Antasma: The Bat King of Dream Team

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The series' rare big bad who owes nothing to Bowser. Akkūmu in Japan, from akumu (“nightmare”), Antasma is the king of the bats and the villain of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on 3DS. This profile covers the Dark Stone, the great Pi'illo slumber, his alliance with Bowser and the betrayal that inevitably follows.

In Mario's long gallery of enemies, few owe nothing at all to Bowser. Antasma, the king of the bats, is one of those exceptions: he is the main antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros., an entry released on Nintendo 3DS in 2013 (July 12 in Europe, July 18 in Japan). A creature born of nightmares, he dreams of swallowing the waking world in an endless night.

A look back at this overlooked yet memorable villain: his origins on Pi'illo Island, the Dark Stone, his stormy alliance with Bowser and his final showdown atop Neo Bowser Castle.

Contents

• A bat who became king of nightmares
• The Dark Stone and the great Pi'illo slumber
• The alliance with Bowser... and the inevitable betrayal
• The final battle in the Dream World
• Antasma, a villain apart in the series
• Quick recap
• FAQ

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A bat who became king of nightmares

Antasma was not always a terrifying monarch. To begin with, he was just a plain bat living on Pi'illo Island , the land of the Pi'illo people — strange creatures shaped like living pillows, able to send sleepers travelling into the Dream World.

Everything changes the day the bat feeds on the nightmares of a Pi'illo. That nocturnal feast slowly transforms it: by soaking up the terror of sleepers, it swells, mutates and becomes the king of the bats, a nightmare lord hungry for power. His Japanese name sums the character up entirely: アックーム (Akkūmu), modelled on the word akumu, “nightmare”.

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The Dark Stone and the great Pi'illo slumber

Thirsty for power, Antasma sets his sights on the Dark Stone , an ancient Pi'illo artifact. There are in fact two twin stones:

• The Dream Stone — a rainbow crystal shaped like a spiral, which grants wishes drawn from happy dreams;
• The Dark Stone — its dark counterpart, all jagged edges, which draws its strength from nightmares.

Antasma steals the second one and unleashes the fury of the Pi'illos and of their legendary guardian, the Zeekeeper , a huge bird that watches over the island. Defeated, he is sealed deep inside the Dream World. But before falling, he shatters the Dark Stone: the shards, now Nightmare Chunks, scatter across the island and petrify the entire Pi'illo civilization, trapping their souls inside the stone.

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The alliance with Bowser... and the inevitable betrayal

Centuries later, Princess Peach is invited to visit Pi'illo Island. When Luigi falls asleep on a pillow — actually a Pi'illo — Antasma takes his chance to escape and abducts Peach by pulling her into Luigi's dream. Mario rushes after her into the Dream World, alongside Dreamy Luigi (Luigi's dream-world counterpart), his star companion (Starlow) and Prince Dreambert , heir to the Pi'illos, freed from his stone prison.

The ruler of the Pi'illos, Prince Dreambert, is freed from his stone prison by the brothers at the start of Dream Team.

Antasma first meant to seize Peach's power, but his encounter with Bowser changes his plans. Judging the Koopa King stronger and more evil than the princess, he offers him an alliance. Together, they get their hands on the Dream Stone and gorge it with energy by plunging the inhabitants into a forced sleep with hypnotic sound waves. From that wish is born Neo Bowser Castle , a gigantic flying fortress blending their two styles.

The pact does not survive its own success: once the castle is up in the sky, Bowser betrays Antasma and claims the Dream Stone and the fortress for himself alone. Humiliated, the king of the bats has only one obsession left — revenge.

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The final battle in the Dream World

The decisive duel plays out atop Neo Bowser Castle, in its dream version. Antasma then reveals his true form: a spectral silhouette with a ragged cape and a bow tie marked by a hypnotic spiral. The fight brings out his whole arsenal of nightmares:

• he conjures up snacks that he gulps down to regain power;
• he unleashes electric orbs and swarms of bats;
• he traps Dreamy Luigi to cut Mario off on his own.

Once defeated, Antasma meets an end as grotesque as it is final: he swells up like a balloon before bursting. The threat is far from over, though: Bowser immediately uses the Dream Stone to turn himself into a colossal version of himself and becomes the game's final boss. After the victory, the Zeekeeper turns the stone's dust into a giant coin, which he scatters as a shower of coins across the island so that nobody is ever tempted to abuse its magic again.

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Antasma, a villain apart in the series

Antasma holds a unique place among Mario's villains. Unlike Cackletta or the Koopa King's minions, he does not belong to the Bowser “family”: he is a threat that is completely unprecedented, with a mythology of his own tied to sleep and dreams. His vampiric inspiration — the accent, the cape, the transformation into a bat — is an open nod to Count Dracula.

A handy detail for fans: the character made a comeback as a (support)Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where his battle takes place on a stage that puts to sleep any player touching the ground — a direct nod to Dream Team. As for names, he stays Antasma in France but becomes Phobieux in the Quebec version.

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Antasma at a glance

French name (Europe / Quebec)	Antasma / Phobieux
Japanese name	アックーム (Akkūmu), from akumu (“nightmare”)
Species	King of the bats
Role	Main antagonist (alongside Bowser)
First appearance	Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. (2013, Nintendo 3DS)
Coveted items	The Dark Stone, then the Dream Stone
Lair	Neo Bowser Castle

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FAQ

• Who is Antasma in the Mario universe?
  Antasma is the king of the bats and the main antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. (2013). Once an ordinary bat, he turned into a lord of nightmares by feeding on the terrifying dreams of the Pi'illo people.
• Which game does Antasma appear in?
  He is the big bad of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros., released on Nintendo 3DS on July 12, 2013 in Europe and July 18, 2013 in Japan. To this day, it remains his only appearance in a Mario & Luigi game.
• What is the difference between the Dream Stone and the Dark Stone?
  These two twin Pi'illo artifacts both grant wishes. The Dream Stone draws its power from happy dreams, while the Dark Stone, coveted by Antasma, feeds on nightmares.
• Why do Bowser and Antasma join forces?
  Antasma considers Bowser stronger and more evil than Peach. Together they seize the Dream Stone and create Neo Bowser Castle. But Bowser ends up betraying Antasma to keep the stone and the castle for himself.
• Does Antasma appear anywhere other than Dream Team?
  Yes, he comes back as a support Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, in a battle that puts to sleep any fighter touching the ground, a nod to his game of origin.

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