Blargg
- This article is about the enemies first introduced in Super Mario World. For the unique small variant in the Yoshi series, see Blargg (small).
| Blargg | |||
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| Artwork of a Blargg from Super Mario World Artwork from Super Mario World | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (spirit cameo) (2018) | ||
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Blarggs are enemies introduced in Super Mario World . These large creatures are commonly found inhabiting pools of lava in underground caverns. Blarggs generally resemble lazy-eyed lava dinosaurs, but Yoshi's Story depicts them as blobby beings with large mouths, small arms and beady eyes, while numerous other games (especially within the Yoshi series) feature an assortment of similarly derived blobby species, such as smaller Blarggs, the enormous Gargantua Blarggs, aquatic counterparts called Nep-Enuts, and a passive, lift-topped monochrome type called the Blarggwich. Many dragon bosses seem to be partially inspired by Blarggs, such as Czar Dragon as well as Hooktail, Fracktail, and their derivatives. Starting with Super Mario Galaxy 2 , Blargg's role in the primary Super Mario franchise is taken up by another giant-sized Blargg derivative known as Magmaargh, which combines draconic aspects with being formed from lava.
History[edit ]
Super Mario World[edit ]
Blarggs, also named Munchers,[1] are enemies in Super Mario World. Blarggs are fairly rare, being found in Vanilla Dome 1, Vanilla Dome 3, and Chocolate Secret. When Mario or Luigi approach a Blargg on a Skull Lift, the eyes of the Blargg will be visible before they dip back into the lava, moments before lunging. Yoshi is capable of jumping on them and, with some difficulty, eating them. The player can also opt to Spin Jump if lacking a Yoshi, although this method only prevents one from taking damage if landing on a Blargg or its eyes. It is possible for Invincible Mario to defeat one in Vanilla Dome 1 before falling into the lava. Caped Mario can also defeat it with a Body Press attack before falling into the lava. In the SNES version, these methods reveal a glitched sprite, while in the GBA version, it disappears in a puff of smoke. When spat out from Yoshi while playing as Luigi on Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 , only its eyes appear.
In the source code of pre-release builds, Blarggs went through many design iterations of varying sizes, as both a dinosaur like in the final and as a shark.[2]
Super Mario World television series[edit ]
Blarggs, though never referred to as such onscreen, appeared in two episodes of the Super Mario World animated series.
In the episode "The Wheel Thing", Mario and Luigi, having been banned to the Lava Pits, begin attempting to cook a pizza over a fire. The smell from this cooking pizza causes a Blargg to emerge from a nearby lake of lava and begin to chase Luigi, attempting to eat the plumber. Luigi is rescued from being devoured as Mario swoops down and saves his brother as Cape Mario. This is the only time Blargg is shown with a full body, outside of lava.
In a later episode titled "Mama Luigi", a Blargg makes a brief appearance. Luigi and Yoshi, while running away from a pair of evil dinosaurs, use a Blargg's head as a stepping stone to cross a river of lava.
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit ]
A Blargg, which lived in water, appears in one of the bad endings in Dinosaur Dilemma , eating Mario if he falls into a pit while fleeing from some Mega Moles.
Super Mario-kun[edit ]
A Blargg appears from the 9th chapter of the first volume as the chapter's main antagonist.
After a friendly Mega Mole leads Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi towards the underground exit, they travel on a Lava Lift where they are immediately attacked by the Blargg, who was given the order to kill the Mega Mole as well due to his betrayal. The Blargg attacks the protagonists by spitting fire. Mario tries to hurt it with a fireball, but ends up making it stronger due to its fire affinity. Mega Mole, meanwhile, cowers in fear and uses Mario as a shield and, when Mario asks him what a Blargg's weakness is, he reads the Super Mario World manual and finds out that Blarggs cannot be defeated. When the Blargg is about to kill Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi, Mega Mole jumps on the Blargg, attacking it and landing right in its mouth, clogging it. The Blargg falls back into the lava, and while Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi mourn the death of their friend, they meet Mega Mole on shore, where he managed to survive from the lava and with Blargg's mouth still stuck on his forehead, pleading to be put back into the lava. In this shot, the Blargg's body is shown: the neck is the entire body, and it has little arms and legs.
Super Mario Adventures[edit ]
Several Blarggs make a minor appearance in Nintendo Power 's Super Mario Adventures comic, appearing in the lava flooded basement of Bowser's Castle. These Blarggs are used as stepping stones by Mario to reach a Warp Pipe leading to another part of the castle.
Mario & Wario[edit ]
A Blargg appears in Honō no Dōkutsu, the fifth stage of Mario & Wario . It is nearly identical to its appearance in Super Mario World, but unlike its previous appearance, it is docile and merely part of the scenery.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit ]
While no Blarggs appear in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or in its Nintendo Switch remake, Czar Dragon, the lava-dwelling boss of Barrel Volcano, resembles their Super Mario World design.
