Missable content
Missable content refers to items, equipment or other details that can be gotten at one point in the game, but can be missed permanently if the player does not obtain it before reaching a certain point in the game, or before its location cannot be revisited again.
In Mario role-playing games, rare items and accessories are often more difficult to obtain past a certain point, and in some cases, missable content is rare to begin with (such as being rare drops from bosses), but not all rare items are missable.
Virtual Console versions of games that have features from accessories supported in their original consoles (Controller Pak for the Nintendo 64) may not be accessed at all.
Platformer games
Donkey Kong 64
The five Banana Medals that appear in Hideout Helm do not respawn if the player leaves the area without collecting them, making 101% completion impossible.
Luigi's Mansion
The player has only one chance to capture Speedy Spirits in dark rooms: if the player fails to catch one, it will not appear again, even during the blackout. The player however has enough opportunities to capture Gold Mice as long as a room is dark: should the player fail to catch one, they only need to exit and re-enter the room, and if there is a piece of cheese, to re-scan it with the Game Boy Horror.
When sucking up Portrait Ghosts, the player must try to capture them in one attempt to collect all the pearls they drop. If the suction breaks in the middle of an attempt, the player may not be able to collect medium-sized pearls or a large-sized pearl.
In the Boneyard is a lone plant in the garden that can be watered. If the player does so before fighting Bogmire, after defeating him, and after defeating Boolossus, it will grow and reward the player with ample amounts of treasure. If the player fails to water it after defeating either boss, it will wither and die.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
If the player loses eight lives in a course from one of the first eight worlds before completing it, a Super Guide Block appears when the player re-enters that course, permanently preventing the player from ever having shiny stars on their save file. The only way to earn shiny stars is to never see a Super Guide Block in the first place.
Super Mario 3D Land
Similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, if the player loses five lives when attempting a course from one of the first eight worlds, an Assist Block will appear on re-entry, permanently preventing the player from ever having shiny stars on their save file.
In all subsequent Mario platformers, making the Super Guide Block or Assist Block appear will not void the player's chance to get shiny stars on their save file; any player who uses the Super Guide or Invincibility Leaf can get shiny stars by completing the same level without using it.
Role-playing games
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The player has only one attempt to collect the Frog Coin inside a Surprise Box when Mario and Toad enter the castle's foyer in the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time, by jumping on Toad's head and climbing up to the Surprise Box at the end of the room.
If the player fails to evade Booster and his Snifits three times in the curtain minigame in Booster Tower, the player will be forced to fight them and will not be able to obtain the Amulet accessory.
If the player fails to evade Dodo's pecking three times while Mario poses as a golden statue in Nimbus Land, the player is forced to fight him and miss their chance to obtain the Feather accessory.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
During Princess Peach's segments, there are a few chances to use the special treasure chest to deposit items and Badges, the last opportunity being the segment just after Chapter 6. Once Peach's segments are done, these items become unobtainable, even if there are items in Peach's inventory.
The player can miss out on an opportunity to fight the Anti Guys Unit in Bowser's Castle should the player correctly answer three questions from the second Bowser Door. The fight however does not contain any exclusive items and its purpose is for earning extra Star Points.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
If the player does not eat the first slice of cake in the Glitz Pit after finishing a battle, Shellshock eats it instead.
Upon opening the chest containing a swarm of two hundred Boos in the basement floor of the Creepy Steeple, the player can be rewarded with an Ultra Shroom if they answer "200" to the Boo asking how many Boos were released. Otherwise, they are rewarded a single Coin.
Any items and Badges not yet collected on The Moon and the X-Naut Fortress become temporarily missable once Mario and his partner teleport back to Rogueport Sewers at the end of Chapter 7. The player can return to these locations to collect them after the game's story mode has been completed, however.
When the player faces and defeats Gloomtail in the Palace of Shadow, the player has an opportunity to blow up the eastern wall of the chamber with Bobbery to reveal a passageway to a hidden room with two ? Blocks containing an Ultra Shroom and a Jammin' Jelly. If the player doesn't obtain the items after setting the Star Key in the pedestal in the Riddle Tower, they cannot return to Gloomtail's chamber again to collect them.
If the player misses an opportunity to Tattle any one-time enemy or boss, an entry of that enemy appears in the trash can in Professor Frankly's house in Rogueport and is added to the player's Tattle Log when inspected.
Super Paper Mario
In Chapter 7-4, there is an area where a Nimbi locked himself in the chest. Before the chapter is completed, the player can open the chest and receive an Ultra Shroom Shake in return. Once the Chapter is completed, the player will be unable to open the chest if they come to the place again.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
After subduing one of Wiggler's segments during the storyline of World 3, the player has one chance to bring each one to a specific location to create an entry for the optional Wiggler's Diary before being brought to Wiggler's Tree House. Once Wiggler's body is reunited, the player will not be able to obtain any more diary entries they may have skipped.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The player only has one chance to collect all the items from ? Blocks in Princess Peach's Castle, both visits of the Koopa Cruiser, Chucklehuck Woods Underground (the cavern area just after defeating Chuckolator), Guffawha Ruins, and the S.S. Chuckola, as these areas become inaccessible after leaving them.
The player has until the second destruction of Beanbean Castle Town to collect all ten Beanstones scattered about the western and eastern halves of the town to obtain the Bros. Rock accessory, as well as collecting all five Beanlets to earn a Golden Mushroom. The southeastern building on the western side contains a regular ? Block and three Hidden Blocks containing Hoo Beans, and the northern doubled-entrance building on the eastern side houses four ? Blocks. After the invasion, the player will be unable to unearth Beanstones and locate the Beanlets, and the buildings containing the ? Blocks will be locked for the remainder of the game.
