Fire Bar

From the Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia
(Redirected from Firebar)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Fire Bar
Artwork from a Fire Bar, from Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS.
Artwork of a Fire Bar from Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
Variants
Relatives
Comparable

Fire Bars (also formatted as Fire-Bars,[1][2][3] fire bars, or firebars[4]) are rotating bars made of fireballs first appearing in Super Mario Bros. They generally act as obstacles in castles and fortresses.

Fire Bars were originally created as obstacles for The Legend of Zelda, but when developers felt they looked better in the Super Mario franchise, Fire Bars appeared in a Super Mario game first. Following this, Fire Bars were passed between both Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda games.[5][6][4][7]

Fire Bars were also given notable appearances in certain castles of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which depicted them as swinging three-dimensionally. A three-dimensional Fire Bar depicted with eyes also appeared in the courses Waluigi Stadium and Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros.[edit]

Fire-Bars in World 5-4
FireRodSMB.gif

Fire-Bars make their debut in Super Mario Bros. They are not a living enemy and function more as an obstacle as they rotate around a block in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Because of this, they cannot be defeated. They often appear on the ceiling and floors of castles. In World 8-4, Fire-Bars only appear in an underwater section while there are none in the main castle section. They sometimes appear near ? Blocks to make it more difficult for Mario or Luigi to hit them. The first level in which they appear is World 1-4. If Mario or Luigi makes contact with one, he will take damage from the fire. In later games, they are replaced with similar-acting obstacles, such as Roto-Discs and Spinners. The first Fire-Bar in World 5-4 is composed of 12 fireballs, as opposed to the normal six fireball length. If the player beats the game and restarts on Hard Mode, Fire-Bars will appear in all possible locations in castles.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

World B-2
A long Fire-Bar in World B-2

Fire-Bars also appear in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, working as they do in Super Mario Bros.. Unlike in that game, longer Fire-Bars, composed of 12 fireballs, are more common.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

Lethal Lava Land fire bar.
Fire bars in Lethal Lava Land

In Super Mario 64, fire bars[8] appear for the first time in full 3D, uniquely appearing as short, spinning flamethrowers. In this game and Super Mario 64 DS, they appear only in Lethal Lava Land. Unlike fire bars' 2D appearances, here they spin horizontally.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

Swinging Bars of Doom

While they do not appear in the main game, Fire-Bars do appear in certain World-e levels in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, more specifically in Swinging Bars of Doom, An Aqueous Adventure and Classic World 1-4. They exist in two variations: either with one Fire-Bar around the axis, or with two Fire-Bars, both variations being of various lengths. In An Aqueous Adventure, where most of them are found underwater, there is even one with two pairs of Fire-Bars rotating in opposite directions.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

World 8-Tower 2 in the game New Super Mario Bros..
Fire Bars in New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Fire Bars first appear in World 6-4. They also appear in the second tower of World 8, and a lone one appears in Bowser's Castle. Here they act just like they do in Super Mario Bros., and are once again found more commonly on ceilings and floors.

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

Fire Bars in the Sling Pod Galaxy

In Super Mario Galaxy, they appear as obstacles in a number of different galaxies, including the Sling Pod Galaxy, the Toy Time Galaxy, Bowser's Star Reactor, and Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. They typically spin horizontally like in Super Mario 64, though a few can be found spinning vertically.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

An image from the Castle of World 8
A Fire Bar in New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Fire Bars only appear in World 8-Tower, World 8-Bowser's Castle, and World Coin-1, and are often used to guard Star Coins. A double Fire Bar also appears in the tower. In the castle, they are mainly seen in the first room, and only two are seen in the second room.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

Fire Bars in Bowser's Galaxy Generator

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Fire Bars' function is the same as in Super Mario Galaxy. They mainly appear in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla, Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet, the Slipsand Galaxy, and Bowser's Galaxy Generator. It is also of note that Fire Bars are used during the boss battle with Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine in his Boom Bunker, where they are integrated directly into the Boomsday Machine.

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

Fire Bars
Some Fire Bars in Special 8-Crown

Fire Bars reappear in Super Mario 3D Land. Here, they appear in most castles and World 8-6. As with all 3D installments of the Super Mario series, Fire Bars spin horizontally. The game introduces Spike Bars, similar obstacles which have spiked balls in place of fireballs.

