Lightning (element)

“If Thunder hurt me, I take double-damage from Thunder!”

—Oho Jee, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Lightning (also called Electricity or Thunder) is an element given to various attacks, items, and enemies in RPGs. In the Paper Mario series, it is closely linked to the Electrified status effect. In Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, it is linked to the Shock Super Effect.

History

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Lightning element in Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch).

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake, lightning is one of the four elements assigned to Special attacks, alongside Jump, Fire, and Ice. Mallow's Thunderbolt and Shocker are designated with the lightning element. Attacking enemies or bosses weak to lightning will deal twice the damage; conversely, attacking enemies and bosses who are resistant to it will have no effect and inflict 0 damage instead.

Some enemy attacks are also affiliated with the lightning element (Bolt, Electroshock, Lightning Orb, and Static E!/Static Electricity), and can be negated with the Lazy Shell or Super Suit. In the remake, using Mallow's Thought Peek will reveal the targeted enemy's weaknesses, including lightning. The Clown Car Barrage Triple Move deals additional damage to enemies that are weak to either lightning, fire, or ice, ignoring any resistance that they could also possess to these elements.

Enemies who are only affected by lightning in the remake are indicated in bold.

Weak against lightning: Frogog Mack/Claymorton Goby/Cheep Cheep Belome (Sewers) Starslap Buzzer Blaster Chomp/Chain Chomp Grate Guy Zeostar Blooper/Blooper Mr. Kipper Crusty Greaper Straw Head

Reacher Dry Bones Gorgon/Enigmax Bandana Red Bandana Blue Yarodovich/Speardovich Yarodovich/Speardovich (Duplicate) Earth Crystal Chomp Chomp Zombone Axem Black Axem Ranges/The Blade Malakoopa Tub-O-Troopa/Grand Troopa Big Bertha/Big Blaster Hippopo

Count Down Ding-A-Ling/Ring-a-Ding Axem Black (Machine Made) Jabit Mad Mallet Pounder Poundette Mack/Claymorton (Machine Made) Gunyolk Smelter Smithy (Tank) Scratchy-Throat Belome Strong Mario Clone Earth Crystal 3D

Resistant to lightning: Pandorite/Huhwhat Shy Ranger Artichoker Lakitu Orb User Remo Con/Dollox Knife Guy Bundt Raspberry Mukuku/Thropher Gecko Mastadoom Leuko Hidon/Whuhoh

Formless Mokura/Gassox Octovader Mallow Clone Jinx (Testing Capabilities) Jinx (You Asked for It) Jinx (Sensei in Action) Wind Crystal Box Boy/Pleaseno Fautso/Jinnie Orbison Pinwheel Axem Yellow Chester/Comeon Exor

Right Eye Left Eye Axem Yellow (Machine Made) Puppox Ninja Smithy (Casket) Smithy (Wizard) Smithy (Treasure Chest) Strong Mallow Clone Exhausted Torte Extra-Fancy Bundt Extra-Fancy Raspberry Mario-Style Jinx Wind Crystal 3D

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

Watt using the lightning attack Electro Dash.

In Paper Mario, lightning is an element given to the Thunder Bolt and Thunder Rage items, and Watt's Electro Dash. Some enemies are immune to lightning, which will negate the attack entirely and inflict 0 damage instead. Bob-ombs will be instantaneously defeated if attacked with the lightning element.

Any character with the lightning element is immune to the electrified status effect; conversely, the electrified status does not give its wearer immunity to lightning attacks. Watt is always both electrified and of the lightning element, allowing her to be immune to lightning attacks such as General Guy's Lightning Shot. Despite its name, Electro Blooper is not of the lightning element, and will take damage from lightning attacks or from attacking an electrified Mario, even when electrified itself. The Zap Tap badge is an exception to the rule, as it gives Mario immunity against the electrified status without making him immune to lightning damage.

