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King Bob-omb, otherwise known as Big Bob-omb or the Bob-omb King, is the king of the Bob-ombs who debuted in Super Mario 64, being the first boss fought in that game and its remake. Guarding the Power Star, which Bowser entrusted him with, he does not give it up without fighting the player. After his debut, King Bob-omb became a recurring boss in later games, specifically spin off games such as Mario Party 9 and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. King Bob-omb, like other certain bosses, takes pride in his royal status. It's unknown whether or not he's actually the king of all the Bob-ombs, but it is expected that he is. He resembles a very large Bob-omb, but with arms, a giant mustache, and a crown on his head.
History[]
Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS[]
Big Bob-omb's sprite from Super Mario 64 DS.
King Bob-omb first appeared in Super Mario 64, under the moniker of the "Big Bob-omb." He is encountered at the top of the mountain on the Bob-omb Battlefield. He and his species of the regular black-colored Bob-ombs have engaged in battle with the local Bob-omb Buddies, who are pink and peaceful by nature. If Mario speaks to various Bob-omb Buddies, they will tell him that the area has become a battlefield ever since King Bob-omb was entrusted with a Power Star by Bowser and that he can find him at the top of the mountain.
Upon scaling to the top of the mountain, King Bob-omb challenges Mario to a duel and agrees to relinquish the Power Star should Mario defeat him in battle. To do so, Mario merely has to run around to the back of him, pick him up and toss him three times while avoiding his hands in order to not be tossed a considerable distance. If he is thrown off the mountain, he will accuse Mario of cheating and he will have to start over (even though it is possible for Big Bob-omb to throw Mario off the mountain himself). After defeating him, the Bob-omb Buddy at the beginning of the level will express gratitude and note that the Big Bob-omb is now "just a big dud," in other words, defeated.
In the remake, Super Mario 64 DS, the Big Bob-omb is fought twice. The first time, he is encountered while playing as Yoshi, and instead of picking him up, Yoshi has to grab the Bob-ombs thrown at him with his tongue and spit them back at him before they explode in Yoshi's mouth. Yoshi can also lead a Bob-omb to explode next to him; if playing as one of the other three characters or wearing their Caps, they must throw Bob-ombs at him three times. After being hit by three Bob-ombs, the Big Bob-omb is defeated. The second time, he can only be defeated by one of the three unlocked heroes using the same strategy as in Super Mario 64. If the first mission is played as Mario, Luigi, or Wario, he says something different for each of them at the start and the end of the battle, relating to their mustaches; in the second mission, he uses identical dialogue for all characters. He also received a slight redesign, being given large white gloves and pointed shoes aside from the yellow spheres he had in earlier iterations. He retains this look in every subsequent appearance aside from Mario Party Advance, which ignores Super Mario 64 DSs redesigns in general.
Mario Party series[]
Mario Party 2[]
In Mario Party 2, a statue of Big Bob-omb appears in the background of Mystery Land, stuck in a sinkhole.
Mario Party 5[]
Two King Bob-ombs make an appearance in Mario Party 5 in the minigame Defuse or Lose, where the players have to defuse wires leading to each by ground-pounding them.
Mario Party Advance[]
In Mario Party Advance, King Bob-omb is known as Big Bob-omb like in Super Mario 64. He is the leader of the Bob-omb Mafia which protects Shroom City, and lives in the basement of Mushroom Condo. When the player encounters him, he is sitting on a throne with two Bob-ombs next to him. He then challenges 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, they get the Gaddget Stress Press. The ending states that he retired and moved to the jungle, and Bob-omb becomes his replacement.
Mario Party 8[]
Two King Bob-ombs, once again known as Big Bob-ombs, make a reappearance in the Mario Party 8 minigame You're the Bob-omb. One of them blows up when the correct wire is detonated, causing the player who selected it to lose the minigame.
Mario Party 9[]
In Mario Party 9, King Bob-omb is the stage boss of Bob-omb Factory. He appears in the minigame Bombard King Bob-omb, where four players have to throw Bob-ombs at him. This game marks the first time King Bob-omb is under his current name (however this only applies for the USA version of the game as he is still under the name "Big Bob-omb" in PAL regions).
