Fracktail

".... I AM ERROR. ......"

- Fracktail

Fracktail is a giant robotic dragon that is the first boss in the game Super Paper Mario, found in Yold Desert, at the end of Yold Ruins. It has spiral eyes and magenta skin, and it can burrow into the sand and go underground. It will surprise Mario and appear out of the ground, and then fly in the air. Fracktail slightly resembles a Chinese dragon, and is coloured like Hooktail, his equivalent from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The repeating patterned segments of Fracktail's body, as well as its name are both references to a fractal, a geometric repetition of a pattern. He claims Mario has a Level 5 Mustache.

In order to defeat Fracktail, Mario must flip into 3D then jump on top of its long back when the robot glides low. The battle scene will then shift to the back of Fracktail's back as he flies. Players must then pick up a Frackle crawling around on its back using Thoreau and throw the Frackle at Fracktail's weak point which is antenna. The process must be done nine times before Fracktail is defeated.

After taking three hits, Fracktail will perform an aerial loop. Mario must jump from the tail at the end of the loop back onto the head; failing to do so will result in falling to the ground and having to dodge Fracktail's attacks until the chance to jump onto its back arises again.

Fracktail was originally the robotic protector of the Pure Heart, who spent "thousands of years" (it was actually 1,500 years), protecting it from "lawless intruders." When he noticed that Mario was the hero meant to obtain the Pure Heart, he was going to just let him pass. But Count Bleck's minion, Dimentio blasts him with a spell, and causes him to short-circuit. Dimentio tells Mario, "Yes, much better. Now you and this robotic guardian can spend some quality time... Yes, quality snack time!  When he snacks...on you!  For you...ARE the snack!  Ciao!" Then Fracktail's system is corrupted and it says nonsensical things (for example, it says Mario's threat level is "jelly roll 1" and says a variety of computer-related thing). Upon being defeated, its personality briefly returns to normal and it apologizes for its error in attacking Mario and pleads that he save the world, then explodes.

Related Enemies

 * Frackle – The creatures that crawl along Fracktail's back. Mario must pick them up and toss them at Fracktail's antenna to defeat him. They are in the game Super Paper Mario.
 * Wrackle – The creatures that crawl along Wracktail's back. Mario must pick them up and toss them at Wracktail's antenna to defeat him. They are in the game Super Paper Mario.
 * Wracktail – A stronger, more violent version of Fracktail found in the game Super Paper Mario.
 * Hooktail – The dragon that ate Koopley in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door; she hates crickets.
 * Bonetail – An skeletal dragon that is the elder brother of his siblings, Hooktail and Gloomtail at the Pit of 100 Trials in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Unlike his siblings, who must be fought, Bonetail is an optional boss.
 * Gloomtail – A dark dragon in the Palace of Shadow; he is encountered in the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Trivia
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 * On the American box art of the game, Fracktail can vaguely be seen flying in the background, left of the logo and Peach.
 * When searching for data, its eyes turn into the Internet connection symbol for the Wii Shop Channel.
 * This boss fight has many references to the The Legend of Zelda games. The way Fracktail dies is similar to the lava dragon Volvagia from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the giant sand worm Molgera from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. The two bosses are similar, as Volvagia is a long Chinese dragon-like creature, and Molgera is a long worm that lives in a desert-like environment. Another similarity between Fracktail and Volvagia is that both were originally benevolent beings that were corrupted by the main villain and only reverted back to their former selves shortly after the hero delivers the final blow (in the manga adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Volvagia was originally a dragon that Link befriended at the Hyrule Market, but Ganondorf corrupted it while Link was in stasis, and it wasn't until Link decapitated it that Volvagia reverted back to its original identity). Also, when short-circuiting, the first thing Fracktail says is "I AM ERROR". This is a reference to the famous line spoken by the character Error in the game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
 * Despite being robots, both Fracktail and Wracktail have bones when defeated.
 * Excluding Bowser, Fracktail is the only Paper Mario boss to have a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
 * When Fracktail is seen flying in the background, if the player continues to walk along the field, it is possible to get him to fly through his tail.