Gooper Blooper: Super Mario Sunshine's Octopus Boss

BossGooper BlooperSuper Mario Sunshine

A giant Blooper clinging under a pier, cork stuck in his mouth. Known as Méga Bloups in French, Gooper Blooper pollutes several areas of Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine. This portrait explains how to beat him by tearing off his tentacles and then his cork, why he is a Blooper rather than an octopus, and how he became a regular in the spin-offs and the Paper Mario games.

In Super Mario Sunshine, Isle Delfino is buckling under paint and pollution — and among those responsible lurks a creature as slimy as it is memorable: the Gooper Blooper (Méga Bloups in French). This giant Blooper, bristling with long tentacles, spits ink to foul the scenery and jealously guards several Shine Sprites.

The adventure's first big "aquatic" boss, he speaks only in "bloops" and shows no real loyalty to Bowser. Here is everything you need to know about the ink-spitter who became a fixture of the series.

Contents

• A boss born on Isle Delfino
• A giant Blooper, not quite an octopus
• How to beat Gooper Blooper
• A regular in the spin-offs and the Paper Mario games
• Gooper Blooper, Boss Blooper or Méga Bloups?
• An enemy with no master
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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A boss born on Isle Delfino

The Gooper Blooper made his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, released on GameCube in 2002. The action takes place on Isle Delfino, a holiday archipelago drowning under a mysterious pollution, and our cephalopod is one of the creatures fouling the place.

Over the course of the adventure, you face him three separate times, which makes him one of the game's most recurring opponents:

• Ricco Harbor: in Episode 1, where he pollutes the harbor by pouring out his ink, then again in Episode 5 for a rematch.
• Noki Bay: in Episode 2, where he guards the entrance to a tomb holding a Shine Sprite.

With every victory, he gives up a Shine Sprite, the collectible you chase throughout the whole game. Gooper Blooper is therefore a guardian who keeps coming back to haunt Mario, rather than a one-off obstacle along the way.

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A giant Blooper, not quite an octopus

As the name suggests, Gooper Blooper is a giant Blooper — the oversized version of the sea cephalopod of the Mario universe. He is often called an "octopus" because of his mass of tentacles, but Bloopers are actually much closer to the squid.

His anatomy is unmistakable:

• Four long tentacles tipped with a blue point marked by a red dot, backed up by smaller appendages behind the body.
• A "cork" (a sort of cork-nose) planted in his mouth, which becomes his great weakness in battle.
• Ink that he sprays around to make the ground slippery and stain the scenery.

Personality-wise, he stays basic: he speaks only in "bloops", just like ordinary Bloopers. He should not be confused with those, by the way, the ones you run into just about everywhere in the platformers (New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 3D World…): Gooper Blooper, for his part, is a full-fledged boss.

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How to beat Gooper Blooper

The fight against Gooper Blooper follows a multi-stage pattern built around F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device), Mario's water pack. Here is the method:

• Spray him in the face with F.L.U.D.D. to irritate him and force him to unfurl his tentacles.
• Neutralize his tentacles by jumping on them to flatten them, or by grabbing them and ripping them off with a sharp tug.
• Go for the cork: once the boss is vulnerable, you grab his cork-nose, pull on it… then let go so it snaps back and deals him damage.

Two "snaps" like that are enough to knock him out in a single showdown. Watch out for his ink, though: splattered across the ground, it makes moving around slippery and makes his tentacle swipes far harder to dodge. When he gets angry — if Mario sprays his face for too long, for instance — he can strike with every tentacle at once, turning the arena into a genuine trap.

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A regular in the spin-offs and the Paper Mario games

Far from being a one-shot boss, Gooper Blooper has become a familiar face in the series, especially in the sports spin-offs and the Paper Mario:

• Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012): he serves as a boss there, in a papery cardboard version.
• Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020): he returns in a giant "Paper Macho" form.
• Mario Tennis Aces (2018): he acts as a boss in adventure mode, hitting back balls soaked in ink.
• Sports games: he turns up as a character or as a knowing nod in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003), Mario Power Tennis (2004), Mario Super Sluggers (2008) or even Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

He also appears in Super Princess Peach (2005) and makes a brief incursion into Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014). Enough to keep up his reputation as the series' essential ink-spitter, well beyond his home island.

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Gooper Blooper, Boss Blooper or Méga Bloups?

The creature's name changes from one region to the next, which sometimes causes confusion:

• French (Europe): Méga Bloups, the name in use since Super Mario Sunshine (the variant "Boss Bloups" also shows up).
• English: Gooper Blooper, a portmanteau playing on "gooey" and "Blooper", the name of the ordinary squid enemies.
• Japanese: ボスゲッソー (Bosu Gessō), literally "Boss Blooper", since "Gessō" is the word for Blooper.

The "Méga" prefix exists precisely to tell him apart from the ordinary Blooper: he is not simply a bigger squid, but a genuine boss character, identified as such in the credits and the official guides.

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An enemy with no master

Despite his many appearances, Gooper Blooper remains a puzzle when it comes to the villain hierarchy. He shows no clear allegiance to Bowser or to his army, unlike many enemies in the series.

In Super Mario Sunshine, his presence is tied to the wave of pollution striking Isle Delfino, orchestrated by Bowser Jr. disguised as Shadow Mario — but nothing suggests the monster acts out of loyalty. He simply guards "his" Shine Sprites.

That lack of a clear camp, combined with a single "bloop" for dialogue, makes him an opponent who is more animal than strategist. Paper Mario: Sticker Star even gives him a real taste for music, revealing a boss who is ultimately more goofy than truly menacing.

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Gooper Blooper at a glance

French name (Europe)	Méga Bloups
English name	Gooper Blooper
Japanese name	ボスゲッソー (Bosu Gessō)
Type	Boss — giant Blooper
First appearance	Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GameCube)
Locations (Sunshine)	Ricco Harbor, Noki Bay
Weak point	Tentacles, then the "cork" (nose)
Other games	Paper Mario, Mario Tennis Aces, sports games

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FAQ

• Who is Gooper Blooper?
  Gooper Blooper (Méga Bloups in French) is a giant Blooper who serves as a boss in Super Mario Sunshine (2002). He spits ink to pollute Isle Delfino and guards several Shine Sprites.
• Which game does Gooper Blooper first appear in?
  He makes his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, released on GameCube in 2002. You fight him at Ricco Harbor and then at Noki Bay.
• How do you beat Gooper Blooper?
  You spray his face with F.L.U.D.D., flatten or rip off his tentacles, then pull on his "cork" and let go so it snaps back. Two snaps are enough.
• Is Gooper Blooper an octopus?
  He is often described as an octopus because of his tentacles, but Bloopers are cephalopods much closer to the squid. Gooper Blooper is their giant version.
• Does Gooper Blooper work for Bowser?
  No, he shows no clear allegiance to Bowser. In Sunshine, his presence is tied to the pollution spread by Bowser Jr., but he mostly acts as a lone guardian.

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