Boomerang Bro

Boomerang Bros. are a type of Koopa that, like Hammer Bros., specialize in the use of a certain item as a weapon. They first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3, where their name is formatted Boomerang Brothers, Instead of throwing Hammers like the Hammer Bros., Boomerang Bros. use Boomerangs that move back and forth to them. They are not as commonly found in the Mario series as their Hammer Brother relatives.

The physical appearance of Boomerang Bros. has changed throughout the series. Early artwork depicts them identically to Hammer Bros. of that era, with orange skin along with black shells and helmets. The Boomerang Bros. in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario appear to be based on this coloration. In Super Mario Bros. 3 and its remakes, they have green skin and striped underbellies. Mario Superstar Baseball started the trend of depicting Boomerang Bros. with yellow skin and blue shells and helmets. Most games since have retained this depiction.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Boomerang Brothers are somewhat common enemies found primarily in Desert Land, but they first appear in World 1-3. They attack Mario or Luigi by throwing multiple boomerangs which circle back if they miss. In order to defeat a Boomerang Brother, Mario or Luigi need to jump on them or throw something at it, such as a fireball or shell. If one of the brothers can get close enough, they can also be defeated by Raccoon Mario's tail.

In the original Nintendo Entertainment System release, Boomerang Brothers shared a map icon with Hammer Brothers. In the Super Mario All-Stars version, Boomerang Brothers received their own distinct map icons, which was retained in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

Every Treasure Ship is guarded by a pair of Boomerang Brothers, and one appears as the boss of the first tank level in Dark Land. In the NES version, these Boomerang Brothers appear a sky blue color, due to the space in the data most commonly occupied by green palettes being replaced by a sky blue palette in artillery levels.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Boomerang Bros. appear as rare enemies, although they are one of the most common species of Hammer Bros. in the game. Only one appears in World 2-5, two appear in World 7-3, and two appear in World 8-7. Boomerang Bros. retain their usual patterns, attacking Mario or Luigi by throwing boomerangs at them.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Boomerang Bros. return in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, acting and appearing in much the same way as in the previous game. However, they are extremely rare, with only two of them appearing in World 2-1.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Boomerang Bros. make their first 3D Mario appearance in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They first appear at Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, and like the Hammer Bros., mostly appear in Bowser and Bowser Jr. galaxies. Three of them also appear at the end of the Grandmaster Galaxy, where they have to be defeated to get the Power Star in the first mission and the final Launch Star in the second mission.

As usual, Boomerang Bros. use boomerangs to attack the player. If one is defeated while its boomerang is out, the boomerang will still turn around and fly back towards the area from which it was thrown until it hits a wall. Yoshi can catch the boomerangs with his tongue and then spit them out as weapons against the Boomerang Bros. The player can flip them over by using Yoshi's tongue, by jumping on them or via spinning, and then walk into them to defeat them. It is possible to avoid boomerangs by crouching, and since Mario can walk while crouching, this makes it relatively easy to approach and defeat a Boomerang Bro.

Super Mario 3D Land
Boomerang Bros. reappear in Super Mario 3D Land and retain their behavior from Super Mario Galaxy 2, though they are beaten in one hit. From World 5 onwards, Boomerang Bros. can drop Boomerang Flowers when defeated. They mostly appear in castle levels in the normal worlds, and a variety of levels in the special worlds.

In this game, a form of Mario known as Boomerang Mario makes its debut. In this form, Mario wears a blue shell and helmet resembling a Boomerang Bro, and has the ability to throw boomerangs.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
The Boomerang Bros. return again in New Super Mario Bros. 2, operating in the same manner as before. Unlike the other Hammer Brother members that are in this game, the Boomerang Bro appears in five different levels, which are World 2-2, World 2-5,, the second course of the Platform Panic Pack, and the first course of the Mystery Adventures Pack. In the latter, it is shown that they can be affected by Gold Rings; when this happens, they toss three coins instead of their normal weapons, like the other Hammer Brother species.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Boomerang Bros. return once more in New Super Mario Bros. U where they act in the same way as in the predecessors. Five of them can only be found in the level Bouncy Cloud Boomerangs from Meringue Clouds.

New Super Luigi U
Boomerang Bros. reappear in New Super Luigi U, appearing in the levels All Aboard! and Above the Bouncy Clouds.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Boomerang Bros. return once again in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port, working as they did in Super Mario 3D Land. They appear primarily in Beep Block Skyway, Fire Bros. Hideout #3, and Bowser's Lava Lake Keep.

