Super Mario RPG's characters are about as iconic as the game itself, which is why we immediately noticed when the remake renamed some of our favorites. Read on to learn which characters got renamed and our theories as to why.
Super Mario RPG Remake Changes Names of Iconic Bosses and Characters
Among the many things that made Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars memorable, its iconic characters and difficult bosses arguably contributed to the nostalgia the most. Almost everyone can remember the sting of the Axem Rangers' fight or the duplicity of Yaridovich and his clones.
Eagle-eyed fans might have noticed, however, that there are no Yaridovich nor Mack boss fights in the remake, at least, not by those names. They've been renamed along with many other characters and bosses from the SNES classic. Below, we've compiled a list of name changes that were added for the Super Mario RPG Remake.
Brand New Boss Names
The most noticeable name changes happened to three of the original's many bosses: Mack, Yaridovich, and Magikoopa. As you'll come to see, some of the name changes are justified, while some are just downright unflattering.
Mack Becomes Claymorton
The first of the remake's bosses to get a name touch-up was the leader of the Shysters attacking the Mushroom Kingdom, Mack. This massive Shyster riding an equally massive claymore was renamed to "Claymorton" in the remake, presumably to better reflect his weapon and reinforce the theme of the Smithy Gang.
While this is a justifiable name change, this renaming might upset speedrunners in particular, as a very well-known exploit called the "Mack Skip" was named after the titular boss. This exploit was well-used throughout the original game's speedrunning history. Something about "Claymorton Skip" skip just doesn't sound right, but the exploit's been patched out in the remake anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point.
Yaridovich is Now Speardovich
The vaguely Slavic-named Yaridovich, local spear man and clone-enthusiast, was renamed into the painfully uncreative "Speardovich" for the remake. The reason for this renaming is rather cut and dry, as the term "槍" or "Yari" means spear in Japanese. I can't complain about this one too much as the name gets the boss's theming across efficiently. I just wish it was more creative and easier to say.
Magikoopa Turns Into Wizakoopa
This one's a bit more complicated than a simple translation job. The original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars officially listed the boss as Magikoopa, though that is a general term for all bespectacled, magic-wielding Koopas in Bowser's army. Leading all the Magikoopas is a stronger member of their species called Wizakoopa. This is the one you face in both the original and remake, so the renaming was a correction rather than a translation effort.
The Princess Formerly Known as Toadstool
While she isn't a game boss (though definitely a girlboss), here is one name change that you likely didn't notice right away. In the original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Princess Peach, as she was called in the remake, was actually referred to as Toadstool. Younger fans of the Mario franchise might be confused, but older fans already know what happened here. Quite simply, that was the first Western translation of Peach's name that was eventually dropped.
Peach was called Princess Peach in the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros but was called "Toadstool" in the Western one. This was in 1985, way before Super Mario 64's 1996 release, where they consolidated her Japanese and Western names to create her full name, Princess Peach Toadstool. And with the release of Mario Kart 64 soon after, she was henceforth called "Peach" for all Western versions of Mario games, including the Super Mario RPG Remake in 2023.
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