User:Doc von Schmeltwick/Projects/Form

A diagram showing the form system of Super Mario World, featuring Small Mario (simply identified as Mario), Super Mario, Fire Mario, and Cape Mario. Despite being in the game, Invincible Mario and Balloon Mario are not included, likely as they can overlap any of these forms without overwriting them.

Various forms can be taken across the Super Mario franchise, usually by collecting power-up items, giving the player new abilities. How forms work varies by form and game, but usually they either last until the player is damaged (or they are overwritten with another item) or otherwise wear off after a certain amount of time. In most games, items for most special forms only appear once the player is in the Super form or beyond, with the Small form only receiving Super Mushrooms and a few other specific items. In several early games, getting hit while in any powered-up form causes the player to immediately revert to Small form, though starting with the international release of Super Mario Bros. 3, they instead revert to Super form when in a form beyond that, which became the standard system starting with all versions of Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins. Some forms, such as Invincibility, can overlap other forms without overwriting them, which is how all forms work in Super Mario 64. In Super Mario Sunshine, forms are instead achieved through different attachments to F.L.U.D.D. as alternative to its Squirt Nozzle, with the Hover Nozzle being the default and lasting until another type is collected, returning to the Hover Nozzle when a new area is entered. In Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, both damage-based and timed forms can only be used one at a time, with even Rainbow form canceling out other forms. Some playable characters cannot use forms like these, such as Nabbit in New Super Luigi U, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

List of general/Mario forms

As the main character, most forms apply to Mario first and foremost. A majority are shared with Luigi, and in some games other characters, including — but not limited to — Toad, Yellow Toad and Blue Toad, Toadette, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, and Wario. This table includes such forms that are used by several characters and the few that are exclusive to Mario, usually due to Mario being the only playable character in a game.

Note: Due to the large amount of appearances some forms have throughout the series, the appearance lists on this table are restricted to the respective first and last. The lists also only count appearances of forms as power-ups rather than as distinct entities (for example, not counting Metal Mario and Tanooki Mario's appearances in Mario Kart 8) and also does not count direct ports or compilation re-releases (such as Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2). Other reissues, such as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, are counted.

Form	Sources	First appearance	Latest appearance	Description
Balloon Mario	Power Balloon Power Flower	Super Mario World	Super Mario Maker 2 (v3.0.0)	Balloon Mario can slowly float upwards and over pits. In Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 DS, it is timed (and in the former, stacks with other forms), while in Super Mario Maker 2, it lasts until damage or another power-up, does not stack, and has improved, rotation-based steering and the ability to boost in the direction the player is facing. A different, rolling take on the form appears as a Wonder Effect in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Bee Mario	Bee Mushroom	Super Mario Galaxy	Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Bee Mario can fly short distances, stand on certain unstable platforms like flowers and clouds, and climb honey walls. He is reverted to normal Mario by damage or touching water.
Big Mario	Big Mushroom	Super Mario Maker	Super Mario Maker 2	Big Mario can bust through Hard Blocks, being similar to Mega Mario but vulnerable, not timed, and much smaller—but still far larger than Mario's normal forms. In Super Mario Maker, using Big Mario affects all the enemies to make them Mario-like.
Boo Mario	Boo Mushroom	Super Mario Galaxy	Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Boo Mario can float slowly around and turn invisible to go through bars, and most enemies ignore him completely in this state. However, Boos themselves fall in love with him and start pursuing him whether he is looking at them or not, and he is reverted to normal Mario by damage, touching water, touching light, and entering Launch Stars.
Boomerang Mario	Boomerang Flower	Super Mario 3D Land	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Boomerang Mario can throw one boomerang at a time in a straight line ahead of him, which can be caught or made to go back-and-forth by avoiding it.
Bubble Mario	Bubble Flower	Super Mario Bros. Wonder	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Bubble Mario can blow forward-moving bubbles to trap small enemies inside and turn them into a coin. The bubbles can also be used to bounce off from them.
