Editing Empty Block

{{Rewrite-expand|Be more specific for the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series sections|February 8, 2020}}
{{about|the recurring object also referred to as "Brown Block" in Super Mario World|the object from [[Wario Land 4]]|[[brown block]]}}
{{item infobox
|image=[[File:Used Block Artwork - Super Mario 3D World.png|200px]]
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'' ([[List of games by date#2023|2023]])
}}
An '''Empty Block'''<ref>[[:File:BrickEmptyBlockMSS.png|Screenshot from ''Mario Sports Superstars'' describing the difference between a Brick Block and an Empty Block.]]</ref> (sometimes referred to as a '''Steel Block'''<ref>Walsh, Doug, and Epstein, Joe (2017). ''Super Mario Odyssey'' [[Prima Games|Prima]] Collector's Edition. Page 22.</ref> or simply as a '''Block'''<ref>''Super Mario Galaxy'' instruction booklet. Page 18.</ref><ref>Alt text for the Empty Block decoration in the [https://play.nintendo.com/activities/play/nintendo-online-calendar-creator/ ''Mushroom Kingdom 2023 Calendar Creator''] application. ''[[Play Nintendo]]''. Retrieved May 21, 2023. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230129035619/https://play.nintendo.com/activities/play/nintendo-online-calendar-creator/ Archived] January 29, 2023, 03:56:19 UTC via Wayback Machine.)</ref>) is a type of [[block]] in the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] that usually replaces a [[? Block]], an item-holding [[Brick Block]], or a [[Coin Block]] when the player strikes it, though it sometimes is naturally already in an "empty" state. Empty Blocks tend to be visually based on ? Blocks from their respective games, only brownish and lacking their mark.

==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
====''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''====
Empty Blocks debut in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and recur in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''. In these games, they are colored to match the level's theme, like Brick Blocks and ? Blocks.

====''Super Mario Bros. 3''====
After an absence in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', Empty Blocks return in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''; both these blocks and ? Blocks are yellow (brown in remakes) in this game. Big Empty Blocks also debut in this game, being the result of hitting [[Mega ? Block|Giant ? Block]]s; they also form part of the level designs of [[World 4-2 (Super Mario Bros. 3)|Worlds 4-2]] and [[World 4-5 (Super Mario Bros. 3)|4-5]].

====''Super Mario Land''====
Empty Blocks return in ''[[Super Mario Land]]'', acting as in prior games. They also occur naturally empty, mostly as bonus room terrain.

====''Super Mario World''====
In ''[[Super Mario World]]'', '''Brown Blocks'''<ref>''Nintendo Power'' Volume 28. Page 12.</ref> have small, closed, angry eyes in their sides' centers, rather than their usual holes. If the player hits a blue [[P Switch|Switch Block]], all Brown Blocks turn into coins and vice versa for a short time.

====''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins''====
In ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'', Empty Blocks, looking like they do in ''Super Mario World'', appear in the same capacity as in prior games.

====''Super Mario Sunshine''====
Empty Blocks (localized as '''orange blocks'''<ref name>Alan Averill and Jennifer Villarreal. ''Super Mario Sunshine: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide''. Redmond: [[Nintendo of America]], 2002. Page 73. ISBN: 1-930206-23-2.</ref>) primarily appear in secret courses as platforms and barriers. Many are of atypical shapes (i.e. rectangular or triangular prisms) depending on their purpose. Some shift back and forth. Thin variants appear in "[[The Secret of the Dirty Lake]]" and "[[The Beach Cannon's Secret]]" that function like [[trampoline]]s.

====''New Super Mario Bros.'' series====
Empty Blocks return in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games, working as they did previously; in the first three of these games, they are color-coded according to their environment, as in ''Super Mario Bros.'' They can now be broken by [[Mega Mario]]  (in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'') or stronger enemies, such as [[Broozer]]s (in all games), [[King Bill]]s (in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''), and [[Super Bowser]] (in ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'').

