "Final Bout with Cat Boom Boom," is based on his battle in World 6.
Super Mario Run[edit]
Boom Boom reappears inSuper Mario Run as the boss of all airship courses that have boss battles. Those courses areAirship Cannons...Fire! inWorld 2,Firing the Airship's Burners inWorld 4,Throwing It All Overboard inWorld 6, andAirship Plunder inWorld ★. He retains his appearance fromNew Super Mario Bros. U. His only attack is running towards Mario. If he runs past Mario, he slows down as he turns around before resuming pursuit. He bounces off the walls of the room with a small hop. When he is knocked down from being stomped Boom Boom actually has no hitbox; while he cannot take damage until he stands up, neither can his body or spikes inflict any. Defeating Boom Boom is not worth any coins, and he cannot beleveled up. Each arena is a room inside the airship, with most of them having a width that matches the width of the screen.
Airship Cannons...Fire! has a traditional battle, though Boom Boom does not turn around if he misses, instead only doing so against walls. Firing the Airship's Burners has oneBurner at the bottom of each wall. These Burners alternate firing during the battle, in that when one turns off the other indicates that it will turn on. Both shut off permanently when Boom Boom is defeated. Throwing It All Overboard has Boom Boom jump whenever he is on the ground and is not turning around.[7] Airship Plunder has a battle against two Boom Booms at the same time, in a room that is wider than the width of the screen. While they start the battle standing on top of each other, the Boom Booms start off moving in opposite directions. The Boom Boom initially on top appears golden and shining, and it drops coins around it whenever it runs at full speed. The Boom Booms collide with each other. Both Boom Booms must be defeated individually with three hits each.
Boom Boom also appears inVS Boom Boom in Remix 10. The battle is identical to the battle in Airship Cannons... Fire!
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Boom Boom appears as an enemy inSuper Mario Maker 2. Boom Boom appears in all styles, with theSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario World styles giving him new sprites.
In theSuper Mario Bros. 3,New Super Mario Bros. U andSuper Mario 3D World styles, he behaves identically to their respective original games, though he now crouches when stomped on in the main four styles, even in theNew Super Mario Bros. U style; theSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario World styles use the same behavior as inSuper Mario Bros. 3. When he is stomped twice, he dashes faster and occasionally jumps in the first three styles; in theNew Super Mario Bros. U style, he insteadSpin Jumps like his appearance inStoneslide Tower of the original game.
If Boom Boom is given wings, he will fly across the screen and occasionally swoop down in an attempt to hurt the player in the main four styles, akin to his appearances inWorld 7-Fortress fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 andGrinding-Stone Tower fromNew Super Mario Bros. U; in theSuper Mario 3D World style, he instead floats while spinning.
Boom Boom can also be put on aLakitu's Cloud orKoopa Clown Car, though damaging him makes him fall off of the vehicle, just likeBowser Jr. and theKoopalings when placed on a Lakitu's Cloud.
Up to five Boom Booms can be placed in a course. In theSuper Mario 3D World style, Boom Boom can be turned intoPom Pom.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Boom Booms appear in four episodes ofThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, where their roles are limited to attacking Mario and Luigi in various locales and producing only roars as sounds. Unlike the games, their teeth are yellow, not white, and they are depicted with similar shells to Bowser's species, due to the carapaces and plastrons being disconnected. The episodes featuring them are "Misadventures in Babysitting", "Do the Koopa", "Crimes R Us", and "The Venice Menace".
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
In theNintendo Adventure Books series, Boom Boom appears in the third bookMonster Mix-Up. On one of the multiple routes, theMushroom King gets kidnapped by twoKoopa Troopas.Bowser then lands nearby in theMonster Mixer and threatens to throw him in with Elmo, the stupidest of all of Bowser's troops. However, Elmo does not show up. Eventually, Bowser loses his patience and asks for an explanation to Elmo's disappearance. Boom-Boom waddles up to the front and explains that he wanted to get out of theFortress and left Elmo in charge there. Infuriated, Bowser tosses him in the mixer with aFire Snake. Boom Boom pops out of the mixer with his head on fire and flails around pleading for water. Bowser makes a joke saying he's the first of the red hot Troopas. Also, in the bookKoopa Capers, an item called "Boom Boom's Socks" can be found.