Builder Mario	Super Hammer	Super Mario Maker 2	Super Mario Maker 2	Builder Mario can attack with a hammer whack and spawn crates that can be lifted.
Bunny Mario	Carrot	Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins	Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins	Bunny Mario can jump higher than normal, can be made to hop consecutively by keeping the jump button held down, and can glide by flapping his ears by pressing the jump button repeatedly while in the air, with fast enough presses making him glide almost horizontal.
Cape Mario	Cape Feather	Super Mario World	Super Mario Maker 2	Cape Mario can attack with a cape spin and fly after a run; when he jumps during a run, he leaps very high and can keep his momentum in flight by swooping up and down, as well as slam into the ground to create a shockwave.
Cat Mario	Super Bell Lucky Bell	Super Mario 3D World	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Cat Mario walks on all fours and has a forward scratch attack, a forward-diagonal dive attack by scratching in the air, and can be made to climb up walls and other objects for short distances depending on his speed. A version with a belled collar can turn into Lucky Cat Mario.
Cloud Mario	Cloud Flower	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Cloud Mario has floaty jumps, can stand on cloud platforms, and can produce three cloud platforms of his own by spinning, refilling by collecting another Cloud Flower. He is reverted to normal Mario by damage and touching water.
Costume Mario	Mystery Mushroom	Super Mario Maker	Super Mario Maker	Costume Mario takes the form of another character while staying at small size. Aside from an extra hit point and an ability to pose, this is purely for aesthetic purposes.
Drill Mario	Drill Mushroom	Super Mario Bros. Wonder	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Drill Mario wears a drill helmet that offers passive protection from above, as well as the ability to destroy blocks and defeat spiky enemies by jumping into them. Additionally, he can dig into the ground or ceiling and quickly burrow across it, and use his drill for an improved Ground Pound.
Double Mario	Double Cherry	Super Mario 3D World	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Double Mario produces an exact duplicate of Mario for every Double Cherry he collects, all controlled simultaneously by the player's inputs. All instances of Mario share the same power-up state, and vanish upon taking damage, until there is only one Mario remaining.
Elephant Mario	Elephant Fruit	Super Mario Bros. Wonder	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Elephant Mario is large and strong with various abilities; with his size, he can Ground Pound through multiple layers of blocks, get more coins at a time out of blocks than normal, dash across slightly larger gaps than normal, carry big shells, and push certain large objects. With his trunk, he is able to whack through enemies and some objects, store and spray water, and juggle objects in the air.
Fire Mario	Fire Flower	Super Mario Bros.	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Fire Mario is a highly recurring form that allows him to throw bouncing fireballs along the ground in front of him, usually with a limit of two at a time. It has also made appearances outside of platformers, such as in the Mario & Luigi series. Usually, it lasts until Mario is damaged or it is overwritten by another power-up, but in Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and some spinoff appearances (including the aforementioned Mario & Luigi), it is timed.
Flower Mario	Super Flower Pot	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Flower Mario can create upward-moving flowers to attack enemies and interact with objects. He can also use his leaf-arms to flutter and slowly glide, and his petals to store and spray water.
Flying Mario	Red Star	Super Mario Galaxy	Super Mario Galaxy	Flying Mario can fly unimpeded, hang in the air to change direction, and spin Purple Coins to himself. It is timed and only appears sparingly.
Flying Squirrel Mario	Super Acorn	New Super Mario Bros. U	Super Mario Maker 2 (v3.0.0)	Flying Squirrel Mario can cling to walls, glide forward across gaps, as well as boost upwards once per glide, though this slows him down for the rest of the glide.
Frog Mario	Frog Suit	Super Mario Bros. 3	Super Mario Maker 2 (v3.0.0)	Frog Mario has improved swimming that allows him to move quickly through the water straight to the side, up, or down, even against currents. However, on land, he can only slowly hop, though with slightly improved jumps. He also cannot crouch or slide, and can only run if carrying an item. This form also appears in some games in the Paper Mario series.
