Special Item (Mario Kart series)

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Special Item
Fireball in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Mario's Special Item from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Fireball
First appearance Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Latest appearance Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Effect Varies for each character

A Special Item is a certain item that is obtainable only to a specific character or group of characters. Unlike a standard item, most of these items can be obtained in any place during a race, and while a character holds a Special Item in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the second character cannot have another Special Item from Item Boxes.

History[edit]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]

Special items make their debut in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where most characters have a special item assigned to them. Some special items are shared between pairs of characters (e.g. The Heart shared between Peach and Daisy), while others have matching counterparts (e.g. Yoshi's Egg and Birdo's Egg). Petey Piranha and King Boo are the only characters who can receive any special item excluding the green Fireball and Birdo's Egg (due to being counterparts to other items). Additionally, in Battle mode, all characters are able to use all the special items, but only Luigi can get a green Fireball while only Birdo can get a Birdo's Egg.

A Yoshi's Egg, Bowser's Shell, and Bob-omb also make a cameo as rainbow decorations in the background of Rainbow Road. Due to a mistake, the Heart decoration was misplaced out of the course where it cannot be seen in normal gameplay; however, it can be viewed through hacking.

Image Characters Instruction Booklet Description Notes
Fireball in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.Green fireball in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Fireballs 		Mario & Luigi They split up after they're thrown and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once. Returns in the form of the Fire Flower in later Mario Kart games.
A Heart in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Heart (new) 		Peach & Daisy Flying hearts surround the royal ladies' karts, and any item that hits them becomes theirs to use. A cute and handy item.
A Yoshi's Egg in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.A Birdo's Egg in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Yoshi's Egg and Birdo's Egg (new) 		Yoshi & Birdo These eggs roll down the road and home in on opponents. When they hit and break, they'll drop three more items.
Artwork of a Chain Chomp in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (reused for Super Mario Strikers)
Chain Chomp (new) 		Baby Mario & Baby Luigi This fearsome beast chases karts with reckless abandon, pulling the babies behind it at breakneck speeds. Returns as a regular item in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
Artwork of a Golden Mushroom in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (also reused for Mario Kart DS)
Golden Mushroom 		Toad & Toadette N/A
(Temporarily allows consecutive speed boosts) 		Was a regular item prior to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and returns as a regular item in future Mario Kart games.
Artwork of Triple Green Shells in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (also used for Mario Kart DS)Artwork of Triple Red Shells in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (also used for Mario Kart DS)
Triple Green Shells and Triple Red Shells 		Koopa & Paratroopa Don't let Koopa and Paratroopa worry about not having enough shells. Get three at a time! Was a regular item prior to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and returns as a regular item in future Mario Kart games.
A Giant Banana in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Giant Banana (new) 		Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong Only DK and Diddy know where these monstrous fruit can be found. Once they're in the road, they're tough to manoeuvre around.
Bowser's Shell in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Bowser's Shell (new) 		Bowser & Bowser Jr. An awe-inspiring giant shell! As it careens down the road, slamming and ramming into karts, it's the very image of Bowser himself.
Artwork of a Bob-omb in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (reused for Mario Kart DS and Super Mario Strikers)
Bob-omb (new) 		Wario & Waluigi Take aim and give your opponents an explosive surprise. Mess up, and you might just hit yourself! This item's dangerous... Was a regular item prior to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and returns as a regular item in future Mario Kart games.

Mario Kart Arcade GP[edit]

Special items appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP. They are specific to certain characters with each character having six special items. All special items must be unlocked by winning races.