In Bowser's Fury, cat variations which behave the same way as regular Boomerang Bros. are found in Pounce Bounce Isle.

Super Mario Momotarō
In the short anime film Super Mario Momotarō, a Boomerang Bro becomes the second creature to join forces with Mario on his mission to rescue Princess Peach after helping it get up from being stuck on its back. During the battle with Bowser, the Boomerang Bro helps by hitting him on the head with its boomerang, as well as knocking out Iggy Koopa with it. After the battle, the Boomerang Bro helps Mario deliver the treasures Bowser stole back to their rightful owners. He could represent the dog from Momotarō.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
While technically not Boomerang Bros., The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Crocodile Mario" features standard Koopa Troopas that attacked using Boomerangs.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Boomerang Brothers appear several times in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, serving as soldiers in Bowser's army that use their boomerangs for long-range attacks. Somewhat unlike the game, it is not uncommon for Boomerang Brothers to travel together in groups.

Nintendo Comics System
A Boomerang Brother made a relatively minor appearance in the Nintendo Comics System story The Kingdom Enquirer, where it attacks Mario and Toad with its boomerangs after the two heroes exit a Warp Pipe.

Nintendo Adventure Books
If Mario chooses to follow the main path to Fort Koopa in the Koopahari Desert in Double Trouble, he encounters the Boomerang Brothers (described as monstrous twins, despite the illustrated activity depicting four), who send a barrage of boomerangs at him after deciding the plumber looks tasty. Depending on how the accompanying puzzle is solved, Mario escapes either narrowly or easily and reaches Fort Koopa, or is hit in the back of the head by a returning boomerang while taunting them. This leads to one of the book's few Game Overs—one of them nonchalantly picks the knocked-out Mario up by the leg, tosses him into a sack of old orange peels and other things he has picked up in his travels, and, upon sheepishly agreeing with his brother that they are tired, plans to go home to make themselves "a nice pot of plumber soup."

Yoshi's Safari
In Yoshi's Safari, Boomerang Brothers occasionally appear as mini-bosses that attack Mario and Yoshi by throwing boomerangs at them. These Boomerang Brothers are difficult adversaries to defeat, as they possess a large amount of health and run back and forth quite quickly.

Unlike other experiences with Boomerang Brothers, Mario can knock away an incoming boomerang by blasting them with his Super Scope.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
"They don't seem to have any Koopa Troopas with them, no."

- Boomerang Bro

A different kind of Boomerang Bro appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. These Boomerang Bros., however, were rather tall and thin, wore sunglasses, and had sprouts growing from their heads. In the remake, these are renamed "Beanerang Bros.," with regular Boomerang Bros. now appearing in the new Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser story.

In Minion Quest, Boomerang Bros. are ranged troopers, and attack by throwing their boomerangs at enemies. Their special skill, Piercing Projectile, allows them to throw a boomerang at a targeted enemy, damaging any other enemy in its path, along with hitting the targeted enemy a second time as it flies back. Boomerang Bros. are strong against Pokeys and Goomba Towers. One is seen alongside Wendy, who was wondering how Captain Goomba and his Squad made it through the first round of the Cutie Contest without some Koopa Troopas, which he confirms that they did not, causing him to get tackled by Wendy.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Boomerang Bros. return as an enemy in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. They appear in Somnom Woods where they are very common. In the field, they chase Mario and Luigi very briefly when spotted, and then throw their boomerang at them. Like with the Beehoss' bees, touching the boomerang engages a battle with the owner of the touched boomerang.

In battle, Boomerang Bros. follow the orders of the Commander Lakitu in the background. A Boomerang Bro will approach the Bros., look at the Lakitus (in one instance) fly in a varying kind of circle and throw their boomerangs in a similar fashion to how the two Lakitus fly. Mario and Luigi can each jump on the boomerang to avoid it; jumping over it will cause the boomerang to hit the Boomerang Bro when coming back and damage it. If the Commander Lakitus are defeated through the use of a Taunt Ball, the Boomerang Bros.' own actions give away their attacks.

If there are two or more Boomerang Bros., the two Lakitu may raise a red M flag and green L flag, one raising one and the other raising the other. As they do this, the Lakitus move towards or away from the battle simultaneously. The Boomerang Bros. will throw their boomerangs in the air also simultaneously, for them to land on one bro each one after the other. Mario and Luigi must hammer these back to the sender before they hit them. Whichever Bro's flag is being held by the Lakitus who's closer is the Bro who must smack their incoming boomerang away first. Additionally, the boomerang that will hit its target bro first also moves towards its target faster than the other, as indicated by the shadows on the ground. This takes up the attack turn of the Boomerang Bros. involved.

