Capture is a unique ability that Mario gains in Super Mario Odyssey. His newfound hat friend, Cappy, grants him this power when Mario first visits the Cap Kingdom. The name itself is a word play based on "cap". When Cappy is thrown at certain enemies, creatures, or objects, such as Goombas, Mario is able to take control of said enemy, creature, or object. This allows Mario to use new abilities, many of which he has never previously had, and collect Power Moons which would normally be out of his reach. When capturing something, that thing will gain Mario's hat and mustache, as well as blue pupils or his irises (if it has eyes). Mario can also "de-capture" his host at will (by pressing /), stunning them for a while. However, if an enemy or other being wears a hat or similar headgear on its head, Mario can only capture it after knocking the hat by jumping onto it or throwing Cappy.
Capture list
| # | Capture | Description | Controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  Frog |
Mario can capture a frog to jump extremely high and reach high platforms and places that he could otherwise not reach. | + Dash Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to High Jump. |
| 02 |  Spark pylon |
Mario can capture spark pylons in order to become electricity and zip across power lines. He can also "de-capture" the pylons at any point, allowing him to drop onto objects below him and reach some otherwise unreachable areas. If there are collectible objects like Coins or a Power Moon close to a power line, Mario can leave the power line to collect them; this is done by pressing the  button at the right time.
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Move You can also shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to move. |
| 03 |  Paragoomba |
Mario can capture a Paragoomba and use it to fly over bottomless pits of fog. | Fly Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to fly faster. |
| 04 |  Chain Chomp |
Mario can capture a Chain Chomp and pull back on its chain in order to have it fly off in the opposite direction. This allows him to destroy rocks and other obstacles that Mario could otherwise not destroy himself. | Pull to Wind Up Release to Send Flying |
| 05 |  Big Chain Chomp |
The Big Chain Chomps behave the same as the Chain Chomps; however, they have a longer chain, allowing them to fly further than their smaller counterparts. | Pull to Wind Up Release to Send Flying |
| 06 |  Broode's Chain Chomp |
Mario can capture Madame Broode's Chain Chomp during his encounter with her. It behaves the same as the Big Chain Chomp, and it is used to defeat Madame Broode. | Pull to Wind Up Release to Send Flying |
| 07 |  T-Rex |
Mario can capture a T-Rex in order to destroy stone rocks and enemies. However, Mario can only stay as a T-Rex for a short time, as it is too big for Cappy to hold on to for a long time. | + Dash Attack You can also shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to attack. |
| 08 |  Binoculars |
Mario can capture a pair of binoculars and use them to look around the area and examine his surroundings. This is vital for collecting Power Moons from zooming into floating taxis or Sphynx. | Look Around Zoom You can also look around with the Joy-Con (R)/ Pro Controller. Reset |
| 09 |  Bullet Bill |
Mario can capture a Bullet Bill and use it to fly around and destroy stone blocks or other objects that he could otherwise not destroy. After a short time, however, the Bullet Bill will explode, releasing Mario and dropping him off where ever it exploded. | Hold to Accelerate Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to accelerate more. |
| 10 |  Moe-Eye |
Mario can capture Moe-Eyes in order to put on their shades, which allows him to see invisible platforms, Coins, and blocks that he could otherwise not see. Wearing the shades causes the Moe-Eyes to move slower than they do without their shades. | Put On / Take Off Shades |
| 11 |  Cactus |
Mario can capture a cactus (in the Sand Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a glowing spot on the ground, which hides a Power Moon. | Move |
| 12 |  Goomba |
Mario can capture Goombas in order to stack them into Goomba Towers, which allows him to reach high spots that he could otherwise not reach. As a Goomba, Mario can also interact with Goombette, who will award Mario with a Power Moon as a sign of affection. If Mario approaches the female Goomba in his normal form, it will instead disappear in fear. Goombas' feet are also able to walk across icy surfaces without slipping around. | + Dash Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to High Jump. |
| 13 |  Knucklotec's Fist |
During the battle against Knucklotec in the Sand Kingdom (and during the rematch in the Mushroom Kingdom), Mario can capture Knucklotec's Fist, which he can use to punch the foe in order to damage him. Similar to Bullet Bills, Knucklotec's Fist can only be captured for a short amount of time. | Hold to Accelerate Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to accelerate more. |
| 14 |  Mini Rocket |
Mario can capture a Mini Rocket in order to blast off into the sky, where he can find a platforming challenge that awards a Power Moon when completed. He can also capture the Mini Rocket in the sky area in order to return to the main level he came from. | Hold to Launch |
| 15 |  Glydon |
Mario can capture Glydon in order to glide across the Kingdoms and reach high areas that are too far for Mario to reach otherwise. | Hold to Glide |
