Shroob: Difference between revisions

Shroob
First appearance	Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005)
Latest appearance	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (2018)
Variants
	Blazing Shroob; Dr. Shroob; Guardian Shroob; Intern Shroob; RC Shroober; Shroid; Shroob saucer; Shrooba Diver; Shrooblet; Shroobsworth; Support Shroob
Relatives
	Shroob mushroom; Shroob Rex; Shroob-omb; Spiny Shroopa; Sunnycide; Swiggler; Tashrooba; Yoob
Comparable
	Toad
Notable members
	Commander Shroob; Elder Princess Shroob; Elder Shrooboid; Junior Shrooboid; Princess Shroob; Shrooboid Brat

Revision as of 17:50, April 26, 2024

It has been suggested that this page be split into the following: Shroob, Shroobs (civilization). (discuss)

The Shroobs are a race of aliens from the Shroob planet that appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and serve as the main antagonists. The Shroobs invaded the Mushroom Kingdom when Mario and Luigi were babies. They are a purple, mushroom-like species ruled by Princess Shroob and her older twin sister. Their name is a corruption of the shortened word for mushroom, "shroom". The Shroobs are dark purple mushroom-shaped creatures with bluish-white spots at the top, that have very stubby bodies and limbs, hands with pincers at the ends, gaping mouths with a pair of fangs on the top, and black eyes with red pupils.

The Shroobs rely primarily on ray guns as weapons and they employ fleets of flying saucers, powered by the vim of Toads, which is collected by capturing the Toads and draining their vim through the Shroobs' tree network that leads to the Vim Factory. The saucers are capable of shooting destructive energy bolts that sometimes turn people into Shroob mushrooms.

History

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

The Shroobs' dying home planet.

The Shroobs taking over Peach's Castle.

According to the prologue of the game, the Shroobs invaded the Mushroom Kingdom because their home planet is dying. The Shroobs start their invasion by destroying Toad Town and capturing many Toads. These Toads are taken to Toadwood Forest, where their vim is drained by the forest's genetically-altered trees. The vim is then collected at the Vim Factory, which is guarded by mind-controlled Hammer Bros; Dr. Shroob then feeds the vim to Swiggler, a bio-engineered Wiggler that drinks the vim to power the Shroob saucers.

While attacking Toad Town, they also attack Peach's Castle in hopes of capturing the Princess Peach of the past, but she has left alongside with Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and past Toadsworth in the Koopa Cruiser by the time they get in the castle, thanks to Baby Bowser. They instead find the Princess Peach of the present and her subjects, Toadiko and Toadbert, who have traveled back in time using E. Gadd's time machine. Princess Peach manages to trap the Elder Princess Shroob in the Cobalt Star, the time machine's power source, and then shatter it and scatter the shards around the kingdom, before getting captured by the younger Princess Shroob. The Shroobs take Toadiko to Toadwood Forest, and Toadbert ends up getting eaten by Yoob and suffering from amnesia after ending up on Yoshi's Island. Meanwhile, the Junior Shrooboid uses the time machine in the castle to travel back to the present, ending up at the throne room of the present-time Peach's Castle and alerting the Mario Bros. that something was amiss.

When present-time Mario and Luigi travel back to the past via a time hole and reach Hollijolli Village, they see the town being attacked by Shroob saucers, and they encounter some Shroobs for the first time. Unfortunately, during the battle the Bros. are knocked out by a huge energy ball sent down by a Shroob saucer, which prompts their past selves to go down to the village and save them, bringing them back to Baby Bowser's Koopa Cruiser. However, the cruiser is later attacked by Princess Shroob via a Shroob missile, causing the vehicle to crash into Baby Bowser's Castle.

Soon after, Yoob, a Yoshi-like monster of the Shroobs' creation, is unleashed on Yoshi's Island. Yoob starts to eat any Yoshis it can find. It is heavily implied that these Yoshis will be converted into other monstrous Yoobs, to be used to attack the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi go to stop it, but are eaten in the process after the Shroobs use their Shroob saucers to make Yoob grow to colossal proportions. Inside, they find the eaten Yoshis, Toadbert (who has lost his memory), Baby Bowser (stuck inside of an egg), and Sunnycide, who blocks the exit of Yoob's belly. The bros. are able to defeat Sunnycide and free the trapped Yoshis as well as Toadbert and Baby Bowser, causing Yoob to stop functioning in the process.

