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Super Mario Bros. 3 Enemies: All 52 with Sprites

Every common enemy in the NES game: where it appears and how to beat it. Bosses are on the boss page.

Find an enemy

52 enemies

Ground

Little Goomba

Worlds 1-7

Plods ahead and walks off ledges; one stomp, fireball or tail swipe flattens it.

Pile Driver Micro-Goomba

Worlds 2, 5

Disguised as a brick, it leaps at Mario when he comes near; stomp it as it lands.

Kuribo’s Goomba

World 5

Bounces after Mario in a giant boot; bump its block from below to steal the shoe.

Koopa Troopa

Worlds 1-8

Green ones walk off ledges, red ones turn back; stomp it, then kick the shell.

Buzzy Beetle

Worlds 1, 4

Its shell shrugs off fireballs; stomp it, then kick the shell as a weapon.

Buster Beetle

Worlds 5, 6

Grabs throwable blocks and hurls them at Mario; any attack, even a fireball, beats it.

Spiny

Worlds 4, 7

Can't be stomped; flip it with a block bump or tail swipe, or burn it with fireballs.

Spike

Worlds 3, 6

Coughs up a spiked ball and rolls it at Mario; hop the ball, then stomp Spike.

Bob-omb

Worlds 3, 8

Walking bomb; stomp it, then carry and toss it or get clear before it explodes.

Chain Chomp

Worlds 2, 5

Lunges on its chain at anyone nearby; dart past between lunges, as it eventually breaks loose.

Fire Snake

World 2

Hopping flame trailing embers that chases Mario; dodge its leaps or crush it as Statue Mario.

Flying

Para-Goomba

Worlds 1-8

Hops or flutters after Mario; brown ones drop Micro-Goombas. Stomp once to clip its wings.

Micro-Goomba

Worlds 1, 8

Tiny Goomba that clings to Mario and saps his jump; tap A rapidly to shake it off.

Koopa Paratroopa

Worlds 1-8

Winged Koopa that hops or flies set paths; a stomp grounds it as a plain Koopa Troopa.

Lakitu

Worlds 3, 4, 7

Cloud-riding Koopa that rains Spiny Eggs from above; stomp it or hit it with a shell.

Para-Beetle

World 5

Winged Buzzy Beetle of World 5-6; Mario rides on its back like a moving platform.

Angry Sun

Worlds 2, 8

Waits in the sky, then swoops at Mario in a U-shaped dive; kick a shell to stop it.

Fire Chomp

Worlds 5, 6

Black orb that tails Mario, spitting its fire chain before exploding; stomp it or use fire.

Plants

Piranha Plant

Worlds 1-8

Lunges from pipes but stays hidden while Mario stands close; fireballs or a tail swipe finish it.

Venus Fire Trap

Worlds 1-8

Pipe plant that eyes Mario and spits fireballs at him; fire or a tail swipe defeats it.

Ptooie

Worlds 6, 7

Walking plant that juggles a spiked ball on its breath; slip past when the ball flies high.

Nipper Plant

Worlds 5, 7

Small white plants that snap and hop at Mario in patches; fireballs or a tail clear them.

Muncher

Worlds 5, 7

Invincible black plant that never moves; jump over it, or hit a P Switch to coin it.

Water

Cheep-Cheep

Worlds 2, 3, 8

Red fish leap from the water in arcs, green ones swim slowly; stomp jumpers or use fire.

Spiny Cheep-Cheep

World 7

Spiky fish that darts fast at swimming Mario from either side; dodge it or use fireballs.

Boss Bass

World 3

Giant fish that stalks Mario as the tide rises and swallows him whole; keep moving fast.

Big Bertha

Worlds 3, 7

Huge underwater fish that lets a Baby Cheep out of its mouth; swim well clear of both.

Bloober

Worlds 3-7

Squid that pulses diagonally after Mario underwater; swim around it or hit it with fire.

Bloober with Kids

World 3

A Bloober trailed by four babies copying its moves a beat late; give the group room.

Lava Lotus

Worlds 3-7

Underwater flower that puffs out drifting fireballs; stay clear of the sparks as they float.

Jelectro

Worlds 3-7

Stationary electric jellyfish that cannot be defeated; thread carefully through the gaps.

Fortress & castle

Dry Bones

Worlds 1-8

Skeleton Koopa that collapses when stomped, then rebuilds; hammers or a Starman destroy it.

Podoboo

Worlds 1-8

Lava fireball that leaps from pits in a steady rhythm; wait for it to fall, then jump.

Roto-Disc

Worlds 1-8

Glowing orb that circles a block; time your move, since only Statue Mario can stop it.

Boo Diddly

Worlds 2-8

Shy ghost that freezes when watched and chases when ignored; face it while you advance.

Stretch

Worlds 3-6

Boo that slides along a white platform, rising as Mario crosses; time jumps around it.

Thwomp

Worlds 2-8

Stone block that slams down when Mario passes beneath; dash under as it rises again.

Hot Foot

Worlds 4-8

Candle flame that creeps after Mario when his back is turned; hammers or a Starman snuff it.

Bowser Statue

World 8

Stone Bowser in his castle that fires lasers diagonally downward; keep moving to avoid them.

Airship & tank

Rocky Wrench

Worlds 2-8

Pops out of airship hatches to fling wrenches; stomp it while its head is exposed.

Bullet Bill

Worlds 1-8

Fired straight from Turtle Cannons; jump over it, duck it, or stomp it from above.

Missile Bill

World 4

Flashing red bullet that turns around once to chase Mario; stomp it as it passes.

Cannonball

Worlds 1-8

Fired in straight lines from airship and tank cannons; dodge them or stomp them like stepping stones.

Rocket Engine

Worlds 3-8

Airship burner that blasts timed jets of flame; wait for the jet to die down, then pass.

Hammer Brothers

Hammer Brother

Worlds 1, 3, 5, 6

Hops between ledges lobbing arcing hammers; bump it from below or stomp it between throws.

Boomerang Brother

Worlds 1, 2, 8

Throws boomerangs that curve back toward Mario; dodge the return trip, then stomp it.

Fire Brother

Worlds 2, 8

Rare Bro that spits fireballs and guards a hidden Desert Land whistle; stomp it.

Sledge Brother

Worlds 4, 8

Hefty Bro whose landings stun a grounded Mario; be airborne when it lands, then stomp it.

Giant Land

Grand Goomba

World 4

A double-sized Goomba of Giant Land that still falls to a single stomp.

Gargantua Koopa Troopa

World 4

Oversized Koopa Troopa; stomp it and its huge shell can be carried and kicked.

Colossal Koopa Paratroopa

World 4

Giant winged Koopa that hops in big arcs; stomp off its wings, then again for the shell.

Piranhacus Giganticus

World 4

Huge Giant Land Piranha Plant rising from pipes; time your pass or burn it with fireballs.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing. Maps, screenshots, sprites and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Super Mario Wiki file pages (listed on the image gallery).