- “GRR! I'LL CRUSH YA!”
- —Beef, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Beef is a member of the Best Fitness Friends and a major antagonist in Bowser Jr.'s Journey, a campaign within Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. Beef is a muscular creature with pink skin, several layers of either muscle or fat, and red hair. He acts as the group's brawn (being the Melee typed fighter in battles). A Nintendo DREAM interview says that Beef and the other members of the Best Fitness Fiends are the same species as Midbus.[1]
He is first encountered with the other members of the Best Fitness Friends, and seemingly defeats Ludwig alongside Iggy a bit later on. However, it is revealed that the situation is not what it seems. Instead, it is revealed that Ludwig had defeated Beef in their encounter, using a mannequin of himself and knocking Beef into the lava while he was distracted, and had been disguising himself as Beef the entire time. The real Beef was left in the storage room back at Bowser's Castle afterwards. Presumably, he was freed when Bowser accidentally detonated the Bob-omb storage depot from being immolated as a result of his treadmill experience literally "burning off" fat.
After that though, he returns to the other Best Fitness Friends for their next encounter outside of Bowser's Castle (where he is battled) as well as with them in the final battle. Here he merges with Kaley and Dieter to form the final boss, before eventually being defeated for good.
Notably, Beef is the only one of the BFFs who ever fights as a regular troop, and only when the other two are involved in a battle who are always either the captain or the first officer. Likewise, Beef is never a first officer either.
Beef is the only member of the Best Fitness Friends that makes a cameo appearance in the main story, as he is added to the Bob-omb storage room scene, where he appears unconscious.
Profile
- Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile: The brute force of the BFF. He's silent, but just one attack will leave you reeling.
Gallery
Beef in the Bob-omb storage depot
Naming
"Beef" is slang for "muscle", befitting his role as the Best Fitness Friends's powerhouse and aligning with their fitness-based naming theme.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|
| Japanese | ムチオ
Muchio | From「ムチムチ」(muchimuchi, a term meaning "chubby") or possibly「ガチムチ」(gachimuchi, a term meaning "muscular"), and「お」(-o, Japanese masculine name ending) | | [?] |
| French (Europe) | Buddy | Corresponds to the "B" in VSB ("BFF") | | [?] |
| German | Biff | A slang word meaning "to hit"; also possibly a pun on "beef" (slang term for "muscular") and corresponds to the "B" in B.I.O ("BFF") | | [?] |
| Italian | Gianfusto | From Gian- (a common prefix for Italian names) and fusto ("macho") | | [?] |
| Spanish (Europe) | Mazón | Augmentative form of "mazado" (ripped); also possibly pun on the given name Masón ("Mason") | | [?] |
References
