Boom Boom

Boom Boom (sometimes parsed Boom-Boom or BOOM-BOOM ) is one of Bowser's henchmen, and the most well-known member of the eponymous species. He is an antagonist in the Mario franchise and among Mario's most persistent foes. Boom Boom first debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3, where he often battles Mario or Luigi in fortresses. Boom Boom then later made his return appearance in Super Mario 3D Land as one of the two secondary antagonists who often appears in airships, along with his partner Pom Pom, the other secondary antagonist in the game. After Super Mario 3D Land, Boom Boom reappeared in later games more often. Compared to Bowser's species, he has a complete shell instead of a carapace not directly connected to his plastron, and the shell itself may not have spikes on it, depending on the game.

Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Boom Boom makes his first appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES, where he helps Bowser and the Koopalings invade the Mushroom World's seven kingdoms. He appears in the fortresses of each kingdom, fighting Mario and Luigi to prevent them from going any closer to the Koopalings. However, the Mario Bros. prevail, and his fortresses get destroyed thanks to the Magic Balls he dropped. After he fails to protect the Koopalings, Boom Boom also appears in many levels in Dark Land; specifically in World 8-Fortress and all the battleships, airships, and tanks - except for the first tank set, which is instead manned by a Boomerang Bro. Due to palette inconsistencies between locations in the original version, he appears orange in most places, blue and gray in World 2-Fortress, and tan in vehicle levels, though later versions have him consistently tan.

In battle, Boom Boom begins by simply walking left and right towards Mario, occasionally crouching down and showing his large spikes, then leaping. After being hit, he either starts to charge and jump very high or flies with his winged arms; the latter strategy first appeared in Water Land's first fortress. After a second hit, Boom Boom walks left and right again, but very quickly, possibly as a desperation tactic. After the third hit, he releases a Magic Ball, which destroys the fortress Boom Boom is in when Mario or Luigi touch it, and opens a lock or makes a bridge appear elsewhere on the map.

To defeat Boom Boom, Mario has to jump on his head three times to eliminate him, hit him with five fireballs from a Fire Flower, or score five hits with hammers from the Hammer Suit (which he can do with as little as one hammer if his aim was precise enough).

Because of ambiguity in the language used in the instruction manuals of the original Super Mario Bros. 3 and its ports, it is unknown whether there is a different Boom Boom in each fortress or if they are all the same one. Additionally, two World-e levels (Swinging Bars of Doom and Ice Cubed) in Super Mario Advance 4 make the player fight two Boom Booms at once. He also acts as the key art for the World-e level Treacherous Halls.

Super Mario 3D Land
After 23 years of absence, Boom Boom makes his return in Super Mario 3D Land, along with a new, boomerang-wielding, female partner named Pom Pom. In this game, Boom Boom now has an audible voice for the first time, which is quite deep. In an interview, Koichi Hayashida explained that "when Tanooki Mario appeared, some members of the team wanted to include Boom Boom and the Koopalings. Then we created a type of gameplay where the enemy follows as you run around the room, and we thought this would be interesting, so we used Boom Boom to put it into the game."

Boom Boom, Pom Pom, Bowser, and the Koopa Troop, invade the Mushroom Kingdom to kidnap Princess Peach, and take most of the Super Leaves during a storm. Mario receives a letter from Bowser and goes after them. After the defeat of the first Tail Bowser, Boom Boom appears in some airships, where he encounters and fights Mario. Like most bosses, Boom Boom can return after each defeat. After he is defeated in Worlds 2 and 3, Pom Pom replaces him in Worlds 4 and 6.

Princess Peach attempts to escape from Bowser, but Boom Boom and the Koopa Troop chase her down, recapture her, and lock her within a cage. He returns in World 7 and battles Mario in his airship, alongside Pom Pom. Both are defeated, however.

Boom Boom here is much larger (especially his arms) than he was in his previous encounter with Mario and Luigi (where he was roughly the same height as Mario). He no longer appears to have retractable spikes on his shell, which is now red, and has new attacks. In battle Boom Boom spins wildly with his arms and fists to hurt Mario, but if he does this too long, he becomes dizzy and vulnerable. When hit, Boom Boom can also attack by retreating into his large shell and then spinning fast in random directions, in a similar fashion to the Koopalings when they are hit by the player in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. After taking three hits from Mario's stomps or tail whips or 15 fireballs, Boom Boom, defeated, will vanish while releasing ten coins.

