Capture

Artwork of Mario capturing a Goomba

Capture is a unique ability that Mario gains in Super Mario Odyssey. His newfound hat friend, Cappy, grants him this power when Mario first visits the Cap Kingdom. The name itself is a wordplay based on "cap." When Cappy is thrown at certain enemies, creatures, or objects, such as Goombas, Mario is able to take control of said enemy, creature, or object. This allows Mario to use new abilities, many of which he has never previously had, and collect Power Moons that would normally be out of his reach. When Mario captures something, that thing will gain his hat and mustache, as well as blue pupils or his irises (if it has eyes). Mario can also "de-capture" his host at will (by pressing zl/zr), stunning it for a while. However, if an enemy or other being wears a hat or similar headgear on its head, Mario can capture it only after knocking the hat by jumping onto it or throwing Cappy.

When Mario throws Cappy at an enemy or object and captures it, the hat is shown to be Mario's cap and does not correspond to any hats Mario wears.

Capture list

#	Capture	Description	Controls
01	Frog	Mario can capture a frog to jump extremely high and reach high platforms and places that he could otherwise not reach.	leftstick + Y Dash B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to High Jump.
02	Spark pylon	Mario can capture spark pylons in order to become electricity and zip across power lines. He can also "de-capture" the pylons at any point, allowing him to drop onto objects below him and reach some otherwise unreachable areas. If there are collectible objects like Coins or a Power Moon close to a power line, Mario can leave the power line to collect them; this is done by pressing the button at the right time.	leftstick Move You can also shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to move.
03	Paragoomba	Mario can capture a Paragoomba and use it to fly over bottomless pits of fog.	B Fly Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to fly faster.
04	Chain Chomp	Mario can capture a Chain Chomp and pull back on its chain in order to have it fly off in the opposite direction. This allows him to destroy rocks and other obstacles that Mario could otherwise not destroy himself.	Pull leftstick to Wind Up Release leftstick to Send Flying
05	Big Chain Chomp	The Big Chain Chomps behave the same as the Chain Chomps; however, they have a longer chain, allowing them to fly further than their smaller counterparts.	Pull leftstick to Wind Up Release leftstick to Send Flying
06	Broode's Chain Chomp	Mario can capture Madame Broode's Chain Chomp during his encounter with her. It behaves the same as the Big Chain Chomp, and it is used to defeat Madame Broode.	Pull leftstick to Wind Up Release leftstick to Send Flying
07	T-Rex	Mario can capture a T-Rex in order to destroy stone rocks and enemies. However, Mario can only stay as a T-Rex for a short time, as it is too big for Cappy to hold on to for a long time.	leftstick + Y Dash B Attack You can also shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to attack.
08	Binoculars	Mario can capture a pair of binoculars and use them to look around the area and examine his surroundings. This is vital for collecting Power Moons from zooming into floating taxis or Sphynx.	rightstick Look Around Y Zoom You can also look around with the joy-con-r Joy-Con (R)/pro Pro Controller. R Reset
09	Bullet Bill	Mario can capture a Bullet Bill and use it to fly around and destroy stone blocks or other objects that he could otherwise not destroy. After a short time, however, the Bullet Bill will explode, releasing Mario and dropping him off where ever it exploded.	Hold Y to Accelerate Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to accelerate more.
10	Moe-Eye	Mario can capture Moe-Eyes in order to put on their shades, which allows him to see invisible platforms, Coins, and blocks that he could otherwise not see. Wearing the shades causes the Moe-Eyes to move slower than they do without their shades.	Y Put On / Take Off Shades
11	Cactus	Mario can capture a cactus (in the Sand Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a glowing spot on the ground, which hides a Power Moon.	leftstick Move
12	Goomba	Mario can capture Goombas in order to stack them into Goomba Towers, which allows him to reach high spots that he could otherwise not reach. As a Goomba, Mario can also interact with Goombette, who will award Mario with a Power Moon as a sign of affection. If Mario approaches the female Goomba in his normal form, it will instead disappear in fear. Goombas' feet are also able to walk across icy surfaces without slipping around.	leftstick + Y Dash B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to High Jump.
13	Knucklotec's Fist	During the battle against Knucklotec in the Sand Kingdom (and during the rematch in the Mushroom Kingdom), Mario can capture Knucklotec's Fist, which he can use to punch the foe in order to damage him. Similar to Bullet Bills, Knucklotec's Fist can only be captured for a short amount of time.	Hold Y to Accelerate Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to accelerate more.
14	Mini Rocket	Mario can capture a Mini Rocket in order to blast off into the sky, where he can find a platforming challenge that awards a Power Moon when completed. He can also capture the Mini Rocket in the sky area in order to return to the main level he came from.	Hold B to Launch
15	Glydon	Mario can capture Glydon in order to glide across the Kingdoms and reach high areas that are too far for Mario to reach otherwise.	Hold B to Glide
16	Lakitu	Mario can capture Lakitu and use him to fish for Cheep Cheeps and Big Cheep Cheeps, the latter of which awards Mario with a Power Moon.	Y Lower / Raise Line
17	Zipper	Mario can capture zippers in order to un-zip sections of the level and reveal hidden passages to Coins and Power Moons.	leftstick Move
18	Cheep Cheep	Mario can capture a Cheep Cheep in order to swim faster and better while in the water. If the Cheep Cheep leaves the water, it will bounce around until it re-enters water. As a Cheep Cheep, Mario will not need to come to the water's surface for air.	Y Dive B Surface Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to attack.
19	Puzzle Part (Lake Kingdom)	Mario can capture a large stone rock in the Lake Kingdom in order to solve a puzzle for a Lochlady, who will award Mario with a Power Moon once the puzzle is solved.	leftstick Move
20	Poison Piranha Plant	To capture a Poison Piranha Plant, Mario must first kick a rock into its mouth, which will then allow Cappy to land on top of the Plant's head (rather than the Piranha Plant eating Cappy). As a Poison Piranha Plant, Mario can spit balls of poison at other enemies or at the ground.	Y Spit Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to spit farther and faster.
21	Uproot	Mario can capture Uproots in order to stretch their legs and reach high places that he could otherwise not reach. Mario can also use the Uproot to break otherwise unreachable Rock Blocks located high off the ground.	Hold B to Stretch Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to stretch farther.
