Bob-omb

"So, what's the password?"

- Bob-omb

Bob-ombs are living, moving explosive devices. They are generic enemies who first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2, and have appeared in nearly every Mario game since then. Their appearance, intelligence, and ally/enemy status differs widely from game to game.

They should not be confused with Bombs, non-living explosives that have been faded out of the Mario series in favor of Bob-ombs.

Super Mario Bros. 2
Bob-ombs first appeared in the Mario series in the game Super Mario Bros. 2, where they were semi-common enemies that worked for the tyrannical frog Wart. They were often dropped from the sky by the vulture-like Albatosses. After landing they would walk around for a while before exploding, doing damage to anyone nearby. Some Bob-ombs could be found (instead of Vegetables or Coins) when a red tuft of grass was pulled up. If this happens, the Player must throw the Bob-omb away before it explodes in the hero's hands.

In the Japanese version, these Bob-ombs are known as "Bobs," meaning they are slightly different from the Bomhei (Bob-ombs) of later games.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Bob-ombs appeared again on the Airship levels of Super Mario Bros. 3. Here, if Mario stomped on one, it would become carryable. However, it will explode in in a few seconds, even if Mario's still carrying it! If left alone, it will explode anyway.

Super Mario World
Bob-ombs can once again be seen working for Bowser in Super Mario World. In this game Bob-ombs walk quickly back and forth before they flash pink and then explode. Like Green Koopas, they will fall off edges instead of changing direction before they fall off, like Red Koopas. If Mario or Luigi jump on the Bob-omb before it explodes, it will become stationary and lifeless, and can even be picked up with no danger until it explodes in the user's hands. The same thing also happens if one of them hits it with a Cape. Some Bob-ombs will also appear floating in bubbles. These bombs will resume their normal activities if the bubble is popped by a touch from the player. The bubble-encased Bob-ombs appear only in one level: Forest of Illusion 3.

When Yoshi eats a Bob-omb in this game, he will simply swallow it, like most enemies. If he stomps it, it will instantly be destroyed, and cannot be used as a weapon. Yoshi can also eat the bubble-covered Bob-ombs even when they are still in their bubble.

Super Mario 64
Bob-ombs are common enemies in Super Mario 64 (and Super Mario 64 DS). They first appeared in Bob-omb Battlefield, a level that is ruled by the Big Bob-omb.

Bob-ombs attack pattern in this game is different and more aggressive than before. When Mario, Luigi, Wario, or Yoshi is spotted by a Bob-omb, the Bob-omb will light their fuse and then rush towards the hero from behind, so that when it explodes it will damage the character. If the Bob-Omb gives chase and the hero can run from it for a while, it will explode and no harm would be done. The Bob-ombs can be beaten simply by circling behind them, picking them up, and throwing them. When they hit the ground they will promptly explode, away from the hero. Then, they would leave behind 3 coins for the player to get. A pink sub-species of Bob-ombs called Bob-omb Buddies also appear in the game. Bob-ombs also appear when a plumber hits a ! block without his cap on. They would also appear in a ! block if the Power Flower would help him get the star (such as in Snowman's Land. If Mario hits the ! block closest to the snowman, a Bob-omb will fall.)

Super Mario Sunshine
Bob-ombs also appear in Super Mario Sunshine, but much differently than in any other game. They are black orbs with a digital interface. After a certain amount of time, the "eyes" will start a countdown from three, exploding at zero. But, if Mario sprays them with F.L.U.D.D they will turn blue and freeze, and can then be picked up and thrown by Mario. They will, however, still explode in this form.

They appear in three areas: first in Pinna Park and later in Noki Bay. Both times, they are under the control of Monty Mole, who throws the bombs from his tank once Mario gets too close for the mole to shoot Bullet Bills. To defeat the Monty, the player must spray water on the Bob-ombs and then pick them up and throw them at the tank. The player must do this three times, and the Monty Mole will be defeated. They also appeared in Episode 5: King Boo Down Below of Sirena Beach. They would appear when King Boo spins the slots to the enemy pictures, the Bob-ombs wouldn't always come out though.

Super Mario Galaxy
Bob-ombs later appear in Super Mario Galaxy. Here, they are thrown from Bob-omb Dispensers in the ground. They can be picked up by Mario by a Star Spin. When picked up, they will start to light up and flash, and must be thrown with another Star Spin before they explode. They can be used to destroy many things, including cages and Chain Chomps. They appear in two different varieties: ones that have legs and can walk around, which are less common, and ones that do not have legs and don't move on their own. The Bob-ombs take 9 full seconds to explode.

The Bob-ombs are used prominently in two "Bob-omb Blasting" minigames: one in the Battlerock Galaxy and one in the Dreadnought Galaxy. They are used when a Gearmo asks Mario to get rid of a bunch of trash piles for them. It must be done within a time limit of 30 seconds, however, and the prize for winning is a Power Star.