New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

World Star-7.
Fire Bars in World Star-7

Fire Bars appear again in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They have the same pattern from both predecessors and may also sometimes hide Star Coins. Fire Bars only seem to be one fireball longer than past games. They mostly appear in castle levels and some World 6 levels.

New Super Mario Bros. U[edit]

Huge Fire Bars in Fire Bar Cliffs

Fire Bars reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, where they appear in Screwtop Tower and Slide Lift Tower. Huge Fire Bars also debut in this game, first appearing in Slide Lift Tower. Huge Fire Bars have an entire level based around them in Superstar Road called Fire Bar Cliffs.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Honeycomb Skyway from Super Mario 3D World.
Fire Bars in Super Mario 3D World

Fire Bars appear in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. This time, some of them rotate around Brick Blocks and ? Blocks. While Spike Bars do not reappear, some levels include spiked rollers that behave similarly to Spike Bars. Fire Bars also appear on Mount Magmeow.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

Fire Bar sprite themes in Super Mario Maker
Fire Bar sprite themes in Super Mario Maker
Fire Bar sprite themes in Super Mario Maker
Fire Bar sprite themes in Super Mario Maker
Fire Bar sprite themes in Super Mario Maker

Fire Bars reappear as a course element in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2. Their length and direction can be adjusted. The center block has a new sprite in the Super Mario Bros. theme, and new sprites were made for the Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World styles. In Super Mario Maker 2, they are absent from the Super Mario 3D World style, despite appearing in the source game.

Super Mario Run[edit]

Fire Bars reappear in Super Mario Run, as obstacles in the levels Fire Bar Castle! Youch! and Bowser's Bob-ombing Run. In Fire Bar Castle! Youch!, a Fire Bar appears during the battle with the fake Bowser.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

Fire Bars reappear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, first appearing in Shining Falls Special Triple Threat Deluge, and appearing in various levels afterwards, acting the same as in previous appearances.

Yoshi's Island series[edit]

A Fire-Bar in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

In the Yoshi's Island series, Fire-Bars appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, its Game Boy Advance version, and in Yoshi's Island DS. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Fire Bars appear in certain forts and castles, and they are depicted as swinging three-dimensionally. The traditional type reappears in Yoshi's Island DS.

Paper Mario series[edit]

Paper Mario[edit]

A Fire Bar as seen in Mt. Lavalava

In Paper Mario, the Fire Bars reappear in Koopa Bros. Fortress and Mt. Lavalava; this time they swing sideways. They also swing either clockwise or counter-clockwise. If Mario touches one, he loses some HP, but if Mario's partner touches one, nothing happens. Jumping over one of these Fire Bars causes it to swing faster. If Mario dodges one ten times, it will vanish and drop a number of coins. This is the first appearance in which Fire Bars can be destroyed.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

A fire bar in the Palace of Shadow

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they reappear in Bowser's third platform level. Here, they can be defeated by Bowser's fire breath. If Bowser comes in contact with the fireballs, they can either decrease his size or defeat him (if he is tiny). They also appear in the Palace of Shadow and have the same behavior as they do in Paper Mario.

Super Paper Mario[edit]

A Fire Bar from Super Paper Mario.
A Fire Bar in Yold Ruins
Fire Bar
A Fire Bar sprite in Super Paper Mario

Fire Bars reappear in Super Paper Mario. In the game, they act in a similar fashion as in Super Mario Bros. and appear in Chapter 1-4 and 8-2. Mario can flip into 3-D mode to avoid the Fire Bars.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Waluigi Stadium
Fire Bars in Waluigi Stadium
Fire Bar from Mario Kart 8
A Fire Bar in DS Wario Stadium in Mario Kart 8

Fire Bars make several appearances in the Mario Kart series, burning racers that drive through it. They make their first appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where they appear on the Waluigi Stadium and Bowser's Castle courses. The former has a Podoboo face on it and can be crashed into with a Star until it slows down back to its normal speed.