Super Mario Bros. film[edit]
TheBoom Boom Bar in theSuper Mario Bros. film is named after Boom Boom - one of many references the movie makes toSuper Mario Bros. 3 and other early games.
Super Paper Mario[edit]
InSuper Paper Mario, one of theSammer Guys that can be fought is namedFlailing Boom Boom, a reference to Boom Boom's sprite animation during the battle against him inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[edit]
Boom Booms serve as the bosses of most of the tower courses inPuzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. They are Light attribute characters, and their skill changes all Orbs into a random attribute. Their Awoken Skill increases the amount of time that the player has to move Orbs around.
Each Boom Boom that is encountered can have different battle strategies, which can include delivering first strike blows, raising their own ATK, raising their defense against certain attributes, and even refresh the player's Orbs.
AfterBowser joins the player's party, a Boom Boom replaces him as the boss ofWorld 8-
Bowser's Castle. Likewise, afterBowser Jr. joins the player's party, a Boom Boom replaces him as the boss ofWorld 6-
Tower 2,World 7-Tower 2, andWorld 8-
Tower 3.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
In theMario & Sonic series Boom Booms appear as teammates for Mario or Sonic's team in the Rugby event in theWii U version ofMario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and inMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. They have spiked shells and wear rugby helmets, which are blue (if they are on P1's team), red (if they are on P2's team), or green (if a 3- or 4-player match is set to P1 and P2 vs. P3 and P4/COM in the Wii U version).
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack ofMinecraft, Boom Boom appears as a playableskin. Additionally, following theNether Update,Piglins are replaced by Boom Boom.
Mario Sports Superstars[edit]
Boom Boom and Pom Pom appear as supporting playable characters inMario Sports Superstars, theirSuper Mario sports game playable debut. In soccer, they serve as the two selectable goalies. They additionally appear as team players in baseball, where they are classified as power type characters.
Mario Tennis series[edit]
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
Boom Boom appears inMario Tennis Aces as an enemy in Adventure mode onInferno Island, and needs to be defeated in a tennis match in order to progress. The conversations before and after the match against him mark the first time he has had dialogue in a game; he refers to himself in the third person and speaks in broken English. His voice is also significantly higher-pitched.
Boom Boom also appears as a Defense-type playable character, meaning he excels at returning shots. He became available for all players on March 1, 2019, although he could be unlocked earlier by participating in the February 2019 online tournament. Boom Boom has the fastest sideways movement in the game, although he is very slow when moving vertically on the court. His movement and victory animations reference his original sprite animation fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. In his entrance animation, ananchor is lowered onto the court while he holds onto it; he then jumps off of it and rises into the air with a spinning attack similar to the one he uses in the 3DSuper Mario games. He also uses this attack in hisSpecial Shot, Spiteful Strike. His horizontalTrick Shot is named Twist 'n' Boom, while his vertical Trick Shot is named Boom Twirl; Twist 'n' Boom has significantly more range than Boom Twirl does, fitting with his theme of being good at moving horizontally and bad at moving vertically. Hisemblem depicts one of his arms.
Mario Tennis Fever[edit]
This section isreferring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
Boom Boom returns as a playable character inMario Tennis Fever.
Mario Party series[edit]
Super Mario Party[edit]
InSuper Mario Party, Boom Boom makes a cameo appearance in theminigameAbsent Minded, where he is one of the characters that can appear. Outside of this small cameo, this game is notable for being the only one to featurePom Pom but not Boom Boom.
Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]
InSuper Mario Party Jamboree, Boom Boom appears as the host of Tag Match inMinigame Bay. Unlike inMario Tennis Aces, he speaks with standard grammar.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Boom Boom is an Advanced-class Attack-typeprimary spirit with one support slot. The image representing the spirit is a render fromSuper Mario 3D World. InWorld of Light, thespirit is encountered onThe Light Realm map at the entrance to theMolten Fortress. The puppet fighter is a giantSquirtle, fought on the Battlefield version of theUnova Pokémon League stage.
The spirit is enhanced at level 99 into "Boom Boom &Pom Pom", an Ace-class spirit that makes the user's smash attacks more powerful during battle.