| 16 |  Lakitu |
Mario can capture Lakitu and use him to fish for Cheep Cheeps and Big Cheep Cheeps, the latter of which awards Mario with a Power Moon. | Lower / Raise Line |
| 17 |  Zipper |
Mario can capture zippers in order to un-zip sections of the level and reveal hidden passages to Coins and Power Moons. | Move |
| 18 |  Cheep Cheep |
Mario can capture a Cheep Cheep in order to swim faster and better while in the water. If the Cheep Cheep leaves the water, it will bounce around until it re-enters water. As a Cheep Cheep, Mario will not need to come to the water's surface for air. | Dive Surface Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to attack. |
| 19 | _Capture.png) Puzzle Part (Lake Kingdom) |
Mario can capture a large stone rock in the Lake Kingdom in order to solve a puzzle for a Lochlady, who will award Mario with a Power Moon once the puzzle is solved. | Move |
| 20 |  Poison Piranha Plant |
To capture a Poison Piranha Plant, Mario must first kick a rock into its mouth, which will then allow Cappy to land on top of the Plant's head (rather than the Piranha Plant eating Cappy). As a Poison Piranha Plant, Mario can spit balls of poison at other enemies or at the ground. | Spit Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to spit farther and faster. |
| 21 |  Uproot |
Mario can capture Uproots in order to stretch their legs and reach high places that he could otherwise not reach. Mario can also use the Uproot to break otherwise unreachable Rock Blocks located high off the ground. | Hold to Stretch Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to stretch farther. |
| 22 |  Fire Bro |
Mario can capture a Fire Bro to fire fireballs at enemies and objects, which will award Mario with Coins and, rarely, Power Moons. | Throw Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to throw faster. |
| 23 |  Sherm |
Mario can capture tank-like enemies called Sherms and use them to fire cannonballs at enemies and mounds of dirt, which can open up the path to new areas. | Aim Shoot You can also aim with the Joy-Con (R)/ Pro Controller. |
| 24 |  Coin Coffer |
Mario can capture a Coin Coffer and use it to fire his Coins at enemies and objects. Mario will also gain 30 free coins for capturing a Coin Coffer. | Shoot Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to scatter coins. |
| 25 |  Tree |
Mario can capture a tree (in the Wooded Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a glowing spot on the ground, which hides a Power Moon. | Move |
| 26 |  Boulder |
Mario can capture a rock (in the Wooded Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of an alcove on the adjacent tree, which hides some regional coins. | Move |
| 27 | _Capture.png) Picture Match Part (Goomba) |
Mario can capture a piece of a Goomba picture during the Picture Match mini-game in the Cloud Kingdom. | Rotate Left Rotate Right Place |
| 28 |  Tropical Wiggler |
Mario can capture Tropical Wigglers and use them to stretch out and reach small platforms and alcoves that he could otherwise not reach. | + Stretch Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to stretch faster. |
| 29 |  Pole |
Mario can capture Poles (in the Metro Kingdom) to fling himself large distances and reach high or far areas. | Flick Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to flick farther. |
| 30 |  Manhole |
Mario can capture the smaller manhole cover (in the Metro Kingdom) to move it out of the way and access a secret area containing two Power Moons and the bigger manhole cover (in the Metro Kingdom) to move it out of the way and access the Underground Power Plant. | Move |
| 31 |  Taxi |
Mario can capture a taxi (in the Metro Kingdom), which will take him to a secret night-time area in the Kingdom filled with Sherms and Moon Shards, which Mario must collect to receive a Power Moon. | Move |
| 32 |  RC Car |
Mario can capture a New Donker (in the Metro Kingdom) to control a small RC Car and drive it into a small cage holding a Power Moon. | Accelerate Steer |
| 33 |  Ty-foo |
Mario can capture Ty-foos and use them to blow away enemies or blocks, which can open access to secret areas. | Hold to Exhale Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to blow harder. |
| 34 |  Shiverian Racer |
Mario can capture a Shiverian Racer in order to participate in the Bound Bowl Grand Prix (in the Snow Kingdom). | Bound You can also shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to bound. |
| 35 | _Capture.png) Cheep Cheep (Snow Kingdom) |
Mario can capture purple Cheep Cheeps (in the Snow Kingdom), which behave exactly the same as the regular Cheep Cheeps, with the addition of not being hurt from freezing. | Dive Surface Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to attack. |
| 36 |  Gushen |
Mario can capture Gushens and use them to spray jets of water, which can be used to reach high ledges where Power Moons can be found. | Hold to Jet Forward Hold to Jet Upward Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to spray in all directions. |
| 37 |  Lava Bubble |
Mario can capture Lava Bubbles and use them to swim around lava and reach otherwise unreachable areas across the lava sea. | + Dash Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to dash faster. |
| 38 |  Volbonan |
Mario can capture Volbonans and use them to fling to high places that he could otherwise not reach. | Flick Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to flick farther. |
| 39 |  Hammer Bro |
