Sakurai just hit us with a Super Mario RPG reference and look what they did to my boy Geno

You know he had to do it to ’em

Hunting down superbosses in JRPGs is a hobby of mine, and Super Mario RPG‘s Culex remains one of my all-time favorites.

Brilliantly hidden within one of the cutest areas of the game, Culex was a formidable, all-new optional boss modeled after a Final Fantasy foe. He is unassuming at first, then lets loose his full power if you decide to fight him. Alongside of, well, most of Super Mario RPG, it’s one of the most memorable gaming moments in my gaming career.

With all this in mind, the header image probably makes a lot more sense now. The framing comes from none other than Masahiro Sakurai, who is clearly referencing the aforementioned Mario RPG showdown with Sephiroth standing in for Culex. In this setup, Sakurai decided to use Mario, Bowser, and Geno; the latter of which is not a Smash Ultimate character, and was only recently added as an amiibo outfit (once again).

Interesting comp! I couldn’t bear to break down my classic Mario RPG trio of Mario, and Peach, Bowser myself. Group hug!

Sakurai [Twitter]