Fierce Battle Between Fierce Rivals

This article is about the first episode from the 2015 series. For the 2006 series counterparts, see Bowser's Return and Warriors from Another Dimension (2006 Series)

Fierce Battle Between Fierce Rivals
Saga:	Metallix Saga
Episode:	1
Air date:	January 8, 2016 (Youtube and Newgrounds) March 1, 2020 (YouTube, revised)
Episode guide
Next:	The New Threat
Video

Fierce Battle Between Fierce Rivals is the first episode in the reboot of Super Mario Bros. Z, in addition to being the first episode of the Metallix Saga. Mark Haynes, the creator of the series, released the episode to Patreon donators on January 5, 2016, and to YouTube and Newgrounds on January 8. On December 20th, 2019 the video became private but was made public again in January 2020. On March 2, 2020, a revised version was uploaded, fixing various issues and bringing it up to the standards Haynes would be putting into future episodes.

Synopsis

Mario and Wario participate in the Mushroom Kingdom Smash Tournament! Before it's finished, an old rival appears and destroys the arena. Elsewhere, a new enemy has appeared in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Plot

The episode begins with a Goomba walking across a field and coming across a strange gem. Not knowing what it truly is, the Goomba decides to take it, and planned on giving it to Goombella as a gift. However, this was not to be, as his fantasized thoughts were interrupted as the sky grows dark. Suddenly, a field of energy erupts as from nowhere and a mysterious menacing robot teleports into the Mushroom Kingdom, landing right in front of the Goomba. The robot demands that the Goomba hand over the gem, calling it a Chaos Emerald. Scared and confused, the Goomba does not know what to do or what the robot is talking about. With an evil glare, the robot charges an energy blast into his palm and ignores the Goomba's pleas before killing it.

Meanwhile, the first Mushroom Kingdom Smash Tournament is underway with Mario and Wario facing each other as the two finalists. Lakitu King, Lakitu Bro, and Rawk Hawk are the announcers for the tournament. The two fight and Mario seems to to have the upper hand until Waluigi comes into the picture thanks to an Assist Trophy. The Wario Bros. then team up to defeat Mario and launch a fire charged Wario Waft at him. Luigi gives Mario an Invincibility Star just in time, allowing him to survive. Before the battle is finished, a Bulky Bob-omb drops down and explodes, destroying the arena, and blasting off Wario and Waluigi to the sky. Mario lands safely but, the same isn't said for Luigi. Mario looks to the sky and notices a familiar figure riding in a Koopa Clown Copter. It is none other than Bowser.

Bowser lands on the ground, and announces his plan to utterly destroy Mario after an intense training program. Challenged, Mario readies himself as Bowser charges at him, and the two begin their battle. Mario manages to hold his own against Bowser and is able to knock him down. Bowser retaliates powerful blows of his own, but is soon over power by Mario. Mario then pulls out a Fire Flower, becoming Fire Mario, and engages Bowser in a firefight before sending him crashing into the stands. Undeterred, Bowser stands back up, and Kamek gives him a Metal Mushroom (A La Peanut Butter Sandwiches!) that turns him into Metal Bowser. Bowser's new form gives him a huge advantage over Mario, and Mario isn't able to land a hit on him with his fireballs.

Before long, Bowser's attacks have Mario unconscious on the ground. Luigi jumps in front of him to protect him from Bowser. Being in a good mood, Bowser offers Luigi a chance to run. The latter refuses out of love for his brother, thus causing Bowser to decide to kill them both and charge up another attack. Before he can finish, a capsule falls from the sky and lands on him, cracking his metal shell. Luigi uses this chance and gives Mario a 1-Up, reviving him. Mario pulls out a Cape Feather and begins to attack Bowser once again, punching him in rapid succession in the vein of Fist of the North Star. Before he can finish him off, Kamek takes Princess Peach hostage, forcing Mario to surrender. Bowser prepares to finish him off, but the capsule opens up and an unknown hero knocks Kamek away. Mario, now with no reason to stop his attack, grabs Bowser by his tail and hurls him out of the stadium.

