Tatanga: Daisy's Kidnapper in Mario Land

BossSuper Mario LandPrincess Daisy

Before Bowser, it was a purple alien who kidnapped princesses. Introduced in Super Mario Land on Game Boy in 1989, Tatanga invades the Sarasaland Kingdom and hypnotizes its inhabitants to capture Daisy. This profile covers the invasion, the final showdown aboard the Pagosu, his return in Super Mario Land 2 and his near-disappearance ever since.

Before Bowser took over the role of arch-villain, another antagonist had the Mario universe trembling: Tatanga, the mysterious alien from outer space. Introduced back in 1989 in Super Mario Land on Game Boy, this purple monster invaded the Sarasaland Kingdom, hypnotized its inhabitants and kidnapped Princess Daisy, long before Peach became the series' official damsel in distress.

Final boss of Mario's very first portable adventure, Tatanga embodies a chapter apart in the saga: an enemy from space, a ship named Pagosu and an aerial showdown like no other. Here is his complete profile, from his origins to his near-disappearance.

Contents

• Who is Tatanga, the monster from space?
• The invasion of the Sarasaland Kingdom
• The Pagosu and the final showdown
• The return in Super Mario Land 2
• A near-disappearance and a link to Wario
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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Who is Tatanga, the monster from space?

Tatanga is introduced in Super Mario Land as "the monster from space" ("the Mysterious Spaceman" in English), an alien invader risen from the depths of the cosmos. His original manual describes him as a monster who came "suddenly from outer space" to spread chaos.

Physically, he is a small purple creature with bulging eyes and a distinctly non-human look. His real threat comes not from his rather frail body, but from his mastery of technology and hypnosis: he can bewitch entire populations and pilot powerful war machines. That is what makes him the first major antagonist in the series who does not belong to the Koopa clan.

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The invasion of the Sarasaland Kingdom

The stage for Tatanga's exploits is not the Mushroom Kingdom, but Sarasaland, Princess Daisy's homeland. This kingdom is split into four regions with strikingly distinct atmospheres:

• Birabuto: an Egyptian-inspired kingdom, with pyramids and sphinxes;
• Muda: an aquatic region crossed by submarine;
• Easton: a land of stone evoking Easter Island;
• Chai: a region with the feel of ancient China.

Tatanga invades these lands, hypnotizes their inhabitants to turn them into his army and kidnaps Princess Daisy in order, according to some secondary sources, to take her as his wife. He puts his toughest minions in charge of each of the four kingdoms, forcing Mario to cross all of Sarasaland to reach him.

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The Pagosu and the final showdown

What really sets Super Mario Land apart is its unusual final boss. To reach Tatanga, Mario does not jump: he takes the controls of the Sky Pop, a small plane (after already piloting the submarine Marine Pop earlier in the game). The final battle thus turns into an aerial duel in pure shoot 'em up style.

There Tatanga faces Mario at the controls of the Pagosu, his flying war machine, which swoops around the right side of the screen spitting out round projectiles. You have to land 25 missile hits to destroy the machine. Once the Pagosu is blown to pieces, Mario finally frees the real Daisy.

A delicious detail: before this fight, each of the first three worlds ends with a fake Daisy who, once approached, reveals her true nature as an enemy (a Fly, a Gunion and a Kumo respectively). A trick from Tatanga to slow the plumber down.

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The return in Super Mario Land 2

Tatanga has not said his last word. He returns in 1992 in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, but this time he is no longer the big bad: that role goes to Wario, who makes his grand debut here by seizing Mario's castle.

Here Tatanga becomes a Space Zone boss (Space Zone). He pilots a small ship, far more modest than the Pagosu, which fires energy beams and dives straight at the hero. To beat him, Mario has to jump on the craft during its attacks. The reward: one of the six golden coins needed to open Wario's castle. To this day, that remains Tatanga's last major appearance in a platform game.

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A near-disappearance and a link to Wario

Since 1992, Tatanga has become extremely scarce. He never returns as a boss and settles for cameos and knowing nods, such as his spirit status in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Many fans see him as one of the saga's great forgotten figures.

Side sources, notably certain Japanese encyclopedias such as the Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten, have embroidered on his story: there he is said to have become a henchman of Wario, driven by revenge against Mario, who ruined his plan to marry Daisy. These details come from secondary works, however, and not from the games themselves. Either way, Tatanga remains a cult figure: the one who brought an alien opponent into a universe ruled by turtles and mushrooms.

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Quick facts

French name	Tatanga, the monster from space
English name	Tatanga (the Mysterious Spaceman)
Species	Alien (space invader)
First appearance	Super Mario Land (1989, Game Boy)
Ship	Pagosu (flying war machine)
Kingdom invaded	Sarasaland (Daisy's homeland)
Return	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)

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FAQ

• Who did Tatanga kidnap in Super Mario Land?
  He kidnapped Princess Daisy, ruler of the Sarasaland Kingdom. This is the very first time Daisy appears in the series, which makes Tatanga her first kidnapper, long before Bowser went after Peach in other entries.
• What is the Pagosu?
  The Pagosu is the flying war machine Tatanga pilots during the final battle of Super Mario Land. Mario has to face it at the controls of his plane, the Sky Pop, and land 25 missile hits to destroy it and free Daisy.
• Is Tatanga more dangerous than Bowser?
  Tatanga is the series' first major antagonist who does not belong to the Koopa clan. He relies on technology and hypnosis rather than brute force. He never matched Bowser's longevity, though, and remains confined to the Super Mario Land saga.
• Which game does Tatanga return in?
  Tatanga returns in 1992 in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. There he is a Space Zone boss holding one of the six golden coins. The game's big bad is Wario this time, making his series debut.
• Why has Tatanga almost disappeared?
  After Super Mario Land 2, Tatanga was never a main boss again. Since then he has been limited to rare cameos and a spirit status in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which makes him one of the most forgotten antagonists in the Mario universe.

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