This article is about the jumping move first used in Super Mario 64. For a very similar move from the Game Boy Donkey Kong and Mario vs. Donkey Kong , see Backflip . For the forward somersault, see Roll .
“If you jump while crouching with , you 'll do a backward somersault! You can go super high!”
—Board , Super Mario Galaxy 2
A Somersault is an advanced type of jump introduced in Super Mario 64 . It can only be done in the 3D platformers. The Somersault travels much higher than a regular jump, so it can be used to reach high places. However, the Somersault expends slightly more time than other forms of jumping. As of now, Mario , Luigi , Wario , Yoshi , Princess Peach , Toad , and Rosalina can use this move. There are two different varieties: the Backwards Somersault and the Side Somersault .
The Backwards Somersault (referred to as Backflip by Prima Game Guides and Crouch Jump on the official Super Mario 3D Land website) is one variety of Somersault. To do this, the character must crouch and then jump. The character flips over in midair, moving backwards. The character may chain it to a Ground Pound . The character can also control the backwards horizontal distance by holding back on the Control Stick. In Super Mario Sunshine , Mario cannot crouch, but he can do it only if he sprays water, then lets go of the pump while jumping. Doing so creates a blast of water. In Super Mario 64 DS , Luigi spins to slow his descent after performing this move. In Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World , this move must be charged up first by crouching, like the Power Squat Jump from Super Mario Bros. 2 , and it can also go forwards. This move is also present in Donkey Kong 64 , working as it did in Super Mario 64 .
The Side Somersault (referred to as Side-flip by Prima Game Guides) is the other variety of Somersault. It is useful when the player wants to immediately jump high to reach high ledges. To use it, the character must run in one direction, then simultaneously turn to run in the other direction and jump. In Super Mario Sunshine , Mario only needs to face in one direction and turn around; therefore, Mario could execute a Side Somersault with almost no space to move. Bowser uses it in Super Mario Galaxy as one of his moves in the second battle against Mario. Also, in Super Mario Galaxy 2 , Yoshi can Side Somersault.
Names in other languages
Somersault
Language
Name
Meaning
Japanese
バック宙Bakku chū[4]
Literally "Back air".
French (NOA)
Salto arrière[2] [3]
Backwards Somersault
Korean
백 텀블링Baek Teombeulling
Back Tumbling
Russian
Прыжок присевPryzhok prisev
Crouch Jump
Spanish (NOA)
Salto Agachado Salto Hacia Atras[1]
Crouch Jump
Spanish (NOE)
Salto Agachado Voltereta Mortal (SMG/SMG2)
Crouch Jump Somersault
Side Somersault (Side-flip)
Language
Name
Meaning
Japanese
横宙返りYoko chūgaeri[7]
Side Somersault
French (NOA)
Salto latéral[5] [6]
Side Somersault
Russian
Боковое сальтоBokovoe sal'to
Side Somersault
Spanish (NOA)
Salto Lateral
Lateral Jump
Spanish (NOE)
Voltereta Lateral
Cartwheel
References
^ Super Mario Galaxy instruction booklet, Spanish segment
^ Super Mario Galaxy instruction booklet, French segment
^ Super Mario Galaxy 2 move pamphlet, French side
^ Super Mario Odyssey (1.2.0) Action Guide, Japanese Language
^ Super Mario Galaxy instruction booklet, French segment
^ Super Mario Galaxy 2 move pamphlet, French side
^ Super Mario Odyssey (1.2.0) Action Guide, Japanese Language
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury / Bowser's Fury
Playable characters
Mario • Luigi 1,2 • Peach 1,2 • Toad 1,2 • Rosalina 1,2 • Captain Toad 1,2 • Bowser Jr. 3 • Hint Toad 2 • Banktoad 2 • Yellow Toad 2
Non-playable characters
Kittens 3 • Mii 1 • Neko Parent 3 • Plessie • Rabbits (Mega Rabbits ) • Sprixie Princesses 1,2 • Sprixies 1,2 • Toads • Toadette 3
Worlds 1,2
Sprixie Kingdom • World 1 • World 2 • World 3 • World 4 • World 5 • World 6 • World Castle • World Bowser • World Star • World Mushroom • World Flower • World Crown
Lake Lapcat locations3
Fur Step Island • Scamper Shores • Pounce Bounce Isle • Fort Flaptrap • Slipskate Slope • Clawswipe Colosseum • Trickity Tower • Crisp Climb Castle • Risky Whisker Island • Pipe Path Tower • Roiling Roller Isle • Mount Magmeow • Lucky Isle
Bosses
Bowser (Meowser 1,2 · Fury Bowser 3 · Giant Bowser 3 ) • Boom Boom • Pom Pom • Hisstocrat 1,2 • Boss Brolder 1,2 • King Ka-thunk 1,2 • Prince Bully • Motley Bossblob 1,2
