Lumbar Nook
TheLumbar Nook is the smallest accessible area inBowser's body inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story andits remake. It is located inBowser's lower back (or, specifically, thelumbar vertebrae, hence the name). Rejuvenating this area after Bowser suffers back pain allows him to learnSpike Ball.
In the game, Bowser is tricked and trapped inside a safe and thrown into a junkyard on the premises ofPeach's Castle. When Bowser is released from the safe afterMario andLuigi defeatJunker, he is incapacitated due to back pain. The brothers reenter Bowser's body via a pipe in the castle and travel to the Lumbar Nook, where theydrill into the soft spot between the bones. By doing so, the brothers slowly heal Bowser's back pain (the player is instructed byToadsworth andToadbert to leave theNintendo DS (Nintendo 3DS in the remake) alone during the healing process until an alarm sounds), then the two Toads have tea. After the healing is finished, Bowser is rejuvenated and becomes more flexible, allowing him to learn the new Spike Ball move.
It is possible to speed up the process, so that the player does not have to wait very long at all. If the player talks to Toadbert inToad Square after defeatingBowser Memory M and Bowser Memory L, he tells Mario and Luigi that he was having a weird dream, which foreshadows the event in the Lumbar Nook. He mentions a code: "
." When this code is entered, time speeds up and Bowser's back is healed in seconds.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | こしのツボ[?] Koshi no Tsubo | Lower Back Acupoint | |
| French | Repaire lombaire[?] | Lumbar Den | |
| German | Hüftgelenk[?] | Hip Joint | |
| Italian | Fascia Lombare[?] | Lumbar Bundle | |
| Korean | 허리 급소[?] Heori Geupso | Waist Pressure Point | |
| Spanish(Latin American) | Región Lumbar[?] | Lumbar Region | |
| Spanish(European) | Zona Riñonil[?] | Kidney Zone |
Gallery[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Notes[edit]
- The Japanese name for the Lumbar Nook isKoshi no Tsubo, roughly meaning "Lower Back Acupoint." Acupoints refer to the specific points on the body where needles are inserted in order to relieve pain. Thus, it can be inferred that Mario and Luigi's method of treating Bowser's back pain (by drilling into the soft spot) is a form ofacupuncture.
