Lava Bubble

This article is about the fireball enemies. For other uses of "bubble", see Bubble (disambiguation). For the enemy also known as a "Lava Bubble", see Li'l Cinder.

Not to be confused with Lava Babble, Lava Blubble, or Lava Ball.

Lava Bubble
Artwork from Super Mario Run
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance	Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024)
Variants Big Lava Bubble Black Lava Bubble Bō Ember Lava Babble Lava Blubble Lava Blobble Lava Ghost Phantom Ember Podoboo Tower Poison Bubble Paper Macho Lava Bubble
Relatives Fire Bar Fire Snake Fireball (Donkey Kong)
Comparable Char-Char Kōmori Missile Lava Drop Li'l Cinder Zip-Zap

“Fire EVERYWHERE!”

—Sparky, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Lava Bubbles (also called Podoboos, Sparkies, Spark Spooks, fireballs, flames, Lava Drops, or simply Bubbles) are living fireballs that emerge from lava. They are commonly depicted as a large fireball with two black eyes or also as only a large fireball. Lava Bubbles appear mainly in the Super Mario series, but have also appeared in Mario Party series, the Mario Kart series, and the Paper Mario series. In the main series, Lava Bubbles can be destroyed by using a Super Star and certain projectiles such as Ice Balls.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

Podoboos first appeared in Super Mario Bros., as fireballs that would jump out of the lava in simple patterns in an attempt to burn Mario whenever he tried to jump over them. In this game, they only appear in castles and are completely invincible. They debut in level World 2-4.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Podoboos reappear and act as they did in Super Mario Bros., and are still primarily found in castles. However, a single Podoboo can also be found in World 9-4 between the katakana characters "ト" and "ウ" in the word "アリガトウ" (arigatō, meaning "thank you" in Japanese) that is formed by blocks. It is possible to defeat Podoboos in World A-4 by kicking a Red Shell at them.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Like many other enemies from the previous games, Podoboos appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. Also, in World 5-Fortress 2, there are some Podoboos that jump out of lava on the ceiling. Podoboos can be defeated with Statue Mario, Hammer Mario's hammer, or a Starman.

Super Mario World

Super Mario World marks the first time that they were referred to as "Lava Bubbles", as can be seen in the player's guide for the game. It is also the first time Lava Bubbles are shown to have eyes. They again appear in castle levels, where they act the same as in their previous appearances — they simply jump out of the lava in an attempt to burn Mario. However, diagonally-travelling Lava Bubbles are now found outside the lava at all times, bouncing around the rooms of castles. This behavior is similar to Boo Buddy Snakes in Ghost Houses and the red fireballs found in the Mario Bros. game. When this type touches lava, it sinks and does not come back out.

The former type of Lava Bubble assists Larry Koopa in battle, while the latter type assists Lemmy Koopa and Wendy O. Koopa in their battles, with one appearing in Lemmy's room and two appearing in Wendy's.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

A Sparky in Super Mario 64

Sparkies appear again in Super Mario 64 and its remake, where they are rare and primarily appear in Lethal Lava Land. The course is themed after them according to its Japanese name, and its painting features what is most likely intended to be one, depicted with a sinister face, though they are featureless in gameplay. They jump out of the lava horizontally and bounce on the bridges, then they come back to the lava. They are indestructible, and if Mario touches one, it causes him to uncontrollably run and lose three wedges of health, like all other fiery enemies or obstacles. In the battle with Bowser in Bowser in the Sky, he spits some blue (green in the remake) fireballs that split into three like-colored Sparkies which immediately bounce across the stage. Both types disappear after a few seconds. In the remake, Yoshi can eat a Sparky, causing him to spit out fire, similar to his ability in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Podoboos appear as enemies in the World 1 and World 4 castles and in World 8-5 acting like they do in Super Mario Bros. while retaining their design from Super Mario 64 DS.

