Barrel Cannon

The Barrel Cannon (also known as a Barrel Kannon or Blast Barrel) is an item found in the Donkey Kong series. They appear in all four Donkey Kong Country games. They also can be found by Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong 64. In these games, a Kong would go into the barrel, and it would do one of two things: it would either automatically blast the Kong to where it needed to go, or it would spin around and the Kong would have to press a button at the right time to blast to their destination. They appear in the game Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, along with new varieties of red and gold. In DK Jungle Climber, they will be easier to aim.

In Super Smash Bros., it appeared in the Kongo Jungle stage, where it would move back and forth underneath the stage, sometimes rotating as it did so. If a player fell into the cannon, they could press the A button to fire themselves out of the cannon in the direction of the arrow. If they waited too long, they would be shot out anyway. Since the cannon sometimes rotates, this action can sometimes save a player from falling, or it can launch them to their doom. Only one character may occupy the Barrel Cannon at any time.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee it was an item. It is a barrel used for shooting a character. The barrel is normally found as a stage element in some levels (for example in the level "Kongo Jungle"), or can be found appearing randomly on a stage.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, several Barrel Cannons can be found in several levels of the Subspace Emissary. The character uses these to get shot up higher or break bricks in their way.

They also made a minor appearance in Mario Super Sluggers in adventure mode. When the player travels to DK Jungle, Donkey Kong meets them and says that there is a waterfall too far for him to jump across. Nearby, in a bush, is a barrel cannon which will launch the player across this waterfall.

The Barrel Cannon can be thrown at an opponent. When thrown, the barrel rolls until it touches a character or falls off the arena. If an opponent is captured, the Barrel Cannon will inevitably shoot the fighter in the direction the barrel is pointing. This item is quite heavy, meaning that only Donkey Kong can move around freely while holding it.

Interestingly, viewing the Barrel Cannon trophy from the bottom reveals the message "2L84ME" (Too late for me), which is what might go through a character's mind if he or she becomes trapped in a Barrel Cannon.

On a side note, Barrel Cannons disappear much faster than any other item if left alone.

In DK Mountain, which appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and returns in Mario Kart Wii, there is a giant Barrel Cannon (referred to in the former as Donkey Cannon and latter as DK Cannon) that blasts competitors to the other side of the course.

In DK: King of Swing, they also appeared where the player has to jump into a cannon, as it turns left to right, and press the L or R button to burst into the air.

Barrel Cannons later appear in Donkey Kong Country Returns. They came in four varieties; a manual barrel cannon, an automatic barrel cannon, a manual skull barrel cannon, and an automatic skull barrel cannon. The skull barrel cannons destroy themselves when they fire the Kongs.