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 or Dive.

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

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

Trivia

 * In the beta 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.