Editing Metal ball

{{redirect|Iron ball|the recurring spiked ball also referred to as an iron ball|[[Spike Ball]]|the projectile from [[King K. Rool|King K. Rool's]] Blunderbuss (referred to as an iron ball in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]])|[[Cannonball|Kannonball]]}}
{{item infobox
|image=[[File:MK7 MetalBall.png|MK7 MetalBall.png]]<br>The pinball's texture from ''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario World]]'' ([[List of games by date#1990|1990]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' ([[Bowser Tour (2023)|Bowser Tour]]) (2023)
|effect=A metal ball attempts to roll into the player, resulting in that player losing health. 
}}
'''Metal balls''', also referred to as '''iron balls''', '''bowling balls''', '''pinballs''',<ref>{{cite|quote=If you attack a rolling pinball, you can divert it away from you.|author=In-game description for the Waluigi Pinball Court|title=''Mario Sports Mix''|publisher=Nintendo|date=2010|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=von Esmarch, Nick|title=''Mario Kart 7'' PRIMA Official Game Guide|page=130|date=December 4, 2011|language=en-us|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|isbn=978-0-307-89384-0|quote=PINBALLS: These giant pinballs will topple your kart if you let them. Keep your distance!}}</ref> and '''Big Steelies''',<ref>{{cite|title=Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide|page=52|date=August 1991|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref> are obstacles introduced in ''[[Super Mario World]]''. They are large objects that roll around certain areas, not unlike rolling [[boulder]]s.

==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
====''Super Mario World'' / ''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2''====
Big Steelies, also referred to as '''Bowling Balls'''<ref>{{cite|quote=Take it and get ready for Bowser's Bowling Balls.|title=Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide|page=148|language=en-us|date=August 1991|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> (also uncapitalized as '''bowling balls'''),<ref>{{cite|quote=As he hovers overhead, Bowser throws gigantic bowling balls and handfuls of Mechakoopas.|title=Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide|page=52|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=August 1991|language=en-us}}</ref> '''giant steel balls''',<ref>{{cite|quote=The giant steel balls that Bowser throws from the Clown Ship are impossible to beat.|title=Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide|page=52|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|date=August 1991}}</ref> and '''big rollers''',<ref>{{cite|quote=He'll toss out two of these big rollers, then a pair of Mecha Koopas.|title=Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide|page=148|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|date=August 1991}}</ref> are obstacles in ''Super Mario World''. They appear only in the second phase of the final battle with [[Bowser]] in ''Super Mario World'' and [[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2|its reissue]]. Bowser drops Big Steelies from his [[Koopa Clown Car]], and [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] can [[jump]] over them to avoid getting hit. Mario or Luigi can also [[Spin Jump|spin-jump]] on them without getting hurt. A Big Steely can be destroyed if Mario or Luigi uses his sliding cape attack against it using a [[Cape Feather]]; however, a [[glitch]]ed sprite is displayed if this happens. In the reissue, the game timer stops counting down when a Big Steely appears and resumes when it rolls off the screen.

====''Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS''====
Iron balls,<ref>{{cite|author=Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen|title=''Super Mario 64'' Player's Guide|page=106-107, 109-110|date=1996|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>''Super Mario 64 DS'' internal object name (<tt>IRONBALL</tt>)</ref> also referred to as '''rolling balls''',<ref>{{cite|author=Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen|title=''Super Mario 64'' Player's Guide|page=101|date=1996|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref> '''cannonballs''',<ref>{{cite|title=''Nintendo Magazine System'' (AU) Issue #52|page=45-46|date=January 1997|publisher=Catalyst Publishing|language=en-au}}</ref> and '''balls''',<ref>{{cite|author=Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen|title=''Super Mario 64'' Player's Guide|page=19|date=1996|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref> are obstacles in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''. They are encountered on the [[Bob-omb Battlefield]]; [[Tall, Tall Mountain]]; and [[Tiny-Huge Island]] as an uphill hazard. In the remake, several more iron balls appear in [[Battle Fort]]; [[Wario]] is given the ability to destroy iron balls by [[punch]]ing or [[kick]]ing them; and players equipped with a [[Super Mushroom|mushroom]] can destroy iron balls on contact.

