Underchomp

Underchomp
Artwork from Super Paper Mario
Species	Chain Chomp
Appears in	Super Paper Mario (2007)

“Can I get a little... UNDERCHOMP!”

—Dorguy the Third, Super Paper Mario

The Underchomp is a red, blue, and yellow three-headed Chain Chomp that acts as the guard dog of The Underwhere in Super Paper Mario. It is located in Underwhere Road, and defeating the Underchomp is Dorguy the Third's test. Although Dorguy the Third is the one that summons it, the Underchomp's Catch Card states that all three Dorguys have ownership of the beast. The Underchomp is based upon the legendary hellhound Cerberus, a giant, three-headed dog who guarded the gates of Hades in Greek mythology. In one story, he was put to sleep by the music of Orpheus, which is similar to how Piccolo's music can put the Underchomp to sleep.

Mario, Luigi, and Bowser face the enemy in a far different way from other enemies in the game; they fight the creature in a turn-based battle, though it is farther from the style of other Paper Mario games, and closer to that of the Dragon Quest titles and EarthBound Beginnings. Its battle music is an 8-bit remix of the normal mini-boss theme.

The player cannot use Tippi at any point during the battle with the Underchomp, and it does not appear in the field before or after the encounter, making it the only enemy in the game (and one of the few in the first three games of the Paper Mario series) that cannot be Tattled. However, a Tattle exists in the game data.

Each head has a special ability. The Red Underchomp (left in battle) breathes crimson fire, the Blue Underchomp (middle one in battle) exhales blue fire, and the Yellow Underchomp (right one in battle) expels stinky breath. Each Underchomp can also charge up for one turn to use a stronger attack later.

Battle

Part of the Underchomp's battle system.

Instead of fighting the Underchomp in the style of the game's previous bosses, the Underchomp battle is a homage to text-based, turn-based RPG battles from the Family Computer and NES era, specifically the first four Dragon Quest titles and EarthBound Beginnings, which feature battle systems that look and function similarly to the Underchomp battle.

Battle transcript

This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: Dialog for all items

In the following transcript of all the battle quotes, the Underchomps, Mario, Luigi, and Bowser usually have slightly different text depending on who is attacking whom. "[the] Underchomp" and "[The player]" are used in place of the character names. In cases where an entire line is specific to a character, * indicates that it only occurs when playing as Mario, ** is for Luigi, and *** is for Bowser. A "/" indicates that the outcome of the text shown can differ, and is generally used for attacks that can be avoided. Finally, different amounts of damage can be dealt by a single attack, so "[...]" is used in place of the number value that would appear in-game.

Player

• "What will you do?"
• Attack
  • "Attack who?"
  • "[The player] attacks! You deal [...] damage to [the] Underchomp! / But your attack is dodged!"

• Technique
  • "Choose a technique."
  • Flip*: "Mario flips! ...But nothing happens."
  • Flame***: "Bowser breathes fire! ...But the flames have no effect on [the] Underchomp!"
  • Super jump**: "Luigi glares at [the] Underchomp and launches a super jump! You stomp [the] Underchomp for [...] damage! / But the attack misses!""

• Pixl
  • "Select a Pixl."
  • Thoreau: "[The player] throws Thoreau at the Underchomp! Urg... [The] Underchomp is too heavy to lift!"
  • Boomer: "Take that, enemy! [The player] throws Boomer! Boomer explodes! [The] Underchomp takes [...] damage! / Miss! The attack is a failure!"
  • Slim: "[The player] uses Slim! [The player] turns sideways and is hard to see!"
  • Thudley: "[The player] uses Thudley! A heavy-duty attack! The attack is a success! [The] Underchomp takes [...] damage! / But the attack is evaded!"
  • Carrie: "[The player] hops onto Carrie! You feel a little taller! ...But that is the only effect, unfortunately."
  • Fleep: "[The player] uses Fleep on [the] Underchomp! [The] Underchomp looks dizzy! / [The] Underchomp avoids Fleep's effect!"
  • Cudge: "[The player] uses Cudge to attack [the] Underchomp! Direct hit! [The] Underchomp takes [...] damage! / So close! [The] Underchomp barely evades Cudge!"
  • Dottie: "[The player] uses Dottie! [The player] gets tiny! Where did he go?!"
  • Barry: "Spinning destruction! Barry slams powerfully into [the] Underchomp! Nice hit! [The] Underchomp takes [...] damage! / But the attack is evaded! Your party is frustrated!"
  • Dashell: "[The player] uses Dashell! [The player] dashes quickly! ...But nothing else happens."
  • Piccolo: "[The player] uses Piccolo! Piccolo plays a mysterious song! The curse on [The player] is lifted! [The] Underchomp falls into a deep sleep!" (Note: Piccolo only lifts curses if any are active. Her song affects all the Underchomp heads, which fall asleep in order from left to right.)

• Item
  • "Use which item? / You don't have any items!"

• Switch
  • Switch with who?"
  • Mario** *** "Tippi says, 'Go, Mario!' [The player] switches places with Mario!
  • Bowser* ** "Bowser says, 'Stomping time!' [The player] switches places with Bowser!"
  • Luigi* *** "Luigi says, 'I'm on the job!' [The player] switches places with Luigi!"
• Escape: "[The player] runs away! ...But he got noticed! / ...A successful escape!"

