You don’t have to say goodbye to Mario and friends as the credits roll. Super Mario RPG includes post-game boss rematches, which means you get to see our flakey friend Jonathan Jones again. But, what’s the best way to defeat him?
How to Beat the Jonathan Jones Rematch in Super Mario RPG
Look, he may have had your back at one time, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go back and make fish meat of him. Here is how to beat him up once again, and for good.
How to Trigger the Jonathan Jones Rematch
The rematch is a post-game fight, and so you will need to have defeated the final boss, and then loaded up your cleared save file. This will load you right before the final boss fight, but Toad will tell you that the ending was just a dream. Following this he will mention the Marrymore Hotel, and that you can stay there for free. From this conversation, you can begin to beat up the bosses once more by doing the following.
- Teleport to Moleville and then go to the Marrymore Hotel.
- Stay the night.
- Teleport to Star Hill, go through the star in the first area.
- Interact with all of the Star Flowers to unlock the next area.
- Once Geno notices the pink flowers on the ground, go talk to the Frog Sage.
- Teleport to Tadpole Pond to meet with the Frog Sage.
Talking to the Frog Sage will let you know which boss to fight, and where they are located. Beat up these baddies until it’s time to take part in the Duel-Ready Johnny fight, located in the same area as the original fight, the Sunken Ship.
Choosing Your Equipment
Choosing the best equipment for the job can either make or break your rematch attempt. The best set that I have found to defeat Jonathan Jones is the following.
Weapon: Ultra Hammer
Armor: Lazy Shell
Accessory: Booster’s Charm
Personally, I chose to use the Ultra Hammer as opposed to the Lazy Shell for this fight. Whilst the Lazy Shell is often considered as the best in slot for Mario, the variance in potential damage output is rather high, and to avoid that, I opted to keep the Ultra Hammer for the fight. Both are good options for the battle though, based on personal preference.
The Lazy Shell armor is a necessity for the fight if you are wanting to stay alive. Whilst it decreases your attack, magic attack, and speed stats, the defense bonus far exceeds any potential upset from the former and will have Mario more or less invincible as he will be able to withstand attacks that come his way. A second potential armor to use in the fight is the Super Suit. But this piece of armor is locked behind doing 100 jumps, which may or may not be for everyone.
The chosen accessory, Booster’s Charm, provides Mario with a stronger defense against elemental attacks as damage is halved. On top of this, attack, defense, and magic attack stats increase when it is equipped.
How to Beat the Jonathan Jones Rematch
If you remember the original fight, you will know that the final part of the brawl had you participate as Mario alone. This time, the whole fight is a solo fight with Mario. You won’t be able to have any party members with you or use any items. Fortunately, party buffs do still benefit you, so it is best to have Geno and Bowser in your party for the following buffs. Having increased Attack, Defense, and Speed up will make a difference in the battle. Johnny is resistant to Special Attacks, and so you will want to dish out as many hard-hitting regular attacks as you can.
In the Duel-Ready Johnny fight, Johnny has 2000HP. It is imperative that you dish out as much damage as possible to defeat him before you ultimately succumb due to the lack of healing items or party members. Fortunately, this is easier than it sounds with the above set up. Mario’s defense is high enough that Johnny will do very little damage to him. It almost feels a little cheesy. But this allows you to focus on both defending at the right moment, and also timing your attacks right to dish out as much damage as possible.
Johnny will perform the following attacks:
Non-Physical Attacks
- Vigor Up: Increase’s Johnny’s Attack.
- Get Tough: Increases Johnny’s Defense.
Physical Attacks
- Basic Attack: His normal attack where he will attempt to stab you with his trident. You can block this by pressing A as soon as you see him beginning to thrust the trident forward.
- Skewer: Similar to his basic attack, but the prongs of the trident will rotate, and will then extend to hit you. You can block this by pressing A right when the trident begins to expand.
- Diamond Saw: Johnny will create and fire off two incredibly large snowflakes that will attack Mario from behind. Fortunately, your clue that they are coming is the sound, and when you hear them come close, you need to press A to block them.
- Fire Saber: Johnny will attack you with a purple beam. It’s fast, and the best way to know when to block is by listening to the sounds. You should press A when you hear the third sound to block this attack.
Defeating Johnny will reward you with the Extra Shiny Stone.
Now that you have the Extra Shiny Stone, you are well on your way to besting every single post-game boss available. You’ve just got to take down Culex 3D, and you best be prepared for that fight.
