Cannon
- This article is about the recurring objects in the Super Mario franchise. For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation).
- Not to be confused with Kannon.
| Cannon | |||
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 Artwork from Super Mario Run | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! (1986) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025) | ||
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- “Hey! Mario!!! Great timing! I could use a hand here! I'm kind of...stuck.”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Cannons appear in the Super Mario franchise as objects that launch cannonballs, though some of them shoot objects, other projectiles, and sometimes even characters. Cannons are usually indestructible components of the environment. They have a more basic appearance and use than Bill Blasters, which specifically shoot out Bullet Bills.
History[edit]
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen![edit]
A cannon appears in Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! atop one of the towers of the castle, when Mario, Luigi, and Kibidango are approaching it via the floating ship. A Koopa Troopa is seen manning it, but the ship crumbles atop it before it can be used, toppling it down.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Cannons appear in Super Mario Bros. 3 as obstacles. They continue firing cannonballs when touched and appear on floors oftentimes. Some are fixed on ceilings. As seen in several airships, grounded cannons are aimed diagonally upwards while ceiling cannons are aimed diagonally downward. These levels may also include four-barreled quartet-cannons and two-barreled diagonal cannons. In the tank and boat levels, other variations are introduced. Gun barrels take the form of turrets resembling small pipes that fire straight ahead like Turtle Cannons, and some pipe-sized big guns fire giant cannonballs. Additionally, some regular-looking cannons act as mortars that eject Bob-ombs at short distances.
Super Mario World[edit]
While no normal cannons appear in Super Mario World, a pipe variety called Pipe Cannons make an appearance. They are slanted pipes that shoot Mario or Luigi diagonally as part of a screen transition.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
- “Ready for blastoff! Come on, hop into the cannon!”
- —Bob-omb Buddy, Super Mario 64
Cannons, this time colored blue, are a vital gameplay element in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. There is at least one cannon found in ten levels in these games, as well as one secret stage. Each of the cannons that can be found throughout the games is under the control of Bob-omb Buddies. The player must successfully locate and talk to the Bob-omb Buddies in each level in order to access the cannon or cannons for that particular level. Until they do, the cannons remain covered by a metal hatch with a picture of a Bob-omb Buddy on it, and are inaccessible. The location of each Bob-omb Buddy becomes increasingly difficult to find as Mario progresses through the game.
When a cannon has been unlocked, the metal hatch slides away, revealing a square hole in the ground. In order to use the cannon, Mario needs to only drop down into this hole. The cannon then rises out of the hole, and the player can use it to fire Mario to previously unreachable areas. When Mario has entered a cannon, a targeting reticle appears on the screen, allowing the player to aim the cannon where they want Mario to go. Once the cannon is locked on target, the player must press the 
button to fire (or 
in the remake). The player should aim slightly higher than the area they wish to shoot Mario to, as the height of Mario's trajectory tends to gradually decrease after he is fired from the cannon. Mario will not take falling damage if he is fired from a cannon. If the player collects a Wing Cap before entering a cannon, the player can fly around as Wing Mario immediately after being fired from the cannon, without needing to perform a Triple Jump to take off first. Cannons cannot be unlocked until after the first mission is completed.
In Bob-omb Battlefield, there is a cannon controlled by a Bob-omb that Mario can never access due to the cannon shooting water bombs.
There is also a cannon outside the Mushroom Castle, though it is covered by a small metal grate as opposed to a metal hatch. The cannon can be unlocked and used only after Mario has collected all 120 Power Stars in the game. When the cannon is used, the player is able to access the roof of the Mushroom Castle, where Yoshi and a hidden Wing Cap await. For the DS version, the cannon is unlocked after 150 Power Stars are collected, after which Luigi can capture the green minigame rabbit from the roof.
In the Whomp's Fortress mission "Blast Away the Wall," Mario must shoot himself out of a cannon in order to obliterate the topmost section of a nearby wall, which releases the hidden Power Star.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
In Super Mario Sunshine, there are very few Cannons,[1] most of which are operated by Monty Moles. These cannons are completely red in color, have a large dome shape, and have three openings from which multiple Bullet Bills, Purple Bullet Bills, and Golden Bullet Bills can be shot. They effectively take the place of Bill Blasters in this regard. When Mario approaches the cannons, the Monty Moles cease firing Bullet Bills at him, and instead begin pelting Mario with multiple Bob-ombs, which Mario must defuse (by spraying them) and then throw back at the mole to defeat it.