Mario and Luigi celebrate their victory after Bowser's departure. Luigi notices the blue hedgehog hero that saved Peach and his friend standing in the stadium, and cowers, causing Mario to warily look at them. The blue hedgehog asks if he was Mario, to which Mario nods. The hedgehog cheers that they arrived in the right place, ending the episode.

Battles

Mario Bros. vs. Wario Bros.

Mario Bros. vs. Wario Bros.

Fighters Mario, Luigi Wario, Waluigi Location Arena Forms Fire Waluigi Invincible Mario Winner None (interrupted by Bowser)

When the announcer yells "Go!", the battle begins and Mario and Wario charge at each other. Wario goes faster and faster, but Mario simply puts his foot out and trips him, sending him flying. Wario, angered, runs at him and continues to try and karate chop/swipe at him a few times with futility, as Mario is able to dodge each one before counterattacking with a swift kick to Wario's chin. Wario gets up and pulls a toothbrush out of his overalls. He brushes his teeth until they sparkle with cleanliness. After he's done, Wario proceeds to chase after Mario, trying to bite him. Mario is barely able to dodge his attacks and jumps back to the edge of the ring near Luigi. Luigi points out a Home-Run Bat next to him, and Mario grabs it. When Wario attempts to bite him again, Mario sticks the Home Run Bat in his teeth, and attacks the surprised and vulnerable Wario, and gives him an uppercut, sending him back to his side of the ring.

Wario breaks the bat in half and spits it out, angry at Mario. Waluigi points at an Assist Trophy near him, and Wario quickly grabs it. To both of their surprise, Waluigi pops out of the Assist Trophy and is no longer outside of the ring. After the confusion, Wario directs his brother to their opponent. Waluigi attempts to stomp Mario into the ground, but Mario is too quick. He consistently failed to get Mario in all of his attempts. Mario punches Waluigi off-screen, but Wario knocks Mario from behind, giving Waluigi the chance to pound him into the ground profusely without mercy. With his tennis racket, Waluigi sends Mario flying away and is surprised when Wario throws a Fire Flower at him. Wario aims his butt at Mario, and Waluigi throws a fireball at Wario, who releases a giant Wario Waft. The fireball ignites the fart, which engulfs Mario and explodes, and the fight seemed to be over. Luckily, Luigi is able to find a Super Star in time to allow Mario to survive the coup de grâce, much to Wario and Waluigi's surprise.

Furious and indignant, Wario attempts a final attack and turns Waluigi into a baseball bat. Mario and Luigi each take up a hammer, and prepare for the attack as Wario charges toward them. Before their attacks meet, a Bulky Bob-omb falls from the sky into the arena and explodes, sending Wario and Waluigi out of the arena and Mario and Luigi flying into the air, leaving the battle without a winner. After landing safely in the arena, Mario spots Bowser flying above in his Koopa Clown Car.

Mario vs. Bowser

Mario vs. Bowser

Fighters Mario, Bowser Location Arena Forms Fire Mario Metal Bowser Cape Mario Winner Mario

Bowser lunges at Mario to begin the battle. The two begin running side by side down the field when Bowser shoots a fireballs at Mario. Mario dodges all of them and runs toward Bowser. Bowser tries to punch Mario to the ground, but Mario escapes again. He lands behind Bowser and elbows him in the face before kicking him onto his back. Bowser spins in his shell toward Mario and tries to attack him with his claws. Mario jumps up and attempts to kick Bowser, but Bowser counters with a punch and grabs his foot before slamming him into the ground. Bowser kicks him toward Luigi and jumps toward them. Mario gets out of the way in time and Bowser punches Luigi into the stands instead. Mario, furious at Bowser, pulls out his hammer for an attack. Bowser curls up in his shell again and deflects all of Mario's attacks. When Mario begins a powerful attack, Bowser spins around, causing the hammer to go flying away. Bowser jumps into the air and hits the ground so hard he is hidden underneath. He continues to jump in and out of the ground, trying to get a hit on Mario. Mario anticipates his next attack and counters, sending Bowser flying across the arena.

