Special Item (Mario Kart series)

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A Special Item is the name applied to certain item that is obtainable only to a specific character or group of characters. Unlike a standard item, most of these items can be obtained in any place during a race, and while a character holds a special item in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the second character cannot have another special item from Item Boxes.

History

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Special items make their debut in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Characters have special items exclusive to them. A certain special item is given to one of the two characters. Though some characters seem to have a personal power-up used only by them, some share the same function like the other's weapon. Petey Piranha and King Boo are the only characters who can receive any special item excluding Green Fireball and Birdo's Egg (due to the Mario Bros. and Yoshi and Birdo each having their own exclusive version of their special item while all other pairs have no difference in items). Additionally in Battle mode, all characters are able to use all the special items, but only Luigi can get a Green Fireball while only Birdo can get a Magenta Egg.

A Yoshi's Egg, Bowser's Shell, and Bob-omb also make a cameo as rainbow decorations in the background of Rainbow Road. Due to a mistake, the Heart decoration was misplaced out of the course where it cannot be seen in normal gameplay; however, it can be viewed through hacking.

Mario & Luigi

Red Fireball¹ & Green Fireball
Peach & Daisy

Heart
Yoshi & Birdo

Yoshi's Egg & Birdo's Egg
Baby Mario & Baby Luigi

Chain Chomp¹
Toad & Toadette

Golden Mushroom²
Koopa Troopa & Koopa Paratroopa

Triple Green Shells² & Triple Red Shells²
Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong

Giant Banana
Bowser & Bowser Jr.

Bowser's Shell
Wario & Waluigi

Bob-omb¹
Petey Piranha & King Boo
Any special item, excluding Green Fireballs and Birdo's Egg

¹ - Special items would become a regular item in future Mario Kart titles.
² - Special Items were already regular items prior to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Kart Arcade GP

Special items appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP. They are specific to certain characters with each character having six special items. All special items must be unlocked by winning races.

Item	Character	Category
Star	Mario and Luigi	Status
Hammer	Mario and Luigi	Melee
Fireball	Mario and Luigi	Shoots forward or backward
Chain Chomp	Mario and Luigi	Lock-on shot
Block	Mario and Luigi	Drops backward
Special Coin	Mario and Luigi	Status
Star Mark Banana	Donkey Kong	Status
10T Hammer	Donkey Kong	Melee
Barrel	Donkey Kong	Shoots forward or backward
Giant Banana	Donkey Kong	Drops backward
Conga	Donkey Kong	Other
Delicious Banana	Donkey Kong	Status
Shell Body	Bowser	Status
Flaming Tender	Bowser	Other
Bowser Shell	Bowser	Shoots forward or backward
Thwomp	Bowser	Drops backward
Bullet Bill	Bowser	Shoots backward
Meat	Bowser	Status
Wario Car	Wario	Status
Stretch Punch	Wario	Melee
Bob-omb	Wario	Drops backward
Snot Bomb	Wario	Shoots forward or backward
Fart Gas	Wario	Drops backward
Garlic	Wario	Status
Miracle Mushroom	Toad	Status
Mushroom Hammer	Toad	Status
Mushroom Powder	Toad	Drops backward
Poison Mushroom	Toad	Shoots forward or backward
Sick Mushroom	Toad	Shoots backward
Fine Mushroom	Toad	Status
Egg Body	Yoshi	Status
Whacking Fan	Yoshi	Melee
Mystery Egg	Yoshi	Drops backward
Rolling Egg	Yoshi	Shoots forward or backward
Tongue	Yoshi	Other
Melon	Yoshi	Status
Power Pill	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Status
Quack Hammer	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Melee
Rally-X	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Drops backward
Galaga Boss	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Shoots forward
Pooka	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Shoots forward or backward
Fairy	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Status
Princess's Drink	Peach	Status
Frying Pan	Peach	Melee
Piranha Plant	Peach	Drops backward
Peach's Bird	Peach	Shoots forward or backward
Heart	Peach	Other
Cake	Peach	Status
Monster Shield	Blinky	Status
Monster's Hammer	Blinky	Melee
Flare Ball	Blinky	Drops backward
Petit Monster	Blinky	Shoots forward or backward
Ghost Morph	Blinky	Status
Monster Pill	Blinky	Status

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

Special items return in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. Mario Coins can be collected to unlock character-exclusive special items.

