So... which Wario Land 3 characters are transformed humans and which aren't?

[CM30]

In Wario Land 3, the ending shows that many of the monsters you encountered throughout the game were the original inhabitants of the Music Box World transformed into monsters by Rudy the Clown:

Old Man: But [Rudy] used the last of his power to transform us into strange beings.

However, in Dr Mario 64, many of those monsters returned and were just standard creatures found in the Mushroom Kingdom. These include:

• Spearhead
• Webber
• Silky
• Appleby
• Jellybob
• Octo
• Helio
• Lumpy
• Hammer-Bot

This is strange, especially given how Spearhead and Hammer-Bot were explicitly shown being 'transformed back to normal' in Wario Land 3's ending. There's also Mad Sciencestein/Arewo Shitain-hakase, who is not only an enemy in Wario Land 3, but a returning character from an unrelated Nintendo game that ended up making a reappearance in Wario Land 4.

So... which characters in Wario Land 3 were transformed music box inhabitants and which weren't? Did Rudy transform the inhabitants into forms based off species already existing in the Mario universe, hence the similarities? How does all this work anyway?

 

[Handsome Count Cannoli]

I think some of Rudys minions are transformed into existing things.
Maybe he turned them into servants because he wanted them to be what they hate... part of his army.

Others were probably always in his service.

I always imagined that the old man sent Rudy and his minions out of their realm like he did with Wario. (Thanks for shoving your problems to us...jerk)

That would explain how sciencestein and Rudy appeared in the regular world.

I also assume that Wario wasn't the first the enter their realm due to Mad Sciencestein and the sports bunny.

 

[607]

Hm, intriguing. Seems unsolvable, though.

 

[CM30]

I think some of Rudys minions are transformed into existing things.
Maybe he turned them into servants because he wanted them to be what they hate... part of his army.

Others were probably always in his service.

I always imagined that the old man sent Rudy and his minions out of their realm like he did with Wario. (Thanks for shoving your problems to us...jerk)

That would explain how sciencestein and Rudy appeared in the regular world.

I also assume that Wario wasn't the first the enter their realm due to Mad Sciencestein and the sports bunny.

Some good ideas here. Yeah, it would make sense that at least some of the Wario Land 3 cast were already on Rudy's side before the game's events, especially given how Shoot seems to be related to B Bunny from 2.

And it'd also make sense that they were all booted out when Wario defeated Rudy in the final battle. However, given the similarities to other characters, I suspect they were originally from the main Mushroom Kingdom/World, then found their way into the Music Box World later. Remember that the old man said that Rudy came to their world and tried to take over.

Old Man: Then that meddlesome being appeared and tried to take control

So it's likely he was like the Shake King in Wario Land Shake It or Bowser/K Rool/whoever in the other games; just another would be conqueror/evil overlord wannabe who found a peaceful area and wanted to rule it themself. Maybe he even found the Music Box like Wario did, and that's how he got there in the first place...

 

[LesTheTimeSweeper]

By the way, I've always assumed Wolfenboss is the transformed form of the Old Man, since you don't see what the Old Man was before he was turned back and they have quite a few similarities. They both wear similar purple robes with yellow linings, use magic (and Wolfenboss is the only enemy in the game who uses magic), their poses when using their magic are very similar, and they both flash light-blue (Wolfenboss when damaged/defeated, and the Old Man when returning Wario to his world).

 

[CM30]

By the way, I've always assumed Wolfenboss is the transformed form of the Old Man, since you don't see what the Old Man was before he was turned back and they have quite a few similarities. They both wear similar purple robes with yellow linings, use magic (and Wolfenboss is the only enemy in the game who uses magic), their poses when using their magic are very similar, and they both flash light-blue (Wolfenboss when damaged/defeated, and the Old Man when returning Wario to his world).

Hmm, that's an interesting connection I never would have thought of. Would possibly explain why said boss never appeared in Dr Mario 64 or the likes, despite having a perfect design for it.

 

[LesTheTimeSweeper]

Hmm, that's an interesting connection I never would have thought of. Would possibly explain why said boss never appeared in Dr Mario 64 or the likes, despite having a perfect design for it.

Yeah, he's one of the coolest looking bosses in the series animation and design-wise (and is also notable because of the unique Bubble Wario-like transformation only he can inflict on Wario with his magic attack), so it was a missed opportunity not bringing him back for Dr Mario 64.