King Bob-omb
- “I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over!”
- —Big Bob-omb, Super Mario 64
Big Bob-omb (also known as King Bob-omb, due to his crown) is the king of the Bob-ombs. He is mostly recognized for being the first boss fought in the game Super Mario 64 and its remake. Guarding the Power Star, which Bowser entrusted him with, he will not give it up without fighting the player. Big Bob-omb, like many other certain bosses, takes pride in his royal status and mustache.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario 64
Big Bob-omb first debuted in Super Mario 64. In the game, Mario merely has to run around to the back of him, pick him up, and toss him 3 times. Only then will he give up the Power Star. If he is thrown off the mountain, he will accuse Mario of cheating and he will have to start over. He is very kind for an elder, a trait not seen in many Mario series characters. He will also accuse Mario of cheating if Mario baits him into walking off the mountain. His moustache doesn't look like it's attached to his face (due to the limitations of the Nintendo 64.) This is fixed in the remake.
Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 DS, Big Bob-omb is fought twice. The first time is as Yoshi, and instead of picking him up, Yoshi had to grab the Bob-ombs thrown at him with his tongue and spit them back at him before they explode in Yoshi's mouth. After being hit by three Bob-ombs, he's defeated. The second time, he can only be defeated by one of the three plumbers and use the same strategy used in Super Mario 64.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 2
In Mario Party 2, a statue of him appeared in the background of Mystery Land, stuck in a sinkhole.
Mario Party 5
Big Bob-omb made a cameo appearance in Mario Party 5 in the minigame Defuse or Lose, where the players had to defuse wires leading to him by Ground Pounding them.
Mario Party Advance
In Mario Party Advance, Big Bob-omb is the leader of the Bob-omb Mafia which protects Shroom City. He lives in the basement of Mushroom Condo. When the player encounters him, he will be sitting on a throne, two Bob-ombs next to him. He will then challenge the player to the dice game, where the player and Big Bob-omb roll dice blocks, and the one with the higher number three times wins. If the player wins, he/she gets the Gaddget Stress Press. The ending states that he retired and moved to the jungle, Bob-omb being his replacement.
Mario Party 8
Big Bob-omb made a reappearance in the Mario Party 8 minigame called You're the Bob-omb. He blows up when the right wire is detonated (or in this case the wrong wire, as doing so will cause the player to lose the game).
Mario Party 9
Big Bob-omb (referred to as King Bob-omb in the North American version) makes his next appearance in the game, Mario Party 9. He is one of the game's bosses. He appears in the minigame Bombard King Bob-omb, where four players have to throw Bob-ombs at him. In the boss battle, if 2 or more players pick the same bomb to throw at him, neither player will get to throw the bomb.[1]
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart DS
In Mario Kart DS, Big Bob-omb is a boss in Mission Mode. Similar to Super Mario 64 DS, the player has to pick up Bob-ombs and throw them at him as Wario 3 times to defeat him. However, his move set is altered to fit the whole Mario Kart move set. He is in Mission 5 in Mario Kart DS.
Mario Golf series
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
He also appeared in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour on a golf course in Peach's Castle Grounds. Hitting him will make him explode like a normal Bob-omb. In ring shot mode, the golfer must hit a ring he's wearing to complete the hole successfully.
Mario Baseball series
Mario Superstar Baseball
He is an item in Mario Superstar Baseball in the minigame, Bob-omb Derby. When a player smacks and get a homerun with him, he causes large fireworks and around 400-500 points for the player.
Mario Super Sluggers
In Mario Super Sluggers he is a stage obstacle on the Bowser Castle stage, which he throws Bob-ombs down onto the field. Here he rides a vehicle similar to the Koopa Clown Car. He can also interfere with the player's hit. Once again, in the minigame Bob-omb Derby, he plays the same role he had in Mario Superstar Baseball.
General Information
Physical Description
Big Bob-omb has a circular, explosive body. The color of his body is black just like in the first games, but is sometimes shown darkish purple like in Mario Party Advance. His eyes and yellow boots are identical to a Bob-omb, but are only bigger. He wears white gloves and has no wind-up keys or fuses. Big Bob-omb is seen with his big white mustache. He has no visible mouth, but can still talk to Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario in Super Mario 64 DS. His only accessory is his bejeweled crown. His method of attack, which involves throwing his opponents, is similar to that of Chuckya, an enemy similar in appearance.
Personality
As a king, Big Bob-omb tries to act in a royal way. He is very critical and acts patronizingly towards everyone who is of lower class. He, along with kings like Goomboss and Chief Chilly, admire mustaches almost more than anything, which leads to the fact that he despises anyone without facial hair (this joke was not in the original game). He even seems to equate mustaches with strength, claiming that the bare-faced Yoshi has no chance against him. When he returns in Big Bob-omb's Revenge, he mentions that he has restyled his mustache, as though this could assist him. Also, despite insulting Mario and Luigi for having inferior mustaches, he seems to view Wario's mustache as dignified. As he is an ally to Bowser, Big Bob-omb could be considered evil, although as implied during the events of Mario Party Advance, he actually leads the society of the Bob-omb Mafia to protect the Shroom City, and after being defeated in Super Mario 64, is not afraid to admit defeat, and very briefly gives tips on how to defeat Bowser and reselect completed missions.
List of Appearances by Date
Title | Description | Release Date | System/Format |
---|---|---|---|
Super Mario 64 | Boss | 1996 | Nintendo 64 |
Mario Party 2 | Non-Playable Character | 1999 | Nintendo 64 |
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour | Non-Playable Character | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube |
Mario Party 5 | Non-Playable Character | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube |
Super Mario 64 DS | Boss | 2004 | Nintendo DS |
Mario Party Advance | Non-Playable Character | 2005 | Game Boy Advance |
Mario Superstar Baseball | Non-Playable Character | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube |
Mario Kart DS | Boss | 2005 | Nintendo DS |
Mario Party 8 | Non-Playable Character | 2007 | Wii |
Mario Super Sluggers | Non-Playable Character | 2008 | Wii |
Mario Party 9 | Boss | 2012 | Wii |
Gallery
Names in Other Languages
References