He also appears in the Special Worlds of the game. In, Mario fights both Boom Boom and Pom Pom at the same time; however, Boom Boom's spins create flames. When Pom Pom is defeated before Boom Boom, the red floor will lower to the ground for the rest of the fight. A Boom Boom that requires only one hit to be defeated can also appear in the Special Worlds' Mystery Boxes.

The official European and Oceanian websites refer to both Boom Boom and Pom Pom in the plural sense. Therefore, it's possible that the player is fighting different individuals in each airship, although the Prima guide and the American website use the singular, and only one Boom Boom or Pom Pom is seen onscreen at any given time.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U
Multiple Boom Booms are present on the overworld of New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U at any given time, and whether or not the Boom Boom character is one of these individuals is unknown. This time, Boom Booms return with spiked shells, as they had in Super Mario Bros. 3. According to the game's PRIMA guide, however, they are all the same individual.

Super Mario 3D World
Boom Boom reappears as the boss of World 2, as the first boss of World 6, and in World Flower-12: Boss Blitz in Super Mario 3D World. In World 2 and World 6, Boom Boom is the leader of the tank armies returning from Super Mario Bros 3, as Airships do not return. In the first fight, he fights with the same strategy as in Super Mario 3D Land, only that his spinning lasts longer. After the first hit, he turns nearly invisible, but can slightly be seen, while spinning and in his shell. After the second hit, he becomes even harder to see. In World 6, he loses his invisibility, but learns to copy his shell while spinning after the first hit, and spins even longer. After the second hit, he conjures two shells. In World Flower-12, he maintains the same pattern as in World 2. He once again takes three hits to beat for each battle. In the Ending, he is upset about Bowser (who is trapped in a bottle), and Pom Pom tries to cheer him up.

Boom Boom also makes a brief appearance in the level Mystery House Marathon in World Crown, where he guards the penultimate star. However, he's defeated after only one hit, similar to his 3D Land Mystery Box appearance.

Super Mario Run
Boom Boom reappears in Super Mario Run as the boss of all three airship levels. He retains his appearance from New Super Mario Bros. U, but his only attack is running towards Mario. The fight in World 2 has no hazards, World 4 has Burners, two on each side, and World 6 has Boom Boom jump every time he touches the ground. He may also be found in airship stages at the end of certain areas in Remix 10.

Super Mario Maker 2
Boom Boom appears as an enemy in Super Mario Maker 2. Boom Boom appears in all styles, with all the "retro" styles giving him new sprites. Boom Boom can only be placed five times in a course. If Boom Boom is given wings, he will fly across the screen and occasionally swoop down in an attempt to hurt the player like in New Super Mario Bros. U.

Super Mario Bros. film
The Boom Boom Bar in the Super Mario Bros. film is named after Boom Boom - one of many references the movie makes to Super Mario Bros. 3 and other early games.

Nintendo Adventure Books
In the Nintendo Adventure Books series, Boom Boom appears in the third book Monster Mix-Up. On one of the multiple routes, the Mushroom King gets kidnapped by two Koopa Troopas. Bowser then lands nearby in the Monster Mixer and threatens to throw him in with Elmo, the stupidest of all of Bowser's troops. However, Elmo does not show up. Eventually, Bowser loses his patience and asks for an explanation to Elmo's disappearance. Boom-Boom waddles up to the front and explains that he wanted to get out of the Fortress and left Elmo in charge there. Infuriated, Bowser tosses him in the mixer with a Fire Snake. Boom Boom pops out of the mixer with his head on fire and flails around pleading for water. Bowser makes a joke saying he's the first of the red hot Troopas. Also, in the book Koopa Capers, an item called "Boom Boom's Socks" can be found.

Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, one of the Sammer Guys that can be fought is named Flailing Boom Boom, a reference to Boom Boom's sprite animation during the battle against him in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Boom Boom reappears in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition as the boss of the towers, just as he was in New Super Mario Bros. U. He is a light attribute.

Minecraft
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack of Minecraft, Boom Boom appears as a playable skin. Additionally, following the Nether Update, Piglins are replaced by Boom Boom.

