Fans of Super Mario RPG are debating whether Culex, a superboss based on Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise, will be making a return in the upcoming remake. The June 2023 Nintendo Direct surprised a lot of fans, especially those who loved the company's flagship franchise. The Super Mario IP brought a ton of exciting reveals to the presentation, with the one that caught fans off guard the most being the reveal of a Super Mario RPG remake.The trailer for the Super Mario RPG remake showcased a bunch of new details that would be updated about the game. Despite the game being overhauled to fit with the Super Mario IP's current image, there were just as many things that were faithfully translated from the SNES original. This includes updated models for characters that have only existed in this game, such as party member Geno, the bosom Nimbus Land boss Valentina, and Croco the recurring bandit. One character fans are debating to see if they'll make a return or not is the Final Fantasy-themed optional superboss that can be found in the original.For those unaware, Culex is a being that hails from a different dimension that engages with Mario's party in a boss fight in the game, having more HP combined than both phases of the final boss. It is also a huge shout-out to the Final Fantasy franchise since Squaresoft was the game's original developer. This can be seen with its battle sprite that wouldn't be out of place from one of the first six games, its battle theme is an arrangement of the boss fight theme from FF4, and it fights using four elemental crystals. Fans really want to see Culex return in the remake, while others believe this reference could be replaced with something more modern.
Some fans have suggested that a reference that newer fans would understand could be implemented in the game, instead of just a boss that calls back to elements of Final Fantasy. One of the most immediate suggestions that came to mind as a possible superboss was Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7. While the character is one of the most powerful villains in RPGs, fans believe Mario and his crew can beat Sephiroth, a nod to a meme related to the subject. Others suggested other entities that could fight Mario and his party, with some being jokes while others were more sincere alternatives like Exdeath from Final Fantasy 5.
Some hope that if Culex does return, there can be the possibility of Yoko Shimomura re-arranging his boss theme for Super Mario RPG. Others think that Culex might not even return, due to Square possibly holding the rights to him. While it's too early to tell, fans are really curious to see if this one aspect will be retained or not.
Super Mario RPG will release on November 17 for Nintendo Switch.
