Nintendo: Ranking All Of Mario’s Foes On Toughness

As the primary hero of his games, Mario endures a lot of obstacles along the way. This is understandable, as they are a necessity when it comes to being the hero of a video game. No matter what game the player chooses to try, Mario will face a number of tough opponents who are working for his biggest enemy, Bowser. They each possess their own styles of attacks, too, so the gamer needs to learn exactly how to handle each situation.

The enemies that Mario has to deal with also range in toughness rather significantly. Normally, if a new foe is introduced in a game later on during the adventure, they often are far more difficult to battle. Furthermore, this requires the player to master the controls of each game, whether it be focusing on Mario’s attacks, jumping, or even running. At the end of the day, though, there are simply some foes who are a piece of cake to deal with, while others will put up quite the fight.

10 Goomba

Goomba are not a very challenging opponent to deal with. They do come in high numbers, so that can be a bit irritating at times, but it is really easy to handle them. All Mario has to do is either jump on top of them or punch them, and they disappear immediately.

They are also rather slow characters, so when they charge, it is easy to avoid them if the player opts to. Given the fact that they also leave virtually no damage, it is apparent that they are not a threat in the slightest.

9 Koopa Troopa

The one thing that makes Koopa Troopa just a tad bit tougher than Goomba is its shell. However, they also are less likely to attack full-on. In some games, such as Super Mario 64, they even run away from Mario when their shells are gone.

The significance of their shell is worth noting, as it offers them an extra bit of protection. Thus, it requires Mario to attack them twice for them to disappear. Also, their shells can injure Mario when they fall off.

8 Bob-omb

Bob-ombs are a bit stronger than the first two, as they can leave lasting damage if they are successful with their attacks. Upon seeing Mario, they instantly set off and explode a few seconds after.

This leads to them disappearing, which is helpful. However, they are faster than Goombas, as well as more powerful. Therefore, it is not very easy for Mario to avoid them once they target him.

7 Boo

Boos are characters that are not necessarily too difficult to handle. However, what does enhance their difficulty is the fact that they disappear when Mario looks at them. This, in turn, makes them entirely undamageable.

This also makes them far craftier than the foes listed above. They do not move with the quickest speed, as they aim to sneak up on Mario. However, their ability to avoid danger with ease, as well as push Mario off stages, can be challenging.

6 King Bob-omb

King Bob-omb makes his debut in Super Mario 64 and is the first boss Mario faces. In fact, he possesses the first star in the entire game. He is a monstrous figure, which can be intimidating to new players, but he actually does not leave any real damage.

All King Bob-omb does is throw Mario off the top of the mountain where the battle commences. In other games, he is not necessarily as tough as his appearance makes him out to be, as he primarily just pelts bob-ombs at Mario.

5 Thwomp

Thwomp is a character that does not chase Mario but rather squashes him. Therefore, if he connects with Mario, he is in some serious trouble. This alone is what makes him a rather tough opponent.

It is somewhat easy to avoid Thwomp thankfully, as all Mario needs to do is either long-jump to safety or wait for him to go down. If Thwomp dropped at a faster rate, he would pose far more issues than he already does.

4 Wiggler

Wiggler is a character that new players may assume is not even an enemy. He may have an innocent appearance, but once he feels he is in danger or becomes angry, he becomes a real force.

This is especially the case when looking back at Super Mario Sunshine. He charges around the island and constantly looks to attack Mario. Although he is also difficult in other games, this is the one where he becomes almost unbeatable.

3 Petey Piranha

Petey Piranha makes quite the first impression in Super Mario Sunshine. Even though he is the first boss Mario faces in the game, he does pose a major challenge for him.

This is because Petey not only attacks Mario himself, but he also shoots sludge outside of his mouth. This also does carry over to later games as well, but he is more prone to shoot fire, like in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.

2 Chain Chomp

Chain Chomp has been a massive foe of Mario’s for quite a long time now. He makes his debut in Super Mario Bros. 3, which was released way back in 1988. Since then, he only has gotten stronger, too.

His rise in power becomes apparent in Super Mario 64, as the only way to rid of him is by ground pounding the log beside him. In Super Mario Odyssey, he is just as aggressive, while also possessing great speed, too.

1 Bowser

Bower is easily the strongest enemy that Mario faces. This is due to the fact that he is the reason why Mario is always forced to take on these long journeys. He also is intimidating enough to lead the vast amount of enemies Mario has, too.

When battling Mario, Bowser has a lot of strength, no matter what game the player is facing him in. However, Bowser’s Fury is where he reaches his highest level of toughness, as Mario only can defeat him when he obtains the Giga Bell power-up. When he does not have it in this game, he needs to stay out of his path. If not, Bowser’s uncontrollable power will damage him quickly.

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