Bowser gets up and begins charging a large fireball. Mario absorbs the Fire Flower and begins charging one as well. The two fireballs collide in the middle of the stadium and a dome of smoke covers both of them. The smoke clears away and the two fighters exchange fireballs at each other, neither one of them able to make a hit. Bowser shoots a fireball straight upwards. The fireball explodes and rains down fire on the entire stadium, sending the entire audience running. Bowser notices Luigi and shoots a fireball at him. Mario jumps in the way and is able to deflect Bowser's attack after much effort. Bowser leaps at Mario again, but is still unable to get an attack. Mario punches Bowser, and Bowser uses this opportunity to grab Mario and send him high into the air and crashing back down. Mario shoots a fireball towards the ground that hits Bowser in the face as he's falling, flipping him around and putting Mario on top. Mario fires a fireball off his chest and sends Bowser flying into the ground.

Bowser is able to get up and praises Mario on how strong he's gotten. He reveals he's planned for this and eats a Metal Mushroom from Kamek, turning him into Metal Bowser. Bowser spins into a ball and rolls toward Mario. Mario shoots fireballs at him, but they all bounce off his metal shell. Mario runs out of the way and Bowser rolls into the side of the arena. Mario tries to kick him in the nose, but Bowser's metal skin doesn't break and leaves Mario in pain. Bowser grabs Mario and shoves him in the ground. He throws him up before spiking him into the ground and falling on him. Mario is able to dodge Bowser landing on him but is barely able to dodge Bowser's oncoming fireballs. Mario notices his hammer and runs toward it. He picks it up and attacks Bowser, but the hammer won't break his shell either. Bowser attacks him repeatedly in the air before throwing him against a wall. Mario is able to get up but is very wounded. Using his remaining strength, he produces a large fireball straight at Bowser, but it still won't break his shell. Bowser produces a fire blast of his own and knocks Mario lose his Fire Flower and fall to the ground, unconscious. Luigi jumps in front to protect Mario, and Bowser prepares to kill them both. Before he can, a capsule falls from the sky and lands on Bowser, breaking his metal shell.

Luigi gives Mario a 1-Up to revive him, and Mario pulls out a Cape Feather of his own. Mario flies toward Bowser and knocks him back and forth in the air before sending him into the ground. He begins charging toward him when he notices Kamek holding Princess Peach hostage. Mario purposely misses Bowser with his punch and lands in front of him as Bowser prepares to finish him off. Before he can, the capsule opens up, and Sonic the Hedgehog kicks Kamek away. Mario seizes this opportunity to attack Bowser and spin him out of the stadium, winning the battle.

Major Events

• Metallix enters the Mushroom Kingdom
• Metallix acquires the Blue Chaos Emerald.
• The First Mushroom Kingdom Smash Tournament is held.
• Bowser attempts to capture Princess Peach but is defeated by Mario, thanks to the timely help of Sonic stopping Kamek.
• Sonic and Shadow enter the Mushroom Kingdom and meet up with Mario and Luigi.

Characters

• Mario
• Luigi
• Yoshi
• Sonic
• Shadow
• Wario
• Waluigi
• Metallix
• Bowser
• Kamek
• Toadsworth
• Peach
• Rawk Hawk
• Lakitu King
• Goomba
• Bulky Bob-omb
• Toads (Audience)
• Lakitu Bro
• Goombella (Mentioned)
• Star Spirits  (Mentioned)

Transformations

• Fire Waluigi
• Invincibility Mario
• Fire Mario
• Cape Mario
• Metal Bowser

Cameo Appearances

• Dark Koopa
• Lady Bow
• Kid Yoshi
• Koops
• Link
• Prince Peasley
• Jr. Troopa
• Vivian
• Goomboss
• Mallow
• Il Piantissimo
• Whacka
• Birdo
• Pennington

Differences from the original

For a side by side comparison, see marjosonic's Episode 1 and Episode 2 playthrough.