Weak against lightning: Bob-omb (KO) Bombette??? (Duplighost/Lee) (KO)

Immune to lightning: Ruff Puff Huff N. Puff Tuff Puff Watt??? (Duplighost/Lee)

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Lightning returns in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its remake in a more minor way. There is no equivalent to Watt in this game, and the only lightning attacks are the returning Thunder Bolt and Thunder Rage items. The only enemy with the lightning Element is the Ruff Puff (but not the other Cloud variant enemies, despite them also having electrified and/or lightning-related moves), who is now healed by the amount of damage it was supposed to receive from lightning attacks instead of being immune to them. In the remake, attacking enemies that are immune to lightning with this element displays a special icon denoting their immunity. Invincible enemies, such as The Iron Adonis Twins, Sir Grodus with a shield, or the Shadow Queen at the start of her second phase, are also redundantly immune to lightning.

Bulky Bob-ombs and Bob-ulks hit with any lightning attack will immediately detonate, dealing explosion damage to all characters on the stage, enemies and allies alike. There are several enemies in the game with lightning-related moves, such as Marylin, Grodus, and the Wizzerd variants, but they have no additional impact on the player's party (though many are themed around dealing piercing damage) and can't be altered by any badge or item.

Weak against lightning: Bob-omb (KO) Bulky Bob-omb (KO) Bob-ulk (KO)

Immune to lightning: Spiny (Egg form) S. Blue Spiny (Egg form) Iron Cleft Sir Grodus (shielded) Shadow Queen (phase 2, first 3 turns) Left/Right Hand (first 3 turns) Prince Mush (except after superguarded)

Heal with lightning : Ruff Puff

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Lightning is not present as an element in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. However, a series of Thing Stickers related to electricity (the Watch Battery, D-Cell Battery, and Car Battery) use lightnings during their attacks; they are merely cosmetic, and have no application in combat outside of pure damage. They aren't used for any overworld puzzles either.

The D-Cell Battery solely returns in Paper Mario: Color Splash, now simply referred to as "Battery", still without any specific elemental value.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

See also: Thunderhand

Luigi using Thunder Bros. in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, lightning is one of the game's main elements, here called Thunderhand or thunder for shorts, alongside the fire element, here called Firebrand. It is the Hand Power associated with Luigi, which allows him to perform a Tickle in the overworld and the Thunder Bros. Bros. Attack as well as its Advanced version in battle.

Some enemies can be weak to thunder, which deals more damage to them as a Critical hit, or be immune to it and absorb the attacks to heal themselves. Others can be resistant to both Hand Powers, turning any thunder attack into a flat 1 damage. This is independent from the Critical and Heal effects and can be added to them, effectively dealing 2 damage and healing 1 HP respectively. This is changed in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, which only reduces the attacks' power instead, is not cumulative with other effectivenesses, and is applied to each element separately rather than both.

Enemies who are only affected by thunder in the original are indicated in italic, while enemies who are only affected by thunder in the remake are indicated in bold. Some enemies have differences in the international release of the original game, denoted here by [I]. Additionally, several bosses, namely Bowser and Rookie, are weak to thunder but cannot be fought before Luigi acquires Thunderhand.

Weak against thunder:

Bill Blaster Dry Bones Sharpea Troopea Lakipea Yo Bro Eeker Red Virus Mecha-Chomp/Mechakoopa Oho Jee (red)

Blooper Piranha Plant (red) Mom Piranha (red) Oucher Glass Limbo Bro Cheep Cheep/Spiny Cheep Cheep (normal) Mecha-Blooper Elite Troopea Left Claw Right Claw

Piranha Bean Glurp Jojora's Friend (pink hair) [I] Elite Dry Bones Gunner Guy Hammer Bro Chomp Bro Sniper Bill Cackletta (Head) Left Arm (Cackletta)

Strong against thunder:

Troopea Malibut Elite Troopea Hermie III (shell) Paratroopea

Scaratroopea Jojora Elite Dry Bones Birdo Boo

Larry Fawful (Dome) Flaret

Heal with thunder:

Bill Blaster Laser Snifit Blue Virus Yellow Virus Oho Jee (blue) Piranha Plant (blue)

Mom Piranha (blue) Elite Chuck Guy [I] Anuboo Starkiss Jojora Jojora's Friend (yellow hair)

Elite Dry Bones Bowletta (dark) Flaret Right Arm (Cackletta) Heart

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope introduces the Shock Super Effect to the series, which has lightning elemental property. In this game, some enemies are weak to Shock-inflicting attacks and will receive additional damage from them, while others are resistant and will receive less damage instead, on top of being immune to the status effect.

