Roll

The Roll is a move used by Mario and Luigi in Super Mario 3D Land, and also Peach, Toad, and Rosalina in Super Mario 3D World. To perform it, the player has to press or  while crouching. This move moves Mario forward with a quick roll. When rolling, he can break open crates and gain distance; however, he cannot defeat enemies this way, as opposed to the Roll Attack from the Donkey Kong Country series.

The roll move makes a return in Super Mario Odyssey. Unlike in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World, Mario can turn while rolling and perform a continuous roll (by holding and pressing  to keep rolling ), instead of performing just one roll. He can also roll by holding as he lands from a Long Jump, Ground Pound, or Dive (which now uses the Roll's input).

Rolling Leap
If Mario jumps during the move, the roll will become a Rolling Leap, a longer and faster version of the Long Jump. If he is in his Tanooki form, this move becomes the Tail Wag (see below).

Tail Wag
A version of the move can be used by Tanooki characters, called the . When used, the character will crouch and continuously spin their tail until or  is not pressed anymore. By combining this move with the Rolling Leap, the character can move while spinning their tail, defeating every enemy in their way.

Trivia

 * In the pre-release version of Super Mario 3D Land, the roll was performed by pressing the or  buttons while moving. If the player attempts to do this in the final version, Mario will slide while crouching instead, as in the 2D Super Mario games.