Smithy: The Big Bad of Super Mario RPG

BossSmithySuper Mario RPG

He doesn't want the castle or the princess: he wants to replace wishes with weapons. Smithy is the final boss of Super Mario RPG in 1996 and of its 2023 Switch remake. A mechanical blacksmith king from another dimension, he commands an army of living weapons. This profile lays out his plan and his five successive battle forms.

Smithy is the main antagonist of Super Mario RPG, the very first role-playing game in the saga. A mechanical blacksmith king from another dimension, he has no interest in conquering castles like Bowser, nor in kidnapping the princess: his plan is far more radical. He dreams of a world where wishes are replaced by weapons, and where his own factory lays down the law.

A cult final boss from 1996, brought back into the spotlight by the 2023 Nintendo Switch remake, Smithy deserves a profile of his own. Here is his plan, his fearsome Gang, his five battle faces and his place in Mario's RPG universe alongside Geno and Culex.

Contents

• Who is Smithy, the blacksmith king from another dimension
• His plan: replacing wishes with weapons
• The Smithy Gang, his army of living weapons
• His five battle forms, a final boss in two acts
• Smithy in the 2023 Switch remake
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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Who is Smithy, the blacksmith king from another dimension

Smithy is no resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. He is a huge dark grey mechanical creature, crowned in gold and sporting a long white beard, which makes him look as much like a king as a machine. He rules over a dimension all his own, a genuine weapon world (Weapon World), where his factory mass-produces living weapon-soldiers.

Deep down, his true nature is that of a metal shapeshifter: with his giant hammer, he forges himself new faces in the middle of a fight. A blacksmith able to reforge his own head is one of the most original boss designs in the entire Mario saga, worlds away from classic enemies like Goombas or Koopa Troopas.

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His plan: replacing wishes with weapons

The starting point of Super Mario RPG is a cosmic disaster. Smithy sends his creation Exor, a giant sword with a face, crashing down onto Bowser's Castle. The impact opens a portal between dimensions and, above all, shatters the Star Road, the source of every wish in the world, which scatters into seven star pieces.

This is where the character's darkness really shows. For Smithy, a world that grants wishes is a weak world. His line is chilling: he wants to be rid of every wish and create a universe filled with weapons. Drive out the dream and replace it with war: that is his one and only ambition. So he sets up his headquarters in the conquered castle and sends his lieutenants to collect the star fragments before anyone can restore the power of wishes.

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The Smithy Gang, his army of living weapons

Smithy never fights alone: he commands the Smithy Gang , a whole army of weapon-shaped soldiers, all straight out of his factory. Every major lieutenant Mario faces along the way is a weapon brought to life.

• Exor: the giant sword that acts as a portal between the two worlds and guards the entrance to the factory.
• Bowyer: a living bow that pelts its enemies with arrows and locks down their commands.
• From bosses shaped like a hammer, a spear or a cannon, all the way to the famous colour-coded commandos inspired by the Power Rangers who pilot his ship.

This gallery of original bosses, completely new to the saga, helps make Super Mario RPG an adventure apart, very different from the classic platform games.

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His five battle forms, a final boss in two acts

The final showdown takes place in the heart of the factory, in two phases. At first, Smithy fights by swinging his huge metal hammer and firing projectiles from the launchers mounted on his hand. He also calls on his foundry to summon reinforcements out of molten metal.

Beaten once, he crashes down into the basement levels and reveals his true nature. Down there, he cycles through the heads he forges one after another, each with its own hit points:

• Normal head: the transition head, mostly used to switch from one form to the next.
• Tank head: the most fearsome of the lot, capable of devastating physical attacks that can wipe out an ally in a single blow; weak to lightning.
• Magic head: the strongest magic user in the game, but very fragile on defence.
• Mask head: built for protection and healing, it regenerates and soaks up damage; renamed Casket in the remake.
• Treasure head: the weakest one, it triggers random effects such as status ailments, and signals that the end is near.

The key to the strategy: Smithy's body is a target separate from his head. By hammering away at it, you can temporarily stop him from changing faces and counter-attacking. Once every head is destroyed, the body overheats and explodes, releasing the last star piece.

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Smithy in the 2023 Switch remake

Long reserved for those who had known the Super Nintendo, Smithy stepped back into the spotlight with the remake of Super Mario RPG released on Nintendo Switch in November 2023. The game was rebuilt entirely in 3D by the studio ArtePiazza, with reworked music and modern mechanics added, such as the action gauge and team attacks.

The final fight against Smithy gains in clarity and spectacle, with every head now modelled in 3D. Worth knowing for fans: the remake adds a series of boss rematches in the post-game (Belome, Booster, Bundt and the famous Culex 3D), but Smithy himself remains the high point of the main story and has no secret new version. He keeps his status as the game's true final boss.

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Quick facts

French name	Forgeroi
Original name	Smithy
Role	Main antagonist and final boss
Game	Super Mario RPG (1996), 2023 Switch remake
Organisation	Smithy Gang (army of living weapons)
Battle forms	5 heads (normal, tank, magic, mask, treasure)
Goal	Replace the world's wishes with weapons

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FAQ

• What is Smithy called in French?
  Smithy officially goes by the name Forgeroi in the French version of Super Mario RPG. His army, the Smithy Gang, becomes la Bande de Forgeroi.
• Which game does Smithy appear in?
  Smithy is the final boss of Super Mario RPG, the saga's first role-playing game, released on Super Nintendo in 1996 and given a remake on Nintendo Switch in November 2023.
• What is Smithy's goal?
  He wants to replace every wish in the world with weapons. To do it, he sends the giant sword Exor to shatter the Star Road and takes control of Bowser's Castle.
• How many forms does Smithy have in battle?
  On top of his initial hammer-wielding form, his true form can forge five heads: the normal head, the tank head, the magic head, the mask head and the treasure head, each with its own attacks.
• Can you fight Smithy again in the Switch remake?
  No. The 2023 remake adds boss rematches in the post-game, including Culex 3D, but Smithy has no secret version: he remains the final boss of the main adventure.

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