The Dark Bones appeared in 2004 videogame called Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The Dark Bones are enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They are the most powerful type of Dry Bones. Instead of being pale gray with red shoes, they are indigo with purple shoes. Dark Bones are only found in the Palace of Shadow, where they are seen twice, once in a corridor and yet again in Riddle Tower. A certain Dark Bones' pre-battle speech seems to indicate that it has been ordered to keep the Shadow Queen from awakening.
In battle, Dark Bones behave like regular Dry Bones, having the same moves and stats except much higher HP. After being defeated in both areas they appear in, they cannot be fought again.
Dark Bones returns in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers as a playable character and alternate team player of Dry Bones. In the former, he is called Red Dry Bones, and in the latter's challenge mode, he kidnaps Dixie Kong and battles Mario and Co. In these games, he wears red-tinted gloves and shoes, hence his name in the former. Unlike the other Dry Bones, he has a spike on his nose, as well has having several on the back of his shell.
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft, the Wither Skeletons are reskinned to be Dark Bones.