Fawful: Difference between revisions

{{distinguish|[[Jawful]]}}

'''Fawful''' (also known as '''Lord Fawful''' to his minions) is a [[Beanish]] character and a major antagonist in the ''[[Mario & Luigi (series)|Mario & Luigi]]'' series. He is the secondary antagonist of ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' and [[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions|its remake]], and the main antagonist of ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' and [[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey|its remake]]. He is notable for speaking in broken English and making many food-based metaphors. Fawful is quite intelligent, but he suffers from extreme fits of anger. His name comes from the words "guffaw" (a term that refers to powerful laughter) and "awful."

During the introductory scene, Fawful accompanies Cackletta, who is disguised as the Goodwill Ambassador from the [[Beanbean Kingdom]], to aid her in stealing Princess Peach's voice to awaken the [[Beanstar]]. While returning to the Beanbean Kingdom, they are pursued by [[Mario]], [[Luigi]], and [[Bowser]], who had formed a temporary alliance to stop them. After taking care of Bowser, Fawful attacks the Mario Bros., but not before they destroy his [[Vacuum Helmet]]. After it breaks, Fawful summons another Vacuum Helmet to knock Bowser's [[Koopa Cruiser]] out of the sky before departing. He is later hinted by Beanbean guards to have kidnapped [[Prince Peasley]], after they wrongly accused Mario and Luigi of doing so. When the brothers arrive at [[Hoohoo Mountain]], he blocks their path with a large stone and flies off. He later appears in [[Beanbean Castle]], where he steals the Beanstar alongside Cackletta and feeds [[Queen Bean]] a [[Belly Blech]] worm to distract the Bros.

After his speech, Fawful sells rare badges to the baby Mario Bros. in exchange for beans. Additionally, he hints that the babies should go to Peach's Castle's viewing platform prior to them discovering the [[Gritzy Desert]].

Fawful appears as the main antagonist in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' and [[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey|its remake]]. He began the outbreak of the [[blorbs]] by selling "[[List of Implied Items#Blorb Mushroom|Blorb Mushroom]]s" to the citizens of [[Toad Town]]. Fawful then brainwashes Bowser's minions to have them invade the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. His true plan is to acquire the Dark Star, an ancient evil artifact, and use its power to kill the Mario Bros. and their friends.

Fawful is first seen in [[Dimble Wood]] disguised as a merchant. He sells Bowser, who had just been defeated by Mario, a [[Vacuum Shroom]], advertising it as a "Lucky (?) Shroom" that will help Bowser defeat his enemies. Instead, it causes Bowser to inhale everything around him, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Starlow, and the other [[Mushroom Kingdom]] citizens who attended the meeting.

Bowser later finds Fawful in [[Cavi Cape]], where the villain reveals that he has captured Bowser's Castle. He then sends [[Midbus]] to battle Bowser, and during the fight, he attempts to teach Midbus on how to dodge Bowser's attacks, being descriptive enough that he inadvertently helps Bowser. He then has Bowser fight the [[Sea Pipe Statue]], only to later tell Bowser that he has captured his minions.

[[File:FawfulabsorbDarkstar.png|thumb|left|Fawful absorbing the power of the Dark Star, thus transforming into a [[Dark Fawful|dark form]].]]

With the absence of a ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' arc, Fawful appears in the ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'' manga only in the ''[[Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' story arc, in [[Super Mario-kun Volume 40|volumes 40]] and [[Super Mario-kun Volume 41|41]]. He has different motivations in the manga: while in the games he also wants to get revenge on who defeated him in the past, in the manga, he is a typical mad scientist who aims to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, with no personal agenda against Mario and his friends.

Fawful is referenced in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', where one of the names that can be generated from pressing the "RANDOM NAME" button is '''FWFUL''', and in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' / ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]]'', the name "Fawful" may be generated via the same method.

Fawful is a [[Beanish]] character who wears eyeglasses, has a single strand of hair, and is often seen with a big grin. He is relatively the same height of both Mario and Luigi, sharing a lot in common with [[Professor E. Gadd]]. In ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', Fawful wears a red cloak with a ripped bottom and is commonly shown wearing his [[Vacuum Helmet]] on his head. His cloak hides most of his body, leaving only his head and legs visible. During his encounter in Bowser's Castle, he is seen with a pink, V-neck suit with a translucent, wing-like cloth that covers his arms and legs. He also has a bulbous antenna sticking out of his head, replacing his single-strand hair.

Fawful is shown to be very angry at times, but is also seen to be very devoted to Cackletta, whom he served with blind devotion in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', and is considered to be Cackletta's "favorite subordinate"<ref name="subordinate">{{cite|title=''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' manual|page=7|date=2003|author=Nintendo|language=American English|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> in a manner resembling the archetypical "{{wp|Igor (character)|Igor}}" character. He is shown to be understanding of Midbus, who showed the same devotion to Fawful himself in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''. He enjoys taunting his enemies and believes he is never wrong. While initially content to be Cackletta's subordinate, he is shown to be quite self-centered when he becomes his own villain, theming many of his minions based on his own likeness, turning [[Bowser's Castle]] into a self-aggrandizing theater filled with merchandise of himself, showboating before Bowser's brainwashed minions, and refacing many of the decorations in the places he conquers. Even prior to Cackletta's final defeat, however, Fawful briefly considers the possibility of rising beyond a "toady" of Cackletta's, though he ultimately is beaten before he has the chance to consider it further.

