Sumo Bro

From the Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia

This article is about the enemies introduced inSuper Mario World. For the enemies erroneously referred to as "Sumo Bros" in theNew Super Mario Bros. series prior toNew Super Mario Bros. U, seeSledge Bro.

Sumo Bro

Artwork fromNew Super Mario Bros. U

First appearance

Super Mario World (1990)

Latest appearance

Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (2025)

Variant of

Koopa

Relatives
Chargin' Chuck Sledge Bro

Comparable
Shova Thunder Lakitu

Notable members
Boss Sumo Bro Gattai monster KK Robo

“They're so cuuuuute! Heehee! Doyou think they're related? I mean, they must be called Sumo BROS. for a reason... They're the littlest little bros. I've ever seen! We can go a little easy on them, right?”

—Olivia,Paper Mario: The Origami King

Sumo Bros. (orSumo Brothers) are a type ofKoopa with similarities toSledge Bro andChargin' Chuck. They pound their foot (a sumo movement known asshiko) to create thunderbolts that traverse floors and then explode shortly after. Sumo Bros. first appeared inSuper Mario World. LikeHammer Bros., they are often found in pairs.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario World[edit]

Artwork of Sumo Brothers from Super Mario World

Super Mario World artwork of two Sumo Brothers, one stomping and one preparing to stomp.

InSuper Mario World, Sumo Brothers are large, orange enemies with beady eyes and black shells that stand on top of floating rows of blocks, occasionally squinting their eyes before stomping to send a downward spark that generates a wall of fire upon hitting solid ground. Because of a spike on their heads, Sumo Brothers cannot be jumped on (though the player can safely bounce off of them with aSpin Jump orYoshi), and they are also fireproof (likely due to theirBuzzy Beetle-esque shells) and immune to being eaten by Yoshi. Defeating them with athrown shell or some other enemy spat out by Yoshi, acape swipe, or contact with a player made invincible by aSuper Star gives only 100 points. However, if the player defeats them by hitting the blocks they are standing on from below, they are granted 200 points.

TheSuper Mario World artwork of the Sumo Brothers lacks the spike on their heads, while their plastrons are disconnected from their carapaces in a similar way toBowser and theKoopalings. This is likely due to this design being used in early sprites.^[1]

New Super Mario Bros. U /New Super Luigi U /New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

A Sumo Bro inNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Sumo Bros. return inNew Super Mario Bros. U and its expansion,New Super Luigi U, with some differences. They are no longer immune tofireballs, they no longer squint their eyes before stomping, they sometimes stomp twice in a row (with a quick change in stance before the second stomp), and their sparks now cause quick but low electric waves to spread in opposite directions rather than generating a large, tall wall of fire (allowing the player to simply leap over the electric waves rather than avoid an entire area for a short while), though the spread of their attack still has the same short range, and the spark does not spread out upon striking some surfaces, likeScrewtop Lifts. Defeating Sumo Bros. by any means, like hitting the ground from under them,fireballs,freezing thenground pounding them, throwing frozen enemies at them, or touching them while rendered invincible by aSuper Star, now yields 200 points. Because of their size, however, they cannot be picked up when frozen. Ice Balls can also be used to neutralize both the sparks and the shockwaves of the Sumo Bros.

InNew Super Mario Bros. U, Sumo Bros. only appear inScrewtop Tower. This level, which does not appear to have a boss of any sort on top of it when seen on the map, features four of them, excluding one Sumo Bro. present in the boss room of that tower in the place ofBoom Boom. Upon being enhanced byMagikoopa's powers, this individual, now known asBoss Sumo Bro, doubles in size, gaining a pair oftsuna and the ability to jump, with every stomp causing an immobilizing earthquake and sending electric shockwaves that travel through the entire floor rather than just a short distance. Much like his original form, however, Boss Sumo Bro is still susceptible to being jostled by strikes from underneath the platforms he stands on, with such attacks flipping him on his back and allowing players to jump on his vulnerable underside. Once defeated by threestomps to his belly or 18 fireballs, Boss Sumo Bro., like all other tower bosses in the game, appears on top of the tower for a brief while before getting toppled over.

InNew Super Luigi U, nine Sumo Bros. are faced inSumo Bro Bridge, while another five are encountered inSumo Bro's Spinning Tower (the game's equivalent of Screwtop Tower), not counting the final Sumo Bro. in the boss room, which is transformed by Magikoopa into Boss Sumo Bro. like inNew Super Mario Bros. U.

Super Mario World television series[edit]

“Koopa football players grabbed the princess, Mario was attacked by aKoopa wizard and aMagnum Bill, and I found myself face-to-face with a Fire Sumo!”

—Luigi, "Mama Luigi"

A Fire Sumo in the Super Mario World cartoon

Luigi encountering a Fire Sumo in theSuper Mario World television series episode "Mama Luigi."

A single Sumo Bro, known as aFire Sumo, appears in theSuper Mario World television series episode "Mama Luigi." This Fire Sumo appears to attackLuigi as he is exploring the abandonedDome City, stomping the ground beneath Luigi hard enough to cause it to crack, sending the plumber plummeting downward.

Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]

InUnjust Desserts, some Sumo Brothers shrunken byMagikoopa are eaten byYoshi, and two confront Mario in a tunnel inside the dinosaur. Mario defeats the two by jumping out of the way when they charge at him, causing them to crash into each other and become knocked out. If Mario smashes aBlue Shell thrown at him by aKoopa Troopa, the Sumo Brothers will awaken, but before they can renew their assault, they are sent tumbling down a passageway when the newlyWinged Yoshi does a loop-the-loop. Later, some more Sumo Brothers try to attack Mario when he andBowser's minions are forcibly ejected from Yoshi's body, but because they are still tiny, they are scared off by the seemingly giant Yoshi stomping around.

InBrain Drain, a Sumo Brother will swap minds withWooster if he hears the static emanated byIggy Koopa'sSynapse Switcher play on a hot dog stand's radio. After unsuccessfully trying to attack both Mario and Luigi, the Sumo Brother storms off in a huff over its weak new body. Later in the book, Luigi can encounter some more Sumo Brothers if he decides to head out on his own to look for Iggy and if he manages to steal several cans of Fungus Up cola from the Synapse Switcher in the WMUSH radio station.

Mario Golf series[edit]

InMario Golf for theNintendo 64, "Sumo Bros." is one of the names that can appear on the tournament scorecard, while inMario Golf: World Tour, "Sumo Bro" appears as one.

Nintendo Badge Arcade[edit]

InNintendo Badge Arcade, when the Arcade Bunny asks the player which character jumps a lot and resembles a sumo wrestler, one of the answers available is "Sumo Bro." (The answer is actually Mallo, as the question was asked upon starting the game on the dayPushmo badges were first made available.)

Mario Party series[edit]

Super Mario Party[edit]

Sumo Bros. appear inSuper Mario Party as non-playable characters. They appear in the minigames,Rattle and Hmmm,Absent Minded andLightning Round. A Sumo Bro using itsSuper Mario World appearance also appears inPuzzle Hustle.

Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]

InSuper Mario Party Jamboree, Sumo Bros, along with Boss Sumo Bro, appear in the boss minigameBoss Sumo Bro Blitzers. They ride thunderclouds much like their appearance inPaper Mario: The Origami King and appear when Boss Sumo Bro's health is halfway depleted, posing with him. They hinder the players by stomping on their thunderclouds and sending down electric bolts that randomly switch the direction of one of the panels. Once Boss Sumo Bro is defeated, his thundercloud disappears, with the Sumo Bros flying down on theirs to try to help him, but get blown away due to their boss exploding like the other bosses in the game.

Dr. Mario World[edit]

Sumo Bros. appear inDr. Mario World as assistants. Their stage mode effect grants a chance five coins are rewarded upon clearing a stage regardless of whether the stage is cleared or uncleared, in which the chance of earning them is greater at higher levels. This effect does not activate upon clearing special stages or the Daily Booster. Their versus mode effect grants a chance that a rainbow capsule will appear in the first 20 seconds of a match, where the chance is greater at higher levels.

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

The battle against Boss Sumo Bro in Paper Mario: The Origami King

Sumo Bros. assist Boss Sumo Bro inPaper Mario: The Origami King

Sumo Bros., alongside aBoss Sumo Bro, appear inPaper Mario: The Origami King, where origami variants of them act as enemies.Olivia speculates that the "bro" in their name may be literal and likely related to their leader. During the battle with Boss Sumo Bro, two Sumo Bros. will accompany him on clouds, while four Sumo Bros. will land on the ground and each steal a panel: the ON panel, the Fire and Earth Vellumental Magic Circles, and the Double Attack panel. Mario must defeat the Sumo Bros. to recover the panels. Using either Vellumental Magic Circle will defeat them instantly (dealing 200 damage). After all four Sumo Bros. are defeated, the two on the clouds will land alongside Boss Sumo Bro, and will each steal a Magic Circle. They are weak tofire element attacks.

In battle, a Sumo Bro can use Thunder Guard, which will create a thunder barrier near the inner circle of the arena. Running into the thunder causes Mario to take 8 damage and ends his turn. A Sumo Bro on a cloud may fly over at Mario and launch thunder at him, which can deal 7-13 damage.

Sumo Bros. also appear as enemies inOrigami Castle. Here, they will flip certain paths if they spot Mario, who must take cover behind a wall if the Sumo Bro. is looking his way.

LEGOSuper Mario[edit]

InLEGOSuper Mario Character Pack Series 6, one of the eight figure packs includes a Sumo Bro. Boss Sumo Bro also appears as the main feature of the "Boss Sumo Bro Topple Tower" set.

Mario Kart World[edit]

A Sumo Bro as it appears inMario Kart World

Sumo Bros. make their first appearance in theMario Kart series as obstacles inMario Kart World. Sumo Bros. can be found on the castle walls to the north ofAirship Fortress and serve as obstacles primarily when driving between that course andBowser's Castle,Toad's Factory, and, as driven through in theHeart Rally,Dry Bones Burnout. Like several other kinds of enemies, such asHammer Bros., Sumo Bros. stand on a series of blocks that float above the track, and some can be defeated by hitting theBrick Blocks or? Blocks they stand atop. Like in other games, they attack by stomping the ground to send sparks down through the blocks beneath them, which turn into large balls of electricity upon contact with the ground.

While Sumo Bros. generally do not appear in the same place inFree Roam, themission"Slip past shocking sumo stomps!" challenges players to reach the goal while avoiding a series of their attacks within a time limit.