Special Item (Mario Kart series)
It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information.
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.
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.
- MKAGPDX Power Ball.png
Palette swap exclusives
Red Yoshi
Egg Launcher
Hero Don-chan
Shield
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." |          
|
| Lucky Seven+ | "3 coins are added to the items that appear." | ||
|
Coin Box (new) | "A box with a golden sheen. Generates a large amount of Coins in front of your kart for a set time." |             (Coin Rush Mode)
|
| Coin Box+ | "This will sometimes spit out red coins." | ||
|
Dash Ring (new) | "Tosses out three rings in front of you along the track. Pass through them for a speed boost!" |        
|
| Dash Ring+ | "Gives you two more rings for five total, increasing your total boost potential." | ||
|
Bob-omb Cannon (new) | "This launcher automatically launches a volley of Bob-ombs. Handle with care!" |         
|
| Bob-omb Cannon+ | "Adds another Bob-omb Cannon, allowing you to fire even more Bob-ombs." | ||
|
Hammer (new) | "Throws multiple Hammers in an arc aimed at karts in front of yours." |     
|
| Hammer+ | "You'll get two extra hammers to throw, widening the strike zone." | ||
|
Giga Bob-omb (new) | "This giant Bob-omb's blast radius is second to none. Kick things off with a bang!" |  
|
| Giga Bob-omb+ | "Giga Bob-omb is bigger and its blast radius is a bit wider!" | ||
|
Super Bell (new) | "Ring the bell to strike your surroundings. The sound wave will protect you while it's ringing!" |  
|
| Super Bell+ | "The bell rings an additional time, and it lasts longer." |
Gallery
Mario using the Fire Flower
Yoshi using the Yoshi's Egg
Daisy using the Heart
Donkey Kong using the Giant Banana
Rosalina using the Dash Ring
Mario (Hakama) using the Coin Box
King Boo (Luigi's Mansion) using the Bob-omb Cannon
Ice Mario using the Ice Flower
Mega Hammer Bro using the Hammer
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) using the Coin Box
Fire Bro using the Fire Flower and Ice Bro using the Ice Flower
Dixie Kong using the Triple Bananas
Black Shy Guy using the Bob-omb Cannon
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) using the Coin Box
Rosalina (Swimwear) using the Coin Box
King Bob-omb (Gold) using the Coin Box