Dr. Mario World[edit]
Boom Boom makes his first appearance in theDr. Mario series as an assistant inDr. Mario World. In stage mode, his effect is to grant a chance that an object, mainly a virus, is transformed into anexploder at stage start, where the chance of it happening is greater at higher levels. In versus mode, their effect is to instead grant a chance that the lowest row of objects are eliminated when an object reaches the second-to-last row, where the chance of it happening is greater at higher levels, with a chance it can reactivate if it failed the first time whenever the condition is met again. Once this versus mode effect activated, it will not activate again for the duration of the match.
Mario Strikers: Battle League[edit]
Boom Booms appear as goalies inMario Strikers: Battle League, replacingKritters from the previous installments, and with new soccer forms depending on the team name. Like the previous goalies, the Boom Booms are immune to most shots and knock players on contact, but unlike Kritters, they are only controlled via a CPU and not by the players. Boom Booms are also able to block Hyper Strikes depending on the accuracy of the opponent's shot and if they are able to block it by a mashing minigame, which can be pressed by the players. If the arrow meter is filled, there is an increased change of the Boom Booms blocking the Hyper Strike, and they can either successfully block it, block it but get a side effect from the strike, or miss entirely.
Mario Kart World[edit]
InMario Kart World, Boom Booms appear as obstacles on the route fromAirship Fortress toDry Bones Burnout in theHeart Rally.[8] They spin around to attack racers, akin to Boom Boom's boss fights inSuper Mario 3D Land andSuper Mario 3D World, though retain their spiked shells. Unlike in most previous appearances, there are multiple Boom Booms that can appear at once. A Boom Boom will disappear each time it tries to attack any racers and simply respawn back where it originally was found.
Unused appearances[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
Group concept artMedia:TSMBM Koopa Troop Concept Art.jpeg forBowser's Minions inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie features Boom Boom with his current design to the bottom. He, along with most of the other minions featured in the artwork, does not appear in the final film.
General information[edit]
Physical appearance[edit]
Boom Boom is a large, muscular Koopa with features similar to that of Bowser and the Koopalings. He has a beige-colored muzzle around his mouth and nostrils, a large mouth with two protruding teeth, a round snout, thick legs and padded feet with three claws. He also has round white eyes with black pupils and thin black eyebrows, typically depicted in a scowling expression. In hisSuper Mario Bros. 3 sprites, Boom Boom was depicted with a prominent browline instead of eyebrows which media likeThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 adopted, but both official artwork and most later appearances uses his eyebrows to convey emotion instead. Perhaps Boom Boom's most distinguishing feature is his long flailing arms and large hands - even compared to similarly burly Koopas likeRoy, Boom Boom's arms are very thick and often have little to no distinction from his hands, which are typically balled into fists and swung around for the Koopa's attacks. The main distinction from Boom Boom's appearance and that of the Koopalings is his shell's plastron extending over the front of his body, completely covering Boom Boom's belly and torso.
In his debut, Boom Boom was depicted with tan or brown skin. In the original NES version ofSuper Mario Bros. 3, Boom Boom inDesert Land's fortress was colored gray due to color limitations. After returning from a long absence in3D Land, Boom Boom received an updated design that has remained largely consistent in appearances since, maintaining his tan-colored head while now having yellow limbs with the addition of a short, yellow tail. His carapace, previously unseen in artwork and depicted as smooth while matching the color of his skin in sprites, became red with hexagonal scutes much like those of aKoopa Troopa's. InSuper Mario Bros. 3 Boom Boom's carapace was also originally depicted covered in long, pointy spikes, but inSuper Mario 3D Land, as well asSuper Mario 3D World andBowser's Fury, Boom Boom lacks these spikes entirely. However, in other modern appearances beginning withNew Super Mario Bros. U, his shell maintains these spikes, albeit with a much more rounded and short appearance than before, and he gained visible finger claws as well. In his original appearance, Boom Boom's height was similar toSuper Mario and many Koopalings (though noticeably shorter than the largest Koopalings in the game:Morton, Roy, andLudwig), but in modern appearances is consistently portrayed as a large character, typically towering over Mario even while standing in a hunched position.
