Smithy Gang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Smithy Gang is a fictional organization created by Nintendo and Square Co., Ltd. as antagonists for the video game, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. They are a strange group of weapon-like creatures and weapon manufacturers bent on world domination.
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[edit] Overview
The gang is named for Smithy, who is also the leader and oversees production of all weapon-soldiers. He replicates weaker copies to guard the factory.
The factory itself is their base of operations. It is extremely well guarded; in addition to hundreds of soldiers, it possess a complex system of conveyor belts, nut bridges (akin to the kind in Super Mario Bros 3), and moving platforms. Those who enter it must do so with great caution and brave the many dangers ahead...
[edit] Members
The Smithy Gang posesses many members, but the main fighters are the lieutenants. The Chief and his subordinates stay behind in the factory to further production. The members are all dangerous, however; they are ruthless and cruel in their methods, and do not care if innocents are harmed in their missions. Mario and his party first fight the lieutenants before they enter the factory
[edit] Lieutenants
[edit] Mack
Mack is the first Smithy Gang member fought in the storyline of Super Mario RPG. He is shaped like an enormous knife with a spring at the top, and a bizarre jack o' lantern-like figure on the spring. His name is a reference to "Mack the Knife", a character in The Threepenny Opera.
After defeating Croco and reclaiming his stolen loot, Mario and Mallow return to find the Mushroom Kingdom overrun with Shysters causing chaos and frightening the people. The two find Mack to be in charge of this and confront him in the throne room, along with four of his minions. When Mack is defeated, the Shysters flee. This is the location of the game's first Star Piece, an important plot item.
Mack primarily uses fire attacks, such as Flame, and Flame Wall. He will also occasionally jump out of the battle for a bit, only coming down when the Shysters are killed.
[edit] Bowyer
Bowyer is the second Smithy Gang member fought in the storyline of Super Mario RPG. His body bears resemblance to a large bow. His style of speech is very similar to Yoda of Star Wars(he says "I hate you", as "Hate you I do"). He is also characterized by excited, feverish speech. Similar to Mack, he posesses minions in his theme; in this case, living arrows. However, he uses them to shoot with; they never fight.
He is encountered in the Forest Maze, shooting arrows upon nearby Rose Town. Immediately after finding a Star Piece, Geno appears and attempts to fight him and take it back. Mario and Mallow join him, and Bowyer is defeated. Mario claims the Star Piece.
Bowyer posses several lightning attacks like Lighting Orb, Bolt, and Static E!. His unique featue, however, is his ability to disable button actions by firing arrows at a corresponding icon on the battle screen.
[edit] Yaridovich
Yaridovich posesses a long, thin, metal body with a sharp point on his head, giving him a similar appearance to a spear. He is also extremely vain, and sees himself as a "genius". He is fought in Super Mario RPG as one of the bosses.
When Mario and his party first arrive in Seaside Town, a location in Super Mario RPG, the townspeople act extremely odd, pausing between their sentences, and asking others for their "lines". In actuality, Yaridovich is posing as the whole town, being able to divide himself, to get the Star Piece. When they return after getting the Piece from Jonathan Jones, he reveals himself, and forces Mario to give it to him by threatening the imprisioned townspeople. As he and his disguised divided parts flee, their escape is foiled when Blade, their ride, turns up late, and Jonathan Jones prevents them from leaving. He then reverts to his normal form and fights the player and is defeated.
Yaridovich has a variety of magic attacks. A distinguishing tactic is his ability to create an illusion of himself.
[edit] Axem Rangers
The Axem Rangers are a group of five elite soldiers, an obvious spoof on the Power Rangers. They are not technically lieutenants, but their powerful fighting skills elevate them above other soldiers. Like the others, they are based on a particular weapon; they all have spikes on their heads, and each wields an axe that is the same color as their corresponding armor. They also possess an enormous, powerful battleship called Blade.
Like the source they are spoofed from, the Axems each come in different colors and each posses their own unique personality:
- Red: The leader, and the strongest of the Rangers. Has a loud and boisterous nature, and is easily angered by the other Rangers' stupidity.
- Yellow: Fat and short. Constantly hungry and complains about it. Has the highest attack power of all the Rangers.
- Black: The "cool dude". Thinks highly of himself and his "coolness". The fastest of the Rangers, he also utilizes bombs in battle.
- Green: Smartest of the Rangers (with the possible exception of Red) but physically unfit, and suffers from headaches. Is the Rangers' magic user.
- Pink: The only girl Ranger. Incredibly vain, and constantly complaining about her makeup. The weakest of the Rangers, but very skilled in healing magic.
Unlike the Power Rangers, however, the Axems do not seem to get along, and can't stand the flaws of their teammates. Despite their lack of teamwork, they are still a potent force, and having Blade only increases their threat.
