Shadow Mario

This article is about the Shadow Mario from Super Mario Sunshine. For the similar entity found in Super Mario Galaxy named "Shadow Mario" in Japanese, see Cosmic Mario. For the Final Smash involving Shadow Mario, see Shadow Mario Paint.

"?" redirects here. For the block, see ? Block.

Shadow Mario
Shadow Mario in Super Mario Sunshine
First appearance	Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Latest appearance	Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020)

“(Go ahead if you really think you can make it.)”

—Shadow Mario, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Shadow Mario (also known as ? in the Super Mario Sunshine instruction manual) is a doppelgänger of Mario and serves as the main antagonist of Super Mario Sunshine. He is almost identical to Mario, with the primary difference being that his body is a translucent blue, appearing to have a liquid consistency. Other traits that are unique to Shadow Mario include glowing red eyes when he is angry and a long, red tongue that he occasionally sticks out at Mario while taunting him. Shadow Mario wields the Magic Paintbrush, an invention designed by Professor Elvin Gadd. With the brush, Shadow Mario can magically create large quantities of goop, which occasionally spawns lesser enemies. He used this power to vandalize all of Isle Delfino with varying amounts of graffiti, thereby making Mario the main suspect in the trial held thereafter. Later in the game, it is revealed that Shadow Mario is actually Bowser Jr., Bowser's son, masquerading as a Mario look-alike in order to steal Princess Peach and ruin Mario's reputation. It is unknown how Shadow Mario originally acquired the Magic Paintbrush, though it is suggested that Professor E. Gadd gave it to him. This is also supported in the Prima Games Guide for Super Mario Sunshine, which claims that E. Gadd gave the Magic Paintbrush to Shadow Mario due to thinking that he was Mario.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, the Koopalings are also capable of becoming Shadow Mario.

History

Super Mario Sunshine

Shadow Mario appearing in the Isle Delfino welcome video

In the opening introduction of Super Mario Sunshine, Mario, Princess Peach and Toadsworth are seen traveling to the island resort of Isle Delfino via Peach's private airplane. During the welcome video, a silhouette resembling Mario appears in the background, first running to behind the Grand Pianta Statue followed by jumping out from behind it, now holding the Magic Paintbrush. Princess Peach is the only one to notice this, as Mario and Toadsworth are more preoccupied with their thoughts about the island.

An eyewitness depiction of the vandal on a wanted poster, presented during the trial

Once the plane comes to a screeching stop and everyone gets off to look at the goop on the airway, Peach notices the Shadow Mario figure once again. She tries to get Mario and Toadsworth's attention, but Shadow Mario has already disappeared. Once Mario takes care of the goop with his newly obtained FLUDD, he is thrown in jail and put on trial, being accused of Shadow Mario's crimes of vandalizing the island. A Pianta judge orders Mario not to leave the island until he cleans up all the goop. Once Mario cleans up Bianco Square, the Grand Pianta Statue appears with Shadow Mario on top of it. He jumps from the statue, grabs Princess Peach, and runs off with her. Upon being sprayed enough times, Shadow Mario drops the princess, and then heads back to Bianco Square, opening up the way to Bianco Hills.

Shadow Mario's next appearance

Shadow Mario's next major role in the game is when he kidnaps Princess Peach again, taking her to Pinna Park. Once Mario catches up with him, Shadow Mario will summon Mecha-Bowser, the boss of the current mission. Upon being defeated, he reveals his true identity as Bowser Jr., then takes off in a balloon to Corona Mountain with Princess Peach.

Shadow Mario appears in every seventh episode of every area and Mario must defeat him in order to collect the Shine Sprite he carries. Once all seven Shadow Mario episodes are completed, the entrance to Corona Mountain will open, as well as Delfino Plaza becoming flooded. Shadow Mario appears in several other episodes as well, though with a minor role. Also, whenever Mario enters a secret level area for the first time, Shadow Mario will appear and take FLUDD away. FLUDD will return to Mario once the Shine Sprite at the end is collected. Shadow Mario also takes FLUDD away during the third episode of Pianta Village, The Goopy Inferno and can be recovered near the end of the episode mission. If Mario waits 10 seconds after defeating Shadow Mario without talking to him, Shadow Mario will transform into a blue orb and teleport further away from Mario before restarting the chase.

After episode 4 of Pinna Park is completed, Shadow Mario will appear in Bianco Square carrying a Yoshi Egg. Defeating him will unlock Yoshi in several area episodes. Shadow Mario will appear two more times afterward when enough Shine Sprites are collected. He'll be carrying a Turbo Nozzle the first time and a Rocket Nozzle the second time, and defeating him will unlock those nozzles for use in Delfino Plaza.

As found within the game files, Shadow Mario shares the same animations as Mario and Il Piantissimo, with some extra ones added to accommodate that the two (Piantissimo and Shadow Mario) are NPCs. He uses a cover version of the Underground Theme from Super Mario Bros. during his appearances. A similar arrangement is used for Cosmic Mario in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel.