===''Super Mario World'' television series===
In the ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]'' episode "[[Send in the Clown]]," King Koopa attempts to defeat Mario in one scene by dropping a Big Steely on him, but Mario dodges it.

===''Super Smash Bros. Melee''===
Metal balls are mentioned in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' in the Koopa Clown Car [[Trophy (Super Smash Bros. series)|trophy]], where they are described as "bowling balls."

===''Mario & Luigi'' series===
====''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' / ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions''====
In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', an iron ball (erroneously called a "rock") appears during the [[Jellyfish Sisters]]' tutorial on [[Dash (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)|Dash]]ing, where it must be pushed with the ability. Later, some appear around [[Gwarhar Lagoon]]'s exterior in timed courses involving the Dash.

====''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' / ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey''====
Iron balls are obstacles in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''. They appear in multiple locations. In [[Cavi Cape]], Bowser must punch a falling one in order to knock it into a button; in the [[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey|game's remake]], these are replaced with [[barrel]]s. Later, [[Midbus]] crushes Bowser with a massive iron ball (which Midbus dubs the "Super Ultra Wonder Ultimate Ruthless Great Iron Ball"), prompting Mario and Luigi to visit the [[Arm Center]] one last time. At [[Blubble Lake]], Bowser can punch some iron balls found on spinning mechanisms to push himself into the lake.

====''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team'' / ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam''====
There are [[Hammer]]s called the Iron Ball Hammer and Iron Ball Hammer DX in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'' and ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'', which sometimes cause an iron ball to fall onto a random enemy after an "Excellent" rating is achieved. In the former game, they have a studded appearance, though they are smooth in the latter. The latter game also has them appear in the mission [[Hammer, Bros!]], where they are referred to in localizations as [[cannonball]]s.

===''Mario Kart'' series===
Metal balls, referred to as pinballs in ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', are obstacles in [[DS Waluigi Pinball|Waluigi Pinball]] in ''Mario Kart DS'', ''Mario Kart 7'', ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', and ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''. They roll around all throughout the course, and they flip over any player that drives into them. On the pinball table section of the track, metal balls are bounced around by [[Bumper (Mario Kart series)|bumpers]] and [[Flipper (Mario Kart series)|flippers]]. In ''Mario Kart DS'', they are 2D sprites that always face the camera, while in ''Mario Kart 7'', ''Mario Kart Tour'', and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', they are 3D models. In ''Mario Kart Tour'', the reflection is of the pinball table section of the track, regardless of where the metal balls are. They are black in ''Mario Kart DS'' and ''Mario Kart 7''; however, they are gray in ''Mario Kart Tour'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''.

In ''Mario Kart Tour'', metal balls also appear in [[GBA Bowser's Castle 4]]. In this iteration of the course, they are spawned by flying dispensers from the top of a slope, bouncing down the slope in a straight path. Racers have to drive up the slope and avoid the metal balls to reach the midway point finish line and enter the final section of the course. The metal balls in GBA Bowser's Castle 4 are much larger than their counterparts in DS Waluigi Pinball, and their reflection more appropriately matches the one part of the environment on which they appear.

===''Mario Sports Mix''===
Pinballs are obstacles in ''[[Mario Sports Mix]]''. They appear on the [[Waluigi Pinball (court)|Waluigi Pinball]] court, where they are released onto the court by a giant robotic [[Waluigi]] and then continuously roll around the area, hitting bumpers and walls. When they collide with a player, they push them back and stun them for a few moments while also becoming faster. They keep their momentum if they hit a bumper, but they revert to their original speed if they hit a solid wall instead. If a pinball ends up in the hole at the top middle of the court, another one appears shortly afterwards.