The Shroobs later commandeer the Koopaseum in Gritzy Desert, using it as a stadium in order to celebrate the conquest of the Mushroom Kingdom. On stage, Princess Shroob feeds Princess Peach to the monstrous Petey Piranha. Mario and company chase it under the colosseum after taking out the Shrooboid Brat, and defeat Petey, though they learn that Princess Peach was spat out by Petey Piranha earlier and taken deeper inside the cave. Before the four can save her, however, Princess Shroob disguises herself as Princess Peach, with the intention of fooling them into taking her into the Mushroom Kingdom of the present, so that she could take it over and make sure her plan would succeed.

The disguise also manages to fool Bowser, who came to Peach's Castle to kidnap Princess Peach again, taking Princess Shroob with him through a time hole to Thwomp Volcano. After he and Baby Bowser are defeated by the bros. in Thwomp Caverns, the Shroob Mother Ship comes and takes back Princess Shroob, with Mario, Luigi and their baby counterparts in pursuit. During their search for the princess inside the ship, they are surrounded by a group of Shroobs in a room. Princess Shroob then approaches them and takes off her disguise, revealing herself. Before she can do anything about the quartet, a disguised Kylie Koopa saves them, though they are ejected out of the Mother Ship shortly after.

Eventually, the Bros. collect five of the Cobalt Star shards and gain access to the now-conquered Princess Peach's Castle. Higher up the castle, they manage to corner Princess Shroob by shooting down the Shroob Mother Ship and defeat both her and the Elder Princess Shroob, who had been unintentionally freed from her imprisonment in the Cobalt Star by Baby Bowser. Afterwards, E. Gadd uses the Hydrogush 4000 to create a rain of artificial baby tears to wilt the purple mushrooms the Shroobs left all over the Mushroom Kingdom, restoring anyone who was turned into a mushroom in the process. However, the Elder Princess Shroob - who turned into a Shroob mushroom following her defeat - was swallowed by an unconscious Bowser, turning him into Shrowser, who was quickly defeated by the adult and baby Mario brothers. What became of the Shroobs after this is unknown, but Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story shows that the Koopa Troop managed to capture and cryogenically freeze some Shroobs, as they are seen in a hidden preservation chamber in Bowser's Castle.

Despite the standard purple Shroob variant seemingly being the most common type, as they are seen in large numbers in cutscenes, they are rarely ever fought in the game. Three of them are fought during the scripted unwinnable battle in Hollijolli Village, and the same three are defeated by the baby Mario Bros. Other than that, only a few more fight the heroes during Commander Shroob's boss battle, as his Support Shroobs. When fought in Hollijolli Village, they use the same defeat animation as normal enemies despite being considered bosses, a trait shared with the Junior Shrooboid, the L33T HAMM3R BROZ., and Kamek. Also, in the Player's Guide, the word "boss" is missing from their stat box.

Even if the player somehow wins the initial battle against the Shroobs that is programmed to be lost for storyline purposes, the story will continue as normal as though Mario and Luigi lost the battle, though Mario and Luigi do gain EXP for winning.^[1]

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Mario & Luigi battling Shroobs in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and its remake, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, while Bowser is looking for a seat in the Fawful Theater, a Shroob can be seen in a seat on the lower right-hand corner. If Bowser tries to speak to it, it stares blankly without saying anything. Much later in the game, a group of three Shroobs appears as an optional boss. They are found in the preservation room in Bowser's Castle, which needs a password to be accessed. The password of the cold room is □, □, ○, △, △, △, followed by hitting the switch on the door itself, with signposts that are found in Bowser's Castle hinting at what the password is. Once inside, the Bros. can hit a red switch that causes three of the Shroobs to thaw out. As Mario and Luigi begin to explain their history to Starlow, the three Shroobs wake up and attack the brothers.