Super Mario Galaxy

Lava Bubbles are enemies in Super Mario Galaxy. They are small and appear in a non-standard cyan color. Rather than hopping in and out from lava, they bounce along its surface and along the ground, following Mario. They can only be defeated by shooting a Star Bit at them, releasing one coin. They initially appear during the third phase of King Kaliente's battle in the Good Egg Galaxy, where he spawns them around his arena. They later appear in Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, appearing both in the stage itself and in the fight against the blackened King Kaliente, who spawns them sooner than before. Finally, they appear occasionally in the Melty Molten Galaxy, guarding a Silver Star in Burning Tide and guarding Star Chips in Through the Meteor Storm.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lava Bubbles appear in many boss castles, acting like they did in New Super Mario Bros. They are also commonly found in World 8 as an enemy. They have eyes in this game, having a similar appearance to the Super Mario World Lava Bubbles. Additionally, the Lava Bubbles can be defeated by using an Ice Flower's or Penguin Suit's Ice Balls, or by running into one while using a Star. They first appear in Roy's Castle in World 2 right at the beginning; they continue to appear in the castles of World 5, World 6 and World 8. They are also found as enemies in the World 8 Enemy Course.

Through exploits, it is revealed that Yoshi can eat a Lava Bubble, but like Green and Red Shells, cannot swallow them, spitting it out as a large fireball akin to the type that he would swallow from Fire Piranha Plants.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Standard orange Lava Bubbles appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 as obstacles in galaxies with lava, as well as in Bowser's galaxies. Just as in previous installments, Lava Bubbles jump out of the lava trying to hit Mario (or Luigi, as the case may be), though unlike the previous game, they do not have eyes. In Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet, in a place in which there are many lava pits, there are Lava Bubbles that jump from one lava pit into another nearby lava pit. The blue Lava Bubbles from the first Super Mario Galaxy also appear in this game, solely in the battle against King Kaliente in the Boss Blitz Galaxy.

Super Mario 3D Land

Three Lava Bubbles appearing in Super Mario 3D Land.

Lava Bubbles return in Super Mario 3D Land, where they mainly appear in castle stages, and, like in previous games, they act as obstacles that jump out of the lava in order to hit Mario or Luigi. In this game, Lava Bubbles can only be defeated while the Bros. are under the effects of a Star or an Invincibility Leaf.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Lava Bubbles reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, again inhabiting castles, and attacking in the same way. However, this time, Lava Bubbles have the capability of jumping out of lava pits in a diagonal pattern.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Lava Bubbles reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their Nintendo Switch enhanced port, behaving identically as in previous games of the Super Mario Bros. series. However, New Super Luigi U features a sideways flying variation that leaps from one lava pool to another; the game's director, Takemoto, officially confirmed in a Miiverse post that this enemy is called a Lava Bubble.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Lava Bubbles in Super Mario 3D World

Lava Bubbles reappear in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port, behaving identically as in Super Mario 3D Land. Blue variants also appear in levels with blue lava.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Lava Bubbles reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. They can be set to come out of Warp Pipes and ? Blocks, or be produced by Bill Blasters and Lakitus. Giving one wings will make it fly diagonally and bounce off of walls like the diagonal ones from Super Mario World, though they also now bounce off the surface of lava instead of sinking. Additionally, while under the effects of a Big Mushroom, Lava Bubbles gain eyes and mustaches.

Super Mario Run

Vertically leaping Lava Bubbles appear in Castle levels in Super Mario Run. Otherwise indestructible, they can only be defeated when the player is under the effect of a Super Star. Each supplies players with a +3 coin bonus when in Toad Rally. A derived species called Poison Bubble also appears. Instead of leaping from lava, this creature leaps out from poisonous swamps.

Super Mario Odyssey

A Lava Bubble being controlled by Mario.

Lava Bubbles reappear in Super Mario Odyssey, where they are found in the Luncheon Kingdom and the Darker Side, along with a secret area in the Lost Kingdom. As usual, they leap out of lava at regular intervals, potentially moving through grates, then fall back in. In this game, they may shift positions in the lava between jumps. Cappy can be used to capture them, although Cappy is unable to move through lava and therefore cannot hit a Lava Bubble beneath the waves.