Super Mario Bros. film
A Bob-omb also appeared in the Super Mario Bros film. Unlike in the video games, it didn't have life and would only move if wound up. It could also walk up walls and was immensely more powerful than in the games (so much so that the mere sight of a Bob-omb caused mass panic and even made King Koopa duck and cover). Bob-omb's wore Reebok shoes, visible for a split second before it exploded.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bob-ombs also appeared in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, where they first appeared in Moleville Mines. Here, they were mere enemies roaming around Moleville's local mining mountain, although they were featured quite prominently in the battle with Punchinello. In said battle, Punchinello would summon three Bob-omb-type enemies (including the new subspecies Micro Bombs and Mezzo Bombs) for every three defeated, each getting larger and more powerful every "stage" or Punchinello's remaining health. Towards the end of his battle, a seemingly insane Punchinello tried his Bob-omb-summoning act one more time by creating a huge Bomb-omb, although this piece of ammunition only ended up squishing him and allowing Mario and his party to collect the Star Piece he was guarding and save Dyna and Mite Mole. In battle, Bomb-ombs had average stats and no special attacks, however, when threatened, they could explode in a kamikaze attempt to cause one ally a lot of damage. Later in Super Mario RPG, a stronger, purple shoe-clad variety of Bob-omb appeared in Booster Tower.

Yoshi's Story
Bob-ombs first appearance chronologically was Yoshi's Story. Bob-ombs appear during level 5-4: Shy Guy's Ship where they are fired by Pirate Guy ships' cannons. They also appear during Yoshi's battle with Baby Bowser at the end of the game, where Baby Bowser would attack the hero by throwing Bob-ombs at him from the back of his large green "pet". Yoshi could actually use these Bob-ombs against him, by licking them up and throwing them at the ceiling of the room, causing large stalactites from the ceiling to fall onto Baby Bowser, eventually knocking him off the back of his pet so that Yoshi could battle him hand-to-hand.

In this game, Bob-ombs are treated more like items than actual enemies.

Super Smash Bros. series
Bob-ombs are common items found in the Super Smash Bros. series, being a dangerous and destructive weapon, able to blow up everything on its reach. They can be picked up and thrown at other characters to create an explosion, thus, inflicting great damage on the player, or also knocking them out instantly. However, if they stay on the ground long enough, they will stand and walk around the stage by themselves and eventually stop and remain in their current spot to explode after. During Sudden Death, Bob-ombs will appear and fall on the stage, blowing anyone randomly in case the event takes long time.

Paper Mario
Bob-ombs appear both as allies and enemies in Paper Mario. A few can first be found in Koopa Village. These Bob-ombs explained to Mario and his partners that they had been kidnapped and enslaved by the Koopa Bros.. When Mario reaches the Koopa Bros. Fortress he finds (and is attacked by) several Bob-ombs employed by Bowser. These Bob-ombs have two basic attacks: the first is simply to ram themselves into Mario, and the other is to light themselves, walk up to Mario, and explode right next to him. It appears that Bob-ombs can explode at will and as many times as they want outside of battle.

Mario later falls into a prison full of Bob-omb rebels. Mario manages to free the remainder of the enslaved Bob-ombs, one of which is a pink female Bob-omb named Bombette who joins his party. Some Bob-ombs in this game are shown to be able to explode, and then simply regenerate themselves. Also notable, only Bob-ombs that are allies of Mario can do this.

It is also notable that during the credit roll, four Bob-ombs show out a hand, indicating that Bob-ombs do have arms, only visible when used. Also it shows that Bob-Ombs can be diffirent colors other than the normal black(enemy) and pink(See Bob-omb Buddy). Such colors are the red and green bombs which are both friendly. It also shows that only colored Bob-ombs are nice whereas black ones are all enemies.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Bob-ombs were rare enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A group of them called the Bob-omb Squad (led by Master Crash) can first be encountered in Glitzville. Later on Bob-ombs may be fought in the Pit of 100 Trials. Their battle tactics in this game are completely unchanged from their Paper Mario strategies.

Although Bob-ombs, as enemies, are rare in this game, Bob-ombs are commonly found in Rogueport, most of them sailors. A large group of peaceful Bob-ombs live in the Fahr Outpost, where they are the main inhabitants of the region. Most of these Bob-ombs are actually allies of Mario. In fact, again, a Bob-omb becomes one of Mario's partners.

The Bob-omb sub-species Bulky Bob-omb and Bob-ulk is introduced in this game.

Super Paper Mario
This is the only game in the Paper Mario series where Bob-ombs made little to no appearances. However, the only Bob-ombs that were featured in the game at all are Bombette and Bobbery from the previous titles, which appeared as Catch Cards. They also appeared very briefly at the beginning of the game, where they, along with all the others partners, were in a photograph at Mario's house.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Bob-ombs were semi-common enemies in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Their attack pattern here was similar to that of the Paper Mario Bob-ombs; however, they also had the power to defuse themselves at will. If a Bob-omb spots Mario or Luigi, it will light its fuse and begin to run around frantically, initiating battle if touched. When defeated, the Bob-ombs in this game sometimes dropped a Red Pepper.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Bob-ombs next chronological appearance is in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Here they are found in Gritzy Desert. They would do a simple ram to attack the Mario Bros. but may sometimes trick them by running toward one Bro. then looking the other way and attacking the opposite bro. After they got hit at least 23 damage, they would do a suicidal attack by either trying to ram a hero by exploding or one where it goes to both bros. and they have to be hammered away before it exploded on one of them. A new sub-species of Bob-omb is in this game, called Lethal Bob-omb. Also, a large Shroob version, called Shroob-omb, was used by Commander Shroob in the fight against him.

