Ring Shot
Ring Shot is a type of minigame played in the Mario Tennis series. The overall objective of Ring Shot is to hit balls into rings with the assistance of another character on the other side of the court. Specific rules, such as how score is determined and when a match is over, vary per game.
History[edit]
Mario Tennis series[edit]
Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)[edit]
This article is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: DK Jr.'s and Shy Guy's opponents
Ring Shot debuts as one of the Play Modes in Mario Tennis. In this mode, players are able to compete in several contests to see how many rings they can collect in various challenges. In all challenges except the Game mode, the characters alternate serving every two turns. Three rings appear on the court at a time. Each time the player collects one, a new one will appear. There are four different types of challenges in Ring Shot:
- Game: The player must collect rings by playing against an opponent. Rings hit are accumulated during a point, and are then awarded to player if they win the point. The match ends if the player wins the required amount of rings. If the player wins or loses the set without reaching the required amount, they still lose.
- Time: The player must collect rings within the time limit. Even if the player misses a ball, they'll get to serve, or be served to, again.
- Ball: The player must collect rings with a total of five balls, losing one with every miss. Fault serves do not count as a missed ball.
- Points: The player must collect enough points by hitting rings before the time expires. In this mode, rings grow in size over time. The value of each ring decreases over time, with the smallest ones starting at five points, while the largest ones are worth one point. This version of Ring Shot in this game later returned in the Ring Shot mode in Mario Tennis Open.
Each Ring Shot mode is further divided into five flags, with each flag representing the amount of rings or points required to beat it. The opponents faced in each flag are the same for every type of challenge, but vary per character.
When playing as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Baby Mario, Toad, Yoshi and Donkey Kong:
| Flag | Opponent |
|---|---|
| First | Boo |
| Second | Birdo |
| Third | Paratroopa |
| Fourth | Wario |
| Fifth | Waluigi |
When playing as Wario, Waluigi, Birdo, Bowser, Paratroopa and Boo:
| Flag | Opponent |
|---|---|
| First | Toad |
| Second | Yoshi |
| Third | Peach |
| Fourth | Donkey Kong |
| Fifth | Luigi |
In multiplayer modes, players and/or teams compete who can get 50, 100, or 200 rings. In Doubles Match, the music is different than usual, and players can score rings either in Teams (two players on the same team) or in Battle Royale (individual players per team).
Mario Power Tennis[edit]
Ring Shot returns as a mode in Mario Power Tennis, using only a single ruleset similar to the Game and Points modes from Mario Tennis. During a point of Ring Shot, each side of the court can collect Charge by hitting balls through rings. When a side wins a point, their Charge is added to their total Ring Points. The losing side's Charge is split in two, with half going towards their own total points, and the other half going toward's the winner's Charge. The match then resumes as normal. The first side to reach the target Ring Points (which can be 100, 200 or 500 points) wins. There are always five rings in play, with a new one spawning whenever one is collected. The rings start small, growing in size and decreasing in points value.
Mario Tennis Open[edit]
Ring Shot is one of the four special games in Mario Tennis Open. In the game, the player must attempt to hit the ball into rings, which increase in size. This awards Ring Points. When rings are at their smallest, they are worth five points. Their point values decrease by one as the rings grow, until they get their largest and are worth one point. Hitting the ball into multiple rings in one stroke earns the player combo points. The level is completed if the player acquires a certain amount of points in a certain amount of time (this depends on the difficulty level). The rings are initially vertical and close to the net, but in the third and challenge levels, the rings are higher up and sometimes placed horizontally or slanted towards the player. Baby Peach can be unlocked by completing the third level in this game. Additionally, a Princess Peach costume can be unlocked by obtaining 800 points in Ring Shot Challenge, and a Daisy one can be unlocked by collecting 700 points in the same level, but with another player.
This mode has several levels with varying goals, with each difficulty having an assigned opponent. If the player chooses to play as that character, a secondary opponent, presented in parenthesis, is instead used:
- Novice Rings: The player must earn 200 Ring Points within one minute. Assisted by Yoshi (or Diddy Kong).
- Amateur Rings: The player must earn 350 Ring Points within two minutes. Assisted by Peach (or Daisy).
- Pro Rings: The player must earn 500 ring points within three minutes. Assisted by Luigi (or Mario). Completion unlocks Baby Peach.
- Ring Shot Challenge: The player must earn as many ring points as possible within three minutes. Assisted by Donkey Kong (or Bowser).
This is the only special game that can be done in any court, except Galaxy Arena, for all levels.
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
Upon release, Mario Tennis Aces did not contain a Ring Shot game mode, although various post-launch updates saw the inclusion of Ring Shot challenges. In update 2.0.0, the Ruins of Trials world was added to the game's Adventure mode, featuring the mission Ancient Trial Ring Shot Challenge. The mission functioned similarly to previous Ring Shot modes, with the player working alongside a transparent clone in order to score points by hitting balls through rings. Rings are again worth one to five points based on their size, with additional red rings being worth double.
Update 2.1.0 added Yoshi's Ring Shot, a Co-op Challenge for four players that was active from December 1, 2018 to January 10, 2019. In this challenge, players play as one of four colored Yoshis: Green, Blue, Red or Yellow. The game works in the same way as the Adventure mode mission "Ancient Trial Ring Shot Challenge", with the following changes: Five rings now appear in the court at once. Rings can appear in red, yellow or blue colors, being worth double points if they are hit by a ball sent by a Yoshi of their respective color. Scoring 20, 50 and 80 thousand points in the challenge unlocks the Blue, Red and Yellow Yoshi outfits, respectively.
