Red Bob-omb (character)

Red Bob-omb
Artwork of Mario, Red Bob-omb, and Yoshi on a kart.
Mario with Red Bob-omb and Yoshi on a kart
Species Bob-omb Buddy
First appearance Super Mario-kun Volume 15 (1996)
Latest appearance Super Mario-kun Volume 60 (2024)

Red Bob-omb[1] is a Bob-omb Buddy that appears in Super Mario-kun as one of the major allies in the Super Mario 64 arc, covered between Volume 15 and Volume 19.

Differently from an in-game Bob-omb Buddy, Red Bob-omb has arms, a mouth, and more expressive and detailed eyes (these last two details are also given to Bombette and Bobby in later volumes).

Mario first meets him during his first visit to Bob-omb Battlefield, where he saves him from the Chain Chomp that he landed on, by exploding on command. Mario asks him if he saw a crowned person (referring to Princess Peach) and, thinking he was talking about Big Bob-omb, Red Bob-omb directs him to the mountain. Mario starts the dangerous climb, only to discover that Red Bob-omb reached the top first thanks to the Warp Point. This becomes a running gag for the character, suggesting a difficult way to achieve something, revealing an easier way only after Mario has gone through some painful experiences: for example, in Jolly Roger Bay, he saves Mario from drowning by creating a bubble with a fart, and only after Mario uses it to breathe he reveals that collecting coins works just as fine.

Like many allies before and after him, Red Bob-omb does not take much part in the action, mostly accompanying Mario for the area and giving suggestions on how to beat an enemy or boss. He accompanies Mario almost exclusively in the worlds inside the paintings, rarely getting inside Peach's Castle, implying that he takes a longer route to reach Mario to the next area. Most of the time, in front of a difficult obstacle, Mario just tosses Red Bob-omb to blow it up, and Yoshi is often seen munching on him.

In later volumes, Red Bob-omb appears with other secondary characters when the achievements of the manga are covered, such as the 30th anniversary of serialization in Volume 57 and the reading of mail from the fans in Volume 60.

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese あかボム[2]
Aka Bomu
Red Bomb
Italian Bob-omba rossa[3] Red bob-omb; the name is in feminine form instead of the neutral gender form

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ "Luigi and Yoshi are Mario's constant companions. In some games, however, those regulars step aside from make room for guest stars like the Red Bob-omb, or the baby Yoshis."; Super Mario Manga Mania.
  2. ^ File:Red Bob-omb SMKun.pngMedia:Red Bob-omb SMKun.png
  3. ^ "Mario ha dei compagni fissi, come Luigi o Yoshi, ma ogni tanto appaiono anche altri amici che fanno squadra con lui solo per la durata di quello specifico gioco. Nel caso del mio fumetto, succede nel volume 15 con la bob-omba rossa, nei volumi 19 e 20 circa con baby Yoshi e via dicendo." – Colombo, Alessandro (March 9, 2022). Super Mario Mangamania. Edizioni BD (Italian). ISBN 978-88349-07122. Page 8.