===Unused appearances===
In ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', graphics for iron balls exist [[List of Super Mario Maker pre-release and unused content|unused]] in the ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' game style's object graphics, designed using the white-yellow-green color palette used in the original ''Super Mario Bros.'' for [[1-Up Mushroom]]s and [[Koopa Troopa]]s among others.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
BigSteely SMW.png|''[[Super Mario World]]''
KingKoopaDroppingBall.jpg|A Big Steely being dropped from the Clown Car in the [[Super Mario World (television series)|''Super Mario World'' cartoon]]
BigSteely SuperMarioKun.jpg|''[[Super Mario-kun]]''
SM64 Iron Ball.png|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
SMA2 Big Steely.png|''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]''
SM64DS Spinning Heart.png|''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''
MKDSPinball.png|''[[Mario Kart DS]]''
MK7 Pinball.jpg|''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
SMM-SMB-Big-Steely.png|''[[Super Mario Maker]]'' (''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', unused)
MKT metal ball.png|''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
MKT MetalBall.png|''Mario Kart Tour''
MKT MetalBall2.png|''Mario Kart Tour''
MKT GBABowserCastle4 Scene.jpg|''Mario Kart Tour''
MK8DX Pinball.png|''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=鉄球<ref>{{cite|location=Tokyo|title=「任天堂公式ガイドブック　スーパーマリオワールド」 (''Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook – Super Mario World'')|page=124|publisher=Shogakukan|date=December 10, 1992|isbn=4-09-104117-5|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), et al.|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|location=Tokyo|date=October 19, 2015|title=『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』 (''Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook''), スーパーマリオ{{ruby|６４|六十四（ろくじゅうよん）}} (''Sūpā Mario Rokujūyon'') section|page=101|isbn=978-4-09-106569-8}}</ref>/てっきゅう
|JapR=Tekkyū
|JapM=Iron ball
|ChiS=铁球
|ChiSR=Tiě Qiú
|ChiSM=Iron Ball
|ChiT=鐵球
|ChiTR=Tiě Qiú
|ChiTM=Iron Ball
|Fre=Boule de métal
|FreN=''Mario Kart Tour''
|FreM=Metal ball
|Ger=Stahlkugel<ref>{{cite|author=Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors|title=''Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World"''|language=de|location=Großostheim|publisher=[[Nintendo|Nintendo of Europe GmbH]]|date=1993|page=20}}</ref>
|GerM=Steel Ball
|GerN=''Super Mario World''
|Ger2=Eisenkugel
|Ger2M=Iron Ball
|Ger2N=''Mario Kart Tour''
|Ger3=Metallkugel
|Ger3M=Metal Ball
|Ger3N=''Mario Kart Tour''
|Ita=Palla di ferro<ref>{{cite|date=November 15, 2018|title=''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia]]''|publisher=Magazzini Salani|language=it|isbn=889367436X|page=92}}</ref>
|ItaN=''Super Mario 64''
|Ita2=Biglia di ferro
|Ita2N=''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' and its remake
|Ita3=Ferrosfera
|Ita3N=''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' and its remake
|Ita4=palla{{sic}} di ferro
|Ita4N=''Mario Kart Tour''
|ItaM=Iron ball
|Ita2M=Iron marble
|Ita3M=Iron-sphere
|Ita4M=iron ball
|Kor=철퇴
|KorR=Cheol toe
|KorM=Iron mace
|Por=Bola de metal
|PorN=''Mario Kart Tour''
|PorM=Metal ball
|Rus=Стальной шар
|RusR=Stalnoi shar
|RusM=Steel Ball
|Spa=Bola de metal
|SpaN=''Mario Kart Tour''
|SpaM=Metal ball
}}

==References==
<references/>
{{SMW}}
{{SMW TV}}
{{SM64}}
{{MKDS}}
{{MSM}}
{{MK7}}
{{MKT}}
{{MK8}}
[[Category:Hazardous objects]]
[[Category:Super Mario World objects]]
[[Category:Super Mario World (television series)]]
[[Category:Mario Kart 7 objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart DS objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Tour objects]]
[[Category:Mario Sports Mix]]
[[it:Palla di ferro]]