Hercufleas

An out-of-shape Hercufleas

Hercufleas is a large, powerful hero who inhabits the ancient city of Mythis, and an old friend of Toad's. He is based on Hercules (also known as Heracles) of Greek and Roman legend.

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "The Fire of Hercufleas", Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool, needing help to defeat the evil King Koopa, decide to ask Hercufleas for his assistance in overthrowing King Koopa. When Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool arrive at Hercufleas' home in Mythis, they discover that Hercufleas, through overeating, has become incredibly obese.

Finding Hercufleas slumped in a chair, surrounded by donuts, Princess Toadstool begins to doubt that Hercufleas can aid her in beating King Koopa. Ignoring Princess Toadstool's doubts, Toad greets Hercufleas and learns from him that he does not work as a hero anymore. Instead, Hercufleas now works as the guardian of the Great Balls of Fire.

After showing Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool the Great Balls of Fire, Hercufleas tells them that he is not able to help them defeat King Koopa, saying he is not much of a hero anymore. As Toad tries to reassure Hercufleas, several Beezos, sent to steal the Great Balls of Fire for King Koopa, appear. Seeing that these Beezos try to steal the Great Balls of Fire, Hercufleas tries to stop them, only to be whacked aside by the Beezos, who strike Hercufleas in the head with the urn containing the Great Balls of Fire.

Getting off the ground, Hercufleas tries to chase the fleeing Beezos, only to run out of breath. As Hercufleas is left panting on the stairs of his acropolis, a Beezo flies over to him and, mocking Hercufleas, ties his legs together and pushes him down several stairs, causing Hercufleas to crash into a statue of his much fitter self.

Some time later, Mario and Luigi, who return from an unsuccessfull attempt to get the Great Balls of Fire back from King Koopa, try to cheer-up a depressed Hercufleas. As Mario and Luigi talk to Hercufleas, they manage to convince him to allow them to train him and get him into better shape. At first, Hercufleas does horrible at his training, failing at jogging, chin-ups and jumping-jacks, though Hercufleas eventually does get better. After a lot of training, Hercufleas manages to get back into shape and decides to help Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool in defeating King Koopa.

Hercufleas, after his workout

Shortly after arriving at the Koopacropolis, Hercufleas, Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool can only watch as a Beezo attempted to dump Toad into the Great Balls of Fire, under King Koopa's command. As Toad is dropped on top of the Great Balls of Fire, Hercufleas, grabbing a tray of marshmallows from the nearby Mouser, throws it over the top of the urn the Great Balls of Fire are in, saving Toad; with Toad saved, King Koopa's Beezo minions are captured when, after trying to re-capture Toad, they accidentally fly into the marshmallows that softened Toad's landing, becoming stuck in them.

King Koopa, becoming enraged, begins trying to defeat Hercufleas by shooting the Great Balls of Fire at him; Hercufleas manages to easily knock these Great Balls of Fire away though, by using a pillar as a bat. As Hercufleas, Mario and Luigi knocked away the Great Balls of Fire, Toad is knocked off the Koopacropolis. Toad manages to grab a nearby Fire Flower, becoming Super Toad. With his newfound powers, Toad begins to battle King Koopa as Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Hercufleas look on.

Eventually, King Koopa is defeated and Hercufleas, Toad, Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool return to Hercufleas' acropolis, where Hercufleas and Toad are congratulated for driving King Koopa out of Mythis.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Chinese	Hercufleas	-
Italian	Ercolino[?]	"Little Hercules", also a non-common name