A Lava Bubble's eye color does not change when they are captured by Mario; they instead gain his nose, eyebrows, and mustache. When being controlled by Mario and Cappy, Mario has the ability to travel through lava, including an immunity to other Lava Bubbles. However the Lava Bubble disappears if it lands on other surfaces. The Luncheon Kingdom's Stupendous Stew counts as lava. Mario can jump by pressing . and dash by pressing and . Shaking the controller does a faster twirling dash that involves a short hop. He can pass through grates as well. Touching enemies that are not Lava Bubbles defeats them. If Mario defeats a Magmato, it melts into a puddle of lava. This is used to create additional space on the ground that Lava Bubbles can swim in. The order of operations is such that jumping onto a Magmato as a Lava Bubble is safe. Mario as a Lava Bubble can jump into lava cannons, which shoot Mario to another area of the map. Jumping in large pots of Stupendous Stew causes them to heat up, releasing a Power Moon. Lava Bubbles can ignite lanterns on contact, though lanterns are not made of lava so the Lava Bubble will disappear. When released from a capture, Lava Bubbles do not get dazed, though they will merely jump up and down instead of resuming any more specific movement pattern.

Lava Bubbles also appear in an 8-bit sections in the game, reprising their abilities from Super Mario Bros.' Aside from being in the Luncheon Kingdom, they also appear in the Cloud Kingdom.

The boss Cookatiel is fought while swimming in a giant pot of Stupendous Stew at the top of Mount Volbono in the Luncheon Kingdom. Getting there requires using a lava cannon as a Lava Bubble, and the Lava Bubble is used for the entire fight. Mario is not allowed to release the Lava Bubble during this encounter. The Cookatiel rematch in the Mushroom Kingdom takes place in the same pot, without the mountain underneath it, under the same rules. Mario also enters this fight in Lava Bubble form.

Super Mario Maker 2

In Super Mario Maker 2, Lava Bubbles return with their properties from Super Mario Maker. They additionally appear in the new Super Mario 3D World style, where they will not leap if the player is wearing a Goomba Mask. Moreover, they can now be attached to parachutes.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Lava Bubbles return in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, where they appear exclusively in the level Pull, Turn, Burn and jump in and out of both right-side-up and upside-down lava. They can also be seen in Deep Magma Bog's world map and in the world's epilogue where they startle the heroes. The game introduces a new subspecies called the Lava Blobble.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!

Podoboos jumping up and down as Mario and Kibidango jump from platform to platform.

Podoboos make a brief appearance in Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, when the Goombas pull a switch which sends Mario and Kibidango onto platforms that move up and down over lava; it is at this point where Podoboos began attacking them both, trying to knock the heroes into the lava below. Fortunately for Mario and Kibidango, Luigi accidentally breaks a hole in the ceiling while looking for coins; the room above is filled with water, so the hole that Luigi creates starts a flood in the area, presumably extinguishing the Podoboos.

Nintendo Adventure Books

Some Lava Bubbles appear in the Magma Pits in Koopa Capers, hopping in and out of a lava pool Luigi can try and cross using protruding rocks as stepping stones. If Luigi decides to wait before jumping, he will make it, but if he jumps immediately, he will only pass the first three Lava Bubbles, and collide with the fourth, who notably speaks, taunting Luigi by responding to his "I'm pretty hot stuff!" remark with "Not as hot as me."

The Legend of Zelda series

Zelda Wiki article: Podoboo

Podoboos are one of several Super Mario enemies to appear in The Legend of Zelda series, specifically appearing in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda. In the first three, they appear in sidescrolling segments and act just like in the Super Mario games. In the Oracle games, a subspecies of the Lava Bubble, Podoboo Tower, exists in the subterranean world of Subrosia in Oracle of Seasons, and in the burning ruins of Symmetry City in Oracle of Ages. In Four Swords, where they are known as Bubbling Lava, they hop after the players, splitting into two small, quickly ricocheting ones when attacked. In Cadence of Hyrule, they instead move around walls like Sparks.

Both The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords feature giant Podoboo-like bosses as well, with the former game having Hot Head and the latter having Gouen.

Yoshi's Island series

Lava Bubbles appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its Game Boy Advance version. They share the same behavioral patterns as in Super Mario World. In this game, Lava Bubbles can be eaten by Yoshis, giving them the power of the red watermelon: the ability to spit fire. Sometimes, they jump in arcs sideways. If they land on solid ground while doing this, they will continue to bounce along it. Lava Drops, as they are named in Yoshi's Island DS, return in the sequel, behaving identically as before.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake, Lava Bubbles (referred to as Sparkies in the original game) are encountered in the Mole Mines and the optionally-traversed Pipe Vault, harassing Mario and others by blocking their path. In battle, they hover in the air.