The levels in which he appears are as follows:

Level	World	Episode	Description
Road to the Big Windmill	Bianco Hills	Episode 1	Shadow Mario briefly appears in the level overview, but is never actually encountered.
The Hillside Cave Secret	Bianco Hills	Episode 3	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the Hillside Cave for the first time.
The Secret of the Dirty Lake	Bianco Hills	Episode 6	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the Cliff Spring Cave for the first time.
Shadow Mario on the Loose	Bianco Hills	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario around the Windmill Village to get the Shine Sprite.
The Secret of Ricco Tower	Ricco Harbor	Episode 4	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters Ricco Tower for the first time.
Shadow Mario Revisited	Ricco Harbor	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario over ships and steel girders to get the Shine Sprite.
Dune Bud Sand Castle Secret	Gelato Beach	Episode 1	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the Sand Portal for the first time.
It's Shadow Mario! After Him!	Gelato Beach	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario around the back area of Gelato Beach to get the Shine Sprite.
Mecha-Bowser Appears!	Pinna Park	Episode 1	Mario must chase Shadow Mario to a circular pool, where he will attack using Mecha-Bowser. After the battle he will reveal his true identity, Bowser Jr.
The Beach Cannon's Secret	Pinna Park	Episode 2	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the Beach Cannon for the first time.
The Yoshi-Go-Round's Secret	Pinna Park	Episode 6	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario rides the Yoshi-Go-Round for the first time.
Shadow Mario in the Park	Pinna Park	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario throughout the park to get the Shine Sprite.
The Hotel Lobby's Secret	Sirena Beach	Episode 2	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the golden Boo statue's mouth for the first time.
The Secret of Casino Delfino	Sirena Beach	Episode 4	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the secret Warp Pipe for the first time.
Shadow Mario Checks In	Sirena Beach	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario through the hotel while avoiding Boo imposters to get the Shine Sprite.
The Shell's Secret	Noki Bay	Episode 6	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the shell for the first time.
Hold It, Shadow Mario!	Noki Bay	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario around Noki Bay to get the Shine Sprite.
The Goopy Inferno	Pianta Village	Episode 3	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD before the level starts.
Secret of the Village Underside	Pianta Village	Episode 5	Shadow Mario arrives and takes FLUDD after Mario enters the flat, green mushroom for the first time.
Shadow Mario Runs Wild	Pianta Village	Episode 7	Mario must chase Shadow Mario around Pianta Village and avoid his Wind Spirits to get the Shine Sprite.

Levels in bold are levels specific to Shadow Mario for that particular area.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Toadstool Tour character
Shadow Mario
Drive	212 yards
Star Drive	275 yards
Trajectory	Fade
Height	Low
Impact	11
Star Impact	06
Control	07
Spin	07

Shadow Mario makes his first playable appearance in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour as an unlockable character. In the game, his maximum hit is 275 yards, and causes the ball to curve to the right when hit. He also has a low shot, meaning lie has a greater impact on the ball. His shot is like that of Luigi's, with power almost able to match Mario's. He mostly uses edited voice clips of Mario from Super Mario 64, with a lower pitch and slight damping filter. In order to unlock Shadow Mario, the player must complete all of the Ring Attack holes. Bowser Jr. also appears as a separate playable character.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Shadow Mario appears as a collectible sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He also appears on a wanted poster in the Delfino Plaza stage.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Bowser Jr.'s Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is Shadow Mario Paint, which sees him transform into Shadow Mario and use his Magic Paintbrush to paint a giant orange X of graffiti that covers the entire screen and damages any opponents that come into contact with it. As the Koopalings are Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes, they are able to transform into Shadow Mario as well.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Main article: Shadow Mario Paint

Shadow Mario reappears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a part of Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings' Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint, but he is active for a shorter period of time. He also appears as a neutral, primary spirit, which can be summoned with a Vince, Eddy, and neutral-type core.

Other appearances

Shadow Mario's name appears on one of the scoreboards in Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

Game appearances

Title	Description	Release Date	System
Super Mario Sunshine	Recurring enemy	2002	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour	Unlockable playable character	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Cameo as a sticker	2008	Wii
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Cameo in Final Smash	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	Cameo in Final Smash and as a trophy	2014	Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Cameo in Final Smash and as a spirit	2018	Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D All-Stars	Recurring enemy	2020	Nintendo Switch

Profiles and statistics

Super Smash Bros. Brawl sticker

Image	Artwork from	Effect in The Subspace Emissary
	Super Mario Sunshine	Flinch Resistance +70

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit

Name	Image	Game	Type	Class	Effect	How to obtain	Spirit battle
							Opponents	Battle conditions	Stage	Song
Shadow Mario		Super Mario Series	Primary (3)	Ace	Neutral	Summoned with a Vince, Eddy, and neutral-type core; Spirit Board	Bowser Jr.	Rule: Sudden Final Smash Hazard: Sticky Floor The floor is sticky The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	Delfino Plaza (Ω)	Delfino Plaza

Gallery

• 

  Shadow Mario kidnaps Princess Peach.

• 

  Wallpaper of Shadow Mario swinging his Magic Paintbrush in the air

• 

  Shadow Mario's signature M Graffiti

• 

  The M Graffiti in the opening sequence

• 

  Bowser Jr. wearing his "Mario mask" and holding his Magic Paintbrush

• 

  Super Mario-Kun

• 

  Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

• 

  Mario Golf: Advance Tour

• 

  Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• 

  Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Super Mario 3D All-Stars

• 

  Super Mario 3D All-Stars

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ニセマリオ[?] Nise Mario	Fake Mario; similar to Mario Clone
Chinese (simplified)	冒牌马力欧[?] Màopái Mǎlì'ōu	Fake Mario
Chinese (traditional)	冒牌瑪利歐 Màopái Mǎlì'ōu	Fake Mario
German	Mario Morgana[?]	Mario Morgana; Derived from Fata Morgana, a mirage involving water. Fits into the other names of Italian origin in the game.
Italian	Mario Ombra[?]	Shadow Mario
Russian	Марио-тень[?] Mario-Ten'	Shadow Mario
Spanish	Mario Oscuro[?]	Dark Mario

Music

Shadow Mario - Music from the Shadow Mario levels

File infoMedia:Shadow Mario Super Mario Sunshine.oga 0:30

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Trivia

• Prior to Shadow Mario's debut, Metal Mario had an alternate color scheme where he can be selected into blue in Mario Golf for Nintendo 64.