Games and Culture: The Whomp in Japanese Folklore

Whomps are one of my favorite enemies. Although they're not as famous as their Thwomp cousins, they were still good enough to have a king. However, are these the lovable, angry walking pavement pieces we all remember or a terrifying beast who tries to get harmless travelers and explorers lost? Well, let's find out.

The creature we know is a giant wall with a very mad face and is very cartoony and actually kind of funny looking. However, the creature is Japanese myths is the creepy Nurikabe, a beast with a very powerful force...

to turn into a wall.

A representation of the Nurikabe in it's purest form.

So how do you defat a giant wall blocking your path? Tap it in the bottom corner!

 

How do you defeat a giant Whomp blocking your path? Tap it's back with your backside!

 

So, Whomps could be based on these creatures in Japanese culture. There's many other Japanese culture references in Mario, but we'll save those for another time!

 

However, while you're waiting, keep checking my blog for more awesome Mario posts!