In battle, a Lava Bubble attacks by spinning its body into one of Mario's party members. A Lava Bubble can also use the special attack Hot Shot, which allows the flame creature to shoot a small fire orb at a party member. Needless to say, fire is ineffective against Lava Bubbles. However, despite being made of fire, Mario can surprisingly use jump attacks on Lava Bubbles. Lava Bubbles typically fight in groups of one to three. There are also two Lava Bubble variants, the Lava Blubble and Lava Babble, which can be found in Booster Tower and Barrel Volcano, respectively.

Yoshi's Story

Spark Spooks reappear in Yoshi's Story, behaving like they did in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, but cannot be eaten. They appear the levels Blargg's Boiler and Magma Castle. There is another variant in this game, known as Lava Ghosts.

Mario Party series

In most Mario Party games prior to Mario Party 8, Lava Bubbles are referred to as Podoboos and appear as flames, making them resemble Fire Snakes. They appear mostly in minigames.

Mario Party

Sparkies are obstacles in the Hot Rope Jump minigame of Mario Party. The object for contestants is to jump over the flaming rope twenty times. If one fails to do so, they will lose fifteen coins—five of those coins will be given to each opposing player. If all players complete the minigame successfully, everyone will receive ten coins. If multiple players don't jump during the fire, 1 player loses at random.

Mario Party 2 / Mario Party Superstars

Podoboos in the Mario Party 2 iteration of the Hot Rope Jump minigame

Podoboos are obstacles in a different iteration of the Hot Rope Jump minigame in Mario Party 2, also included in Mario Party Superstars. The minigame instead begins by jumping over slow, blue Podoboos five times, after which the Podoboos turn orange and move more swiftly. The rope will keep twirling until only one contestant remains.

Mario Party 3

Podoboos are obstacles in the minigames All Fired Up, Treadmill Grill, and Eye Sore, as well as targets in Hyper Hydrants in Mario Party 3. Podoboos have to be avoided in All Fired Up until there is only one player character left, making them the winner.

Mario Party 4

Podoboos are a board feature in Mario Party 4. They jump out of the lava in Bowser's Gnarly Party.

Mario Party 5 / Mario Party: The Top 100

Podoboos are obstacles in the Heat Stroke minigame in Mario Party 5, also included in Mario Party: The Top 100. They land on the platforms the three players were on. Podoboos are also items, in the form of a Bubble Capsule, which advances the player forward 10 spaces but removes every capsule in their inventory.

Mario Party 6

Podoboos are obstacles in the Daft Rafts minigame, though only at night, in Mario Party 6. Podoboos return as items, though this time their orb was renamed to Podoboo Orb.

Mario Party Advance

Podoboos are obstacles in the minigame, Go-go Pogo, in Mario Party Advance. Touching a Podoboo is one way for the player character to lose the minigame.

Mario Party 8

Several Lava Bubbles as they appear in Goomba's Booty Boardwalk in Mario Party 8.

Lava Bubbles are obstacles in the Lava or Leave 'Em minigame and a board feature of Goomba's Booty Boardwalk in Mario Party 8. The Lava or Leave 'Em minigame has a Lava Bubble capable of splitting into several other Lava Bubbles. Three Lava Bubbles are summoned by Bowser on a Bowser Space of Goomba's Booty Boardwalk if a player character lands there. The character can jump over the Lava Bubbles to dodge them as they move towards the center. The Lava Bubbles only try to hurt the player three times, in a time frame of ten seconds, and take away ten coins with each successful attempt.

Mario Party 9

Lava Bubbles are a board feature and the basis of a Mini Star constellation in Mario Party 9. The Mini Star constellation, found in the Museum, is simply named Fireballs. Lava Bubbles only physically appear in Magma Mine, where they can jump off the magma.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Lava Bubbles are a non-interactable species in the Match Faker and Tap Dash minigames and a board feature in Mario Party: Island Tour. In both minigames, a Lava Bubble can appear as one of the guesses. Lava Bubbles appear jumping from the lava on the Bowser's Peculiar Peak board in particular.