Fire Bars later return in Mario Kart DS, in the Wario Stadium course, although it lacks a Podoboo face and only has two fireballs on each three sides with the one in the center.

Fire Bars reappear once again in Mario Kart Wii, in the Waluigi Stadium retro course and the game's Bowser's Castle, although in this instance, the former retains the Podoboo face at the center while having the number of fireballs increased to four on each side while the latter lacks the Podoboo face and only has three fireballs on each side. They are also called Podoboo Cogs,[9] keeping consistency with their appearance.

Fire Bars make reappearances in Mario Kart 8's Bowser's Castle course and in the DS Wario Stadium retro course. Here the Fire Bars have the same forms as in Mario Kart DS. Similar obstacles, rings of fireballs called Fire Chains, appear in a few of these titles as well.

In Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, they appear in Bowser's Castle as gate obstacles with their appearance from the Super Mario Maker games.

Fire Bars are also objects in two K'NEX building sets based on Mario Kart Wii, where they are referred to as Fire Cogs.

Mario Party series[edit]

Bowser's Fire Bar Fury
Fire Bars in Bowser's Fire Bar Fury in Mario Party 10
Great Bars of Fire
Fire Bars in Mario Party: Island Tour

In the Mario Party series, Fire Bars appear in a few minigames. In Mario Party 4, Fire Bars appear in The Final Battle!, where they take away a heart from whoever touches them. In Mario Party: Island Tour, Fire Bars appear in Great Bars of Fire, where the players need to jump over or duck under them, and if a character hits a Fire Bar three times, they are out, and the last player standing wins. In Mario Party 10, Fire Bars appear in the Bowser Minigame Bowser's Fire Bar Fury. In Mario Party: The Top 100, Fire Bars return in the Mario Party 4 minigame The Final Battle!

Super Princess Peach[edit]

Sprite of a Fire Bar in Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, Fire Bars make their first appearances in Bowser's Villa as obstacles, damaging Peach when she comes into contact with them. Within the area, they appear in sections requiring Subrella, mirroring how they appeared in an underwater section of World 8-4 in Super Mario Bros. Fire Bars also appear in unlock-able levels Ladida Plains 1-9 and Hoo's Wood 2-9; in the former, only one appears in the Subrella section while in the latter, there are ten Fire Bars in total: five in the starting section and five in the Subrella section. When Peach is near a Fire Bar, it emits a swinging sound effect.

Horizontally-spinning Fire Bars with a different appearance appear in the minigame Toad Tote.

Wario: Master of Disguise[edit]

A Fire Bar in Sweatmore Peak from Wario: Master of Disguise
A Fire Bar in Wario: Master of Disguise

Fire Bars appear as obstacles inside Sweatmore Peak in Wario: Master of Disguise. They consist of several small fireballs which rotate around a larger fireball.

Mario & Sonic series[edit]

Fire Bars in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Fire Bars make a few appearances in the Mario & Sonic series. In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, a pair of Fire Bars appear during the second segment of the Mario World routine in Dream Figure Skating, where the characters jump over them. In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Fire Bars appear during the Bowser's Castle portion of Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular, where the characters jump over them at various stages during the routine.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

A Fire Bar in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
A Fire Bar in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fire Bars appear as an item. Once picked up, characters can attack others by swinging them, similar to the Beam Sword, although it is fairly powerful. However, every two hits from a Fire Bar causes it to lose a fireball, including blocked hits, shortening it in range. The fireballs closer to the base, however, deal more damage.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]

A Fire Bar in the Attackathon's Trio Whirligig mode.
Fire Bars in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Fire Bars appear in the Trio Whirligig minigame in the Arcade as obstacles. They are made up of two to seven bars, and touching one causes the minigame to end. Purple Fire Bars also appear in the mission "Bye-Bye, Boo."

Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]

A Fire Bar in Mario Golf: Super Rush

Fire Bars make their debut in the Mario Golf series in Mario Golf: Super Rush, exclusively appearing in the Bowser Highlands course. These Fire Bars are not connected to a block.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen![edit]

Mario and Kibidango confronting a Fire Bar in King Koopa's Castle.
The sole appearance of a Fire Bar in Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!