Yoshi's Story[edit ]
Though only variants of Blarggs appear in games in the Yoshi franchise such as the Yoshi series (i.e.: games in the Yoshi's Island subseries like with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island ), the only appearance of Blarggs themselves in that franchise is in Yoshi's Story . In this game, they are altered, being larger, and given small arms with a blobby appearance. They appear in only one level, Stage 2-2: Blargg's Boiler. In this game, Blarggs do not harm a Baby Yoshi when touched, although the Yoshi gets a forceful push from them. While they cannot be harmed, the Yoshi can throw an egg at one to force it back into the lava. There is also one Blargg unaffected by eggs which will briefly pursue the Baby Yoshi.
Due to their large size and blobby appearance, these Blarggs appear to be visually based on the Gargantua Blarggs in Yoshi's Island. However, they lack eyebrows and have a pair of small reptilian nostrils. Don Bongo is given a similar name to the Blarggs in the Japanese script, Donbaba (in comparison to Unbaba, Blargg), despite not resembling them beyond being pudgy and somewhat reptilian.
Their artwork from Yoshi's Story is reused as a stamp in Mario Artist: Paint Studio .
Paper Mario series[edit ]
In Super Paper Mario , a Sammer Guy named Raging Blargg can be fought. Additionally, in the Japanese versions of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, the "-tail" dragon bosses Hooktail, Gloomtail, Bonetail, Fracktail, and Wracktail instead have names that are based off Blargg's Japanese name, Unbaba.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit ]
Blarggs are referenced in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time , where they are mentioned by Kylie Koopa using "in a Blargg's age" as a figure of speech, after Yoob spit her out in Yoshi's Island.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit ]
A Blargg sticker can be collected in Super Smash Bros. Brawl , and a Blargg spirit appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . Both use their Yoshi's Story artwork.
Unused appearances[edit ]
Super Mario 64[edit ]
This section needs Super Mario improvement. Specifically:
Blarggs, with their appearance resembling how they appeared in Super Mario World, were originally going to appear in Super Mario 64 as enemies in Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, and even Wing Mario Over the Rainbow as they were found in the game's coding. With a cheating device, the player can make them appear on the level, being fully functional and with a complete model (aside from a lack of eyes).
Profiles and statistics[edit ]
Super Mario World[edit ]
- Shogakukan guide (Japanese): 火の海に生きるワニに似た敵。ガイコツいかだの近くに潜み、海面から目だけを出してマリオを待ち伏せ。タイミング良く、ジャンプでかわせ。[3]
(Romanization: Hi no uminiikiru wani ni nita teki. Gaikotsu ikada no chikaku ni hisomi, kaimen kara me dake o dashite Mario o machibuse. Taimingu yoku, janpu de kawase.)
(Translation: An enemy resembling a crocodile that lives in a sea of fire. It lurks near the raft and ambushes Mario with only its eyes above the surface of the sea. Dodge them with a well-timed jump.) - Mario Mania : Blargg gets hot under the collar when intruders enter his cavern. He pops out of the molten lava and tries to snatch you off your skull raft.[4]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten [edit ]
| ウンババ (JP) / Blargg (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A Blargg from Super Mario World. | |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| Tribe | Dinosaur clan | ||
| いたずら好き | Disposition | Mischievous | |
| ワールド | Game appearances | World | |
| マグマのしぶきに マグマの |
Watch out for magma spray A flaming dinosaur in the sea of magma. It is usually hidden, but when you approach it, it will show its face and attack you. It is an invincible enemy that cannot be defeated by any attack. Before it appears, it makes a splash, so use that as a warning sign. | ||
Yoshi's Story[edit ]
- Shogakukan guide description (Japanese): バブルの親玉、溶岩オバケに立ちおうじょう。しばらく待って、ようすを見よう。[6]
(Romanization: Baburu no oyadama, yōgan obake ni tachi ōjō. Shibaraku matte, yōsu o miyou.)
(Translation: The master of the Spark Spooks, this lava monster stalls. Let's wait for a while to see what happens.)
- Nintendo 64 Spieleberater (German): Der rote Lavasack findet sich todkomisch, deswegen lacht er immer und streckt mir die Zunge raus![7]
(Translation: The red lava bag thinks he's hilarious, that's why he's always laughing and sticking his tongue out at me!)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit ]
Blargg
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit ]
#315 Blargg
- The enemy breathes fire
Gallery[edit ]
Super Mario World
Super Mario World
Super Mario World
Super Mario World (glitched sprite when defeated by Invincible Mario)
A Blargg revealing its body in the Super Mario World animated series
Mario Undōkai trading card
Artwork used for a Super Mario puzzle.
Artwork used for a Super Mario puzzle.
