Who doesn’t love King Boo? That creepy, purple ghost has been a fan-favorite ever since his debut in the original Luigi’s Mansion. The character was so popular that he even got his own sequel. Since then, King Boo has appeared in several other games, including Super Mario Odyssey and various installments of the Super Smash Bros. series. With all this love for King Boo, you might be wondering: Who is this guy and how did he get so famous? Here are five things you might not know about King Boo from the Mario franchise.
In honor of Halloween, let’s go back to the launch of Luigi’s Mansion in 2001 for Nintendo’s GameCube console. In this game, Mario’s younger brother Luigi is hired to clean a haunted mansion. There, he finds that King Boo has been kidnapping Mario for years and is holding him prisoner. Luigi must explore the mansion, find useful items, and fight off ghosts to rescue his brother. Along the way, he discovers King Boo’s trickery and finds out what the ghost is after.

King Boo is a large, king-like ghost who lives in the basement of the mansion. He is the primary antagonist of Luigi’s Mansion and is responsible for the majority of the game’s events. Throughout the game, King Boo builds traps, puzzles, and other complex contraptions in an attempt to keep Luigi from reaching the mansion’s upper floors. He also uses various odd methods to keep Mario, who is also trapped in the mansion, from escaping.
King Boo is an odd character, in that he does not seem to have any malice toward Luigi. Instead, he acts more like a practical joker who is amusing himself, regardless of the consequences to others. He may even have been tricking himself, as the ghosts who reside in the mansion are all trying to escape.
We can’t say for certain, as the ghosts in the mansion have been trapped for a long time. It’s that King Boo was looking for a companion, as there are no other ghosts like him in the mansion. King Boo may have hoped that by bringing another ghost into the mansion, the trapped spirits would be happy and he would have someone to talk to. Unfortunately, King Boo did not choose wisely. Mario is the “most famous clean-up guy” in the world, so he has the skills needed to find and capture King Boo. Once Mario accomplishes his goal, King Boo will have company, but he will also be trapped.

While exploring the mansion, Luigi finds a strange purple orb that transforms into a bizarre creature. This creature is called a Shroob and is a strange alien being that is shown to be a rival to King Boo. Because the Shroob and King Boo are shown to be rivals in this game, it’s possible that they were once friends or even allies. This may help explain why King Boo decided to take Mario’s challenge and why he was once working with the Shroob. At one point in the game, Luigi finds a strange purple orb that, upon being examined by Luigi, reveals itself to be the Dark Lum, a dark energy source that the Shroob use to power their machines. There’s a good chance the orb that became the Dark Lum was once the strange orb that transformed into the Shroob. If so, the Shroob and Dark Lum may be connected.

King Boo is a sinister ghost who lives in the Haunted Mansion. He is the primary antagonist of Luigi’s Mansion, and he has been using various tricks and traps to keep the mansion’s other ghosts trapped. Throughout the game, King Boo builds traps, puzzles, and other complex contraptions in an attempt to keep Luigi from reaching the mansion’s upper floors. He also uses various odd methods to keep Mario, who is also trapped in the mansion, from escaping. The Shroob and the Dark Lum Luigi finds in the Mansion may have been connected to King Boo at one point. The Dark Lum may have been the strange orb that transformed into the Shroob. If so, the Shroob and Dark Lum may be connected.
As Luigi explores the mansion, he will encounter a variety of ghosts. Upon coming into contact with a ghost, Luigi’s health will decrease. If Luigi’s health reaches zero, the game will end. If you’re a Luigi fan, then you’re sure to know who King Boo is, but if you don’t, it’s time to learn more about this charming, yet evil, character.