The first cannon that is encountered in this game is found on the upper west side of Delfino Plaza. When Mario first comes across it, a Pianta mechanic working inside it tells Mario that it is unfortunately out of order, and therefore unable to be used at the moment. However, after Shadow Mario has kidnapped Princess Peach and taken her to Pinna Island, the cannon becomes accessible, and Mario is able to use it to shoot himself to Pinna Island to pursue Shadow Mario. From this point on, the cannon continues to act as Mario's only means of transport to Pinna Park, which he must return to every time he wishes to travel there. When Mario enters this cannon, he is automatically shot to the island, without needing to aim first.
The second cannon in the game can be found near the entrance to Pinna Park, and is manned by a Monty Mole. In the episode "The Beach Cannon's Secret", Mario must dodge incoming Bullet Bills and make his way to the cannon, where he must throw Bob-ombs at the Monty Mole to defeat it. After it has been defeated, Mario must enter the cannon's opening to complete a Secret Level and return to Delfino Plaza. Mario can also use the Bullet Bills fired from the cannon as an opportunity to collect many Blue Coins, which are hidden under baskets that can only be broken open by Bullet Bills.
The third and final cannon in the game is found in Episode 1 of Noki Bay. In this episode, the cannon is positioned atop an extremely large cork, and continuously shoots out Glorpedoes which gradually fall down cliff faces and cause widespread pollution in the area. Mario must make his way to the top area of Noki Bay until he reaches the area with the cannon. Again, he must defuse Bob-ombs and then throw them back at the Monty Mole to defeat it. This time, the entire cannon explodes when defeated, and the cork blocking the waterfall is dislodged, releasing the Shine Sprite for that episode.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
A type of cannon called a Warp Cannon appears in New Super Mario Bros. These cannons blast Mario or Luigi to a different world. They are usually unlocked by finding a red-flag exit in a level. Upright Pipe Cannons also appear, and this time blast Mario or Luigi straight upwards when entered.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Cannons in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port fulfill largely the same role as those in Super Mario 64, but with added enhancements; the player can now use the 
to aim. The 
button fires the cannon and Mario or Luigi can get to high places and Power Stars. He is not shot in an arc, however. He keeps going in a straight line and can lose a life if shot out of the gameplay area, as he does not fall down unless he hits a surface.
In the Super Mario 3D All-Stars and 2025 Nintendo Switch ports of Super Mario Galaxy, the player can no longer pan the camera while in cannons by holding down 
and moving the controller away from the screen, due to the lack of a Sensor Bar.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, upward-pointed mortars that fire Bob-ombs reappear in World 4-
Airship. They are also found in the indoor portion of World 7-
Tower, some of which are mounted to the ceiling. The upward and downward-pointed cannons that fire cannonballs diagonally from Super Mario Bros. 3 appear in World 8-Airship, and now routinely rotate their barrel to the other direction before firing again. In addition, the rotating quartet-cannons and horizontal big guns return in this level.
Warp Cannons and Pipe Cannons from New Super Mario Bros. also appear.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Cannons in Super Mario Galaxy 2 appear only in Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, where they are mostly used in place of Launch Stars. In the Throwback Galaxy, the cannon from Whomp's Fortress is replaced by a Sling Star. Cannons in these games are mostly the same as the original, but there is a target to land on. If the hero manages to hit the center, he gets an extra life.
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Cannons[2] in Super Mario 3D Land function similarly as in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. They appear in several courses, and can now be controlled by moving the Nintendo 3DS around, just like the binoculars. Cannons are also provided by Toad for either Mario or Luigi, and are often found in the level after his Toad House stage. These cannons are used by the heroes to gain access to the airship levels where either Boom Boom or Pom Pom appear to challenge them.