Mario Party: Island Tour[]
King Bob-omb next appears in Mario Party: Island Tour as the fourth boss of the Bowser's Tower mode (being faced off against on the twentieth floor). His boss minigame is King Bob-omb's Court of Chaos. Just as before, King Bob-omb is under his current name for the USA version of the game however he is still under the name "Big Bob-omb" in PAL regions.
Mario Party: Star Rush[]
King Bob-omb reappears in Mario Party: Star Rush once again as a boss in the minigame King Bob-omb's Boom D'état. To defeat him, players must fire bombs at him by loading them into the cannons on the platform until his health is fully depleted.
Mario Party: The Top 100[]
In Mario Party: The Top 100, two King Bob-ombs reappear in the minigame Defuse or Lose from Mario Party 5, having the same role as in the original game.
Super Mario Party[]
King Bob-omb appears in Super Mario Party on the board, King Bob-omb's Powderkeg Mine. If any players land on a ! Space, a countdown will tick down. If the countdown reaches 0, King Bob-omb will explode, causing any player around him to lose half of their Coins. After the explosion, King Bob-omb will return, and the countdown restarts.
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 three times to defeat him. However, his move set is altered to fit Mario Kart DS. He is battled in Mission 5. When the mission starts, he will stomp, causing a Bob-omb and two item boxes to appear. He will run towards the Bob-omb to pick it up and throw it at you. The Item Boxes will have Bob-ombs to throw at him. They will disappear after a few seconds. When The Big Bob-omb has been hit twice, he will run around, and then jump. He will drop 3 Bob-ombs in a circle and an Item box in the middle. after the Bob-ombs explode, he will drop back down, and then repeat. Upon being defeated, he will explode.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[]
In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, King Bob-omb is a non-playable character and appears in the Bowser Factory course.
Mario Kart Tour[]
In Mario Kart Tour, King Bob-omb is a high-end tier playable character. His special item is the Giga Bob-omb and he made his playable debut on August 12, 2020 as a part of the Pirate Tour. However, he appeared as the opponent in the Vs. Mega challenge in the Dry Bones cup during the Wild West Tour, where he also uses the Giga Bob-omb.
Their is also a variant version of King Bob-omb called King Bob-omb (Gold), who is a high-end tier character and uses the Coin Box as his special item. It looks just like the normal King Bob-omb but made out of gold and wearing a silver crown.
Mario Golf series[]
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour[]
King Bob-omb appears in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour on a golf course in Peach's Castle Grounds. Hitting him causes him to get up and flee from the course instead of exploding. In Ring Attack, the golfer must hit a ring that is circling him to complete the hole successfully.
Mario Golf: World Tour[]
While King Bob-omb himself does not appear in Mario Golf: World Tour, one of the names that can appear on the tournament scoreboard is "King Bob-omb".
Mario Golf: Super Rush[]
King Bob-omb appears as a playable golfer for the very first time in Mario Golf: Super Rush.
Mario Baseball series[]
Mario Superstar Baseball[]
King Bob-omb 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, King Bob-omb is a stage obstacle on the Bowser Castle stadium, which he throws Bob-ombs down onto the field. 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.
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[]
King Bob-omb appears in the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a trophy.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
King Bob-omb appears as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The fight in order to capture him takes place on Peach's Castle, and features Kirby with a dark recolor and bright yellow eyes, made to resemble King Bob-omb. He can also be summoned using a Shake King and Bob-omb core.
Mario & Luigi series[]
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[]
King Bob-omb appears in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as the boss of Mount Brrr, making his official Mario & Luigi series debut and first appearance in an RPG overall. He is placed in charge of the paper terrain operation on Mount Brrr, and retains his voice clips and regal demeanor from Super Mario 64. When King Bob-omb finds that the Mario Bros. have discovered his operations, he threatens to self-destruct, forcing the trio to battle him.
King Bob-omb's boss fight is unique in that it involves a special countdown timer, similarly to Pi'illodium. If King Bob-omb is not defeated within four minutes (three minutes in the Boss Battle Ring), he explodes and deals a lot of damage to potentially cause a game over. If at least one Bro survives the final explosion, the party does not gain any EXP or Coins. He attacks by throwing Bob-ombs at the trio which if stomped on will turn around and damage King Bob-omb, attempting to pick up Mario or Luigi before throwing them at Paper Mario which can be prevented by hammering his hand right as the bro is about to be picked up, or by rallying a large red bomb at Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario in a sequence which is knocked back with the hammer. If the trio successfully counter the red bomb rally, King Bob-omb's timer will be set back by a minute, to King Bob-omb's shock; most likely due to his unbalanced state afterwards. All of King Bob-omb's attacks have a high chance to give a Dizzy status if not counter-attacked. Due to the timer in the battle, Boo Biscuits cannot be used; due to his crown, he is immune to Jump attacks and certain Bros. Attacks, such as Rocket Blast or the second half of Mega Thwonk.
