Blast Barrel

A Blast Barrel, also known as an Auto-Fire Barrel , is a common type of Barrel Cannon that has appeared in the Donkey Kong Country series. When a member of the Kong Family jumps into this barrel, the barrel automatically launches the ape in a predetermined direction. The Blast Barrel can launch the Kongs great distances and often allows the family members to reach a location that cannot be reached by other means. The Kongs cannot control when or in what direction they are fired – the launch is purely automatic.

Blast Barrels first appear in the game Donkey Kong Country and are a staple barrel featured in the series. In most games, the symbol on the side of the barrel is a white outline of an explosion, signifying the ability of the barrel to blast the Kongs in many different directions and distances. However, Blast Barrels lack this symbol in Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III.

Blast Barrels from Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze function the same as in the predecessor games. These games also contain Blast Barrels with skull heads printed on them - this indicates that the barrels will instantly self-destruct after they launch the players.

Blast Barrels also show up in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge. Specifically, they are present in Mini Donkey Kong's levels, where they function just like in the past games, as they automatically fire the character to other areas.

Trivia

 * In Tanked Up Trouble of Donkey Kong Country, one Blast Barrel self-destructs as it fires the Kongs (predating those of Donkey Kong Country Returns), but only in the original version.
 * In the Donkey Kong Country television series, there are Exploding Barrels that bear a resemblance to the Auto-Fire Barrels.