Tortilla Noggin
Smash Obsessed
- Joined
- May 13, 2015
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- 20,726
Super Smash Bros. already has three of the so-called "Trouble Kings" - Bowser, Ganondorf, and Dedede - and there have long been fan calls for the addition of K. Rool, who is regarded as the missing member of this group.
However, there's one member of the Trouble Kings who's been forgotten for far too long: Wart.
Who is Wart?
Wart is a large, green toad, with clawed hands and feet, who wears a blue regal robe, a large gold pendant and bracelets, and a royal crown. He wears a perpetual frown, and he doesn't like vegetables - or anything, so it seems.
Though Wart originated in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic for the Famicom, under his Japanese name of Mamu, as the evil ruler of a dream-world inside a storybook, he is perhaps best known as the amphibian antagonist of the Western version of Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES (along with its Japanese release, Super Mario USA), where he took over rulership of the dream kingdom of Subcon, hypnotised its people to fight on his side, and caused its Dream Factory to instead spew out monsters and nightmares.
Wart as he appears at the end of Super Mario Bros. 2, for the NES.
(Video credit: SethBlizzard.)
Wart has a deep dislike for vegetables, believed by some to be due to a severe allergy, and these are his only weakness - he was ultimately defeated by the heroes force-feeding them to him! He was worse off in Super Mario Bros. 2, where the total number was six vegetables, instead of Doki Doki Panic's original four.
Though it's widely believed that Wart did not appear again after Super Mario Bros. 2, he actually went on to appear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Game Boy in 1993, where he helps Link by teaching him a song, and he reappeared in a villainous role in the 1996 Satellaview-exclusive, Japan-only follow-up to Super Mario Bros. 2, BS Super Mario USA.
Aside from these appearances, he also appeared in remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2, on the SNES and Game Boy Advance.
Even though he's shown to appear in dreams, Wart must also exist in the real world as well, as BS Super Mario USA makes it clear that he fled to another dream-world to lie low for a while after his defeat in Super Mario Bros. 2, and his appearance in Link's Awakening also demonstrates this, as the game's setting of Koholint Island is actually a dream. Considering that the main cast of both of these games all awake from the dreams, it stands to reason that Wart does, too - though where he's from remains a mystery!
Later appearances suggest that Wart is somewhat egotistical, as he refers to himself as "The Great Wart", in Super Mario Advance (the Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 2). He is also shown to be somewhat spiteful, as he stole all of the Mario statues (which were put up across Subcon in order to honour Mario after the events of Super Mario Bros. 2), in BS Super Mario USA. BS Super Mario USA also showed Wart to be a patient individual, as the game revealed that he went into hiding and took his time to plan out his second attack on Subcon and its people.
BS Super Mario USA.
(Video credit: cvglens.)
Summary
So there you have it. That's who Wart is, and what he could do. Considering that Smash is canonically about someone playing with toys and imagining the battles, Wart's main appearances being in dream-worlds would make him a pretty good fit!
Though he hasn't appeared recently, and thus probably doesn't stand too much of a chance of making it into Smash, if you like the older, less-commonly-seen characters like this, please consider showing Wart some support!
However, there's one member of the Trouble Kings who's been forgotten for far too long: Wart.
Who is Wart?
Wart is a large, green toad, with clawed hands and feet, who wears a blue regal robe, a large gold pendant and bracelets, and a royal crown. He wears a perpetual frown, and he doesn't like vegetables - or anything, so it seems.
Though Wart originated in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic for the Famicom, under his Japanese name of Mamu, as the evil ruler of a dream-world inside a storybook, he is perhaps best known as the amphibian antagonist of the Western version of Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES (along with its Japanese release, Super Mario USA), where he took over rulership of the dream kingdom of Subcon, hypnotised its people to fight on his side, and caused its Dream Factory to instead spew out monsters and nightmares.
Wart as he appears at the end of Super Mario Bros. 2, for the NES.
(Video credit: SethBlizzard.)
Wart has a deep dislike for vegetables, believed by some to be due to a severe allergy, and these are his only weakness - he was ultimately defeated by the heroes force-feeding them to him! He was worse off in Super Mario Bros. 2, where the total number was six vegetables, instead of Doki Doki Panic's original four.
