Top 30 Bad Guys From Super Mario Brothers

20. Hammer Brothers

I always wondered what the Hammer Brothers did all day when Mario wasn’t around. These Turtle-men carpenter brothers would jumped back and forth between multi-tiered floating brick platforms, lobbing hammers into space until you scrolled into them. This is a concept only Nintendo could have come up with. These guys were the hardest enemies in Mario 1, and didn’t get much easier in Mario 3 and Mario world. With their limitless supply of hammers, and their knack for waiting for you in the most inconvenient of locations (like world 8-3 and also near the end of Bowser’s castle in world 8 ) these guys were a perennial pain in the ass. Just be thankful we got a break from them in Mario 2.

19. Cheap Cheaps

Spending habits aside, these fish were really more of annoyance than anything else. It is unclear whether they have any allegiance to Bowser, but they definitely have no love for Mario. They never seem to attack Mario directly but will often jump out of the water at inopportune times or be swimming right in the way of an important path. They were easily killed with a shell or fire flower, though how a fire flower works underwater is hotly debated here at OWHQ. All in all they are an iconic Mario bad guy.

18. Bullet Bill

I’ll bet that the department of defense has been researching these bad boys for years. A bullet that is smart enough to know when to fire, can have Mario seeking capabilities, and is willing to sacrifice itself with no notice. Bullet Bill was one of the kamikaze weapons in Bower’s army. They resided in cannons which were usually placed at a strategically annoying place. But while they excelled in intelligence they lacked in speed, at least relative to most bullets I know of. This allowed Mario to jump on them and thus make them far less efficient than say, a gatling gun.

17. Birdo

Birdo is one of the few female bad guys in the Mario. She may look sweet on first appearance but boy is she a b**** upon later stages in Mario 2. You always have to face her at the end of each the first two stages of every world (except world seven). Later in the game she gains the power to spew fire balls at you and is enclosed in corners that are incredibly difficult to maneuver around. Having to fight her enough times makes you sick of her. How ironic it was that her own eggs would be her own demise throughout Mario 2.

16. Wart

We meet the infamous Wart at the end of Mario 2. This playful game had an even more playful ending where you had to fight a Bowser looking boss by throwing vegetables at him. Who thought of this idea? How could a massive amphibian (or reptile) be taken down by a couple of carrots and broccoli? For better or worse, he was an easy boss, but he was also a sight to be seen for the 8-bit era. He was a monster who looked as kingly in his weight as he did with his glorious crown on his head. It is one of the ultimate mysteries of video games how a beast like this could be defeated with mere vegetables.

15. Blooper

Was there ever a more annoying character in the Mario series than bloopers? You would never know which way they would go in the water. There random movements in the water levels were some of the most difficult and annoying parts to pass in Mario 1. They saw there re-emergence in the other Mario’s after Mario 2 and were just as nagging to pass by as Mario 1. They may look innocent and innocuous, but they get in the way better than almost any other enemies in all of Mario-dom.

14. Boo Buddy

In many of the castles and ghost houses in the Mario sagas, you find the Boo Buddies trying to sniff you out right when you’re not looking. These frightening ghosts would ironically be easy to frighten by just turning and looking at them. You always had to be aware of them though or they would come to close to you to maneuver around to another part of the level. Like bloopers, if not taken heed off, they could become annoying when trying to pass a castle. They are called Boo Buddies, but who are they buddies of? Obviously not Mario. We may never know the actual answer to this question.

13. Lakitu

It has been said that whirlwinds can cause it to rain frogs down from the sky. Unlike the frogs, Lakitu is the cause of the Spiny rain storms you get pelted with in Super Mario Brothers. This lovable pain in th ass, flight goggle sporting turtle that floats around in a smiley faced cloud has a bad habbit of tossing dangerous objects down on the heads of our mushroom eating plumbers. Feeling guilty for causing so many troubles in the original Mario Brothers, he becomes a helping hand in Mario Kart when you racers go out of bounds… sure he takes some coins, but at least you can still race. In later Mario Karts, he decides to become a camera opperator allowing close up views and replays of exicting races. His most recent jaunt in the Mushroom Kingdom was in the New Super Mario Brothers (Nintendo DS) as a Thunder-Throwing Boss (no.. not lightening) of the 7th stage and decided to change his name to the more angry sounding Lakithunder… Thor is going to be pissed.

12. Bob-omb

These explosive little devils first made their appearance in Mario 2, but were in most of the Mario games there after. It is unclear if they are living or mechanical, but either way they walked for a bit and then blew. They weren’t the most effective bad guy ever, seeing as though they could easily be turned on the enemy and used to blow up anything in sight. Though in large numbers they could become relatively annoying. Especially in the tank levels of Mario three when a million of them would be walking around at once.

11. Wendy O. Koopa

Wendy Koopa was one of Bowser’s seven children in Mario Brother 3. She took over the water world, which was one of the most difficult worlds in all of the Mario saga. Having to trek your way through the water world (if you were too out of the loop to know where the whistles were, or just wanted to become a Mario expert) and then fight her was a task. She was sassy and had the strength of all her brothers. She walks in high heels and uses her scepter with the grace of an ancient wizard. Don’t underestimate her by her modern aesthetic. She could dominate you.