• Defeat
  • Mario*: "Tippi says, 'Mario! Noooo!' Mario falls in battle..."
  • Bowser***: "Bowser says, 'Not again!' Bowser falls in battle..."
  • Luigi**: "Luigi says, 'Bro! Forgive me...' Luigi falls in battle..."
  • With a Life Shroom: "[The player] falls in battle... But the Life Shroom restores 5 HP!

Status effects

• Cursed:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] is cursed! [The player]'s movements are slowed!" (Note: Text for player actions scrolls slowly, and sound effects from player actions are slowed/pitched down.)
  • After three turns: "[The player] is now free from the curse."
  • Slimy Shroom/Piccolo: "The curse on [The player] is lifted!"

• Heavy-cursed:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] is heavy-cursed! [The player] can't jump!"
  • Attack: "You can't use that right now!"
  • Technique
    • Super jump**: "You can't use that right now!"
  • Pixl
    • Thudley: "You can't use that right now!"
  • After three turns: "[The player] is now free from the heavy curse."
  • Slimy Shroom/Piccolo: "The curse on [The player] is lifted!"

• Reverse-cursed:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] is reverse-cursed! Now your controls are backwards!" (Note: All menu navigation is flipped.)
  • After three turns: "[The player] is now free from the reverse curse."
  • Slimy Shroom/Piccolo: "The curse on [The player] is lifted!"

• Tech-cursed:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] is tech-cursed! [The player] can't use special techniques!"
  • Technique: "You can't use that right now!"
  • After three turns: "[The player] is now free from the tech curse."
  • Slimy Shroom/Piccolo: "The curse on [The player] is lifted!"

• Attack power increased:
  • Inflicted: "[The player]'s attack power increases!"
  • After three turns: "[The player]'s attack power returns to normal."

• Defense increased:
  • Inflicted: "[The player]'s defense increases!"
  • After three turns: "[The player]'s defense returns to normal."

• Electrified:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] gains the power to shock enemies on contact!" (Note: The effect does not seem to do anything during battle.)
  • After three turns: "[The player] loses the ability to shock enemies on contact."

• Gradual healing:
  • After each turn: "[The player] recovers 1 HP!"
  • After several turns: "The ability to recover HP gradually wears off!" (Note: The number of turns depends on the item used for gradual healing.)

• Invincibility:
  • Inflicted: "[The player] is invincible to all attacks!"
  • When attacked: "But you're invincible! The attack is ineffective!"
  • After three turns: "[The player] loses the power of invincibility."

• Poisoned:
  • After each turn: "Yuuuuurk! Poison... [The player] takes 1 damage!"
  • After three turns/healing/Slimy Extract: "[The player] recovers from poison!"

Underchomp

• Attacks:
  • "[The] Underchomp attacks! [The player] takes [...] damage! / [The player] dodges like a pro!"
  • "Red Underchomp breathes crimson fire! Youch! [The player] takes [...] damage!"
  • "Blue Underchomp breathes blue fire! Now that's hot! [The player] takes [...] damage! / [The player] dodges with style!"
  • "Yellow Underchomp expels stinky breath! Oh no! It's putrid! [The player] takes [...] damage! / [The player] dodges the stink!"
  • "[The] Underchomp gathers strength!"
• Fleep: "[The] Underchomp regains consciousness!"
• Slim/Dottie: "[The] Underchomp is looking for [the player]..."
• Asleep: "[The] Underchomp is taking a nice nap..." / "[The] Underchomp wakes up!"

• Defeat:
  • "You defeated [the] Underchomp!"
  • "You defeated the Underchomp! [The player] receives 6000 points!" (Note: Points awarded at the end of battle are increased if any are obtained through items. These points will not be obtained if the player runs from battle successfully.)
  • "You gained a level! Your HP increased by 5 / Your attack power increased by 1!"

Profiles and statistics

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario enemy
The Underchomp
	Max HP	48 (16 each)	Role	Boss	Location(s)	Underwhere Road (7-2)
	Attack	3	Card type	Uncommon
	Defense	4	Items		Card location(s)	Card Shop; Map 41
	Score	6000
	Card description	The three Dorguys command this special breed of Chomp. In off-hours they like to practice their comedy act.
List of Catch Cards     103      104      105	Tattle	That's the Underchomp...It's a three-headed Chomp that guards The Underwhere...Max HP is 16, Attack is 3, Defense is 10[sic]. It's immune to flames...Its Defense is high, so try using Cudge, Boomer, Thudley, or any special attack. The three Dorguys enjoy springing this fearsome Chomp on unsuspecting travelers...

Gallery

• 

  Catch Card

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ヘルワンワン[?] Heru Wanwan	Hell Chain Chomp
French	Chomp Cerbère[?]	Cerberus Chomp
German	Kettenbande[?]	Chain Gang
Italian	Catecerbero[?]	Portmanteau between Cerbero (Cerberus) and Categnaccio ("Chain Chomp")
Korean	케르멍멍이[?] Kereumeongmeong'i	From "케르베로스" (Kereuberoseu, "Cerberus") and "멍멍이" (Meongmeong'i, "Chain Chomp")
Spanish (European)	Chomp Cerbero [Rojo, Azul, Amarillo]	[Red, Blue, Yellow] Cerberus Chomp

Notes

Unused variant of the Underchomp

• Unused early graphics in the game's files show a variant of the Underchomp that is colored white, black, and light grey, which ultimately went unused.
• By using a Dangerous Delight and other status-inflicting items in battle with the Underchomp, it is possible to become cursed. Effects of these curses include slowed displaying of text linked to player actions (though not enemy actions), reversed controls, inability to jump (which forbids regular attacks), and inability to use special techniques.