Super Mario Bros. Z was a popular Flash series based around the Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros. universes. It was created by Alvin-Earthworm. It began in 2007 as a simple project, but as time went on, popularity grew. It went on a sixteen-month hiatus due to writers block, then the seventh episode released in late 2008, with the eighth episode following a few short months later. SMBZ has received numerous awards such as Weekly User's Choice, Front Page, and Review Crew Pick. It has eight episodes, as of November 2011, which run between ten minutes to one hour in length. Each episode has been given a Teen rating. Shortly before the posting of the seventh episode, Alvin-Earthworm posted a "Super Mario Bros. Z Intro", which was an anime-style opening using the theme from the anime Rockman.EXE Axess. It was given an All Ages rating. SMBZ has many parody or similar series inspired by it, such as Nintegaball GT.
Episodes
Super Mario Bros Z has had eight full episodes.
Episode 1: Bowser's Return
The series began when a Goomba discovered a Chaos Emerald, only to be killed by Mecha Sonic. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi are kart racing against Wario and Waluigi in the 5th annual Grand Prix. After using a variety of items to try and take the lead, they hit a group of bob-ombs. The karts are destroyed, and Wario and Waluigi are blown away. Bowser arrives and announces his intentions of defeating Mario and kidnapping Peach. While Luigi cowers in fright, Mario prepares to do battle against Bowser.
Episode 2: Warriors from Another Dimension
At the beginning of this episode, Mecha Sonic stands atop a mountain holding onto the chaos emerald, saying that he plans to find the rest of them. Back at the stadium, Mario and Bowser are locked in combat. They are at a standoff when Bowser uses a Metal Mushroom to become metallic. This makes him virtually invulnerable, and Mario is about to be defeated when a capsule appears out of the sky and hits Bowser. This negates the effects of the Metal Mushroom, and Mario quickly takes the upper hand. However, before he could finish Bowser off, Kamek corners Peach, forcing Mario to stand down. Bowser is about to defeat Mario again when two blurs knock Kamek away, allowing Mario to send Bowser flying away. The two blurs, Sonic and Shadow, then walk up to the Mario Bros, and the episode ends.
Episode 3: The New Threat
The movie starts in Peach's Castle. Sonic and Shadow introduce themselves to Peach and the Mario Bros, and explain why they have come; the Chaos Emeralds had been sent to the Mushroom Kingdom, and they had to be found before they could fall into the hands of somebody who would abuse their power. Mario and Luigi agree to help find the Emeralds, and Peach suggests they bring Yoshi with them. Wario and Waluigi overhear this conversation, and plan to find the Emeralds for their financial value. After much searching, Yoshi and Luigi find their first Chaos Emerald. However, Mecha Sonic attacks Yoshi, separating him from Luigi. Yoshi eats the Emerald to keep it out of Mecha Sonic's hands, but is attacked by Mecha Sonic, who defeats Yoshi and obtains the Emerald. Mecha Sonic is about to finish Yoshi off when he notices the other heroes rushing towards the scene. He leaves just before the heroes enter the scene. In an angry conversation with Shadow, Sonic reveals that Shadow had sent the Emeralds to the Mushroom Kingdom to keep them out of Mecha Sonic's hands. The movie closes as Mario and co. bring Yoshi for medical attention.
Episode 4: Here Come the Koopa Bros.
