T-Rex

The T-Rex, also known as Dinosaur or the Prehistoric Tyrant, is an enemy from Super Mario Odyssey that can be controlled by Cappy. It is an, making it a unique enemy in contrast to the more fantastic designs of most other enemies in the Mario franchise. T-Rexes are indigenous to the Cascade Kingdom and the Deep Woods of the Wooded Kingdom, two of the last locations in the world where they still live.

Two T-Rexes can be found in the Cascade Kingdom: one on a hill in the western half of Fossil Falls, and one in an optional subterranean area called Dinosaur Nest. These particular T-Rexes are found napping and will not attack Mario or damage him on contact. A fedora-wearing T-Rex can be found patrolling a path around a large tree in the Deep Woods of the Wooded Kingdom and will chase Mario when it makes visual contact. This one can either be stunned by tricking it into ramming its head into a stone wall or throwing a seed at its head to knock it out, making it possible to be captured for a short time before it wakes up. A fourth T-Rex in an Aviator Cap can be found in a hidden area within the Metro Kingdom called T-Rex Alleyway, where it chases down Mario along a stretch of street. Unlike the other captures, T-Rexes can only be controlled for a limited time due to Cappy requiring a lot of energy to keep such a large creature captured. Once the time expires, the T-Rex returns to the spot where it was originally captured. However, this can be circumnavigated by releasing and recapturing it quickly. The one in the Metro Kingdom cannot be captured and exists solely for a motor scooter-based chase sequence, and eventually falls down a bottomless pit.

According to Kenta Motokura, the director of Super Mario Odyssey, the T-Rex's realistic design was influenced by Super Mario World, another game where Mario is alongside dinosaurs. The development team wanted to include a dinosaur never seen in a Mario game before in hopes of surprising the player, causing the developers to steer away from the more cartoonish and caricatured dinosaur designs used in Super Mario World.

In a My Nintendo-exclusive poll conducted during E3 2017, the T-Rex was voted the top enemy that account owners wanted to capture and play as, well above the Goomba, Bullet Bill, Hammer Bro, Chain Chomp, and Cheep Cheep which were also part of the poll. In an interview with Game Informer, Shigeru Miyamoto likened Mario's ability to capture and control a T-Rex in Super Mario Odyssey to riding Yoshi.

Trivia

 * The realistic design philosophy applied to the T-Rex permeates throughout Super Mario Odyssey. Other examples of realistic character designs include Sphynx, New Donkers, Nintendog, and the Ruined Dragon.
 * The brochure for the Cascade Kingdom says the T-Rex found sleeping aboveground on the western hillside is believed to be female and is a subject of.
 * In the Metro Kingdom, a few newspapers may be spotted around the cafe. An article and picture of a T-Rex appears to be displayed on the front page of each.
 * In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Toad's backpack also has three pins on it that have the designs of stickers from Super Mario Odyssey, with one of them being based on the Fossil Falls sticker and a a T-Rex.