Artwork used for a puzzle based on Super Mario Kart , where Blargg is erroneously colored green
Super Mario Maze Picture Book 4: Princess Peach Disappeared
Quizbook Number 3: Super Mario Pocket Picture Book
Super Mario Picture Book with Peel-and-Release Stickers 5: Wanda's Birthday
A size chart for a 1996 Nintendo Character Manual
Japanese commercial for the New Famicom and Wario's Woods
The Blargg's unused model from Super Mario 64
Yoshi's Story
Yoshi's Story
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
List of appearances[edit ]
| Title | Year | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario World | 1990 | SNES |
| Super Mario World - "The Wheel Thing" | 1991 | TV Episode |
| Super Mario World - "Mama Luigi" | 1991 | TV Episode |
| Dinosaur Dilemma | 1991 | Book |
| Super Mario-kun Volume 1 | 1991 | Manga |
| Mario & Wario | 1993 | SNES |
| Super Mario-kun Volume 9 | 1993 | Manga |
| Wario's Woods Japanese commercial | 1994 | TV Advertisment |
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | 1994 | SNES |
| Mario Bowl | 1995 | Arcade |
| Super Mario Maze Picture Book 4: Princess Peach Disappeared | 1995 | Book |
| Super Mario Pocket Picture Book Number 3: Quizbook | 1995 | Book |
| Yoshi's Story | 1997 | Nintendo 64 |
| Mario Artist: Paint Studio | 1999 | 64DD |
| Super Mario Picture Book with Peel-and-Release Stickers 5: Wanda's Birthday | 1999 | Book |
| Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (mentioned) | 2005 | Nintendo DS |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 2008 | Wii |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
Naming[edit ]
Etymology[edit ]
The name "Blargg" likely derives from "blarg", an onomatopoeia and expression of disgust or frustration that mirrors the potential source of origin for its Japanese name「ウンババ」(Unbaba). The word「婆」(baba) is a colloquialism for "complaint" or "grumble". A Japanese guidebook for Yoshi's Story describes the sound made by a Blargg emerging from the lava as「ンバー」(nbā), which may indicate that the name is derived from 「ばあ」(bā), an onomatopoeia equivalent to "boo".[6]
Names in other languages[edit ]
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ウンババ Unbaba |
Potentially a truncation of「ウンウン」(un'un, "uh-huh") with「婆」(baba); officially romanized as "Unbaba" | [3] [6] [8] [9] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 乌巴巴 Wūbābā |
Transliteration of the Japanese name | [10] [9] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | Blargg | Unmodified from the English name | [9] | |
| Dutch | Blargg | - | [9] | |
| French (Canadian) | Blop | Potentially derived from the English "plop" | [9] | |
| French (European) | Blargg | - | [11] [12] [13] | |
| German | Blargg | - | [9] | |
| Feuerdrache | Fire Dragon | Super Mario World | [14] [15] | |
| Dudel Sprudel | Fizzy Doodle | Yoshi's Story | [7] | |
| Italian | Blargg | - | [16] [17] [9] [18] | |
| Korean | 짜자잔 Jjajajan |
An exclamation equivalent to "ta-da!" | [9] | |
| Russian | Студнезавр Studnezavr |
Студень (studen, "aspic") with the Greek σαῦρος (sauros, "lizard"), a near ubiquitous suffix in the generic names of dinosaurs | [9] | |
| Spanish | Blargg | - | [19] [9] |
References[edit ]
- ^ Tilden, Gail, et al. (September 1991). Nintendo Power Volume 28. Nintendo of America (English). Page 16.
- ^ Gaming Alexandria (July 24, 2020). Tweet showing early Super Mario World tiles. Twitter (English). Retrieved July 25, 2020. (Archived July 24, 2020, 19:40:45 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ a b Kagawa, Ryo (APE/Shigesato Itoi), Koichi Toda (100 Percent), Masaki Kuramochi (100 Percent), Shigeo Tanabe, Naomaru Asao, and Ryuji Osawa, editors (1991). "UNIT 2 CHARACTER" in『任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオワールド』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-104117-5. Page 29.
- ^ August 1991. Mario Mania Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (English). Page 51.
- ^ November 20, 1994. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-259067-9. Page 46. Retrieved August 1, 2023 from Imgur.
- ^ a b c Yoshioka, Seino (Muse Staff) (1998). 『ヨッシー全百科: カラースペシャル版』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-281158-6. Page 80.
- ^ a b Hein, Marko, John D. Kraft, and Thomas Rinke, editors (1998). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater „Yoshi's Story". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 19 Media:Yoshi's Story German Guide Enemies.png .
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario World" in『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 54.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Spirit inventory (7 Dec. 2018). Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by Nintendo, Sora Ltd., and BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc (Ver. 13.0.3). Nintendo.
- ^ In-game name from the ending of the iQue version of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 . (Archived 28 Aug. 2013 via Baidu Teiba by 无敌阿尔宙斯.)
- ^ Yoshi's Story in-game name from French localization for Blargg's Boiler (Uploaded 10 May. 2019 on Youtube by Omniwalk FR)
- ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (French). (Archived 19 Nov. 2010 via YouTube by Diddy64wii.)
- ^ Diddy64wii (September 27, 2017). Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Toutes les 700 vignettes (4:56). YouTube (French). Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 19.
- ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (German). (Archived 15 Oct. 2011 via YouTube by Spendem.)
- ^ «Blargg» – Stickers list (2008). Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo of Europe (Italian).
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia . Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 54.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2025). "Super Mario World" in Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia (2nd ed.). Translated by Alessandro Apreda. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 979-1259575760. Page 54.
- ^ In-game name from the ending of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (European Spanish). (Archived 12 Sept. 2021 via YouTube by El Tiempo Es Ahora.)