Overview

• Alvin-Earthworm initially wanted the first two episodes as one but had to separate them due to Flash's limitations at the time. Since he has switched to Swivel (Newgrounds' animation tool) and another video editing utility, the process has become easier for him as it bypasses the problem.
• Rawk Hawk and Toadsworth have been added.
• Because the series is being remade, drastic animation improvements ^{(see Metal Bowser's punch comparison to the right)} greatly improve upon the original.
  • This includes Bowser's sprites being ripped from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, rather than from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga as they were in the original episode. Voice clips from Bowser's Inside Story were also used.

Episode 1

• What used to be the Mario Kart Grand Prix in 2006 has been completely changed to a Smash Bros. tourney. The whole battle between Mario and Wario is different as a result.
• Usage of the Banana Bomb is reduced to a small cameo appearance. Including the bomb trap at the end of the course, it is replaced by a Bulky Bob-Omb.
• Bowser's explanatory monologue now features a flashback exhibition that accompanies his dialogue.

Episode 2

• The continuing scene of Mecha Sonic's hunt was removed since both episodes were merged. It was instead moved to the new series' second episode.
• Bowser's gripe with Luigi as he shields Mario is added.
• Luigi protects Mario from Metal Bowser.
• Mario's defeated quote is updated to "Mamma mia..." from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story onwards when his health hits 0. Originally the quote was "Ohh! Mamma mia!" from Super Mario Advance series when dying.
• Kamek's mushroom spawn quote is updated to "A LA PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES!!". Originally the quote was "PARAPPA THE RAPPER!"
• Bowser has been added with dialogue complaining about Kamek's inconvenient magic; in the original, Bowser doesn’t ask Kamek for another Metal Mushroom and goes straight into a tantrum.
• Mario is now revived through a 1-Up Mushroom; the original had him recovering on-the-spot with little help.
• Mario now holds the Cape Feather himself; in the original, Luigi gave it to him.
• In the 2006 series, Kamek is foiled when Sonic and Shadow both use a Homing Attack on him and his fleeing dialogue reads "I'M FLYING! WHEEEEEEE!" The remake only has Sonic doing this (with his TERIAAA voice clip from Sonic Adventure 2.) and Kamek's voiceline is changed to the Goofy scream.

Changes in the 2020 revision

• The episode now features the scrolling text introduced in the first preview of The New Threat.
• The dialogue of the episode has been changed slightly. A particular goof from Lakitu King has been fixed.
• Audio fixes in places. Particularly when the Wario Bros. are celebrating their faux-victory.
  • Metallix has a brand new voice clip when appearing in the Mushroom Kingdom, courtesy of Fulgore from Killer Instinct (2013).
• Sonic now overlaps Kamek's dialogue, kicking both him and the text box into the distance in a fourth wall break.

Credits

Credits
Written By:	Mark Haynes
Animated By:	Mark Haynes
Story Based On:	Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama
Programs Used:	Adobe Flash CS3 Audacity Paintshop Pro 9 Sony Vegas Pro 12 Swift3D Swivel
Sprites:	Deviantart Mario Fan Games Galaxy Spriters Resource
Custom Sprites By:	Mark Haynes Sean Hicks King Asylus Shadefalcon Ridgetroopa Entrail Cary "Beetle" Frank
Eyecatch Intermissions By:	Kai Jordan ("Kirikai")
SMBZ Logo and Speech Bubbles By:	Jon Lambert
Opening Theme:	Mario Minor by Power Glove
Credits Theme:	SM64 Credits Guitar Cover By FamilyJules7X
Music:	SMB Stage Complete Metal Guitar By Charlie Parra Del Riego Super Mario World "Overworld" By Super0Brothers Destruction - Bruce Faulconer Viewtiful Award - Viewtiful Joe 2 OST Boss - Rawk Hawk - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Super Mario Land 2 Final Battle Remix By George Diamond Bowser's Theme - Mario and Luigi: Dream Team The Evil King Bowser (Super Mario World) - Fortune Street Fanfares (Super Mario Bros. - World) Guitar Cover By DSC Fire (Instrumental) - Scooter Danger Afoot - Super Mario Galaxy King of the Koopas by Gametal Final Bowser Battle - Super Mario Galaxy Catastrophe - Super Mario Galaxy One Punch Man Sad Theme Recreation by JackONTC One Punch Man Fight Theme Recreation by NAE0000 Undertale OST - You Idiot Trespasser - Sonic Adventure 2 OC Remix: Super Mario Bros. 3 'Pipes' By Seventh Epic
Sounds Effects:	Toei Animation Namco Bandai Mugen Nintendo Sega
Dedicated To:	Monty Oum (1981 - 2015) Satoru Iwata (1959 - 2015)
Special Thanks:	Jordan "Wesker10" Cumrine Chris "Kirbopher" Niosi ArcLad84 Great Lange xxZackAttack27xx SterlingQuinn Tonberry2K TheGuy07 Senshin Ichii Akira Toriyama Shigeru Miyamoto Yuji Naka My Fans

