Hell
Hell is the place of suffering and punishment that unrighteous souls are sent to after death, as outlined in various religions, mythologies, and works of fiction. It has had various degrees of relevance in the Super Mario franchise.
History[edit]
Super Mario-kun[edit]
In chapter 8 of Super Mario-kun Volume 4, Mario is killed by Larry and his spirit is dragged by some Eeries in Hell, where he meets the ghost of Bowser's ancestor Enma Daiō and many other enemies, including some Koopalings, that he killed (although the Koopalings are seen alive in later volumes). Mario is forced to endure punishment by their hands: first, Morton sings a song badly at full volume, then Mario is tossed into a sea of spikes, but saves himself with the Statue form, and lastly, Wendy's ghost forces him to eat cursed Valentine's Day chocolates. Mario starts spitting flames everywhere, burning everyone around him. Having had enough, Enma literally kicks Mario out of Hell, sending him back to the living realm.
The Underwhere and its inhabitants (apart from Bonechill) are completely absent during the Super Paper Mario story arc.
Club Nintendo magazine[edit]
Hell is heavily referenced in the German Club Nintendo comic Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens. The creature Abigor claims to be the "middleman of Hell", and lives in a monster-filled temple called Infernum, which is a Latin term for Hell. He also says "Welcome to Hell" when Mario and his friends enter the temple in their quest to save Princess Toadstool, who was kidnapped and turned into a zombie by Abigor. Because of what Abigor did to her mind, Toadstool tells her would-be savior, Mario, that his "mother was scraping toilets in Hell."
Shitamachi Ninjō Gekijō[edit]
In the final broadcast of Shitamachi Ninjō Gekijō, a man arrives in the depths of Hell after controlling Mario with a game controller.
WarioWare: Touched![edit]
In WarioWare: Touched!, when using the Turntable to speed up the English version of Ashley's Theme, the distortion and skipping caused by the sped up audio caused controversy, as the lyrics can be misinterpreted as "I have granted kids to Hell". Both Nintendo and Nintendo Power stated that this was unintentional.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
In Super Mario Galaxy, the Japanese and Korean name of Melty Molten Galaxy is "Hell Prominence Galaxy", while the Chinese name (地狱喷射熔岩银河) translates to "Hell Erupting Lava Galaxy". The Japanese version of the Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack reflects this, with the galaxy's theme being titled "Hell Prominence".
Super Paper Mario[edit]
The Underwhere of Super Paper Mario is often compared to Hell, but it bears much more resemblance to the Greek underworld, Hades. While the sinless are allowed to spend eternity in The Overthere (which bears more similarities to Hell's counterpart, Heaven, than to the Greek Elysian Fields), the inhabitants of The Underwhere do not suffer for their crimes. Unlike Hell, The Underwhere is merely a place of boredom, and many other aspects of The Underwhere are references to Hades, strengthening the Greek connection. For example, the River Twygz is a reference to the river Styx, and both have ferrymen who take visitors across.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Jigoku |
Hell | |
| French | Enfer[?] | Hell | |
| German | Hölle[?] | Hell |