Mario Tennis Aces
"Mario! This is Lord Bowser's island! Boom Boom says SCRAM!"

- Boom Boom

Boom Boom makes his first appearance in the direct Mario Tennis series in Mario Tennis Aces. He appears as a non-playable rival in Story Mode that needs to be defeated in Inferno Island in order to progress.

Boom Boom is also available as a playable character, classified as a Defensive type, meaning he excels at returning shots. He became available for all players on March 1, 2019, although he could be used earlier by those who participated in the February 2019 online tournament. Boom Boom has the fastest sideways movement speed in the game, although he is quite slow when moving up and down the court.

This is the first game where Boom Boom has dialogue.

Super Mario Party
In Super Mario Party, Boom Boom makes a cameo appearance in the minigame Absent Minded, where he is one of the characters that can be chosen as a guess.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Boom Boom appears as an Advanced-class Attack-type primary spirit with one support slot. The image representing the spirit is a render from Super Mario 3D World. In World of Light, the spirit is encountered on the Light Realm map at the entrance to the Molten Fortress. The puppet fighter is a giant Squirtle, fought on the Battlefield version of the Unova Pokémon League stage.

The spirit be enhanced at level 99 into "Boom Boom & Pom Pom", an Ace-class spirit that makes the user's smash attacks more powerful during battle.

Dr. Mario World
Boom Boom appears as an assistant in Dr. Mario World, helping Dr. Mario and friends defeat viruses across five different worlds.

Physical appearance
Boom Boom was originally a Koopa with tan or brown skin, although Super Mario 3D Land made his limbs yellow. In the original NES version of Super Mario Bros. 3, Boom Boom in Desert Land's fortress was colored gray due to color limitations. He has long flailing arms and is built like Roy or Morton. He has a rounded snout with two protruding teeth, large legs and padded feet like the Koopalings, and is roughly their height as well, the main difference being the belly being fully covered by the front part of the shell, which is connected with the rear part of the shell. As of Super Mario 3D Land, said rear part is red, but in that game and Super Mario 3D World, it lacks the spikes seen in his other appearances, including the latest ones. He is also larger than Mario in recent games. Also, since New Super Mario Bros. U, his hands have visible claws, like the rest of his species.

In Super Mario Maker 2, Boom Boom receives brand new designs to match the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World  styles: the former is very close to his original design in Super Mario Bros. 3, but with more rotund body proportions and an open mouth; the latter depicts him with a darker head and limbs than his other designs.

Personality and traits
Boom Boom is Bowser's faithful servant. He is a powerhouse with a short-temper, although his profiles usually point out that he is easily defeated by taking three stomps to the head. Boom Boom can give orders to the Koopa Troop with Bowser, like to capture the fleeing Princess Peach in Super Mario 3D Land. In most of his appearances, Boom Boom is partnered with Pom Pom; the two are shown to work together very well. Likewise, Boom Boom does not get along with Mario and his friends due their interferences in Bowser's plans and their victories against him.

Boom Boom was introduced as a silent character in Super Mario Bros. 3; since Super Mario 3D Land, he communicates using grunts, yells, and roars. In Mario Tennis Aces, Boom Boom speaks in third person via textbox dialogue.

Abilities
Boom Boom has unique abilities different from other Koopas. In Super Mario Bros. 3, he is capable of jumping higher, running fast and transforming his arms into wings to fly. He could also expose his spikes on his shell. Boom Boom would flail his arms in an attempt to hurt Mario.

In Super Mario 3D Land, Boom Boom displays a mostly new set of abilities. He can now spin with his arms extended, which can create a trail of flames, but the attack will leave him dizzy after a while. He also spins in his shell to attack Mario, similar to the Koopalings. Boom Boom can shake his airship just by stomping the floor or hitting the wall with his spinning shell. In Super Mario 3D World, he has the ability to turn invisible and create up to two large duplicates of his red shell that spins across the arena while he attacks with his usual spin attack. He can also teleport across the arena, performing a hand sign similar to Pom Pom before doing so after recovering from being dizzy.

Trivia

 * Not counting ports and remakes, Boom Boom currently holds the record for the longest non-appearance gap in the series with 99 titles between his initial introduction and his reappearance.
 * Despite being listed separately in the Friends and Foes section, the Prima Games guide of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 refers to Boom Boom as a Koopaling.