InSuper Mario Maker 2, Boom Boom receives new designs to match theSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario World styles: the former is very close to his original sprite design inSuper Mario Bros. 3, but with more rotund body proportions and an open mouth; the latter depicts him closely to his modern appearance, but with a smooth carapace and a noticeably darker head and limbs than his other designs. TheSuper Mario World style also indicates that the shell spikes may be retractable, as Boom Boom does not face the screen and has no sign of spikes on his shell at the angle seen, but the hidden spikes are shown to drastically enlarge only when he crouches in defense.
Personality[edit]
Boom Boom is Bowser's faithful servant. He is a powerhouse with a short-temper, although his profiles usually point out that he is easily defeated by taking three stomps to the head. Boom Boom often appears as a boss of Bowser's Minions, while still working under Bowser, like when capturing the fleeing Princess Peach inSuper Mario 3D Land. In several appearances, Boom Boom is partnered with Pom Pom; the two are shown to work together very well in and outside of battle - in the credits sequence ofSuper Mario 3D World, the duo are shown sitting together on top of the Clear Pipe while the heroes pass through and looking at Bowser trapped in a large jar, with the defeated Boom Boom seeming somewhat dejected and shrugging while Pom Pom pats his shoulder in a reassuring manner, showing that Boom Boom may have a sensitive side and that the two are on friendly terms. Likewise, Boom Boom does not get along with Mario and his friends due their interferences in Bowser's plans and repeated victories against him.
Boom Boom was introduced as a silent character inSuper Mario Bros. 3; sinceSuper Mario 3D Land, he communicates using grunts, yells, and roars. InMario Tennis Aces, Boom Boom speaks in third person via textbox dialogue.
Powers and abilities[edit]
Boom Boom has unique abilities different from other Koopas. InSuper Mario Bros. 3, he is capable of jumping higher, running fast and turning his arms into wings to fly (although he needsKamek to achieve the latter inNew Super Mario Bros. U, and the wings simply sprout from his head inSuper Mario Maker 2'sSuper Mario 3D World theme). He can also expose his spikes on his shell. However, Boom Boom's most relied-upon forms of attack tend to involve his large, powerful arms - in 2D games such as his debut andNew Super Mario Bros. U, Boom Boom's regular attacking pattern involves charging at Mario and co. while flailing his arms, while inSuper Mario 3D Land and its sequel, he displays the ability to spin around the room after the heroes with his arms extended, damaging them on contact at the cost of leaving himself dizzy after a while. Boom Boom's formidable strength is once again shown inMario Strikers: Battle League, where as goalies, Boom Booms are capable of catching and deflecting a number of extremely powerful and fast-travelling shots from the teams, even attacks which set the ball aflame such as Bowser'sHyper Strike; Boom Boom's gloves will actually catch on fire after catching such attacks and leave them trying to put out the flames, but the large Koopa still manages to put it out and shrug such damage off within a few seconds.
InSuper Mario 3D Land, Boom Boom displays a range of new abilities. On top of his aforementioned spin attack, later battles show him doing so while leaving behind a trail of flames, leaving the entire arena more hazardous for the Mario bros at the cost of still briefly tiring himself out. He also spins in his shell to attack Mario, similar to the Koopalings. In another display of great weight and power, Boom Boom can shake his airship just by stomping the floor or hitting the wall with his spinning shell. InSuper Mario 3D World, he has the ability to turn invisible and create up to two large duplicates of his red shell that spin across the arena while he attacks with his usual spin attack. He can also teleport across the arena, performing a hand sign similar to Pom Pom before doing so after recovering from being dizzy.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
- Main article:List of Boom Boom profiles and statistics
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Boom Boom.