Big Empty Blocks also return in red and orange [[Toad House]]s in ''New Super Mario Bros.'' (as a result of hitting their respective blocks, either [[Roulette Block]]s or [[Mega ? Block]]s), [[World 6-5 (New Super Mario Bros. Wii)|World 6-5]] in ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'', and [[Soda Jungle]] in ''New Super Mario Bros. U''; Long Empty Blocks return in ''New Super Mario Bros. 2''.

====''Super Mario Galaxy'' / ''Super Mario Galaxy 2''====
Empty Blocks appear in a 3D ''Super Mario'' game for the first time in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', and they return in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''; however, they are always found naturally empty, as Brick Blocks always shatter when hit, even if they contain items, and ? and Coin Blocks vanish once used up.

Giant Empty Blocks also appear in the [[Supermassive Galaxy]] in ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', where they are part of the stage's level design.

====''Super Mario 3D Land''====
Empty Blocks return in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', working as they do in the 2D games. Giant Empty Blocks are also found in hidden rooms accessed via [[Warp Pipe]]s (as well as in [[World 6-3 (Super Mario 3D Land)|World 6-3]]) and are often put together to form sculptures that create 3D illusions.

Long Empty Blocks also debut in this game, as a result of hitting Long ? Blocks.

====''Super Mario 3D World''====
Normal-sized and long Empty Blocks return in ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'', acting as they do in prior games. Certain ? Blocks also produce lines of Empty Blocks when hit, similar to [[Face block (platform)|face block]]s from ''Super Mario 3D Land''; giant versions of these blocks (though with a normal-sized "?" mark) also appear and make Giant Empty Blocks.

====''Super Mario Maker'' / ''Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Super Mario Maker 2''====
Empty Blocks return in ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', ''[[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS]]'', and ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'', working as they do in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games. In ''Super Mario Maker 2'', giant Empty Blocks also appear in the ''Super Mario 3D World'' style, as [[! Block]]s take the role that Mega ? Blocks did in the actual game.

====''Super Mario Odyssey''====
Only normal Empty Blocks reappear in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''. They can be found naturally empty in 8-bit sections.

===''Paper Mario'' series===
Empty Blocks appear in all [[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' games]], working as in the main series. Giant Empty Blocks return in [[Mondo Woods]] in ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''.

===''Super Smash Bros.'' series===
Empty Blocks also appear on ''Super Mario''-themed stages in the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]].

====''Super Smash Bros. Melee''====
They first appear in [[Princess Peach's Castle (Super Smash Bros. Melee)|Princess Peach's Castle]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', if the red, blue, or green [[! Block]]s are touched or hit (or if items are turned off).

====''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''====
In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', ? Blocks on [[Mushroomy Kingdom]] become these if hit or jumped into from below, and they are refilled when the stage loops; they are made of wood with metal borders, and like the rest of the stage, they look more realistic. 

====''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''====
In [[3D Land]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' and [[Super Mario Maker (stage)|Super Mario Maker]] in both the Nintendo 3DS and [[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]] versions, they act the same as in ''Brawl'' but have their respective appearances; Empty Blocks are instead refilled after a while on the latter stage. An Empty Block also serves as the base for the [[Fire Bar]] item in this game.

====''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''====
''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' brings back not only the aforementioned stages, but also the [[Mushroom Kingdom (Super Smash Bros.)|Mushroom Kingdom stage]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''; in this version of the stage, the [[Semisolid Platform|pass-through platforms]] are made of Empty Blocks, rather than [[Hard Block]]s like in the original version. Empty Blocks are also embedded into the brick wall at the left side of the stage, and they are also used as the paths and ledges fighters walk and grab on. The hazardless versions of the stages with ? Blocks also have all of them naturally empty.

The Fire Bar returns as an item, retaining its Empty Block base from the previous game.

===''Mario & Luigi'' series===
Empty Blocks appear in the [[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'' series]], acting the same as in the 2D games.