If they fly in a clockwise (when looking from the Bros.' point of view) circle, the boomerang will fly towards Luigi first. If anti-clockwise, it will fly towards Mario first. If the Commander Lakitus floats downwards and does two clockwise loops, the Boomerang Bro will jump, then throw, and the boomerang will fly towards Luigi first; however, it flies over the Bros. for the first loop, where they must idle, and then jump when it flies towards Luigi the second time. If it does this with anti-clockwise loops, it will fly towards Mario first, and he must jump first on the second loop.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Boomerang Bros reappear in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as enemies, along with their paper counterparts. They appear in Bowser's Castle and one room in Neo Bowser Castle.

In battle, they have two attacks. Their first attack is by walking in front of one bro and throwing their boomerang, which must be jumped over, then the boomerang will fly back behind a different bro which again must be jumped over. If the boomerang is jumped on the first time, the second attack will be nullified. If the boomerang is jumped on the second time, the Boomerang Bro will take damage; the opposite as in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

Their second attack is for their boomerang to circle around one bro, which must be hit back with the hammer. If the boomerang is not hit in enough time, the bro will take damage.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Boomerang Bros. appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey as enemies and recruitable allies in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode. They are strong against Pokeys, Goomba Towers and Toothies, but are weak against Parabones.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
A single Boomerang Bro named Bamma appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as a competitor in the Glitz Pit alongside the Hammer Bro Hamma Jamma and the Fire Bro Flare. He sports a silver shell and helmet, and his boomerang bears a single red stripe.

Similar to the Boomerang Bros. in Super Mario Bros. 3, Bamma can attack Mario and his partners by either throwing a single boomerang or multiple ones by using either his Boomerang Throw or Multiboomerang moves, respectively.

Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, several Boomerang Bros. are brainwashed by Nastasia to serve under Count Bleck. They are encountered in The Overthere, Castle Bleck, and the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials, although they no longer appear in the former after Bonechill is defeated. Boomerang Bros. attack by throwing two Boomerangs at a time. The game also features a new, shadowed type of Boomerang Bro known as a Dark Boomerang Bro which like all "dark" enemies is encountered in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Boomerang Bros. reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Unlike previous Paper Mario games, their helmets and shells are now the standard blue, and as with most returning enemies appearing in the more standard Mario platform games, they with other Bros. enemies they have gotten a visual revamp. Boomerang Bros. appear in numerous areas, starting from World 3. They are mostly found in outdoor areas. Outside of battle, they can attack Mario by tossing a Boomerang at him, which damages him. Their main attack is throwing a boomerang at Mario that causes damage twice, during the initial throw and when it returns. Their Boomerangs also sometimes spread a curse on Mario, dizzying him and lowering the success rates of his attacks, as well as keeping him from using evasive stickers. Since their defense is 2, Boomerang Bros. are immune to Hopslipper stickers. Sometimes after battle, a Boomerang Bro may drop a Boomerang sticker.

A couple of Boomerang Bros. stop and ambush Mario to prevent him from getting the Comet Piece in Leaflitter Path. These same Boomerang Bros. (after defeating Gooper Blooper) guard a Heart Block and an HP-Up Heart. However, instead of fighting together, they are fought individually. The two Boomerang Bros. this time are assisted by two Ninjis (one in each battle) and one Snifit.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
Boomerang Bros. return in Paper Mario: Color Splash, keeping their appearance and behavior from the previous game. They are only found in Sunset Express, Green Energy Plant and Black Bowser's Castle. A circus version of them called Circus Bro appears in Mossrock Theater and during the battle with Lemmy in the Emerald Circus.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Boomerang Bros. return in Paper Mario: The Origami King, with origami Boomerang Bros. appearing as enemies. They appear in the Sea Tower and Origami Castle. In battle, a Boomerang Bro can attack traditionally by throwing his boomerang, or sacrifice an ally to use the more powerful Bro-merang. Bro-merang uses the thrown ally as a projectile to hit Mario with, and is the only Bro Throw variant that deals two hits. The thrown ally is defeated afterward.

