Welcome to Who’s That Spirit?!
An on-going series in which we uncover the origin of each and every Spirit & Spirit Battle
in Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate.
Spirits are based on characters and items from either the history of Nintendo or video
games in general, and each battle against them is specially tailored to reflect that
Spirit and its origin, whether through the character it possesses, the stage, music selection,
or even the items--they all serve as clues and connections to the Spirit’s origin--sometimes
in surprising ways.
It’s all incredibly clever and often even more obtuse.
For Volume 4 we’ll be focusing on a single series, Mario!
So let’s see if we can answer Who’s That Spirit?!
Geno is the fan favorite character from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
While he may look like a puppet, he’s actually a denizen of Star Road who inhabited the body
of a doll in order to stop the evil Smithy and restore his home.
He possesses the body of Sheik in her purple costume who is also equipped with a Super
Scope.
Sheik was likely chosen because she too is taking on a different form from her actual
self.
Not only that but there’s a slight resemblance to Geno with her turban and high speed.
After all, Geno was the fastest of the main characters.
But the Super Scope was chosen for a reason too as it emulates both Geno’s standard
attacks from Mario RPG when rapidly attacking and the Geno Beam when charged for a large
shot.
Even better than that though are the allies that must be defeated before Geno even appears.
These include Mario, Bowser, and Peach, which is a really cool touch as these were the party
members of Mario RPG.
Not only that, but Kirby in his white coloring fills in for the 5th member, Mallow.
It’s a full-blown reunion!
The fight takes place on the Battlefield version of Mario Galaxy which is likely supposed to
represent Geno’s celestial home, Star Road.
This also explains why the Rainbow Road Medley was chosen for the music, a track that also
takes place among the stars.
We’re fighting Geno on his home turf!
The Spirit Battle is even located in the space section of the World of Light map!
As for the conditions, only Sheik has to be defeated to win, but she won’t appear until
at least two of her allies are defeated.
Making it even tougher is the fact that this is a timed battle giving players only 2 and
a half minutes to win.
We’re not quite sure why this time limit exists though.
Maybe it’s because Geno only had limited time to be with Mario and his friends before
returning to his home?
Or maybe it’s because each characters’ level cap in Mario RPG was 30 and if we convert
that to seconds, all 5 party members would add up to 2:30.
Another explanation could be how the cost of the Geno Mii Costume on both Wii U & 3DS
was $2.30.
Weird, huh?
Thanks to DanXplain, JuanK, and everyone else on our Discord for the help!
Finally, Geno’s Final Smash Meter charges quickly which ties into his role as an offensive
powerhouse in Mario RPG.
It could also refer to the fact that Geno Beam and Geno Blast have actual meters unlike
the other characters in Mario RPG.
He’s kind of an expert!
His powerful special attacks might also be why he’s an Attack type Primary Spirit though
he doesn’t have any special abilities.
Good luck taking this Star Man down!
Starship Mario was Mario’s main mode of transportation in Super Mario Galaxy 2 as
it carried him from planet to planet in order to collect Stars.
So naturally it possesses the body of Mario in his green outfit, matching the grass and
trees that grow on its surface.
His brown overalls even match the earthy tones of the starship.
The battle takes place on the Battlefield version of Mario Galaxy which is supremely
fitting considering this makes it a planetoid itself and we can see Starship Mario flying
in the background.
Likewise, the music that plays is “The Starship Sails” which was used in Mario Galaxy 2
when flying between the planets.
Starship Mario is found in the space section of the World of Light map, and it’s appropriately
enough found on the path between two planets.
When fighting the Spirit, it’s a Shield type likely owing to the fact that it protects
Mario as he travels through space to rescue Peach.
The conditions match the space theme as well with gravity being reduced in the fight, similar
to how it felt on Starship Mario itself.
In addition, Mario is giant which gives him a big head once again matching the theming.