The cannons in this game share the same color scheme of that with a black body and blue outlines.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Warp Cannons return in New Super Mario Bros. 2, though they act much different than before. In addition to a dark blue color scheme instead of a black color scheme, they gain access to 'Dash Mario' stages, which have Mario or Luigi continuously running through a short Subspace-esque setting dodging enemies and timing jumps to get through the level, with optional coins to collect which also act as a guide to getting through the level. Collecting a row of coins causes an audience to clap. Completing these stages allows Mario to gain access to other worlds.
Pipe Cannons also return from the previous games, acting much in the same way. These pipes first appear in World 1-A. Mortars called Bob-omb Cannons appear in World 2-B that launch them as Para-bombs. They are the only enemy artillery in the game.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
In New Super Mario Bros. U, boss cannons[3] take an important role in castles. After Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad finish the castle, they run up a flight of stairs and jump inside the cannon and blast into one of the Koopalings' airships and start the Koopaling battle. Pipe Cannons also appear in levels and in the world map, the latter of which is used to travel to other worlds. The normal cannons and big guns from Super Mario Bros. 3 also appear and act in the same way; they appear in The Mighty Cannonship as well as in the Bowser's Airship Sneak and Airship 1-Up Rally challenges.
Bob-omb Cannons appear exclusively in New Super Luigi U, in which the normal enemy cannons are absent.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Cannons also appear in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury in the Tank and Express levels during cutscenes at the beginning of the levels near Sprixies to transport the player to the stage and as enemies, most prominently appearing in World Star-9 (Cosmic Cannon Cluster), and attack like in previous games. If a Brick Block is destroyed under a cannon, it changes into a Cannon Box, which can be used to attack enemies and destroy cracked walls.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
Cannons in Super Mario Maker and its Nintendo 3DS version fire cannonballs as usual, and can be set in one of eight directions. Cannons are usable in every game style. Super Mario Maker introduces a red variation that fires red cannonballs which travel faster. Adding a Super Mushroom makes it larger. Unlike Bill Blasters, items and enemies cannot be placed inside a cannon; therefore, it can only shoot cannonballs. They can be defeated by big Stilettos.
In all styles except the New Super Mario Bros. U style, while the editor icons depict a unique sprite of a cannon aimed diagonally, the level sprite for such a cannon is actually the horizontal or vertical cannon sprite rotated 45 degrees, as shown in the image on the right.
The American English description from the Nintendo 3DS eShop erroneously says that cannons can shoot coins.
Super Mario Run[edit]
Cannons in Super Mario Run appear in Airship Cannons...Fire! and Airship Armada. They are timed to fire cannonballs at specific moments during their on-screen duration. Cannonballs are explicitly meant to be bounced from, with trails of coins in arcs lining up with the position of a cannonball. Cannons sometimes appear in sets of two or three, firing cannonballs aligned with each other. This makes it easier to bounce from at least one of the cannonballs.
A different type of cannon, a larger blue one with screw in the middle and a yellow rim, appear in the courses Slope to Success, Pokey Vaulting, Land of Spikes, and Airship Armada. When walked on, the player enters these as though they are a Warp Pipe. Afterward, the cannon turns to reach a starting angle, then rotates back and forth, reversing direction at two specified angles. The player can tap the screen to fire back out, comparable to a Barrel Cannon in nature. The player starts off flying in a straight line, then reverts to normal movement after a short time. Most angles that cannons shoot in have the player careen forward with their arms outstretched, but sufficiently vertical angles use the jumping animation. This is unlike Pipe Cannons. During the launch, no other abilities or moves can be used. The Midair Stall also does not work, but one can enter a bubble. Taking damage cuts the flight short. The cannon reverts to its default orientation after firing. Cannons lose their collision while a character is inside them.
Some cannons will have a different way of moving. Instead or rotating, they slide up and down on a track. After firing, such cannons will rotate back to normal then move back to their base position. Some cannons found in Secret Courses do not do move in either of the two ways, instead being static once the player is ready to launch. Certain cannons are linked to Blue Coins. Entering the cannon makes the coins appear, and the coins will disappear after a short time. This timer is unrelated to firing the cannon. If the player reenters a cannon of this kind, the Blue Coins the player already collected do not appear again.
