Wario Apparition

''Disclaimer for anyone coming to research the Wario Apparition. This page and this entire wiki is written as if the hearsay presented is entirely true, and is more a way to experiment with creative writing and creepy concepts. If you are looking for a more factual documentation of the Wario Apparition meme/myth, check out its page on Know Your Meme or read this image post detailing the Super Mario 64 conspiracies much like the Wario Apparition.''

The Wario Apparition is a popular Super Mario 64-related legend, only found within certain copies of the game. The being bears its likeness from Wario, another established character from the Mario series. The Wario Apparition is referenced in their "Focused on Fun" panel from E3 of 1996, despite being largely ignored by Nintendo.

Behaviour
The Wario Apparition is set to appear in the room beyond the 30-Star door in the basement, which leads to the ninth level of the game, Dire Dire Docks. What the Wario Apparition does upon catching sight of the player varies from player to player, likely a result of Super Mario 64's personalization. Most players report it to start chasing the player down the now extended hall. The disembodied head will start chomping viscously and start laughing maniacally while chasing the happy-go-lucky plumber. The anomaly may assume a unique appearance for each personalized cartridge.

The Apparition is known to cause hallucinations and stroke-like effects on the player. It is advised to turn off your console if the Apparition is encountered.

Theorising
The most popular theory about the apparition's manifestion is taken from 4chan, and reads that the Wario Apparition is formed from the player's subconscious wishes and desires to see him in Super Mario 64. It claims that not all players can even explain the Wario Apparition's appearance and can suffer from symptoms akin to that of a stroke. The theory also claims that the Wario Apparition may have powers beyond the game itself.

Other theories conclude that the Wario Apparition is the unfinished remains of a Wario boss fight planned for the basement of the castle. It would mark Wario's second appearance in the mainline Mario games, and his second appearance as a boss fight in the series. Some screenshots of the Wario Apparition feature the HUD seen within beta builds of the game, potentially meaning that the Wario Apparition was included early on and supporting that he could be an unfinished boss fight.

Reportings

 * Everything in this section should be taken with a grain of salt. These are all unverified claims.

Boss Encounter
Fandom user going by the alias "Toh" claims to have fought the Wario Apparition as a boss. After being chased down by the Wario Apparition, they were able to get through the door and escape to the main area of the castle, with the Toads absent.

The battle begins against the Wario Apparition, where he is able to break through the castle walls and fire projectiles at Mario. To attack the apparition, the player had to stun Wario's floating head with a dive and then ground pound on its head. They had to do this five times before the Wario Apparition was finally defeated, where they seem to congratulate the player. Upon being defeated, it leaves a star for Mario and the portal opens up to allow Mario into Bowser in the Fire Sea.

If this claim is true, it can be assumed that the Wario Apparition could've originally been removed due to its high difficulty. Then the A.I. which governs Super Mario 64's personalisation could take the remnants of the boss and reform it, for those looking for a challenge.

Wario Land 64
The Wario Land 64 theory claims that the Wario Apparition is actually a fragment of programming from the unfinished game, taking the form of one of Wario's Power-Up states (specifically, that of the Ghost Spider; that allowed him to turn into a floating, giant head).

After being charged with the task of getting rid of all of the unwanted content, the devs fusioned the original build's content and Wario Land 64's, accidentally originating the Apparition.

Trivia

 * With the recent resurgence in interest in Super Mario 64 conspiracies, the Wario Apparition has become somewhat of a meme among internet culture.
 * An unused track belonging to the Wario Apparition has supposedly been dug up by Youtuber Planet Bobstar, and can be viewed here. However, he also claims that the song is fake in a later video, however in that later video, the way he words it (most notably "i'd like to thank nintendo for allowing me to speak") it could be him being paid off/threatened by Nintendo to keep quiet about the truth.