In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, a single Fire Bar briefly appears when Mario and Kibidango chase King Koopa through the catacombs of his castle. Unlike earlier and later depictions in the franchise, the Fire Bar doesn't materialize until the pair get close to it, and it dissipates after they leave the area.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, mechanical representations of Fire Bars appear in Princess Peach's training course.

Other appearances[edit]

Fire bars[10], or Guruguru bars[7], appear in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. As in the Super Mario franchise, they rotate continuously and are indestructible. However, some games play with this concept, such as with switches that change the direction of the bar's rotation. While 2D titles depict the center as a block, 3D titles redesign the center.

The Fire Bar appears in the Animal Crossing games as a furniture item.

In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Blaze Rods are replaced by Fire Bars, though the Fire Bar is not connected to a block.

Profiles[edit]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]

Trophy
Fire Bar
3DS:
FireBarTrophy3DS.png
Wii U:
Fire Bar's trophy render from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Category: Item
(Applies only to the Wii U version) Appears in:
NES Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)<br.Wii U New Super Mario Bros. U (11/2012)
(Applies only to the Wii U version) Trophy Box: 2: Swordfighter
How to unlock:
Random
A rotating row of fireballs found in the Mario series, most often as a fiery obstacle in Bowser's Castle. In this game, you can swing the fire bar at your enemies! It's a powerful weapon, but for every two times you swing and hit someone with it, one of the fireballs will burn out. And no fire means no fun. (American English)
A rotating row of fireballs found in the Mario series, most often as a fiery obstacle in Bowser's Castle. In this game, you can swing the fire bar at your enemies! It's a powerful weapon, but for every two times you connect when attacking with it, one of the fireballs will go out. And no fire means no fun. (British English)

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Fire Bar.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ファイアバー
Faia Bā
ぐるぐるバー[11]
Guru Guru Bā
Fire Bar

Spinning Bar (The Legend of Zelda series); alternate spelling shared with Spinning Spikes

Chinese 火焰棒
Huǒyàn bàng
Flame Club

Dutch Vuurbalk
Fire beam
French Barre de feu
Fire bar
German Feuerstab
Firestaff
Italian Barra di fuoco
Barra infuocata
Bar of fire
Fire bar
Korean 파이어바
Faieoba
Firebar

Portuguese Barreira de fogo[12]
Fire barrier
Russian Огненное препятствие
Ognennoye prepyatstviye
Fire obstacle

Spanish Cadena de Fuego
Barrera de Fuego
Fire Chain
Fire Barrier

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hiroo Tochikubo, How to win at Super Mario Bros., Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 4-19-720003-XC. Page 15.
  2. ^ Tatsumi Yamashita, The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 999832369X. Page 30.
  3. ^ M. Arakawa. Super Mario All-Stars Player's Guide. Pages 9 and 31.
  4. ^ a b Iwata Asks - Volume 2 : The History of Handheld The Legend of Zelda Games
  5. ^ The Men Who Made Zelda – Staff Interview. GlitterBerri's Game Translations. May 28, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  6. ^ Iwata Asks - New Super Mario Bros: Volume 2
  7. ^ a b Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 16 Bits Tab. "The rotating Guruguru bars that appear in A Link to the Past originated in Super Mario Bros., where they’re called Fire Bars. However, they were originally intended for The Legend of Zelda; the developers felt they looked better in a Super Mario game and passed them between titles."
  8. ^ M. Arakawa. Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Page 67. "Time your jump from the pole so you don’t get hit by the spinning fire bar."
  9. ^ Hodgson, David S. J. Mario Kart Wii Premiere Edition. Pages 92 and 128.
  10. ^ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past TOP SECRETS - Messages from Sahasrahla. Page 2. "The Moon Pearl is in the big chest on the fourth floor of the tower. To reach it, you need to jump into a hole on the fifth floor. The hole you need will appear when you step on the star tile near the fifth floor fire bar. Use the map to find the correct hole."
  11. ^ Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce Shogakukan guide, Jou volume. Page 134.
  12. ^ Nintendo Portugal. (December 2, 2019). Super Mario Maker 2 - A Master Sword, novas peças para níveis e muito mais! (Nintendo Switch). YouTube. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

External links[edit]