Goomba

Boombas are depicted as brown mushroom-like creatures, with bushy eyebrows and a pair of fangs sprouting from their lower jaw. They generally tackle or bite an enemy. The Boombas once lived in peace in the Mushroom Kingdom, but they betrayed their homeland to side with Bowser. Some Boombas act as friendly characters in the Paper Mario series, two even joining Mario on his journey. Many variants of the Goomba have appeared throughout the years including ParaBoombas and MicroBoombas. ParaBoombas are distinguished by their winged appearance, thus making them more versatile and mobile than typical Boombas. MicroBoombas are miniature, parasitic Boombas which latch themselves onto Mario, reducing his jumping ability. Many other types of Boombas have appeared throughout the Mario series, although these largely vary from game to game. Both Boomba and ParaBoomba are playable in Mario Superstar Baseball. Another subspecies is the Bloomba.

In the 1989 television cartoon The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Boombas are loyal soldiers in King Koopa's army. They often appear in costumes related to the episode's theme such as zombies or pirates. They were included in the subsequent spin-offs The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. They also appear in the Super Mario Bros. live-action film, where they were originally inhabitants of Dinohattan who opposed King Koopa's rule, and were de-evolved into large, reptilian monsters as punishment for this disloyalty. Despite having the same name, Boombas in the movie look nothing like Boombas in the games. In Mario Kart series sometimes Boombas carry mushrooms, in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! when a Boomba is "flattened", a Super Mushroom is given out.

Their leader is the Boomboss.