Cap Throw

It has been suggested that this page be split into Spin Throw. Reason: Is.farther out as a variation compared to all other moves here, and this page is too long. (discuss)

Cap Throw
Artwork of Mario throwing Cappy
Appears in	Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Used by	Mario
Effect	Throws Cappy, who flies out and then returns like a boomerang; affects most objects in the game
Input method	//Shaking the controller
Performed before	Capture, Cap Jump, catch jump
Variants Cap Throw and Hold, Upward Throw, Downward Throw, Homing Cap Throw, Spin Throw, Take Flight, Return
Related Spin Jump Kick
Comparable Boomerang

The Cap Throw is a move introduced in Super Mario Odyssey. The move has Mario spin around to throw Cappy forward. It is performed when the player presses or or shakes one of or . Cappy ignores gravity while flying, stops moving after about a medium distance, then returns to Mario like a boomerang. All the while, Cappy spins around to attack enemies and interact with items. The move surrounds Cappy with yellow effects. The Cap Throw, and the attacking state Cappy enters through it, is core to the design of the game. The Cap Throw can be considered Super Mario Odyssey's equivalent of Mario's basic attack moves from prior 3D games of the Super Mario series, such as the spin and Jump Kick.

History

Super Mario Odyssey

While spinning due to the Cap Throw, Cappy can hit enemies and blocks, collect coins, trigger Checkpoint Flags, and bounce away items such as cacti, rocks, and fireballs. Some enemies and objects allow Cappy to pass through them, while others prompt him to begin returning. One action the Cap Throw cannot do is collect Power Moons, the game's major collectible. A spinning Cappy can interact with many different objects, such as pulling Lever Switches and posts or twirling on knob-like structures. These interactions keep Cappy from spinning until the task is complete, and once they are, he immediately begins returning to Mario.

A wall can prevent Cappy from leaving Mario's grip with the Cap Throw. This kind of throw still inflicts damage, enabling Mario to hit blocks while standing next to them or defend himself while facing a wall.

Cappy does not go through walls during a Cap Throw, reacting with a flash and yellow spark effect if he is thrown into a wall. If the angle of the throw is perpendicular to the wall, Cappy stops moving forward early. Otherwise, he spins along the wall until he stops moving normally. While returning to Mario, if Cappy is separated from him by a wall, Cappy does not attempt to move around the wall. If the wall is made of Brick Blocks, Cappy breaks through any number of Brick Blocks in the way without bouncing off. If these actions still cannot get Cappy to return, the game eventually silently teleports him directly to Mario.

When Mario stands near many kinds of objects and enemies Cappy can interact with, a white arrow with a wide top floats above the object. This arrow resembles a hat. Certain doors have gold hats on the front, continuing the motif as they are opened with a Cap Throw. The door of the Odyssey has a white hat design, functioning similarly. Some items and objects can change Cappy's trajectory. If Cappy enters a Hat Launcher, it shoots him in the direction it is pointing. If Cappy enters wind, he gets blown far in the direction the wind is blowing. Additionally, wind is stronger than Cappy's returning speed, and so it is able to keep Cappy away from Mario. Both of these can be used to extend the reach of a Cap Throw to hit far-off targets.

Generally speaking, a Cap Throw is less effective against enemies than a jump, as a jump can defeat most enemies in one hit, while the Cap Throw has a number of restrictions. Some enemies are only knocked backward. However, the Cap Throw can affect a number of enemies that a stomp does not, such as enemies with spikes. Many enemies and objects can be captured when Cappy hits them, temporarily putting Mario in control of those entities. Some enemies that can be captured wear hats. An additional Cap Throw is required to remove an enemy's hat, which rebounds Cappy to Mario. While capturing things, Mario cannot use the Cap Throw.

If Mario performs three Cap Throws in a row, the last has him spin more dramatically and causes Cappy to move forward faster than normal. Mechanically, this is similar to the Triple Jump. If Mario jumps as he picks up Cappy, he does a catch jump. He twirls as he jumps to go slightly higher than normal. Mario can attempt to throw Cappy before Cappy returns, but this only cosmetically spins Mario around without any of the effects of the throw.

Using the Cap Throw stalls Mario's movement, and if he is in the air, he gains a little height. Mario can use a Cap Throw with Cappy in the air only once before landing, with further attempts causing Mario to spin with Cappy as an attack but without throwing him or getting the air stalling effect. If the player presses or while in the air just as they pick up Cappy from a Cap Throw, the catch jump has Mario spin while holding Cappy while leaving a rainbow trail. This has the same movement stalling and height gaining effects of an aerial Cap Throw, but since Mario has access to Cappy while doing it, it can be followed up with another Cap Throw to delay Mario's falling even more. If a catch jump is done in the air, it cannot be used again until Mario lands. However, doing a catch jump in the air resets Mario's aerial Cap Throw permission, meaning he can use the Cap Throw in the air a second time. Strategic use of these properties can extend Mario's jumping duration and distance much longer and farther than normal.

While Mario is underwater, it takes longer to use a Cap Throw, and Cappy moves slower during the move.

Scarecrows are a special kind of switch that Cappy has to be placed on to keep active. While Cappy is on a scarecrow, Mario cannot use the Cap Throw and, by extension, any other action involving using Cappy. This includes the movement stalling mechanics of the Cap Throw. Attempting to use the Cap Throw while Cappy is on a scarecrow instead plays a buzzer sound effect.

