Dry Bones is a dead Koopa Troopa that has withered into bones. They attack by throwing bones at Mario or his partner. They can also rebuild more Dry Bones if one has been defeated or if they're alone. Because of how dried out their bones are, they take heavy damage when attacked with a bomb or fire attack. In Paper Mario, one Fire Flower will instantly kill all Dry Bones in the area. These enemies can also get back up even after they're dead. The only way to permanently kill them is to use a fire attack or bomb attack. Ironically, in Super Mario Bros. 3, using a Fire Flower against one had no effect. They are part of Bowser's Army but have been defeated more than once. In Sticker Star and Color Splash, Dry Bones work in the same way they did in the previous games, but they can be killed permanently by smashing them with an unstable wall (or coffin door).
History[]
Paper Mario[]
The old Dry Bones design
Dry Bones appear in Bowser's Castle during Chapter 8. They attack by throwing bones, and are able to create more Dry Bones during battle. Once they are defeated, they will come back to life unless a(n) fire or explosive attack is used against them.
The Thousand-Year Door[]
Several variations of Dry Bones appear. In Hooktail Castle, Dull Bones (The weakest Dry Bones) are scattered across the area along with one mini-boss called Red Bones. In the Palace of Shadow, several Dry Bones appear, and fight the same they did in the previous game. The last Dry Bones is called Dark Bones, who is a more powerful Red Bones found in the Palace of Shadow. Once a Dry Bones is knocked down, it's best to use Admiral Bobbery to ensure they don't get back up. Outside of gameplay, Dull Bones can occasionally join the Audience, and give out Star Power when Appealing is used.
Super Paper Mario[]
Dry Bones return once again in Chapter 7, only being found in the Underwhere. Instead of throwing bones, Dry Bones now run up to the player instead. They can only be killed by Bowser's Fire, Cudge, or Boomer. Both Dull Bones and a new sub-species called Dark Dull Bones also appear in this game.
Sticker Star[]
Several Dry Bones appear in World 2, and in the boss fight with Petey Piranha in World 5. They are now able to throw bones again, and can fold themselves into a bone as an attack.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[]
Color Splash[]
Dry Bones appear in several areas of the game. They are first found in Marmalade Valley. Their next appearance is in the parallel worlds of Vortex Island, Lighthouse Island, and Fortune Island. Their final appearance is in the Redpepper Crater. They in almost the same way as they did in Sticker Star.
Trivia[]
- Dry Bones are stronger than Dull Bones in The Thousand-Year Door, but it is the opposite in Super Paper Mario.
- In The Thousand Year Door, a Dry Bones with blue shoes turns out to be Kolarado's dead father.
As they appear in Sticker Star.
- Dry Bones had had a unique look in Paper Mario compared to other renditions, but was given the Super Mario series look in PMSS and PMCS.
- They have many siblings such as Dull Bones, Red Bones, and the Dark Bones.
- Fire being one of the only ways to fully defeat Dry Bones contradicts the fact that they are actually completely immune to fire in most other Mario games.