Mario Super Sluggers
Bob-ombs came for fame in Mario Super Sluggers, and ended up in the ending movie where they were blasted out of a batting cage in Mario Stadium where Mario and Donkey Kong would blast them into the air and they would explode into fireworks. Wario and Waluigi snuck into the stadium and put a Bullet Bill into the machine. It blasted at Mario, who was too surprised and scared to move. Bowser suddenly leaped over and smacked it back at Wario and Waluigi, who were blasted into the air. Bowser walked away slowly.

The Legend of Zelda series
Bob-ombs have even appeared in various Legend of Zelda games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. If Link strikes them with his sword once, they will run frantically around the room in a diagonal pattern, ricocheting off of walls and objects until they explode. If Link manages to strike them again, they will stop moving and explode.

Appearance
Bob-ombs have always resembled bombs with a few differences. The main difference is that they have white eyes, feet, and (usually unseen) arms. They are traditionally colored black, but they can also be seen in red, blue, or even green. In most games, they feature wind-up keys on their backs and fuses, though these are lacking in a few old games.

Allegiance and Culture
Bob-ombs are usually affiliated with the Koopa Troop and it is assumed that they take orders from Big Bob-omb, one of Bowser's high ranking minions. Whether Big Bob-omb is the true king of all Bob-ombs is never explained. In recent years, the games have introduced peaceful Bob-omb communities that have no affiliation with Bowser what-so-ever, and their homeland in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is known as Fahr Outpost, an isolated town located in a far-off icy land. The town is ruled by a Mayor, and all Bob-ombs take orders from him or General White. These Bob-ombs are generally peaceful, but seem to dislike outsiders and prefer to keep to themselves. However, by the end of the game they become more welcoming.

Roles
Bob-ombs serve multiple roles in various games. In their most common appearances, they are enemies who explode upon being irritated, although they sometimes chase after Mario upon seeing him, exploding in a few seconds. Bob-ombs can also be used as weapons, particularly in Mario Kart series and Super Smash Bros. series. Bob-ombs are also involved in several Mini-games in the Mario Party series.

The first time a Bob-omb is friendly is in Super Mario 64 (DS), when Pink Bob-ombs help Mario open cannons. They later appear as friendly (though some are also enemies) in the Paper Mario series.

Bob-ombs also have been used as items in several Mario sports titles. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! they were Wario and Waluigi's signature item. When thrown, they would stand still for a moment before exploding, throwing any nearby drivers into the air. If the radius is fading, it is a spinout. In Mushroom City and Mushroom BridgeBob-ombs cars could be seen and if a Player accidentally drives into it, it will explode like the Bob-ombs Wario and Waluigi used as Special Items. In Mario Kart DS, Bob-ombs return in a similar fashion as they did on Double Dash!!, but this time it can be used by any character, instead of beng a special one. Curiosly, in the remake version of Mushrom Bridge, Bob-ombs cars don't appear. In Mario Smash Football and its sequel, Mario Strikers Charged Football, Bob-ombs are items, and they do almost the same as they did in the Mario Kart series. Here, Bob-ombs can be obtained alone or in a set of three. Also, a larger form of a Bob-omb, called Giant Bob-omb, sometimes appear, acting like a normal Bob-omb, but it explosion radiuss roughly four times larger, plus it sends out a shockwave, harming anyone near it. In Mario Power Tennis, the Bomb-Omb appear as an item in the minigame Chain-Chomp Challenge and are also part of the audience in Wario Factory Court.

Sub-Species

 * Bulky Bob-omb: A much stronger Bob-Omb. After 4 turns it will explode. Appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
 * Bob-ulk: The strongest Bob-Omb. After 4 turns it will explode. Also appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
 * Bob-omb Buddy: A friendly type of bob-omb that will open cannons for Mario in Super Mario 64.
 * Kab-Omb: A Bob-Omb that can be ignited, exploding into fireworks. Appears in New Super Mario Bros.
 * King Bomb: A large Bob-omb summoned by Punchinello and Magikoopa in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
 * Para-bomb: Parachuting Bob-ombs first appearing in Super Mario World.
 * Glad Parabomb: Very happy parachuting Bob-ombs appearing in Super Princess Peach.
 * Rob-omb A Bob-omb with purple shoes from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
 * Lethal Bob-omb: A highly volatile and dangerous variety of Bob-omb from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
 * Shroob-omb: A very large Bob-omb utilized by Commander Shroob in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Notable Bob-ombs

 * Admiral Bobbery – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Big Bob-omb – ''Super Mario 64
 * Bombette – ''Paper Mario
 * Bomberto – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Bruce –  ''Paper Mario
 * Fahr Outpost Mayor – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * General White – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Goldbob – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Jerry – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Lucky – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Master Crash – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Pa-Patch – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door