Several Sparks can be assigned to playable characters to give them Shock related Powers. Electroid's Shock Attack and Electrodash's Shock Dash can give the Shock Super Effect to their ally's weapon and dash respectively for a single turn, and Electrogeddon's Skyrain Shock and Electroquake's Shockwave Shock attack all enemies within a 9 meters and 13 meters radius respectively with Shock damage. All four Sparks also give the Shock Protector Bonus ability to their ally, granting them immunity to the Shock status effect.

Weak against Shock: Goomba Sea Stooge Depleter Riptide Tidal Golem

Resistant to Shock: Giant Wildclaw Squasher Medician Magnafowl Magikoopa Giant Goomba Giant Squashette Giant Depleter

Giant Magikoopa Giant Magnafowl Shockin' Golem Fieldbreaker Proto Mecha King Bob-omb Mecha King Bob-omb Giant Flamin' Stooge Phantom

Super Smash Bros. series

Electric is an effect given to several attacks, items, and hazards in the Super Smash Bros. series, such as Dr. Mario's forward smash and Hotheads' sparks, as well as the Shocking Cape, Lightning Punch, and Shocking Sheet variations in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS. It provides more hitlag to them, meaning that the characters become stuck in place longer on hit. In Super Smash Bros., characters hit with an electric attack have a brief cosmetic effect where their skeleton appears. Yellow Pikmin are immune to attacks with the electric effect, and Hotheads will grow larger and stronger when hit with electric and flame moves.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, electric attacks can be altered in The Subspace Emissary with stickers. Some can enhance their associated character's electric attacks (such as Lightning, Blue Virus, 9-Volt from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, and both Mario and Luigi from Super Paper Mario) and others can improve the character's resistance to the electric effect (such as Klaptrap, and Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country). Members of the Subspace Army can have a weakness or resistance to the electric effect, which is cumulated with their resistance to direct and indirect attacks. Spaak's battery is weak against everything but the electric effect, effectively making it its resistance by default; Spaak's body is also significantly stronger against electric than any other effect.

Weak against electric:

Armight (×1.4) Autolance (light) (×1.5) Floow (×2.5) Galleom (×1.3)

Greap (head) (×1.2) Meta Ridley (×1.2) Ridley (×1.1) Shaydas (vulnerable) (×2.0)

Shellpod (shell-less) (×4.0) Towtow (×1.4)

Strong against electric:

Armank (×0.01) Armank (blob) (×0.6) Autolance (×0.08) Bombed (×0.2) Bombed (head) (×0.1) Glunder (×0.2)

Greap (×0.1) Petey Piranha (×0.7) Rayquaza (×0.5) R.O.B. Blaster (×0.5) R.O.B. Launcher (×0.5) R.O.B. Sentry (×0.5)

Shaydas (×0.05) Shellpod (×0.4) Spaak (×0.1) Trowlon (×0.8)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, spirits serve a similar role to stickers, altering their associated character's attributes. The Fawful and Dr. Crygor spirits enhance the character's electric attacks, while Big Urchin and Enguarde increase the damage received from electric attacks.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	かみなり[?] kaminari	lightning
Chinese	雷[?] léi	thunder
Dutch	Elektrisch[?]	electric
	bliksem[?]	lightning
French	électricité[?]	electricity
French (NOA)	foudre[?]	lightning
German	Elektro[?]	electro
Italian	elettricità[?]	electricity
Korean	천둥[?] cheondung	thunder
Spanish	electricidad[?]	electricity

Trivia

• In Paper Mario: The Origami King, an unused item called the Electric Hammer is found in the data, as well as its associated electric particle effect and a sound effect for enemies defeated with electricity. These could mean that Mario was initially meant to have lightning-based moves, which were removed later on. Sumo Bros. and Boss Sumo Bro use lightning attacks in the final game, but they have no elemental property.