Fireworks cannons are buildings in Kingdom Builder mode. They are large cannons with a similarity to the Warp Cannon from New Super Mario Bros. 2 that and point directly upward. All of them take up a 2x2 space and have a rank of 5★. The Fireworks Cannon is mostly similar to the Warp Cannon though the base has a yellow square lower layer, a gray circle top layer, and orange pieces on the edge of the gray section. When a Fireworks Cannon is tapped, it shoots pink fireworks in a Super Mushroom pattern. The Silver Fireworks Cannon changes the colors, being mostly silver but with blue accents on the base. When tapped, it shoots a pink firework, a blue firework, and then a pink and yellow Fire Flower firework. The Gold Fireworks Cannon is larger than the prior two, and is mostly gold with red portions on the base. When tapped, it shoots four fireworks: one pink, one blue, one yellow, then one pink. It ends on a Super Star firework incorporating all three colors. An event added the 1st Anniversary Fireworks Cannon. It is based on the Gold Fireworks Cannon but has silver parts on the base and a "1" printed on the cannon in the same silver color. The same arrangement of fireworks from the Gold Fireworks Cannon occurs with the 1st Anniversary Fireworks Cannon, except that the final firework is of Mario's head. Sometimes a Toad can be seen examining a fireworks cannon occasionally lightly knocking against it. They can also balance on the rim of any fireworks cannon. A Toad can sleep on the side of a Gold Fireworks Cannon or 1st Anniversary Fireworks Cannon.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Cannons and their red variations return in Super Mario Maker 2, where they behave as they did in the game's predecessor, appearing in all styles except the Super Mario 3D World style.
In the version 3.0.0 update for Super Mario Maker 2, the Cannon Box appears as a power-up.
Donkey Kong franchise[edit]
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)[edit]
Cannons in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong appear in a variety of forms. In the Desert, the cannons have a dated look taken from the Middle Ages (the image on the left); on the Airplane, cannons are made out of steel and look more contemporary (middle image). Both types of cannons retain the same basic function and fire out bullets that look like Bullet Biffs, acting similar to the seed-spitting Dōryī except they sometimes fire two shots at a time. In later Airplane levels, different cannons charge up energy balls and routinely change their angle of fire, shooting diagonally and upwards as well (the image on the right). If Mario gets hit by any of their projectiles, he loses a life.
Donkey Kong Country series[edit]
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]
Kannons,[4] as they are called, appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as objects found in show levels with kannonballs lying around. A kannon can be activated from throwing a kannonball into it, upon which it will start flashing green, and then entering it, launching the characters to a Bonus Area. Kannons are first seen in Mainbrace Mayhem, and only appear in levels with kannonballs lying around. There is also a Kremling enemy named Kannon, whose name is based on the kannon it carries around. In a Japanese commercial for the game, the kannons on the Gangplank Galleon's gun port use a set of five disembodied Donkey Kong heads and the number 2 as ammo.[5]
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]
A cannon appears in the original version of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! only. After Dixie and Kiddy clear Belcha's Barn, a cannon appears on top and blasts the Kongs back to the start of Lake Orangatanga. It does not appear in the Game Boy Advance version, since the player always returns to the main overworld immediately after clearing a boss stage.
In addition, Bazooka's "Big Bessie" is a cannon that the Kongs may use to reach Sky-High Secret, the secret cave in Mekanos, which is suspended by a crane.
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)[edit]
Cannons in the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country are on the sides of the Gang-Plank Galleon in the final stage of Crosshair Cranky, and they must be destroyed to win.
Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]
Cannons[6] appear as objects in Donkey Kong Land 2, and are functionally identical to their appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
Donkey Kong 64[edit]
A single cannon appears in Donkey Kong 64 in the Gloomy Galleon stage. To use it, Chunky Kong must put a cannonball into it. He must use the cannon to fire cannonballs at moving targets on the wall. By hitting enough targets, Chunky is awarded with a Golden Banana.
Mario is Missing![edit]
Luigi had to return the Cannonball from the Emperor's Cannon to the Kremlin in Mario is Missing!
