Pokio

Pokio
Artwork of a Pokio from Super Mario Odyssey.
First appearance	Super Mario Odyssey (2017)

“Huzzah! It's one of those animals with the stretchable beak! I have so wanted to see one up close!”

—Bonneter biologist, Super Mario Odyssey

Pokios are pheasant-like enemies found in Seaside Kingdom, Bowser's Kingdom, and Darker Side in Super Mario Odyssey. They wander around, but chase Mario if they see him and stop to poke him with their extending beak. The beaks rebound off any wall. According to the Bonneter biologist, their beaks are normally short due to being in an extremely folded state, but shoot outwards when they are opened. By default, they wear samurai helmets with a spiked tip; these helms block jumps. The Cap Throw can knock off the hat, making the Pokio vulnerable to a stomp or to a second use of Cappy to capture them. Some areas have Pokios without hats. Such areas are usually dedicated to capturing and using Pokios.

If captured, Mario can poke enemies and blocks with his beak, though he also cannot move while poking. The attack is more effective than the Cap Throw, as it is able to defeat Spinies and other Pokios in one hit. It can also be used to flick incoming cannonballs into the opposite direction, which can break destructible blocks. The beak can be held in the extended state, though this does not affect enemies. When Mario quickly spins around, or the controller is flicked, the Pokio will twirl. In the air, this provides a light boost upward. When the beak is extended, this becomes a spinning attack, which grants some movement and ends with the beak retracted. Touching a spark pylon with the beak captures the pylon.

If Mario pokes at a wall, he can cling onto it. The Pokio will swing so that the beak is perpendicular to the wall. From this point, Mario can bend back and fling himself in any direction like a Pole, or retract the beak to fall down. This is useful for climbing up walls. A cosmetic hole is left behind by every poke into a wall. Rocky and metallic walls, including Moon Rocks but excluding the Moon's surface, repel the attack. (Blocks can be clung to, but metal behind them is still capable of repelling the beak.) If the spin is used while poking a wall, the Pokio will jump about the height of a Backwards Somersault. Some Power Moons are unlocked by poking a Pokio's beak in holes.

Pokios are dropped from RoboBrood in its earlier boss battle in Bowser's Kingdom. These Pokios are key to the battle against the machine.

The Pokio's name is a play on the words "poke" and Pinocchio, a character whose nose grows whenever he lies. Their design is based on the Japanese green pheasant, though the red-crowned crane was considered. The Prima guide mistakenly classifies them as woodpeckers.

Gallery

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  Artwork of a Pokio without a hat

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  Artwork of a captured Pokio

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  Concept art of a Pokio

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  Model of a Pokio

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ツックン[?] Tsukkun	Contration of「突く」(tsuku, "to stab") and the honorific「~くん」(-kun)
Chinese (simplified)	啄啄儿[?] Zhuó zhuó er	From a partial repetition of「啄木鸟」(zhuómùniǎo, "woodpecker")
Chinese (traditional)	拮拮[?] Jié jié	From the Japanese name
Dutch	Pokio[?]	-
French	Pikonio[?]	From piquer ("to prick") and rearrangement of "Pinocchio"
German	Piekmatz[?]	From pieken ("to sting") and piepmatz ("birdie")
Italian	Picchiolo[?]	Diminutive form of picchio ("woodpecker")
Korean	찌르군[?] Jjireugun	From "찌르다" (jjireuda, "to poke") and "~군" (-gun, an honorific for "young boy"), similar to「~くん」(-kun) in Japanese; shared with Jabit
Russian	Тыклик[?] Tyklik	Diminutive of тыкать (tykat, "to poke")
Spanish	Picarito[?]	From pico ("beak") and pajarito ("birdie")