The episode begins in Mario's house, where he and Peach are nursing Yoshi back to health. After Mario says that Yoshi will be fine, Yoshi wakes up, but is still too weak to leave bed. At this point, Sonic decides to tell the others more about his and Shadow's story. Sonic and Shadow lived a carefree life with their friends on Mobius until Eggman came. He operated from a space station called the Death Egg, and attempted to enslave the inhabitants of Mobius time and time again. Sonic always defeated him, even when he started making robotic copies of Sonic. One of them, Metal Sonic, got a will of its own, and combined with three other robots to become Mecha Sonic. Mecha Sonic dispatched Eggman and destroyed the Death Egg, which crashed into Mobius and ruined the planet. Mecha Sonic desired more power, and so went on a quest to obtain the Chaos Emeralds. On his way, he killed most of Sonic's friends. Soon, only one Emerald remained out of Mecha Sonic's hands. Sonic tried to defeat him, but was easily defeated. Mecha Sonic was about to use the seven Emeralds to gain ultimate power when Shadow sent them to an alternate dimension using "Chaos Control." Mecha Sonic used the energy he had absorbed to cross into the Mushroom Kingdom, while Shadow and Sonic used the machinery they could salvage from the Death Egg.
At the end of this story, Mario and Luigi agree to help find the Chaos Emeralds despite the dangers involved. Professor E. Gadd enters the house and reveals that he has invented a new device for hunting Chaos Emeralds. He also found a Chaos Emerald, but a moment before he could give it to the Bros, the house goes dark and the Emerald disappears. The heroes follow the signal using the device, and eventually discover that the Koopa Bros have taken it. After a fight between the two parties, the heroes had the upper hand. However, the Koopa Bros used a special attack combined with the Emerald's power to defeat them. The heroes are knocked unconscious, and the Koopa Bros decide to hunt for the Chaos Emeralds themselves using the device the professor made.
Episode 5: Troubles on Yoshi's Island
The episode starts with Sonic dreaming about his showdown with Mecha Sonic, and how he was nearly killed. Upon awakening in Mario's house, he learns that the heroes had been beaten in the previous fight, and Mario had to bring the others to safety. Professor E. Gadd enters the house and gives the heroes a new device to hunt down the Emerald-tracker. They find that the Koopa Bros are on Yoshi's Island, and Gadd brings the party there using his Poltergust. Peach gives Luigi a 1-Up Mushroom just before they leave.
On Yoshi's Island, the party encounters a trap with a fake Chaos Emerald. They are ambushed by local yoshis, and are forced to fight them. The yoshis, assisted by the giant Thunderfoot, eventually overpower the team, but before Mario is defeated, Yoshi rushes in to protect him. Their chief questions Yoshi, and soon realizes that his tribe had been attacking Mario, whom he had helped back when he was a baby. He reveals that the island had been conquered by strangers who had discovered a Chaos Emerald. The yoshis were being used to mine for more of them. The heroes agree to help free the Yoshis and fight the invaders. They discover that the invaders are the Axem Rangers X, former enemies of Mario. The Koopa Bros are also present, and they also want to fight the Axem Rangers for their Chaos Emerald. The episode closes just before the three-way battle begins.
Episode 6: Brawl on a Vanishing Island
This episode begins moments after Episode 5. Wario and Waluigi land on the island while the three groups fight each other. Eventually, Axem Red uses his ship's beam combined with the Emerald's power to attack the heroes, causing major damage to the island. Mecha Sonic reaches the island partway through the battle, and knocks the Koopa Bros out while they're using their special attack. Axem Red tries to use the beam on Mecha Sonic, but the attack is deflected and the beam is destroyed. Using the power of the four Chaos Emeralds, Mecha Sonic destroys all of the Axem Rangers. The heroes try to stop Mecha Sonic, but they fail and Mario is knocked out. Mecha Sonic reveals his plans to destroy Yoshi's Island, and prepares the energy attack to do so. Luigi uses the 1up mushroom Peach gave him to revive Mario, and Mario finds a star in a nearby block. He shares it with Sonic to quickly take the four Chaos Emeralds from Mecha Sonic. However, before Sonic can attack Mecha Sonic directly, the effects wear off. Shadow then uses the Emeralds' power to transport the Heroes, professor, and yoshis off of the island moments before it is destroyed. The episode ends when the yoshis, Professor, and Heroes part ways
