Boomerang Bro

Boomerang Bros., also called Boomerang Brothers, are a type of Koopa that, like Hammer Bros., specialize in the use of a certain item as a weapon. 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 Bro. cousins.

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 the Paper Mario series appear to be based on this colouration. 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 platformers since have retained this depiction.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Boomerang Bros. debut in Super Mario Bros. 3 as somewhat common enemies found primarily in Desert Hill. They attack Mario or Luigi by throwing multiple boomerangs which circle back if they missed. In order to defeat a Boomerang Bro., 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, the creature can also be defeated by Raccoon Mario's tail.

In Dark Land, Boomerang Bros. also appear as the captains of one of Bowser's tank and ship forces.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Boomerang Bros. appear as rare enemies, although they are one of the more common species of Hammer Bros. in the game. They appear only once in World 2-5, twice in World 7-3, and twice in World 8-7. Boomerang Bros. will, once again, attack Mario or Luigi by throwing boomerangs at them.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Boomerang Bros. also reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, acting and appearing in much the same way as in the previous game. However, they are very rare, only 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. They also appear at the end of Grandmaster Galaxy, where they have to be destroyed to get to the Launch Star.

As usual, Boomerang Bros. use boomerangs to attack the player. 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 very 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. In some levels, Boomerang Bros. can drop Boomerang Flowers when defeated.

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 Bro. members that are in this game, the Boomerang Bro. appears in three different levels, which are World 2-2, World 2-5, and World Mushroom-Cannon.

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 Mario helps it get up from being stuck on its back. During the battle with Bowser, the Boomerang Bro. helps by knocking out Iggy Koopa with its Boomerang, as well as hitting Bowser on the head with it. After the battle, the Boomerang Bro. helps Mario deliver the treasures Bowser had stolen back to their rightful owners.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Prior to the official debut of the Boomerang Bros. in Super Mario Bros. 3, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Crocodile Mario" featured standard Koopa Troopas that attacked using Boomerangs.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Boomerang Bros. appeared several times in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, serving as soldiers in Bowser's army. Through the use of their boomerangs, these goons were practical in long range attacks. Unlike in the game, it was not uncommon for Boomerang Bros. to travel together in groups.

Nintendo Comics System
A Boomerang Bro. 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 a pair of Boomerang Bros., who send a barrage of boomerangs at him after deciding the plumber will make a good snack. Depending on how the accompanying puzzle is solved, Mario either escapes and reaches Fort Koopa, or is knocked out by a returning boomerang and captured, causing a Game Over.

Yoshi's Safari
In Yoshi's Safari, Boomerang Bros. occasionally appear as mini-bosses that attack Mario and Yoshi by throwing boomerangs at them. These Boomerang Bros. 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 Bros., Mario can knock away an incoming boomerang by blasting them with his Super Scope.

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. The game also features a new, shadowed sub-species of Boomerang Bro. known as a Dark Boomerang Bro..

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Boomerang Bros. are set to reappear in the upcoming Nintendo 3DS game Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Unlike previous Paper Mario games, their helmets and shells are now the standard blue.

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 the Paper Mario series), 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..