Items and objects
+ Clock 1,2 • ? Block • 1-Up Mushroom 1,2 • Arrow platform 1,2 • Arrow Sign • Assist Block 1,2 • Baseball • Beep Block 1,2 • Big Block 1,2 • Blue Coin • Brick Block • Board 1,2 • Bomb • Boomerang Flower • Cage 3 • Cannon Box 1,2 • Cat Shine 3 • Cat Shine Shard 3 • Cat Wheel • Chain-Link • Character Switch 1,2 • Checkpoint Flag 1,2 • Clear Pipe • Clear Pipe Cannon • Cloud Cannon • Cloud Lift • Cog 1,2 • Coin • Coin Block • Coin Box • Coin pile • Color Panel 1,2 • Crate • Crystal Block 1,2 • Dark 1,2 • Dash Panel • Double Cherry • Elevator 1,2 • Fire Flower • Fling Pole 3 • Floating couch 1,2 • Flower 1,2 • Fluff 1,2 • Fury Block 3 • Fury Sun 3 • Giga Bell 3 • Goal Pole 1,2 • Gold Ring • Goomba Mask 1,2 • Gong 1,2 • Graffiti 3 • Green Coin 1,2 • Green Star 1,2 • Green Star Ring 1,2 • Ground-Pound Switch 3 • Grumblump 1,2 • Hexagon 1,2 • Hidden Block • Ice Skate • Illusion 1,2 • Invincibility Bell 2,3 • Invincibility Leaf • Item storage • Jump Panel • Key Coin • Kick Bomb • Lift 1,2 • Light Box 1,2 • Lighthouse 3 • Lucky Bell • Mega ? Block • Mega Mushroom 1,2 • Multi-Vator 1,2 • Mushroom Trampoline • Mystery Box 1,2 • Plessie Medal 3 • P Panel 1,2 • P Switch 1,2 • Pixel Luigi 1, 2 • Potted Piranha Plant • POW Block • Propeller Box • Propeller Platform 1 • Red-Blue Panel • Red Coin 1,2 • Red POW Block 1,2 • Red Ring 1,2 • Rising pillar 1,2 • Rock Block 1,2 • Rotating Panel 1,2 • Seagull 3 • Searchlight 1,2 • Shelf 1,2 • Slamming block 1,2 • Sliding door 1,2 • Slot Block 1,2 • Small birds 1,2 • Snowball • Springboard 1,2 • Stamp 1,2 • Super Star • Super Bell • Super Jump Panel 3 • Super Leaf • Super Mushroom • Switch Block 1,2 • Switch Panel 1,2 • Switchboard • Timer Gate 3 • Touchstone 1,2 • Trapeze 1,2 • Tree • Turning Floor • Warp Box 1,2 • Warp Box (With Key) 1,2 • Warp Pipe • World Warp Pipe 1, 2 • Zipline lift 1,2
Moves
Crawl • Crouch • Crouch Jump • Dash • Dive 2,3 • Ground Pound • Ground Pound Jump 2,3 • Jump • Long Jump • Roll • Shell dash • Side Somersault • Slide • Spin Jump • Swim • Synchro Ground-Pound 1,2 • Wall Jump
Forms
Small Mario • Super Mario • Fire Mario • Cat Mario (Lucky Cat Mario · Giga Cat Mario 3 · White Cat Mario 2,3 ) • Double Mario • Tanooki Mario (White Tanooki Mario ) • Boomerang Mario • Mega Mario • Invincible Mario
Enemies and obstacles
Ant Trooper 1,2 • Baddie Box 1,2 • Banzai Bill 1,2 • Banzai Bill Cannon 1,2 • Beach Koopa • Biddybud • Big Boo 1,2 • Big Ant Trooper 1,2 • Big Galoomba 1,2 • Bill Blaster • Blockstepper • Blooper 1,2 • Blurker 1,2 • Bob-omb • Boo 1,2 • Boomerang Bro • Brolder 1,2 • Bullet Bill • Bully • Cannon 1,2 • Cannonball 1,2 • Cat Banzai Bill 1,2 • Cat Bullet Bill • Cat Goomba 1,2 • Chargin' Chuck 1,2 • Charvaargh 1,2 • Cheep Cheep • Coin Coffer • Conkdor • Disaster Neko 3 • Falling spike 3 • Fire Bar 1,2 • Fire Bro • Fire Piranha Plant • Fizzlit 1,2 • Flopter • Fury Shadow 3 • Fuzzler • Fuzzy • Fuzzy Horde 1,2 • Galoomba 1,2 • Goomba • Goomba Tower • Hammer Bro • Hop-Chop 1,2 • Horned Ant Trooper 1,2 • Innertube Goomba • Ka-thunk 1,2 • Koopa Troopa • Lava Bubble 1,2 • Madpole 1,2 • Magikoopa • Mega Piranha Plant • Mini Goomba 1,2 • Octoomba 1,2 • Para-Biddybud • Parabones 1,2 • Peepa 1,2 • Piranha Creeper • Piranha Plant • Porcupuffer 1,2 • Rammerhead • Ring Burner 1,2 • Skating Goomba • Skipsqueak • Snow Pokey • Spike • Spike ball 1,2 • Spike Block 1,2 • Spike Trap • Spiked roller • Spiny 1,2 • Spiny Skipsqueak 1,2 • Splorch 1,2 • Splotchy goop 3 • Splounder • Stingby • Thwomp 1,2 • Ty-foo 1,2 • Walleye 1,2
Miscellaneous
Captain Toad's Adventures 1,2 • Enemy Battles 1,2 • Mystery House 1,2 • Luigi Bros. 1,2 • Luigi sightings 1,2 • Sprixie House 1,2 • Lucky House 1,2 • Snapshot Mode 2,3 • Stamps
Further info
Cat Shine names 3 • Completion (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury ) • Gallery (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury · Bowser's Fury ) • Glitches (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury ) • Media (Bowser's Fury ) • Pre-release and unused content • Playable characters' statistics (Bowser's Fury ) • Staff (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury ) • Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack
Related Play Nintendo activities:Can’t-miss games • What does THAT thing do? • Cute-throat enemies • Power-up trivia quiz! • Power-up personality quiz! • Colorful cat-tastrophe!