King Bob-omb retains all of his attacks from Super Mario 64; throwing Bob-ombs as well as picking up and throwing one of the Bros. His only new attack is the red bomb rally. Additionally, he is one of the few bosses in the game to not feature a chase attack in his moveset.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[]
King Bob-omb appears as a boss in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. He is a ranged enemy, attacking by throwing Bob-ombs, and his Special Skill is Rain of Pain. He is battled in two levels, firstly in The Power of Junior, where he is Captain Goomba's "game-changer", and is battled with Captain Goomba, Captain Shy Guy, Captain Boo, and Captain Koopa Troopa. He must be defeated in under 90 seconds, otherwise he will self-destruct and instantly defeat all allies.
King Bob-omb also appears in the post-game level A Mighty Melee where he is fought in the first and third rounds. In the first round, he must be defeated in under 60 seconds and in the third round he fights alongside Broque Madame and must be defeated in under 90 seconds. During this level, his special skills cannot be denied much like a Malatone Formula:X-infected enemy, despite not being infected himself.
Dr. Mario World[]
King Bob-omb appears as an assistant in Dr. Mario World, though unlike most assistants, he is obtained solely through winning battle boxes in the game's versus mode (in a similar vein to Banzai Bill).
General information[]
Physical description[]
King Bob-omb has a circular, explosive body. The color of his body is black just like in the first games, but is sometimes shown in a dark purple tint like in Mario Party Advance. His large eyes and body shape are identical to a Bob-omb's, although he has no visible wind-up keys or fuses (as he wears a bejeweled crown), and he has a large white mustache. Originally, he was depicted with yellow spheres as hands and smooth shoes, but this was changed to white gloves and pointed shoes and he has retained this appearance from Super Mario 64 DS onward. His method of attack, which involves throwing his opponents, is like that of Chuckya, an enemy similar in appearance; he is also defeated in a similar way. In his artwork for Mario Party: Star Rush, King Bob-omb has visible scratches on his body.
Personality[]
King Bob-omb is an antagonist, but acts in a regal, gentleman-like manner and is not afraid to admit defeat and compliment the player in Super Mario 64. He even briefly gives tips on how to defeat Bowser and reselect completed missions, and Mario Party Advance implies that he actually leads the society of the Bob-omb Mafia to protect Shroom City. In Super Mario 64 DS only, he is very critical and patronizing towards everyone he believes is of lower class. He, along with Chief Chilly, is proud of his mustache, leading him to act condescending to those without a mustache or to criticize mustaches he sees as inferior. 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.
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, King Bob-omb retains the regal aspect of his personality, but is now more stolid, using as few words as possible. He acts like a perfectionist, going as far as to initiate his own self-destruction to protect the secrets of his operation. He still believes in mustaches as signs of power, with his incredulity upon defeat only sated when he realizes that the Bros. also sport fine mustaches of their own.
List of appearances by date[]
| Titles | Description | Release date(s) | Systems/formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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/Cameo | 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 |
| Mario Kart Arcade GP DX | Non-Playable Character | 2013 | Arcade |
| Mario Party: Island Tour | Boss | 2013 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Golf: World Tour | Name mentioned | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | Trophy | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam | Boss | 2015 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Wii U Edition | 3D pixel art in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack world | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario Party: Star Rush | Boss | 2016 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition | 3D pixel art in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack world | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Party: The Top 100 | Non-Playable Character | 2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition | 3D pixel art in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack world | 2018 | New Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Mario Party | Non-Playable Character | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Spirit | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey | Boss | 2019 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Dr. Mario World | Assistant | 2019 | iOS/Android |
| Mario Kart Tour | Playable driver | 2019 (debuted 2020) | iOS/Android |
| Mario Golf: Super Rush | Playable golfer | 2021 | Nintendo Switch |