Super Mario is a well-known franchise by Nintendo. The series kicked off in 1981 and, from that date, several games were published each featuring a host of new characters. Because of the franchise's simple premise of defeating the game's bosses in order to complete their levels, many unique villains were introduced.
Not all of them can be disposed of easily, some of them can be beaten by a beginner and some almost seem to require a skilled professional. Keeping that in mind, below is the list of the strongest villains that appeared in several decades-long history, and for which the players will have to give their best to beat them and finish the game.
Updated on May 10th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: With a few more games and some more time to go through the entire series, this seems like a great time to revisit this list. Originally a top-eight list, that number has been bumped up to ten and then again to thirteen because there are too many difficult and iconic villains to leave out. Additionally, each entry has been made clear which game is in question, since the fight in each one is hardly the same from game to game. Bowser, for example, is much different in Super Mario Bros. (the original game) and Bowser's Fury. Gamers deserve to know which fight exactly makes even experts on the series slam their controllers down in frustration.
13 Tabuu - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Although Super Smash Bros. Brawl is generally considered a PvP game, the campaign features big boss fights. Tabuu, though, is in a league of his own and can take out gamers that have breezed their way getting to him.
The fighting game features a number of playable characters but most of them don't have a simple path to victory against Tabuu. He blinks around, has sudden attack animations, rarely puts himself in melee damage (ruling out ground attacks), and has an ability that hits everything on the screen. The battle feels Soulslike to those who get through it at all.
12 Elder Princess Shroob - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Transformed characters are some of the most horrifying in all of gaming. Mario as a clicker from The Last of Us is particularly insidious. But that wouldn't be the first fungal infection to take over the bodies of the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Players have to practice attacking UFOs offscreen while also dodging their blasts. As if this weren't enough, gamers need to control Mario and Luigi separately and get them both to dodge out of the way for incoming attacks. It takes coordination that is usually reserved for professional drummers.
11 The Shadow Queen - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Unlike many of the big battles in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Shadow Queen is a test of endurance instead of just strength. Up until this point, not many players would have invested much in their defense because offense is generally superior.
Survival is one of the franchise's most underused mechanics but it's front-and-center against the Shadow Queen. Players who don't haven't invested in defense either have to start all over or make some last-minute alterations and hope for the best.
10 Antasma - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Antasma is an evil bat king that first appeared in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In the first battle with Mario, Antasma created a ring of Antashmunschies around him and used them as explosives. Before the attack, she will usually eat two Antashmunschies which will give her an increase in attack power. She can also hibernate to restore her health with the assistance of her minions.
Antasma can also transform itself into a group of bats and attack Mario. Her most powerful attack is to clone herself, doubling the workload. Many awesome things have been cut from Super Mario games, players certainly wish Antasma would have been on that list.
9 Cackletta - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Cackletta is an evil witch from the Beanbean Kingdom serving as the main antagonist in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance and its 3DS remake. The series has been around for four decades, gamers should be happy Cackletta has been dropped along the way.
She possesses powers based on psychokinesis and electrokinetics, and in the first battle with Mario, Cackletta attacked him with a lightning bolt, and after that cloned herself to confuse him. In later games, she uses different attacks such as a fireball. She also can create poisonous bats and mimic almost anyone.
8 King Boo - Luigi's Mansion
King Boo is a leader of the Boos and Ghosts, ruler of the paranormal dimensions, and the arch enemy of Luigi. Somehow gaming has found a way to make adorable insects, but ghosts are still terrifying encounters.
King Boo wields an impressive number of magical abilities such as the ability to materialize objects, teleport, and turn invisible. Also, his power increases when he is in the presence of other Boos. In one of the games, he is also shown to have an ability to grow in size. In later games, he is shown to have new more powerful powers such as the ability to open paranormal portals and create illusions.
7 Count Bleck - Super Paper Mario
Count Bleck, also known as Lord Blumiere, is an evil count and former member of the Tribe of Darkness that serves as the main antagonist of the Super Paper Mario game. Mario is a video game character that is at least four decades old, thankfully Count Bleck appears to be a thing of the past.
Count Bleck is a dangerous foe and has many abilities at his disposal, such as the ability to teleport himself, speed himself up, and even slow time itself. He can also feely float without any hindrance from gravity. When in battle he will usually use his scepter to conjure the globes of dark magic and hurl them at the opponent.
6 Bowser Jr. - Mario Strikes Charged
Bowser Jr. is obviously a son of Bowser and serves as the antagonist in many of the Mario games. He's one of the characters that has gone through some style changes as Nintendo switches up consoles, but he remains present to some degree.
In one appearance, he resembles his father, bold and energetic. He is as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jump techniques. He is physically strong and can ground-pound and paralyze any opponent. His most powerful attacks are the ability to breathe fireballs and streams of fire. In Mario Strikes Charged he can shrink his opponents.
5 Fawful - Superstar Saga
Fawful, also known as the lord Fawful is a Beaneish character known for speaking broken English and making many food-based metaphors. He is quite intelligent but suffers from extreme fits of anger. As the franchise shifted to 3D, players were worried that Fawful could become an even bigger problem.
Fawful often uses his Vacuum Helmet in fights and rocket jets to go around places. He also uses a laser gun. In Superstar Saga, for example, he shoots green balls at Mario and laser beams with his laser gun. In later games, he has high speed and the ability to utilize dark magic.
4 Bowser - Super Mario 64
Bowser, also known as King Koopa or King Bowser, is one of the most recognizable Mario characters. There are hardly any fights against him that are easy, but he's got a particularly nasty appearance in Super Mario 64 that demands total focus and control.
He has a monstrous appearance with dragon-like elements, a full-throated roar, fire-breathing abilities, a cruel personality, and a beastly, reptilian voice. He possesses an arsenal of powerful abilities such as breathing fire and shooting fireballs, which he can even use underwater. Bowser also has remarkable raw physical strength and power in all of the games but this is one of his most vicious performances.
3 Dimentio - Super Paper Mario
Dimentio, skilled in teleportation, invisibility, and duplication, is the main antagonist of Super Paper Mario. His other form known as Super Dimentio serves as the game's final boss.
Dimentio is an intelligent and skilled actor, trickster, and magician and is able to cast many magical powers such as crossing between worlds, cloning himself, and shooting shuriken-like objects at his opponents. He can create a compact magic field around his victim, immobilizing them.
2 Culex - Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
While some video game bosses can be beaten in a single attack, others take luck and massive amounts of knowledge. The fight against Culex is an obscure and optional battle in Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars, but it remains harder than even the final boss of that game.
Players will need to initially skip his secret area, then get gear and level up. Even then, they'll need to unlock and equip trinkets that hamper instant death. Even with perfect gear, Culex will still wipe out members of the party without anything the gamer can do to stop it, so they'll have to stock up on items and characters who can reverse death.
1 Bowser X - Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
To beat Bowser X, gamers will probably have to spend a week of hard gaming, bringing, and practicing. The time investment alone is one thing, but the element of hand-eye coordination is another. Players will need to be sharp to take down Bowser X no matter how well they've prepared before the fight.
Fighting Bowser is a boss fight that changes throughout the franchise's history. This game may be the most unique fight against the legendary King of the Koopas, but it's also the hardest. Given practice and unlimited time, the Bowser X battle is never easy.