King Calamari

Not to be confused with King Kaliente.

“Good job...I'll let you through...If you can get past ME, first, that is.”

—King Calamari, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

King Calamari is a giant Blooper-like octopus, and is a minor boss encountered in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. It sank Johnny Jones' ship (as chronicled in various logs found throughout the vessel) and was locked in the treasure room. Mario had to work out a six letter word before he can enter the treasure room using clues provided in various rooms of the ship. This word is "pearls" and after Mario works it out, King Calamari allows him in the treasure room, where he is battled as a boss.

After defeating King Calamari, Mario and his allies gain access to the lower section of the sunken ship.

Battle

When battle starts, the player must destroy three of King Calamari's tentacles before facing against King Calamari's main body and two other tentacles. The tentacles attack by either slamming the party or throwing it high into the air. The latter attack does not reduce a party member's HP, but it induces the Fear status effect, even if the target would normally be immune to Fear. Even if King Calamari is defeated, the remaining tentacles need to be destroyed to finish the battle.

In battle, King Calamari can use Ink Blast, Sandstorm and Venom Drool.

Trivia

• King Calamari's name is derived from calamari, a term for edible, fried squids. "Calamari" (from which the food calamari's name is derived) is also the word for squid in Greek and Italian; in Spanish, the word for squid is similar, "calamar." However, King Calamari was most likely named directly after the food term.
• In the Japanese version of the game, the password to get to King Calamari is 「すいぞくかん」 (suizokukan), which translates to "aquarium" rather than "pearls".