Giga Cat Mario	Giga Bell	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Giga Cat Mario is an enormous counterpart to Cat Mario used to battle Fury Bowser, with similar abilities to standard Cat Mario. He can only be hurt by Fury Bowser himself or by lava, though his powered-down forms are still proportionally massive. A small version of this form visually replaces Cat Mario and Lucky Cat Mario when all the Cat Shines are collected.
Gold Mario	Gold Flower	New Super Mario Bros. 2	Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Gold Mario throws explosive golden fireballs that defeat enemies, empty ? Blocks, and turn Brick Blocks into coins while getting a coin bonus for enemies defeated and reaching the Goal Pole. Completing a level with it reverts him to Fire Mario.
Hammer Mario	Hammer Suit	Super Mario Bros. 3	Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	Hammer Mario can throw arcing hammer projectiles in the same manner as Hammer Bros. By crouching, he can hide in the shell to avoid enemy fireballs, though he cannot slide unless he was already doing so when he collected the Hammer Suit.
Mario — Hover Nozzle	Hover Nozzle	Super Mario Sunshine	Super Mario Sunshine	F.L.U.D.D.'s default secondary nozzle, being able to be switched to from the standard nozzle from the start. It can be used to fly over short distances with a small amount of vertical gain. It lasts until it is replaced with a different secondary nozzle.
Ice Mario (1)	Ice Flower	Super Mario Galaxy	Super Mario Galaxy	This version of Ice Mario can freeze water by touching it, allowing him to skate along the surface and use fountains as platforms or even Wall Jumps. It is timed.
Ice Mario (2)	Ice Flower	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Mario & Luigi: Brothership	This version of Ice Mario is an icy counterpart to Fire Mario, able to throw two Ice Balls that freeze enemies for varying amounts of times into blocks, some of which can be picked up. This form has also made a few spinoff appearances in similar capacities to Fire Mario.
Invincible Mario	Super Star Hiranya Star Racket	Super Mario Bros.	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Invincible Mario cannot be harmed in normal ways, defeats enemies on contact, and often has improved speed and jumping. It stacks with other power-ups but only lasts a short time, being able to be extended by collecting more Super Stars―some of which only appear when Mario is only invincible. It appears very frequently in spinoffs.
Link	Master Sword	Super Mario Maker 2 (v2.0.0)	Super Mario Maker 2 (v2.0.0)	Link, the hero of The Legend of Zelda, appears as a power-up that can use his sword for direct attacks, shield to block projectiles, arrows to hit far targets, and bombs to blow up enemies and blocks.
Lucky Cat Mario	Lucky Bell	Super Mario 3D World	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	This form functions like Statue Mario but is transformed from a collar-wearing Cat Mario rather than Tanooki Mario, turning into a golden maneki-neko statue.
Mario, Luigi, and Wario	Mario Cap Luigi Cap Wario Cap	Super Mario 64 DS	Super Mario 64 DS	Yoshi can take Mario's, Luigi's, and Wario's forms in Super Mario 64 DS by finding their caps—with most only appearing after the respective character has been rescued and thus unlocked—and the three capped characters can do the same for each other's. They gain the same abilities, but keep their sound effects, and lose the cap if hit. Yoshi specifically can choose an unlocked cap upon entering a course.
Mega Mario	Mega Mushroom Mega Star	Mario Party 4	Mario Kart World	Mega Mario is a nearly screen-high form that can effortlessly stomp through enemies, obstacles, and other level features, and in many cases causing a lot of destruction even awards a bonus of 1-Up Mushrooms. It only lasts for a short amount of time.
Metal Mario	Metal Cap Metal Box Metal Mushroom Orb Power Flower Heavy Mushroom Metal Racket	Super Mario 64	Mario Tennis Fever	Metal Mario is invulnerable and heavy, causing him to sink while in water and be unaffected by wind and currents. It wears off after several moments. This form appears somewhat frequently in spinoffs, though often as a separate individual version of Mario rather than as a form, though occasionally as both at once.
Mini Mario	Mini Mushroom	Mario Party 4	New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	Mini Mario is tiny, vulnerable to enemies, and requires a Ground Pound to perform any damage on most enemies. However, he is so light his jumps are very floaty, he can run across the surface of water, and he can enter small pipes and passages.
