Knucklotec
Artwork of the boss Knucklotec from Super Mario Odyssey.
First appearance Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Portrayed by Go Shinomiya
“Where...ring...go? YOU take ring?!”
Knucklotec, Super Mario Odyssey
Mario fighting Knucklotec.
Mario fighting Knucklotec

Knucklotec is the guardian deity[1] and second boss of the Sand Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. He is based on the real-world Olmec colossal heads, and has several similarities to the Eyerok from Super Mario 64, due to both being ancient stone guardians found underground in desert areas, having giant floating hands, and speaking in broken grammar.

Knucklotec can be first found in the desert, with the top part of his head sticking out from the ground and his Multi Moon plainly visible. Mario can walk on top of him in this state and Ground Pound him, where he will twitch and sometimes make a growling sound.

He is encountered when Mario enters the sand flow to the Underground Temple directly beneath the Inverted Pyramid. When he appears, he is distraught over the disappearance of the kingdom's Binding Band, and starts attacking Mario after erroneously assuming the latter to have stolen it, not realizing Bowser did beforehand.

He is the cause of the ice in the Sand Kingdom, and when he is defeated, all the ice melts away. Defeating him also creates a smaller sand flow where his head stuck out on the desert surface, leading straight down into the arena where he was fought which then becomes inhabited with Chinchos, a lone Coin Coffer, and a Power Moon.

In battle, Knucklotec slams his fists into the ground; if one of his fists hits a sheet of ice on the ground, he briefly writhes in pain. Mario must then capture one of the fists and use it to punch Knucklotec in the face while avoiding the ice shards he fires from his other fist. After being hit once, he will slide his fists across the battlefield one time; the fists travel parallel to each other. He will then slam his hands on the ground, causing icicles to fall down and bury halfway onto the ground. Mario must then repeat the process once more. During the third phase, his fist-slide attack is slightly faster, and he has an additional attack where his hands lock onto Mario before clapping together multiple times. After being defeated, Knucklotec will explode, releasing the Sand Kingdom's second Multi Moon.

In the rematch against him in Peach's Castle, many of Knucklotec's attacks create hordes of Chinchos, which also appear when the ice crystals fall after a hit is scored on the boss.

Official profiles and statisticsEdit

Mario fights this boss in the Underground Temple. Its head and hands operate separately, and the latter can be Captured to counterattack.”
The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, page 122

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
Japanese アッチーニャ神
Acchīnya Shin
Tostarena God

Chinese 阿炽尼亚神
Āchìníyǎ shén
Tostarena God

Chinese (traditional) 阿熾尼亞神
Āchìníyǎ shén
Tostarena God

Dutch Knucklotec
-
French Grand Caputl
Grand ("big") + caput ("head" in Latin) with -tl (a Nahuatl suffix used for making nouns)
German Faustezuma
From Faust ("fist") and "Montezuma"
Italian Sganassotec
From sganasscione (a hard slap in the face) and English name
Korean 아뜨레나신
Atteurena Shin
Tostarena God

Russian Кулакатль
Kulakatl
From кулак (kulak, "fist") and "Quetzalcoatl"

Spanish Katunda
From tunda (a colloquialism for "beating")

TriviaEdit

  • When fighting Knucklotec subsequent times in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Multi Moon will appear to be uncollected when it's first revealed before showing to be a collected Multi Moon. This does not happen with any other boss in the game.
  • Knucklotec's face seems to be carved into the walls of the Tostarena Ruins, the Inverted Pyramid and many other stone structures in Tosterena.

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ (October 20, 2017). Tweet by @SuperMario_UK. Twitter. Retrieved October 20, 2019.