List of appearances[edit]
| Title | Description | Release | System/format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | Boss | Japan: October 23,1988 | Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Super Mario All-Stars | Boss | Japan: July 14,1993 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | Boss | USA: December,1994 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | Boss | Japan: July 21,2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | Boss | Japan: October 21,2010 | Wii |
| Super Mario 3D Land | Boss | Japan: November 3,2011 | Nintendo 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | Boss | USA: November 18,2012 | Wii U |
| New Super Luigi U | Boss | USA: November 1,2013 | Wii U |
| Super Mario 3D World | Boss | Japan: November 21, 2013 | Wii U |
| Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition | Boss | Japan: April 29,2015 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Wii U Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | North America: May 17,2016 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Run | Boss | Japan: December 15, 2016 | iOS/Android |
| Mario Sports Superstars | Supporting playable character | Europe: March 10,2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | North America: May 11, 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | North America: June 5,2018 | New Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Bedrock Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | North America: June 21, 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Tennis Aces | Rival, Playable character (version 2.1.0) | Japan: June 22, 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Party | Cameo | Japan: October 5, 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Spirit cameo | Japan: December 7, 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Boss | Japan: January 11,2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Spawnable Enemy | Japan: June 28, 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Dr. Mario World | Assistant | Japan: July 9, 2019 | iOS/Android |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Boss | Japan: February 12,2021 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Strikers: Battle League | Goalie | Japan: June 10,2022 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Party Jamboree | Host | Japan: October 17,2024 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Kart World | Obstacle | Japan: June 5,2025 | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV | Host | Japan: July 24,2025 | Nintendo Switch 2 |
Names in other languages[edit]
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.
Boom Boom[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ブンブン[9][10] Bunbun | An onomatopoeia for shaking something violently, such as arms; incidentally shared withBunbun andbumblebee | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 奔奔[11] Bēnbēn(Mandarin) Bānbān(Cantonese) | Transliteration of the Japanese name | |
| 嘣嘣[12] Bēngbēng(Mandarin) Bāngbāng(Cantonese) | Boom Boom | The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 奔奔[13][11] Bēnbēn(Mandarin) Bānbān(Cantonese) | Transliteration of the Japanese name | |
| Croatian | Bum Bum[14] | Boom Boom | |
| Danish | Boom Boom[15][16] | - | |
| Dutch | Boom Boom[17][11] | - | |
| Finnish | Boom Boom[18][19] | - | |
| Pum Pum Koopa[20] | Boom BoomKoopa; the surname is potentially in reference to theKoopalings | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Boom Boom Koopa[18] | The surname "Koopa" is potentially in reference to the Koopalings | ||
| French | Boum Boum[17][11] | Boom Boom | |
| German | Bumm Bumm[21][22][13][11] | Boom Boom | |
| Bumm-Bumm[23] | Super Mario Bros. 3 | ||
| Boom-Boom[24] | - | Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | |
| Greek | Μπουμ Μπουμ[25] Boum Boum | Boom Boom | |
| Hungarian | Boom-Boom[26] | - | |
| Italian | Boom Boom[27][11] | - | |
| Boom-Boom[28] | Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | ||
| Korean | 부웅부웅[29][13][11] Buung-buung | An onomatopoeia for swinging something violently | |
| 붐 붐[30] Bum Bum | Transcription of the English name | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Norwegian | Boom Boom[31][32] | - | |
| Portuguese(Brazilian) | Dom Dom[13] | An onomatopoeia for hitting sounds | |
| Boom Boom[33] | - | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Portuguese(European) | Bum Bum[34][35] | Boom Boom | |
| Boom Boom[36] | - | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Russian | Бум-бум[13][11] Bum-bum | Transcription of the English name | |
| Spanish | Bum Bum[a][13][11] | Boom Boom | |
| Boom[37] | Onomatopoeia for an explosion | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Swedish | Boom Boom[38]:10[39] | - | |
| Boom-Boom[40] | Super Mario Bros. 3 | ||
| Boom Boom Koopa[38]:10, 13 | The surname "Koopa" is potentially in reference to the Koopalings |
Cat Boom Boom[edit]
"Cat Boom Boom"[41][42] refers to the iteration of Boom Boom aroundLake Lapcat inBowser's Fury.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ネコブンブン[41][43] Neko Bunbun | Cat Boom Boom; comparable to「ネコマリオ」(Neko Mario, "Cat Mario") | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 猫咪奔奔[41] Māomī Bēnbēn(Mandarin) Māomī Bānbān(Cantonese) | Cat Boom Boom; comparable to"猫咪马力欧" (Māomī Mǎlì'ōu /Māaumī Máhlihk'āu, "Cat Mario") | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 貓咪奔奔[41] Māomī Bēnbēn(Mandarin) Māomī Bānbān(Cantonese) | Cat Boom Boom; comparable to「貓咪瑪利歐」(Māomī Mǎlì'ōu /Māaumī Máhlihk'āu, "Cat Mario") | |
| Dutch | Cat Boom Boom[41] | Cat Boom Boom | |
| French | Boum Boum chat[41] | Cat Boom Boom | |
| German | Katzen-Bumm-Bumm[41] | Cat Boom Boom | |
| Italian | Boom Boom gatto[41] | Cat Boom Boom | |
| Korean | 고양이부웅부웅[41] Goyang'i Buungbuung | Cat Boom Boom; comparable to "고양이마리오" (Goyang'i Mario, "Cat Mario") | |
| Portuguese(European) | Bum Bum Gato[41] | Cat Boom Boom | |
| Russian | Котобум-бум[41] Kotobum-bum | Cat boom boom | |
| Spanish | Bum Bum Felino[41] | Cat Boom Boom |
Notes[edit]
- InSuper Mario Bros. 3, Boom Boom's arm animation after emerging from a crouch is always consistent, though his leg animation varies depending on factors such as whether he has crouched an odd or even number or whether he begins to move left or right. Due to the speed at which his legs move, this can be hard to notice, though it is a bit more obvious in the graphically enhanced versions due to the outline on his feet often not synchronizing with the feet themselves; this is because, due to issues with the 8x8 size of the tiles and being drawn off the original sprites (which lack true outlines), the feet outlines are included in the arm tiles.