Item	Character	Category
Star	Any character	Status
Hammer	Mario and Luigi	Melee
Fireball	Mario and Luigi	Shoots forward or backward
Chain Chomp	Mario and Luigi	Lock-on shot
10T Hammer	Donkey Kong	Melee
DK Barrel	Donkey Kong	Shoots forward or backward
Giant Banana	Donkey Kong	Drops backward
Shell Body	Bowser	Status
Flaming Tender	Bowser	Other
Bowser Shell	Bowser	Shoots forward or backward
Thwomp	Bowser	Drops backward
Wario Car	Wario	Status
Stretch Punch	Wario	Melee
Bob-omb	Wario	Drops backward
Snot Bomb	Wario	Shoots forward or backward
Mushroom Hammer	Toad	Status
Mushroom Powder	Toad	Drops backward
Poison Mushroom	Toad	Shoots forward or backward
Egg Body	Yoshi	Status
Whacking Fan	Yoshi	Melee
Rolling Egg	Yoshi	Shoots forward or backward
Tongue	Yoshi	Other
Rally-X	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Drops backward
Galaga Boss	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Shoots forward
Pooka	Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man	Shoots forward or backward
Frying Pan	Peach	Melee
Piranha Plant	Peach	Drops backward
Peach's Bird	Peach	Shoots forward or backward
Monster's Hammer	Blinky	Melee
Flare Ball	Blinky	Drops backward
Petit Monster	Blinky	Shoots forward or backward
Bagubagutchi	Mametchi	Drops backward
Chibi Syrup	Mametchi	Lock-on shot
Mame Block	Mametchi	Shoots forward or backward

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

Special items reappear in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. However, unlike previous entries, after a character is selected, it is randomly assigned to a special item during a race. Palette swaps of characters will enable the use of an exclusive item only available to that swap.

Palette swap exclusives

Mario Kart Tour

Special Items reappear in Mario Kart Tour, now referred to as "special skills". Gold Mario can only use his special item, the Coin Box, in Coin Rush during the Valentine's Tour. As of version 2.6.0, if a Super driver reaches level 5 or a High-End driver reaches level 4, they unlock an improved version of their special item (with a "+" symbol added on its name). Starting with the Snow Tour, Normal drivers are also eligible for an improved special item at level 7.

Image

Name

Description

Exclusive character(s)

Triple Bananas

"Three bananas revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once and they'll land all lined up in a nice, tidy row!"

Triple Bananas+

"Increases your chances of getting Triple Bananas. Plus, the bananas revolve faster!"

Giant Banana

"Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. The only banana split you'll be sad to see!"

Giant Banana+

"Boosts your chances to get a Giant Banana. And when you do, it splits into even more bananas!"

Triple Green Shells

"Three Green Shells revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw all of them at once and they'll fly in a straight line."

Triple Green Shells+

"Increases your chances of getting Triple Green Shells. The shells will revolve faster."

Bowser's Shell

"This big ol' shell on loan from Bowser will crash any karts it hits and keep on going. It can only be thrown forward."

Bowser's Shell+

"Bowser's Shell is bigger and a little better at tracking opponents."

Double Bob-ombs (new)

"Two Bob-ombs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them both at once. Two is better than one, right?"

Double Bob-ombs+

"Adds a Bob-omb so you can attack with 3 Bob-ombs."

Triple Mushrooms

"Why use just one Mushroom when you can use three? Tap the screen to use them all at once for a longer-lasting speed boost."

Triple Mushrooms+

"Increases your chances of getting Triple Mushrooms and extends the dash time by a little."

Fire Flower

"Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once, spinning out any kart they hit. You're really burning up the track now!"

Fire Flower+

"Adds another fireball, allowing you to throw four total."

Boomerang Flower

"Tap the screen to throw a boomerang. Not only will it spin out any karts it hits, but it will collect any surrounding Coins for you, too."

Boomerang Flower+

"Adds another Boomerang, allowing you to throw two total!"

Ice Flower (new)

"Three balls of ice will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once and they'll freeze any kart they hit, causing them to slide"

Ice Flower+

"Adds another iceball, allowing you to throw four total!"

Heart

"This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. It will vanish upon taking damage. You can stack up to five at once."

Heart+

"You get 1 additional Heart! The additional Heart runs out quickly so make it count!"

Yoshi's Egg

"Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!"

Yoshi's Egg+

"Yoshi's Egg is bigger and it releases an additional item."

Birdo's Egg

"Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!"

Birdo's Egg+

"Birdo's Egg is bigger and it releases an additional item."

Bubble (new)

"Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Watch out, because it will vanish upon taking damage!"

Bubble+

"Increases the Bubble's movement speed."

Banana Barrels (new)

"Arm your kart with two fully-loaded barrels of Bananas! Continually shoots out Bananas in front of your kart for a set time."

Banana Barrels+

"The barrels will sometimes fire Giant Bananas."

Mushroom Cannon (new)

"A cannon designed to resemble a Mushroom. Continually shoots out Mushrooms in front of your kart for a set time."

Mushroom Cannon+

"Fires a larger payload of Mushrooms in three directions."

Lucky Seven

"Seven items (Red Shell, Banana, Green Shell, Bob-omb, Super Horn, Mushroom, and Blooper) revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to use all seven items at once."