22	Fire Bro	Mario can capture a Fire Bro to fire fireballs at enemies and objects, which will award Mario with Coins and, rarely, Power Moons.	Y Throw B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to throw faster.
23	Sherm	Mario can capture tank-like enemies called Sherms and use them to fire cannonballs at enemies and mounds of dirt, which can open up the path to new areas.	rightstick Aim Y Shoot You can also aim with the joy-con-r Joy-Con (R)/pro Pro Controller.
24	Coin Coffer	Mario can capture a Coin Coffer and use it to fire his Coins at enemies and objects. Mario will also gain 30 free coins for capturing a Coin Coffer.	Y Shoot B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to scatter coins.
25	Tree	Mario can capture a tree (in the Wooded Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a glowing spot on the ground, which hides a Power Moon.	leftstick Move
26	Boulder	Mario can capture a rock (in the Wooded Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of an alcove on the adjacent tree, which hides some regional coins.	leftstick Move
27	Picture Match Part (Goomba)	Mario can capture a piece of a Goomba picture during the Picture Match mini-game in the Cloud Kingdom.	Y Rotate Left B Rotate Right ZL Place
28	Tropical Wiggler	Mario can capture Tropical Wigglers and use them to stretch out and reach small platforms and alcoves that he could otherwise not reach.	leftstick + Y Stretch Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to stretch faster.
29	Pole	Mario can capture Poles (in the Metro Kingdom) to fling himself large distances and reach high or far areas.	leftstick Flick Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to flick farther.
30	Manhole	Mario can capture the smaller manhole cover (in the Metro Kingdom) to move it out of the way and access a secret area containing two Power Moons and the bigger manhole cover (in the Metro Kingdom) to move it out of the way and access the Underground Power Plant.	leftstick Move
31	Taxi	Mario can capture a taxi (in the Metro Kingdom), which will take him to a secret night-time area in the Kingdom filled with Sherms and Moon Shards, which Mario must collect to receive a Power Moon.	leftstick Move
32	RC Car	Mario can capture a New Donker (in the Metro Kingdom) to control a small RC Car and drive it into a small cage holding a Power Moon.	leftstick Accelerate rightstick Steer
33	Ty-foo	Mario can capture Ty-foos and use them to blow away enemies or blocks, which can open access to secret areas.	Hold Y to Exhale Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to blow harder.
34	Shiverian Racer	Mario can capture a Shiverian Racer in order to participate in the Bound Bowl Grand Prix (in the Snow Kingdom).	B Bound You can also shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to bound.
35	Cheep Cheep (Snow Kingdom)	Mario can capture purple Cheep Cheeps (in the Snow Kingdom), which behave exactly the same as the regular Cheep Cheeps, with the addition of not being hurt from freezing.	Y Dive B Surface Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to attack.
36	Gushen	Mario can capture Gushens and use them to spray jets of water, which can be used to reach high ledges where Power Moons can be found.	Hold Y to Jet Forward Hold B to Jet Upward Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to spray in all directions.
37	Lava Bubble	Mario can capture Lava Bubbles and use them to swim around lava and reach otherwise unreachable areas across the lava sea.	leftstick + Y Dash B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to dash faster.
38	Volbonan	Mario can capture Volbonans and use them to fling to high places that he could otherwise not reach.	leftstick Flick Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to flick farther.
39	Hammer Bro	Mario can capture a Hammer Bro and use them to throw hammers (or frying pans in the Luncheon Kingdom), which can break mounds of dirt (mounds of cheese rocks in the Luncheon Kingdom) and reveal hidden objects underneath.	Y Throw B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to throw farther.
40	Meat	Mario can capture a large slab of meat (in the Luncheon Kingdom) and use it to lure Cookatiel to pick it up and drop it in the large pot atop Mount Volbono, where a Multi Moon awaits. It cannot be captured again after defeating Cookatiel on the same save file.	Twitch
41	Fire Piranha Plant	Mario can capture a Fire Piranha Plant and use it to spit fireballs at enemies or unlit torches, which can award the player with a Power Moon.	Y Spit Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to spit farther and faster.
42	Pokio	Mario can capture a Pokio and use it to poke into a non-metal wall and fling himself upwards to reach higher areas that he could otherwise not reach.	Y Poke B Jump
43	Jizo	Mario can capture a Jizo statue and use it to line up with other Jizo statue rows, earn coins or Hearts from glowing spots on the ground, break cracked blocks, and weigh down certain P Switches.	leftstick + Y Dash
44	Bowser statue	Mario can capture a Bowser statue (in the Moon Kingdom) in order to move it out of the way of a small ditch containing a Power Moon.	leftstick Move
45	Parabones	Mario can capture a Parabones and use it to fly across large pits of lava and reach distant platforms that he could otherwise not reach.	B Fly Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to fly faster.
46	Banzai Bill	Mario can capture a Banzai Bill, which will make him temporarily invincible (until the Banzai Bill hits a solid wall or blows itself up), allowing Mario to cross large areas of lava or destroy large blocks of stone.	Hold Y to Accelerate Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to accelerate more.
47	Chargin' Chuck	Mario can capture a Chargin' Chuck and use it to charge through boulders or other tough obstacles in the way.	Hold Y to Charge Up Release Y to Tackle
48	Bowser	Mario can capture an unconscious Bowser (during the story events of the Moon Kingdom) and use him to destroy large blocks of stone. He is the only capture that cannot be de-captured when used.	Y Attack B Jump Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to breathe fire.
49	Letter	Mario can capture the letters M, A, R, I and O (in the Metro Kingdom) and use them to spell out the word "Mario", which will reward him with a Power Moon.	leftstick + Y Dash Shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to dash faster.
50	Puzzle Part (Metro Kingdom)	Mario can capture an uncharged block in the New Donk City Power Plant in order to place it on top of a socket, which will power it up and reward the player with a Power Moon.	leftstick Move
51	Picture Match Part (Mario)	Mario can capture a piece of a Mario picture during the Picture Match mini-game in the Mushroom Kingdom.	Y Rotate Left B Rotate Right ZL Place
52	Yoshi	Mario can capture Yoshi and use him to eat several berries scattered across the area where he is found. Eating 10 of these berries rewards Mario with a Power Moon.	Y Extend Tongue Hold B to Flutter Jump You can also shake the joy-con Joy-Con/pro Pro Controller to extend tongue.

