Ice Ball

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This article is about the recurring object. For the obstacle from New Super Mario Bros. 2, see Ice Ball (obstacle).
Ice Ball
Artwork of an Ice Ball from New Super Mario Bros. U.
Artwork of an Ice Ball from New Super Mario Bros. U
First appearance Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005)
Latest appearance Mario Golf: Super Rush (2021)
Variant of Fireball

An Ice Ball (also written as iceball or ice ball) is a projectile capable of freezing playable characters and enemies. Mario can gain the ability to shoot Ice Balls by using either an Ice Flower or a Penguin Suit, which will transform him into Ice Mario or Penguin Mario, respectively. Ice Bros. and Frost Piranhas are also capable of shooting Ice Balls. When shot, an Ice Ball will bounce along the ground briefly, then shatter. Ice Balls can be viewed as a parallel to fireballs.

History[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]

Iceballs first appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can shoot them at enemies when they use an Ice Flower. Unlike the Bro Flower, which gives the Burn status effect, the Ice Flower will give a random stat-down, either lowering the enemies' POW, DEF or Speed. The iceballs appear to be blue fireballs in this game.

Super Mario series[edit]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

Ice Balls would go on to make their first platformer appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad can attack with them if they manage to gain the Ice form by use of an Ice Flower, or the Penguin form by using a Penguin Suit.

Many enemies, upon being hit with an Ice Ball, will become frozen in a block of solid ice. Ice Balls can freeze a multitude of enemies, including fireproof ones such as Buzzy Beetles and Dry Bones. A frozen enemy, if it is ground-based and not overly large, can then be picked up and thrown, much like a Shell, taking out any enemies in its path. If left alone, a frozen enemy will break out of its ice block after a brief period of time.

A frozen enemy can be destroyed by having it collide into any surface, Ground Pounding it, jumping at it from beneath, tossing a Shell or another frozen enemy at it, jumping at a block with it, or touching it as Invincible Mario. If a frozen enemy collides into a playable character, the enemy will be destroyed. The character will get knocked back a bit, but will not take damage. If a frozen enemy is defeated, it will drop a Coin.

If an Ice Ball hits an airborne enemy, such as a Koopa Paratroopa, the frozen enemy will remain in mid-air for several seconds, before falling. During this brief time, the block of ice can be used as a stepping stone.

If an Ice Ball hits an aquatic enemy that does not resist it, it will float up towards the surface and never thaw out. It also cannot be broken or picked up in this state. The same applies to airborne enemies if their block of ice falls into the water. In some cases, the frozen enemy will be defeated and instantly vanish if the block of ice collides with a solid surface such as ground.

Certain enemies, particularly larger ones such as Big Piranha Plants and Thwomps, are impervious to being frozen; if they are hit by an Ice Ball, they will either freeze up and thaw out immediately, or will simply cause any Ice Balls that hit them to shatter upon contact.

Ice Balls can also be used to dispel the magical projectiles that are fired by Larry, Roy, Iggy, Morton, Ludwig and Kamek, as well as Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s Fireball attacks. Additionally, Ice Balls will destroy Lava Bubbles upon contact.

It is possible for a Yoshi to grab an Ice Ball with its tongue and hold it in its mouth. If the Yoshi spits out the Ice Ball, it becomes a bluish "fireball" that will travel forward indefinitely, freezing any enemies in its path.

Ice Bros. attack using Ice Balls, which will not only damage Mario if they hit him, but will temporarily freeze him within a block of ice. These Ice Balls are also capable of freezing other enemies should they hit any.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

As it plays similarly to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Ice Balls in New Super Mario Bros. U function essentially the same way as they did previously. Frost Piranhas also attack by spitting Ice Balls. However, much like the ones that a Yoshi can spit out, these Ice Balls will travel forward indefinitely, and are capable of freezing not only playable characters, but fellow enemies as well.

Paper Mario series[edit]

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

Ice Flower Stickers appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, granting Mario the ability to shoot Ice Balls at enemies. Ice Bros. also attack by shooting Ice Balls.

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

Ice Flower cards appear in Paper Mario: Color Splash and allow Mario to shoot Ice Balls as in the previous game. Ice Bros. also return and attack by shooting Ice Balls.

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

Ice Flowers and their Ice Balls also return in Paper Mario: The Origami King, working as in the prior games. Origami Ice Bros. also appear as enemies, throwing Ice Balls to attack.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]

In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Ice Luigi's special item is the Ice Ball, which can be thrown forward or backward. When hit, in addition to damage, the tires freeze and becomes unstable for a certain period of time.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Ice Balls appear in Mario Kart Tour, where if a driver with an Ice Flower as its special item uses one, three Ice Balls orbit around their kart, which they can throw in a spread-shot fashion, causing any opponents hit to freeze and slide for a period of time. An ice ball also appear in one of Ice Bro's trick animations.

Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]

Ice Balls appear in Mario Golf: Super Rush, where it is used by Luigi when he uses Ice Flower Freeze, his Special Shot. When used, his golf ball turns to an Ice Ball, which will cause the surrounding area that the golf ball lands on to become frozen. Within the frozen area, the friction of the golf ball is reduced. Nearby water and lava within the area can be frozen, but the Ice Ball itself cannot land in them. Even in frozen portions of water or lava, characters who travel on foot will be penalized, and it still counts as a Penalty Area (thus incurring a stroke penalty) even if the golf ball can land on the ice. In Target Golf, the Ice Ball is one of the possible golf balls to obtain in this mode's multiplayer only, where it freezes the surrounding area that lasts until the user takes their next shot.

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

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Iceball appears as the second of Luigi's custom variations of his Fireball move. While it does not travel as quickly as the standard Fireball, it has a longer range and can freeze opponents with higher damage percentages.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese アイスボール
Aisubōru
Iceball

Chinese 冰球
Bīng Qiú
Ice Ball

Korean 아이스볼
Aiseubol
Iceball

Spanish Bola de Hielo
Ice Ball