The Blade
| The Blade | |
|---|---|
 Artwork fromSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars | |
| First appearance | Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch) (2023) |
The Blade is a massive battleship inSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and the main base of theAxem Rangers. He resembles a giant axe, with a great eye in the middle of the main blade. Additionally, two smaller axes hang from the side of him. The Blade's main weapon is a massive face-shaped energy cannon that can fire the powerfulBreaker Beam.
The Blade is first mentioned by one ofSmithy's minions,Speardovich. Apparently, he was supposed to rendezvous with Speardovich once he had his hands on the fifthStar Piece, but the Blade did not meet him at the predetermined time.Johnny's pirates briefly saw the Blade whileMario and Speardovich were fighting before ultimately having to return to the sea, to which he mentioned in a note to Mario.
Later, when the Axem Rangers swipe the sixth Star Piece away from Mario insideBarrel Volcano, he arrives outside with slight tardiness. Mario manages to follow the escaping group by simply leaping onto him, leading to a battle on the deck. Once each Axem Ranger is defeated by Mario and company,Axem Red activates the main cannon of the battleship, allowing him to fire the Breaker Beam at Mario's party. At the end of the battle, the cannon overloads, and the Blade explodes in a magnificent fashion.
During theparade ofSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Smithy can be seen riding on the damaged Blade.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axem Rangers | |||||||||
 | HP | 999 | FP | 100 | Speed | 200 | |||
| Location(s) | Barrel Volcano | Attack | 0 | Magic attack | 120 | ||||
| Role | Boss | Defense | 100 | Magic defense | 100 | ||||
| Bonus Flower | None | Yoshi Cookie | None | Morph rate | 0% | ||||
| Evade | 0% | Magic evade | 0% | Spells | Breaker Beam | ||||
| Weak | Thunder | Strong | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute, Critical | Sp. attacks | None | ||||
| Coins | 0 | Exp. points | 50 | Items | None | ||||
| Psychopath | "It's a melee!" | ||||||||
Japanese thought[edit]
- 最初から、おれを使えよ‥‥。[1](You should have used me from the beginning....)
Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)[edit]
| Super Mario RPG enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blade | |||||||||
 | HP | 999 | Weak Elements |  | Drops | N/A | |||
| Exp. | 50 | Weak Statuses | N/A | Rare Drops | N/A | ||||
| Found in | Barrel Volcano | ||||||||
| Monster List profile | Admittedly, its Breaker Beam attack would be cooler if it was called "Absolute Breaker of Champions Beam." But we're not getting paid by the word here. | ||||||||
| Thought Peek | "Why do they always wait to use me?" | ||||||||
| Animations | |||||||||
Gallery[edit]
The Blade's sprite at theBarrel Volcano scene
Idle sprite fromSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | オノフォース[2] Ono Fōsu | Axe Force | |
| オノホース[3] Ono Hōsu | Axe Horse | ||
| Chinese(Simplified) | 斧头之力[4] Fǔtóu Zhīlì | Axe Force | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 斧頭之力[5] Fǔtóu Zhīlì | Axe Force | |
| Dutch | De Beul[6] | The Executioner | |
| French | Grande hache[7] | Big axe | |
| German | Klinge[8] | Blade | |
| Italian | Axem Maximo[10] | Axem Maximum; from the name "Massimo" (Maximum/Max) | |
| Maximo[11] | |||
| Korean | 액스포스[12] Aekseu Poseu | Axe Force | |
| Spanish | Gran Hoja[9] | Big Blade |
Notes[edit]
- In battle, the head of the Blade is referred to as "Axem Rangers" in the English version of the original game. This is possibly an oversight due to the Japanese name, "Axe Force", sounding like a potential alternate name for the group. In the remake, it is identified as "The Blade", though the mix-up is still occasionally present elsewhere in the game script.
- All of Smithy's factory administrators, aside from theFactory Chief, wield large axes that resemble the Blade.
- The Blade bears several similarities to theAir Force boss fromFinal Fantasy VI, specifically being a large airship with a face at the front, a laser gun, as well as having an overall similar build. In the Japanese version, the Blade even had a similar name to Air Force. BothSuper Mario RPG andFinal Fantasy VI were developed bySquare.
- Tying in with how the Axem Rangers parody theSuper Sentai franchise, the Blade's Japanesethought references a common in-joke among fans of the series questioning why the titular heroes always save their giant mechas for the end of their fights instead of using them from the start to win faster.[13] This reference is restored in the English translation of theNintendo Switch remake, as the in-joke is also common among fans ofSuper Sentai's Americanized equivalent,Power Rangers.
References[edit]
- ^https://web.archive.org/web/20150508022554/www.a-suma.com/old/guide/smRPG/enemylist1.htm
- ^「オノフォース」– Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^Super Mario RPG trading card
- ^"斧头之力" – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Simplified Chinese). Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^「斧頭之力」– Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Traditional Chinese). Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^"De Beul" – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Dutch). Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^« Grande hache » – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (French).
- ^„Klinge“ – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (German). Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^"Gran Hoja" – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Spanish). Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^«Axem Maximo» – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Italian). Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^«Ascoltate! Dobbiamo portare subito il frammento stellare a Maximo. Ci occuperemo di Mario dopo!» – Axem Red.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Italian). Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^"액스포스" – Battle.Super Mario RPG.Nintendo (Korean). Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^June 29, 2020.The Pop Culture-Obsessed Monsters in Japanese Super Mario RPG.Legends of Localization. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