The Axems show up in the Barrel Volcano to steal the Star Piece the Czar Dragon guards. After being chased by Mario and the others, they are confronted onboard Blade. Despite their power, they are soon defeated, and thus are forced to use Blade's battle mode (a spoof on the Megazord). They are defeated again, and Blade is destroyed in an enormous explosion, which seemingly kills them.
[edit] Factory Guards
[edit] Boomer
Boomer is a robotic samurai who fights Mario's party on a pair of chandeliers, similar to the fight with Bowser at the beginning of the game. He is the second to last boss of Bowser's Keep, and seemingly programmed to be skilled in Japanese sword skills.
Apparently, the programming also included manerisms, because Boomer, unlike every other Smithy Gang member, posesses a fierce sense of honor and respect. He compliments Mario on accomplishing so much, and fights only with his sword, using no dirty tricks. After being defeated, he suffers from extreme shame, and, rather than accept Mario's help, commits suicide by cutting his chandelier's rope.
In addition to his sword skills, Boomer is able to switch from red mode to blue mode. In red mode, he has low attack power, but high defense; conversely, he gains more attack power in blue mode, but drastically loses defense.
[edit] Exor
Exor is a gargantuan sword, with a large face where the end of the sword is, and a brain (or rather, his vulnerable spot) on the face of the hilt. He is the first Smithy Gang member encountered; he crashes into Bowser's Keep at the beginning of the game and claims it for the Gang. When Mario attempts to return to the Keep to search for the Princess, Exor destroys the bridge, closing off access to Bowser's Keep for the main duration of the game.
Exor does not seem to have much of a personality; he is not encountered again until after Boomer is defeated. He then fights Mario's party, but is defeated. With his last breath, however, he sucks the party into the Factory's dimension, revealing he is the gateway between the worlds.
Exor has four targets: the face on the hilt (the only one marked "Exor"), his two eyes, and his mouth, named Neosquid. The face can only be harmed when one of the eyes is disabled, and it is the only means of harming the boss.
[edit] Count Down
Count Down is an enormous, sentient alarm clock found in the Factory. He appears to be a complete machine, with no thoughts other than following orders and destroying intruders. The machine is voiced by the two bells on its head, called "Ding-A-Ling".
Though it has little intelligence, Count Down has a wide variety of spells, from Water Blast to Mega Recover. It determines what spell to use by the time on its face; it will announce the time, state an activity, and then perform the spell.
[edit] Cloaker and Domino
Cloaker and Domino are a pair of jesters used as bodyguards for the final part of the Factory maze. Cloaker is a short, round creature with a beard and a sword, while Domino is a purple masked creature, with green hands. Cloaker is skilled in physical attacks, and Domino is well-versed in magic.
Fighting the two is unique; once one is defeated, the other will run away to a giant mechanical python. Cloaker will have Earth Link, while Domino will have Mad Adder. Once the snake is beaten, the jester disappears.
[edit] Factory Chief and Gunyolk
The Factory Chief is a Ninja enemy in charge of factory production. Although he is not skilled in fighting, he is very intelligent, and his mechanical genius has allowed him to not only keep a steady and efficient production of soldiers, but make deadly machines, such as his masterpiece Gunyolk.
Gunyolk is a machine that seems to be a robotic vat, filled with molten lava. The lava seems to be sentinet, as it will form a face when Gunyolk attacks. It is very powerful, and along with the deadly Breaker Beam, knows several attacks that can destroy intruders.
The two are the final battle before Smithy, and attempt to stop Mario's party, but are ultimately defeated.
[edit] Smithy
Smithy is the leader of the Smithy Gang, and the final boss of the game. He is an evil, megalomanical blacksmith, with an enormous hammer, which he usually uses to create soldiers with the help of his machine, Smelter.
Smithy's ultimate goal is to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Why exactly he desires this is not known, but it is suggested in a statement, that he wants all life to be like his world: dead, mechanical, and under his rule. He seems to especially despise the Star Road and its power of granting wishes, knowing it has the power to stop his reign.
He initally appears as a large robotic creature with a crown, and a snowy white beard, giving him a similarity to Santa Claus. After being defeated, he smashes the floor in a rage, and destroys the floor of the factory, plunging everyone into a setting that represents a subterranean mechanical Hell. It is there that he reveals his true form, and transforms his head into a large toaster shaped head.
In this form, Smithy is able to change his head into four different heads. The Tank Head allows him to use immensely powerful attacks, including Magnum, an instant death attack. The Magic Head gives him magic attacks of the highest level; among them, Meteor Swarm, Arrow Rain, Sword Rain, and Spear Rain. The Mask Head is not very powerful, but has very high defense, thwarting most attacks. The Treasure Chest Head allows him to inflict any status ailment upon the entire party. In addition to all these attacks, Smithy's Body can attack seperately, although it can be killed to temporarilly immobilize him.
After being defeated, he explodes, although he briefly appears during the ending parade.