Mario Party 10

Lava Bubbles are obstacles in Mario Party 10. They appear only in Chaos Castle, where contact with one costs the affected player Mini Stars in Mario Party only, while the number of spaces will be reduced to 0.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Lava Bubbles are items in Mario Party: Star Rush. They are exclusive to Coinathlon, where Lava Bubble stuns the targeted player for a few seconds and removes coins and Item Boxes when used.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

In Super Mario Party Jamboree, Lava Bubbles are seen jumping in and out of the lava on Goomba Lagoon.

Mario Golf series

Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)

The name "Podoboo" can sometimes appear on scorecards in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Golf.

Mario Golf: Super Rush

Lava Bubbles are obstacles in Mario Golf: Super Rush. They appear in Bowser Highlands only, where hitting one with the ball attracts a one-stroke penalty.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

In Paper Mario, Lava Bubbles appear as common enemies in Mt. Lavalava. Because of their fiery bodies, they can not be jumped on; Mario can only harm them with hammer-based attacks, unless he has a Fire Shield or Ice Power badge equipped. In this game, Lava Bubbles are weak to water and ice. Lava Bubbles can either jump on Mario or damage Mario's partner, causing the partner to become Injured unless the partner blocks the attack. This also takes up the Lava Bubble's turn. A stronger, blue-colored variety of Lava Bubble, called Embers, appear as enemies in Star Way.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they can be found in the Pirate's Grotto as well as in the Pit of 100 Trials. Mario has to attack them with his Hammer since they cannot be jumped on unless he is equipped with an Ice Power badge. In this game, they attack by getting close to either Mario or the partner, and burning them with their body, causing 4 damage. They can also spit fireballs that hit either Mario or his partner. These fireballs cause only 3 damage, but they can set Mario (or his partner) on fire. Ice and explosions are their main weakness. They are referred to as "flame spirits" in their descriptions, while the related Embers are commonly called "ghosts." If hit by a fire attack (such as Vivian's Fiery Jinx), they will either duplicate or restore HP.

Super Paper Mario

In Super Paper Mario, they jump out of lava pits in The Underwhere, just as they do in the main series; however, they can be damaged in this game. The player can use Carrie to jump on them, use Boomer to explode on them, hit them with Cudge, or hit them with Barry. It is possible for them to traverse on land; the player will have to pick them up with Thoreau and drop them. While on land, Lava Bubbles can pass through pipes and get trapped in spikes. Visually, their flames are no longer slanted, and they do not flip over at the top of their jump as in previous Super Mario games.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Lava Bubbles also appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. However, they only appear in the stage Bowser's Sky Castle, during the third phase of the Bowser battle. As soon as Mario approaches Bowser in a lava-filled area of the final hallway, the Bubbles can be seen jumping up and down in the lava. When it is Bowser's turn to attack, he lifts his pointer finger in the air, and ten Lava Bubbles are sent towards Mario. They each deal two points of damage to Mario. Only the first Lava Bubble can be blocked, but Mario is helpless against the nine that follow. However, they have a weakness.

The only way to harm the Lava Bubbles is with a thing sticker with cold or freezing properties. An example of one such sticker is the Refrigerator. After using the sticker, the Lava Bubbles are frozen. Using a wind Thing Sticker like the Fan make Bowser and the Lava Bubbles fly in the air. Bowser falls, and all 10 Lava Bubbles will fall on Bowser doing 10 damage each. However, more Lava Bubbles will spawn after a few turns. In this game, the Lava Bubbles more closely resemble their visual appearances in Super Mario platformers, as opposed to that of previous Paper Mario games.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

The Big Lava Bubble sprite in Paper Mario: Color Splash.

Lava Bubbles return in Paper Mario: Color Splash. They have three forms: a "normal" version, a black paint version known as Black Lava Bubble, and an 8-bit version, the latter of which is only shown in the course dedicated to Super Mario Bros. 3, Green Energy Plant. In Redpepper Volcano, a Snifit can be seen teaching a Fire Bro how to aim his fireballs, using a Lava Bubble as a target.

Outside battle, normal Lava Bubbles emerge from lava, chase Mario and after a few seconds retreat into the lava if they do not make it to hit him. These Lava Bubbles damage Mario in battle if he jumps on them with non-Iron Jump cards. Moreover, direct-contact hammer attacks result in Mario's hammer getting burned, canceling his attack. Normal Lava Bubbles are very weak to Ice Flower cards.