Item Characters Category
Star Mario and Luigi Status
Hammer Mario and Luigi Melee
Fireball Mario and Luigi Shoots forward or backward
Chain Chomp Mario and Luigi Lock-on shot
Block Mario and Luigi Drops backward
Special Coin Mario and Luigi Status
Star Mark Banana Donkey Kong Status
10T Hammer Donkey Kong Melee
Barrel Donkey Kong Shoots forward or backward
Giant Banana Donkey Kong Drops backward
Conga Donkey Kong Other
Delicious Banana Donkey Kong Status
Shell Body Bowser Status
Flaming Tender Bowser Other
Bowser Shell Bowser Shoots forwards or backwards
Thwomp Bowser Drops backward
Bullet Bill Bowser Shoots backward
Meat Bowser Status
Wario Car Wario Status
Stretch Punch Wario Melee
Bob-omb Wario Drops backward
Snot Bomb Wario Shoots forward or backward
Fart Gas Wario Drops backward
Garlic Wario Status
Miracle Mushroom Toad Status
Mushroom Hammer Toad Status
Mushroom Powder Toad Drops backward
Poison Mushroom Toad Shoots forward or backward
Sick Mushroom Toad Shoots backward
Fine Mushroom Toad Status
Egg Body Yoshi Status
Whacking Fan Yoshi Melee
Mystery Egg Yoshi Drops backward
Rolling Egg Yoshi Shoots forward or backward
Tongue Yoshi Other
Melon Yoshi Status
Power Pill Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Status
Quack Hammer Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Melee
Rally-X Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Drops backward
Galaga Boss Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Shoots forward
Pooka Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Shoots forward or backward
Fairy Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Status
Princess's Drink Peach Status
Frying Pan Peach Melee
Piranha Plant Peach Drops backward
Peach's Bird Peach Shoots forward or backward
Heart Peach Other
Cake Peach Status
Monster Shield Blinky Status
Monster's Hammer Blinky Melee
Flare Ball Blinky Drops backward
Petit Monster Blinky Shoots forward or backward
Ghost Morph Blinky Status
Monster Pill Blinky Status

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2[edit]

Special items return in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. Mario Coins can be collected to unlock character-exclusive special items.

Item Characters Category
Star Any character Status
Hammer Mario and Luigi Melee
Fireball Mario and Luigi Shoots forward or backward
Chain Chomp Mario and Luigi Lock-on shot
10T Hammer Donkey Kong Melee
DK Barrel Donkey Kong Shoots forward or backward
Giant Banana Donkey Kong Drops backward
Flaming Tender Bowser Other
Bowser Shell Bowser Shoots forward or backward
Thwomp Bowser Drops backward
Stretch Punch Wario Melee
Bob-omb Wario Drops backward
Snot Bomb Wario Shoots forward or backward
Mushroom Hammer Toad Status
Mushroom Powder Toad Drops backward
Poison Mushroom Toad Shoots forward or backward
Whacking Fan Yoshi Melee
Rolling Egg Yoshi Shoots forward or backward
Tongue Yoshi Other
Rally-X Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Drops backward
Galaga Boss Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Shoots forward
Pooka Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man Shoots forward or backward
Frying Pan Peach Melee
Piranha Plant Peach Drops backward
Peach's Bird Peach Shoots forward or backward
Monster's Hammer Blinky Melee
Flare Ball Blinky Drops backward
Petit Monster Blinky Shoots forward or backward
Bagubagutchi Mametchi Drops backward
Chibi Syrup Mametchi Lock-on shot
Mame Block Mametchi Shoots forward or backward

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]

Special items reappear in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. However, unlike previous entries, these items are not assigned to a specific character; instead, special items are one of three categories of items which are randomly chosen for players to use prior to any race.

Palette swap exclusives[edit]

Alternate costumes of characters will enable the use of an exclusive item only available to that swap, working more like traditional special items. These exclusive items may appear either as an attacking item or a special item.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Main section: Special skill (Mario Kart Tour) § Driver skills

Special items reappear in Mario Kart Tour, now assigned to drivers as "special skills". Uniquely, Gold Mario makes use of a different special item, the Coin Box, during Coin Rush on N64 Frappe Snowland, while his special item in regular races is the Fire Flower instead.

Gallery[edit]

  • Mario using the Fire Flower
    Mario using the Fire Flower
  • Yoshi using the Yoshi's Egg against Koopa Troopa
    Yoshi using the Yoshi's Egg against Koopa Troopa
  • Daisy using the Heart
    Daisy using the Heart