????

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This article is about the enemy in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. For other uses of name, see ???
Superstar Saga enemy
???? (Sharkbone)
A Sharkbone from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Location(s) Gwarhar Lagoon
Level 29 (27)
Role Common
HP 25
POW 72
Defense 40
Speed 80
Experience 120 (80)
Coins 14 (10)
Item drop Ultrasyrup Jar (Supersyrup Jar) – 16.13%
None – 0% (Red Pepper - 35.48%)
More
Fire Normal
Thunder Normal
Jump Normal
Hammer Normal
Hand Normal
Stun? 30%
Burn? 0%
Stat down? 100%
Notice
  • Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats).
  • Stats in gray are only found in the game's coding and are not available during "normal" gameplay.

???? is a type of enemy found in Gwarhar Lagoon in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. They can be a "Sharkbone" or what appears to be a Blurp with a shark fin attached to its back. These enemies always appear in groups that include both Sharkbones and Blurps, so it is impossible to tell which kind would attack until the very last moment of the creature's attack.

The name "Sharkbone" is actually based on unused enemy name text and appears as the undead shark's name in the Nintendo Power guide[1]. This guide also refers to the Blurp-like fish as Puffer-Cheep[2] or Puffer Cheep[3], which is actually a different Cheep Cheep form encountered underneath Oho Ocean in the Oho Ocean Seabed (which is, itself, erroneously referred to as Puffy Cheep[4]). Additionally, the European version of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga contains "Sand-Cheep" replacing the equally-unused "Sharkbone" name in the German text.[5]

"Blurp" ???? also make a brief appearance in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - they are used as projectiles of Shrooba Divers and bounce over the four heroes. The Junior Shrooboid is also referred to as ???? in Japan and Europe. The Hermite Crab's shells and Antasma from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team are labeled as "????" in-game, but the name connection is coincidental.

Attacks

The ???? has two attacks, depending on which type it is: Sharkbones burrow under and attack Mario or Luigi for large damage and possible Poison; the Blurp-like fish will jump right over Mario or Luigi, but if they jump, they will get hurt. ???? shuffle places each time one of them attacks, making it quite difficult to tell whether an attacker will be above or below Mario or Luigi. Therefore, the Mario Bros. could get hurt by a Blurp type, expecting it to be a Sharkbone, and vice-versa. The sharkbones stick their head out of the sand before attacking, while the Blurps provide no warning. However, when the brothers perform a regular Thunder Bros. attack on ????'s, and if at least one of them turns out to be a Sharkbone, the affected Sharkbones will immediately attack Mario and/or Luigi, one at a time.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ????[?] -
German ????[?] -
Italian ????[?] -
Spanish ????[?] -

Trivia

  • Despite some ???? being the "Sharkbone" variety, sharks do not have bones in the real world - their skeletons are made of cartilage.

References

  1. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Pages 88 & 127
  2. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 88
  3. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 127
  4. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 86
  5. ^ The Mushroom Kingdom: Lost Bytes