Tornado
- This article is about the obstacle. For the plane from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, see Tornado (Sonic the Hedgehog).
- Not to be confused with Tweester, Twister, Whirlpool, or Whirlwind.
Tornado | |
---|---|
![]() Artwork with Mario from Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) |
Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (2025) |
Tornadoes[1][2][3] appear in the Super Mario franchise as obstacles, typically in desert levels. Tornadoes depicted in the Super Mario are inspired from smaller scale, less intense dust devils, which are whirlwinds that occur in fair weather and do not require a cumuliform cloud to form.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Only one whirlwind[4] appears in Super Mario Bros. 3, in World 2-Desert. After appearing onscreen, it moves slowly to the left. The whirlwind traps Mario or Luigi in an air pocket and throws him backwards if he gets too close. Standing near it will slowly pull them towards it. The whirlwind can be bypassed only by running toward it at full speed and jumping beyond it.[5] The particles it is made up of use the same sprites as the small bubbles that rise from Mario while underwater, but with a mix of white and tan rather than only white.
The whirlwind is misidentified as a Tweester in Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics[6] and the English version of the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia.[7]
A different type of tornado is spawned by using the Magic Whistle on the map, which takes Mario to a different world.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Tornadoes spawn from the quicksand pits in Shifting Sand Land in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. They are modeled similarly to the whirlpool from Dire, Dire Docks. If a player character touches a tornado, it throws him upward before he begins to twirl down,[8] as if he had jumped on a Spindrift.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
Tornadoes appear only in the episode Petey Piranha Strikes Back in Super Mario Sunshine. They are produced by Petey Piranha[9] and launch Mario upward if he gets caught in one.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Tornadoes appear only in World 6-A of New Super Mario Bros. It works the same way as in Super Mario 64, launching Mario or Luigi upward before he starts twirling back down.
Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Regular and slim tornadoes appear in the Dusty Dune Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy and Melty Monster Galaxy of Super Mario Galaxy 2, having an identical role as the first game. Tornadoes launch the player character into the sky when touched,[10] causing Mario to spin while moving upward and descending,[11] if he has not landed on a surface. Players can launch themselves upward from any tornado by shaking the Wii Remote.
Super Mario Galaxy has some additional variations, including slim tornadoes as an unreachable background element on the desert planet of Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, and the enemy Bone Twister.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
- Main article: Twister
In Super Mario Maker 2, new gizmos called Twisters consist of tornadoes that lift the player and certain enemies and objects upwards.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
A tornado titled the Reptile Breath Tornado is produced by Giant Big Mouth in "Sneaking Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas" in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 to launch Mario away. A different tornado titled the Mushroom Kingdom twister appears in "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario," and the Steam Cloud Balloon gets caught in it.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
There is a tornado in Dry Dry Desert of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and it launches whoever drives into it high into the air. The obstacle is not retained in the course's classic appearances in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart Arcade GP series[edit]
Tornadoes appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX as offensive items that can be launched straightforward. Any player caught in the tornado's path are just lift for a second before they return and can continue racing.
Mario Kart World[edit]
In Mario Kart World, tornadoes can appear in the mission "Rely on tornado tailwinds to reach the Goal Pole!" in the desert east of Mario Bros. Circuit. A tornado also appears in the route between Whistlestop Summit and Choco Mountain in both directions. Players that drive into a tornado will be immobilized for a few seconds while they are moved around in the tornado before being released. When released, players will start or retain their flying state. As indicated by the tornadoes' mission, flying just outside their wind will give gliding players a boost upwards from the tailwinds. Tornadoes will also pick up nearby objects and enemies.
Mario Party 7[edit]
A sandstorm in the form of a tornado appears in a Bowser Time event in Mario Party 7 in Pyramid Park. Summoned by Bowser, it destroys the central bridges and the Orb Shops, forcing players to remain in either the left or right parts of the board. Any players who are standing on the bridge get blown back to the start, and any character spaces on the bridge get destroyed. The bridge gets rebuilt after three turns, and if Bowser placed a shop on the central bridge, it also gets rebuilt.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3[edit]
A tornado is an obstacle in the Glare Desert court of Mario Hoops 3-on-3. It either harms players or causes them to drop the ball.
Donkey Kong franchise[edit]
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]
Tornadoes appear in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, where they appear in the level Frantic Fields. When one of the Kongs enters a tornado, they are hurled backwards or forwards, depending on the direction the obstacle faces. Tornadoes cannot be destroyed.
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]

Tornadoes are obstacles in Donkey Kong Bananza, appearing primarily in the Tempest Layer. They will deal two and a half hearts of damage in Normal Mode (one and a quarter in Assist Mode) upon making contact with Donkey Kong. If a chunk is thrown at a tornado, it will get caught inside it, whirl upwards, and then be launched out.
Tornadoes come in two forms: stationary tornadoes are always present, while moving tornadoes materialise when Donkey Kong moves within their range, and will then constantly track his location, and slowly move towards him, dissipating either after about thirty seconds or when he moves away from their range, reappearing a few seconds later if he is still within range. The latter variety will also tear through any terrain they make contact with, including the shells of Crockoids.
Some starionary tornadoes carry either lava chunks, Banandium Chips, or in one case, a key; these can only be retrieved with the Elephant Bananza's Inhale.
Mario Golf series[edit]
Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]
The Tornado is an item in Mario Golf: World Tour. It produces a tornado around the golf ball, following it and improving its distance while also drawing in nearby coins, Star Coins and Moon Coins; in challenges, some of the latter two items can be obtained only by Tornado.
Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]
Tornadoes appear in Mario Golf: Super Rush as obstacles. They work like they do in Super Mario Galaxy, except a player does not descend if they are atop the tornado for long enough. Riding a tornado unlocks the adventure diary entry "Ride The Winds".
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]
Tornadoes in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam appear in the Trio Whirligig challenge in the Attackathon, albeit known as "whirlwinds" in the rules. If the player touches one, they lose all of their panels.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]
Tornados also appear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership filling several roles. One of the Bros. Attacks that Luigi can use is called the Max-Mix Vortex. Here, Mario transforms into his Fire form while Luigi uses his Ice transformation, and the two put fireballs and balls of cryokinetic energy respectively into a ring. Afterwards, they spin in the middle of the ring to create a tornado that can suck up enemies to deal damage.[12] The fans to the north of the arena where Gobblick is fought may occasionally turn on, their winds creating a tornado which it can be thrown into when Luigi grabs its tongue with his Luigi Logic; if successful, the tornado spins the creature around, stunning it before throwing it back into the battlefield. Mega Snaptors can also send some tornadoes during one of their attacks, which Mario and Luigi have to jump over, although the one on Lottacoins Island renders itself vulnerable to a Luigi Logic attack in the process. Zokket can also summon a tornado during his thunderbolt attack; if this happens, Mario and Luigi have their positions swapped.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]
Tornadoes are obstacles mainly in Sherbet Desert in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. They appear in yellow sandy ones that only Bounce and damage characters and blue snowy ones that also produce the Freeze Super Effect. During each turn transition, the tornado travels in a straight line from a random position, not only bouncing also reducing the HP of whoever is in the way; this is required to complete the challenge Throw Caution to the Wind. There are weathercocks throughout the area that deduce which direction the tornado travels.
Gallery[edit]
Screenshot from Super Mario 64
Model from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Model from Super Mario Galaxy
Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy 2
Artwork from Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Screenshot from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
---|---|---|---|
Super Mario Galaxy | ObjectData/TwisterSan.arc | TwisterSan | Twister-san |
StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | タツマキさん (Tatsumaki-san) | Twister-san | |
Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
ObjectData/TwisterSanSlim.arc | TwisterSanSlim | Twister-san Slim |
StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl SystemData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl |
タツマキさんスリム (Tatsumaki-san Surimu) |
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | Tatsumaki |
Tornado | Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
たつまき[14]:41 Tatsumaki |
Tornado; shared with Twister and one instance of Tweester | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
German | Tornado[15] | - | |
Italian | Tornado[?] | - | |
Vortice[16] | Vortex/Tornado | Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
Romanian | Tornadă ciupercă[?] | Mushroom twister | The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 |
Spanish | Tornado[?] | - |
References[edit]
- ^ June 1990. Nintendo Power Volume 13. Nintendo of America (English). Page 20–21.
- ^ 2007. Super Mario Galaxy instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (English). Page 21.
- ^ von Esmarch, Nick, and Cory Van Grier (February 21, 2014). Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-804-16252-4. Page 26.
- ^ March/April 1990. Nintendo Power Volume 11. Nintendo of America (English). Page 13.
- ^ "To avoid it, dash to full speed and leap over it completely" – Peterson, Erik (2003). Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Player's Guide. Nintendo of America. ISBN 1930206-37-2. Page 34.
- ^ Rocha, Garitt, and Nick von Esmarch (November 11, 2016). Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 9780744017779. Page 201.
- ^ October 23, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years. Dark Horse Books (English). ISBN 978-1-50670-897-3. Page 55.
- ^ "The storm is so powerful it can lift you spinning into the air." – Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen (1996). Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Nintendo of America. Page 69.
- ^ "Petey's new attack sends a tornado your way." – Averill, Alan, and Jennifer Villarreal (2002). Super Mario Sunshine Player's Guide. Redmond: Nintendo of America (American English). ISBN 1-930206-23-2. Page 38.
- ^ "The dust devils that swirl across the dunes pull Mario off his feet and spit him high into the sky." – Black, Fletcher (November 9, 2007). Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5713-5. Page 63.
- ^ "However, Mario spins with his arms outstretched, slowing his descent like a helicopter landing." – Black. Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Page 63.
- ^ AdamzoneTopMarks (October 11, 2024). Mario & Luigi: Brothership - All Bros Attacks So Far (Switch) (02:06). YouTube.
- ^ 2007. 『スーパーマリオギャラクシー 取扱説明書』 (PDF). Kyoto: Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Page 25.
- ^ a b Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8.
- ^ Nintendo of Europe GmbH (2007). Super Mario Galaxy Spielanleitung. Frankfurt: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 25.
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 978-88-9367-436-2. Page 41.
Interwiki links[edit]
- Tornado (Mario Kart Arcade GP), the Mario Castle article on the Tornado item from Mario Kart Arcade GP
- Hazardous objects
- Donkey Kong Bananza objects
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze objects
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam objects
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle enemies
- Mario Golf: World Tour items
- Mario Kart Arcade GP items
- Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 items
- Mario Kart Arcade GP DX items
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! objects
- New Super Mario Bros. objects
- Super Mario 64 objects
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 objects
- Super Mario Bros. 3 objects
- Super Mario Galaxy objects
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 objects
- Super Mario Maker 2 objects
- The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 objects