After all, what better way to represent the iconic faceship than to literally make Mario’s
head bigger?
Once it’s defeated, the Starship Mario Spirit that you earn is a Support type that increases
the player’s jump height, a nod to the low gravity and higher jumping that it allows
in Super Mario Galaxy.
Kid is an original character from Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color, Mario Golf 64, and
Mario Golf: Advance Tour.
It’s not a generic title either.
Kid really is his name.
For his Spirit Battle, he possesses the bodies of four Marios in their black outfit.
The color choice matches Kid’s own clothes, or at least his shirt, but the decision to
have 4 Marios is an interesting one.
While there’s nothing explicitly tied to Kid with the number, it could be a reference
to how golfers are traditionally shown shouting, “Four!” before a drive.
Or, more likely, it might be a reference to the fact that in Mario Golf 64, he had four
alternate colors although that’s not the case in this battle.
Each Mario is the same.
Either way, the stage takes place on the Battlefield version of Golden Plains where the background
is a wide open field with a few hills.
It’s kind of the perfect spot for a golf game, once you add in the course.
The music is “World Tour” from Mario Golf: World Tour and while that may not be one of
the games that Kid appeared in, it is one of two music tracks featured in Smash Ultimate
from the Mario Golf series.
The other one is a Medley from both Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, so this is a better
fit.
The Kid Spirit is even found in a path between lines of trees on the World of Light map,
just like a typical golf course.
The conditions for the battle have dangerously high winds go into effect which is always
a pain when you want that line drive in golf.
Additionally, the enemies are easily distracted by items.
In this case, it’s the Beastball.
While it’s not a golf ball, it’s close enough to get the point across.
The Kid Spirit is a Support type that grants extra stamina in Stamina Battles.
It makes sense considering, as an athlete, he would naturally have good stamina for his
activities.
Boom Boom was introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3 where he acted as the Fortress Boss, gradually
gaining abilities and becoming a greater threat.
In this Spirit Battle, he possesses the body of a Squirtle.
Why Squirtle?
Because this color gives him a red shell, just like Boom Boom’s and he is a turtle,
just like the Koopas.
As for the Stage, this fight takes place on the Battlefield version of the Unova Pokémon
League which is probably the closest to resembling one of the Fortresses from Mario 3.
Even on the map, his Spirit is found next to a large fortress.
And appropriately enough, the music is the Fortress Boss Theme from that same game.
It’s basically his own theme.
The conditions for the battle make it as close to a Boom Boom fight as it can.
Squirtle is a giant which makes him a bit closer to Boom Boom’s presumed size.
In addition, he has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch, which was pretty
much true of Boom Boom in Mario 3 as well.
It’s a shame jumping on his head isn’t as effective here.
More deadly though is that Boom Boom can do damage simply by dashing into the player.
He’s a one-koopa wrecking crew and something to steer clear of, just like in his own games.
Once his Spirit is obtained, it’s revealed to be a Primary Attack type.
It makes sense that such an aggressive Koopa would be all about attacking.
The artwork comes from Super Mario 3D World.
However, he can be enhanced once he reaches level 99.
When that happens, he becomes Boom Boom & Pom Pom, which uses their artwork from Super Mario
3D Land.
He then gains the Ability for Hyper Smash Attacks that enhances the players’ smashes,
which makes sense considering his own giant arms.
Dreambert is the prince of the Pi’illos and the Mario Bros. guide while in the Dream
World in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
So of course he’d possess Luigi for his Spirit Battle since Luigi was kinda the star
of Dream Team with all of his Dream Luigi abilities.
Luigi wears his pink outfit which has red overalls and best matches Dreambert’s own
look.
The fight takes place on the Battlefield version of Magicant which best matches the Dream World
in Dream Team.
And, you know, Magicant is pretty much a dream world itself.
Plus the clouds in the background do kinda look like fluffy pillows.