References[edit]
- ^June 1990.Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide.Nintendo of America (American English). Page 9.
- ^"WORLD FORTRESSES Every world has at least one Fortress. This is usually a set of fearsome hallways guarded by nasties and always ends with a Koopa confrontation, courtesy of Boom Boom the Koopaling. Fortresses are just like regular levels, except that when you beat one, any nearby locks (usually preventing you from accessing pipes or Toad Houses) disappear." – Hodgson, David S J. (October 21, 2003).Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Prima's Official Strategy Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN0-7615-4425-9. Page 22.
- ^Drake, Audrey (November 30, 2011).The Creation of Super Mario 3D Land.IGN (English). Retrieved September 3, 2023. (Archived October 3, 2012, 06:39:01 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Nintendo World Report (June 10, 2011).Super Mario 3D Land World 2-5 with Audio (E3 2011) 3DS (01:12).YouTube (American English). Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^"'Boom Booms lie in wait for Mario on the battleship.' and 'Pom Poms lead Mario a merry dance.'" –Super Mario 3D Land.Nintendo of UK (British English). Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^"Boom Boom & Pom Pom [...] may look tough, but they're a bit of a pushover." –Super Mario 3D Land official website.Nintendo of America (American English). Archived November 4, 2011, 06:29:38 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^Nintendo Life (December 7, 2016).Super Mario Run Bowser & Boom Boom Boss on Giant iPad Pro.YouTube (English). Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^BRCDEvg (April 5, 2025).MARIO KART WORLD con @elfedelobo y @SoliBolita.YouTube (Spanish). Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^1988.『Super Mario Bros. 3 取扱説明書』 (PDF). Kyoto:Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Page 40.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 37, 181, 211, 227.
- ^abcdefghiSpirit inventory (7 Dec. 2018).Super Smash Bros. Ultimate byNintendo,Sora Ltd., andBANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.Nintendo.
- ^超级马里奥兄弟3【中文版】
- ^abcdefgNotebook entry (15 Dec. 2016).Super Mario Run byNintendo EPD (Ver. 3.2.4).Nintendo. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^Super Mario Bros ( Kompilacija 2 ) - Crtani Film
- ^Super Mario Bros. 3 Misadventures in Babysitting (Dansk)
- ^2021.Eventyr med Luigi – startbane #71387.LEGO (Danish). Retrieved 2 May 2025. (Archived June 17, 2021, 05:56:31 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ab1991.Super Mario Bros. 3 Handleiding /mode d'emploi. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Dutch, French). Page 45.
- ^abSaarva, Petteri, Mikael Ekroos, Kieku Salo, and Markus Selin, editors (1991). "Super Mario Bros. 3 - 2. osa" inPower Player, no. 8. Translated by Laila Takolander.Semic (Finnish). Page 10. Supplemental forNintendo-lehti, no. 8.