Reception

The episode received critical acclaim by fans upon release, and generally positive remarks by viewers. Fans exalted the major animation improvement, new depths, and nostalgia. Some viewers scrutinized the switch to Metallix and the slower pacing of events.

The screenshot featured on the front page of Newgrounds, announcing the reboot of SMBZ.

On Newgrounds, the episode was featured on the website's front page, with a screenshot announcing the fact that the series has been rebooted. It currently holds a 4.64/5 stars rating, based off of 2,292 votes as of March 2nd.

On YouTube, the episode has been shared 4,243 times and driven 9,849 subscriptions as of March 2nd, based on the statistics.

As of March 2nd, the episode has been viewed 532,514 times on YouTube and 111,283 times on Newgrounds for a combined total of 643,797 views. This does not include reaction videos or reuploads with new subs, or dubs.

At the time the original upload was taken down, the episode had over 1,600,000 views with over 43,000 likes.

Within this first day of its upload on March 2, 2020, the revised version of the episode bolstered over 39,000 views. Mark's YouTube channel also gained over 1,400 subscribers in the same timespan. As of April 9th 2021, the episode has over 2 million views.

Trivia

• About 70% of the custom sprites for the Wario Bros. were created by Haynes.
• This episode is a combination of the first 2 episodes of the original series.
• Haynes originally was hoping for the episode to be released in October.
  • In a later update on his Twitter page, the expected release date was the end of December.
• In the Smash tournament, Haynes was originally going to put in characters from the Super Smash Bros. series, but ultimately decided against it. Link, although from the The Legend of Zelda series, appeared due to his guest appearance in Mario Kart 8.
• The team attack used by Wario and Fire Waluigi during their fight against Mario was also used in one of Alvin-Earthworm's segments in Beat Up Sandbag.
• The interludes that were used in the original cut of the episode still featured the old SMBZ logo, due to the fact that it was created when the episode was near completion, and Mark Haynes forgot to update them. They have been updated in the remastered version.
• The hand-drawn close-up of Mario turning his head to look up at Bowser was rotoscoped from a Japanese commercial for the game, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
• "A la peanut butter sandwiches!!!" (the line that Kamek says when summoning the Metal Shroom) is a reference to The Amazing Mumford, a magician on the show Sesame Street. In one episode, Mumford says these words as he attempts to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
• "The Underwhere awaits you!" (the line that Bowser tells Mario just before their fight) is a reference to the original series, where Captain Basilisx tells Mario that "The Underwhere awaits you!" in The Great Doomship Offensive. The Underwhere is a world based on the afterlife from Super Paper Mario.
• The fourth wall is broken twice in this episode:
  • Sonic breaks the fourth wall by kicking away both Kamek as well as his text box.
  • When Mario throws Bowser out of the stadium, Bowser crashes into the camera.
• There is a grammatical error in this episode where Lakitu King says "So please give a give a big hand to our beloved Princess Peach".
  • This has been fixed in the remastered version.