Though it's widely believed that Wart did not appear again after Super Mario Bros. 2, he actually went on to appear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Game Boy in 1993, where he helps Link by teaching him a song, and he reappeared in a villainous role in the 1996 Satellaview-exclusive, Japan-only follow-up to Super Mario Bros. 2, BS Super Mario USA.
Aside from these appearances, he also appeared in remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2, on the SNES and Game Boy Advance.
Even though he's shown to appear in dreams, Wart must also exist in the real world as well, as BS Super Mario USA makes it clear that he fled to another dream-world to lie low for a while after his defeat in Super Mario Bros. 2, and his appearance in Link's Awakening also demonstrates this, as the game's setting of Koholint Island is actually a dream. Considering that the main cast of both of these games all awake from the dreams, it stands to reason that Wart does, too - though where he's from remains a mystery!
Later appearances suggest that Wart is somewhat egotistical, as he refers to himself as "The Great Wart", in Super Mario Advance (the Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 2). He is also shown to be somewhat spiteful, as he stole all of the Mario statues (which were put up across Subcon in order to honour Mario after the events of Super Mario Bros. 2), in BS Super Mario USA. BS Super Mario USA also showed Wart to be a patient individual, as the game revealed that he went into hiding and took his time to plan out his second attack on Subcon and its people.
BS Super Mario USA.
(Video credit: cvglens.)
Recency?
Although Wart has not been seen in quite some time, he has appeared in several spin-off products such as comics and books, and has been referenced in other Nintendo games, even outside of the Super Mario series, with some regularity over the years, including as recently as 2016.
The Frog's Song of Soul, in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
(Video credit: William Schram.)
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- The first such reference was in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, released for the Game Boy in 1993, in which Wart, here going by his Japanese name of Mamu, taught Link the Frog's Song of Soul. This reference was retained in the 1998 Game Boy Colour update, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.
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- In the Animal Crossing series, which began in 2001 with the N64 title Doubutsu no Mori, one cranky-type frog neighbour had their name localised as Wart Jr., in a nod to Wart. Wart Jr.'s default catchphrase is "grr-ribbit", and he has appeared in every game in the series so far.
- The 2005 GameCube title, Mario Superstar Baseball makes reference to Wart in the profile for Shy Guy;
- In the English-language version of 2007's Super Paper Mario, Francis seeks to collect more issues of an ongoing comic book series called Cyborg Wart. Cyborg Wart is mentioned in the game twice - once on Francis' to-buy list, and once as an item in a dating simulator.
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- The Link's Awakening DLC pack for 2014's Hyrule Warriors (and its later 3DS port, Hyrule Warriors Legends), which was made available in 2016, contains a Mamu-themed recolour of Ganondorf's standard armour, which can be obtained on the Koholint Island map.
- The most recent reference to Wart in the Super Mario series was made in late 2016's Paper Mario: Colour Splash;
Wart reference in Paper Mario: Colour Splash.
(Video credit: mariomonkey773.)
The above video showcases this reference.
Here's what the Yellow Toad has to say, after Mario defeats the Shy Guys (who, let's not forget, were formerly in Wart's employ) who had been causing trouble;
- In addition to all of the above, in a 2015 interview, Takashi Tezuka expressed interest in making another game in the style of Super Mario Bros. 2;
Although Wart has not been seen in quite some time, he has appeared in several spin-off products such as comics and books, and has been referenced in other Nintendo games, even outside of the Super Mario series, with some regularity over the years, including as recently as 2016.
The Frog's Song of Soul, in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
(Video credit: William Schram.)
- The first such reference was in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, released for the Game Boy in 1993, in which Wart, here going by his Japanese name of Mamu, taught Link the Frog's Song of Soul. This reference was retained in the 1998 Game Boy Colour update, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.
- In the Animal Crossing series, which began in 2001 with the N64 title Doubutsu no Mori, one cranky-type frog neighbour had their name localised as Wart Jr., in a nod to Wart. Wart Jr.'s default catchphrase is "grr-ribbit", and he has appeared in every game in the series so far.