Episode 7: Secret of the Pipe Maze
The episode starts with Kamek going to Bowser only to be replaced by Kammy, who then tells Bowser about the events of episode 6. Bowser calls the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. and tells them to load up the troops. He then leaves Kammy to go discuss his plan with a sinister being. This person (who has been rumored to be Dr. Eggman) shows Bowser two inventions: the Omega Doomship, and a robotic version of Mario possibly Mecha Mario. Meanwhile, Mario and friends reach the Pipe Plains and, assisted by Stuffwell, enter the underground pipe maze and search for the fifth Emerald by splitting into two groups. Mario, Sonic, and Stuffwell reach a dead end and are attacked by Mecha Sonic. Fleeing by jumping into a pipe concealed by the wall, Mario and Sonic escape Mecha Sonic, who follows closely behind them; leaving Stuffwell to find Shadow, Luigi, and Yoshi. Mario and Sonic, on the other hand, find themselves in the mysterious Minus World and run into Professor Kolorado and Goombella who have the 5th Emerald. Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Shadow and Yoshi jump into the pipe and pursue Mario and Sonic. Stuffwell, Professor E. Gadd, and Professer Frankly try to solve the mystery of the seemingly unescapeable Minus World while Luigi hides. Meanwhile, Mario and Sonic are getting pummeled when Shadow and Yoshi suddenly arrive. However, they realize that Shadow and Mecha Sonic's "Chaos Control" doesn't work. Luigi suddenly gains confidence and jumps into the pipe just to find himself surrounded by Bloopers. Jumping out of the water, Luigi bumps into Kolorado (literely) and activates the stopwatch Kolorado had thus allowing Mario, Luigi, Sonic, Shadow, Yoshi, Kolorado, Goombella, and Mecha Sonic to escape. Back at Mario's house, the merry group is planning to obtain their next Emerald when they notice Peach's Castle on fire! Toadsworth appears and says that Peach has been kidnapped (again...)!
Episode 8: The Great Doomship Offensive
Bowser has kidnapped Peach, and is holding her in his Omega Doomship. He claims that he will only return her in exchange for the Chaos Emeralds. Everybody agrees that they need to save her except for Shadow, who thinks that this and working with the Mario Bros is a waste of time. Sonic and Shadow get into an argument,and Sonic points out that Shadow has become less compassionate since coming to the Mushroom Kingdom. After remembering how his friend Rogue died, Shadow leaves the group. The remaining Heroes and Stuffwell then go to Professor E. Gadd's laboratory, in order to pick up supplies and Mario's plane, the Sky Pop. When they fly towards the Doomship, Mario and Sonic jump onto the airship while Yoshi and Luigi land the plane. They fight their way past the Koopatrol, but are stopped by Basilisx, a koopa with razor claws and the ability to turn enemies to stone. After petrifying Sonic, Luigi, and Yoshi, Basilisx fights Mario. Mario is able to fend Basilisx off until the latter uses the petrified Luigi as a weapon, forcing Mario to hold back. The episode ends with Basilisx in position to execute Mario. At the end Alvin also appears to explain that Bowser's kids will make an appearance in episode 9.
The End
Due to the fact Episode 9 was never released, we don't have much information about what would have happened. The only information we have is that there would be a second fight with Basilisx. It was hinted that this episode will be released in April 2012. However, the series came to an abrupt end on 26th March 2012 when Alvin-Earthworm declared that he had no interest in working on it anymore and officially cancelled the series. [1]
Fortunately, part of Episode 9 was released, which reveals Luigi ambushing Basilisx to save Mario.
Reception
Super Mario Bros. Z is the most popular series of its type, the sprite-based Action movie, in Newgrounds history. Along with the Xiao Xiao and Madness series, it is one of the most popular Action series on Newgrounds. The eight entries in the series, along with the intro movie, each have a total of over a million views, for a combined total of over 19.5 million views. Additionally, the series has won over 20 Daily and Weekly awards, including seven Daily Features, three Review Crew Picks, and various weekly awards.