Gallery

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  Mario, Cappy and captured transformations.

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  Mario capturing a Goomba

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  Captured Goomba

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  Captured Chain Chomp

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  Captured Bullet Bill

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  Captured Hammer Bro

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  Captured Hammer Bro drawn by Kinopio-kun

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  Captured Lava Bubble

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  Captured Cheep Cheep

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  Captured Sherm

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  Captured Moe-Eye

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  Captured Uproot

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  Captured T-Rex

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  Captured Yoshi and Bowser from Super Mario-Kun

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  Captured Poochy from a 2018 New Year greeting card drawn by Yukio Sawada

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  Captured Kinopio-kun from Nintendo's official LINE account

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  Various captured transformations from a Japanese commercial promoting the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	キャプチャー[?] Kyapuchā	Capture
Chinese	附身[?] Fùshēn	Possess
German	Capern[?]	From "Kapern" (capture)
Korean	캡처[?] Capcheo	Capture
Russian	Зашляпивание[?] Zashlyapivanie	Verb derived from шляпа (hat).
Spanish	Capturar[?]	Capture

Trivia

Bowser after capturing Peach as shown in one of the pages of The Art of Super Mario Odyssey

A captured Goomba compared with a Goomba under the effects of a Big Mushroom

Bowser's captured sprite and his Big Mario sprite

• According to The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, not only was Bowser going to have access to the capture abilities, but he would have used it to take over Princess Peach's body, with her gaining an appearance that bears a much closer resemblance to Bowser when captured by him than most captured beings in the final game do to Mario. There is also picture of Mario capturing Princess Peach, which implies that she was originally intended to be a capturable character.
• In the E3 2017 trailer for Super Mario Odyssey, Mario's pole capture was shown to have Mario's mustache. This is not the case in the final game, though the pole's in-game model retains the mustache.
• Many of the enemies captured by Mario resemble their Big Mario sprites in Super Mario Maker. The only differences between Bowser's appearance in the 8-bit section of the final boss sequence and his Big Mushroom form are the lack of cap and a different mustache.