There is also a Big Lava Bubble in Redpepper Crater that serves as a mini-boss. A Shy Guy translates what he says to Mario while battling and when confronting him.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Main article: Paper Macho Lava Bubble

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Paper Macho versions of Lava Bubbles appear in Hotfoot Crater during the Paper Macho Goomba chase. They fly out from the lava and bounce along the ground, creating small pools of lava that damage Mario upon contact.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Podoboos in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake, they appeared as obstacles in a side-scrolling area in Bowser's Castle.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Lava Bubbles appear as obstacles in the first section of Neo Bowser Castle, where they have multiple behaviors. Some jump straight up and down as normal, but sometimes in groups of two or three at an extremely quick pace, thus necessitating either a well-timed Side Drill to go past them or a Spin Jump to go around them. Others leap in an arc over the path, though these move at a consistently slower pace.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Lava Bubble in the remake

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Podoboos appear as obstacles in Fire Mountain. Like with other hazards and enemies in this game, touching a Podoboo will instantly defeat Mario or Mini-Mario. In the remake, they are updated to use a design that slightly resembles their appearance in Super Mario World, which is more prominent when seen in motion.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Podoboos appear as obstacles in Lava Dome.

Mario Baseball series

In both Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, Lava Bubbles appear in the Bowser Castle stadium. They jump from the lava pits onto the outfield, creating brief fiery splashes that can burn players and make them drop the ball.

Mario Kart series

Lava Bubbles appear as obstacles throughout various Bowser's Castle courses in the Mario Kart series. They also appear as obstacles in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, appearing on Ember Island stunning drivers that make contact with them.

Super Princess Peach

Podoboos in Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, Podoboos could be encountered in Fury Volcano and Bowser's Villa, where they behave in the same manner as in previous games. There is also a blue variant that appears in Bowser's Villa. These ones hover above blue lava, and when Princess Peach approaches a torch, it slowly follows after her. Peach must lead them to the unlit torches, as lighting all of them in a room will open up certain doorways. Like unshelled Koopas, Blindfold Boos, and Security Thwomps, the blue variants do not appear in the in-game glossary.

Mario Sports Mix

Lava Bubbles appear in Mario Sports Mix, where teams must avoid losing possession in the Bowser's Castle court. If one team member touches it, they will get burned.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Lava Bubbles appear in the Bowser's Castle segment of Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where the skaters jump over and past them during parts of the routine.

Minecraft

In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Magma Cubes are replaced by Lava Bubbles.

WarioWare: Get It Together!

In WarioWare: Get It Together!, Lava Bubbles appear in level 3 of the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World microgames. They behave identically as in the actual Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World games, respectively.

Other appearances

In Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, Podoboos appear with their usual design as obstacles in sidescrolling areas. They jump from lava as they normally do, but sometimes travel in wide arcs, turning sideways as they do so.

Unused appearances

Dr. Mario World

Unused artwork of a Lava Bubble in Dr. Mario World.

A Lava Bubble was originally going to appear in Dr. Mario World as an assistant, but it was removed from the game.

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Lava Bubble profiles and statistics

Paper Mario

Paper Mario enemy
Lava Bubble
		Max HP	9	Attack	4	Defense	0
		Role	Common	Type	Hover, Fiery	Level	17
		Strong	Fire, Egg Missile	Weak	Explosion (+1), Ice (+2), Water (+2)	Moves	Fire Hop (4), Fireball Barrage (2, Partner)
		Sleep?	50%, -1	Dizzy?	100%, 1	Shock?	50%, 0
		Shrink?	75%, 0	Stop?	85%, 0	Fright?	50%
		Air Lift?	90%	Hurricane?	85%	Coins	1 + 0-3
		Items	Super Shroom	Run	30	Location(s)	Mt. Lavalava
Tattle	This is a Lava Bubble, a fire ball monster. Lava Bubbles live near lava. Max HP: 9, Attack Power: 4, Defense Power: 0 They are obviously pretty hot, so you'll get hurt if you try to jump on 'em. They sometimes attack your friends (like me!), too. The power of that attack is 2. Because of their fiery nature, they fear snow and water.