Mario — Nozzle	F.L.U.D.D.	Super Mario Sunshine	Super Mario Sunshine	F.L.U.D.D.'s default Squirt Nozzle, and thus the standard form for Mario for a majority of Super Mario Sunshine unless he is without F.L.U.D.D. He can use it to spray a jet of water forward, doing so while moving, jumping, spinning, or stopping to aim. Doing so uses F.L.U.D.D.'s water tank, and he must enter water or collect Water Bottles to refill. He can also switch between it and one other nozzle at a time.
Penguin Mario	Penguin Suit	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	Penguin Mario can slide on his belly after running fast enough to plow through enemies and blocks as well as over short gaps. He can also throw one Ice Ball at a time and has multi-directional improved swimming.
Power Squirrel Mario	P-Acorn	New Super Mario Bros. U	New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	Power Squirrel Mario is an improved version of Flying Squirrel Mario that is able to continue gliding unimpeded after boosting upwards, as well as boost upwards as many times as the player wants during a glide. This form reverts to Flying Squirrel Mario after completing a level.
Propeller Mario	Propeller Mushroom	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Super Mario Maker 2	Propeller Mario can spin to launch straight up into the air, followed by a slow-spinning, hovering descent. When in this state, holding the down arrow button causes him to drill downwards from the air.
Raccoon Mario	Super Leaf P-Wing Tail	Super Mario Bros. 3	Super Mario Maker 2	Raccoon Mario can whack enemies and blocks with his tail and glide downward when the player presses the jump button repeatedly while he is in the air. He can also fly if he gets a full run and the player presses the jump button repeatedly. The P-Wing allows him to fly without running, though because of this any attempt at jumping uses flight physics; completing a stage in this form causes him to revert to standard Raccoon Mario.
Rainbow Mario	Rainbow Star	Super Mario Galaxy	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Rainbow Mario is similar to Invincible Mario in that he is invulnerable, defeats enemies on contact, and has improved running and jumping, with the form itself being limited-time. However, he can also bust through several types of obstacles and it does not stack with any other power-ups, with them being lost when he collects a Rainbow Star and any other power-ups being bounced away if he touches them in this form.
Rock Mario	Rock Mushroom	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Rock Mario can roll into a Ruby Rock-like form to barrel forward, destroying many types of obstacles and being able to go over ramps.
Mario — Rocket Nozzle	Rocket Nozzle	Super Mario Sunshine	Super Mario Sunshine	One of F.L.U.D.D.'s secondary nozzles, this one allows Mario to shoot straight up into the air after a little charging, though it uses a lot of water. It lasts until Mario collects a different secondary nozzle, collects a Shine Sprite, or goes to a different major location.
Shell Mario	Blue Shell	New Super Mario Bros.	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey	Shell Mario spins into a moving Koopa Shell form after dashing long enough, allowing him to crash through enemies and bounce off of walls and blocks similar to one. He also is protected from most attacks while ducking as well as able to swim faster. The form also is used as a boomeranging forward attack for puzzles in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
Small Mario	Damage	Super Mario Bros.	Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park	Small Mario is often used as a default state, but it is always weak, notably unable to destroy Brick Blocks and usually only one enemy attack away from defeat. In some early games it also cannot slide. However, it can also be useful for traveling into short passages.
SMB2 Mario	SMB2 Mushroom	Super Mario Maker 2 (v3.0.0)	Super Mario Maker 2 (v3.0.0)	This form causes the gameplay rules to shift to those of Super Mario Bros. 2, preventing Mario from stomping enemies but instead allowing him to stand on them and pick them up to throw them.
Spring Mario	Spring Mushroom	Super Mario Galaxy	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Spring Mario constantly bounces along the ground and off walls, making him difficult to control. By using the jump button, he can be made to bounce straight up very high, and his bouncing off walls is useful as an automatic Wall Jump. He is reverted to normal Mario by damage, touching water, and entering Launch Stars.
Statue Mario