Goombas are enemies from the Mario franchise which have appeared in Link's Awakening.[1] They are basic Koopa Troop led by Bowser, in which they first appeared in Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
In Link's Awakening[]
Link with two Goombas in Link's Awakening DX
Goombas appear mainly in side-scrolling areas of Link's Awakening, predominately in dungeons. Like their side-scrolling appearances in general, particularly Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, Goombas simply walking in a single direction until they touch an object, changing direction only upon hitting an object. Goombas can be easily avoided or defeated with any attack by Link, such as by slashing them with his sword, jumping on them if he has a Roc's Feather equipped (based on Mario and Luigi's ability to stomp Goombas), or falling onto them directly from above. If a Goomba is defeated from a stomp, it leaves behind a Heart.
Goombas can be found in Tail Cave, Bottle Grotto, in the underground passage leading to Kanalet Castle, Catfish's Maw, Face Shrine, and Turtle Rock. While Goombas appear mostly in side-scrolling areas, they also appear in top-down areas of Eagle's Tower, moving around randomly, sometimes near a Kirby. Link can still stomp on them with Roc's Feather.
In Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch, a figure of a Goomba can be won from the Trendy Game and put on display in Tarin's house.
Background[]
Goombas are brown mushroom-shaped creatures based on shiitake mushrooms.[2]
The Goombas' sole The Legend of Zelda series appearance in Link's Awakening, their crossover appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, and their role in Super Mario Maker 2 all trace back to their appearances in side-scrolling Mario entries, specifically Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, both of which are graphic and gameplay styles present in Super Mario Maker 2. Furthermore, Goombas from their New Super Mario Bros. U appearance are also in said game style of Super Mario Maker 2.
Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are the only games to have both Goombas and The Legend of Zelda content to not base Goombas upon their appearance in the Super Mario series, which goes for Mario Kart games in general, like Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS.
Goombas have an unusual depiction in Link's Awakening, having a smiling face instead of their usual frowning face and thinner eyebrows. They are shown with their common Mario design in some pre-release builds of the remake.
Super Mario Bros.[]
The very first Goomba of Super Mario Bros., encountered in World 1-1
As has been established in their first appearance, Super Mario Bros., Goombas are the weakest and most common enemy, appearing in most levels except underwater settings. They are not as common in Link's Awakening or their Super Smash Bros. appearances, where they are featured in either just one or a few areas. Goombas are not only found in levels taking place above ground but also underground and inside of castles.
A single Goomba walks in only a single direction, but upon collision with an obstacle or another enemy, it turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction, also present in Link's Awakening and other side-scrolling appearances. Goombas also walk off of ledges mindlessly, much like green Koopa Troopas, often falling into a pit in the process. Many Goombas appear in groups of two or three.
Goombas can damage Mario or Luigi simply by walking into one of them, either defeating him if he is small or converting him to his Super or Fire forms.
The common method of defeating a Goomba is by stomping them, as Goombas have unique sprites for being flattened, but they can also be defeated from fireballs or by hitting the block it is on directly from below. Each Goomba is worth 100 points when defeated; this was not maintained in Link's Awakening but Goombas would be worth a similar low number of points in single-player campaigns in the Super Smash Bros. series and Super Mario Maker 2. There are methods to defeating Goombas in succession and earn a combo of points. Mario and Luigi can time a combo of jumps to stomp one Goomba after the other, with each Goomba stomped consecutively from the second onward being worth 400 points, like Buzzy Beetles. Kicking a Koopa Shell at a long row of Goombas also earns Mario and Luigi a successive number of points, and eventually extra lives, but this chain of points applies to enemies in general.
Fire Mario shooting fireballs at two Goombas, depicted blue because of the Nintendo Entertainment System's limited color palette
Due to the Nintendo Entertainment System's limited hardware palette, Goombas appear dark blue when underground and light gray in castles. This has not been maintained in any other The Legend of Zelda-related media, not even the Super Mario Bros. style of Super Mario Maker 2.