- The 2005 GameCube title, Mario Superstar Baseball makes reference to Wart in the profile for Shy Guy;
This profile suggests that the Shy Guys defected after Wart's failures.
- In the English-language version of 2007's Super Paper Mario, Francis seeks to collect more issues of an ongoing comic book series called Cyborg Wart. Cyborg Wart is mentioned in the game twice - once on Francis' to-buy list, and once as an item in a dating simulator.
- The Link's Awakening DLC pack for 2014's Hyrule Warriors (and its later 3DS port, Hyrule Warriors Legends), which was made available in 2016, contains a Mamu-themed recolour of Ganondorf's standard armour, which can be obtained on the Koholint Island map.
- The most recent reference to Wart in the Super Mario series was made in late 2016's Paper Mario: Colour Splash;
Wart reference in Paper Mario: Colour Splash.
(Video credit: mariomonkey773.)
The above video showcases this reference.
Here's what the Yellow Toad has to say, after Mario defeats the Shy Guys (who, let's not forget, were formerly in Wart's employ) who had been causing trouble;
And if you speak to him again, he adds;
Elsewhere in the game, there are pots that resemble the vases from Super Mario Bros. 2 in which you encounter Phanto, which can also be seen in the above video, which show that the Yellow Toad's speech isn't just an isolated nod to Super Mario Bros. 2.
- In addition to all of the above, in a 2015 interview, Takashi Tezuka expressed interest in making another game in the style of Super Mario Bros. 2;
Wart in Smash?
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Being a toad, Wart would be blessed with good jumping ability, though his large body would make him a big target. Considering his size and status in his home-game, he would naturally be a super-heavyweight in Smash.
A potential special feature for Wart, to highlight his one weakness, could be him taking a little extra damage from Peach's Vegetable attack.
He would be able to attack using bubbles and water, as he did in his original appearance, and could also throw items of his own, in a manner similar to Peach, again referencing his home-game. These would chiefly be Bob-ombs, since these debuted in Super Mario Bros. 2, but there's also a chance of him throwing out something else - including a vegetable, which could be caught and thrown back at him for additional damage, as outlined above.
Since the possessed mask, Phanto, guards keys in order to prevent the protagonists from ever reaching Wart, Wart could also send out a Phanto to chase opponents and keep them busy for a brief time, in order to distance himself from them.
In reference to his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Wart could also potentially use his song as an attack. Just think - with their musical attacks, Wart, Jigglypuff, and Donkey Kong could all start a band! (You can catch them on Saturday nights when K.K. Slider is performing on the Town & City stage!)
Being a toad, Wart would be blessed with good jumping ability, though his large body would make him a big target. Considering his size and status in his home-game, he would naturally be a super-heavyweight in Smash.
A potential special feature for Wart, to highlight his one weakness, could be him taking a little extra damage from Peach's Vegetable attack.
He would be able to attack using bubbles and water, as he did in his original appearance, and could also throw items of his own, in a manner similar to Peach, again referencing his home-game. These would chiefly be Bob-ombs, since these debuted in Super Mario Bros. 2, but there's also a chance of him throwing out something else - including a vegetable, which could be caught and thrown back at him for additional damage, as outlined above.
Since the possessed mask, Phanto, guards keys in order to prevent the protagonists from ever reaching Wart, Wart could also send out a Phanto to chase opponents and keep them busy for a brief time, in order to distance himself from them.
In reference to his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Wart could also potentially use his song as an attack. Just think - with their musical attacks, Wart, Jigglypuff, and Donkey Kong could all start a band! (You can catch them on Saturday nights when K.K. Slider is performing on the Town & City stage!)
Summary
So there you have it. That's who Wart is, and what he could do. Considering that Smash is canonically about someone playing with toys and imagining the battles, Wart's main appearances being in dream-worlds would make him a pretty good fit!
Though he hasn't appeared recently, and thus probably doesn't stand too much of a chance of making it into Smash, if you like the older, less-commonly-seen characters like this, please consider showing Wart some support!
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(I really don't expect that a lot of people remember Wart!)