Mario can capture a Hammer Bro and use them to throw hammers (or frying pans in the Luncheon Kingdom), which can break mounds of dirt (mounds of cheese rocks in the Luncheon Kingdom) and reveal hidden objects underneath. | Throw Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to throw farther. |
| 40 |  Meat |
Mario can capture a large slab of meat (in the Luncheon Kingdom) and use it to lure Cookatiel to pick it up and drop it in the large pot atop Mount Volbono, where a Multi Moon awaits. |  Twitch
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| 41 | Fire Piranha Plant |
Mario can capture a Fire Piranha Plant and use it to spit fireballs at enemies or unlit torches, which can award the player with a Power Moon. | Spit Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to spit farther and faster. |
| 42 |  Pokio |
Mario can capture a Pokio and use it to poke into a non-metal wall and fling himself upwards to reach higher areas that he could otherwise not reach. | Poke Jump |
| 43 |  Jizo |
Mario can capture a Jizo statue and use it to line up with other Jizo statue rows, earn coins or Hearts from glowing spots on the ground, break cracked blocks, and weigh down certain P Switches. | + Dash |
| 44 |  Bowser statue |
Mario can capture a Bowser statue (in the Moon Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a small ditch containing a Power Moon. | Move |
| 45 |  Parabones |
Mario can capture a Parabones and use it to fly across large pits of lava and reach distant platforms that he could otherwise not reach. | Fly Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to fly faster. |
| 46 |  Banzai Bill |
Mario can capture a Banzai Bill, which will make him temporarily invincible (until the Banzai Bill hits a solid wall or blows itself up), allowing Mario to cross large areas of lava or destroy large blocks of stone. | Hold to Accelerate Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to accelerate more. |
| 47 |  Chargin' Chuck |
Mario can capture a Chargin' Chuck and use it to charge through boulders or other tough obstacles in the way. | Hold to Charge Up Release to Tackle |
| 48 |  Bowser |
Mario can capture Bowser (during the story events of the Moon Kingdom) and use him to destroy large blocks of stone. He is the only capture that cannot be de-captured when used. | Attack Jump Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to breathe fire. |
| 49 |  Letter |
Mario can capture the letters M, A, R, I and O (in the Metro Kingdom) and use them to spell out the word "Mario", which will reward him with a Power Moon. | + Dash Shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to dash faster. |
| 50 | _Capture.png) Puzzle Part (Metro Kingdom) |
Mario can capture an uncharged block in the New Donk City Power Plant in order to place it on top of a socket, which will power it up and reward the player with a Power Moon. | Move |
| 51 | _Capture.png) Picture Match Part (Mario) |
Mario can capture a piece of a Mario picture during the Picture Match mini-game in the Mushroom Kingdom. | Rotate Left Rotate Right Place |
| 52 |  Yoshi |
Mario can capture Yoshi and use him to eat several berries scattered across the area where he is found. Eating 10 of these berries rewards Mario with a Power Moon. | Extend Tongue Hold to Flutter Jump You can also shake the Joy-Con/ Pro Controller to extend tongue. |
Gallery
Mario, Cappy and captured transformations.
Mario capturing a Goomba
Captured Goomba
Captured Chain Chomp
Captured Bullet Bill
Captured Hammer Bro
Captured Hammer Bro drawn by Kinopio-kun
Captured Lava Bubble
Captured Cheep Cheep
Captured Sherm
Captured Moe-Eye
Captured Uproot
Captured T-Rex
Captured Yoshi and Bowser from Super Mario-Kun
Captured Poochy from a 2018 New Year greeting card drawn by Yukio Sawada
Captured Kinopio-kun from Nintendo's official LINE account
Various captured transformations from a Japanese commercial promoting the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キャプチャー Kyapuchā |
Capture |
| Chinese | 附身 Fùshēn |
Possess |
| German | Capern |
From "Kapern" (capture) |
| Korean | 캡처 Capcheo |
Capture |
| Russian | Зашляпивание Zashlyapivanie |
Verb derived from шляпа (hat). |
| Spanish | Capturar |
Capture |
Trivia
- According to The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, not only was Bowser going to have access to the Capture abilities, but he would have used it to take over Princess Peach's body, with her gaining an appearance that bears a much closer resemblance to Bowser when captured by him than most captured beings in the final game do to Mario.[1]
- When Mario throws Cappy at an enemy or object and captures it, the hat is shown to be Mario's cap, and is not corresponded to any hats Mario wears.
- In the E3 2017 trailer for Super Mario Odyssey, Mario's pole capture was shown to have Mario's mustache.[2] This is not the case in the final game. Curiously enough, however, the pole's in-game model retains the mustache.[3]
- After using the Meat capture to collect the Multi Moon "Big Pot on the Volcano: Dive In!" in the Luncheon Kingdom, Mario can never capture the Meat again on the same save file. This makes the Meat the only capture target in the game that cannot be repeatedly captured after completing the game's full story.
- Before Mario captures an enemy, his body appears to split into square-shaped particles. This effect is similar to the animations for entering a Rainbow M in Super Mario Sunshine, using the Pixelator in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and entering a Warp Pipe in Super Paper Mario.