Even his location on the World of Light map is bit dream-like with the rounded mountains
and rainbow bridges.
The music is “Try, Try Again” which was the battle theme in Dream Team, a song that
couldn’t really be more fitting.
There’s a lot here to help represent Dreambert.
Even the battle condition has a sleep-inducing floor which ties into Dream Team’s plot
since Luigi has to fall asleep in specific areas to enter the Dream World.
Once Dreambert is defeated, his Spirit is revealed to be a Primary Shield type, likely
because he desperately wants to help and protect his people, who have all been turned to stone
by the villain Antasma.
It doesn’t have any extra abilities though.
Plessie is the cute dinosaur that Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad ride on through certain water
levels in Super Mario 3D World.
So who better for her to possess than another dinosaur, Yoshi!
Unfortunately, Yoshi doesn’t have its orange variation in Smash Ultimate but yellow is
pretty close, especially with its orange spines.
The battle takes place on the Great Bay stage which works well as a water and beach setting.
After all, many of the levels featuring Plessie ended on the beach.
And even the large turtle that floats next to the stage could be seen as an extension
of Plessie herself.
This water theme continues with Plessie’s location on the World of Light map, where
it can be found at the top of river rapids.
Considering it can be ridden down in order to access a new area, it’s a spot-on place
for it to be since that’s exactly what Plessie does in 3D World.
The music is “Slide” from Super Mario 64, another perfect choice since that’s
the music that plays when Mario slides down a ramp in that game.
And it also plays in 3D World when riding Plessie.
So in a way, it’s Plessie’s theme as well.
As for the conditions, Yoshi is a giant which helps it better match Plessie’s own large
size.
When equipped, the Plessie Spirit is a Support type that grants the Swimmer ability, allowing
the player to stay in water indefinitely, which makes perfect since since Plessie is
a sea creature, and thus, always swimming.
Some Spirits just fall right into place.
Bullet Bill has been a staple of the Super Mario games since the original.
But it can’t be limited to just one.
So for its Spirit Battle, Bullet Bill possesses four Captain Falcon’s in their black outfits.
The color speaks for itself, but we believe Falcon’s helmet is meant to emulate Bullet
Bill’s own rounded face.
And there’s four of them because there can be a lot of Bullet Bills firing at Mario from
all directions to make the platforming even trickier.
That certainly feels like the intention especially with the fight taking place on the Mushroom
Kingdom stage.
After all, like we said, this is the game marking Bullet Bill’s very first appearance.
Its location on the World of Light map is at the entrance to a Pac-Man like maze so
perhaps this is a reference to its retro origins.
The music that plays is the Airship Theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 which were chock
full of Bullet Bill’s and cannonballs, which is pretty appropriate.
As for the conditions, the Bullet Bill item will appear in large numbers with the enemy
being easily distracted by them.
This leads to some very chaotic and very quick matches, making you dodge actual Bullet Bills
like in the Mario games.
Once the Spirit is obtained, it turns out to be a Primary Attack type and since Bullet
Bills have only one purpose, this is quite fitting.
However, it can also be enhanced at level 99, transforming it into the absolutely huge
Banzai Bill.
This grants it the Ability Impact Run which allows players to damage opponents just by
dashing into them.
That is how Bullet and Banzai Bills damage Mario after all.
Even a series that’s as big and ubiquitous as Mario can hide its fair share of secrets
in these Spirit Battles.
Some can be a little obvious while others are a bit trickier in their design.
But what other secrets are these Spirits hiding?
And what origins have you asking...Who’s That Spirit?!
Don’t forget to check out our previous installments where we covered WarioWare’s Ashley, Blaze
the Cat, Rayman, and more!
You can easily watch them all by clicking the playlist link right on the screen!
Would you like another themed episode around a single series?
Let us know what Spirits you’d like us to cover next by posting in the comments below.
And of course be sure to subscribe to GameXplain for more on Smash Ultimate and other things
gaming.