• Player's Guide: It should be obvious, but the best way to attack a big ball of fire is with water, so Sushie's attacks will be a big help. Lava Bubble also has the ability to attack your party members, knocking them silly for a turn or two.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Lava Bubble
	Max HP	6	Attack	4	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Pirate's Grotto, Pit of 100 Trials (Levels 43, 45, 48)	Role	Common	Level	21
	Sleep?	50%	Dizzy?	105%	Confuse?	75%
	Tiny?	90%	Stop?	90%	Soft?	95%
	Burn?	0%	Freeze?	50%	Fright?	50%
	Gale Force?	90%	KO?	95%	Moves	Jump (4), Fireball (3, Burn, Piercing)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	1 - 3	Items	Power Punch, HP Drain, Super Shroom
Tattle Log #: 75	Log	This flame spirit is vulnerable to explosions and ice attacks. If you stomp on it, you'll take damage.
	Tattle	That's a Lava Bubble. It's a flame spirit. Max HP is 6, Attack is 4, and Defense is 0. Its HP and Attack power may be different from an Ember's, but otherwise it's the same. Since it is made of fire, try not to touch it, 'cause it'll burn you. Apparently it's vulnerable to explosions and ice attacks. Oh, and if you get hit by a flame attack, you might catch fire, so guard well.

Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)

Super Mario RPG enemy
Lava Bubble
	HP	120	Weak Elements		Drops	N/A
	Exp.	4	Weak Statuses		Rare Drops	N/A
	Found in	Pipe Vault
	Monster List profile	They're on fire, but do they get hot? Or burned? No matter what you ask them, they just keep burning away. What goes on in their little minds?
	Thought Peek	"*crackle* *hiss*"
	Animations

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Lava Bubble.

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  Super Mario Bros.

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  Super Mario All-Stars

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

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  Super Mario 3D World

• 

  Super Mario Maker

• 

  Super Mario Odyssey

Additional names

Internal names

Game	File	Name	Meaning
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis	data/data/anims/podoboo_anim.bin	podoboo	Podoboo
Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2	ObjectData/FireBubble.arc	FireBubble	Fire Bubble; applied to the games' blue variant.
Super Mario Galaxy 2	SystemData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl	溶岩バブル (Yōgan Baburu)	Lava Bubble; applied to the game's red variant.
Super Mario Odyssey	ObjectData/Bubble.szs	Bubble	Bubble
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)	Model/LavaBubble.bfres.zs	LavaBubble	Lava Bubble

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	バブル Baburu	Bubble
	溶岩ようがんバブル Yōgan Baburu	Lava Bubble	The Legend of Zelda series
Chinese	火花怪[?] Huǒhuā Guài	Fire Spark Monster
	火焰泡泡[?] Huǒyàn Pàopào	Fire Bubble	since Super Mario Maker 2
Dutch	Lava Bubble[?]	Lava Bubble
Finnish	Podoboo[?]	-
French	Podoboo[?]	-
	Sparky[?]
	Bulle de lave[?]	Lava Bubble
	Ectopodoboo[?]	From "Podoboo" and "ectoplasm"	Super Mario Galaxy
German	Hothead[?]	From the German word Hitzkopf
	Lava Blub[?]	From English word "lava" and blubbern ("to bubble")	first three Paper Mario games
	Lava-Blub		Super Mario World
Italian	Podoboo[?]	-	Super Mario Bros.
	Fiammetto[?]	From fiamma ("flame") and the diminutive suffix -etto	most games
	Bolla di Lava[?]	Lava Bubble	Super Mario World, Mario Sports Mix
Korean	버블[?] Beobeul	Bubble
Portuguese (NOA)	Bolha de lava[?]	Lava Bubble
Portuguese (NOE)	Bolha de Lava[?]	Lava Bubble
Russian	Пузырь лавы[?] Puzyr' lavy	Lava bubble
Spanish	Bola de Fuego[?]	Fire Ball
Spanish (NOA)	Burbuja de Lava[?]	Lava Bubble
Spanish (NOE)	Gota de Lava[?]	Lava Drop
	Burbuja Lava[?]	Lava Bubble	Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
	Podoboo[?]	-

Trivia

• One of the Japanese Super Mario character encyclopedias postulates that Lava Bubbles may be the manifestation of the resentment of the Koopa Troop.

External links

• Podoboo on Zelda Dungeon Wiki
• Podoboo on Triforce Wiki