===''Mario Kart'' series===
====''Mario Kart 7''====
In ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', Empty Blocks appear as parts of platforms that can be driven on in [[3DS Piranha Plant Slide|Piranha Plant Slide]], which is based on the underground courses in ''Super Mario Bros.''.

====''Mario Kart 8'' / ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''====
Empty Blocks return in {{classic|3DS|Piranha Plant Slide}} in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' and its [[Nintendo Switch]] [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe|port]]. They also appear in {{classic-link|SNES|Mario Circuit 3}} in the [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]] in the latter version.

====''Mario Kart Tour''====
[[File:MKT Icon RMX Mario Circuit 1.png|thumb|left|Empty Blocks and ? Blocks in RMX Mario Circuit 1]]
In ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', Empty Blocks appear as platforms on [[3DS Mario Circuit|3DS Mario Circuit T]], [[RMX Mario Circuit 1]] and Piranha Plant Slide. In RMX Mario Circuit 1, they are always paired with [[? Block]]s. The player can perform a [[Jump Boost]] by driving off them. Empty Blocks also appear in the T variants of [[GBA Sky Garden]] and [[RMX Rainbow Road 2]], where they are used as platforms for a [[Piranha Plant]].

===''Mario Party 9''===
In the ''[[Mario Party 9]]'' minigame [[Fungi Frenzy]], [[? Panel]]s turn into panels resembling Empty Blocks after they are ground-pounded.
{{br|left}}

===''Minecraft''===
In the Super Mario Mash-up in ''[[Minecraft]]'', Bedrock is replaced by Empty Blocks.

===''Dr. Mario World''===
In ''[[Dr. Mario World]]'', Empty Blocks appear as stage objects. If a Brick Block contains coins, it will become an Empty Block after all three coins are removed from it. [[Morton Koopa Jr.|Dr. Morton]]'s skill in stage mode can also transform any [[Ice Fan|ice fans]] or [[Bubble Machine|bubble machines]] into Empty Blocks, effectively disabling them. Empty Blocks act as walls for any projectiles such as [[Shell|shells]] and cannonballs from [[Pop cannon|pop cannons]], and will block them. If a capsule match is made next to an Empty Block, the skill meter will be filled by one extra point for each Empty Block in contact with the match. In versus mode, a variation of Empty Blocks appear where it is grey instead of brown, where after a period of time has passed in which neither player has won yet, these blocks appear in rows and will push the objects down by one row at intervals, effectively shrinking the play area for both players.

===''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''===
In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', yellow Empty Blocks can be seen scattered around the [[Training Course (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)|Training Course]]. Some have [[Spike Trap]]s attached to them. Empty Blocks also appear among [[Brick Block]]s and [[? Block]]s in the [[Great Ring of Kong]].

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
SMB3 Empty Block.png|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
SMW Empty Block.png|''[[Super Mario World]]''
NSMB Ground Empty Block.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' (Ground)
UsedblockSMG.jpg|''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
NSMBW Empty Block Artwork.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''
PN Block.png|[[Play Nintendo]]
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=カラブロック<br>''Kara Burokku''<br>プンプンブロック <small>(''Super Mario World'')</small><br>''Punpun Burokku''
|JapM=Empty Block<br><br>Angry Block
|ChiT=金剛磚塊<ref>Official Chinese manual for ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', page 26.</ref>
|ChiTR=Jīn'gāng Zhuānkuài
|ChiTM=Adamant Block
|Ger=Benutzter Block
|GerM=Used Block
|Ita=Blocco Resistente<ref>''Super Mario Galaxy'' Italian manual, page 21</ref>
|ItaM=Resistant Block
|Spa=Bloque vacío <small>(''Super Mario 3D Land'')</small><br>Bloque <small>(''Super Mario Galaxy'')</small>
|SpaM=Empty block<br>Block
}}

==References==
<references/>

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