Goombas also appear in the game's many alternate versions, including VS. Super Mario Bros., its remaster in Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, and Super Mario Bros. 35.
Super Mario Bros. 3[]
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Goombas look a lot different than in Super Mario Bros., unlike the game's Japanese sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which largely reused from Super Mario Bros. Goombas maintain their traditional behavior but have now been given more varieties, notably Paragoombas and Grand Goombas, the latter of which would appear as enemies in a few single-player campaigns of later entries within the Super Smash Bros. series.
Super Mario Maker[]
Within Super Mario Maker and its port, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, Goombas are available as enemies that can be used in the game's various styles. They can be enhanced into Paragoombas by applying wings to them, Big Goombas by applying a Super Mushroom, or be stacked atop each other to form Goomba Towers. Goombas could also be placed in underwater sections, where they are never encountered in the side-scrolling Super Mario titles.
Other variations that appear and do not involve modifying Goombas include Shoe Goombas and the near-identical Stiletto Goomba variety (for Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 styles) and Galoombas, which replace Goombas in the Super Mario World style, just like in the original Super Mario World game.
Exclusively in the Wii U version, Goomba is also one of the costumes that Mario can transform into when using a Mystery Mushroom, just as Link and certain other characters of The Legend of Zelda series have their own. The Goomba costume is unlockable either randomly during the 100-Mario Challenge or by scanning a Goomba amiibo.
Crossover appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[]
Goombas are enemies encountered in the first stage of Adventure Mode, Mushroom Kingdom, in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Like in Link's Awakening, if Link - in either the Hero of Time's Young or Adult form, is the playable character, he can use his Sword to defeat a Goomba.
An obtainable Goomba trophy is also the focus of a Trophy Tussle challenge, much like with Majora's Mask.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Two Goombas in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Goombas are enemies in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, where they behave similarly as in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Like other Mario enemies encountered, they are explicitly under Bowser's command, as troops of the Subspace Army. The only stage where Link encounters Goombas during the storyline is The Cave, or The Great Maze, which has just about every fighter available. The first three stages where Goombas appear is in The Jungle, The Lake, and The Cave, where they can optionally be encountered by Link or one of the other The Legend of Zelda fighters—Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, and Toon Link—should they decide to revisit there. A Goomba is worth 200 points upon being defeated.
There is an obtainable trophy for not only Goomba but also Giant Goomba, which is obtained by throwing a Trophy Stand at the respective enemy.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[]
Goombas are enemies in Smash Run mode. They behave identically as in previous single-player modes of the Super Smash Bros. series. A Goomba is once again featured as a trophy, as well as Giant Goomba Paragoomba.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Goomba appears as a Novice-rank Primary Spirit that has the side effect of boosting foot attack power. In its associated Spirit Battle, the Goomba is represented by a group of five small Donkey Kong duplicates. A Goomba (from Super Mario Party) also appeared as part of the image used to represent the River Survival Spirit.
Super Mario Maker 2[]
In Super Mario Maker 2, Goombas are enemies which can be encountered by Mario, or Link if he is under the effects of the Master Sword. Behaviorally, Goombas have little difference than in Link's Awakening, the Super Smash Bros. series, or 2D installments of the Super Mario series in general, especially the previous game, Super Mario Maker, from which they retain most of the same role. Aside from being vulnerable to a stomp attack from either Mario or Link, Goombas can similarly be defeated from the latter's sword.
Besides their variations in Super Mario Maker, another Goomba variation that has been added is Goombrats in the Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and New Super Mario Bros. U styles as well as its Super Mario World variation, Goombud, in the same manner as Goombas being replaced by Galoombas in said style.
Recurring variants[]
There are a few Goomba variants that also appear in some Mario and Super Smash Bros. games with Link.
