Hammer Bros. (Super Mario Bros.)

Stop! Hammer Time.

The Hammer Bros. are a race of enemies found in most games of the Super Mario series, and are a type of Koopa that attacks by throwing hammers. These enemies, particularly in 2D, are infamous for being one of the most annoying enemies in the entire series.

Why They Suck

Note: This page will only talk about the 2D and 2.5D Mario games (such as the original Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and the New Super Mario Bros series) as they aren't that bad in 3D Mario games.

1. Unlike most enemies in the series (with the exception of the Fire and Boomerang Bros. from later Mario games, and Bowser who is a boss), the Hammer Bros. have a projectile-type attack that is their only means of attack, which involves throwing their hammers at the player character.
2. The hammers themselves are very hard to avoid as they travel in an arc.
3. If you thought encountering the Hammer Bros. is bad enough, trying to fight them is even worse as not only will they be jumping around, but they will throw their hammers non-stop, leaving the player character very little room to maneuver.
4. True to their namesake, the Hammer Brothers are often seen in pairs, meaning that You (as Mario) will fight not one, but two Hammer Bros. at the same time.
5. Sometimes, the Hammer Bros. won't just jump around and throw hammers, but they can also attack you directly by walking at you while throwing their hammers. This is noticeable in Super Mario Bros. because if You (as Mario) take too long to avoid or kill them, most likely due to pressure.
6. The Hammer Bros. are often placed in cheap locations.
7. If you all thought all of this was bad enough, in World 8-3, which is the final level before the final fight with Bowser, the Hammer Bros. are the only enemies the Player character fights before the final boss with Bowser, and the worst part? The player character fights not one, but eight Hammer Bros. in this level.
8. Starting from World 7 in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, as if they aren't bad enough, they will start chasing you (as Mario or Luigi) down.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Their designs are actually quite cool.
2. As mentioned in the note, the Hammer Bros. aren't that bad in the 3D Mario games, most notably in Mario Odyssey, where you can take control and play as one, and he's really fun to play as in that game.
3. Their variants are very interesting such as the Fire Bros, Boomerang Bros, Sledge Bros etc.
4. While very annoying, they are admittedly one of the most renowned enemies in the Mario series.
5. Two Hammer Bros. are helpful to the Mario Bros. in "Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time".

Tip

• Most power-ups like the Fire Flower defeat them easily.
• From New Super Mario Bros. Wii onwards, on stages that have Yoshi as well as those enemies, you can use Yoshi to swallow a hammer & spit it back at them.

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