Variations

When Cappy stops at the midpoint of a Cap Throw, the player can have him spin in place for longer than normal by holding the or button; this is called a Cap Throw and Hold. This can be used to repeatedly hit the same object, as otherwise Cappy starts returning after contact with objects like blocks and crates. The Cap Throw and Hold has a maximum duration of two seconds, and when that is reached, Cappy starts returning to Mario even if the button is held. If Cappy is on a knob-like structure, the Cap Throw and Hold makes him stay on that structure until the button for the move is released, even past the two-second maximum. Some knob-like structures provide a Power Moon if Cappy stays on them for long enough. If Mario runs into Cappy during a Cap Throw and Hold, he cap-jumps off Cappy to jump higher and farther. Mario can perform a Cap Jump while in the air, but only once. Until he lands on the ground, he passes through Cappy instead of performing additional Cap Jumps. A Cap Jump also resets Mario's permission to use an aerial Cap Throw, meaning he can use the Cap Throw in the air for a second time, or perhaps a third time if this is further combined with the catch jump. If Mario does a Cap Jump and Cappy is not twirling on a knob-like structure, the Cap Throw and Hold is ignored and Cappy immediately begins to return to Mario.

Once Cappy reaches the end of the forward movement of a Cap Throw, the player can shake one of to initiate a Homing Cap Throw. With a Homing Cap Throw, Cappy homes in on enemies or objects that are near him, or just flicks forward in the direction the controller was shaken. He then returns to Mario, irrespective of the Cap Throw and Hold.

Mario can throw Cappy in different ways depending on the buttons pressed and/or how are shaken. Flicking both upwards performs an Upward Throw, allowing Mario to hit enemies and objects above him. Flicking both downwards (in midair) or flicking just one or pressing or during a Ground Pound's impact does a Downward Throw, which lets Mario hit things below him if he is in midair or near a ledge. Cappy spins like a wheel during a Downward Throw, so if he hits the ground, he rolls forward. This roll covers more distance than a standard Cap Throw, and it also follows any dips in the floor that a regular Cap Throw would soar over. All of these moves can be used with a Cap Throw and Hold, Cap Jump, or Homing Cap Throw.

The player is unable to use the Downward Throw while underwater without the motion control input because using the Cap Throw after a Ground Pound simply results in a normal Cap Throw while underwater.

Shaking both sideways or pressing or while spinning performs a Spin Throw, which sends Cappy in a spiral motion all around Mario. Using this move ends the spinning state. Spin Throws do not occur if Mario is spinning because of a Hat Trampoline. Cappy floats relative to Mario's position, increasing the range if Mario moves around but preventing him from landing on Cappy for a Cap Jump. A Cap Throw and Hold and a Homing Cap Throw cannot be used during a Spin Throw. The player is unable to use the Spin Throw while underwater without the motion control input because Mario is unable to start spinning underwater.

In two-player mode, Cappy is able to take flight when the player uses or , dashing forward while entering the spinning state of a Cap Throw without Mario's involvement. This can also be done during a Cap Throw or any of its variations, but only after Cappy stops moving forward and without the initial dash from a Take Flight done normally. Take Flight grants Cappy free horizontal movement within an invisible cylinder around Mario, where the base of the cylinder is parallel with Mario's feet. If Cappy is outside this cylinder, he is gradually pulled back into it. Cappy is not forced to return to Mario due to being away for too long, doing a Cap Jump, or colliding with certain enemies and objects, but Cappy is forced to return after doing tasks and for any other reason. At any point after Take Flight, Cappy can return with a second use of or , manually entering the Cap Throw's returning state to come back to Mario. In two-player mode, if Cappy has used Take Flight, Mario can use the spinning motion of a Cap Throw without Cappy and still receive its movement stalling properties. However, Mario loses the ability to do this if the player is in an area behind a door that is opened by a scarecrow. Attempting to do so results in the same sound effect and lack of action that happens when the Cap Throw is used while Cappy is on a scarecrow in single-player mode. If Mario stands next to Cappy while Cappy is flying freely, Mario can use the Cap Throw to regain and throw Cappy in a single motion.

Other characters

The Roving Racers can use the Cap Throw and Cap Jump with their baseball caps, and they have their own version of capturing things. Rango is capable of throwing his hat as a boomerang projectile, with similar "move forward, stop, return" portions to the attack. While that move is never directly stated to be a Cap Throw, he is described as having "almost unnatural control over the way it flies." Bowser has a hat that he throws, but its motions are less like the Cap Throw because it lacks a stop portion and returns in a high arc.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario's new side taunt, which has him throw Cappy around him, is based on the Cap Throw.

Names in other languages

Cap Throw

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancia il cappello[?]	Throw the hat
Korean	모자 던지기[?] Moja Deonjigi	Cap Throw

Upward Throw

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancio in su[?]	Upward throw
Korean	위로 던지기[?] Wiro Deonjigi	Upward Throw

Downward Throw

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancio in giù[?]	Downward throw
Korean	아래로 던지기[?] Araero Deonjigi	Downward Throw

Spin Throw

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancio rotante[?]	Spinning throw
Korean	회전 던지기[?] Hoejeon Deonjigi	Spin Throw

Cap Throw and Hold

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancio arrestato[?]	Arrested throw
Korean	모자 던져 홀드[?] Moja Deonjyeo Holdeu	Cap Throw and Hold

Homing Cap Throw

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Italian	Lancio autoguidato[?]	Self-guided throw
Korean	모자 던져 추적[?] Moja Deonjyeo Chujeok	Homing Cap Throw