They have two attacks that were very similar to the ones they used in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (especially the Guardian Shroobs). For the first, the attacker will flag down a companion, and they will each shoot a laser at Mario and Luigi. The other attack is a simple laser blast, delivered to only one brother. Before executing this attack, the attacker will always pirouette; in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, they would pirouette only before attacking Luigi, and spark before attacking Mario. Here, the brother being targeted is indicated by the spin's direction: a Shroob spins clockwise to attack Mario, and counterclockwise to attack Luigi. In the remake, each of the Shroobs gain the Fury status after losing half their HP, like other bosses, and will fire lasers much faster. These Shroobs have an idle animation in battle where they will taunt Mario and Luigi by making a face and sticking their tongue out at them; this is entirely original to Bowser's Inside Story.

Various other frozen Shroobs are visible in the background of the battle, including broken Shroids, Junior Shrooboids, Shrooba Divers, Commander Shroobs, and even the Elder Princess Shroob; in the remake, a frozen Princess Shroob can now be seen alongside the Elder Princess Shroob. Also, if a player uses the Jump Helmet attack, a single RC Shroober is seen as Mario and Luigi walk back in order to commence the attack.

After defeating them, Mario and Luigi receive all ten Attack Pieces for the Magic Window Special Attack. They also receive the Shroob Boots, which may lower the attack power of stomped enemies. Starlow then compliments Mario on stopping the invasion as a baby; when he explains that Luigi fought hard as well, Starlow sarcastically remarks that he did so by "ferociously crying", a reference to the baby tears that were ultimately the aliens' downfall. When she learns that it was indeed Luigi who ultimately trumped the Shroobs, she apologizes to him and calls him "super". Despite being bosses, the Shroobs use the same death animation as normal enemies; this also occurs with Bowser Memory ML.

The Shroobs, along with the Elite Goombule and Bowser X, were not in the Prima Guide Enemy Compendium; however, the Shroobs were mentioned in the walkthrough.^[2]

In addition to reprising their roles in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, multiple Shroobs appear as ranged enemies in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode, where they attack using their ray guns and are weak to Swoops. The Shroobs battle Bowser Jr. in Chilling Magma after he, Kamek, and Morton go into the basement of Bowser's Castle to retrieve Ever Ice. After the Shroobs are defeated, Bowser Jr. is able to collect the Ever Ice. Several Shroobs also appear in later missions such as The Lost Alien, The Power of the Koopalings and The Best Beast, with some under the effects of Malatone Formula:X.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, a photo of a lone Shroob is seen in Kylie Koopa's office in Wakeport.

Although they do not make an actual appearance, the Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story sprites for Shroobs can be found in the game's files alongside other leftovers.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, a picture of a Shroob in a saucer can be found in the Mario Bros.' House, and a poster for a Shroob movie can be seen in the Yoshi Theater.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a Shroob appears as a Sticker that raises launch power by seven.

Super Mario-kun

Shroobs appear in volumes 35, 36, and 37 of Super Mario-kun. They retain their look from the games, and can speak human language.

List of Shroob forces

Princess Shroob with some Shroobs.