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series[edit]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]
Two types of cannons appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its Nintendo Switch remake. In Merry Mini-Land, Mystic Forest, and Mystic Forest Plus, there are cannons mounted on walls that shoot cannonballs, tilting up and down. Touching these cannonballs will defeat Mario. In the latter two worlds in addition to Twilight City, Merry Mini-Land Plus and Twilight City Plus, slightly bigger, stationary, upward-facing cannons also show up as generators for Bob-ombs.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis[edit]
Cannons[7] appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis in boss fights against Donkey Kong. To use them, the player must use the 
stylus to move the cannon's handle[7] to aim, then tap the Attack Button[7] labeled "SHOOT". This will cause a Mini Mario to fire out of the cannon. The Mini Mario can either hurt Donkey Kong directly or otherwise land on a platform, causing an item to fall onto Donkey Kong to damage him. The player can also hold 
or 
to activate the Boss Cannon Indicator,[7], which displays a red guideline that indicates precisely where a Mini Mario will travel when fired. The cannon is attached to the base of a circular, gear-like object; on odd-numbered floors, the cannon moves left and right via a pulley system connected to the gear, and on even-numbered floors, the gear has an appendage where the cannon is fixed onto its end.
A cannon with this type of circular design is used as the central game mechanic of the promotional game Mario vs. DK 2: Cannon Kaos.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again![edit]
Cannons also appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. They reprise their role from the previous game in the series, being used to fire Mini Marios at Donkey Kong in boss battles. Like in March of the Minis, the Boss Cannon Indicator can be activated by holding or .
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem![edit]
Cannons appear as common objects in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, first appearing in Cannon Cove as the main object. There are two types of cannons: Multidirectional cannons rotate to eight possible directions (the four cardinal and four intercardinal directions), rotating counterclockwise by default but switching to the opposite direction of rotation if blocked by ground. If this type of cannon is completely surrounded by ground except for one opening, it will not rotate at all. Single-directional cannons can only aim in one direction, but they are attached to a horizontal or vertical path and move back and forth along the path. All cannons in a level stop moving briefly when a Mini enters a cannon. If a cannon contains a Mini, the button on the front of the cannon will glow red; tapping the button with the stylus will launch all of the contained Minis in the direction of the cannon, ignoring gravity. When fired from a cannon, Minis tumble in the air and travel with a force that can defeat enemies (or stun enemies such as Capture Kongs) and destroy Crumble Blocks.
A cannon also appears as the main weapon against Donkey Kong in Final Ferris Wheel, where it functions very similarly to the cannons in boss battles from the previous games, as it needs to be dragged with the stylus to aim a Mini Mario and the red button on its base must be tapped with the stylus to launch the Mini Mario. Like in March of the Minis and Minis March Again!, the Boss Cannon Indicator can be activated by holding or .
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars[edit]
Multidirectional Cannons reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, where they act the same as in their previous appearance. Cannon Kongs, Kong toys with cannons for bodies, also appear.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]
Although no regular, harmful cannons appear in the game, pot cannons make an appearance as the first helpful cannons of the Super Mario franchise in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake. They appear in Land's End and help Mario to reach higher places. Geno can also transform into a cannon with his Geno Flash ability.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]
A cannon also appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. After the crash of the Koopa Cruiser, Bowser gets stuck in it, and tells Mario and Luigi to get him out. They cannot, however. Tolstar then tells them that he will help them get Bowser out if they collect 100 Beanbean coins. The Mario Bros. obtain the coins, but Tolstar betrays them. Mario and Luigi then defeat Tolstar in a battle, but Sergeant Starshade comes out and lights the fuse of the cannon, sending Bowser to crash into Hoohoo Mountain. The Cannon then disappears, allowing Mario and Luigi to pass. (Originally, the cannon teleported out, but the 3DS remake has it be blown back by recoil.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]
Cannons appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as Bros. Items named Cannonballers.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
One Bros. Attack in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is Bye-Bye Cannon, where a cannon is used to launch multiple copies of the Bros. into the distance. They loop around, then drop from the foreground to stomp on a target.
In Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, a cannon shoots Mario and Luigi up into the final room where they meet Bowser. It is entered as though it is a pipe. After the battle, the cannon cannot be used again, making the final two rooms Unrevisitable areas.