Several bosses drop rare equipment that can only be gotten by equipping the Game Boy Horror SP and simply defeating the boss, or using the Advanced Swing Bros. to steal it from them without equipping the former:
- Trunkle: Its body has a 39.22% chance of dropping the Lucky Bros. accessory when using Swing Bros. Advance in the North American version.
- Hermie III: Has a 39.22% chance of dropping the Lucky Ribbon accessory when using Swing Bros. Advance in the North American version. In the Japanese version, Birdo drops it instead.
- Piranha Bean: Always drops the Piranha Swing accessory upon defeat, but its other item, Piranha Suit, is mutually exclusive from it. The Piranha Suit can only be gotten when Luigi is equipped with the Game Boy Horror SP: the player needs to collect enough Hoo Beans to make all seven blends from Starbeans Cafe up to that point to obtain the Game Boy Horror SP before fighting Piranha Bean.
- In the Japanese version, Ludwig always drops the Piranha Suit.
- Popple: In the Japanese version, he has a 32.26% chance of dropping a Golden Mushroom when fought in Chucklehuck Woods. Using Swing Bros. Advance guarantees the drop.
- Jojora's Friend: Has a 39.22% chance of dropping the Sledge Heart accessory when using Swing Bros. Advance in the North American version. Using the Game Boy Horror SP guarantees the drop.
- Morton: Has a 39.22% chance of dropping the Bowser Fist accessory when using Swing Bros. Advance in the North American version. In the Japanese version, Lemmy drops it instead. Using the Game Boy Horror SP guarantees the drop.
- Roy: Has a 39.22% chance of dropping the Bowser Fang accessory when using Swing Bros. Advance in the North American version. Using the Game Boy Horror SP will guarantee the drop.
The remake Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions retains the missable content from the original version. While some item and badge drops have changed, bosses that carry any items only have one and are guaranteed to drop it. Nevertheless, the player can still miss their chance to obtain them from several bosses if they flee from battle when they're the last one remaining:
- Popple: The player can miss their chance to obtain Popple Badge A if Popple flees after the Mario Bros. defeat Rookie first in battle at Woohoo Hooniversity. In Popple's fourth battle, in Teehee Valley, the player can miss their chance to obtain Popple Badge AA if he flees when Birdo is defeated first.
- Jojora: The player can miss the Revenge Jeans if Jojora flees when her friend is defeated first.
In Guffawha Ruins, the Mar-Lui Badge can be found at the dead-end east of the fourth area, in the ? Block on the right. Elite Chuck Guys and Limbo Bros now carry items that can only be obtained if Luigi defeats them while equipped with the Game Boy Horror SP: the Elite Chuck Guy Badge from Elite Chuck Guys, and the Defense Jeans from Limbo Bros. Since the amount of beans required to make all seven blends from Starbeans Cafe in this game has been halved from the original version, the player can obtain the Game Boy Horror SP much earlier and have Luigi equipped with it at that point. Because the interior of Guffawha Ruins becomes inaccessible after Bowletta kidnaps Peach, the player has only once chance to obtain these three items.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
The player only has one chance to collect all the items from ? Blocks from the Koopa Cruiser when playing as Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, and from the Shroob Mother Ship.
Several bosses have a 15% chance of dropping rare equipment, even though there are duplicates of said items found elsewhere.
- Hit-POW Badge: Drops from Mrs. Thwomp in her small form in the North American version, or in her regular from in the European and Japanese versions. Its duplicate can be found in the Koopaseum.
- Dynamic Badge: Drops from Bowser, and its duplicate can also be found in Thwomp Caverns.
- Item-Fan Badge: Drops from Baby Bowser. Its duplicate can be found in Peach's Castle.
- Dynamic Badge A: Drops from Commander Shroob, and its duplicate can be found in Toad Town.
- Hit-Free Badge: Drops from Elder Shrooboid in its giant form, and its duplicate can also be found in Star Shrine.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Like the previous games, several bosses and "support enemies" can drop rare equipment, even if there are duplicates of said items found elsewhere, or dropped by enemies with lower drop rates.
- Fighter Ware: Has a 10% chance of being dropped by Leaf Guys in the battle against Wiggler in Dimble Wood. Its duplicate can be found in Pump Works.
- Siphon Boots: Has a 40% chance of being dropped by Wisdurm. Its duplicate can also be purchased in Toad Town for 1000 coins.
- Grown-up Wear: Has a 10% chance of being dropped by both Bowser Memory M and Bowser Memory L.
- Shroob Boots: Has a 30% chance of being dropped by each of the Shroobs in Bowser's Castle.
- Special Gloves: Has a 50% chance of being dropped by Junker.
- Power Fangs X: Has a 10% chance of being dropped by Blizzard Midbus, but it can also be dropped by Dark Mechawfuls.
- D-Star Ware: Has a 20% chance of being dropped by the Dark Star. Its duplicate can be found in Peach's Castle on the first floor.
- Lucky Charm: Has a 10% chance of being dropped by Dark Fawful, but it can also be dropped by Dark Fawful Guys.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
While almost all bosses in the game always drop a rare piece of equipment upon defeat unlike the previous three games, Mammoshka is the only one to drop a potentially missable accessory, the 1-Up Gloves, with a 50% chance of being dropped.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
All missable items in this game are items from ? Blocks in Bowser's Castle, as this area cannot be revisited. These items are the Spin Hammer, the Bros. Wear, and the SPEED Mush Jams.
