Vacuum Helmet

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Superstarsagafawfulheadgear.PNG Dark Fawful with his Vacuum Helmet Jetpack from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Sprite of Fawful (first fight) from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.

The Vacuum Helmet, also known as the Headgear, is a device used by Fawful in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. It is used to get Fawful around places, though it can also be used as either an offensive or a defensive tool during battle. It is also noticed to have many functions and is Fawful's most used invention.

History

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Headgear
Fawful with the Vacuum Helmet in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Fawful uses the Vacuum Helmet to suck up Princess Peach's voice before the onset of the game. He uses the Vacuum Helmet's fireball ability to battle Mario and Luigi when they come to reclaim Princess Peach's voice; he then uses this attack to destroy Bowser's Koopa Cruiser, sending Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Bowser's baddies into Stardust Fields. In battle, it has 18 HP.

Later, when Cackletta is defeated by the Mario Bros. in Woohoo Hooniversity, Fawful sucks her soul up with the Vacuum Helmet and deposits it inside Bowser's (Rookie's) unconscious body in Stardust Fields after being launched out of the university by Prince Peasley, thus saving her from death and creating Bowletta; a transformation between her spirit and Bowser. During the final battle of Superstar Saga, Fawful and his Vacuum Helmet are seen in one of Cackletta Soul's attacks, but in ghost form. In the attack, the Vacuum Helmet will shoot a wave of fire balls at both bros. If Fawful is in front of Mario, the Vacuum Helmet will first shoot at Luigi first, then Mario. On the other hand, if Fawful is in front of Luigi, the Vacuum Helmet will shoot at Mario first.

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

One of Dark Fawful's attacks.
Fawful using the Vacuum Helmet to swing to and from a lamp
Mario and Luigi battling Dark Fawful's Vacuum Helmet
The Vacuum Helmet "battling" Mario and Luigi inside Bowser

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, the Vacuum Helmet is used by Fawful to suck the power out of the Dark Star and become Dark Fawful. Afterwards, the helmet used by Dark Fawful to search for the Dark Star, using it as a radar.

During the battle against Dark Fawful in the Conference Hall, Bowser's punching and Flame Breath attacks have no effect on Dark Fawful due to his helmet, though some of his Special Attacks can damage him. One of Dark Fawful's attacks involve him using the helmet to latch onto a chandelier lamp in the room and swing himself into Bowser (which is not present in the remake), which first needs to be countered with a few punches, and then ducking in his shell to avoid getting hit from behind. At times, the helmet will recover 300 of Dark Fawful's HP (500 in the remake) by exhaling purple gas at him. At some point in the fight, the helmet will detach from Dark Fawful and fly up to the top screen, where Bowser can inhale it so Mario and Luigi can fight it.

The Vacuum Helmet first inhales one of the bros's Command Blocks when battling them, preventing them from using it until the helmet is destroyed or after a few turns. It will then use one of two attacks: firing respectively-colored energy balls at Mario and Luigi from its nozzle (red for Mario, green for Luigi), which needs to be countered with a hammer, and encasing a bro in a ball with its nozzle and moving it around to hit the other bro, which needs to be countered by jumping on the ball to stop the attack, otherwise the attack will continue indefinitely until the encased bro loses all their HP. After enough damage is dealt to the Vacuum Helmet, it will explode.

It is possible to defeat Dark Fawful without ever inhaling the Vacuum Helmet, and when this is done, the helmet will fly away, ending the battle.

Functions

Dark Fawful looking for the Dark Star.
Dark Fawful using the headgear as a radar device to track the Dark Star

The Vacuum Helmet has many functions, and is primarily used by Fawful to fly around or hover off the ground using its rockets. The Vacuum Helmet's nozzle can both shoot fiery balls of energy at Fawful's opponents and suck up other things, like Cackletta's spirit, the Dark Star's power, or Mario and Luigi's Command Blocks, which are then stored within the Vacuum Helmet until released or the helmet is destroyed. The Vacuum Helmet's nozzle can also morph into teeth, which is shown before it shoots fireballs.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story introduces more functions, including the Vacuum Helmet's ability to function independently from Fawful. During the battle with Fawful in the Conference Hall, the helmet can be used as an evasive tool for Fawful to dodge Bowser's attacks, and can have its nozzle string extended to latch onto a chandelier in the room, which is used to swing Fawful around. The helmet can also release purple fumes at Fawful to recover his health. While inside Bowser and fighting Mario and Luigi, the Vacuum Helmet can charge up energy balls from its tube and fire it out of its nozzle at the bros, or encase one of the bros in a ball using its nozzle, rolling them along the ground while draining their health.

Profiles and statistics

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story enemy
Vacuum Helmet
Vacuum Helmet, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. HP 1,200 (1,800) POW 180 (450) DEF 123 (185) SPEED 130 (195)
Coins 0 (0) Level 31 Fire Normal Burn? Immune
Role Support Battled by Anyone Location(s) Peach's Castle Dizzy? Immune
Stat down? Half KO? Normal Experience 220 Item drop
Notice: The second set of numbers next to the enemy's HP, POW, DEF, SPEED and Coins are stat increases from the Challenge Medal accessory; a 50% increase for HP, DEF, SPEED and Coins earned, and a 150% increase for POW.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey enemy
Vacuum Helmet
Fawful's Vacuum Helmet. HP 1760 POW 180 DEF 262 SPEED 270 Experience 220
Fire Normal Jump Normal Hammer Normal Battled by Anyone Coins 0
Burn Immune Dizzy Immune Stat down 0,5x Speed down 0,5x Item drop None - 0%
None - 0%
Level           31 Location(s) Peach's Castle

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese すいとりマシーン[?]
Suitori Mashīn
Absorbing Machine
German Düsenhelm[?] Jet Helmet
Italian Risucchiabot[?] Inhalebot
Russian Башкалет[?]
Bashkalet
From "Bashka" meaning head and "let" is based on "fly" (Samolet, vertolet).
Spanish (NOA) Casco vórtice[?] Vortex Helmet
Spanish (NOE) Gracodeslizador[?] From Grácovitz, Fawful's European Spanish name and deslizador (slider)

Trivia

  • The top of the Vacuum Helmet in Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story makes it resemble R.O.B.
  • Although this device is called "Vacuum Helmet" in Bowser's Inside Story, Fawful still calls it his Headgear, its name in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
  • In a few cutscenes, the Vacuum Helmet is shown to be able to locate the Dark Star, in conjunction with a radar-like device.