Fawful has an affinity for food, being a master cook skilled enough that even Bowser cannot help but compliment his cooking. He usually uses food in his metaphors and in the third ''Mario & Luigi'' game, he has an underlying motif of food in most of his plans; for instance, at the start of the game, he tricks Bowser into eating a mushroom of his own design which causes him to inhale the Mario Bros. and company.

Later on at the end of the game, Fawful is fought again as the penultimate boss. This time, he is much stronger and fights from within a giant dome resembling his head. The dome completely protects Fawful and shoots powerful lasers at both Bros. Unlike the first battle, Fawful has many different attacks, some of which can last for a while. During the battle, he can hide in his dome, defending him from all attacks.

He uses his dome to perform some of his attacks. The main attack is shooting laser beams that move around the Bros., trying to hit them. Sometimes when it is Fawful's turn to attack, he exits for a short moment and shoots more laser bolts from his antenna. The shadows created by the bolts appear above one of the heroes, letting the player know which character is being targeted. To avoid the attack, the Mario Bros. need to hit the bolts with their [[hammer]]s and send them flying at Fawful, hitting him for a small amount of damage. In addition, when the dome gets hit four times (eight times in the remake), Fawful gets enraged and spins around, shooting more laser bolts at the heroes for them to counter with their hammers. After the bolts spin around the area twice, the Bros. are no longer able to use their hammers, forcing them to [[jump]] over the remaining bolts. After this specific attack, the dome overheats, forcing Fawful to stay out of the vehicle for three turns and preventing him from attacking.  

**'''Japanese:''' 天才的な頭脳を持った、ゲラモーナの一番の部下。 (''He is Cackletta's best subordinate with a genius mind.'')<ref>{{cite|title=「マリオ&ルイージRPG 取扱説明書」 (''Mario & Luigi RPG Toriatsukai Setsumeisho'')|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/data/software/manual/manual_PAEJ_00.pdf|language=Japanese|page=7}}</ref>

*'''Official Nintendo Player's Guide:''' ''Cackletta's henchman is an evil genius with a very unusual manner of speech. Every time he confronts Mario and Luigi, he launches into a semicoherent yet wildly amusing rant.''<ref>{{cite|author=Thomason, Steve|title=''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' Player's Guide|page=5|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=American English|isbn=1-930206-43-7}}</ref>

*'''Japanese website bio:''' マリオたちの行く手をはばむ、ゲラゲモーナの一番弟子。<ref name=BMBio>{{cite|publisher=''マリオ＆ルイージRPG1 DX'' website|language=Japanese|title={{media link|M&LSS+BM - Japanese Character Bio Fawful.png|Character bio for Fawful}}}}</ref>(''Cackletta's most prominent student, who stands in the way of Mario and his friends.'')

===''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''===

{{spirit

|no=106

|name=Fawful

|image=[[File:Fawful artwork MLBiS.png|100px]]

|series=''Mario & Luigi'' Series

|type=Primary

|slots=3

|class=Advanced

|effects='''Neutral'''<br>Electric Attack ↑

|obtain=Spirit Board

|opponents= {{Iggy}}, [[R.O.B.]]

|rule_1=

|hazard_2=

|conditions=

|stage=[[Prism Tower]]

|song=The Grand Finale

}}

==List of appearances==

{{appearances list

|title1=''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''

|role1=Secondary antagonist, boss

|release1=[[List of games by date#2003|2003]]

|format1=[[Game Boy Advance]]

|title2=''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]

|role2=Non-playable character

|release2=[[List of games by date#2005|2005]]

|format2=[[Nintendo DS]]

|title3=''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''

|role3=Main antagonist, final boss

|release3=[[List of games by date#2009|2009]]

|format3=Nintendo DS

|title4=''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]''

|role4=Secondary antagonist, boss (main game)<br>Final boss (''Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser'')

|release4=[[List of games by date#2017|2017]]

|format4=[[Nintendo 3DS]]

|title5=''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''

|role5=Spirit

|release5=[[List of games by date#2018|2018]]

|format5=[[Nintendo Switch]]

|title6=''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]''

|role6=Main antagonist, final boss (main game)<br>Non-playable character (''Bowser Jr.'s Journey'')

|release6=2018

|format6=Nintendo 3DS

}}

|JapM=From「ゲラゲラ」(''geragera'', an onomatopoeia for derisive laughter), possibly「子」(''ko'', child), and ''-witz'' (a Germanic name ending and also meaning "joke"); officially romanized as "Gerakobits"<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/cljj/character/index.html|title=マリオ＆ルイージRPG3!!! : 登場するキャラクター|publisher=Nintendo (www.nintendo.co.jp)|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 6, 2022}}</ref>

|SpaE=Grácovitz

|SpaE2=Fawful <small>(''Partners in Time'')</small>

|SpaE3=Esbirro Jijí <small>(''Superstar Saga'')</small>

|SpaEM=From the Japanese name

|SpaE3M="Hee Hee minion"; "Jijí" being the Spanish name of Cackletta ("Bruja Jijí")

|FreA=Faffreux

|FreAM=From ''affreux'' ("awful") with an "F"

|FreE=Gracowitz

|FreEM=From the Japanese name

|GerM=From ''krank'' ("insane") and ''-fried'' (a suffix used for many names)

|Rus=Фофул

|RusR=Foful'