- Big Goomba - Originally named Grand Goomba and alternatively named Mega Goomba, Big Goombas are massive Goombas introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3 as inhabitants of Giant Land. They have appeared sporadically in the Mario games, though they are enemies in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Smash Run mode of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2.
- Galoomba - They are variants of Goombas with round bodies that first appear in Super Mario World. Jumping on Galoombas only flips them over and does not defeat them. Upon being flipped over, a Galoomba can be picked up and thrown at other enemies. Similar to Goombas, there are winged versions and versions that drop down with parachutes, both of which can be lost when the Galoomba is stomped on. They are named "Goombas" in earlier appearances, creating much confusion for English speakers, and would not be named Galoomba until Super Mario 3D World. Galoombas do appear in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2, although they are excluded from the Super Mario 3D World style within Super Mario Maker 2.
- Goomba Tower - First appearing in Super Mario 3D Land, they are simply a number of Goombas stacked on top of each other, making it harder for Mario to jump on them. They also appear in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2.
- Goombrat - Goombrats are similar to Goombas but have heads resembling persimmons. They are also mindful of ledges, unlike Goombas, mimicking the relation of Red Koopa Troopas to Green Koopa Troopas. Goombrats first appear in New Super Mario Bros. U, exclusively in one Challenge Level, but are more common in New Super Luigi U. The only appearance where Link can encounter them in is Super Mario Maker 2
- Paragoomba - A Goomba variety which first appears in Super Mario Bros. 3. Aside from being winged, they are followed by tiny Goombas named Mini Goombas (formerly named Micro-Goombas). Like Paratroopas, they can become regular Goombas by hopping on them. They are among the Goomba varieties to appear in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2.
Trivia[]
- Goombas were originally named Little Goombas during the Nintendo Entertainment System era.
Nomenclature[]
The name Goomba is possibly derived from the Italian slang word goombah, which can mean friend or alternately a member of a gang. Their Japanese name, Kuribō, is a portmanteau kuri, meaning chestnut, and bō, meaning guy.
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | ||
 | Japanese | クリボー (Kuribō) (LANS) | |
 | Danish | Goomba (LANS) | |
 | FrenchCA | Goomba (LANS) | |
 | German | Gumba (LANS) | |
 | Italian | Goomba (LANS) | |
 | Norwegian | Goomba (LANS) | |
 | SpanishLA | Goomba (LANS) | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. | |||
Gallery[]
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Link's Awakening sprite -
Link's Awakening DX sprite -
A stomped Goomba in Link's Awakening DX -
Link encountering a Goomba and Kirby inside Eagle's Tower in Link's Awakening
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A Goomba next to a Piranha Plant in Link's Awakening
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Conceptual model of a Goomba from Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch, which more closely resembles their appearance in the Mario franchise
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Link encountering three Goombas in Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch
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Goomba spirit icon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
References[]
- ↑ "Is this a stand for something? It says, "Goomba"..." — N/A (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
- ↑ "Iwata: By the way, is it a coincidence that the Goomba looks like a mushroom?
Tezuka: It's a shiitake mushroom!
Iwata: It's a shiitake? (laughs) So it's not a chestnut?
Tezuka: That's right. (laughs)" — Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Mario Couldn't Jump At First, Nintendo.com.
External links[]
Bibliography[]
- Iwata Asks: Applying A Single Idea To Both Land And Sky on Nintendo.com
- Super Mario Bros. Complete Guide on The Mushroom Kingdom
Disclaimers[]
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This page uses content from the Gamehiker Wiki, which has gone offline permanently since April 2025. The original link and title was Goomba, and its page history was here. As with Zelda Wiki, the text of the Gamehiker Wiki remains usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
| Authors: Masamune, GORE-ILLA, Smash Brother, Luiigii of the Pipes, and ToonMidna | |
| The page history is preserved here. | |
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This page uses content from the Super Mario Wiki. The original article was at Goomba. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Zelda Wiki, the text of the Super Mario Wiki from before June 9, 2010 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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