- ^2021.Seikkailut Luigin kanssa aloitusrata #71387.LEGO (Finnish). Retrieved 6 May 2025. (Archived June 15, 2021, 08:12:54 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Saarva, Petteri, Mikael Ekroos, Kieku Salo, and Markus Selin, editors (1991). "Super Mario Bros. 3" inPower Player, no. 6-7. Translated by Laila Takolander.Semic (Finnish). Page 31. Supplemental forNintendo-lehti, no. 6-7.
- ^Matsumoto, Atsuko, Rie Ishii, and Claude Moyse, editors (1992).Der Spieleberater Super Mario Power. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). ISBN3-929034-02-6. Page 15.
- ^Die Abenteuer von Super Mario Bros. 3 - Marios Zauberteppich
- ^1991.Super Mario Bros. 3 Spielanleitung. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 39.
- ^2010.Super Mario All-Stars Bedienungsanleitung. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 28.
- ^The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3 Greek [Επεισόδια 13-14]
- ^https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k6qd5v1-PA43jOexoxwKCoziIdNyRvNW/view
- ^1991.Super Mario Bros. 3 Libretto d'Istruzioni. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Italian). Page 39.
- ^2010.Super Mario All-Stars – Edizione per il 25° Anniversario Manuale di Istruzioni. Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Italian). Page 28.
- ^2010. "슈퍼 마리오 컬렉션". Seoul:Nintendo of Korea Co., Ltd. (Korean). Page30. Retrieved from Naver.
- ^1990. "슈퍼 마리오 브라더즈 3 사용 설명서". Icheon:Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Korean). Page 39. (Archived 29 Mar. 2007 via Naver by togepi1125.)
- ^Super Mario Bros 3 VHS#2 - Norsk tale - Norsk tale
- ^2021.Startbanen På eventyr med Luigi #71387.LEGO (Norwegian). Retrieved 2 May 2025. (Archived December 7, 2021, 04:27:12 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Gaglianone, Arthur, and Francisco Pellegrini Jr., directors (1991).Super Mario Bros. Livro Ilustrado. Rio de Janeiro:Multi Editora (Brazilian Portuguese). Page 10.
- ^Super Mário, aventura mágica, desenhos animados, ano 2005, falado em português, portugal.
- ^2021.Pack Inicial - Aventuras com Luigi #71387.LEGO (Portuguese). Retrieved 2 May 2025. (Archived November 28, 2021, 05:58:32 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^1991.Super Mario Bros. 3 Manual de Instrucções. Oeiras:Nintendo (European Portuguese). Page 39.
- ^1991.Super Mario Bros. 3 Manual de Instrucciones. Großostheim:Nintendo (Spanish). Page 39.
- ^abLindberg, Gunnar, and Lena Persson, editors (1991). "Super Mario Bros. 3" inNintendo-Magasint, no. 8.Atlantic Förlags AB (Swedish).
- ^2021.Äventyr med Luigi – Startbana #71387.LEGO (Swedish). Retrieved 2 May 2025. (Archived June 16, 2021, 00:08:32 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Lindberg, Gunnar, Nikolaj Lindberg, Lena Persson, and Mirielle Robert, editors (1991).Nintendobiblioteket 1: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Swedish edition ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 Strategy Guide). Stockholm:Atlantic Förlags AB (Swedish). Page 39.
- ^abcdefghijklIn-game name for "Clash with Cat Boom Boom" fromSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.Archived byCaXaP (talk).
- ^2025.Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.Mario Portal. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2025. (Archived January 23, 2025, 21:25:22 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^2025.スーパーマリオ ３Ｄワールド+フューリーワールド.Mario Portal (Japanese). Retrieved 7 Apr. 2025. (Archived January 26, 2025, 14:03:19 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- Koopas
- Mini-bosses
- Playable characters
- Bowser's Fury bosses
- Dr. Mario World
- LEGO Super Mario characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games characters
- Mario Kart World
- Mario Sports Superstars characters
- Mario Sports Superstars enemies
- Mario Strikers: Battle League characters
- Mario Tennis Aces characters
- Mario Tennis Fever characters
- New Super Mario Bros. U bosses
- Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition enemies
- Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition bosses
- Super Mario 3D Land bosses
- Super Mario 3D World bosses
- Super Mario Bros. 3 bosses
- Super Mario Maker 2 enemies
- Super Mario Party characters
- Super Mario Party Jamboree characters
- Super Mario Run characters
- Super Nintendo World characters
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits
- The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
