Skip To...
Culex, the Final Fantasy-inspired hidden boss, is no stranger to fans of classic RPGs and Mario games. Square Enix (then SquareSoft) added this mysterious foe into the game as a tribute to its long-running game series. Like in other role-playing titles though, as you can expect, locating such a powerful enemy isn’t as easy as jumping on a Goomba. You’ll need to unlock an area and obtain a specific item before you can face off against Culex that’s invading the Super Mario RPG world.
Super Mario RPG: How to Find Culex the First Time
To unlock Culex in Super Mario RPG, you need to get inside Monstro Town while carrying the Shiny Stone item. The Stone can be acquired from a girl mole hiding behind boxes in Moleville. You can spot her ribbon peeking out from the boxes. Speak to her and you can trade Fireworks for the Shiny Stone.
If you’re looking for Fireworks, head to the store behind the girl. Inside the run-down building, you can purchase the item for 500 Coins. The Tadpole Pond’s Frog Sage will actually tell you this if you haven’t found the girl yet.
Now, head to Monstro Town and go to the Sealed Door. Use the Shiny Stone on the door and Mario will teleport into a mysterious dimension. Here, you will face off against Culex the Super Mario RPG superboss. As you can expect from a secret boss, Culex is much stronger than Smithy, with 4,096 HP. Meanwhile, he is also guarded by four elemental Crystals, all with powerful attacks:
- Wind Crystal: 800 HP
- Water Crystal: 1,800 HP
- Fire Crystal: 2,500 HP
- Earth Crystal: 3,200 HP
- It’s recommended to destroy Wind and Earth Crystals first because they can inflict powerful status effects.
Win the fight and Culex will reward Mario and his party with the Quartz Charm item. The equipment halves damage taken, boosts the wearer’s damage by 50%, and prevents fainting once. Mario and his friends will be transported back to Monstro Town while the mysterious dimension door vanishes.
Can You Have a Rematch with Culex in the Remake?
Yes, you can! Once you beat Smithy the main story boss and the super boss, the tougher version of Culex can appear. But first, you need to do some steps before unlocking the Culex rematch in Super Mario RPG:
- Load your save again after the ending credits.
- Speak with Toad for the Stay Voucher for the Marrymore Hotel.
- Spend the night at Marrymore Hotel with the voucher.
- Geno will ask you to go to the Star Hill. Head there.
- Speak with the Frog Sage.
- Unlock and beat all other boss rematch fights.
Taking them down again won’t be easy, but they provide the necessary items for defeating Culex for the last time.
| Boss Rematch | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Duel-Ready Johnny | Sunken Ship | Extra-Shiny Stone – Unlocks Culex rematch Sealed Door |
| Engine 023 Booster | Booster Tower | Stella 023 – Geno’s ultimate weapon |
| Exhausted Torte | Marrymore | Enduring Brooch – Prevents going down once per battle |
| Leveled-Up Punchinello | Mole Mines | Wonder Chomp – Upgrades Bowser’s Chain Chomp |
| Mario-Style Jinx | Monstro Town | Teamwork Band – Triple Moves charge up easier |
| Scratchy-Throat Belome | Belome’s Temple | Sage Stick – Mallow’s ultimate weapon |
Overcome all rematches and head back to Monstro Town with the Extra-Shiny Stone. You will be able to reopen Culex’s Sealed Door in the same spot and fight him again — in his upgraded form fit for the 3D world. This time around, Culex 3D comes with a whopping 9,999 HP and deadly party-wipe attacks! Each Crystal is also much beefier: Wind Crystal 3D has 1,800 HP, Water Crystal 3D has 2,800 HP, Fire Crystal 3D has 3,500 HP, and Earth Crystal 3D has 4,200 HP.
Banish him once more and you’ll be rewarded with Crystal Shard. So far, it doesn’t seem to do anything and only exists as a bragging right. Culex will also tell you how many turns you took to beat him. Considering that, I won’t be surprised that Crystal Shard pretty much just acts like a trophy.
Super Mario RPG is available on Nintendo Switch.
