Gracowitz: The Goon Who Became Mario's Master of Evil

CharacterMario & LuigiBeanbean Kingdom

A bespectacled valet, a mangled English, and the most improbable rise in the whole saga. Gerakobits in Japan, Fawful in the West: this Beanish villain first appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga in 2003, designed by Masanori Sato. This profile covers his cult lines, the humour of his lopsided speech and his climb up the ranks, from lowly minion to main antagonist.

Small, green, sporting a single tuft of hair and a huge pair of glasses, Fawful (Gerakobits in the original Japanese) is arguably the most endearing antagonist ever dreamed up for the RPG series Mario & Luigi. A mere valet at the start, he patiently climbs the ranks of evil until he becomes a full-blown final boss, carried by absurd humour and a deliberately broken English packed with food metaphors.

From his first appearance in 2003 to his status as a fan-favourite, Fawful perfectly embodies the offbeat spirit of the Mario & Luigi games. Here is a look back at the rise of a minion like no other, his cult lines and the reasons fans are still clamouring for his return.

Contents

• Origins: a valet from the Beanbean Kingdom
• A name built on nasty laughter: the story behind Fawful
• Cult lines and broken English: the humour that made the legend
• The rise: from bit player to arch-villain
• The final boss: the power of the Dark Star
• A stubborn cult following: trivia and a hoped-for comeback
• Quick facts
• FAQ

---

Origins: a valet from the Beanbean Kingdom

Fawful makes his debut in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, released in 2003 on Game Boy Advance and developed by the Japanese studio AlphaDream, the series' long-time developer under Nintendo's wing. The character was designed by illustrator Masanori Sato, who was working on that very first instalment.

He is a Beanish , one of the inhabitants of the Beanbean Kingdom where the adventure takes place. In this first game he is still nothing more than a loyal servant: he assists the witch Cackletta , the true villain of the story, with almost blind devotion. His goal: to help his mistress seize the Beanstar, a powerful artefact, after stealing the voice of Princess Peach.

---

A name built on nasty laughter: the story behind Fawful

The character goes by different names depending on the region, all of them tied to the idea of wicked laughter. In Japan he is called Gerakobits (ゲラコビッツ), a name derived from geragera, the Japanese onomatopoeia for mocking laughter. In English, Fawful is a pun blending awful (dreadful) and guffaw (a loud belly laugh).

In France he was christened Gracowitz, while the Quebec version calls him Faffreux. Either way the idea stays the same: an antagonist whose sardonic laugh and grandiloquent posturing are the whole point of him.

---

Cult lines and broken English: the humour that made the legend

What makes Fawful unforgettable is above all the way he talks. In the original version he speaks a deliberately warped English, riddled with lopsided turns of phrase and food-based metaphors. He regularly refers to Mario and Luigi with the contemptuous term “fink-rats” and often speaks about himself in the third person.

His most famous line, now a genuine meme, is the thunderous “I HAVE FURY!” . Highly intelligent yet prone to spectacular fits of rage, he alternates pompous speeches with comic outbursts, a contrast that has stuck with players ever since.

---

The rise: from bit player to arch-villain

Fawful's journey through the Mario & Luigi trilogy is a genuine rise to power. After his turn as the right-hand man in Superstar Saga, he pops up only briefly in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005), where he runs a hidden shop, “Fawful's Bean 'n' Badge”, selling rare badges in the castle sewers.

His crowning moment comes with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009, Nintendo DS). This time he is no longer a second fiddle: he is the main antagonist and the final boss of the game. He triggers the “Blorbs” epidemic and manipulates Bowser to get his way, proving that a mere minion can become the mastermind of an entire plot.

---

The final boss: the power of the Dark Star

In Bowser's Inside Story, Fawful covets the Dark Star , an ancient evil artefact whose power he absorbs to transform into Dark Fawful In the final showdown he becomes a monstrous colossus with tentacle-like arms and legs, powered by the core of the Dark Star.

Once beaten by Mario and Luigi, he shrinks back to a small, weakened form. Pretending to accept his defeat and promising to “disappear forever”, he is in fact setting up one last dirty trick: blowing himself up to take the brothers with him. The blast has an unexpected effect and ends up freeing the heroes instead of wiping them out.

---

A stubborn cult following: trivia and a hoped-for comeback

Fawful remains one of the most beloved characters in the Mario & Luigi community, to the point of becoming a meme icon in his own right. His lines and his laugh have spread far and wide across the internet, well beyond the players of the series.

The character was put back in the spotlight by the 3DS remakes: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (2017) and then Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (released in Japan at the end of 2018 and in the rest of the world in early 2019). Despite his fate in the main storyline, fans regularly hope to see him back in one form or another, so sorely is his streak of madness missed in the saga.

---

Fawful at a glance

First appearance	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003, Game Boy Advance)
Original / English name	Gerakobits (Japan) / Fawful
Type	Beanish, native of the Beanbean Kingdom
Creator	Masanori Sato (illustrator), AlphaDream studio
Notable games	Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, Bowser's Inside Story
Peak role	Main antagonist and final boss of Bowser's Inside Story
Signature line	“I HAVE FURY!”

🍄 Want to keep the adventure going? Check out our Mario plushies in the shop.

---

FAQ

• Who is Fawful in the Mario games?
  Fawful (Gerakobits in Japan) is an antagonist in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. First a simple valet to the witch Cackletta in Superstar Saga (2003), he goes on to become the arch-villain of Bowser's Inside Story (2009).
• Where does the name Fawful come from?
  The original Japanese name, Gerakobits, comes from geragera, the onomatopoeia for mocking laughter. The English name Fawful is a pun on awful and guffaw (a loud belly laugh). In France he is called Gracowitz, in Quebec Faffreux.
• What is Fawful's most famous line?
  His most famous line is “I HAVE FURY!”. He speaks a deliberately broken English stuffed with food metaphors, and nicknames Mario and Luigi the “fink-rats”.
• Which games does Fawful appear in?
  He appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003), Partners in Time (2005) and Bowser's Inside Story (2009), as well as in their 3DS remakes released in 2017 and 2018-2019.
• What happens to Fawful at the end of Bowser's Inside Story?
  He absorbs the power of the Dark Star to become Dark Fawful and takes on the brothers in a monstrous form. Once beaten, he tries to blow himself up to take them with him, but the blast ends up freeing Mario and Luigi.

↑ Back to top