Shroob leadership
Princess Shroob (elder)	The stronger and elder of the twin sisters, who rules over the Shroobs.
Princess Shroob (younger)	The younger of the twin sisters, who leads the Shroobs in her sister's absence.
Commander Shroob	A commander in the Shroob army.
Shrooboids
Junior Shrooboid	A weak green Shroob monster that travels to the present in E. Gadd's time machine.
Shrooboid Brat	A gluttonous blue Shroob monster that battles at the Koopaseum in front of a crowd.
Elder Shrooboid	A strong red Shroob monster that attacks the Star Shrine.
Shroob types
Shrooblet	Small Goomba-like Shroobs.
Shroob	Regular Shroobs that act as the grunts of the army.
Dr. Shroob	Bespectacled yellow Shroobs encountered at the Vim Factory.
RC Shroober	Blue Shroobs who use remote control devices to attack.
Shrooba Diver	Green Shroobs who swim through the sand as if it was water.
Blazing Shroob	Red Shroobs with flaming heads that use fireballs to attack.
Guardian Shroob	White Shroobs that guard the mother ship.
Shroid	Shroob robots wandering the ruins of Toad Town.
Support Shroob	Shroobs that aid the Commander Shroob in battle with massive Shroob-ombs.
Shroobsworth	Elderly Shroobs that defend Shroob Castle along with Intern Shroobs.
Intern Shroob	Little Shroobs that piggyback on Shroobsworths and aid them in battle.
Shroob-like creatures
Spiny Shroopa	The Shroob equivalent of Spinies. They are thrown by Lakitufos.
Swiggler	The Shroob equivalent of a Wiggler that powers Shroob saucers by drinking vim and sending it to the flying saucers.
Yoob	The Shroob equivalent of Yoshis, who is gigantic in size and eats normal Yoshis to encase them in eggs.
Sunnycide	An egg-like monster that dwells within and guards Yoob from attack.
Shroob-omb	The Shroob equivalent of Bob-ombs, which are massive in size and are carried by Support Shroobs.
Tashrooba	The Shroob equivalent of Tanoombas.
Shroob Rex	The Shroob equivalent of Rexes.
	An unnamed Shroob equivalent of Chain Chomps, used by Elder Princess Shroob during her boss battle.
Allies
Lakitufo	Alien Lakitus that ride flying saucers and drop Spiny Shroopas.
Petey Piranha	A large Piranha Plant kept in the Koopaseum as a monster to entertain the Shroobs.
Piranha Planet	Alien Piranha Plant colonies that patrol the Star Shrine.
Snoozorb	Large, sleepy robot guards of Shroob Castle.
Soul Bubble	Spherical winged enemies that are fought in Shroob Castle.
Ghoul Guy	Grey Boo Guys fought in Shroob Castle.
Lethal Bob-omb	Purple Bob-ombs found guarding the sewers of Shroob Castle.
Controlled
L33T HAMM3R BROZ.	Hammer Bros. that have been brainwashed by the Shroobs via the mind-control helmets they wear.

General information

Language

The Shroob language is displayed as nonsensical small picture text, with one phrase in particular being repeated throughout the game. The Shroobs' voice clips consist mostly of gibberish sounds. The actual audio for them speaking is usually either a low-pitched and sped up text scrolling sound or a higher-pitched laugh. Some of the Shroobs, such as the ones in the crowd watching the Shrooboid Brat fight, do occasionally show the letters "M" and "L", likely associating them with Mario and Luigi due to the letters on their caps. The Elder Shroob Princess is a notable exception, as she mostly speaks clear English (albeit in all capital letters) during her scenes, while her younger sister only ever speaks the Shroob language. During the game, the language is occasionally shown to players using subtitles in parentheses to clarify; this reveals that the phrase constantly repeated by the Shroobs translates to "Destroy!"

Technology

Shroob saucer - Small flying saucers that carry a single Shroob.
- A larger saucer resembling the Shroob Mother Ship is used by the bros. in Shroob Castle.
- A floating grey saucer-like ship is also located at the top of the Shroob Castle, and is used by the bros. against the Shroob Mother Ship.
Shroob missile - An aerial weapon launched from the Shroob Castle.
Shroid - Shroob-like robots that are found in Toad Town.
Shroob-omb - Large purple Bob-ombs used by the Commander Shroob.
Snoozorb - Large, sleepy robots that guard Shroob Castle.
Yellow ray guns that shoot pink energy blasts.
Grey Nintendo DS-like devices with a large antenna, used to transmit signals.
Special Hammer Bro helmets with an antenna that can be used to mind-control the wearer.
Small robotic bombs and miniature Shroob saucers that are controlled remotely by RC Shroobers, using the antennae on their heads.
A levitating throne with three large retractable metal limbs and a forcefield, used by Princess Shroob during her boss battle.

Colonies, settlements, and structures

Toadwood Forest - A forest genetically modified by the Shroobs to drain Toads of their vim.
Vim Factory - A factory where the Shroobs collect vim and convert it into fuel.
Yoob's Belly - A factory inside the giant Yoob that turns Yoshis into other Yoobs.
Koopaseum - A conquered colosseum in Gritzy Desert that the Shroobs use for entertainment.
Shroob Mother Ship - A large flying saucer owned by Princess Shroob.
Shroob Castle - The conquered Peach's Castle, used as the Shroobs' capitol.
Shroob planet - The dying Shroob home planet.

List of appearances

Title	Role	Release Date	System/Handheld
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time	Enemy	2005	Nintendo DS
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Cameo as sticker	2008	Wii
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story	Boss	2009	Nintendo DS
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team	Cameo	2013	Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions	Cameo	2017	Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey	Boss	2018	Nintendo 3DS