Culex

Culex is an optional hidden boss that debuted in . He is a being from an alternate dimension who desires to do battle with warriors from the Mushroom Kingdom. He is joined by four elemental crystals and emits dark energy. Culex is notably the most powerful boss in the game, beating even the final boss, Smithy, with his combined total of 12,396 HP.
== Physical Appearance==
Culex appears to be a type of demon and has dark purple skin. His horns are twisted in opposite directions and has orange wings. Around his waist are a cluster of blue crystals. Beneath that is a jagged tail. His hair is black and pointed straight up and he is perpetually folding his arms. In battle, Culex is aided by four Crystals – the Earth Crystal, the Fire Crystal, the Water Crystal, and the Wind Crystal. These Crystals have magical attacks that correspond with their elemental power.
==Personality==
Culex is a being out of their own dimension and cannot stay for long. However, he has a lust for battle and asks Mario's party to battle them before he has to go back to his own dimension. When defeated, he seems to respect the power of Mario and his party and gives them a keepsake: a Quartz Charm. The Quartz Charm is one of the most powerful accessories that the player can obtain in Super Mario RPG as it increases the character's damage output by 50%, decreases the amount of damage they take by 50%, and prevents attacks that would OHKO the character who has equipped it.
Culex's personality and motives differ between the original Japanese version of Super Mario RPG and the localized English version. In the Japanese version, Culex claims to be a timeless overlord born from pure evil; upon defeat he recognizes the positive energy that Mario and his allies radiate and that he could not overcome it. As he is a two dimensional character he is unable to grasp the third dimension and hides himself in a pocket dimension as he tries to understand the residents of this other world he finds himself in.
In the English version however, Culex introduces himself as a "Dark Knight of Vanda" who travelled to Mario's world on the orders of a "dark mage". Implied to have been sent to this world in order to conquer it, Culex discovered upon arrival that he and "his kind" (2D sprites) are unable to survive in Mario's world (which uses 3D sprites). In hopes of being visited by the strongest warrior of the Mushroom Kingdom, Culex hides himself away in a pocket dimension before he departs. Though Culex is implied to be malevolent, the being appears to be an honourable warrior who respects those who can defeat him in battle, declaring Mario and himself "comrades in arms" upon being defeated; though he also notes that they would likely have been "mortal enemies" should they have met in "another time" or "another game". Upon his defeat he refers to Mario as "champion knight", showing that he respects the plumber to a great degree.
A Piranha Plant who resides near his space claims he likes to talk about crystals and evil things.
== Allusions to Final Fantasy ==
Culex himself is an allusion to the Final Fantasy series, as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was developed by Squaresoft (now Square Enix), the creators of the Final Fantasy series. Here is a list of allusions to the series:
* Culex appears much smaller on the map than he does in battle, and appears to be viewed from a bird's-eye perspective. This is a feature completely unique to him and is a reference to the way enemies appear on the overworld in early Final Fantasy titles.
* The design of Culex seems to have been inspired by, or perhaps is an intended reference to, the final boss of Final Fantasy VI.
** Culex's design is also similar to that of the final boss of Final Fantasy VII (which released after Super Mario RPG) as well. This fact was acknowledged by the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, , following Sephiroth's reveal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in a picture he released (seen right) through his Twitter account.
* The music played during the fight is a remix of the boss battle music from Final Fantasy IV.
* The music played during the conversation with Culex is a remix of the main theme of the Final Fantasy series, "Prelude".
* The theme played once Culex is defeated is an arrangement of the recurring victory theme from the Final Fantasy series.
* All four of the crystals that Culex makes use of, and thus subsequently also appear as part of the Quartz Charm, make frequent appearances throughout the Final Fantasy series and prominently acted as plot devices in Final Fantasy IV. Their designs however are original to Super Mario RPG, though it should be noted that the crystals' designs (and powers) are not consistent across their Final Fantasy appearances either.
== History ==
=== ===
Culex resides in a cross-dimensional region found behind a sealed door in Monstro Town. According to a Piranha Plant that lives near there, Culex is always mumbling about "Crystal-this and an Evil-that." To open this sealed door, you need a Shiny Stone, which is mentioned by this same Piranha Plant. Culex then greets Mario and his party and explains his story. He then challenges Mario to a battle, which the player can accept or refuse.
During the battle, Culex is aided by elemental crystals of the Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind elements. These Crystals attack on their own and can be targeted independently. They must be defeated before Culex can be targeted, although they shatter on their next turn if Culex falls before they do, suggesting their lifeforce is linked to his.
If Mario's party wins, Culex rewards Mario with the Quartz Charm. Culex then leaves Mario's dimension as Mario is transported back to Monstro Town. The door to Culex also vanishes, leaving a solid rock wall in its place.
== Fanon Appearances ==
=== Nintendo All-Stars Chess ===
Culex appears in Nintendo All-Stars Chess as a Hero Piece under the Super Mario series. He has more or less the functionality of just about every chess piece- the movement of a Queen and a Knight, has the Castling ability that a Rook has, and cannot move backwards like a Pawn. When he replaces a King Piece, much like any Hero Piece, he gains the functionality of a King, which is to create a checkmate if he is captured.
=== Super Smash Bros. Charged ===
Culex appears in Super Smash Bros. Charged as a boss that certain characters can face off against in Classic Mode. He fights alongside the Earth Crystal, Fire Crystal, Water Crystal, and Wind Crystal, all of which have their own attacks. The crystals attack at random intervals, and while they are not required to destroy to defeat Culex, they will make the battle harder. However, defeating a crystal will cause it to explode into Culex and damage him. Culex himself uses various magic attacks, such as causing rocks to grow out of the ground and freezing the player with shockwaves.
==Gallery==
CulexSprite.png|Sprite from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
CulexCrystals.png|Culex artwork by Genoforsmash
Culex3D.png|Same Culex artwork with no crystals
Category:Dark Beings
Category:Bosses
Category:Mario (series)
Category:Mario Characters
Category:Mario Bosses
Category:Males
Category:Demons
Category:Evil Characters
Category:Nintendo All-Stars Chess
Category:Non-fanon characters