Mario Superstar Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, one of the alternate color schemes for the game's playable Hammer Bro is a Boomerang Bro that wields a large boomerang in place of a baseball bat in the same way that Hammer Bro wields a hammer instead of a bat.

Boomerang Bro is a power-type player in the game, and can easily obtain home runs. Beginning with this game and beyond (excluding Super Paper Mario), Boomerang Brothers wear a blue helmet and a blue shell, similar to blue-shelled Koopa Troopas.

Mario Super Sluggers
Boomerang Bro is also a playable character in Mario Super Sluggers. However, unlike in Mario Superstar Baseball, he has average pitching and fielding abilities, and his batting is tied with the Hammer Bro, while inferior to the Fire Bro.

Mario Golf: World Tour
In Mario Golf: World Tour, one of the names that can appear on the tournament scoreboard is "Boomerang Bro".

Mario Golf: Super Rush
In Mario Golf: Super Rush, a Boomerang Bro appears on Bonny Greens in front of the clubhouse as the head coach. He gives the player a Golfwatch. He is then seen at the Rookie Course for the rest of the game.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Boomerang Bros. appear in Mario Kart 8 and its enhanced Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the courses Bowser's Castle and 3DS Neo Bowser City as spectators. One of the sponsors in the game is Boomerang Bros. International Airlines, which appears to be run by Boomerang Bros.

Mario Kart Tour
A Boomerang Bro, alongside a Hammer Bro, Ice Bro, and Fire Bro, make their playable debuts in the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the Hammer Bro Tour. He is classified as a Super character and his special item is the Boomerang Flower. In addition to being in the first week's spotlight, he is also obtainable as a Gold Pass tour gift after obtaining 161 Grand Stars.

Dr. Mario World
Boomerang Bros debut in the Dr. Mario series as assistants in Dr. Mario World. In stage mode, their effect is to increase the obtained score for each light-blue virus eliminated, where the base score increase is greater at higher levels. In versus mode, their effect is to instead grant a chance that an object, mainly a virus, is transformed into a shell at stage start, where the chance of it happening is greater at higher levels.

Physical description
Boomerang Bros. are virtually identical to Hammer Bros. in appearance, featuring the same colored skin, belly plate, nose, and eyes, though with differences, such as wearing dark blue helmets, shoes, and shells. In comparison to Hammer Bros., Boomerang Bros. have maintained consistent designs more often. Official artwork of Super Mario Bros. 3 depicted Boomerang Brother with somewhat darker yellow skin than in recent games, while his shoes, shell, and helmet are black. In-game, they are depicted with light green (occasionally blue) skin and white belly plates instead, likely due to the NES's technical limitations; however, all other aspects of their design are faithful to their artwork. Boomerang Brothers' sprites in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 depict them with darker green skin, as well as tanned belly plates. Yoshi's Safari depicts Boomerang Bros. with off-white belly plates, green helmets, and shells, darker yellow skin, and no shoes, while also being very large, in the vein of both Hammer Bros. and Sledge Bros.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door gave Boomerang Bros. altered designs, with them having rounder body proportions, wearing spiked armbands, and sporting black helmets, shells, and shoes, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3. From Paper Mario: Sticker Star onwards, they use their current designs, but with paper outlines around them.

Speech
Early on in their history, Boomerang Bros. did not have voice acting, due to technical limitations of the NES and SNES. In some games, like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Boomerang Bros. are given text dialogue, so players can understand what they are saying. As of Mario Super Sluggers, they have received voice acting from Motoki Takagi, who also voices Hammer Bro, Fire Bro and Ice Bro. When voiced, Boomerang Bro's speech primarily consists of grunts and yells, but sometimes includes exclamations like "NO!".

Powers and abilities
Boomerang Bros. use boomerangs as weapons in all of their appearances. In Super Mario Bros. 3, Boomerang Bros. throw multiple boomerangs at once, which can quickly return to them. In the New Super Mario Bros. games, Boomerang Bros. throw their boomerangs at slower rates, but they can curve in different directions, or travel higher. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Boomerang Bros.' boomerangs are shown to pierce through multiple enemies.

Like their relatives, Boomerang Bros. are shown to have high agility, especially evident in the 3D platformers. Boomerang Bros. frequently hop, to the point of hopping while idling. Boomerang Bros. are shown to jump exceptionally high, quickly traversing many areas; they often do this in conjunction with throwing their boomerangs. The Mario Baseball series portrays Boomerang Bro as a power character, making him specialize in fielding and batting, but having poor pitching skills and running speed.