Super Mario RPG: How To Defeat Jinx

Jinx is one of two optional side bosses in Super Mario RPG's main story, and he's pretty easy to miss.

As the master of the martial arts dojo in Monstro Town, Jinx can pack a punch, but in this guide, we'll be telling you how to take down Jinx and what you get for beating him in both the SNES and Switch versions of the game.

Where to find Jinx?

Jinx can be found at the dojo in Monstro Town, which is up the only set of stairs in the town.

To find the dojo, head all the way to the southern end of the town where the exit to the world map is and a save block (which is tucked down a square-shaped hole). Head up the stairs and you'll find the entrance to the dojo (see the above screenshot to see what the door looks like).

First of all, you'll have to defeat Jagger, a former minion of Bowser's, in battle before the dojo master makes an appearance.

How to beat Jinx

Jinx can be fought three times in total throughout Super Mario RPG. In fact, you can challenge him as soon as you get to Monstro Town in the story.

You can fight him three times in total before rolling credits on the main story, with each fight getting more difficult. We'll cover all three fights below.

Jinx - first fight

Recommended party: Mario and anyone else, really

The first fight with Jinx isn't very difficult at all, even if you're fighting him on your first visit to Monstro Town. Essentially, all you need to do is keep attacking him and defending when he hits back. His damage isn't quite that high yet, and he doesn't have any hard-hitting moves, either.

Eventually, Jinx will boost his defense, but that still won't stop you from chipping down his health until you beat the master.

Jinx - second fight

Recommended party: Mario, Geno, Peach

Depending on when you take Jinx on a second time, this could either be really easy or a bit more challenging.

The main new thing to consider is that Jinx has two new moves: Quicksilver, a hard-hitting single-target attack, and Silver Bullet, which will instantly reduce your character's HP to 0 if you don't block the attack. Make sure you practice timing those blocks.

Other than that, you should just focus on attacking Jinx like normal. Peach is here to heal and revive if you need to, but this isn't much harder than the first fight.

Jinx - final fight

Recommended party: Mario, Geno, Peach

Once again, the overall difficulty of this fight will depend on what level you are when you fight Jinx. We fought him at level 23 and he was pretty manageable. We'd suggest being at least level 20 before you take him on, though.

The strategy for this fight is the same as the other two — use normal attacks or your strongest Specials and heal up with Peach. The latter you'll be doing a lot more of as Jinx now has an AOE move that hits the whole party for a lot of damage, so use Peach's Group Hug to keep the party topped up.

What do I get for defeating Jinx?

Once you've defeated Jinx three times, you'll be rewarded with the Jinx Belt, an excellent accessory that boosts all stats except for HP.

We used this on Geno but feel free to equip it on whoever you want.

Can I fight Jinx again?

You can — in fact, you have to in order to reach the final post-game boss. However, the last fight with Jinx is much more gimmick-focused.

We'll be covering the post-game rematch with Jinx in a separate guide, so make sure you check that out if you're unsure what to do.

For more help on getting through Super Mario RPG, check out our full Super Mario RPG guide for everything you need.