Update 3.0.0 introduced an offline Ring Shot mode, featuring three types of games: Ring Shot Singles, Ring Shot Doubles, and Yoshi's Ring Shot, an offline version of the previous Co-op Challenge. in Ring Shot Singles and Doubles, players are able to compete or cooperate with another player or pair in order to score points in the same rules as the Adventure mode mission "Ancient Trial Ring Shot Challenge". Similarly, the offline version of Yoshi's Ring Shot works identically to its Co-op Challenge iteration, with the exception that the only Yoshi costume awarded is the Purple Yoshi costume, given by completing the Advanced VS Challenge. The 3.0.0 update also included a re-run of the Yoshi's Ring Shot Co-op Challenge, from April 14, 2019 to June 1, 2019. Instead of Blue, Red and Yellow Yoshis, the costumes awarded during this challenge were the Orange, Pink and Light-Blue Yoshis.
Lastly, with update 3.1.0, the Co-op Challenges, which include Yoshi's Ring Shot, began rotating monthly. Blue, Red and Yellow Yoshi costumes are now awarded during February and August, while Orange, Pink and Light-Blue Yoshis are awarded during May and November.
Mario Sports Superstars[edit]
Ring Challenge is a Training mode for Tennis found in Mario Sports Superstars. It plays similarly to the Ring Shot game mode in Mario Tennis Open, with rings varying from five to one point depending on their size. Hitting multiple rings at once grants the player extra points, and red rings are worth twice as much as their regular counterparts. There are four skill levels for the Tennis Ring Challenge mode:
- Easy: The player must earn 500 Ring Points within two minutes. Assisted by Yoshi.
- Normal: The player must earn 450 Ring Points within two minutes. Assisted by Peach.
- Hard: The player must earn 400 Ring Points within two minutes. Assisted by Luigi.
- Pro: There is no goal number, and the player must earn as many Ring Points as possible within two minutes. Assisted by Donkey Kong.
Gallery[edit]
The Tennis Ring Challenge in Mario Sports Superstars
Yoshi's Ring Shot in Mario Tennis Aces
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | リングショット[1] Ringu shotto |
Ring Shot | |
| French | Défi anneaux[?] | Ring Challenge | |
| French (NOE) | Ring Shot[2] | - | Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64) |
| Tir aux Anneaux[2] | Ring Shooting | ||
| Italian | Tiro all'Anello[?] | Ring Shot | |
| Portuguese | Tiro ao Aro[?] | Ring Shot | |
| Spanish | Tiro al anillo[?] | Ring Shot |
Yoshi's Ring Shot[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヨッシーのカラフルリング[3] Yosshī no karafuru ringu |
Yoshi's colorful ring |
References[edit]
- ^ Mario Tennis instruction manual. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 23. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ a b Mario Tennis instruction manual. Nintendo (French). Page 64. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ 『マリオテニス エース』Ver.3アップデート！ 新モード「リングショット」登場！. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2025.
| Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Playable characters | Default | Mario • Luigi • Princess Peach • Princess Daisy • Toad • Wario • Waluigi • Bowser • Donkey Kong • Yoshi • Birdo • Baby Mario • Koopa Paratroopa • Boo |
| Unlockable | Shy Guy • Donkey Kong Jr. | |
| Transfer | Alex • Nina • Harry • Kate | |
| Non-playable characters | Lakitu • Koopa Troopa • Bob-omb • Bob-omb Buddy • Piranha Plant | |
| Courts | Open Court • Hard Court • Clay Court • Grass Court • Composition Court • Mario Bros. Court • Baby Mario & Yoshi Court • Wario & Waluigi Court • Donkey Kong Court • Mario & Luigi Court • Birdo & Yoshi Court • Super Mario Court • Peach Court • Yoshi Court • Wario Court • Waluigi Court • Bowser Court • Piranha Court | |
| Cups | Mushroom Cup • Flower Cup • Star Cup • Rainbow Cup • Moonlight Cup • Planet Cup | |
| Miscellaneous | Media • Waluigi's Foot Fault | |
| Mario Tennis Open | ||
|---|---|---|
| Playable characters | Default | Mario • Luigi • Princess Peach • Yoshi • Princess Daisy • Boo • Bowser Jr. • Diddy Kong • Donkey Kong • Waluigi • Wario • Bowser |
| Unlockable | Luma • Baby Mario • Baby Peach • Dry Bowser | |
| Obtained from QR code | Red Yoshi • Blue Yoshi • Light Blue Yoshi • Yellow Yoshi • Pink Yoshi • Black Yoshi • White Yoshi • Metal Mario | |
| Non-playable characters | Toad • Lakitu • Toads • Goomba • Mechakoopa • Penguin • Shy Guy • Koopa Troopa • Piranha Plant • Inky Piranha Plant • Buzzy Beetle • Koopa Paratroopa | |
| Courts | Mario Stadium • Mushroom Valley • Wario Dunes • DK Jungle • Bowser's Castle • Penguin Iceberg • Peach's Palace • Galaxy Arena | |
| Cups | Mushroom Cup • Flower Cup • Banana Cup • Champions Cup • 1-Up Mushroom Cup • Ice Flower Cup • Shell Cup • Final Cup | |
| Special Games | Ring Shot • Super Mario Tennis • Galaxy Rally • Ink Showdown | |
| Miscellaneous | Emblem • Gallery • Gear • Multimedia • Staff | |
