Aero

The mad arrow, Aero.

“Ooh, I heard everything! Who would have known that star was so important? I've got to inform Smithy.”

—Aero, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

An Aero is an arrow-like enemy that was used by Bowyer during his siege of Rose Town in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. These arrows are laced with a special potion, allowing them to cause paralysis when they hit their target. As such, Bowyer fired arrows into Rose Town, paralyzing its inhabitants. However, Bowyer had really bad accuracy, meaning many Aeroes landed harmlessly on the ground in both Rose Town and the Forest Maze where Bowyer was stationed.

When Mario is hit by one of these arrows, he would not be permanently paralyzed; rather, he would be briefly knocked unconscious. Although Mario takes no damage, being hit by an Aero can be dangerous. While in the Forest Maze, if Mario is stunned, he will be unable to run away from attacking monsters. However, since these Aero attacks are random, Mario will most likely never be hit.

Shortly after Mario and Mallow discover and hide from Bowyer after stumbling upon him deep within the Forest Maze, they can only watch as Bowyer and his many Aeroes laugh about the helpless citizens of Rose Town. Before they can react, a single Aero is revealed to have found the green Star Piece somewhere in the forest, which he in turn presents to Bowyer.

During Mario's confrontation with Bowyer, Aeroes were used by Bowyer as a standard physical attack and as a Sleep inducing special attack. Additionally, Aeroes were used to lock controller buttons, preventing Mario's party from using certain commands. Eventually, Mario and company defeated the maniacal Bowyer and his Aero minions.

Only one Aero survived this battle; he did so by hiding behind a tree stump during the fight. After eavesdropping on Mario and the gang, this lone Aero rushed to the Factory to inform his boss Smithy about the importance of the Star Pieces.

Aeroes later appeared in the Smithy Factory. Like in Rose Town and the Forest Maze, Aeroes would briefly knock Mario out, allowing enemies to attack the unconscious plumber. Unfortunately, these Aeroes were more accurate than the previous ones, meaning Mario would often be hit and paralyzed. The source of these arrows is unknown, but they were probably fired by an off-screen Machine Made Bowyer. Like the original, these mass-produced versions of Bowyer also used Aeroes in battle.

During the final fight against Smithy, an Aero is one of the minions that warns Smithy against smashing the floor of the platform, which ultimately breaks.

Trivia

• Aero's name comes from the Greek prefix aero-, meaning air, which is pronounced similarly to the word "arrow".
• The name "Aero" is never revealed until the battle against Smithy at the end of the game. The citizens of Rose Town simply refer to them as "arrows," while a group of Aeroes are credited as Bowyer's "flunkies" shortly before Geno shows up.
• In the fight with Smithy Aero's name isn't aero but rather he's red and is called drill bit